Babylon 5 Wars - Wars of the Ancients

Wars of the Ancients: Supplemental Material

Wars of the Ancients Supplemental Material By Matt Plonski Random Hyperspace Terrain Appeared in a Showdowns product, but very useful in First One battles, especially when using the advanced Hyperspace rules. First One Combat Sequence Handy when playing with First Ones.

The Walkers of Sigma 957 The Wanderer Unique Ship (Special Deployment Rules) “Visions of the Wanderer” is a remarkable vessel even amongst other Walker ships. No other vessel has gone as far, had contact with as many alien races, or collected as much data on strange spatial phenomena. The crew of the Wanderer were amongst the first Walkers to evolve into beings of pure energy, and it was due to their experiences that the evolutionary leap wasn’t as costly as it is for most races. (In the process of evolving from one state of existence to another, most races lose upwards of 99% as not being able to make the leap. The Walker’s evolution, thanks to the records and statistics provided by the Wanderer, resulted with a casualty rate of less than 15%.) The Wanderer is the vessel most likely to be seen in the Babylon 5 Wars current time line, as it has been back and forth Beyond the Rim several times. The ship was away during the battle of Coriana VI, and the crew were known to go against the advice of the Transcendental Beings from time to time. The Triad Aspect of Chaos once picked the commander of the Wanderer as an especially interesting subject for ‘study’, resulting in the only known defeat of an actual Tri, not its constructs, in battle. Suffice to say that if the Wanderer can find a reason to return to normal space, it will. Special Rules: Weapon Systems The commander of the Wanderer is extremely suspicious of any unknown situation. Although still confident that the ship’s technical superiority will prevail in the end, the ship’s crew is often file:///E|/Farthest%20Star/B5Wars/WOTA/WotA%20Suppl...20of%20the%20Ancients%20Supplemental%20Material.htm (1 of 4)9/23/2007 10:21:33 PM

Wars of the Ancients: Supplemental Material

directed to power systems in their offensive modes as a precaution. Therefore the weapons on the Wanderer may begin every scenario fully charged unless specified otherwise. Special Rules: Elite Crew The Wanderer’s crew has seen everything and been everywhere. They have traveled to and from Thirdspace several times, and faced enemies far more powerful. The vessel has the ship enhancement ‘Elite Crew’. All bonuses are included in the ship control sheet where possible. The Wanderer may not take any other enhancements. Special Rules: Deployment The Wanderer may be taken in Primordial or Ancient time frames without any changes. A Walker player may take the Wanderer in a battle as the only vessel (there is nothing else) or if there are at least five additional Traveler-class vessels present. The Wanderer rarely joins other Walker ships, and is usually encountered on its own. In the occasions where the Wanderer did fight in a war, the fleets deployed were truly enormous.

The Triad Lesser Triumviron Unlimited Deployment: Unified Triad Only Special Rules: Shell Game The Triad have been known to generate multiple instances of the Lesser Triumviron at the same time to confuse their opponents. As such, all enemy vessels are unable to determine the difference between the one, true Triumviron and the imposters. When deploying at the beginning of the game, it is never necessary to differentiate between both types of Triumviron or to let your opponent know which is which (i.e. use the same type of counter or miniature). It is assumed that it is noted on the control sheet, however, as it will most likely become apparent throughout the game.

The Torvalus Alpha Shading Field An early development towards the Torvalus goals of stealth and secrecy, this low power version of the Shading Field was found in their smaller ships as well as some older models of the Dark Knife. This differs from the normal Shading Field in the following ways: ● It functions as a jammer only vs. ships without Advanced Sensors. ● The 4-point EW shield may be “flown under” by fighters and shuttles at a range of zero hexes. ● The Shading Field may not be switched into Shading Mode. file:///E|/Farthest%20Star/B5Wars/WOTA/WotA%20Suppl...20of%20the%20Ancients%20Supplemental%20Material.htm (2 of 4)9/23/2007 10:21:33 PM

Wars of the Ancients: Supplemental Material

Black Dagger Base Hull (Restricted Deployment: 33%) The Black Dagger was the main Torvalus ship of the line during the times of expansion. Considerably more offensively oriented than the Dark Knife, the Black Dagger was developed initially to neutralize minor threats in a stealth and reconnaissance role. Falchion Base Hull (Unlimited Deployment) The Falchion is the Torvalus transport ship. It is designed to be all but invisible, and succeeds rather well at that task. Best reserved for situations where conflict is undesirable, the Falchion is ideal for espionage or other clandestine operations.

The Kirishiac Citadel Base Hull:

(Unlimited Deployment)

The Kirishiac Citadel is the smaller of the Kirishiac remote bases, but still the most common. Often several of these will be stationed in the same sector to serve as a foothold during a difficult campaign. Note: This station pushes the limits of an SCS. We suggest that you set Acrobat to shrink the page to fit, and then print on a high quality setting. A new format, suitable for the other First One bases, was being developed but never completed. Mastership ELINT Special Rule: Variant This vessel is a Kirishiac Mastership modified with the ELINT Sensor Pod upgrade found in Wars of the Ancients. It is presented here for convenience.

Ship Record Sheets Back in the old version of Babylon 5 Wars, each ship was given a Ship Record Sheet. We found this a very convenient way of tracking a battle. Included here are several Ship Record Sheets for file:///E|/Farthest%20Star/B5Wars/WOTA/WotA%20Suppl...20of%20the%20Ancients%20Supplemental%20Material.htm (3 of 4)9/23/2007 10:21:33 PM

Wars of the Ancients: Supplemental Material

vessels from Wars of the Ancients and other products. Shiprecordsheets.zip

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Random Hyperspace Terrain

Random Hyperspace Terrain The following section may be used in any game of Babylon 5 Wars to generate a random area of Hyperspace. Roll once on each of the following charts:

Hyperspace Rapids D20 Roll 1-4 5-20

Hyperspace Rapid No Hyperspace Rapid Present Hyperspace Rapid Present, roll on Rapid Direction and Rapid Strength tables.

D10 Roll Rapid Direction 1 From direction 1 to direction 4 2 From direction 4 to direction 1 3 From direction 2 to direction 5 4 From direction 5 to direction 2 5 From direction 3 to direction 6 6 From direction 6 to direction 3 7 From left to right 8 From right to left 9 Roll again, ignoring 9-10. Rapid is in resultant direction for D3 turns, at which time roll on the Hyperspace Rapid chart again, accepting any result. 10 Roll again, ignoring 9-10. Rapid is in resultant direction for 1 turn, at which time roll on the Hyperspace Rapid chart again, accepting any result D20 Roll 1-3 4-6 7-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18 19 20

Rapid Strength 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Hyperspace Waveforms D20 Roll 1-10

Hyperspace Waveform No Hyperspace Waveform Present

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Random Hyperspace Terrain

11-18 19 20

Hyperspace Waveform Present, roll on Waveform Orientation table and determine Waveform Origin Two Hyperspace Waveforms Present, roll once for each Waveform D3 Hyperspace Waveforms Present, roll once for each Waveform

D10 Roll 1-2 3-4 5-6 7 8 9

Waveform Orientation From direction 1 to direction 4 From direction 2 to direction 5 From direction 3 to direction 6 From left to right From right to left Roll again, ignoring 9-10. Waveform is has resultant orientation, but only extends outward 2D10 hexes from Origin Hex. 10 Roll again, ignoring 9-10. Waveform is has resultant orientation, but only extends outward 2D6 hexes from Origin Hex. Waveform Origin Hex: Depending on how your hex map is numbered, this may vary. The most basic method is to roll a D100 (percentile dice) for each dimension, re-rolling any number out of range. The Waveform passes through that hex in its Orientation, usually off of the board edges unless otherwise specified.

Hyperspace Whirlpool D20 Roll 1-15 16-19 20

Hyperspace Whirlpool No Hyperspace Whirlpool Present Hyperspace Whirlpool Present, roll on Whirlpool Orientation table and determine Whirlpool Origin Two Hyperspace Whirlpool Present, roll once for Whirlpool Orientation, and twice for each Whirlpool’s Origin

D10 Roll 1-4 5-8 9

Whirlpool Orientation Clockwise Rotation Counterclockwise Rotation Re-roll, ignoring 9-10. Waveform(s) are in resultant orientation for D3 turns, after which it switches orientation. 10 Re-roll, ignoring 9-10. Waveform(s) are in resultant orientation for D3 turns, after which it dissipates. Whirlpool Origin Hex: Depending on how your hex map is numbered, this may vary. The most basic method is to roll a D100 (percentile dice) for each dimension, re-rolling any number out of range. The Whirlpool file:///E|/Farthest%20Star/B5Wars/WOTA/WotA%20Supplemental%20material/RandomHyperspaceTerrain.htm (2 of 3)9/23/2007 10:21:05 PM

Random Hyperspace Terrain

Singularity is in that hex rotating as determined above. It will block line of sight through that hex. When a vessel is expelled from Hyperspace due to a 9-15 result on the Hyperspace Whirlpool Singularity Effects table (see Rules Compendium), it is considered to be at a Sufficiently Far Away location in normal space. The vessel may return to battle assuming that it has sensors capable of determining its location and a properly charged Jump Engine.

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APPENDIX: COMBAT SEQUENCE INITIAL ACTIONS STEP

Ship Power Segment Resolve power deficiencies from shortages, EM weapon effects, and reactor criticals Deactivate systems for additional power, if desired Capacitors recharge at the appropriate rates Transfer missiles to/from reload racks Announce shading drive status Announce deactivated systems/shields as needed Roll for critical reactor detonation Initiative Segment Hangar operations (reloading missiles, etc.) begin All units roll for initiative Electronic Warfare & Ballistic Launch Segment All players secretly determine EW levels, adaptive armor allocation, ballistic weapon launch, intention to reveal/hide concealed weapons, Shade Modulator & Shield Reinforcement allocation Tail gunners switch to/from navigator missions Announce EW, adaptive armor, ballistic weapon launch (and target, if necessary), and Shade Modulator & Shield Reinforcement allocation Reveal or hide concealed weapons ELIN T ships announce which function(s) are in use and allocate which enemy OEW points to disrupt Telepaths attack Shadow ships Jump Point Formation Segment Announce/open jump points and activate phasing drives

MOVEMENT STEP

Pre-Movement Terrain Effects Segment Determine hyperspace current changes Perform other terrain-related movement as needed Movement Segment Units which are rolling flip over Ships which are pivoting change facing Derelict units move All other units move in initiative order Shadow ships announce half-phasing Resolve pulsar mine fire when fighters enter range Resolve skin dancing attempts after movement Previously attached breaching pods deposit Marines Announce Mind's Eye Mind Rage level Announce/activate transverse drive Post-Movement Terrain Effects Segment Perform any remaining terrain-related movement Weapon-Based Movement Segment Resolve fire and effects from weapons that move or turn a target (plasma net, gravitic shifter, etc.) Combat Pivot Segment Fighters make combat pivots Bases rotate Recovery Segment Capture derelict fighters/shuttles Recover escape pods Breaching pods attempt to attach

(Revision 10: 2E/WA)

Close Combat EW Segment Allocate and announce saved EW points from EW detector All players secretly determine targets of close combat EW Announce targets of CCEW Ramming Segment Resolve all ramming attempts

COMBAT STEP

Fire Determination Segment All players secretly determine all weapons fire, including weapons firing defensively Declare all offensive fire, including called shots Allocate defensive weapons against specific offensive shots If using secret EW, announce all EW levels Fire Resolution Segment Resolve ballistic weapon impact/explosions Resolve all weapons fire from ships Resolve all weapons fire from surviving fighters/shuttles at fighters/shuttles Fighters damaged in the previous steps roll for drop-out Resolve all other weapons fire, announcing special weapon modes as needed Deploy fighters launched by fighter-bombs

END OF TURN ACTIONS STEP

Marine Attack Segement Determine and resolve all Marine attacks Critical Hit Segment Determine and resolve all critical hits Mark destroyed all systems attached to destroyed structure blocks Reduce armor on systems damaged by armor-damaging weapons Calculate effects of energy draining field Vortex Activation/Closure Segment Jump points opened this turn become active Ships which entered jump points on this turn are removed from play Collapsing jump points close Plasma web hexes created on the previous turn dissipate Hangar Operations Segment Fighters/shuttles attempt to escape from destroyed ships Launch/land fighters or shuttles Hangar bay operations started earlier this turn are completed Link/Unlink Segment Announce release of detachable cargo holds Tractor beams attach/detach Tugs attach/detach pods Adjust Ship Systems Segment Adaptive armor points are released due to damage received this turn Adjust ship systems to account for damage Self-repair systems perform repairs Vorlon ships announce opening/closing of ship petals Shadow and ancient ships complete phase-out/phase-in Walker ships calculate shield effects from chromatic pulse drivers

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