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Galactic Empires Campaign Rules

The original sources for this variant are no longer on the 'net. If Mr. Oldenburger is made aware of this page and wishes it to be modified or removed, I will do so.

Setup

Deck Construction: Start with constructing a tournament legal deck, of 80 cards, for every player. This version can be played with up to 6 players. Write down the cards involved as new cards may be added later.

Universe Construction: Now construct the universe (and everything), by playing up to 60 systems (total) on a standard Star Fleet Battles map. (a hexgrid of 0101 to 0130, 4201, 4230). Less systems may be used for a shorter game. The systems should be at least 4 hexes apart from all other systems. If more systems cannot be placed legally, then the remaining players of that round place their systems anywhere they like, and no more systems are added. (Note: this is only possible if a lot of systems are 6-8 hexes apart...) Every player should have played his first system before anybody places his second system, etc. Note: it is useful that everybody uses counters in his own colour, for example SFB fighter counters.

Now secretly allocate at least 1 card to each system, and at maximum 12 cards to any single system.Thereafter secretly determine one of your systems as your homesystem. You lose the game if your home system is conquered.

Supply: Every ship starts the game with enough supply to fight 3 rounds. These supply points may be used by other ships in the same fleet, but may not be used to buy new cards. If a ship is destroyed, all remaining supply aboard that ship is lost with it.

Example: a ship with a requirement of 2 supply, 1 energy, and 2 heavy weapons (a typical Krebitz destroyer) would start with 6 supply, 3 energy, and 6 ammo.

Some ships start out with more pts than this:

1. A fleet freighter can carry 50 pts, and starts with 5 additional economy.
2. An Independent freighter can carry 50 pts, and starts with 10 economy.
3. A Fleet Tug can carry 25 pts, and starts with 10 economy.
4. An Independent Tug, or Garbage Scow can carry 25 pts, and starts with 15 economy.

Sequence of Play

Fleet Creation: The first player now assigns ships and other mobile cards to fleets. (Non-mobile cards are Bases, Terrain, and Krebitz modules without ships or capsule engine packs. Note that each fleet must have at least one ship before other cards can be assigned to it.) Luck, Occurrence cards, etc can be transported by ships. (This determines where those cards can be used, actually transporting a O6 Injury is not done...) As soon as each fleet is created, it is placed upon the map, and this can give valuable clues to your enemy, if several fleets leave the same system each turn...

Fleet Movement: After all fleets are created, the fleets are moved. Note that it is then no longer possible to assign ships/other cards from one fleet to another, after the first fleet has moved (as this would lead to strange situations, such as an Admiral being present in 10 seperate battles in the same turn...) Each fleet can move up to 6 hexes, and can end in a system or in deep space. A battle occurs whenever two fleets end at the same hex.

Fleet Combat: After all fleets have moved, battles are fought, using a modified form of the Galactic Empires rules. One of the major modifications is that terrain does not produce points at all, this is only done in the strategic phase of the own turn, after all battles are fought. Thus, the defenders have to rely on their own suply to last them through the battle... The player whose turn it is not, is called the defender, and acts first in the following battle.

Deployment: All terrain present must be played. Note that only the defender can have terrain. Thereafter the defender plays all ships/bases/dragons that fall within the command limits and that he wants to commit to the battle. He may also play cards such as equipment/crew that can be played on those cards. As long as he has ships/bases/dragons present, he must play at least one. All remaining cards of the defender are placed in his deck, and nine are drawn for his first hand (or all cards, if he has fewer than nine, which will usually be the case).

If the system has defenders, the attacker can play any ships/dragons that fall within the command limit. Equipment/crew cards may be placed on those ships. All cards not played are placed in the attackers deck, and nine are drawn as usual (or all cards if not enough cards are available). At least one ship/dragon must be played.

Resolution: The battle ends when a player has no more ships/dragons left (or bases for the defender), after a friendly tactical round. If 25 points are scored at the sector HQ of the defender, then the defender also loses, but this would be a very unusual occurence, as most battles won't last that long. Note that the attacker can't lose this way. If the attacker cannot engage one ship in his atatcking fleet with at least one weapon he cannot win and must withdraw.

Example, if the defender has no units left, and can play none, then he loses, at the end of his own round. Lose means that all the cards present are lost.

The attacker or defender may withdraw starting at the first round. Simply allow the enemy a free fire round, (instead of taking a turn) on all ships/dragons present, and withdraw with all the cards that were exposed to enemy fire, and not destroyed, after that. Cards remaining in the hand, or in the deck, are withdrawn as well, if they are mobile, (bases etc cant retreat) and at least one ship/dragon is present. Withdrawing forces retreat 1 hex in any direction, if they can find a empty hex, or hex with only friendly fleets present. If they can't find such an hex, then they cant witdraw. (This is a good reason for a determined attacker to deploy 6 escorts around the hex. However, this is also a good way to lose several escorts in a hurry...)

Example: 3 Krebiz destroyers visit a system, and discover to their horror the Mechad Home System, with a battleship, and several other cards. The defender deploys first, and lays out the maximum number of ships, counting the command points of the battleship. In a three player game, he could play one independent Indirigan, 3 ships normally and additional ships for the command points he has. Thereafter, the attacker seeing that it is pretty hopeless (the battleship alone could destroy all three pincers in one round) decides to deploy only 1 pincer, and loses that to the defender's first fire round. The first round of the attacker is used to withdraw and another pincer is laid down, to prevent him from losing at this point. If he would have carried a few nice cards, such as a supernova or two, then this would also be a good time to play them. In the free fire round, the defenders are engaged again, and easily destroy the pincer. Now the last pincer that was not played can withdraw, to spread the horror stories, and return with enough forces to crack this tough nut, such as a dimensional portal for the battleship, and interplanetay conflict for two of the planets present.

Resource Production: Only the points produced by the terrain itself is used, this is not modifyed by ships/bases at all. The reason for this is simple, as if it was allowed, then the game would go to the person that managed to keep his Corporate homeworld, with independent freighter, and independent tug longest. (With that number of economy points produced he could out buy everybody...) These points can be used to load additional supply aboard ships, (with a maximum of 3 * the points that can be expended by the ship), to repair damaged ships, to store economy aboard freighters/tugs/garbage scows, and to buy new cards within the tournament limits.

Example, no more than 2 mechad battleships, in total, so if one is destroyed, and another remains in service, a third cannot be build, as it would exceed the limit of 2 identical cards of strength 9.

Cards are bought for a price of 2 economy for each point of card strength, so a lowly Krebiz light capsule would cost 2 economy, and a H4 cosmic rays would cost 8 economy. No new terrain can be bought, not even to replace terrain that your opponent has destroyed.

All points spent must be present in that system, and the card can only be added to that system.

Clarifications

Now some specific points on the above system.

1. The 80 begin cards must have at least 5 cards of 8 types, so variety is assured. Furthermore, this allows several campaing games that are quite different from one another.
2. The placement of the systems by the players means that probably influence groups will be formed, and further increases replay value.
3. The defender has a advantage in combat, as he gets to fire first.
4. An agressive attacker gets all the points produced by the system, right after he conquers them, so he can expand his forces.
5. Unless the attacker uses lots of forces to box in a system, it is impossible to get a defender to commit to a decisive battle, as they can withdraw the first round, leaving only a weak ship behind as guard.
6. Placement and conquest of terrain is critical, as it cant be replaced if it is destroyed, and it is the only source of points. Crew or Equipment that allows a ship to engage without spending points at all is very desirable. Place Good bases on your most important terrain.
7. cards that allow extra card draws are useless, as most battles will be fought with all cards already in play or in the initial hand.
8. Some cards have become useless, others are now even more valuable than before.
9. Leave your best cards/ploys for the enemy homesystem, as it is probably heavy fortified. In case of such stiff resistance, use hazards, and monsters to do your work for you, as the ships probably wont last long. Here it is a distinct advantage to be able to buy the cards you need.
10. For the total chaos variant, divide all cards randomly among the systems, and choose a homesystem after you have sorted out the mess...
11. Alternative victory condition, control 2/(number of players+1) *60 systems, at the end of your own turn. (40 systems with 2 players, 30 with 3, 24 with 4, 20 with 5, 17 with 6)

Variants

Solitaire variant: Construct a deck of at least 120 cards, for your opponent, and start yourself with only 1 system, divide the other systems as in the multiplayer rules. Your only system has 20 cards, and you can divide them as you see fit, except that you cant have more than 2 identical cards of strength 6+, or four cards of strength 4-5. Some economy is strongly advised to get you started. Note that all cards can be out of sequence, and you can start with 20 ships if you wish (only one major empire though) The command limit is 2.

Now, when entering an unknown system, roll one die to see how many cards are present. Ships/bases/dragons of the opponent always have enough supply to power them as long as they need it, and they start. If ships are left alive after you failed to conquer a system, they will move if you roll a 6 for them on one die, after each of your own turns. Every time they move, draw d6 new cards, and place them in the now vacant system. They can take all cards with them if at least 1 ship is present. They will move to any system within 6 hexes, if there are any, if there are multiple systems, roll a die to see which system they visit. if they meet other opponent forces, then they will join each other. If there are no other systems within 6 hexes, then they will move 6 hexes in a random direction, bouncing when they meet the edge of the map. Fleets in deep space will move every turn, until they find a system they did not orginate from within 6 hexes.

The object of the game is to conquer all the systems as rapidly as possible. If no more cards are available from the deck, recycle used cards (shuffled). Note that this variant assumes that you assemble a good opponent, as an opponent without any ships/dragons would not be much of a challenge.

Campaign game with neutrals: Here some of the systems are assigned to neutrals, using the rules of the solitaire game. You could start each player with only 1 system...

Hint: It would probably speed play to use forms for the systems and ships present.

Example:

Ship name               Econ. Supply Energy Ammo Strength
Krebiz DD-1                0     3      3     4      3
Krebiz Light Cap-1         0     0      3     0      1
etc.

System Name           #    Econ. Supply Energy Ammo Research Repair Str
 Third Mechad System  3
  Siobhan-7                  0      2      1    1        0       0   4
  Argo                       2      3      1    1        0       0   7
 Total:                      2      5      2    2        0       0  11

Note I borrowed some concepts from Federation & Empire, another good game from the Star Fleet Battles producers...