They come in a flock, seek a starship like a seeking weapon, can be killed easily (one point?) but each weapon kills only one. If they enter a starship's hex through the FA arc they cause engine damage equal to the number of geese in the flock.

Suggested by (or joked about by) Richard Eitzen in a discussion of Orion PF engine intake shape.

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 02:41 pm: Edit

There's a reason the Orions use stealth hulls on their ships. It has nothing to do with piracy.

By Glenn Hoepfner (Ikabar) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 04:20 pm: Edit

If the geese cause more than 50% damage of actual size of engine (at least 4 points of damage on a frigate (6 warp) engine), then the engine stalls and will require 160 impulses for it to reset (damage still remains).
Space geese only flock no further than two hexes from an atmosphere planet.
One such geese strike will automatically have subsequent geese strikes (50% chance) each impulse until there is an impulse where no geese struck.
All damage per impulse of geese strike will by applied to a non-stalled, working engine (including impulse)
If all engines of a unit are stalled or destroyed, the ship must attempt a forced landing using atmospheric mode only due to the shock of the crew being surprised by the sheer insanity of geese in space.
Legendary Captains, Navigators and outstanding crews get to roll their breakdown rating to avoid the planet.

This document is not edited for content

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 05:36 pm: Edit

Limiting the flock(s) to two hexes of a planet makes little sense. Is there only one planet in the Quadrant so afflicted? The space Geese must be migratory or would never appear any where but within two hexes of the home world.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 06:32 pm: Edit

No planetary limit.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 06:53 pm: Edit

mine rules need to be clarified for Space geese, as a single small mine could kill the entire flock.

By Glenn Hoepfner (Ikabar) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 06:57 pm: Edit

And the geese would not be able to be targeted until point blank range (super stealthy). Even range one might not be close enough. They are just suddenly striking you with virtually no notice. Just enough time for the Navigator to say, "Birds!"

Jeff and SVC,
I was trying to come up with a "Miracle on the Hudson" situation of a forced, unpowered landing.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 07:13 pm: Edit

Could happen anywhere in the world with water fowl.

Plus, only Federation or Klingon ships normally enter atmosphere for emergency landings, and I doubt Hydrans would even try landing on a class M world. (Gas giant, heck yes... but not an oxygen atmosphere.)

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 07:52 pm: Edit

Every turn you kill one of the Space Geese, roll 1D6. One a roll of a 6, you have attracted the

MOTHER GOOSE!

The Mother Goose enters on a random side of the board and moves toward the ship in anger at Speed 32. She has 150 Internals, Turn Mode A, and can HET once per turn with no chance of breakdown.

Mother Goose can bite the ship with her beak for 2D6 internals (ignores shields).

She can quack once per turn, launching a Sonic Plasma the equivalent of a Plasma-R.

Mother Goose can "kick" your starship with her giant webbed feet if she enters your hex. Roll 1D6 and move your ship that many hexes in the opposite direction.

Mother Goose's Wings act as a MCDS to ward off seeking weapons.

Lastly, Mother Goose's eyes, which are red with anger, fire as two PH-4's every turn.

You can appease Mother Goose and sway her wrath by finding food for her flock. This requires Successful Lab attempts, finding the Food, grabbing it with Tractor Beams, and then releasing the Food in the same hex as the Space Geese.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 08:00 pm: Edit

And you don't want to know what will happen if Mother Goose gets really angry and lays RADIATED SPACE DROPPINGS in the same hex as your starship!

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, January 29, 2018 - 08:37 pm: Edit

Legendary Captain Chesley Sullenberger receives a bonus to safely crash-land saucer, after losing both engines to space geese. Bonus is doubled for water landings.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 12:11 am: Edit

I had a similar idea many many years ago after playing with a screen saver that had a cloud of dot that chased the mouse cursor around the screen.

My SFB version of that was a solo scenario that had a large number of "micro-drones" that always attempting moved towards the ship. The catch was, only one drone could occupy any given hex at a time. The two variables were the number for drones and their speed.


Garth L. Getgen

By Marc Michalik (Kavik_Kang) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 12:36 am: Edit

I second Will's idea;-)

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 07:46 am: Edit

How do the Space Geese ignore shields?!?

Can Space Geese be tractored?

Can Space Geese be transported?

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 10:20 am: Edit

And so the time came, when the Legendary NIMROD "RAINDANCER" PUTRICK caught his first Space Goose. The event was highly celebrated and broadcasted throughout the entire quadrant. In an exclusive interview with the galaxy-famous Raindancer, he mentioned that the secret to catching the Space Goose lay in a highly-intricate Juju dance involving specialized jumps, rolls, arm-waving, and facial expressions. The Space Goose was immediately drawn in because it mistook the dance for a mating ritual.

But it was only a matter of time before Nimrod "Raindancer" Putreck's inherently benevolent discovery (he wanted to put the Space Goose on display in the Intergalactic Zoo for all Alien Children to see and pet), was Weaponized. Malicious Poachers learned how to perform Raindancer's Mating Dance (after watching him over and over on VHS Tape). They used the technique to capture enough Space Geese to breed and multiply. Now, they sell the Space Geese to barbaric empires bent on destruction (for a huge profit, of course. Feeding instructions included).

And now, a NEW TACTIC has been added to the Captain's "Game" (double meaning) on the battlefield...

THE SPACE GEESE SHUTTLE

* Requires Space Geese to be purchased beforehand with Commander's Options
* Required 2 Turns to Arm
* 1 point of energy on the First Turn (to wake the Space Geese up)
* 5 points of energy on the Second Turn (to excite them, make them chaotic, and ready to fly at top speed).
* The exact impulse and hex for the release of the Space Geese must be plotted in advance, otherwise the Space Geese will turn on the launching ship.
* The target must be clearly noted and cannot be changed once the Space Geese Shuttle has been launched.
* Space Geese that have been released from their launching shuttle can be distracted by a Wild Weasel.
* Space Geese Shuttles can be identified by Labs.
* Rules for angering the Mother Goose must be followed, beginning on the first impulse when one of the Space Geese is killed.

By Marc Michalik (Kavik_Kang) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 11:17 am: Edit

By Star Trek matching the shield frequency allows things to pass through shields, like Lursa and Betor's torpedoes or O'Brien transporting onto Phoenix in the Surprise Reverse inspired episode.

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 12:02 pm: Edit

Yes, space geese can be transported. Any ship transporting a space goose aboard takes one point of damage to the transporter room, and a boarding party combat location is established in that portion of the ship.

If the goose is not eliminated in the next round of boarding party combat, the eggs hatch and 1d6+2 additional geese are added.

Optional: As geese mate for life - however short - for each goose beamed about the ship, its partner will board the ship through the shuttle bay, creating a second boarding party combat location (and a second batch of eggs if not dealt with promptly).

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 12:48 pm: Edit

Male Space Geese lay eggs?

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 01:11 pm: Edit

1) All things are possible with a stressed out space goose and an even more stressed out transporter technician.

2) Space geese are very progressive.

3) No one has survived looking under the tail to check, which is why the xenobiology team keeps beaming them aboard.

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 01:25 pm: Edit

If a Legendary Science Officer is present, the ship must attempt to beam a space goose aboard.

A Legendary Marine Major may initiate a boarding party action against the Legendary Science Officer if he attempts to do so.

Roll one die:
1-2 - Science Officer restrained
3 - Shirts are ripped, combat continues to next turn
4 - Marine Major sedated, goose beamed aboard
5 - Weapons malfunction - transporter damaged but no goose
6 - Science Officer convinces Marine Major the goose can be weaponized and beams aboard a goose for each of them (two sets of eggs hatch - one in the labs, one in random hull or barracks box)

By Glenn Hoepfner (Ikabar) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 03:46 pm: Edit

What have I done?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 03:57 pm: Edit

If the ship has a Legendary Cook, he will convert any space goose beamed aboard ship to Pate de Foie Gras.

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 04:37 pm: Edit

On capturing any space goose, roll a D100. On a 1 you have captured the goose that lays the dilithium egg. Bonus points for escaping off map with it.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 04:50 pm: Edit

There are no D100's in Star Fleet Battles!

SFB players aren't used to those funny shaped dice.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 04:53 pm: Edit

Normal Space Geese move at speed 8(warp 2.0).
Any time a Space Goose lays a Dilithium Egg in a star ship, all remaining Space Geese go berserk. Speed increases to 32 hexes per turn. Space GEESE HYSTERIA causes space Geese to self generate 2 points of ECM, and 2 points of natural ECCM.