Federation Commander

[Steve Cole]

Straight out of CL53
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(5Z) PROVISIONAL X-TECHNOLOGY RULES

Advanced X-technology first appeared in 2581, in the late stages of the General War. It involved very advanced systems which made ships far more powerful. This power is reflected by special rules.

(5Z1) SHIP CARDS
Most of the X-technology improvements are built into the ship card and require no particular special rules. The shields are stronger, the engines more powerful, there are more phasers, and there are a few extra systems here and there.

(5Z2) WEAPONS
General: When an X-ship fires a direct-fire weapon at a non-X ship, it gets a -1 die roll advantage (treat 0 as 1).
Phasers: X-ships can fire a phaser-1 as two phaser-3s. If used against seeking weapons and/or fighters/shuttles, this can be on the same impulse. If you fire a phaser-3 shot, mark the small box under the normal weapons used box which limits the second shot to a phaser-3.
Photon torpedoes can be fired non-overloaded every turn (just apply all four energy points at the time of arming or at the instant of firing).
Disruptors on the smaller ships all have a range of 25 hexes. Armed disruptors can be held to the next turn for one point each (two points each if overloaded). A disruptor can be armed in the (1E3a) Power Phase in preparation for the next turn.
Plasma Torpedoes: Small (destroyer) X-ships can carry plasma-S torpedoes.
The plasma-F torpedoes on X-ships are upgraded to plasma-L. A plasma-L launcher can arm and fire either a plasma-F or a plasma-G using the non-X rules. (Plasma-S torpedoes are upgraded to plasma-M, but the destroyers available at this time do not carry that weapon.)
Type-S and type-L torpedoes can be fast-armed and fired in one turn as a plasma-F by paying seven points of energy. This cannot be added to arming energy from previous turns but that energy can be discharged (and is lost) to clear the tube for fast arming.
Type-S and type-L torpedoes can be rapid-armed and fired in two turns by paying the second and third turns of arming energy during the second turn. It is possible to pay the second turn's arming energy and then during that second turn add the arming energy for the third turn. This produces a normal-size torpedo.
Fusion Beams: These can be fired every turn. There is no cooling turn. They use the same energy and charts as non-X ships.
Hellbores: A ship may fire its hellbores every turn by paying the complete cost of arming them at once. Armed hellbores can be held for two points of energy per turn. Overload energy can be added at the time of firing but overloaded hellbores cannot be held and single-turn armed hellbores cannot be overloaded.
Drone Racks carry four standard drones and four anti-drones and function as Federation multi-function drone racks; all X-ships use fast drones. X-ships with seeking weapons can control up to 12 of them. (FC does not use the special X-drones of SFB.)
X-ESGs: These can hold and use seven points of power and can begin a scenario with five points of power. Obviously, six points of power produces 24 points of damage while seven points of power produces 28 points of damage.
New rules for other weapons (e.g., plasma-M, ion cannons, particle cannons, shield crackers) will be presented as needed in X-Ships Attack or Communique.

(5Z3) MANEUVER
Within a given sub-pulse, all X-ships will move after all non-X ships. Resolve the order of movement among X-ships in the same way as that for non-X ships.

(5Z4) POWER
Batteries on X-ships hold three points of power, but the battery is still disabled by one damage point. This does allow the ship to use more reinforcement energy for the shields and to start the scenario with more overall energy.

(5Z5) OTHER RULES
Labs: X-units add one to the Points value in the Laboratory Research table in (5B3) before multiplying by the number of labs.
Tractor beams work the same; the ship just has more power available to make or break tractor links.
Transporters work the same.
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The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

[mjwest]

Steve needs to work on the plasma-M rules soon, along with all of the other missing weapons rules (ion cannons, IPGs, particle cannons, shield crackers, web breakers).

[Honestly, the plasma-M rules are simple, as they work the same as plasma-S. We just need the chart. And given the hellbore and photon rules, the rules for the ion cannon should be pretty obvious, too.]
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Federation Commander Answer Guy

[mjwest]

Two quick Q&A from the General Discussion topic ...

Q1) Can a ship with an X-photon fire a normal load after firing an overload?
A1) Yes. But, such a ship cannot fire an overload after firing a normal load. The reason is because if a ship fires a photon as a normal load on Turn X, then it has two primary choices: start arming a torpedo on Turn X+1, which will be an overload on Turn X+2; or arm a normal load on Turn X+1. There is no way to fire that photon as an overload on Turn X+1.

Q2) Can an X-phaser-1 fire both of its phaser-3 shots on a single impulse? If it does so, are they the same volley?
A2) Yes they can be fired on the same impulse, but only if they are fired at seeking weapons, shuttles, or fighters. If they are fired on the same impulse at the same target, they are part of a single volley. If they are fired at different targets, they are part of different volleys.
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Federation Commander Answer Guy

[mjwest]

One more question I know of:

Q3) The rules in CL53 make reference to enveloping and shotgun plasmas. Are those being added to FC through the X-rules?
A3) No, that was an "SFB-ism" that slipped through. That sentence was removed in the rules post above.
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Federation Commander Answer Guy

[Steve Cole]

If we did a vudar ship in the newsletter, didn't we include rules with it? I cannot look at just this moment but I cannot imagine us not doing that.
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The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

[mjwest]

I just checked the Vudar is in Communique 165, and the weapon note is included as a scenario rule. The contents are:

[cnuzzi]

Thank you! There is some extra stuff here, notably the Hydran/Lyran weapons.