Welcome,
one and all, to the Tales of the Freespirit Space Combat Game, the
product of much labour, strife, and, last but not least, fun! The need for this
game arose from my RPG group's discontent with the regular D6 space combat
rules, and the fact that our campaign has been leading us into progressively
larger and larger space battles. The regular rules work fine for a couple of
ships, but when a situation calls for multiple squadrons and capital ships,
things have got to change! Hence, the volume you are now perusing.
Now, don't let the title fool you - though I've named the game after my own campaign, I did so only out of a desire to maintain unity within this website. You need not know anything about Elrood Sector or the Tales of the Freespirit to enjoy this game... an appreciation of the Star Wars universe and tabletop gaming are all that's required! I present this game as a free utility to gamers everywhere, in the hopes that they'll have fun with it, and to keep the flames of WEG's D6 Star Wars game glowing brightly.
Using This Game with the Star Wars Roleplaying Game
This game is fully compatible with WEG's roleplaying game, and is based on their Miniatures Battles tabletop game (the squad-based game, that is, not the vehicles expansion). Players of that game are going to find most of this system very familiar, and will be able to jump into this system with ease. Players unfamiliar with SW:MB or D6 in general need not worry - this game is, if anything, easier to learn than the game upon which it is based.
What You Need to Play
Nearly everything you need to get underway can be found right here. They are:
Miniature Ships
Ship counters can be downloaded right here at the site, and are all included on the same page, for simplicity's sake. I recommend adhering them to thin card, so that they won't blow away when breathed upon! Assembly instructions are included right there on the counter sheet, in the Downloads section.
Another great (though not essential) addition to the game are some of Galoob's Star Wars Micro Machines. These plastic miniatures do a great job of representing Hero and Capital ships (coming in the Advanced game), though I wouldn't recommend using them for regular Squadrons - they take up too much space, and pity the clumsy player who bumps into the playing table, knocking over multiple Squadrons of fighters!
Playing Area
A hex map is required to play, and can be found at most gaming stores. The hexes should be no greater than 1 inch in diameter, and long grain, if possible. I had my hex map laminated at a copy shop, and would recommend this to anyone. The map lays flat, can be written on with dry-erase markers, and is impervious to the occasional drink spill.
Other Materials
A whole bunch of six-sided dice (in an assortment of colours and sizes), pencils, and printouts of the record sheets included here are all required to play.
Game Scales
The scale used in this game is 1 hex = 1 space unit. If the combat is taking place within a planet's atmosphere, the scale changes to 1 hex = 100 meters.
How to Play
Right here, I'll give you a brief overview of how a round of the Tales of the Freespirit Space Combat Game is played. You won't be able to start a game with this information, but it will give you a nice 'bird's eye view' of what will be found in the chapters to come.
Squadrons
A group of fighters is called a Squadron, and consists of two to twelve ships of the same type. The squadron will have a Leader, and possibly one or two Hot Shots, but apart from this all pilots in the squadron will have exactly the same skills. As the battle rages, squadrons who suffer heavy casualties may break and flee the battle, whether their controlling player would like them to, or not!
Setting Up
Before the game begins, players need to decide what the circumstances of the battle are, and what conditions need to be met by either side to win the game. In the case of a basic dogfight, this could be as simple as "I need to destroy all of my opponent's fighters", but it could be more involved. Perhaps the Imperial player needs to protect a space station for so many rounds while an important official is evacuated to an escape craft, and then must escort that craft into hyperspace. Perhaps the Rebels are making a run on the Death Star itself!
In addition to this, each player will need to create their own squadrons, capital ships, and Heroes. These are created through the expenditure of 'Squadron Generation Points', which are explained in detail in the chapter, Creating Squadrons.
If you're using this game with the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, your mix of forces will already be determined by the roleplaying situation. In this instance, players need only transfer their ship's roleplaying stats to ones compatible with this game.
Sequence of Play
This game is played in Turns, each of which consists of five Phases. In the interest of fairness, the sequence of these Phases must be followed exactly. For instance, if a player forgets to move a Squadron in the Movement Phase, he can't be allowed to do so in the Combat Phase - simply too many other factors are dependent upon the sequence of play to allow any free actions to players. This sequence is:
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The Initiative Phase
Each player rolls a die, and adds their side's highest command skill to the roll. The higher roll has the initiative for this turn. If there is a tie, players simply re-roll. -
The Movement Phase
The player with initiative decides if he would like to move first, or force his opponent to do so. The player moving first moves one of his squadrons, Heroes or capital ships (owner's choice) across the map and then the other player does the same. Ships can travel at one of two speeds, Attack Speed or Full Throttle, or any portion thereof. However, only capital ships and Heroes can choose to simply not move during this phase - squadrons must stay in motion at all times. This alternating movement continues until all craft have completed their moves. -
The Combat Phase
All ships fire at one another. The shots can be taken in any order, since all combat is considered to be simultaneous, and no damage is suffered until the combat has been resolved.
A squadron of fighters must all attack the same targets - for instance, in the Combat Phase, a group of TIE Interceptors may be ordered to engage a squadron of X-wings, or perhaps a squadron of B-wings might try to use their proton torpedoes to destroy the gravity well projectors on an Inderdictor Cruiser.
The pilots then make a Fire Code skill test, the difficulty of which is based on the range to the target, how fast their ship is moving, Morale of the Squadron, and whether or not the firing ship has been damaged.
If an attack is successful, the two players make an opposed roll - the weapon's Damage, vs. the Damage Resistance of the targeted ship. Depending upon the outcome of this roll, the target could become damaged, destroyed, or suffer no effect at all. -
The Morale Phase
After the combat has been resolved, it's time to find out how the squadron is handling it! If a squadron is particularly battle worn (and is composed of largely rookie pilots), there is a chance that the entire squadron may break and flee from the battle. Hopefully, if the squadron has an effective Leader, he will be able to Rally them, keeping them in the fight a little longer.
It is possible, however, that a squadron's Morale may actually improve with a Morale check... it all depends upon the skill of the squadron's Leader. -
Special Actions Phase
This phase only comes into use in the Advanced Game (coming soon!), and is the phase in which all the crazy stuff not covered by the Basic rules takes place. Heroes can use The Force, reinforcements could arrive from hyperspace, a Death Star could even fire its Superlaser! After this phase is concluded, players start a new Turn, rolling Initiative once again.
Now that you have a vague idea of how the game is played, let's dive in and have a look at the rules in depth...
The Basic Game
Chapter 1: Pilots and Squadrons
