SPACE OPERA COMBAT SYSTEM (SOCS) -- SUMMARY This is a summary of the Space Opera Combat game mechanics written by Sean Barrett, found on pages 103-113 of GURPS Lensman. The summary was written by Robert Kelk with Sean Barrett's permission -- any errors should be attributed to Mr. Kelk, not Mr. Barrett. SOCS is not a wargame in the way the Mass Combat rules are. Rather, it is a system that allows roleplaying during space combat. The emphasis is on space opera instead of realism -- maneuvers which make sense in real life might not be allowed, while unrealistic actions that are seen in space opera shows are encouraged. People are divided into two groups: MAJOR CHARACTERS (who are important to the plot, including all PCs) and MINOR CHARACTERS (who aren't important to the plot). Minor characters rarely damage major characters, unless it's important to the plot. Major characters get to use manual overrides, while minor characters just die (although minor "good guy" characters get to yell out "I'm hit, I'm hit!" before they crash). There are three main ship types: FIGHTERS (small spacecraft with fixed-mounted weapons), CUTTERS (medium-sized spacecraft with limited weaponry), and SHIPS OF THE LINE (large, heavily-armed spacecraft). Unarmed ships are called Shuttles, Yachts, and Freighters, respectively. PRE-COMBAT GAME MECHANICS Each ship has a Maneuver Rating (MR) that reflects its engine power, structural strength, angular momentum, grav-compensator efficiency, crew stamina, and other similar factors. Each ship, except for fighters, must be divided into hit locations by the GM. (Fighters are too small to have separate hit locations.) Each weapon mount or turret is one location, each engine room, pod, or nacelle is one location, and so on. Each weapon has a Firepower rating (from GURPS Space), a range (either "short" or "long"), and an Accuracy rating (bonus or penalty to Gunner skill). The range of available Firepower in the GM's universe must be divided into groups. Only the first three are at all common: COSMETIC damage blisters paint. LIGHT damage causes its target to lose its next turn and all die- roll bonuses, and starts some continuing damage. HEAVY damage destroys fighters in one shot, and completely disables other ships. Minor characters might die because of this level of damage. GREAT damage vaporizes its target. All minor characters die, and major characters may also die. STARK damage vaporizes its target, then atomizes the vapor. Everyone dies. (These descriptions assume no armor or force shields are present.) COMBAT Turns are usually 10 seconds long, but the GM can change this for his campaign. All ships take their turns at the same time. There are three ranges between ships: SHORT RANGE allows all weapons to be used in combat. LONG RANGE allows only long-range weapons to be used in combat. OUT OF RANGE does not allow combat. Fighters are at +0 to be hit. Smaller targets are at -1 or more. Cutters are at +2 to be hit, ships of the line are at +4, large space fortresses are at +6, and hitting planets is automatic, unless a particular hit location is being targeted. Snap shots are at -5. Aiming Bonuses (ABs) can be earned -- Position AB (for all guns) is gained by the pilot, while Sustained Fire AB (for each gun) is gained by the gunner. Some guns may not get Position AB, if the ship does not have a superior position to its enemy. Sustained Fire AB is gained at +1 per turn that the weapon (not the ship) fires on a particular target. The turn sequence is as follows: Fire Phase: 1) All weapons fire and all ships dodge. Maneuver Phase: 2) All pilots choose maneuvers. 3) Roll for maneuvers. 4) GM rules on the effect of maneuvers. FIRE PHASE: Gunners that can bring their weapons to bear on a foe can fire - roll against Gunner + weapon Accuracy + ( total ABs or snapshot penalty ). Failed rolls miss. Critical failures vary in effect, but are similar to the Firearm Critical Miss table on page B202. Successful rolls hit, and do damage according to the Firepower. Critical successes do the same damage, but the effect is one level higher ("cosmetic" becomes "light", and so on). Dodges are rolled against the average of the pilot's Piloting skill and the ship's MR. Success reduces damage by one level ("light" becomes "cosmetic", and so on). Dodging has no effect on ABs. MANEUVER PHASE: Each pilot chooses one maneuver: Fly Straight: No effect on Position or Sustained Fire ABs. Maneuver Offensively: Possible only against any ship that doesn't have Position AB on you. Sustained fire ABs earned by all of your ship's gunners are lost, unless the pilot is the gunner (which is usually the case only on fighters). Success increases your Position AB by 1. Critical success doubles your Position AB, or changes it from 0 to 2. Critical failure reduces Position AB to 0. Maneuver Defensively: All ABs earned by anyone on your craft are reduced to 0. One enemy ship or weapon must be designated - success lowers that ship's Position AB or gunner's Sustained Fire AB by 1. Critical success reduces that AB to 0. Critical failure doubles that AB. Go Totally Defensive: As Maneuver Defensively (above), but against all foes. Your ship's gunners may not fire at all in the next turn. Reversal: This defence, used against a foe who chooses to Maneuver Offensively, tries to make his ship fly past yours. This cannot be performed against a smaller ship type. All Sustained Fire ABs on both ships are lost. Both ship's pilots roll a Quick Contest of ( Piloting skill + ship's MR ), but the attacking pilot subtracts his Positional AB. The winner gets the effects of a critical success on a Maneuver Offensively (for the attacker) or Maneuver Defensively (for the defender) maneuver. If the attacker critically succeeds and the defender doesn't, his gunners automatically hit on the next turn. If the defender critically succeeds and the attacker doesn't, the ships trade places: the defender gets the attacker's Positional AB on the attacker, and the attacker's Positional AB drops to 0. If either pilot rolls a critical failure, the ships collide and are destroyed. Follow-the-Leader: The pilot files into an area full of hazards or obstructions. Once inside the danger area, each pilot must roll against Piloting + the ship's MR, minus whatever penalty the lead pilot chooses (with GM's approval). Critical success adds 1 to a chaser's Positional AB, or subtracts 1 from each chaser's Positional AB if the lead pilot critically succeeds. Failure lowers the chaser's Positional AB to 0, or each chaser adds 1 to his Positional AB if the lead pilot fails. A critical failure destroys the pilot's ship. Any chaser with a Positional AB of 0 has lost the lead pilot. Ships of the line may not "follow-the- leader". Unorthodox tactics: Only ships of the line may try a tactic that seems suicidal, but actually relies on knowledge the enemy doesn't have. The effectiveness of unorthodox tactics are proportional to the amount of real danger the ship is in, and must be ruled on by the GM. Cutters cannot gain Position AB on fighters or dodge fighters' attacks. Ships of the line cannot gain Position AB on Fighters or Cutters, or dodge their fire. Other maneuvers are possible - it is up to the GM to determine their effects. New maneuvers that work have more spectacular (i.e. better) effects than older, better-known ones. Maneuvers are rolled against the pilot's Piloting skill + ship's MR. The sole exception is "Go Totally Defensive", which is rolled against Piloting. THE FURBALL: If there are more that a half-dozen craft in the combat, not paired off into neat dogfights, then a "furball" has formed. Any critical failure on a Piloting roll causes a collision with a random ship. A perception roll (against Electronics Operation: sensors, Vision, or another appropriate skill) must be made by any gunner AFTER making a "snap-shot" attack - failure indicates the gunner fired on a friend. SOCS IN LENSMAN (This was presented as an example of SOCS as it applies to a specific universe.) All weapons are short range. Firepower of 500 or less is light, 501-1500 is heavy, 1501-5000 is great, and 5001 or more is stark. Screens of Defensive Factor (DF) 10 or less are light, 11-30 are heavy, 31-100 are great, and 101 or more are stark. Multiple screens may be mounted on the same ship, if the weakest screen is farthest out (and first hit). A tractor beam must be anchored between two ships before they can attack each other -- roll against Gunnery: tractors to establish each lock. (This is necessary because of the nature of the inertialess drive.) Ships can use tractor shears to cut tractor beams. As defensive screens absorb incoming firepower, they gain Coruscation Levels (CLs). They start at "none", and work their way up from red to violet, then go to "black" or non-functional. When they burn out, they provide a bit of protection -- every attack hitting that turn does damage at one level lower than normal. Both of the following tables are taken directly from GURPS Lensman, page 113. The descriptions have been summarized. MACRO BEAMS VS. SCREENS: Defense Factor Light Heavy Great Stark +--------------------------------------------- None ! Radiate Radiate Radiate Radiate Cosmetic ! 0 Radiate Radiate Radiate Firepower Light ! +1 0 Radiate Radiate Heavy ! +3/Light +1 0 Radiate Great ! Down/Heavy +3/Heavy +1 0 Stark ! Down/Great Down/Great +3/Great +1 0 means the screen does not gain or radiate any CLs. "+1" or "+3" indicates the screen gains that many CLs. "Down" means the screen instantly collapsed. A screen that gets only "Radiate" results gets -1 to CL at the end of the turn. NEEDLE BEAMS VS SCREENS: Defense Factor +-------------------------------------------------- Cosmetic ! Light Heavy Needle Light ! Light Heavy Great Beam Heavy ! Light Heavy Great Stark FP Great ! Light Heavy Great Stark Stark ! Light Heavy Great Stark -----------------+-------------------------------------------------- None ! Stark Heavy Cosmetic Red ! Stark Great Light Orange ! Stark Stark Heavy Cosmetic Screen Yellow ! Stark Stark Great Light CL Green ! Stark Stark Stark Heavy Cosmetic Blue ! Stark Stark Stark Great Light Indigo ! Stark Stark Stark Stark Heavy Cosmetic Violet ! Stark Stark Stark Stark Great Light Needle beams cannot change a screen's CL. To use this table, look up the beam's Firepower at the top left, then read across to the screen's DF. (If the DF is off the chart, no damage is done.) Cross-reference the resulting column with the screen's current CL at the bottom left. The result is what gets through that screen (and is applied to the next screen in, if any).