Difference between revisions of "StarGods"

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StarGods is an extra-unoffical ruleset for TGOD Games.  A work-in-progress of Covenant. Unlike the other TGOD pages, the discussion page here can be used for critiquing the ruleset.  It is meant as an attempt to utilize the Wiki system to streamline game play, allowing players to spend more time customizing their vessels and keeping them neatly, cleanly and easily accessed on their own ImperialWiki userpage.  The use of icons and verbose unit stats would be more difficult to read on the forum, but is extremely fluid on a wiki. The gameplay remains the same, with easier hotlinking (linking directly to unit pages and OOBs for the ease of your opponents) than is available on a forum alone.
StarGods is an extra-unoffical ruleset for TGOD Games.  A work-in-progress of Covenant. Unlike the other TGOD pages, the discussion page here can be used for critiquing the ruleset.  It is meant as an attempt to utilize the Wiki system to streamline game play, allowing players to spend more time customizing their vessels and keeping them neatly, cleanly and easily accessed on their own ImperialWiki userpage.  The use of icons and verbose unit stats would be more difficult to read on the forum, but is extremely fluid on a wiki. The gameplay remains the same, with easier hotlinking (linking directly to unit pages and OOBs for the ease of your opponents) than is available on a forum alone.
This is a file in a greatly messy state.  Don't even bother reading up on it yet in it's current form.


==StarForge==
==StarForge==
'''StarForge''' is an optional unit creation system for more advanced design.  It lists stats for units in a more Roleplaying Game format, giving them attributes instead of numerical strings, and allows for a more complex balance of abilities to be used.
'''StarForge''' is the StarGods unit creation system.  It takes longer to create your list of units, as you need to do a few simple math equations for each one, but it makes for a quicker play experience once you're finished and ready to go.  It lists stats for units in more Roleplaying Game 'attribute' format, which is fast to read and simple to work with.  It is also designed to be referenced using the Wiki, relieving clutter on the board and making combat easier to run.


A unit can be a tank, dragon, space whale or whatever else suits the setting you're in. For an STGOD, units will generally be your spaceforce, while for an FTGOD they may be a steampunk navy or an army. Units are basically the smallest things in the game you care about paying for, so in many settings fightercraft and ground units are not even considered units, they're just ammunition. Units are also generally the focus of an OOB (Order of Battle) and often the only thing you can purchase with your production points. The way a unit functions is defined by it's attributes, and can be roleplayed in generally any format you wish.
The mechanics of StarForge removes 'base value', or 'basic cost'. Hitpoints are replaced by a hull size attribute that also governs how many specials you can equip the unit with, it's Hyperspeed and Stealth ratings, and a few other things. Basic attack is now a purchased value, along with improved attack. Active defenses are now considered a standard component due to their omnipresent general utility, but the number of defenses you add to your vessel is up to you. The special attributes operate the same way as before, except the maximum number of special attribute points you can purchase is limited by the hull size.  A larger unit can equip more.


Once you read over these guidelines, head off to the [[StarForge]] wiki entry for details. Selected elements will be listed below, but not all the extra clutter.


===The Sample Unit===
'''Unit Name'''
BBX-77 ''Exemplar''-class Fleet Flagship
:Cost:
:Size: Colossal
:Abilities
:Command Ship: Yes
:Transport: Yes


:*Weaponry: 50
:*Basic Attributes
:*Defenses: 50


::*Nukes: 10
::*Special Attributes
::*Hyper: 10
::*Radar: 10
::*Siege: 10
::*Inter: 10
::*Sneak: 10


===Basic Abilities===
Ships often have special abilities, but do not require them. It may seem obvious at first, but people forget how important the ship's base value is. Many times people will refer to the 'basic' cost of the ship, or it's 'size' or it's 'weight' when trying to determine how well it lands troops or absorbs punishment. There's no fancy name for it, but 'normal' points are those points invested in the ship's base value.  A 30+10'''H''' ship has purchased 30 basic points.


In addition to whatever specials they have equipped, ships have a full suite of basic abilities based on their base value (that 30 point cost), and buying a 'larger' ship (higher point cost) is the only way to expand it's hitpoints. A ship's hitpoints is always equal to it's basic cost, and it gets a point of offense for every point of basic cost as well! This makes the 'basic' attributes of the ship some of the most valuable overall, even if they have no special function besides absorbing punishment and doing basic damage. They'd also get the '''+1S''' and '''+1H''' that all ships have, giving them a basic competancy in hiding and the ability to hyperspace.  
====Cost====
This is the amount of production the unit requires you to expend before you can put one into play.


They also have what's called a 'baseline competancy' with all military equipment.  This means, in broad terms, just because your civilization has never encountered a Blorfian does not mean Blorfian weapons automatically penetrate your shields--regardless of how your shields or their weapons work.  It also means no vessel is completely devoid of any system, even special systems, but that their basic 'baseline' levels don't matter for much, since everyone has it anyway.  A baseline competancy doesn't count for anything in the game, but it does help explain how people are able to block railguns ''AND'' psychic manipulation ''AND'' daemonfire with the same shield equipment.
====Size====
Size determines how many Specials you can equip, and how many hitpoints you have.


===Special Attributes===
There will always be objective, non-arbitrary norms of '''Size''' per technology level. The size of the unit is actually deceptive, it's the overall bulk and strength of the body that is important here. Thus, if your faction makes them small but sturdy, choose the appropriate size for a unit of that strength, even if it seems "larger" than you thought.
In addition to the basic stats of attack and hitpoints, there's a number of special attributes that can be applid to ships. These do not raise the basic attack or hitpoints level of a vessel, but are given special tactical importance that makes them useful for other situations. Your ship cannot be more than 50% Special Attributes. Consider each hitpoint of a unit the same thing as a few hundred meters of hull to mount things on. You can't have more systems than hull, and most games limit your systems to +10 of a single type. The bonus conferred by the +value is usually directly equal to the cost of the value. There's one exception to this: all vessels are considered to always have a +1 Hyperspeed Rating and a +1 Stealth Rating, cumulative with any extra they fit their ships with, and Hyperspeed Rating and Stealth Rating use a more complicated system designed to favor smaller vessels. When reading the value calculations, +N refers to the +1-10 value you have assigned the stat on that vessel. It is common practice to '''bold''' the abbreviation of a Special Attribute so it is not confused with a numerical value.
====Sensors and Comms====
Sensors and Comms give the fleet access to greater intelligence gathering equipment, allowing them to retrieve useful information about the enemy and reveal prowling stealth ships. Improvements here can also extend the range of your sensors, making you able to determine these things from a longer range. Having an extremely large advantage in Sensor coverage often plays into Moderator damage assessments.


*Abbreviation: '''C3'''
Your basic attributes are all rated based on size, making small units faster and big units slower for example. Large units also endure more punishment before being removed, translating into higher hitpoint values. Finally, large sizes provide more room for a wide assortment of special attributes, and many Abilities will have a minimum size as well.
*Determining the Value: +N points of '''C3''' can reveal an equal or lesser Stealth Rating on short and long range sensors. Furthermore, asking for detailed information about an enemy fleet (numbers, makeup, presence of specific classes or notable ships) often requires you to have at positive adjusted '''C3''' value.
*Attribtue Interactions: '''C3''' has decreased function against fleets with Active Defenses running. You cannot scan a fleet or detect stealthed ships if your '''C3''' rating does not exceed the other fleet's Active Defenses. Stealthed ships may not run Active Defenses themselves, but can travel along with those that do. All planets are considered to have a '''C3''' rating of +1.


====Stealth====
===Abilities===
Stealth is the ability to become invisible to enemy sensor equipment at the cost of movement, attack, and most special systems. Even activating a maneuvering thruster or using a targetting system would betray your location to short-range sensors. However, you may enter and exit Hyperspace while stealthed. You may operate interdiction fields while stealthed, since interdiction fields are invisible to long-range scanners. Short-range scanners will be able to locate the center of the field though, so stealthed interdictors may still be attacked. Stealthed ships may travel along with non-stealthed ships to gain the advantage of Active Defense screening. Stealth and Hyperdrives do not assign a linear value based on purchase cost, they scale the bonus according to ship size, and assign a 'Rating' describing the effectiveness of that ship.  List both the '''+S''' and Stealth Rating of your vessels in your OOB.
'''Abilities''' refers to the special physical characteristics of the unit that distinguish it from others, be it a Barbarian Axeman or a Guided Missile Destroyer.  Generally they refer to specific missions the unit is capable of accomplishing, and you are going to be nearly required to include at least one unit with each of these Abilities. A unit with '''Subterfuge''', for example, is the only one ready and able to provide deep recon of the enemy, and you can't do without a unit capable of '''Command'''!


*Abbreviation: '''S'''
Several of these require large size, but consume no actual unit equipment capacity, so you are encouraged to create armed combat support units rather than disposable 'ability box' units. Abilities can also be stacked, but be aware that extremely expensive multiple-ability units are likely to become high profile targets.
*Determining the Value: The value of Stealth decreases based on the overall size of the vessel.  Stealth systems are not counted when determining the overall size of the vessel.  In plain terms, your Stealth Rating is equal to +N divided by one tenth the cost of the overall non-stealth vessel size, and then added to the automatic +1 Stealth Rating all ships have. A 40+10'''S''' vessel would have, therefore, a stealth rating of +3.5, or ((10/4)+1). To compute a vessel's Stealth Rating, use the following calculation:
:'''+S''' divided by (One Tenth Total Ship Cost besides Stealth) +1 Basic Stealth = Stealth Rating
*Attribtue Interactions: Because all ships have a +1 Stealth Rating, a fleet with no '''C3''' equipped vessels would be unable to locate an enemy force from long range if they chose to 'run silent.' If an enemy has a vessel with '''C3''' rating equal or greater to your Stealth Rating, you may be located and targetted as normal. All planets are considered to have a '''C3''' rating of +1. Stealthed ships are only Stealthed when inert, though they may enter and exit Hyperspace while stealthed. Interdiction equipment may also be operated while stealthed, but short range scanners would detect the origin of the field and allow the ship to be targetted.


====Hyperdrives====
For a list of Abilities, see the StarForge sub-page.
Hyperdrives determine your speed in Hyperspace, and also the ease at which you can be yanked into realspace and attacked by someone with Interdiction equipment. Like Stealth, Hyperspeed Ratings scale to favor smaller vessels, and use the same calculation for determining the rating. The rating is also used as a speed modifier for strategic map movement, generally interperted as a multiplier. A 40+10'''H''' ship would move 350% of normal movement speed, while a ship with no additional hyperdrives moves 100% of normal movement speed as determined by their natural +1 Hyperspeed Rating. It is possible to operate Interdiction fields and Hyperdrives at the same time, though reduce your Hyperspeed Rating by a value equal to +'''I''' when determining your movement speed.


*Abbreviation: '''H'''
===Basic Attributes===
*Determining the Value: The value of Hyperdrives decreases based on the overall size of the vessel, like with Stealth.  Hyperdrive systems are not counted when determining the overall size of the vessel.  In plain terms, your Hyperspeed Rating is equal to +N divided by one tenth the cost of the overall non-hyperdrive vessel size, and then added to the automatic +1 Hyperspeed all ships have. A 40+10'''H''' vessel would have, therefore, a hyperspeed rating of +3.5, or ((10/4)+1). To compute a vessel's Hyperspeed Rating, use the following calculation:
'''Basic Attributes''' equate the unit's combat abilities, and are notable because they are listed as ''ratings'' instead of absolute values, and are unrestricted by size (see above). This means you can invest as many points into these attributes as you wish, and that their final value is determined by a modifier--usually size. Using ''ratings'' for these attributes allows for different sizes of units to have their own natural advantages and disadvantages. The only limiting factor to making a frigate with the firepower of a battleship is cost, which is based on the point investment and not the final rating. For this reason, trying to create frigates with battleship firepower can be far more expensive than creating an actual battleship.
:'''+H''' divided by (One Tenth Total Ship Cost besides Hyperdrives) +1 Basic Hyperspeed = Hyperspeed Rating
*Attribtue Interactions: Hyperspeed Rating directly relates to your Strategic movement speed. If an enemy has a vessel with '''I''' rating equal or greater to your Hyperspeed Rating, you may be interdicted and forced into a tactical battle, starting with weapons offline and within firing range. All planets are considered to have an '''I''' rating of +1. The higher your Hyperspeed Rating, the fewer losses you are expected to take when fleeing a combat zone.
====Active Defenses====
Active Defenses are a combination of advanced countermeasures that all conspire to avoid, soak, or deflect damage from your fleet. Higher levels make your ships able to ignore higher levels of enemy attack. Each point of '''+D''' lowers the damage your fleet takes by .25, equal to 2.5 points of enemy base attack. A player may choose to destroy points of '''+D''' in place of hitpoints, but these do not count towards Fleet Weight and do not provide a basic attack rating. Furthermore, enemies with levels of Improved Offensives can target hitpoints directly, removing the  ability to trade '''+D''' for hitpoints in a pinch.
 
*Abbreviation: '''D'''
*Determining the Value: +N points of '''D''' soaks N x .25 points of damage per turn, allowing you to ignore it entirely. In some situations this may stop an enemy from being able to damage you with conventional attacks whatsoever. '''+D''' also reduces enemy '''C3''' effectiveness, forcing an enemy to have a greater fleetwide '''+C3''' rating than your '''+D''' rating before they can gain specific details about your fleet. Points of '''+D'''may be destroyed instead of hitpoints, no other special attribute may take the place of hitpoints.
*Attribtue Interactions: '''D''' reduces damage you take from conventional attack, and is tallied fleetwide, not individually. This may lead to odd situations, such as a 50 point ship massacring a 40+10'''D''' with several turns to spare, but the real advantage of +'''D''' is in screening friendly vessels.  Furthermore the ability to selectively reduce your own levels of '''+D''' in leiu of hitpoints makes them a far superior defensive option.
 
====Improved Offensives====
Improved Offensives allow a vessel to target specific enemy ships and penetrade defenses, unlike basic attack, which is assigned by the defender Each point of +O counts for less than actual attack points, doing 10% of their total value rather than 25%, so a +10 deals a single 1 point of damage to the enemy. However, these values are tallied fleetwide and then assigned by attacker's choice. Furthermore, damage done by Improved Offensives is never soaked by Active Defenses and never strikes anything but the intended target. Damage done from Improved Offensives is dealt directly to Hitpoints. Avoid making too literal demands with '''+O''' values, as such specificity should not be a reason to abandon roleplayed damage. Improved Offensives do not benefit ground invasion. Despite what the numbers would say, these are not merely sniping weak weapons, it's just that making them do greater levels of damage than normal would make them too potent. Improved Offensives are the difference between railcannons that fire nuclear shells and marine striketeams that infiltrate enemy ships and plant nuclear payloads in the enemy reactor cores.  Same damage, better placement.
 
*Abbreviation: '''O'''
*Determining the Value: +N points of '''O''' deal .1 damage per point, and assigned by attackers to targets of their choosing. Damage from '''+O''' is never soaked by the enemy Active Defenses and cannot be misdirected by the defender. This is not an excuse to abandon Roleplay, and this damage should be bartered for and bargained with as normal, just with the understanding it allows for specific targets to be chosen. It also acts as a disincentive to abuse '''+D'''.
*Attribtue Interactions: '''O''' interacts nearly not at all with the enemy, and nothing adds or reduces the effectiveness of Improved Offensives.
 
====Bombardment====
Extremely specialized, Bombardment devices are things that allow a fleet to provide advanced space-to-ground artillery. It also aids in breaching planetary shields and defenses for the purposes of landing invasion forces. Often far weaker than normal space weapons, the advantage of Bombardment systems is that they have the endurance and higher degrees of efficency that allow them to be used continuously for extended periods of time. These are also not planetbuster weapons, and would do little if any actual damage in fleet actions, where efficency is less important than maximum power in minumum time.
 
*Abbreviation: '''B'''
*Determining the Value: +N points of '''B''' count for 5 points of Fleet Weight for the purposes of sieging a world, invading surfaces and harassing planetary defenses. It has no other function and cannot be used in combat.
*Attribtue Interactions: '''B''' is only used when attacking the ground, but has a wide range of applications there. Depending on which of the optional ground rules are in play, this may be an extremely strong or an extremely limited attribute, but remember that the best defense against a strong ground invasion force is a strong space defense fleet. Bombardment modifiers cannot hurt a protected world.
 
====Interdiction====
Interdiction equipment acts like flypaper to slow down Hyperspace vessels, trapping enemies that have equal or lesser Hyperspeed Ratings than your best +'''I'''.  Interdiction fields do not stack. A vessel slowed down completely is shunted back into realspace and cannot easily escape again, taking either heavy losses or taking many turns to escape. The field does not extend far on a tactical map or strategic map, and vessels that slip into an Interdiction field always appear with weapons offline and within targetting range, allowing an enemy the first strike.  Destroying the Interdicting vessel will cause the field to terminate instantly.
 
*Abbreviation: '''I'''
*Determining the Value: +N points of '''I''' can halt an equal or lesser Hyperspeed Rating on the strategic or tactical map. Ships capable of flying through the field may enter combat along with the trapped ships, but arrive just as powered down as their slower allies. Attempting to escape an Interdiction field causes you to take extra damage that turn, rather than the 50% you normally would take for escaping, or may require you to spend several additional turns activating Hyperdrives. Work it out with your opponent.
*Attribtue Interactions: '''I''' technically reduces all enemy Hyperspeed Ratings by a value equal to +N Interdiction. Ships are literally slowed back to sublight speed by Interdiction gear. It is possible to enter Hyperspace while running Interdiction equipment as well, but you reduce the Hyperspeed Rating of your own fleet by the same amount as an enemy. Friendly ships reduced to +0 Hyperspeed Rating cannot enter Hyperspace at all.


===Special Attributes===
Unlike Basic Attributes, points spent in '''Special Attributes''' are given absolute ''values'' instead of ratings, meaning that the effect you gain from them is equal to the amount you've spent on them. These are often considered to be flat bonuses to the unit. The maximum amount invested into ship Special Attributes is limited by the unit's size. Special Attributes usually reflect specialized equipment, training or abilities that function "as-is" without regard to the size of the unit.


[[Category:TGOD Games]]
[[Category:TGOD Games]]

Latest revision as of 01:58, 20 December 2007

StarGods is an extra-unoffical ruleset for TGOD Games. A work-in-progress of Covenant. Unlike the other TGOD pages, the discussion page here can be used for critiquing the ruleset. It is meant as an attempt to utilize the Wiki system to streamline game play, allowing players to spend more time customizing their vessels and keeping them neatly, cleanly and easily accessed on their own ImperialWiki userpage. The use of icons and verbose unit stats would be more difficult to read on the forum, but is extremely fluid on a wiki. The gameplay remains the same, with easier hotlinking (linking directly to unit pages and OOBs for the ease of your opponents) than is available on a forum alone.

This is a file in a greatly messy state. Don't even bother reading up on it yet in it's current form.

StarForge

StarForge is the StarGods unit creation system. It takes longer to create your list of units, as you need to do a few simple math equations for each one, but it makes for a quicker play experience once you're finished and ready to go. It lists stats for units in more Roleplaying Game 'attribute' format, which is fast to read and simple to work with. It is also designed to be referenced using the Wiki, relieving clutter on the board and making combat easier to run.

The mechanics of StarForge removes 'base value', or 'basic cost'. Hitpoints are replaced by a hull size attribute that also governs how many specials you can equip the unit with, it's Hyperspeed and Stealth ratings, and a few other things. Basic attack is now a purchased value, along with improved attack. Active defenses are now considered a standard component due to their omnipresent general utility, but the number of defenses you add to your vessel is up to you. The special attributes operate the same way as before, except the maximum number of special attribute points you can purchase is limited by the hull size. A larger unit can equip more.

Once you read over these guidelines, head off to the StarForge wiki entry for details. Selected elements will be listed below, but not all the extra clutter.

Unit Name

Cost:
Abilities
  • Basic Attributes
  • Special Attributes


Cost

This is the amount of production the unit requires you to expend before you can put one into play.

Size

Size determines how many Specials you can equip, and how many hitpoints you have.

There will always be objective, non-arbitrary norms of Size per technology level. The size of the unit is actually deceptive, it's the overall bulk and strength of the body that is important here. Thus, if your faction makes them small but sturdy, choose the appropriate size for a unit of that strength, even if it seems "larger" than you thought.

Your basic attributes are all rated based on size, making small units faster and big units slower for example. Large units also endure more punishment before being removed, translating into higher hitpoint values. Finally, large sizes provide more room for a wide assortment of special attributes, and many Abilities will have a minimum size as well.

Abilities

Abilities refers to the special physical characteristics of the unit that distinguish it from others, be it a Barbarian Axeman or a Guided Missile Destroyer. Generally they refer to specific missions the unit is capable of accomplishing, and you are going to be nearly required to include at least one unit with each of these Abilities. A unit with Subterfuge, for example, is the only one ready and able to provide deep recon of the enemy, and you can't do without a unit capable of Command!

Several of these require large size, but consume no actual unit equipment capacity, so you are encouraged to create armed combat support units rather than disposable 'ability box' units. Abilities can also be stacked, but be aware that extremely expensive multiple-ability units are likely to become high profile targets.

For a list of Abilities, see the StarForge sub-page.

Basic Attributes

Basic Attributes equate the unit's combat abilities, and are notable because they are listed as ratings instead of absolute values, and are unrestricted by size (see above). This means you can invest as many points into these attributes as you wish, and that their final value is determined by a modifier--usually size. Using ratings for these attributes allows for different sizes of units to have their own natural advantages and disadvantages. The only limiting factor to making a frigate with the firepower of a battleship is cost, which is based on the point investment and not the final rating. For this reason, trying to create frigates with battleship firepower can be far more expensive than creating an actual battleship.

Special Attributes

Unlike Basic Attributes, points spent in Special Attributes are given absolute values instead of ratings, meaning that the effect you gain from them is equal to the amount you've spent on them. These are often considered to be flat bonuses to the unit. The maximum amount invested into ship Special Attributes is limited by the unit's size. Special Attributes usually reflect specialized equipment, training or abilities that function "as-is" without regard to the size of the unit.

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