Sphere - User contributions [en]

Talk:Ruins of Ancient Stars

2024-12-04T19:04:54Z

Jacklyn:

==Tech Talk==
Thanks for coming to my Tech Talk.

===Proposal part 1===
Adjustments to starting package
*Every state gets 1 unique technology described with 1-2 lines (eg, a unique hull type, system, cool widget, etc etc)
*Every state gets 2 random generic technologies (eg, a hull type gets +1 to an attribute, a +1 weapon, etc)
*Starting labs are reduced to 5
*Difficulty to roll a tech goes up by 1 after the first tech is rolled that turn
*Dreamlands gets 1 random xenotech
*Skunkworks gets 1 additional unique technology ''or'' 2 generic techs of a chosen field(s).
*Allied states may not take Dreamland or Skunkworks
*Small allied states do not come with a lab.
*Large allied states come with 1 lab
*No free tech trade, all trades cost at least 1 lab (maybe base 2?)

===Proposal part 2===
Traits give additional techs, of an appropriate flavor. Allied state traits do not grant a bonus tech.
*People's Champion: 1 random civilian tech (generic)
*War Machine: 1 random military tech (generic)
*Star Patrol: ?
*Admiralty: 1 random ship fitting tech (generic)
*Fanatics: Thunder Warrior ground unit (unique)
*Dreamlands: As above
*Skunkworks: As above
*Manticore: No bonus tech
*Client States: No bonus tech
*Mayflower Society: 1 random civilian tech (generic)
*Murtox: No bonus tech
*Population by Proxy: Teletrooper ground unit (unique)
*Autarkist: 1 random civiian tech (generic)
*Blackbeard 2525: Auxiliary Cruiser hull type (unique)
*Cosmo Albania: Minelayer hull type (unique)

*Loyal To Their Own: Espatiers ground unit & system (unique)
*Cutting Edge: 1 Additional Unique or 2 Generics of a chosen field
*Privateer: Pirate Frigate hull type (Unique)
*Deniable Asset: 1 Tech of your host nation.
*Blackest Market: 1 random Stealth Technology (generic)
*Demon Lord Of The Round Table: Superfighter Areospace type (Unique)
==Ship Thinkings==
*Give capital ships 5 free PDL and 5 coilguns (5 x size 1 railguns that only go to short but always strike first)
*Battleship missile clusters are tight and benefit from overlapping decoys and jamming; it takes twice as many PDL shots to down a missile fired from a battleship or equivalent. (size 5 or bigger launcher)

==Merchant Marining and Privateering the Press==

The free flow of goods across space is a core component of most national economies; while strictly speaking most planets ''can'' be self-sufficient and can weather being cut off, modern space travel is cheap enough that competitive advantage comes into play. As such trade becomes viable and in most cases, all is good and the metaphoric boats are lifted by the metaphoric tide.

However trade is not guaranteed; it is host to many factors ranging from traffic disruptions to economic dips and hills to actual piracy and war. Trade is also interconnected. To represent this, at turnover the GM will roll the annual trade rate; this is the base amount each freighter (representing trade) generates that turn. This amount is then adjusted by a nation's own modifiers.

Base trade rate: 1D6-1 (per freighter, rolled every year)
:Per-freighter amount may never be less than $0 and may never exceed $5.

Modifiers (per player):
:+1 if Security is 3
:+2 if Security is 4
:-1 if Security is 0 or less
:-1 if under Sanctions from at least 25% of the player base
:-1 if under Sanctions from at least 50% of the players in your Region

Security
:This is a holistic representation of how well protected your ships are from both criminal assaults on free trade and more general disruptions to commerce. The security level is as follows:
:1 police ship per 10 freighters: Security 1
:3 police ships per 10 freighters: Security 2
:6 police ships per 10 freighters: Security 3
:10 police ships per 10 freighters: Security 4
:State is a Star Patrol: Security +1
:State is Dirty Cops: Security -1
:State has Dark Fate: Security -1

:If assigned to patrol, Escort-type warships (excluding FACs) are equal to 2 police ships each
:If assigned to patrol, Cruisers and capital ships are equal to 5 police ships each

Reaving
:The conceptual inverse to security, reaving is all manner of disruption. Merchants are by nature cautious and will tend to avoid trouble and thus even the slightest hint of it will often cause entire flocks of freighters to vanish for less troubled pastures. Reaving directly opposes Security.
:1 corsair per ?: Reaving 1
:3 corsair per ?: Reaving 2
:6 corsair per ?: Reaving 3
:10 corsair per ?: Reaving 4
:Home sector is a war zone: Reaving +1
:Targeted by a state with Blackbeard 2525: Reaving +1

:Auxiliary Cruisers count as 3 corsairs each
:If the reaving state is engaging in commerce warfare (directly targeting a specific state) its ships operate at double efficiency and does not generate Piracy Aggro.

If a state's Security is reduced to '''less than''' 0 from Reaving, it will start to lose freighters unless it docks them (putting into mothballs). For every point security is below 0, 10% of the active freighter fleet is sunk.

:Police ships will attrit Corsairs.
:Privateers will attrit police ships.
:Warships will attrit non-warships.

===Profiting off other's misery===
Looting will make money, specifics to be considered

===War measures===
During wartime a state (or normally more than one state) goes full-in, buying and importing all manner of foreign goods, supplies, munitions, etc and sundry. As such the return for freighters in this scenario is locked at $5 per ''no matter the security level or annual base return''. The freighters must get the vital supplies in, no matter how many get sunk by U-boats along the way.

==Traits==
===Positive===
*''Legal Red-Tailed Hawk'' - Your state has mastered the art of lawfare and Earthside propaganda and can pretty much always find some plausible-sounding excuse for actions they take. This trait lets your state mitigate and ignore all but the most egregious diplomatic blowback among the Great Uninvolved, though it certainly doesn't stop the latest neighbor you're aggressing from fighting you as hard as they can.

*''Merchant of Death'' - The state's main export is guns! Guns guns guns! You may build weapons (spaceships, ground units, etc) for export; these cost 75% of normal, though the military-export complex is only so big and you may not spend more than your base income (Taxes + Trade revenue) on buying any sort of military unit. If you are ever in a position to 'take back' these exports you must pay the difference; the communication systems use the wrong bands, the operating system is in the wrong language, the toilets haven't been properly gold-plated, etc etc. Going to war with someone you've sold weapons to is often a bloody affair as both sides will be very well versed in capabilities.

*''Line Went Up'' - In the recent past your state won the economybowl and its game start taxation (not trade) income is increased by $200.

*''Little Metal Mans'' - Your starting military is noticeably larger than the Verge average; you have an extra $2000 in military assets at game start.

===Negative===
*''Second Amendment Problems'' - The state's main export is guns and you have ''no way to control it''. Other players and NPCs may freely 'purchase' weapons from you, effectively using your tech base to construct them. Putting a stop to this rampant export of weapons by your arms sector will probably be a painful process that might only be possible during wartime.

==UN Task Forces==

*''Somehow, DeGrasse has Returned'' (2 points) - Perhaps the single most influential individual on the current UN is - was - Secretary-Admiral DeGrasse. Restructuring the UN into the force it is today, he perished at the apocalyptical Battle of Shiva in 2612. Or did he? Somehow, he has returned, aiding your task force from the shadows towards his own inscrutable ends. Gain a second, secret patron of the DeGrasse Loyalists.

From the Ashes 3

2023-10-11T06:24:27Z

Jacklyn: /* Rumpus */

[[File:Starmap.png|thumb|right]]

From the Ashes Three builds on decades of success in running long-term strategy roleplay on Spacebattles and elsewhere. The creative/moderation team sports over a century of RPG & Strategy experience between its members and is committed to running a long term, successful game for its players.

From the Ashes Three incorporates some of the deep lore of previous Spacebattles games into its backstory but also presents a new, unique setting that shouldn’t be daunting to new players. To FTA veterans, think of this as yet another Manifold of reality. To new players-there’ll be some weird references and backstory elements that may need some explanation but you’ll be good to play out of the box without any prior knowledge of the history.

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=Intro=
Eighty thousand years ago Humanity crawled out of its home star system, Sol, and into centuries of exploration, settlement and intercine conflict. They slowly unified into what became known as the Overculture, eventually joining with the Chelonians to be bequeathed the governorship of the Open Palm Federation by the Xan, already ancient when Humans were young. These two - followed several thousand years later by a third technic species of particular promise, the TKK - governed the Open Palm Federation for fifteen thousand years, becoming the galactic elders behind only the withdrawn Xan.

Sixty thousand years ago, the Overculture folded in upon itself. Having long led the Open Palm Federation in advanced if not downright esoteric physics and cybernetics, Humanity 60,000 years ago had become a species steadily losing touch with the material world. After preparing their successors - the Tharngolst - the Overculture vanished into incomprehensible software realms and with it, the vast majority of Humanity.

Thirty-seven thousand years ago, long-simmering disputes in the Open Palm Federation broke out into uprisings and conflicts. No interstellar polity dies quickly, and the Great War lasted for thousands of years. The Long Night that followed lasted for tens of thousands more.

Five thousand years ago the Long Night finally ended with space split between the darwinnowed Chelonian Protectorate - the last vestiges of the Open Palm Federation but so changed over time as to be unrecognizable - and the resurgent TKK 3rd Empire - the third and most lasting post-Great War TKK polity, each separated by vast gulfs of dark ages. Lesser species scurried between these titans, once friends but now tired foes, too entrenched in their ways to move beyond. The Tharngolst are believed extinct save devolved predators on the edge of known space. Humanity (what was left of it after the Overculture) had cladified into divergent strains of techno-survivors, these Ultramen and xFolk and Homo Extremis incomparably deviated from those that left Sol.

And then a century or two ago, the children of the Overculture returned. The softly humming server-spires that underpinned so much galactic infrastructure and survived the Long Night woke up and began to disgorge Humans. These reHumans were as if awoken from a dream, the descendants of a million simulations and fanciful worlds, forming polities new and retro. Ancient treaties and customs saw some treat these revenants and reclaimers with reverence if not outright awe, others saw reHumans as unwelcome.

It is 82,000(ish) AD and Humanity once again strides across the stars, but it will not be an easy path.

=Joining the Game=
Players can play as a '''Polity''', either a human derived one, one populated by non-human sophonts, or anything in-between.

Every player begins with the following:
# One of the '''Polity Templates''' that helps define your polity’s basic history and gives appropriate modifiers to match.
# Four ethea, with one being your dominant defining ethos.
# One Capital Territory (that is, a territory with a Capital Landmark in it), and three more territories in the same starting node.
# 300 CI, which generates $15000 for the first year of game play, this can be distributed amongst your starting Territories as you wish (Both inherent starting & those from Polity Templates/Ethos)
# 200 DI, Distributed amongst your territories as you see fit. (DI is tracked for capture purchases, but is pooled for actual production)
# 3 General Tokens per year
# Three Landmarks from the Landmark list distributed to your non-capital starting territories. Eligible Landmarks are marked in the appropriate rules with an (S).
# $20,000 of DI-independent spending representing your initial standing military.
# One starting Espionage Agency, generated with 12 Statistic points, 1 Specialization and 3 Asset unlocks.
# One Operational Doctrine tree unlocked with one trait selected.
# 2000 Supply
# 12 Ship Designs. You may choose one beneficial quirk from the Ship Design Quirk Table for five of these Designs. No quirk can be duplicated for a starting Design.
# Choose between either the Explorer or Strike Cruiser Specialist hulls, powerful cruisers equipped with the rare Fold Drive. You may start the game with up to 3 of these ships in your Starting Military.
# One Specialist hull unlocked.
# A single Supply Base at one of the starting ‘plot systems’ as designated by the mods.
# Two preferred planet types and two hostile planet types selected from the list towards the end of this document.
# 5 Points to “buy” from the following list:
:*4 more Ship Designs.
:*Another trait in your starting Doctrine tree.
:*20 CI to distribute across your Territories.
:*10 DI to distribute across your Territories.
:*$2000 more starting Military.
:*$1 additional Territory in a system outside your Capital Node with 10 CI.
:*400 additional Supplies
:*An additional Espionage Agency with the same points as your starter (12 stats, 1 Spec, 3 Unlocks)
:*Upgrade an existing Agency with 5 Statistic points and 1 Spec or 3 Unlocks
:*A Forward Operating Base in another plot system of your choosing.

==Polity Templates==
===Residents===
Space aliens! Residents are the various ‘native’ techno-sophonts of the Grid; some may have clawed their way into space under their own power while others might be ancient uplifts Some may even be humans, the far-flung and much-changed descendants of those that never entered the great digital oververse. No matter their exact origins, Residents all share the trait that they are well-established in known space, having their own defined region of settled space.
* Gain two Territories with 15 CI each in systems other than your starting one, with moderator discretion.
* Gain an additional Ethos or two territories as per above (total of 4)
* Generate 1 Military token annually
* You will have one hostile or two neutral NPCs of comparable size placed near you. They will generally be amenable to cooperating against you.
* Residents may also choose to take any or none of the following options:
:*Imperium Rex: You may have two additional Territories as per above (possibly up to 6!), though your token production is reduced by 1 Diplomacy and 1 Other annually.
:*Veni, Vedi, Vici: You may yet again have two additional territories as per above (8?!), though you will have at least one significant and hostile NPC or possibly an entire coalition of lesser powers ready to defend themselves against you.
:*Astro-Hungarians: You may add one additional system with 30 CI but your Stability decays towards its resting point by an extra point per turn.
===Reclaimers===
The Reclaimers are one of the two dominant philosophies of reHumanity - Reclaimers seek to return to a position of preeminence and have begun campaigns of expansion. These could be direct military conquests or rapid colonization of fallow worlds. The result is an expansionist human polity, though often one that is limited in the recovered technology - there seems to be a certain inverse correlation between reHuman polities that managed to extract significant advanced technology out of the server spires and those that adopted the Reclaimer mindset. Perhaps they’re compensating?
* Gain a Territory with 15 CI in a system other than your starting one, with moderator discretion
* Your resting stability point is increased by one point.
* Generate 1 R&D token annually
* You may have a large NPC on your borders, if you do so your territorial bonus becomes 2 x 15 CI in two non-starting systems.
* You may have two small hostile NPCs on your border. If you do, you generate 1 Military token annually.
===Revenants===
The other main reHuman philosophy are the Revenants. The main difference is that Revenants do not have a driving objective to return to the alleged glory days, instead looking to a new and different future in this new and different galaxy. That doesn’t mean they’re all fluffy bunnies; individual Revenants can be just as arrogant and superior as any other reHuman and as a polity Revenant states are hardly shy at using force when needed. They also often pack unexpected surprises and more than one Resident has thought to bully a small Revenant polity over some meaningless dispute only to have a force of advanced warships materialize and tear their forward fleet apart with various deadly sorts of weaponry. It's an error few make twice.
* The cost to restore or unlock OPF relics, infrastructure and landmarks is reduced by 50%. If you have the SCIENCE! Ethos, when you unlock a Relic you roll twice and choose a result.
* You start with a second specialty hull (non-Fold drive) unlocked and open to production.
* You start with three TL6 Strike Cruisers.
* Generate 1 Diplomacy token annually.
* Begin the game with 1 fully repaired OPF Landmark (Moderator discretion).
* For each territory you possess, designate $500 of ‘Garrison’ forces. These units gain the Garrison [Node] trait, which increases their TL by +0.5 while in the corresponding node. You may replace losses to these units normally, or may redesignate which units are garrison forces (nation-wide) by spending 1 Military token.
* Your starting intel Agency starts with 2 points of Specialization built-in instead of 1, and an extra Unlock.

===Roamers===
The derogatory term for the numerous nomads that sail across the grid, some Roamers are the last remnants of ancient empires driven from their homeworlds, while others are simply wanderers that have formed up into like-minded societies. Many have picked up all manner of curios along the way and most polities on the grid will at least accept their temporary presence inside their space to engage in trade, diplomacy and exchange. Roamers do not have preferred planet types for obvious reasons.
*Generate 2 Diplomacy, 1 Espionage and 1 Economy token annually.
*Roamers are migratory, instead of Territories they can either build '''Convoys''' of Worldships or establish '''Satrapies'''.
:*'''Convoys''' can move freely a single jump of up to two tramline-links per year, and can extend that range by up to two tramline-links per [any] Token spent to a maximum of 5 tokens per year. Landmarks designated as Mobile can be moved aboard a Convoy, but they lose any benefits tied to their system of origin (IE, espionage token generator in the Big E, etc). All economic indices ($ income from CI, DI, etc) are reduced by 40% in a Convoy. Newly acquired Territories can be converted to Worldships, but only after their culture has been fully converted to match your Ethea. Territories below 10 CI can be converted to a Convoy free of cost.
:*New Territories above CI 10 can be set up as '''Satrapies'''. These are a special kind of NPC in that the territory’s internally produced resources are all funneled to your state, but they are counted as demilitarized neutral states by the rules of diplomacy on the Grid. Pirates may bother them but it’s generally unwise for nation-states to do so. As these territories do not move, they produce economically at their unchanged value.
*Roamers have three Ethos points instead of four. Instead you gain the ethos abilities of Low-Key and Starbound without selecting them as an Ethos. You can also choose to gain the Dominant abilities of both for one ethos point.
*I Know a Guy: You may spend a military token to instantly purchase $1000 in military or espionage units for the year as you dig through your rolodex.
*Jubilee! If a Convoy arrives at a system you have not ‘landed in’ within the past ten turns, your $ income for all territories and satraps in the '''sector''' is doubled that year and any other polities with territory or satraps in the '''sector''' gain 10% in $ income. You get one Jubilee a year.
*Research costs are reduced by 50%. Token cost is unchanged, however.
*When moving between sectors, Roamers can impact the trade market significantly, acting as either a significant modifier for either Piracy or Commerce Protection (Roamer player designates how their forces are acting).

===Rumpus===
Species that have only just clawed their way up to interstellar travel. Maybe you were isolated on a relic vault for forty thousand years, or maybe you just happened to evolve to sapience over the course of the long dark and only just made your first steps into a wider world, but regardless everything- and particularly the history of space- is new and interesting, and you’re going to point your nose every which-where regardless of accepted custom or culture and especially regardless of any warnings claiming that this isn’t a place of honor.
* Your Tech Level is 4. Don’t ask how to get to TL5, you’re a thousand years too early.
:*Up to 50% of your front-line military fleet may be TL5 ships, purchased third-hand from Crazy Chelon’s Honest Scrapyard.
:*You may reduce the TL of all your purchased starting equipment by 1. In exchange, rampant xeno-paranoid militarism gives you three times as many base forces. Lower technology forces have a lower upkeep cost (see the military rules for details)
* You will generally have a number of fallow systems near you.
* No Respect: All diplomacy actions cost double tokens. The loudness of espionage operations is halved.
* You can choose one of three options:
:*Starry-Eyed: Generate 2 additional General tokens per year.
:*Scrappy: Generate 1 Economy Token per year. Additionally, every time you suffer a meaningful defeat or setback (eg, military defeats, exogenous stability loss, etc), you gain 1 General Token.
:*Rally Around the Flag: Generate 1 Unity Token per year. In addition, exogenous events that would decrease stability instead both increase it and provide special Rally Tokens with GM-determined effects.

=Ethos=
==Culture==
This is a topic that is simplified from what could be an incredibly intricate and complicated set of interactions, but won’t be because we would like everyone to not go insane. Suffice it to say, the OPF was an extremely long lived polity, with over a hundred thousand years of mediating disputes between cultures, societies, and even species. As a result, culture conflicts in FTA are more about broad overreaching ethos-driven debates more than menu choices or clothing.

Your territories are generally assumed to have the same culture as you do, as well as any new colonies you establish over the course of the game. What is different, however, is when your polity absorbs the territory of another state, either through peaceful diplomatic overtures, military conquest, economic domination, or some other means. Each NPC, no matter how big or small, has its own mix of ethos that defines, in practical terms, that state’s '''Culture'''.

A newly integrated territory requires token expenditure to settle the population down and align them with your values. For every ethos from the Antagonistic category that a new territory has, that is different than your own culture, you must spend one unity token and one token of a type that the ethos you’re swapping it to can generate. If the ethos is naturally antagonistic to one your polity possesses (hierarchy to egalitarian, for example), the cost is two unity tokens and one token of the type you’re switching it to produces.

For every non-antagonistic ethos a state has, you must spend a token of a type the ethos you’re switching it to produces.

Switching an ethos lowers the stability of a territory by one. This can be bought off by other means.

Newly acquired territories with different ethos to your own produce less resources in some fashion until they are integrated properly. Consult this chart below to see what penalties the territory suffers. These effects are cumulative, that is, a territory with four mismatched ethos suffer from all four effects. (obviously when two values exist, go with the lower one)

{| style="text-align: left" cellpadding="3"
! # of Mismatched Ethos !! Effect
|-
| 1 || CI Produces 10% less income.
|-
| 2 || Resting Stability at 4. DI Production reduced 50%.
|-
| 3 || Resting Stability at 3. Token Generators do not produce Tokens.
|-
| 4 || Resting Stability at 2. No landmarks function; CI produces 30% less income.
|-
|}

=Economy & Tokens=
see [[FTA3 Economy]]

=Research & Development=
See [[FTA3 Research & Development]]

=Diplomacy=
See Diplomacy section.[https://swiki.fancruft.com/index.php?title=FTA3_Ethos_%26_Politics#Diplomacy]

=The Setting=
==Space Travel==
The Grid is arguably the single greatest work of human esoteric physics, 'burning' easily-accessible interstellar travel routes into the hyperstructure of space itself. While the slow movement of the stars has degraded this ancient work over the last forty thousand years, most connections still exist, albeit not always as passable as they once were.

Actually traveling along a 'tramline' (a term derived from pre-space Human mass transit) is easy, so much so that jump drives are built by post-Open Palm sophonts that are under the mistaken impression that the Grid's tramlines are a natural phenomenon. In the heyday of the Federation jump drives could be built small enough that they could easily be installed on family-sized runabouts and shuttles, though today much of this miniaturization is lost. Even so, almost anything big enough to be considered a 'ship' as opposed to 'shuttle' can and does carry a jump drive today.

[Under Construction]

These simple factors combine to shape the astrogeography and space strategy of the 83rd millennium.

Jump gates do not have quality (they are effectively always Stable), but they do have span - maybe you only want (or have the money for) an escort-span jump gate!

==The Map==
The map is a '''Node''' based system, with important systems linked by gate or tram lines. A Node represents a primary system and some degree of surrounding space, generally comprised of Red Dwarf type dying stars and celestial debris, where minor development takes place called the Cloud. This cloud is abstracted for the purposes of rules and events and what have you. Your starting home system territories could be in the surrounding cloud, if it makes sense narratively. When game rules refer to territory in another system, they mean another node on the map, NOT something in the same node’s halo.

===Planet Types===
The galaxy is a diverse place and while OPF terraforming technology was good, it wasn’t perfect, and thirty thousand years of war and decay has ruined plenty of planets that might have once been nice places to live. Moreover, plenty of environments that are outright hostile to human life might be paradise to other life forms-even aside of extreme examples like the Genumet or Taloid, the Sondrak prefer worlds we would identify as deserts.

Settling a territory on a celestial body that aligns with your preferred planet type comes with some discount-a 25% reduction in the $ cost of establishing Landmarks and new territories there-while settling on a world that’s hostile incurs a 50% $ cost increase, representing the additional assets required to make the place liveable for your people. Even the hardiest transophonts have some requirements. Your starting infrastructure generally is assumed to be located on non-hostile worlds, and as a result these modifiers are only relevant to new construction in-game. Due note that this is whatever the dominant planetary trait is, and as a result these cannot be stacked.

Each Polity picks two Favored World types and two Hostile World types.

'''Gaian World''': These worlds are broadly similar to humanity’s homeworld, have large oceans and a varied climate.

'''Ocean World''': Technically usually defined as “archipelago worlds” are those with only a small percentage of their land above water. These worlds often have shallow continental shelves that provide vast areas of productive, accessible resources. True “Ocean Worlds”-that is, worlds with no dry land whatsoever and a world ocean vastly deeper than Earth’s, exist but are generally not targeted for settlement given how difficult it is to access resources and develop infrastructure..

'''Desert World''': Desert worlds are dry, dominated by desert and taiga biomes, typically with a relatively low percentage of surface water. They have significant day/night swings in temperature and large parts of their surface are inhospitable to baseline humans-however, their polar areas can be quite pleasant.

'''Swamp World''': A world covered largely in water, but with little topographic variety so most of the planet’s land surface is, well, swampy. Fairly rare, simply as the very process that makes a world home to organic life often also makes it geologically active enough to produce normal continents, but broadly habitable by most oxy-nitro based life if unpleasant. The Grunt prefer these worlds and engage in heavy internal fighting to control them when they’re found.

'''Tundra/Glacier World''': In some ways the very opposite of a desert world, these worlds are locked into an ice age. They might, in other geological epochs, be Gaian type, but whatever combination of tectonics, climate, and solar activity has resulted in large swatches of these worlds being covered in ice and snow. This constrains the biome variety found on the world as a result. Earth in the current era straddles the boundary between this state and a Gaian world, only held in check by active measures by the caretaker AI overseeing the cradle world from slipping back into another period of glaciation.

'''Volcanic World''': Generally younger worlds, with a very high fraction of radionuclides, resulting in active plate tectonics and crustal activity. Volcanism and earthquakes are a fact of life here and while an oxy-nitro based biosphere may be present, it likely has large amounts of contamination from heavy metals or other elements released as a result of outgassing. Many “Super-Earths” with biospheres fall into this category.

'''Eyeball World''': These are tidally locked worlds, not having a normal rotational period but instead a “light” pole and a “dark pole”. Depending on their primary and orbital position, they may host fairly normal twilight-adapted biomes or an array of unique life forms. These factors also determine how large the habitable zone is on such a world.

'''Cratered World''': These worlds are defined by their geology, or, rather, their lack of it. A lack of active weather or plate tectonics mean these worlds are still covered in impact basins or craters from their formation. Depending on the topography, it’s possible that deep canyons or basins may be habitable. These worlds range from “Warm Mars” type worlds through Earth’s moon depending on size and circumstance.

'''Methane World''': These worlds are akin to Titan in the Sol System, with large atmospheres, rich in organic materials, hydrology based on ethane and methane instead of water, and often exotice life. The taloid arose on such a world.

'''Radiated World''': These are worlds that for whatever reason are exposed to high amounts of hard radiation-Io in the Sol system is a good, if extreme, example. Some may still be inhabited but not by life familiar to baseline humans, depending on environment and temperature conditions.

'''Toxic World''': Worlds with reducing atmospheres or those completely lacking in oxygen, marginally habitable in the sense that there’s a local biosphere that certainly doesn’t mesh with baseline Earth life. They can be a ready source of chemicals and other industrial products too finicky to produce in nanoforges and have zero concerns about environmental protection for more exotic types of production.

'''Tomb World''': The fall of the OPF, from the first madness of the tharngolst to the last fleet engagement between the chelonians and TKK, was long, and bloody. Many worlds that were once thriving, full of life and development, are no longer so. Some remain barely habitable, choked with fallout and the detritus of orbital battles raining down. Some have had their atmospheres scoured completely. These worlds are not nice places to live, but, in theory, they are absolutely rich in potential salvage opportunities for those willing to take the chance.

==Species of the Orion Spur==
There are a large variety of sophonts extant across the territory of the former Open Palm Federation, both biological and synthetic in origin. The variety of manifestations of digital life is beyond the scope of this document, as there are endless variations, in terms of full independent SAI, uploads, etc. This list is also not a comprehensive overview of all extant species of Known Space, but merely a brief overview of the most commonly encountered species found across the volume of the Spur.

===Xan===
Preferred World Type: Gaian, Ocean
Trilateral land dwellers and the original founders of the OPF. The xan are revered as the founders of a cultural continuity stretching back nearly half a million years. Largely sublimated and retired from galactic affairs, but small populations (in relative terms) do exist in scattered locations across the Grid.

===Humanity===
Preferred World Type: Gaian, Ocean (Baseline homo sapiens sapiens; transhuman variants have a wide variety of preferences and tolerances)

Originally from Earth of the Sol system, humanity one of the three inheritors of the Xan, and were the heart of the OPF for fifteen thousand years. Their sublimation into the server-spires was, ultimately, arguably the root cause for the eventual collapse of the OPF, as their own chosen successors, the Tharngolst, ultimately fell short. Never entirely gone even once the majority of the species uploaded, there are now dozens of subspecies derived from the pre-space homo sapiens sapiens.

Posthumans: the uploads that replaced the Overculture 
Antehumans: Overculture-era 'normal' humans; generally fairly consistent to pre-space humans in body plan. Increasingly characterized by bio-mechanical integration 
Apohumans: The descendants of the humans that continued through the Long Night. Typically highly modified relative to antehumans. 
reHumans: Returned Humans. Antehumans, but returned. 
xFolk: "Mundane" humans that have regressed at some point to a peripheral, (near) baseline status; effectively reverting to something resembling archeo-humans of 80,000 years ago. 
Homo Extremis: Apohumans that have undergone major changes to survive in extreme environments; broadly considered a variety of distinct species in the larger homo genera, but this distinction is more scientific than cultural.

===Chelonians===
Preferred World Type: Desert, Gaian

Bipedal homeothermic herbivores, the first thing that would come to mind when describing this species is “A giant two legged sentient tortoise”. This isn’t an entirely unapt comparison, as the pre-sentient chelonians occupied a similar ecological niche on a planet broadly similar to Earth in the late Cenozoic. Standing an average of three and a half meters at the shoulder, with both an internal skeleton and external bone plating, chelonians are known for having the calm, collected attitude of a predominantly herbivorous species utterly unconcerned about predation. Chelonians do not rush into anything without cause but when they begin moving it is as an avalanche is coming.

Historically, the early Protectorate reached space at about the same time as humanity and were contacted by the xan within a few decades of their contact with Earth. Both species got along extremely well despite their very different temperaments, a pleasant surprise for the xan who were actively planning their withdrawal from galactic affairs. After humanity’s ascent into the server spires, the Chelonians attempted to become the moral center of the OPF, but ultimately they could not hold the Federation together as the Tharngolst began their descent to madness and the TKK bore the brunt of dealing with them. The Great War was as inevitable as a summer storm, but the Protectorate endured, keeping a number of worlds under its protection even as the OPF fell apart around them. Today, bitter, but ultimately unbowed, the Protectorate remains one of the two predominant successor states of the fallen OPF.

Chelonian populations can be found across the Orion Spur, although they are not quite as widespread as some species. Generally speaking, wherever chelonians set down roots, they established decent sized populations, so travelers across the Grid are likely to come across either individuals or small groups of the rumbling sentients, or heavily populated colonies, but not much in the middle.

===TKK===
Preferred World Type: Swamp, Ocean (TransTKK have a wide variety of tolerances)

Somewhat resembling Earth stick insects, the TKK were the third of the xan’s successor species. Somewhat younger than the chelonians and humanity, the outwardly insectoid race was the most dynamic and adaptable. Masters of their homeworld’s biota in a way no other species has ever quite managed, the TKK turned this bioengineering expertise on both themselves and on worlds across the Orion Spur, adapting themselves to new environments and uplifting numerous species into the Federation.

Most TKK go through a life-cycle: pupa, nymph, adult, hermit, and torpor. TKK pupa are soft-bodied and clumsy, moving about on unjointed prolegs, before undergoing the metamorphosis to nymphhood. As nymphs they acquire most of the common features of other stages of their life-cycle: an exoskeleton, a segmented bodyplan with eight limbs, and an arrangement of antenna atop their head. The social and physical maturation to adulthood is marked with the final development of Wings. After several decades a TKK can induce their transition to Hermitage, further hardening their carapace and significantly slowing their metabolism. The onset of Torpor sees a TKK adult enter either a state of deep hibernation or metamorph regression to the nymphhood that can, with some technological mediation, last multiple millennia.

Whether by natural heritage or millenias of self-tinkering, TKK are effectively biologically immortal though they usually do not spend most of their lifespan at full awareness. TKK social groups tend to emphasize extended hierarchical family bonds in order to provide the support networks to sustain members in the midst of Torpor and reintegrate them on their resurrection. It is of course by no means a rule and many TKK societies or minorities do not function in this way.

The cyclical nature of TKK social life gives their politics both adaptability and overall stability, but the TKK homeworlds started to suffer from the ‘baggage’ of many billions in Torpor. As members of the OPF this made their homeworlds prime candidates for the first stellar mega-engineering and megastructure development of the High Federation era, each having timespans projected in many thousands of years. Since their attention and resources were consumed by such colossal aspirations they were considered ‘out of the running’ for informal stewardship of the Open Palm as humanity began its retreat into the Spires. These stellar mining and dyson sphere complexes were still partially underway when the Tharngholst rampancy began.
It is these partially completed projects that were some of the first targets of the Rampancy, though the crises swiftly radiated outwards as the TKK struggled to contain the damage. The storytellers of the TKK Homeworlds maintain that they asked for, and received, permission from the Council to activate OPF quarantine protocols that granted local governing structures complete unification of military and civilian command. Thangholst berzerks and revenants continue to plague the ruins of the megastructures to this day.

Having borne the brunt of the damage of the Rampancy, the TKK also took on the responsibility of reconstruction as their adept mastery of biotechnology meant they were much more suited to the task than the notoriously bioconservative Chelonians. As the TKK tell it, they and their allies maintained the quarantine zones to thoroughly eradicate the Rampancy during the reconstruction process, and for this they were betrayed. According to this side of the story the Chelonian led Shield Worlds brought false charges of mono-species imperialism against the TKK Homeworlds before the Federation Council as pretexts for a series of treacherous attacks on the Quarantine perimeters. The great betrayal is cited as the reason for the TKK sundering from the Open Palm and the Great War that followed. While this is beyond ancient history, the conflicting histories told by the Shield Worlds and the TKK Homeworlds are often used to inflame the continually poor relations between the two up to the present day.

Today there are many TKK majority polities, but the chief among these is the 3rd Imperium. “Imperium” is a nuance-sufficient shorthand for a state of Martial Law that TKK historians maintain are rooted in the OPF quarantine protocols. The 3rd Imperium is the one of the two major powers of the Orion Spur, more dynamic than their counterparts and willing to engage with the lesser states of the former Federation but also with greater intended entanglement.

To simplify interactions with humanity, whose linguistic drift is considerable compared to that of the TKK, the TKK long ago adopted Latin as a second language and left the onus on translation on humanity. Perversely due to this, the TKK knowledge of ancient human history is often superior to that of much of humanity due to the classical nature of much of their schooling in this language.

===Tharngolst===
Preferred World Types: Swamp, Terran (baseline tharngolst) Radiated, Cratered, Void, Toxic (Revanant tharngolst if they exist which they don’t I swear)

The tharngolst were discovered by human explorers sixty five thousand years ago, soon after the withdrawal of the xan from governance. The species was young, but adaptable, and they were observed from afar while they mastered technology and colonized their star system. Biologically, they were hermaphrodite, invertebrate and eusocial, operating in the middle-to-upper tiers of their homeworld’s ecosystem. Their morphology gave them extraordinary adaptability without bioengineering in the manner of the TKK, and their ability to focus portions of their collective hive mind on individual members of their society for specific problems only enhanced this flexibility. Tharngolst telepathy only worked between members of the species, but it was immensely powerful and was largely responsible for the species-which in every other regard, biologically speaking, rather unremarkable-from reaching the top of the evolutionary heap on their homeworld.

Their replacement of humanity as the third leg of the OPF’s ruling triumvirate seemed an inspired decision by many, able in the same way as Sol’s children in interceding between the two very different outlooks of the chelonians and TKK and finding consensus while also protecting the less dominant species of the Federation. For nearly twenty thousand years, this opinion was amply reinforced, with the tharngolst beginning to consider the same marriage of biology and technology that humanity’s Overculture had embarked on that would eventually culminate in Posthuman server spires.

Unfortunately, somewhere, somehow, something tragically went wrong. The tharngolst, instead of sublimating into a virtual paradise of their own design and underpinning the information network of the OPF in the process, went mad and began lashing out. To this day, nobody knows what the trigger was. The tharngolst launched a vendetta across the stars, with destruction on their mind. It would take several thousand years to finally stop them, with the TKK bearing the brunt of the burden due to their own expertise, before they were finally stopped, and the costs of this conflict are the root causes for the end of the OPF.

Unfortunately, the Crusade wiped out well over 99% of the extant tharngolst population. The TKK were able to save a few small, isolated populations, either due to some glitches in their organic-cybernetic interface, or because they were outliers regarding the adoption of the tech, etc. Some of these populations survived the Great War and keep themselves a very low profile to this day.

Stories of Tharngolst Revenants lurking in the chaos of the Grid to wreck havoc upon what remains of Orion civilization are frequently heard, but not yet confirmed by any credible ReHuman or other polity.

===Sondrak===
Preferred World Types: Desert, Gaian

A post-Collapse species that was increasingly dominating stretches of the “No-Man’s Land” between the TKK and chelonians prior to the re-emergence of humanity, the sondrak are big-bodied, bipedal apex predators who developed sentience as the result of climatic changes on their homeworld. Largely individualistic but loyal to their clan or nation, the sondrak in terms of psychological outlook are in some ways very similar to humanity. In others, however, they are radically different. Their biological makeup meant that pre-technology sondrak were functionally unkillable by anything aside from another sondrak, a handful of rare diseases, and old age. They possessed incredible regeneration abilities, and were frankly bigger and meaner than anything else on their homeworld, which has left them with some interesting psychological quirks.

For one, sondrak see no real issue with physical violence to settle interpersonal disputes. To them, there’s no real difference between engaging in verbal debate and going a couple of rounds in the ring, because even if you lose a finger or something it’ll grow back in a couple of weeks. The discovery that most of the settled galaxy was populated by “softskins” who didn’t see things the same way was something of a shock to the species.

Another way in which their psychology is radically different is in terms of family structure. Sondrak reproductive practices involve group mating and communal raising of the resulting clutches of eggs. The actual parentage of particular offspring isn’t important, they’re all raised by the Clan. As a result, sondrak view legacy rather differently than most other species. Their original aspiration as individuals was to be ‘remembered’-that is, to obtain legendary status among their culture that persists across time.

The discovery that the galaxy was filled with a civilization hundreds of thousands of years old, with entire species given digital immortality through computational super technology, caused a shockwave in sondrak metaculture that has still not fully been resolved, and as a result, the sondrak are even more unpredictable as individuals than various human clades.

===Iase===
Preferred World Type: Void

Nobody knows where the iase originate from, including the iase themselves. Xan records indicate when they began spacefaring, there were already iase colonies scattered across the local volume. They have been extensively engineered over their long history and are adapted to microgravity. Iase colonies are normally in hollowed out asteroids, or in domes on airless moons. There is no central political entity for the iase as a species, although they were always been acknowledged as Federation members. The slight, pale, hairless species, bilateral in build with four limbs all adapted for manipulation (a legacy of the genetic engineering that made them thrive in microgravity) simply exist in thousands or millions of small colonies across the galaxy, integrated into whatever larger polity they happen to co-exist with.

What the iase are known for is being able to facilitate trade. While not remotely unified as a political entity, they communicate with their fellows for cultural and economic purposes, and their ubiquitous distribution across the Orion Spur (and beyond, if records from OPF expeditions into other parts of the galaxy are true) means they have been associated with interspecies long-distance travel for longer than the Federation existed.

The iase, as a species, are non-violent and unaggressive, unsurprising given their rather fragile microgravity adapted bodies. They are gregarious and welcoming of contact with other species, and their trade networks are probably the closest thing to a functional overarching body across the entirety of the Orion Spur. Iase colonies are equally prevalent in the Protectorate, in “Re-Man’s Land” between the two great empires, and within TKK space, and they all talk to each other.

The obvious implications for intelligence assets should speak for themselves.

===Caiveh===
Take the kzinti or kilrathi. Make them three feet tall, and somehow cuter. Kicked around by the TKK as a species during the Great War and afterward, pretty common members of the dysfunction that is current interstellar civilization. The sondrak admire their spunk.

Preferred World Type: Gaian

===Hyfi===
Contemporaneous with the rise of the sondrak, hierarchical owlbear imperialists who all fancy themselves to be Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Preferred World Type: Tundra

===Fueglan===
Older, second-tier species more or less contemporaneous with the TKK. Amphibious, unambitious, party animal cane toads on benders sorts. Everywhere but not in huge numbers. Just happy to be invited and hopes both teams have a good time.

Preferred World Type: Swamp

===Daedalians===
Crabpeople who got into space right as the tharngolst melted down. Unfortunate. Have, somehow, survived, and carved themselves a niche in things. Really wish they were over in the Perseus Arm, thoehiiojs-[Citation needed]

Daedalians are the pinnacle of evolution, as evidenced by Carcinization, the evolutionary phenomena in which all beings eventually try to evolve into Daedalians. They are decapod crustaceans of sublime intelligence, slavish generosity, impeccable taste and extraordinaty charisma. Their ancient and revered civilization stands as a living monument to their greatness.

Preferred World Type: Ocean

===Genumet===
Probably one of the more truly alien sophont species, vacuum dwelling crystalline based life forms who have scattered across a fair portion of the Spur. Were members of the Federation, generally friendly, keep to the outer fringe of star systems (think into the Centaurs in Sol) where the sort of slushy iceballs they derive nutrition from are frequently found. Originated in the volatile dense comet cloud of an unusual flaring red dwarf.

Preferred World Type: Void

===Taloid===
Nobody is sure how the hell they evolved, including the taloid themselves. Some assume some forgotten xan or human experiment. A race of mechanical life on a world where the beats of organic life were carried out on a warm-titan type world rich in mineral deposits. Self-organizing mechanical forms gradually increased in complexity until it resulted in sentience. It is important to recognize the taloid are incredibly distinct from other “synthetic” life, in that their sense of self and identity is tied to the physical form and not an informorph construct like most SAI. Fascinated by religion, both the myriad ones of their homeworld and of all the strange new beings they’ve encountered.

Preferred World Type: Methane

===Hurunghu’hn (Grunts)===
Think of a muskrat with an attitude problem that has the same relationship with a large grazing critter on their homeworld that a remora fish has with a shark, from a world full of things that make xenobiologists from across Orion go “bruh what the fuck”. Then give them a pack hunter mentality and access to fighter craft and tell them that people will pay them good money to get into scraps.

Preferred World Type: Swamp

===Milskri===
Preferred World Type: Volcanic

The Milskri are creations of a long finished non-human singularity that occurred in the Sagittarius arm. Physically they are around two meters long plus tail, with a body like a snake covered in yellow grey scales. They have six arms mounted along their spine, the joints apparently designed for amazing flexibility and acrobatics.

Milskri are hugely muscular and agile and are further blessed with superior senses. They are all but immune to poison, to disease, and have an amazingly strong skeletomuscular general body structure. Finally they are amazingly stealthy, their biology capable of evading even the most high tech sensors.

The Milskri were created not as some superior life form but rather as germs, biological weapons for the godlike AI that built them in its war against other godlike AI. They proved all too good at their task, getting loose and ending up destroying almost all AI gods in their region of space - even their original creators. They were brought to the Orion Arm towards the end of the Theopropulsion Age to fight the Dreadnought Gods, an action that is broadly considered a mistake to this day.

Milskri tactics revolve around hacking, sabotage and lots of explosives. While they are capable fighters they are not as good at fighting fellow sentients as they are the massive Godlike AIs they were designed to kill. Their technology is often designed to prevent exploitation by such AI, but this can leave them vulnerable to the capacities such devices (such as fully networked communications) that they give the enemy.

Milskri ideologies believe it is their duty to propagate entropy in the universe, to bring everything tumbling down. Of course, there are some Milskri who reject this course, but there are just as many fanatical true believers.

===Moss Bears (Aysheians)===
Looking like nothing so much as giant pony-sized tardigrades, the Moss Bears were something of a scourge of known space for several centuries until proper translation protocols were created and diplomacy was finally successful. With four sets of legs they have a clearly segmented body plan, with an eye turret akin to the Terran chameleon at each ‘shoulder’. They are also staggeringly resistant to radiation and can withstand far more radiation than any other technic sophont of the Orion arm; the median lethal dose normally exceeds 1000 Gy (over 100x that of a baseline human).

Preferred World Type: Radiated, Swamp

===Gryptids===
Hexapodal avians who were extremely traumatized by the Tharngolst Madness-being nearly exterminated has that effect, one supposes-and became violently against any kind of “smart” technology or MMI interfaces as a result. Extremely bio & techno conservative, to the point even the chelonians are sending DMs like “u good?”

Preferred World Type: Tundra, Swamp

===Iadelphe===
A race of friendly spider-ferrets who were nearly wiped out by the tharngolst and the subsequent War in Heaven that ended the OPF. Their homeworld became an irradiated ruin, the survivors scattered across the Spur have been trying to find themselves a new world to call their own ever since. Found in a lot of the marginal spaces on the Grid.

Preferred World Type: Gaia, Ocean

===Apectids===
A young, dynamic race just now discovering the galaxy is flaming dumpster fire. Their homeworld is near Terranova and they have joined the nascent Golden Commonwealth, but some of their folks are spread out across the tramlines. In some ways broadly similar to Earth-based biology, the apectids blend the features of a weasel and a hyena into a single, very double jointed package that adds in species-specific telepathy for spice.

Preferred World Type: Gaia, Tundra

===Note for Players===
This is by no means an exhaustive list of sentient species in the game, nor should it in any way constrain your design choices when constructing your faction. It’s purely meant to give you a guide and something to scaffold your polity’s backstory and place in the galactic ecosystem with. If you want to play an alien species instead of humans but don’t have any great ideas, feel free to construct a polity utilizing any or all of the provided.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Exploration

2023-10-06T17:49:38Z

Jacklyn:

FTA3 Exploration

2023-10-06T17:49:12Z

Jacklyn:

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue To Navigation:

=Exploration=
The galaxy is a strange and wonderful place, full of adventure, danger, and more importantly, loot. Exploration is your way to find relics of the past and technologies for the future, but be warned, with great treasure comes equal or greater dangers to go along with it, no great bounty is unguarded in these strange stars.
==Surveying==
The first step to the bounty of the OPF, you need to know where the loot is to go and claim it, after all. Surveying takes 1 Year, 1 R&D Token, and 1 Ship with the SCIENCE trait to perform. Surveying will usually give you a piece of OPF loot, something left behind in a system that you can pick up, and will rarely give a Point Of Interest, hidden parts of the galaxy that have to be explored and conquered to be claimed. Surveying will also often generate a dilemma which may cause damage to your ships or put some other kind of roadblock in your path, you should expect to see one in about half of your surveys. Only a polity who has surveyed a node can explore points of interest within it, any polity other than them will have to either survey the node themselves, get information on the node through espionage, or get the information directly from a polity who has surveyed it, even if they would otherwise know the location of the points of interest through OOC means they are required to survey the node first to perform an Expedition. Once a polity surveys a node, they cannot survey the same node for 5 years, and non-roamer polities can never survey their capital node, as it has been so thoroughly explored during their development as to offer up no new secrets.
Any rewards from surveying are handled like Point Of Interest rewards, please see that section for more information.

===Survey Preperations===
Polites may spend an additional R&D token or $1000 to gain a +1 to their roll on the survey rewards table, gaining a maximum of +2 for spending an additional R&D token and $1000. Additionally, Polities may spend $ and tokens in the same manner as gaining additional rewards to gain a bonus to their dilemma roll.
Polities with the Science! Ethos gains the $ bonus for both of these effects for free, gaining an automatic +1 to both survey loot and danger rolls.

===Surveying In Plot Systems===
Some systems are just so prolific or mysterious as to be the perfect breeding grounds for loot and adventure, in FTA3 those are the Plot Systems. Plot Systems themselves are defined elsewhere (Blue-Ringed Systems on the map), but all loot rolls from a survey attempt in a Plot System get a +5 Modifier to their roll, meaning you will generate much rarer loot from surveying in these systems. In addition, there is a consistent source of loot and mystery flowing into these systems, so they are exempt from the normal 5-year cooldown on Surveying. However, due to their nature, certain Plot Nodes cannot generate Landmarks from surveying, and any POI in them does not generate Digsites or Landmarks (Equivalent Alternate Rewards will be given instead). POI and Surveys in Plot Systems are also notably more dangerous than other places, so buyer beware, that anomaly may contain more than you had bargained for...

===Surveying, As A Weapon===
Sometimes the best way to get something done is to let someone else handle it, in this case, someone else is the eldritch monstrosity you just released upon your opponent. As with normal surveying, it cannot be done in any players capital prime, and cannot be done within the same node within 5 years of your last survey attempt. Unlike normal surveying, weaponized surveying does not produce loot, and instead rolls a guaranteed dilemma, which your surveying craft can attempt to unleash upon your unsuspecting foe.

==Expeditions==
Now that you know where your loot is, what's left is to go and claim it! Expeditions are significantly more involved than Surveying, first, you need to know which Point of Interest you're going after and who you are sending. Each point of interest will have a basic set of requirements and conditions, such as “1 Ship, 2 Ground Battalions, Void Specialist Only” which are the bare minimum for the expedition to work at all, though particularly for higher difficulty Points of Interest the bare minimum will likely be no better than a scouting report on what exactly is inside, expect to need to send more on anything that isn't the easiest Expedition.

Expeditions are treated as any other military deployment so do not require a token to perform, however, unlike normal deployments, they are variable in timeframe and may disallow you from disengaging even at the cost of a token, as your forces get caught in a quantum trap or behind a steel blast door and cannot retreat. Exhausted Units cannot be refreshed with reinforcements until the end of the Expedition unless a MASH unit is assigned, in which case they get to refresh 3 Battalion at the end of each quarter per unexhausted Battalion with MASH.

On top of the bare minimum, there are also “Additional Reward” thresholds for each Point Of Interest, these are usually not required to complete the mission, you can simply brute force it with numbers, but having the right type of unit can be greatly conducive to getting better loot out of it. These thresholds are kept secret by the mods, but should be able to be inferred from the description of the Point Of Interest, such as a Gas Giant Megastructure benefiting from your ships having the Aquatic trait.

Each polity can only explore each Point Of Interest with one team at any given time, though multiple polities can explore the same Point Of Interest. Be warned though, it's unlikely unaligned polities flying different flags are going to get along well when raiding a tomb...
Point Of Interest Capacity
Each Point Of Interest has a capacity for how many individuals can be involved before they start taking stacking penalties to combat effectiveness and dilemma difficulty. There is only so much space in the ancient Tomb, after all, packing it full of men to try and capture it is going to make sure that none of them are particularly good at their jobs, and take far more casualties from traps and enemy forces. This is measured in terms of Battalions that are allowed to enter. Ships count as their weight in battalions for filling capacity, ships with Expeditionary count as half their weight instead.

Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait can be assigned to Expeditions to act as added muscle for your SCIENCE! Units, however, units without the SCIENCE! Trait never count for determining if you meet the Basic or Additional Rewards thresholds, so they are purely for combat resolution purposes. Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait still count against the Capacity of the Point Of Interest.

===This Belongs in a Museum===
Points of interest themselves never count as a landmark for the purposes of colonization, but some of them can decay into digsite landmarks or generate other landmarks, and these can be used to make territory.
===Expedition Supply Costs===
On top of any combat supply burn that may happen due to encounters within the Point Of Interest, Exploring a Point Of Interest requires ongoing supplies to maintain, Food, Ammunition and Fuel for mobile generators, among other things, are necessities to ensure that the Expedition is a success. Each involved Battalion burns 1 Supply Year, and Each Ship burns its weight in supply each year, both of these are modified by distance from the supply point as normal, including modifiers from Expeditionary and Long Legs, except that they count as 1 jump further from any points of supply (this means that exploring in your territory will still cost supply as if you were 1 jump away).
Example:
John has 6 Battalions and 1 Heavy Cruiser 3 Jumps from his territory to explore a Point Of Interest. He has a total of 6 Base Supply consumption from his Battalions, and 16 from his heavy cruiser. This is then modified by distance and long legs, so his Battalions count as being 4 jumps from supply and his Heavy Cruiser counts as being 3.Jumps, giving him a final yearly total of 24 Supply for his battalions, and 48 for his heavy cruiser.
===Dilemmas===
Finally, before you can claim your reward, there's going to be a Dilemma you have to solve, potentially multiple. These usually come in the form of enemies or traps you have to get past to get at your loot, and will often come throughout the year in the form of Expedition events that you will have to give orders for and may give you piecemeal loot that are usable immediately, as well as loot that is in escrow until the Expedition is finished. Occasionally a Point of Interest, instead of simply keeping the Capstone Dilemma contained within the Expedition mission, will unleash the Dilemma onto your empire as a whole, in this case you often (but not always) get your loot immediately without engaging the Dilemma, but have to deal with the problem on a national level (looking through old ruins can be an effective way to sabotage your opponents, if you sneak into their territory to do it).
===Point Of Interest Rewards===
There are lots of rewards one can get for exploring a POI, from Landmarks, to Fold Drives, even Entire ships, but inevitably, they will be yours, the only question left... how the heck do i get this home!?

Anything you obtain from a Point Of Interest or Surveying spawns in the node that POI/Survey was in. These rewards need to be transported back home before they can be properly used or installed, except for landmarks, which always spawn in place and cannot be moved under normal circumstances. Ground Units and Ships can be either spawned in the node they were obtained in or transported back home piecemeal, in which case they have generic freighters which will transport them back as if they were a ground unit outside of a landing force module; any non-ground or ship rewards are always transported back in this way. These generic freighters can be interdicted or raided as normal, and usually require an escort, unless you want pirates to be getting your loot instead of you.

These generic freighters can traverse out of any line, even unstable ones, but will not traverse an unstable line unless it has to. These freighters always make the most direct route for your capital, stepping around unstable lines where reasonable (if it would add more than 6 nodes to your journey to avoid it, you may traverse the unstable line). They otherwise follow normal strategic movement rules.

===Point Of Interest Longevity===
Each Point Of Interest usually sticks around after you explore it for the first time, and while subsequent Expeditions often give less impressive loot than the first time, they're still a stable source of OPF gubbins and Supertech. That is, of course, until they are depleted. Each Point Of Interest has an amount of successful runs that take place within it until it decays into a Dig Site Landmark, though certain Points Of Interest do not generate a Dig Site. The Dig Site Landmark generates Federation Artifacts, minor trinkets and pieces of high OPF tech that while not particularly useful or valuable on their own, can be combined for interesting effects, see OPF Preparations for more details.
===Delays===
Certain Expedition events or preparations (detailed later) cause Delays. Delays add additional time to finish the Expedition that do not generate Dilemmas for the players.This is time spent either outside the Point Of Interest or within a rest area of the Dungeon waiting for some sort of blockage to be cleared, or some type of external support. Usually Delays are applied in a block, and progress on the Expedition proper cannot be continued until the Delay is completed; exceptions to this will have a special note attached detailing how the delay is applied.
===Expedition Preparation===
Expedition preparation is a bit more involved than survey preparation, preparing for Expedition is done during the planning phase of an Expedition when making your initial post to the GMs and is completely optional. Preparation involves multiple options with varying requirements and costs listed below, the Science! Ethos ability does not negate the $ cost of Epedition

Only Troops and Ships with the SCIENCE! Trait that are part of the Expedition attempt count towards fulfilling requirements for Preparations. If a preparation would be made impossible by the restrictions of a Point Of Interest (such as disallowing the use of Ships) that preparation may not be used.

Each Expedition attempt may only have 2 Preparation Options applied to it, and each option can only be applied once.
(Note: Preparations can be re-flavoured for Story Posts however the player likes, but putting a name and theme to each effect makes them much more legible to use)
===Preparation Options===
====Slow and Steady Approach====
“Slow and Steady Wins the Race, or at least gets out of the race alive. May not be the most glorious approach, but it definitely makes things easier.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Reckless Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: +100% to Expedition Duration as a Delay. You gain a +3 to all rolls on the Dilemma table. 
Note: This will not be applied in a block like most Delays, and instead will mean every other Quarter is a Delay, so you generate Expedition events at half the rate.

====Reckless Approach====
“Sometimes the best approach is just to barrel through things as fast as possible, sure, you get hurt more, but you also get glory and gold even faster.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Slow And Steady Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: Halve The Expedition Duration, This means you will generate less Dilemmas overall, -3 Rolls on the Dilemma table, This makes Dilemmas more difficult.

====Exit Strategy====
“Always have a way out of every room you enter, and a way to kill everyone in it” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 1 R&D Token 
Effect: Negate Effects that would prevent you from retreating from an Expedition attempt.

====Deep Penetrating Scan====
“Huh, neat thing to know, the internal structure is made partially of Nanobots, so expect the place to shift around every once in a while.” 
Requirements: A Ship with the STAG Module 
Cost: $1000. 
Effect: You can accept Delay on the Expedition, gaining a +1 to Loot Rolls for every 2 Quarters you Delay your Expedition, stacking up to +3 and 6 Quarters of Delay. 

====Forward Scouting====
“You know, we ought to stop getting ourselves picked for scouting duty, we're always the first ones to get shot at, though we also get first pick of the loot, so maybe it's worth it.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Fast Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Expedition event that spawns enemy units you encounter is automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Sappers====
“Tread carefully here, one wrong step and you will set off a Stasis trap, and it's your own ass thats gonna be here when the sun goes supernova.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Engineers Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Trap (or trap-like) Expedition event you encounter is automatically negated.

====Enhanced Personal Scanners====
“Man, this thing has all the bells and whistles, hell, it even goes through walls, the hell did command score this thing?” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Autonomous Exploration Drones====
“That's another drone offline in Sector 6, seems like we have company there, lets go around and see if we can avoid that particular confrontation.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.
===OPF Preparations===
A special subcategory of Preparation options, OPF Preparations are extremely powerful preparations that require the use of Federation Artifacts. Due to their powerful and expensive nature, each Expedition Attempt may only utilize 1 OPF Preparation. OPF preparations still count as one of the two preparations a nation may make for the Expedition attempt.
(Note: The price of these may change once the game gets going, to preserve their balance.)

====Omni-Passkey====
“A devious little piece of work, this, it filters through every possible security key combination at an absurd rate, and manages to convince pretty much every autonomous defense system that they’re friendly. Sucks it burns itself out so quick, I would love one of these myself, but they're pretty much good for one run, and not much more.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Trap (or trap-like) Expedition events you encounter are automatically negated.

====IFF Spoofer====
“Makes you show up as friendly on pretty much every form of IFF the High Federation used, would be astounded by the potential military applications if it didn't require you to be facing an empire that died before our nation existed.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Any Expedition event you encounter that spawn enemy units are automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Dowsing Rod====
“Okay, Okay, hear me out, I know I sound insane, but this thing actually works, it must have nanobots or something, but it seriously pulls towards any OPF tech. Im not full of shit, I swear” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Netrunner Bot====
“This little beauty will permanently attach to the network access port of pretty much any OPF facility, it can't quite crack down to root access, but it gives us broad authority to tip the scales in our favor.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.

FTA3 Research & Development

2023-10-06T17:48:30Z

Jacklyn:

FTA3 Ethos & Politics

2023-10-06T17:48:10Z

Jacklyn:

FTA3 Espionage

2023-10-06T17:47:58Z

Jacklyn:

Thousands of years of simulated existence failed to snuff out those essential human vices: the desire to observe, pass judgment on others and then at the behest of society, enforce that judgment. Groups likewise observe one another, pass judgment and enforce their desires on each other through influence, subterfuge and violence, sometimes discreetly but more often not.

The human being which, in all its permutations has failed to evolve beyond the status of a social animal, continues to use tools of observation, judgment and enforcement in the pursuit of myriad goals. Those emerging anarchist polities may have abolished their institutions of policing and carceral states, but continue to investigate crimes, protect the community with militias and hold councils to enact their particular visions of justice. Certain genera Homo Extremis may download their mental patterns into a substrate of self-organizing nanomachines and abolish biological death, but their new existence presents other risks: deletion, copying, theft and torture of mental duplicates in absentia and other horrors unimaginable to those who live in the blasphemous corpus of the Real, requiring network security with unfathomably bloated budgets.

It is often said that no person is safe from bad actors. Such phrases are often said by spies and policemen, who would obviously like to enjoy the milk and honey of state funding in a time of crisis.

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=Tools and Concepts in Espionage=
==The Agency==
The Agency is the ‘ship’ of the espionage rules, though rather than using standard templates each one is fairly unique. Agencies are created by spending an Espionage Token and gain 6 points to spend on their attributes. They can be further upgraded by spending additional Espionage Tokens, which grants an additional 3 minus Y points, with Y being the number of Espionage Tokens previously spent on upgrading that agency the same year. Rapidly setting up a brand new service has sharp limits and diminishing returns, even pouring all the resources of the state to build.

All players may choose to begin with a single Agency with 12 points for free. There is no limit on how many Agencies a player can have: they are fundamentally conduits for action that require Token spending to be useful, and having too many things covering the same purview can be deleterious to performance or provide leverage to a hostile power.
===Agency Statistics===
Agency Statistics represent core competencies in one of four categories of action, each significantly important in the scope of espionage operations. Statistics are assigned every time a new Agency is created, and whenever tokens are expended to upgrade an existing Agency.

Agency statistics have no inherent maximum or minimum, though if an attribute drops to 0 or less the agency becomes Compromised, and cannot be utilized for any actions for the rest of the game year. Agencies with extremely low negatives are particularly dangerous, being essentially exploitable targets for other players’ intel operations.

===Agency Decay===
Agency statistics decay in the following circumstances:
* Every year, all Agencies lose 1 point from their highest statistic if they are above 12 total points, not including specializations
* Whenever an Agency engages in an intelligence operation, it loses 1 point (player choice).
* Whenever an Agency is the subject of an intelligence operation, it loses at least 1 point (attacker’s choice) and may lose more.
* If the territory the Agency is headquartered in goes into low Stability (3 or less) or is subject of a violent attack, it loses 1 additional point from their highest statistic that year. '''Flag of Freedom ignores this penalty.'''
* If the territory the Agency is headquartered in is conquered by a hostile power, the Agency is destroyed. However the player may spend an Espionage token to have everyone evacuated, allowing the Agency to evacuate and limiting the damage to 5 Statistic points (defender’s choice).

===Operations===
Operations comprises the ability to plan, engage in and protect the secrecy of espionage actions.

Each point of Operations:
* Counters a point of a relevant Intelligence Gathering to prevent early warning.
* Allows an additional intelligence operation to be ‘well planned’ per Game Year.
* Allows an additional military asset (warship, ground unit, etc) to be ‘well integrated’ into the Agency without harming effectiveness.

===Security===
Security provides passive protection from hostile actions, and provides effectiveness in counterintelligence operations.

Each point of Security:
* Increases the difficulty of hostile actions.

===Intelligence Gathering===
Intelligence Gathering provides passive warning of hostile actions, as well as analysis of hostile actors and debris to determine responsible parties when the state or organization is subject of an operation.

Each point of Intelligence Gathering:
* Provides a potential pool of human (or near-human) assets that can be subverted to improve espionage and other hostile actions against a target nation, upon request.
* Provides improved technical analysis of signals, footage, debris and other artifacts and detritus to determine the origin and potential intentions of a hostile party that was not previously identified.
* Grants increased early warning of potential hostile actions, and limited understanding under fog of war.

===Deniability===
Deniability is a special mechanic to give a legitimate cover of “no I didn’t” for as long as possible. It is not a blanket ability to refuse responsibility in every single way, but a way to mitigate consequences, control narratives and prevent immediate unilateral intervention by a coalition looking to make some justified conquests.

Deniability works as follows:
* Higher deniability provides better control over domestic narratives. At high ratings, your people may simply not care, patriotically view your actions as a necessary evil for the sake of the nation or have a completely warped understanding of reality thanks to your strong psychological operations division.
* Deniability provides a ticking clock, delaying the authentication of documents, debris, etc by unvarnished, unbiased third parties. While it can be penetrated by strong TECHINT or a defector (cultivated via HUMINT), in theory it provides a long buffer by which point the worst anger will have subsided and you will have made concessions and agreements that make reprisal undesirable.
* Deniability allows the cultivation of a number of proxies equal to its rating. Proxies are non-government groups which can act on your behalf, occasionally, but are mostly self-motivated and self-interested. Proxies do not reveal your backing initially, but as they take casualties, are subject to intelligence operations or become large and powerful enough to negotiate on the level of nations and powerful organizations, that loyalty may subside. Caveat emptor.

==Deniability Clock==
''“We didn’t do it, but you deserved it and if you don’t watch yourselves we’ll do it again!”''

The Deniability Clock is a mechanic that exists to mitigate the immediate consequences of intelligence operations, particularly disproportionate responses by larger powers against their perceived inferiors for minor slights or skullduggery, as well as the formation of large unjustified coalitions responding to minor slights with the well-honed knives of partition. Of course, there are natural limits to such things: particularly grandiose acts of terrorism, surprise attacks on military infrastructure and the killings of heads of state: these are all basically just acts of war and one gets what they deserve for pushing on them.

The Deniability Clock instead is meant to delay response for a player who has invested in the relevant statistics, buying time to negotiate deals and for tempers to cool.

The clock is measured as follows: measure up the difference between attacker’s Deniability vs the defender’s Intelligence Gathering. The numerical difference (if positive for the attacker) is how many game years they get before their complicity is revealed. If the defender’s gathering score is higher, the attacker is revealed immediately after the attack resolves.

Proxies are a special Agency Asset class that work differently from standard deniability. They are instead tracked separately and have their own conditions for exposure.

Finally, Deniability hinges to some extent on the discretion of the launching state. The most extreme acts will in fact break the most strident measures of secrecy. Practically speaking, if your actions cause a calendar day or a named harbor to become perpetually associated with infamy, there isn’t much you can do. Moderators will always tell the player if a certain act is Too Loud.

===Extending the Clock===
The Deniability Clock is not meant to be played with or extended, generally. Even using the correct assets, having a well-designed Agency and planning carefully can’t buy you unlimited time. Despite this, there exist three ways to add Deniability Clock time:

* Plot Armor: Spending a Plot Token (and only a Plot Token) will make narrative intervention to buy you time. The amount depends on the event that is generated by the Plot Token and how serious the operation being concealed is, but consider a minimum buff of 50%.
* Burning the Agency: Burning your Agency to the ground right after it carries out a loud attack produces a lot of loose ends, especially since it means having to orphan or liquidate every single asset connected to it at the time of the op. The potential gain is similar to Plot Armor, with a minimum of 50%... but will also create a lot of burned agents and left-behind special forces to join the mercenary business.
* Betrayal: First strike betrayal of close allies will always help you out. As allies (PC or NPC), add a 50% buff. Betraying close allies (PCs who cooperate with you on intel, Blood Brothers) adds a 100% buff. '''You can only claim this bonus once per game.'''

==Loudness==
Loudness is an overall measure of how noticeable the actions taking place over the course of an intel operation really are. To a conspiratorial, web weaving mindset, certain acts, outcomes and means of achieving them will always be Too Loud and to be avoided (or mitigated) at all costs- but not all people are endowed with identical sensibilities, so it’s the responsibility of the moderator to work with the player to explain their understanding and establish a good consensus.

Loudness is broken down into 3 general phases:
* Planning Loudness represents the noise of putting assets into place. Conducting an all-hands fleet review before you carry out a big surprise attack on an enemy harbor is loud. Buying all the antitoxin to a specific nerve gas to cripple civilian response to a terror attack is loud.
* Operational Loudness represents the noise of conducting the mission. Having a fleet punch down a capital tramline all at once screaming the national anthem is loud. Gassing a stadium during an internationally televised concert is loud.
* Outcome Loudness represents the noise and fury that follows getting what you want. Taking out a whole regional harbor before your war declaration has hit the presses is loud. Killing a hundred thousand people in a highly public and televised manner to sow fear and terror is loud.

Loudness is mitigated in a few ways:
* Operations and Operational Security directly mitigate all loudness.
* Deniable and Q-Ships do not contribute to Planning Loudness.
* Cloaked ships do not contribute to Planning Loudness if they haven’t been to port since the operation began planning. They do not contribute to Operational Loudness.
* Spec-Ops Ground Units do not contribute to Operational Loudness.
* Taking out comms buoys and suppressing courrier ships will directly mitigate Outcome Loudness.
* Proxies can mitigate loudness at all stages, though Outcomes less than the other two. People might not blink at a crime family dumping a few activists in a ravine but no amount of ‘boys being boys’ will forgive killing a head of state.
* Rumpus states have roughly halved loudness: not being taken seriously cuts both ways.
* Certain special events or system conditions such as space storms may limit maximum loudness by sheer isolation.

=Upgrading Agencies=
Once rolled, an Agency is a feature-complete tool for intelligence with basically full access to the mechanics, requiring no further investments other than regular expenditure of Tokens to upkeep its statistics. Agencies have a number of ways to expand and improve their functionality, called Specializations and Assets.
==Specializations==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Specialization Progression Table
|-
! !! Mission Successes !! Mission Failures/Counterintelligence Successes
|-
! 1st Unlock || 1 || 2
|-
! 2nd Unlock || 3 || 6
|-
! 3rd Unlock || 6 || 12
|-
! 4th Unlock || 10 || 20
|-
! 5th Unlock || 15 || 30
|-
! 6th Unlock || 21 || 42
|-
! 7th Unlock || 28 || 56
|-
! 8th Unlock || 36 || 72
|-
! 9th Unlock || 45 || 90
|-
! 10th Unlock || 55 || 110
|-
! 11th Unlock || 66 || 132
|-
! 12th Unlock || 88 || 176
|-
|}

Specializations are the manifestation of institutional know-how and culture as organizations gain experience through trial and error, and hone in on particular functions. Security organizations get better at security, information gathering services begin to infer details by accumulating masses of data and so on.

In addition to the specific effects described in their writeup, each Specialization acts as a permanent +1 to the Attribute it corresponds to. Unlike regular attributes, these are not diminished in the regular action of conducting or being the target of intelligence operations.

There are 12 specializations, which are unlocked as Agencies successfully complete operations. Mission failures also contribute to the development of specializations, but half as quickly, as do successful defenses against hostile espionage actions.

The results are cumulative: four failures and four successes (effectively 6 successes) is enough to unlock a 3rd specialization.
===Operations Specializations===
====Operational Security (OPSEC)====
The ability to maintain secrecy and mitigate OSINT observation of troop numbers, assets, etc.
* Passive Benefit: Your agency is functionally immune to OSINT from powers without the OSINT Specialization or relevant assets.
* Active Benefit: INFORMATION BLACKOUT - You can completely suppress all internal documentation for a single operation at a time. Doing so is conspicuous (people know something is up) but obscures details to anybody without assets on the ground or inside your Agency.
====Operational Capacity (OPCAP)====
OPCAP is the logistical overhead of your operations, and how well your agency can maintain them. Stealing Data and Killing Senators isnt easy to do at the same time, all while on a shoestring budget, after all.
* Passive Benefit: One operation at a time does not cost a Token to start. It is treated as ‘well-planned’.
* Active Benefit: ALL HANDS - You can combine your ‘well-planned’ operations, providing a stacking bonus to effectiveness that scales.
====Operational Coordination (OPCOR)====
OPCOR represents how your agency integrates with the militant arm of your nation, and how effective they are at utilizing those military assets.
* Passive Benefit: Your agency can integrate military units instantly and without any penalties to their operational effectiveness.
* Active Benefit: ZERO-DARK THIRTY - You can rush a single operation at a time with no serious impacts to loudness or chances of success.
===Security Specializations===
====Infrastructure Security (INSEC)====
The protection of the built environment, digital networks and other assets of the state.
* Passive Benefit: Non-complete damage (i.e.: wasn’t destroyed, in lost CI/DI or repair cost) to Landmarks, Territories or Convoys received from hostile operations is halved if your agency was defending against it.
* Active Benefit: NEVER FORGET - If a Landmark, Territory or Convoy or other meaningful structure has been the target of an hostile operation but wasn’t destroyed, you may declare it Secured. If it was destroyed, you can always rebuild for 80% of the time and cost to build or a GM assessment of the value (OPF structures are subject to GM fiat and may be exorbitantly expensive and involve a quest to gather materials).
====Personal Security (PERSEC)====
The protection of named individuals within the government and armed forces, as well as other persons of interest.
* Passive Benefit: It is basically impossible to insert human assets into your state. Actively conducting operations, as well as active powers provided by other Specializations, can bypass this.
* Active Benefit: INTERNAL AFFAIRS - When you become aware of a Double Agent, Defector or similar human asset operating in your territory, you can instantly acquire a Special Agent with a close relationship to the hostile asset. These do not cost Tokens to create, but you may only have one at a time per agency.
====Public Security (PUBSEC)====
Nominally the goal of most domestic agencies, PUBSEC in particular focuses on the protection of the public, their exposure to dangerous information and people, as well as their methods of contact with foreign entities.
* Passive Benefit: Hostile operations to destabilize your regime or territories can never inflict more than half the Stability of a single territory, unless you are already at 3 or lower.
* Active Benefit: SECTION 9 - Non-Militia Special Forces assigned to this Agency have Show the Flag inside your own territory and that of any allies who cooperate with you in intelligence
===Intelligence Gathering Specializations===
====Human Intelligence (HUMINT)====
The development of informants, defectors and other human assets.
* Passive Benefit: You can ‘flip’ captured human assets without an operation. This takes 1d6 turns of intel resolution, longer for high cost (2+ Token) and/or Secured assets.
* Active Benefit: OUR MAN IN X - Whenever there is a major event (the GM can clarify what is major or not), you can declare you have an asset of any type on the scene. This asset is temporary and lasts as long as you keep interest in the event.
====Technical Intelligence (TECHINT)====
Analysis of the situation via technological systems and understanding. Also covers SIGINT, decryption, measurement and signature intelligence and geospatial intelligence.
* Passive Benefit: You can reuse captured technical assets. This takes about a quarter to swap the keys over.
* Active Benefit: Q DIVISION - One operation at a time has a ‘budget’ of 1d3 (GM roll) free technological assets, which spawn instantly and cease to exist after the resolution of the op.
====Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)====
Understanding of a situation via publicly available knowledge, interpolation of data from press releases and trade publications, financial information and hear-say on the tradelanes.
* Passive Benefit: Your open source intelligence gathering pierces the OPSEC specialization’s protection.
* Active Benefit: BELLING THE CAT - Gain an Espionage Token the first time you produce a significant OSINT writeup on your own active intelligence operations that year.
===Deniability Specializations===
====Domestic Deniability====
The ability to mitigate the domestic consequences of intelligence operations. Domestic Deniability is significantly more effective than Proxies and Foreign Deniability, but only applies domestically.
* Passive Benefit: In territories that have your Culture, Stability loss caused by backlash from failed or Ethos-contradicting espionage operations is capped at 2.
* Active Benefit: TRUTH SOCIAL - Once per Year, you may completely eliminate the consequences (Stability Loss, Insurrections, ect) of one of your operations domestically. Any foreign consequences still remain, but your population simply accepts whatever reason you gave without questioning it.
====Foreign Deniability====
Secret assets, open source technology, cloaking and other means to delay (but not prevent) the discovery of foreign intelligence operations.
* Passive Benefit: Every power (PC or NPC) that voluntarily corroborates your alibi/denials adds to your total Deniability Clock time.
* Active Benefit: FALSE FLAG - When using Deniable or foreign-built assets in an operation, you can lay evidence to imply another power is responsible. Credibility of such evidence will be based on resources allocated to the operation, and lasts as long as the Deniability Clock.
====Proxies====
Proxies are foreign agents, non-state actors and other assets that can mask your activities. Proxy-based deniability lasts as long as they do, though both the survival and loyalty of such cutouts is inherently more questionable than your own forces.
* Passive Benefit: Your proxies are more competent and able to use non-Deniable equipment and funds directly from you without it tying back to you.
* Active Benefit: PRODIGAL SON - One of your proxies gains the full benefits of your Doctrines, Agency specializations and other intangibles. The enhanced proxy is more resilient and loyal than normal, able to survive serious setbacks and willing to fight it out to the end.
==Assets==
Assets are human resources, secure locations, specialized tools and other forms of capital used in the execution of espionage operations. While an Agency is assumed to contain any number of employees or members who act on behalf of the group, human assets are exceptional examples of such people, talent to be cultivated, protected and compensated for the relevant efforts. Likewise, technological assets represent above-standard issue equipment, archeotechnological devices and one-off prototypes that cannot easily be reproduced.

Assets are not acquired without significant effort: while any intelligence agency can reliably train assassins (indeed, most ‘assassins’ are simply any competent, disposable associations on the margins of an agency’s rolodex), Special Agents represent a significant investment of genetic, cybernetic, or pharmacological enhancement to personnel. Therefore, Assets have to be Unlocked before a state can reliably produce them. Certain Specializations or Doctrines may allow unlocks to be bypassed on a limited basis.
===Unlocking Assets===
Assets are unlocked in one of several ways, becoming permanently available to an Agency of that player’s choice.

* Spending an Espionage or R&D token unlocks any one asset type and produces a single prototype.
* Achieving a Specialization also unlocks an Asset type for that agency.
* Certain factions may reward players with Asset unlocks which they may apply to any one of their agencies.
* If an asset is claimed as an exploration reward, it also becomes permanently unlocked for an agency of the player’s choice.

It should be noted that asset unlocks are on a per-Agency basis. Burning Agencies also burns all their core competencies, including institutional knowledge to train specific kinds of agents or build certain kinds of assets.
===Asset List===
These asset lists are not exhaustive. New asset types may become available over the course of play, created by events or player research.

====Military Units (Free Unlock)====
Limit: 5 + (Operations x2)

Allows for the integration of military units into Agencies to function as flagships, stealth insertion craft or provide some muscle for a raid. These units are considered to be well-trained and integrated into the command loop of espionage, providing their full benefits as units and suffering no penalties unless particularly inapplicable. While the CIA Death Star is a perfectly valid option, this system is meant to represent Zumwalts and Navy Seals (assuming maximum theoretical competence for both). If an Agency ever winds up over capacity in military units, they must be removed from service (for the agency) or transferred to another one.

Military units assigned to an agency are subject to Supply, as in the regular ship rules. Check LINK HERE OR SECTION TAB for more information.

====Human Assets====
Limit: Intelligence Gathering

Grants a number of special agent types that can enhance intelligence operations. Human Assets do not cost upkeep, but if an Agency ever goes over capacity on them they are expected to be put on stand-by (unavailable for the rest of the fiscal year), reassigned to another Agency or retired.

=====Defectors=====
Defectors are an advanced category of human asset, who have been persuaded that spying against their home country will allow them to enter a better life in yours.
* EFFECT: Defectors double a single total score, offensive or defensive, against a specific polity for the duration of one Operation. Then, they demand some means of escape (typically via another Operation, safehouses or the assistance of Proxies) and cease to be of use.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset operations to acquire defectors.

=====Embassy/Consulate [Unlocked for Free]=====
While mostly known as places to get a new passport and send some letters, Embassies are often dens of spies working for the foreign services.
* EFFECT: A safehouse without a stat boost, but an anticipated level of diplomatic immunity.
* ACQUISITION: You have one with everyone, and you should theoretically have consulates in major cities and trade stations too. If it takes me more than 5 minutes to figure out if you don’t have one or not, you have one. You always have one. Jesus Christ.

=====Safehouses=====
Managed by a loyal long-term infiltrator and staffed by local helpers, a safehouse provides shelter to operatives before, during and after operations take place, as well as a good place to stash defectors.
* EFFECT: Grants a single-point Statistic boost (or two Specialties) to an agency when built (list bonus per safehouse), and provides protection to other human assets.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to build a Safehouse.

=====Deep-Cover Agent=====
A special category of agent meant to enter a hostile state and infiltrate its highest functions. Deep-Cover Agents are powerful tools, stronger and more effective than Defectors and reusable. On the other hand, the lack of a clear exit strategy means they are prone to ‘going native’ and their exposure in a botched operation could be catastrophic.
* EFFECT: Deep-Cover Agents can fully replace the effect of any other Human Asset, but are fully reusable. As their cover careers progress there’s a chance that their clearance and access to classified materials increases. There’s a 5% chance any time a Deep-Cover Agent is used that something bad happens.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to place a Deep-Cover Agent.

=====Double Agent=====
A special category of Human Asset that takes time to activate. A Double Agent operation creates an ongoing defense against a hostile state attempting to create a Human Asset in your own state, with a chance to make the resulting agent a double agent.
* EFFECT: Double Agents expose any intelligence operations they are involved with, and can cause them to fail on-demand. Double Agents generally require an exit strategy, involving an operation to extract them, a safehouse or similar measure. As they often operate in your territory, this is somewhat simpler to manage than a regular Defector.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to create a Double Agent.

=====Special Agent=====
Highly trained intelligence operatives, Special Agents are often (but not exclusively) highly trained and augmented sophonts, inhuman by deed if not by nature. They are to the Agency what the cloaked ship is to the fleet, a powerful if brittle (for the expense involved) tool.
* EFFECT: Special Agents provide a reroll to a single operation they’re attached to per year. They are fairly durable but have a non-zero chance of going off-radar if an operation goes bad or loud (or both).
* ACQUISITION: Spending 2 Tokens creates a Special Agent.

=====Access Agent=====
Agents are inserted into the crew of a high-value military asset or the social life of a high-value named person (such as a researcher or head of state). When the Access Agent uses emotional or sexual intimacy, they are sometimes referred to as a honeypot.
* EFFECT: Access Agents consistently provide the whereabouts of whatever thing they were attached to and make espionage actions involving them much easier.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to create an Access Agent.

=====Informants=====
Informants are a typical boots-on-the-ground type of asset that provide small improvements to intelligence gathering.
* EFFECT: Informants can be called upon once per Game Year to improve an Early Warning result by one step. They can even be called upon if you have no Early Warning at all, revealing hostile operations against you by the power they are embedded in. Informants have a 50% chance of getting burnt when called upon.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset operations to acquire informants.

====Technological Assets====
=====Supply Cache=====
A single-use Supply Base in the middle of nowhere. Stealthed and off-the-books.
* EFFECT: Functions as a hidden Supply Base for one, maybe two missions (assuming a round trip). Usually scuttles after the fact, though occasionally they might persist as interesting space detritus that gets colonized by cosmobarnacles or sundogs a thousand years later.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Spy Satellite=====
Hidden satellites provide up-to-date observation on goings on in a specific planetary neighborhood.
* EFFECT: Gain passive observation over a specific planet for FISCAL TIME UNIT. Intelligence Gathering operations require no additional on-the-ground assets to work.
* ACQUISITION: Technological Asset Operation to place a Spy Satellite.

=====Punishment Sphere=====
Using the same virtualization technology that was the basis of the Spires, the Punishment Sphere reconstitutes and perpetually tortures a perfect simulacra of an individual or group of individuals. Poorly understood noetic-resonance effects allow these experiences to be asynchronously beamed directly into the minds (or virtual mindstates) of the individuals in question, traumatizing them into uselessness. Most polities arrive at a policy of declaring these machines illegal one way or another, for moral or security reasons.
* EFFECT: Make a single unit or asset useless for a single FISCAL TIME UNIT, or if used as part of an intelligence operation, nonlethally ‘kill’ a target for an extended period of time. The asset is then expended.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market smugglers. Spend a Token.

=====Secret Weapons=====
Exploding shoes, designer diseases meant to eliminate entire lineages and fountain pens that kill you instantly: since the dawn of spycraft the spy has imagined himself the modern Prometheus, armed with killing tools from the imagined future.
* EFFECT: When conducting an operation involving harming a specific target, there is a 50% chance it works perfectly with no complications, a 1% chance of backfiring and a 0.5% chance of serious collateral damage. The asset is then expended.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Deep Space Observation Satellite=====
Built in the Oort Clouds of systems of interest, DSOSes provide passive observation of places of interest. Cross-referencing light bounce from 1-2 years ago with more recently flight logs purchased from data brokerages or secured via OSINT provides further insights. DSOSes are long-lasting and hard to locate but easy to blow up once discovered.
* EFFECT: See what someone was up to 1-2 years ago. With good OSINT, also gives an accurate view of what they’ve built up since.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Darkspace Terminal=====
While roads to nowhere may seem counterintuitive when there remains an entire (post)human cosmos to retake, these gateways allow agencies to build hidden redoubts in interstellar space. Connecting to zones potentially a dozen light years away from any known star, they are protected by obscurity and the sheer time it would take for light emitted by station mastheads and drive plumes to reach civilization. Darkspace Terminals were made famous by a censured species known as the Marenghi, who would abduct entire planetary populations on their glassships to hidden hospital stations where inimitable atrocities would take place.
* EFFECT: Access a lot of nothing. Each gate can ‘dial’ a single location, and also ‘call back ships’ that have previously used the terminal.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Darkspace Black Site=====
A gravitational anchorage that makes it possible for ships with the coordinates to A-Drive to interstellar space.
* EFFECT: Requires a Darkspace Terminal. You can build infrastructure in the middle of nowhere and ships can A-Drive to your location without using the Terminal. Less secure, particularly if someone steals the coordinates from your CIA-flagged cargo haulers.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Dark Exordium=====
Exordiums, so-called Oracle Machines or Deep-Time Augers, are machines created to access messages sent from the future. Infocorruption weapons deployed by [REDACTED] during the collapse of the High Human-era OPF has made mechanical prognostication a fraught science and these captured whispers may contain curses by those defeated in that bygone era.
* EFFECT: The GM works with the player to present a worst-scenario for every aspect of their intelligence operation. Provides a stacking reroll to the operation, but has a 1% chance of backfiring (2% if a Special Agent is assigned, as fate blesses and curses great men with interesting lives).
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market smugglers. Spend a Token.

=====Pattern Box Cache=====
Pattern Boxes (sometimes called Theseus Boxes or Shell Matrices) are a black box OPF-era technology theorized to be some sort of asynchronous transmat portal. Ships and only ships (as Pattern Boxes rarely work on anything without a significant displacement) can be totally gutted and cast adrift for extreme periods of time. Upon the activation of the Box, the ship is reconstituted to its prime functional state and is immediately ready to use. Pattern Boxes have been used a few times to smuggle entire armadas deep inside enemy territory over a matter of decades, the perfect tool to stage a coup or launch a rebellion.
* EFFECT: Scrap a single ship, recouping resources as appropriate. The ship remains unusable (obviously) until recalled into being with the Pattern Box.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market suppliers. Spend 2 Tokens.

=====Black Chamber Cache=====
The archeotechnological devices known as Black Chambers produce so-called Carbon Copies of sapient beings, perfect duplicates that scan correctly down to nanometer-precise analysis of brain patterns and biometrics. These are not clones and suffer no issues in terms of shortened telomeres or other genetic disorders, but complete copies. Their minds however are completely different, often created to-spec by their users. Over time these differential patterns exert themselves and their brains diverge physically from the originals, as does the regular wear-and-tear of life. For whatever reason Black Chambers cannot easily replicate extremely dense species like Chelonians, leading to a preference for ‘heavy’ races in high-security positions.
* EFFECT: Perfectly duplicate an existing non-ship unit or asset. Has no mechanical benefits beyond this, but may have some uses for intelligence.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market suppliers. Spend a Token.

===Proxies===
Limit: Deniability

Proxies are cutouts and buffers between agency involvement and immediate identification of their activities by other parties. Proxies are generally assumed to already exist in the world in some form before the players bring them into being: they are not created whole cloth by the agency, even front companies emerge from intelligence agencies presenting themselves as financiers to organizations that would have sought to create them regardless.

They provide complete deniability in the terms suggested by their SECRECY section, so PMCs will only affect domestic deniability, cults will generally cover up unless founded by a spiritualist state (in which case the fiction is paper thin) and so on. Proxy-based deniability always fails in two cases, however: if destroyed by a hostile state (a controlling state can purge their own proxies without any issues) or if infiltrated by a hostile party. Deniability can also falter in logical conditions, such as mistreated PMC forces being captured or cults betraying their sponsor state for co-religionists, though this is moderated on a case-by-case basis and will usually require an operation and/or expenditure of espionage or diplomacy tokens.

Finally, even with any amount of cloaking, carefully unmarked hulls or proxy forces acting as cutouts-to-cutouts, too much heat will always blow the lid on an op. A shot heard around the world will usually result in every party down the chain ratting you out to save their own skins.

=====Private Military Contractor=====
Privatizing the edges of a conflict is the least credible way for a state to distance itself from any atrocities taking place but provides a level of separation that can be accepted by a domestic audience. Mercenaries are often veterans and their hangers-on, and develop relevant complexes: when they feel forgotten or disrespected, they tend to take it poorly and go to various lengths to redress these grievances, imagined or otherwise.
* EFFECT: PMCs become a de-facto independent, self-sufficient force that can be hired by other players to make you a tidy profit. They are a great clearinghouse for old equipment and political unreliables, but are only loyal provided you maintain your support: money, a steady trickle of equipment and work that isn’t obvious suicide missions.
* SECRECY: Only affects domestic opinion.
* ACQUISITION: Spend a Military, Espionage or General Token and assign some units to create their initial roster.

=====Crime Syndicate=====
Criminal organizations emerge naturally in periods of instability or weak government, taking up duties left behind by the authorities in marginal regions. Doubly so when the state declares a particular substance, act or state of being to be illegal when it is desirable or necessary- syndicates prosper in such repressive climes. Sometimes states will fund their own mafias, creating a loyal and controlled opposition to suppress the real rebels. One should be careful to not make them too powerful- an allegedly patriotic mafia may have plans of their own for the nation running, against the wishes of the government.
* EFFECT: Criminal undergrounds soak up resentment against the government and provide a recruiting pool for skilled (and unskilled) auxiliaries to conduct intelligence operations. Like PMCs, they mitigate the domestic consequences of espionage, and can be trivially eliminated under the guise of anti-corruption purges. As a side benefit: when business is good, you might get a little money for the slush funds!
* SECRECY: Crime syndicates provide solid cover for foreign and especially domestic operations but fold hard under pressure.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state that has recently suffered Stability Loss to spawn a new crime syndicate. Even yourself.

=====Insurgency=====
Conquered territory rarely goes happily, and authoritarian regimes often host malcontents and countercultures that are always happy to take the fight to the government. Formal resistance often develops in the shatterzones where government authority is the weakest: the mountains and the hills, the islands, and in space the shoal zones, the warrens of moons and on hostile planets. Unlike crime syndicates, controlling the opposition by founding your own rebels is often much more difficult and is only something states do when they already know they’re about to go into civil war and want to ensure the leading coalition is as weak and/or unpalatable to foreign aid as possible.
* EFFECT: Insurgencies will turn swathes of enemy territory unsafe and continue to be a thorn in the side of the state they were founded against. They tend to fight above their weight- lethal aid and other resources tend to perform very well in their hands. Should they ever win their war against the authorities, they might also readily form the new government.
* SECRECY: Insurgencies tend to be opaque and take secrets to the grave, but can be infiltrated due to a big tent, all-hands-on-deck approach to organizing.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state that has recently conquered territory, has territory with an incompatible ethos or is at low Stability. Insurgencies will sometimes spawn by themselves when a region is conquered, aligning themselves to their former government and/or allies.

=====Coup D’Etat Faction=====
Movements that arise from the dissatisfied elite of society, whether the military, judges, merchants, priests or aristocracy seeking to depose the current leader to install a new one.
* EFFECT: A coup faction is an inert force until a moment of exceptionally weak government, at which point they stake their claim. In the intervening time until they push their luck, they are a useful vessel for foreign influence and after taking over, will remain friendly to whoever put them there unless there are serious material, ethical or geopolitical reasons not to be. Coups that fail their takeover can run off to become Insurgencies, Cults or PMCs instead.
* SECRECY: Coup D’Etat Factions tend to be pretty discrete until they aren’t. After the coup happens and the tanks roll into the capital, player culpability is pretty cut and dry.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state with 3 or less Stability. The Coup will activate their plans, regardless of your own, if their state hits 1 or less Stability. Once they accomplish their goals, the faction dissolves and assumes control of the state. As a rule, Coup D’Etat Factions manifest through the Dominant ethos of a state. For this reason, Dominant Egalitarian states are immune to coups as their democratic institutions are too resilient to external pressure.

=====Front Company=====
A fairly common proxy for intelligence services, most fronts are shipping, import/export or security companies that can justify their outsized access to government materiel. Other types of companies may exist but may have difficulty justifying having large flotillas of warships on hand, even if they’re off-brand Deniable hulls that look like common cargo hullforms.
* EFFECT: A front company requires a large up-front investment and appears naturally on public markets, offering the services implied by their cover. Acting as an instrument for their founding agency, fronts also spy on their clients and give additional insights into whatever industry they have been put into. On the other hand, particularly large and prosperous front companies tend to get a little out of hand, seeking to accomplish the interests of their stakeholders and employees over those of the agency. Front Companies generate a single specialized token representing their area of expertise, which they spend at their own discretion (in this manner it is a fully independent NPC).
* SECRECY: Front companies are extremely secretive, particularly as they grow beyond their original scope. They are not however fanatical, and will quickly bow to pressure by a powerful state. On the other hand, a country that threatens every company with extermination unless they divulge their secrets may become something of a pariah.
ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage or Economy Token and spend a minimum of $5000 in initial startup cash, which is efficiently converted to CI, hulls and other assets. Individualist states double the value of the initial investment, as do Prosperity states (x3 if you have both).

=====Cult [Unlocked for Spiritualists]=====
A favorite of intelligence services, cults are self-contained, secretive and hierarchical- perfect patsies to do as they like. They run newspapers, small businesses, gated communities and death squads with equal aplomb. Occasionally a cult may outgrow its bounds and come to take over entire nations, a grim result for those who might fall under their sway.
* EFFECT: A cult is a relatively straightforward proxy to use, providing one or two degrees of separation from the agency proper as orders go to leaders and then are laundered down to lay persons or hopeful outsiders on the edge of the community.
* SECRECY: Cults have very little to do with the founding state and tend to run a strict code of silence versus outsiders, UNLESS formed by Spiritualist states who absolutely cannot help themselves in making their allegiance and philosophies clear. The code of silence will still be in place, of course, but the origin of such a group will be obvious.
* ACQUISITION: Spending an Espionage or Diplomacy token forges a connection with a cult to put it at an Agency’s disposal. Spiritualist states can instead spend Unity tokens, and can create a new Cult any time they suffer Stability loss by sending schismatics and renegades away to help the cause in a faraway land. They are likewise immune to subversion by Cults, for obvious reasons.

=====Revolutionary Army=====
Like insurgencies and coups, though rather than being a product of popular or elite resentment, the revolutionary army arises somewhere at the confluence of marginalized social movements, academic speculation and reactionary elites. The revolutionary army grows outside the borders of the nation, attracting fellow travelers and emigres, building parallel power through media, fronts and enclaves in friendly states, waiting for a crisis to intervene in.
* EFFECT: A revolutionary army is like an insurgency from without, building power in the bordermarches until the state is too weak to resist. They can be negotiated with, but will settle for nothing less than becoming the new center of power in their target state. A revolutionary army is not necessarily targeted at a single state, but may aim to impose its rule or ideology across multiple states. A revolutionary army has an explicit Dominant Ethos with the benefits and penalties this implies, representing their desired social order.
* SECRECY: As with insurgencies, though hosting them in your borders makes their allegiance much more obvious.
* ACQUISITION: Spending an Espionage or Diplomacy token creates or forges contact with a revolutionary army. The conditions are identical to insurgencies with two differences: no ethos provides immunity and their Dominant Ethos must be compatible with the player states’.

=====Free Station [Unlocked for Flag of Freedom]=====
Microstates where anything goes, these crop up and vanish quickly in the scope of galactic history. Today’s hot new pirate port is often tomorrow’s floatsam as the venal and fractious nature of pirate lords takes its toll.
* EFFECT: It’s a pirate port on the edge of civilization with 1d10 CI and 1d5 DI, adding to that roll every time someone invests in it. Easy access to all kinds of freebooters and miscreants make espionage much, much easier. Anyone can invest in a Free Station, resulting in byzantine networks of patronage and allegiance. The station keeps this income and production to itself, of course, but can be coaxed to various agreements.
* SECRECY: You can buy secrecy. Other players can buy your secrets. Don’t be outbid. Of course, no small number of these stations have ultimately been destroyed by their former patrons in a bid to keep their master’s activities a secret.
* ACQUISITION: Spend any two Tokens. Flag of Freedom halves this to one.

===Better Units===
Higher TL spaceships and ground units assigned to Agencies provide soft quality improvements in espionage operations. Generally speaking, high-TL units can shrug off penalties from not having the right traits or modules for a particular mission, and in competitions between comparatively evenly matched Agencies, ties will break in favor to whichever side has more TL 5-6 units assigned.

Agencies and the espionage system themselves do not directly use the TL system, since these organizations can much more easily access advanced technology in excess of the norms in their own states.

=Doctrine=
In addition to the Specialization and Asset system (which generally applies to a single Agency at a time), there is also an Espionage Doctrine which will improve the performance of all player Agencies.

=Generic Espionage Actions=
These do not have loudness and are not moderated, except for resolution of outcomes.

Disruptive Operations
* Cost: 1 Token, plus any reinforcements or extra pay the player wants to assign.
* Effect: Creates a non-specific pirate taskforce that will attack a single target non-suicidally for a limited amount of time.
* Complications: It’s relatively easy to identify who hired pirates to attack a random colony.

Diplo Jockeying
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: When a player suffers Stability Loss, double the cost of their first stability increase (i.e.: double money, double Stab building output, double Unity Tokens, etc). Can be repeated multiple times in a turn, affecting one additional expenditure or territory.
* Complications: You have to shelter guilty parties responsible for the stab loss (whistleblowers, religious minorities, deposed dictators who ran off with the national savings, etc), who can be kind of annoying.

PsyOps
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Lower the Stability of a single territory. Territory under siege is more likely to surrender.
* Complications: None

Obscure Breakthroughs
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Hide research progress or the results of exploration Tokens can be ‘assigned’ to this in perpetuity, keeping your developments secret (until they are so obvious as to be impossible to hide) at the cost of not regenerating.
* Complications: Hurts national prestige when everything is a secret.

Security Operation
* Cost: 1 Token, plus any resources the player wants to assign.
* Effect: ‘Take care’ of any named character or group that shows up in your borders. Dead or alive.
* Complications: Caveat emptor when it comes to normalizing political assassination.

Smuggle Assets
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Move anything, anywhere, anytime. Does not calculate based on the travel map.
* Complications: You have to abide by a potentially quite inflated travel time that scales based on ‘how much stuff’ you’re moving around.

Protect Trade
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Sift through OSINT, foreign ministry reports, and more to maximize the safety of your trade on the Grid.
* Complications: Pirates only have to be lucky once and nobody can play perfect defense.

Assist Privateering Operations
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Sift through OSINT, foreign ministry reports, and more to maximize the take of your pirate operations
* Complications: Actively running intelligence operations in support of flag of freedom operations makes it rather more likely someone’s going to pin down you’re taking their stuff.

The Great Game
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Counter one token invested by another player in an NPC
* Complications: It’s very obvious you’re acting against the other player’s interests.

=Advanced Espionage=
This section covers the ins and outs of planning and executing intelligence operations, using the Agency and various other tools to accomplish those goals.

==Passive Benefits==
These are things that simply having a decently-built Agency and some well-placed assets provides, no actions required.

===Early Warning===
Early Warning is an option that appears when intel is resolved. If the defending nation has a higher total Intelligence Gathering score than the attacker has Operations, they get a warning that something is about to happen. If their Intelligence Gathering (plus Specializations) total is more than double than the opposing pool, the defender gets a rough estimate of numbers and types of assets being deployed.

In either case, Early Warning permits the redeployment of relevant assets, within reason. Ships with Fold Drives can always be moved around to intervene, while other types of assets (particularly ground units, aerospace craft and small vessels with limited A-Drives) must be reasonably close to act.

===Counterespionage===
Agencies, even if never used to conduct hostile operations, passively provide their controlling states with a buffer against intelligence operations. Intelligence Gathering can root out spies, while the Security statistics prevent direct attacks.

===Policing and Counterinsurgency===
Intelligence agencies can contribute to law enforcement and keep an eye on goings-on in civil society. Forces that are assigned to intelligence agencies will generally do better at jackboots and hearts and minds campaigns than regular forces.

There is one other advantage to clearly delineating which of your services (if you have more than one) is putting boots on the ground in lawless or contested territory: it simplifies who’s going to be defending against hostile actions by other players. The moderation team thanks you for the consideration.

===Laundering Actions===
Players always have the option of using their agencies and their proxies to conduct diplomacy, commerce or leak information. OOCly, they can request that a GM (even those other than the attending Espionage GM) post a relevant item in their stead to conceal that it is being done as part of the espionage system. They can also write entire IC posts as their proxies and have those posted by moderators, muddying the waters as to which organizations are working at the behest of intelligence services and which are doing so of their own initiative.

Other players always have the option of looking into the origins of such requests, but Tokens are a scarce resource and few people have the resources to look into every single off-the-cuff news item.

==Planning Operations==
===Determine Objective and Scope===
All operations have an objective, the specific outcome desired by the player: this can be killing a named person, kidnapping someone, sabotaging a landmark, damaging stability in a region, etc. The scope covers both the geographical scale of the region affected, the area of operations and the extent of the opfor.

Assassinating a local drug kingpin to raise stability in an area that got hit by a negative event in the yearly rollover is straightforward and low-scope, assassinating a head of state to send a whole region into a tailspin of conspiracy and national mourning for a year is just about the same act and tools involved but the scope is orders of magnitude larger. Particularly large-scope actions may involve multiple opposing players, such as hitting major international trade stations on the TKK or Chelonian sides of local space.

An operation can have multiple objectives and scopes. It’s best to list everything you can think of, that you actually want to happen than not.

Objective and Scope should ideally be composed as follows:

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES
:* Objective:
::* Kidnap the Dauphin of Grand Dolphy of Oceania (attacking a named person).
::* Cause widespread panic (lower stability).
:* Scope:
::* The Summer Palace at Insert Dolphin Pun (landmark at X territory).
::* The entirety of the Grand Dolphy of Oceania (all territories).

===Allocate Resources===
Every operation needs an Agency assigned, at least. With literally nothing else except an Agency, players can conduct espionage. Other resources like human or technological assets, proxies and military units can significantly improve the results. When kidnapping named persons for example, it’s always useful to have an exit vehicle prepared.

Continuing from the example operation, resources might look like this:

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES
:* Agency: MI666 (Operations 4 [OPSEC], Security 3, Intelligence Gathering 3, Deniability 1 [Foreign Deniability])
:* Military Units:
::* Moon Whaler-class Cloaked Cruiser ‘Ahab’
:* Human Assets:
::* Special Agent Jerman Bieville
::* Access Agent at Summer Palace
:* Technological Assets:
::* None
:* Proxies: None

===Present to the GM===
After allocating resources, the player can optionally provide a step-by-step writeup of how they expect the operation to go, what contingencies they have in place and how they want their operatives to behave. While these are mostly qualitative differences, it’s better for the speed and quality of moderation that these things are hashed out in advance in as much fine detail as possible so that every party is satisfied.

Once ready, the operational write-up is sent to the GM via private message (ideally a regular PM convo on SB). A good format would be a PM with a linked google document, as it can both be edited in response to discussion and has a built-in log to show edit history to prevent tampering after resolution takes place.

A completed writeup for POD OF VERSAILLES might look like this.

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES 
Deepest England is intervening in the affairs of the hated Dolph people to limit their ambitions in a mutual area of interest. To do this MI666 is authorizing a bold direct action to kidnap the Dauphin ahead of his coronation (after the planned abdication of his father, Louis) to cause a succession crisis and public panic. Mechanically this will result in stability loss, particularly in the capital region and other areas with Noble Estates (a unique landmark type the Grand Dolphy possesses).

Special Agent Jerman Bieville is deploying into Oceanian territory via gravchute and will be presented with fake documents procured by the informant at the Summer Palace. He will use the bustle of the leadup to a major presentation of the Dauphin (a pre-party to the abdication and coronation events) to enter palace grounds, neutralize the guards and exfiltrate with the Dauphin before anyone is the wiser. He will then use a Grav-Fulton to get up to the HDMS (Her Deepest Majesty’s Ship) Ahab, which will skim the lower atmosphere.

:* Objective:
::* Kidnap the Dauphin of Grand Dolphy of Oceania (attacking a named person).
::* Cause widespread panic (lower stability).
:* Scope:
::* The Summer Palace at Insert Dolphin Pun (landmark at X territory).
::* The entirety of the Grand Dolphy of Oceania (all territories).
:* Agency: MI666 (Operations 4 [OPSEC], Security 3, Intelligence Gathering 3, Deniability 1 [Foreign Deniability])
:* Military Units:
::* Moon Whaler-class Cloaked Cruiser ‘Ahab’
:* Human Assets:
::* Special Agent Jerman Bieville
::* Access Agent at Summer Palace
:* Technological Assets:
::* None
:* Proxies: None

There are a few problems with this, to a prospective moderator: it’s very loud, given it involves a potential shooting match in the most secure grounds in Grand Dolphy territory. A future head of state is also a well-protected and constantly scrutinized target.

The moderator’s responsibility is to offer up some suggestions at this point, like using a Front Company to assist the Special Agent’s insertion into the Palace, and using a Black Chamber to create a duplicate of the Dauphin. While costly investments (1 Token apiece) they significantly improve the odds and quiet the process of the operation itself. Emboldened by the extra resources invested and the better odds, the Deepest England player decides to have the clone surgically modified with an biomodded explosive implant with a large yield as a Secret Weapon to slaughter the party in attendance, spending yet another Token and adding another objective.

===Assessing and Managing Loudness===
As mentioned in the Loudness section under Key Concepts, the success and utility of missions can be affected by their Loudness. While it may be tempting to go for a maximalist outcome (killing a head of state or an entire legislature with high explosives), the diplomatic consequences and failure chance may overwhelm the perceived benefits.

The actual player interface with Loudness is abstracted, the moderator simply tells them which parts of the mission are Loud and gives them an opportunity to redress them using the guidelines above.

===Waiting for Resolution...and Rushing===
With discussions concluded, all that’s left is for moderation to happen. All espionage is resolved every new FISCAL TURN UNIT. However, sometimes player initiative or random events may require a rushed result for an outcome the player in question desires.

In which case there’s the option to Rush, which requires spending an additional Token (in addition to the one for simply planning the Operation, and for all the assets taken to carry it out).

In the case of our example OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES, the Deepest England player has gotten word that Grand Dolphy Louis Jean MCCCXIII de Oceania has died in his sleep and the Dauphin will be crowned well before the FISCAL TURN UNIT ends. Not only that, but security will be raised because the Oceania player had an informant in Deepest England and expended them, being alerted to the fact there is a hostile scheme against his uncrowned princeling.

The Deepest England player decides to go all-in, and revises the plan. The plot will be to replace the Dauphin with the Black Chamber clone to act as a puppet king, and the whole attack will intentionally fail to cause confusion. Since the operation was revealed by an informant, the Deepest England player is confident of his opsec and that the fine details have not been exposed yet. He makes a final revision to the orders… and rushes POD OF VERSAILLES through.

It resolves the moment a moderator has time to look at it.

The mission is chaotic and violent, killing many at the palace in the course of the attack. Special Agent Jerman Bieville is MIA (likely to reappear at some inconvenient time for the England player) but has sacrificed himself for the success of the mission. The real Dauphin is imprisoned in the Borehole of London, sealed in an iron mask, and his clone sits atop the gilded throne, a puppet of the English. There have been political consequences, which the English were more than happy to pay, but a war has been averted.

Of course with so many loose ends and so many lives lost, both sides will spend a great deal of time dealing with the aftershocks and the truth may some day come out…!

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Economy

2023-10-06T17:47:46Z

Jacklyn:

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=The Game Economy=
The game economy uses three primary currencies: Cash money, generated by civilian infrastructure and represented as $, and Tokens, which are a more esoteric concept representing everything from the lobbying power of a state’s various actors to a people’s mindset and even more esoteric concepts. Tokens by nature represent different things and there are both generic tokens, representing the organs of your government doing stuff, and specific types of tokens representing, say, the efforts of a large research university or an organized religion in your polity. The final currency, Defense Industry or DI, represents shipyards, autofactories, training camps, and the like, is replenished yearly based on your production and other factors and can only be expanded through the investment of $ and the usage of particular tokens.

==Civilian Infrastructure==
Civilian infrastructure represents office buildings, farms, roads, schools, and everything that is required for people to live their lives and function in the early third century after the Return. As might be expected, this generates cash, through taxes and fees and what have you, that can be used by your government to buy stuff. CI is assigned to Territories, which are the principal building blocks of any Polity. A territory could represent a continent on a Garden world, a mineral-rich cluster of asteroids, an airless moon, or anything broadly comparable. Each point of CI generates $50 annually at game start. New CI can be generated through the investment of $ and the appropriate tokens, be given out as the result of an Event, etc. In theory, CI can also be lost due to certain circumstances at the discretion of the moderation team (Usually because of war or some sort of event).

==Renting DI==
Plenty of defense contractors scattered across the galaxy have excess capacity and are willing to sell it to polities that aren’t actively shooting at them. It is possible to purchase access to this pool of DI. It costs $1000 to rent 25 DI for a year. As with purchasing tokens, this price doubles for every 25 DI or token you rent.

==Cash Economics Overview==
Expansion of your economy is slower than in previous iterations of the game. This has reasons, both in and out of character. Out of character, managing and balancing the game once economies grow a certain percentage past their original starting size makes balancing core game mechanics extremely difficult. It also created, after a certain point, increasing paperwork bloat. In-character, the universe of FTA3 is old. Civilization has been extant in the Orion Spur for hundreds of thousands of years - the OPF was led first by the xan, then humans, and then the chelonians and TKK before falling into chaos. It’s not that there isn’t open territory available for the grabbing - of course there is. But over that span of time, countless worlds were settled, developed, and terraformed to be broadly suitable for baseline organic life (both carbon based organic forms and more exotic varieties). Your average Polity controls a star system that economically can support a huge population in modern comfort without too much trouble - any hardship for the average citizen is a conscious social decision, not a resource-based one. The incentive to go out into a distant star system and build a new home without a compelling reason…simply isn’t really there.

The $ purchase cost of all infrastructure, ships and other items can be pro-rated across the construction time of the item.

==Civilian Infrastructure & Income==
To start the game, a point of Civilian Infrastructure (CI) generates $50 of income. This number can change as the result of factors that we’re not going to get too deep into here, but are listed in other sections of the rules. Please list both your amount of CI in each territory and what your base $ per CI is in your budget for each territory (due to stability or other factors).

==Expanding Your Income==
It is, in fact, possible to establish new income generating territory, if there’s a compelling enough reason to. Natural loci of economic development - say, reactivated OPF autofactories, but also things like trading posts or centers of political gravity - can attract a significant population, and, as a result, civilian infrastructure that generates revenue.

In game terms, there are several steps required to establish a new territory that supports CI (and as a result generates income). First, the system where you intend to establish the territory must have a supply point. Second, there must be some objective or object of interest to justify putting a territory there. This is referred to in the game mechanics as a Landmark. This can be a token generator, an OPF autofac, a spooky neubula, or any number of things subject to mod approval. Some landmarks may be generated as the result of an event or mod action that do not have a direct production value, but provide some other game effect in the rules.

With these two essential elements in place, you have the prerequisites to establish a new territory.

It takes two years, $4000, an economic, and a unity token to establish a new territory. It starts with one CI which generates the same amount of income per year as your existing CI, and whatever your state’s base Stability level is.

==Expanding Civilian Infrastructure==
Expanding civilian infrastructure on an existing territory is possible, but expensive; you’re basically forcing a post-scarcity society (for the most part) to somehow consume more or have higher demand. Frankly this mechanically mostly works by getting more people out of the server spires or attracting immigration or other tricks to obtain more consumers generating economic activity rather than simply just building more stuff. You are limited to expanding your CI by no more than 2% of your total CI in this fashion in a single game year, with the caveat you can always build a minimum of 1. Round to the nearest whole number for that 2%. It costs 1 Econ token to build any amount of CI (up to the limit) and $500 per CI built. CI is completed in a single year.

=Tokens=
Tokens represent the organs of your polity, be they government, religious, social, or whatever, putting their willpower into doing stuff. A significant number of actions require the expenditure of tokens, which regenerate annually, but cannot be saved from year to year. They can be swapped both between players, and players and NPCs, representing various relationships be they economic, religious, political, etc.
==Token Types==
===General===
These represent your government’s basic operating capabilities (or the equivalent) and can be spent on any (almost) action.
===Diplomatic===
Representing your ties to other polities, be they economic or through your Foreign Ministry. Generally a pretty broadly applicable token.
* 1 DIPLO to establish relations with target NPC
* 1 DIPLO to increase by 1 relations with target NPC
* 1 DIPLO to decrease by 1 relations between designated PC and NPC
* (NPC Development Level/2) diplo tokens to diploannex target NPC
* making alliances, at the end of the diplo doc
* 1 DIPLO or 1 MIL to Close Borders for the year. This provides improved defense against piracy and lets you engage any violators in a system claimed by you without generating a CB. Don’t cross the neutral zone.Note that in general as closed borders are a longterm policy and as such it is assumed to be in effect until rescinded by the state in question not paying the token cost. This action is FREE during wartime.

===Military===
Representing the capabilities of your Military-Industrial complex, often used for constructing new Defense Industry but also expanding your ability to conduct operations outside your polity’s borders, as well as other functions.
* 1 MIL token (+$2000) per 5% DI (or fraction thereof) built, Maximum twice (i.e. 10%)
* 1 MIL token (or 1 R & D token) and $500 to unlock doctrine step (limited to 1 per year)
* 1 MIL $2000 to build a Forward Operating Base (1 year)
* 2 MIL $4000 to build a Supply Base (1 year)
* 1 MIL $2000 to upgrade a Forward Operating Base to a Supply Base (1 year)
* 1 MIL token $3000 and 20 DI to build a supply generator (1 year)
* 2 MIL $3000 and 30 DI to build a Fortification Network (2 years)
* 2 MIL $4000 to build a Dodecahedron (3 years)
* 2 MIL $4000 and 50 DI to build a Artemis System (2 years)
* 1 MIL and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build Operations Center (1 year)
* 1 MIL and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Hidden Armory (1 year)
* 1 MIL or 1 DIPLO to Close Borders for the year. This provides improved defense against piracy and lets you engage any violators in a system claimed by you without generating a CB. Don’t cross the neutral zone. Note that in general as closed borders are a longterm policy and as such it is assumed to be in effect until rescinded by the state in question not paying the token cost. This action is FREE during wartime.

===Research & Development===
Representing the abilities of your educational infrastructure, think-tanks, labs, and such. Used for things like researching new technology, reverse-engineering OPF or alien technology, etc.
* 1 R&D to explore a hypergrid node (See [[FTA3 Exploration]] for more information)
* 1 R&D $100 and 10 DI to design a new ship
* 1 R&D $500 to unlock a specialty hull
* 1 R&D and typically, $4000 and 15 DI, to refurbish OPF facility
* 1 R&D (or 1 MIL) and $500 to unlock doctrine step (limited to 1 per year)
* 1 R&D and $1000 to unlock OPF relic
* 1 R&D $4000 to build a Supercomputer Node (2 years)
* 1 R&D and 1 ESP $2500 to build Academy Grounds (1 year)
* 1 R&D and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build Prototyping Lab (1 year)

===Economic===
Representing the “heft” of your CI, in whatever form it takes.
* 1 ECON + 1 UNITY +$4000(plus other reqs) to establish new territory (2 years)
* 1 ECON token to unlock building new CI + $500 per CI (up to 2% your total)
* 1 ECON to invest in sector trade, see trade doc
* 1 ECON to invest directly into a territory’s economy (see economic rules)

===Unity===
Representing internal order, social stability or cohesion, and other more esoteric organs. These tokens can be played either dystopian or utopian depending on whim.
* 1 UNITY to raise a system’s stability by 1 (or $1000 or 150 supply, depending on ethos, may be limitations on spending supply) You may do this more than once per node per year, but the cost doubles
* 2 UNITY and $5000 to build a Regional Capital (2 years)
* 1 UNITY + 1 ECON $4000 (and other reqs) to establish new territory (2 years)
* 1 UNITY and $5000 to build a stability generator (1 year)
* 1 UNITY and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Propaganda Center (2 years)
* 1 UNITY + (other tokens, depending on circumstances) to change change the ethos of a conquered territory to match your own.

===Espionage===
Tokens for underhanded shenanigans of various sorts.
* 1 ESP to create a new agency
* 1 ESP to upgrade an existing agency
* 1 ESP to unlock an asset type on a particular agency
* 1 ESP for all generic intel actions
* 1 ESP to begin an intel operation
* 1 ESP (instead of 1 R&D) and $500 to unlock an espionage doctrine. This also counts as your 1 doctrine research a year.
* 1 ESP and (1 MIL or 1 UNITY) $2000 to build an Agency Headquarters (2 years)
* 1 ESP and 1 MIL $2500 (and other reqs) to build an Operations Center (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 MIL $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Hidden Armory (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 R&D $2500 to build Academy Grounds (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 R&D $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Prototyping Lab (1 year)
* 2 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Listening Post (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 UNITY $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Propaganda Center (2 years)
* 2 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Planetary Blacksite (1 year)

===Plot===
A special token that is not generated automatically but is instead awarded to players by moderators as the result of the outcome of Events and gameplay resolution.
* 1 plot token to invoke a dramatic plot break to extend your Deniability Clock for espionage

==Purchasing Tokens==
The galactic market for surplus capacity is surprisingly robust, a legacy of the OPF infrastructure that still dots the Orion Spur. It is possible to buy a one-off token, of any type except Economic or General (for obvious reasons), from the nebulous Galactic Market. The first token purchased in such a fashion costs $1000, with each token purchased afterward doubling in cost. The cost also doubles if you rent DI as described in the next section.
Defense Industry:
In most regards, DI is the least complicated currency as it has really only one function-equipping your military and using it. You start with 200 DI, and can build 5% more through the expenditure of $2000 and a Military Token. This DI takes a year to come online and add itself to your annual production.. DI production does not accumulate from year to year, instead whatever unspent DI a polity has in a calendar year generates $5 each, representing selling the excess production to various non-state actors. You are capped at an increase of 10% each year, as functionally speaking your existing DI infrastructure can only expand so quickly and keep up.

=Landmarks=
There are a variety of landmarks that can form the centerpoint of a territory that provide game effects. Some of these can be constructed in a location, while others have to be salvaged and rebuilt and others are the result of natural evolution and can only be utilized when the opportunity presents itself.

==Constructed Landmarks==
'''Capital Prime:''' Your national capital is a unique Landmark, representing your political and economic center of gravity. Technically, all of your ethos-based token production comes from the Capital landmark. Your capital territory may have up to four token generators and any other landmark items allowed. Every player starts with one, and for Roamers it’s mobile. Transsophant/Advancers cannot relocate Capital Prime landmarks.

'''Regional Capital:''' (S) 2 years, 2 Unity Tokens, $5000: This represents your empire investing and establishing this node as a core part of your empire, enabling territories within to support token generating landmarks. Any capital node you conquer from another polity is assumed to have this building already. NPCs above Developmental Level 7 possess these.

'''Token Generator:''' (S) 2 years, 2 tokens of the type you’re creating a generator for, $5000; The territories in any node with either a Capital or Regional capital can support up to four. If somehow you acquire a territory that has a token generator present but a capital building absent, the generator works but you cannot build more. I have to fluff up all the bullshit here to represent the different types of token, but you get it. Fuck it, players fluff up Token Generators themselves, or the person who rolls it up does it when doing exploration results. Hell there’s multiple fluff possibilities for every type of token generator. It ain’t that serious. These do not generate General tokens or other specialty token types, such as plot tokens or migration tokens, only the others. Mobile.

'''Supply Generator:''' (S) Fluff as a AM supercollider, an exceptional mine, a He3 extraction facility, etc; dealer’s choice! Costs $3000, 20 DI, one military token and one year; produces 500 supplies for operations. Mobile.

'''Stability Generator:''' (S) This could be a religious landmark, a media empire, an arena for bloodsports, whatever. They raise the stability of the node they’re located in by one. Costs $5000 & 1 unity token, one year to complete. Additional generators beyond the first can only be used to counteract Stability Maluses. Mobile

'''Fortification Network:''' (S) A massive shield array, bunker network, or some other type of defensive fortification of massive scale worked into the foundations of the territory itself. Defensive forces fight at TL+0.5 in a territory with a fortification network and all targets and landmarks in the territory are more resistant to espionage and other targeted strikes. Costs $3000, 30DI, Two Military Tokens & 2 Years to complete.

'''Supercomputer Node:''' A massive processing node dedicated to decrypting and reverse engineering arcane technology. While using it, halve the cost of opening relics, reverse engineering and other similar projects; however, due to its nature, the relics or reverse engineering examples have to be stored within the supercomputer node, and are therefore vulnerable to disruption if the facility is taken by a hostile power and/or removed with espionage. Costs 4000$, 1 R&D token, & 2 Years to complete. Mobile

'''The Dodecahedron:''' The heart of the military machine, staffed entirely by generals and PFCs to bring them coffee. This is where doctrine is laid down, superweapons are dreamed up, and boondoggles initiated. Allows you to research a second doctrine for the same cost as the first each year. Also, it allows you to swap one doctrine choice you’ve selected with its opposite selection per year. However, you are required to design at least one new warship class every two game years, because procurement officers and naval design officers remain locked in eternal mortal combat. Limit one per polity. Costs $4000 and 2 military tokens, takes 3 years to build. Mobile

'''Artemis System:''' (S) - An Artemis system is a large fixed installation that can passively pick up waste noise from cloaked ships, giving generalized information on their presence and location - without one, even trying to hunt them is next to chasing needles in a haystack. They also provide the same information for uncloaked ships, and as such most important worlds have an Artemis system (or more than one, in case of sabotage, failure, etc) for tracking all travel through them. Artemis Systems are Landmarks and provide their benefit on a system-wide basis. 
$4000, 50 DI, 2 Military Tokens, 2 Years to Construct 

'''Temple:''' [Dom Spiritual] (WIP) - Temples can be built by Dominant Spiritualist polities. Temples generally provide benefits to both the builder and the host but give the builder leverage over the host, especially in the realm of Espionage. (This frequently will take the form of assets with the caveat that the location of a temple is as public a piece of information as they come.)
* They can spawn events.
* They provide the builder with $200 income annually. This is not CI and does not scale with CI. Hosts may demand this income be shared or even completely taxed.
* Upon completion, the host selects up to $250 of units to gain the Garrison trait, allowing them to fight at +0.5 TL while in this node.
* The creation of a Temple will give the builder leverage over the host particularly in the realm of Espionage - usually in the form of assets.
$2500, 1 Unity Token, 1 Year, Limit 1 per territory 

Temples can also be built inside your own territory. In this case, it allows you to select $250 of units to gain the Garrison trait, allowing them to fight at +0.5 TL while in this node, and might turn out useful for espionage if you have a religious agency operating at home, and has no other effects.

'''Fighter Command Node:''' (S) - A large, fixed installation dedicated to the strategic scale command and control of sub-warship craft operating in a given region. A Fighter Command Node requires a point of supply or an FOB to function, and grants all allied fighters supported there the benefits of a Fighter Direction Center module. Unsupported fighters (such as those carried on units in excess of an FOB’s weight limit) do not gain this benefit.
$2500, 1 Military Token, 1 Year, Limit: Only operates if an FOB or point of Supply is present.

'''Dig Site:''' - A site centered around the remnants of a Federation or other Point of Interest that has been wholly stripped of its useful military components. While not having direct military application, the Dig Site generates 1 Federation Artifact per year, which can be spent for various effects. Federation artifacts persist from year to year and can be traded, and stolen, between players, but have no effect on their own outside of unlocking effects as detailed in Exploration.
Special: Does not count as a ‘Constructed’ landmark, and instead is automatically created with the depletion of any Point Of Interest. (See Exploration for more details)

==Agency Landmarks==
Agency landmarks are a special subcategory of constructed landmarks that interact with the espionage system. Most of these landmarks, apart from the agency headquarters itself, have secondary conditions that must be met to build them. Commonly this is having the Agency headquarters built (though not necessarily in the same territory), as to maintain infrastructure of this scale, a stable foundation must be created. If a Landmark would lose its prerequisite, such as a headquarters being destroyed, it ceases to function until its prerequisite can be fulfilled again.

Agency Headquarters (S) - The beating heart of an intelligence agency, boasting plush conference rooms, cutting edge computing superclusters, training and medical medical facilities to bring the most out of their human resources and more unmarked underground rooms than there are letters in any known alphabet. Agency HQ prevents the standard yearly decay for one Agency, and also doubles the capacity for all asset types. Agencies do not need to be headquartered, and these facilities can be a liability when attacked (see the Statistic Decay section in the espionage rules for more information).
$2000, 1 Espionage Token and 1 Military or Unity Token to construct and takes 2 years. Mobile.
Specialization Specific:
Unless otherwise noted, you can only build 1 Specialization Specific Agency Landmark for each Headquartered agency you own with that specialization.

Operational Security Landmark -

Operations Center - A hub for communication, both public and secret, with vast planning rooms and round tables, allowing higher ups to direct operations in real time, and adapt exceptionally quickly.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Operational Capacity Specialization.
One additional operation at a time does not take a token to start, It is treated as ‘Well Planned’. You may use this operation with any agency, but you must make a note that you are using the Operations Center to do so. If an operation is taking place using this ability, and the operations center is destroyed or infiltrated, the operation is an automatic failure, and any assets assigned to it are left without an Exfiltration plan (though can still find their way home if they had assets on hand to do so).
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Military Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Hidden Armoury - A private armoury containing only the most advanced articles of armour and weaponry the agency can get its hands on, leagues above what is generally available to the nation itself.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Operational Coordination Specialization.
Ground Units and Human Assets assigned to operations count as one TL higher for the duration of their operation, including for any combat resolutions or tie breakers that may occur. Multiple instances of this Landmark do not stack, but can provide a backup if this landmark is destroyed.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Military Token, and takes 2 Years to construct.

Infrastructure Security Landmark -

Personnel Security Landmark -

Public Security Landmark -

Academy Grounds - The place where all James Bond’s and Johnny English’s start their journey, the factory that turns green recruits into hardened super spies.
Each Year, the Academy Grounds produces one of the following choices free of cost: 1 Special Agent, 2 Deep-Cover Agents, 2 Access Agents or 2 Informants. These can be assigned to any agency that have them unlocked, though they will need to be infiltrated into hostile powers to be used.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 R&D Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Prototyping Lab - The place where great minds meet to make all of the gadgets and dodads that spies need to perform at their best.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Technological Intelligence Specialization.
Each Quarter, the prototyping lab produces 1 Technological Asset of your choice from among the types that Headquartered agencies have access to, free of cost. These can be assigned to any agency that have them unlocked.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 R&D Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Listening Post -
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Open Source Intelligence Specialization.
$2500, 2 Espionage Tokens and takes 1 Year to construct.

Propaganda Centre -
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Domestic Deniability Specialization.
Once per Year, you can hold a Propaganda Campaign within one of your territories, for the rest of that year, that territory ignores Stability Loss from internal sources, such as from events, or from failing espionage ops (can be done retrospectively to a source of stability loss to negate it). This does not apply to foreign sources, such as a Psyops campaign.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Unity Token, and takes 2 Years to construct. Mobile.

Planetary Blacksite - Officially, this place does not exist, many enemies of the state, or unlucky citizens, disappear within its bowels, never to be seen again. There are no obvious outward signs it does exist, but by logging traffic to the area, one might be able to discover that the old abandoned building is a lot busier than it ought to be...
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Foreign Deniability Specialization.
The Planetary Blacksite can be used to store assets, units and characters, as well as other items with GM permission. While inside the Planetary blacksite, they are unavailable to be used, but espionage operations & actions have a 100% failure rate against them if their Intelligence Gathering is lower than your deniability. Otherwise, everything inside the Blacksite is treated as if it had the Secured Trait.
$2500, 2 Espionage Tokens and takes 1 Year to construct.

==Open Palm Federation Landmarks==
These landmarks originate with the Overculture and its contemporaries. They cannot be built and must be repaired to regain full function. Revenant players get to start with one OPF Landmark on this list.

'''Manifold Spire:''' A product of end-stage Overculture technological development, Manifold Spires differ from Server Spires in that they breach dimensional boundaries to interact with higher energy states on macroscale. When fully repaired, a Manifold Spire reaches across the spire network and pulls descendants of old Humanity into this material universe. This action produces 15 CI that can be immediately applied to increase the current territory value. If there is no territory at this location, create a new one.

'''Server Spire:''' A fairly typical example of Overculture technology, the server spires have stood through tens of thousands of years, softly humming as they process and move data between the stars. They (by design or by happenstance) are the backbone of modern interstellar communication and tapping into one allows for easy but also secure communication with units in space. A server spire increases the supply range of anything passing through it by 1 as interstellar JIT techniques become possible - building a supply depot around a server spire is an effective way to cover a large volume of space.

'''Skein Impeller:''' Made from lacing superstring fragments into a fractal braidwork, this device cuts through the skein of spacetime and allows access to a theoretically unlimited number of dimensional subdomains. When fully repaired, each year you may roll on the OPF Gacha table once, as your explorers recover another piece of discarded overculture technology from within.

'''Marduk Autofac:''' Produces 10 Marduk Squadrons a year. The Marduk was one of the last of the Blackbird series of advanced OPF fighters.
-A Marduk can only be countered on a 2-1 basis by defending fighters on CAP, or 1-1 by equivalent superfighters.
-Marduks adds -2 to the fighter resolution D20 roll on the attack and a +2 to the fighter resolution D20 roll on defense.

'''Antichronal Stasis Lattice:''' Initially thought to have been produced by an unidentified cosmofauna, this massive crystalline web is actually the product of the Open Palm Federation, made of extremely minute membrane folds that alter the flow of time subtly enough that it stands completely still at the center while still allowing access and departure from that location. When fully repaired an ASL can be used to indefinitely store in pristine condition any 100 weight of units, including ground units and espionage assets, one or more macguffins, and/or a Token without degradation or the passage of time, until removed. Anything stored within is completely immune to outside interference while within, and will survive without damage in the event that this Lamdmark is destroyed. (This Landmark may already contain something when discovered)

'''Hoplite Autofac:''' Produces 3 battalions of Hoplite advanced battle armors a year; can be applied to a Interface, Espatier, or Mobile Infantry (battalion sized) unit to increase their TL to 6.

'''Fold Coral:''' An ancient life form from the height of the Open Palm Federation, Fold Coral was engineered as a biological means of producing a complete fold drive. Now virtually extinct, these life forms can be coaxed back from their quiescent states with careful care. When fully ‘repaired’ it produces 1 Damaged Fold Drive (Can be installed on any craft of 20 unmodified weight or lower as a module, or be used to build Explorers & Strike Cruisers without taking a module) per year.

'''Dahak Relay:''' An Open Palm Federation communications device, this massive artifact marks a target in any system that contains one or more of your units. Marked Targets are surrounded by a rainbow aura which persists for 12 months or until the Weapon is fired. A target Marked in this way cannot benefit from any form of stealth and emits a unique wavelength that you can track from across the hypergrid as long as it remains in this spatial domain. This Landmark can be activated once per year to mark a target. It may be activated an additional time by spending 1 or more R&D tokens, cumulative with the number of additional activations.

'''Eye of Ra:''' A massive Crysmer Lens that can focus and direct sunlight to any planet in the system, either to generate power or to immolate your enemies. If enemy forces are in-system it has a special attack, rolling a one-time attack at the beginning of the combat when stand-off attacks are resolved, rolling three times at +5 to pierce and bypassing Avoidance. For each successful pierce, the Eye inflicts 175 damage to the target(s).

'''Shattered Shell World:''' Even the mightiest Chelonian works were not perfect. Space-based attacks made against a shattered shell world fail on a 4+, while troops doing combat drop are lost/captured on a 1-2.
When first discovered as an exploration result, the world itself is (roll D6) 1 Volcanic 2 Cratered 3-4 Radiated 5 Toxic 6 Tomb

'''Reintegration Lattice:''' The endpoint of an OPF attempt at transtellar teleportation, damaged Reintegration Lattices are often the source of old spacer’s tales of ghost ships and other mysterious phenomena. While impossible to fully repair, this device can be stabilized, allowing it to periodically materialize copies of whatever last passed through the buffer- typically half a starship- which can be used as materials to upgrade a ship to TL5.5 once each year. Unfortunately, due to integrated anti-paradox drivers, the two pieces cannot be welded together to make a single TL6 ship.

'''Stormcaller Beacon:''' Even during the height of the Overculture, Ion Storms and Mutara Convergences proved too costly to ignore and too expensive to simply eliminate. Instead, a tool was developed to steer these anomalies away from developed space to limit their impact. A Stormcaller Beacon, when fully repaired, can attract and anchor an Ion Storm or Mutara Convergence at its location from up to 5 nodes away. This can draw an existing anomaly or create a new one by spending 2 R&D tokens and $3000. If this Landmark is disabled or depowered any Mutara Convergence at this location will begin dissipating, taking 2 years to fully vanish. Any Ion Storm at this location will begin migrating in a random direction after 1 quarter. It takes 2 quarters to depower or reinitialize a landmark of this type.

'''Dimensional Forge:''' The battered remains of a key component of an OPF manufactory, a Dimensional Forge is capable of alloying spacetime itself with enfolded technological segments capable of a large variety of tasks. When fully repaired, a D-FORGE may be used to bypass one (1) prerequisite to building a unit or landmark, per year.

'''Giant Gautama Xandha:''' Can take the form of a misty temple, giant statue, or some other monumental, somewhat spooky construct. If you are Spiritualist, you probably consider it holy. This counts as a Point of Interest for Exploration missions and depletes half as fast as normal. When this POI depleted, it becomes a Dig Site that produces twice as many Federation Artifacts as normal.

==Node Wide Landmarks==
These landmarks represent features of a given region. Not all star systems have them, in fact, most don’t, but through cultural, astrographic, or other circumstances, some nodes on the Grid become so known for a particular quirk or wrinkle that it provides advantages for those willing to exploit them. Roamers cannot take advantage of these landmarks unless they possess non-mobile territory in these systems, for obvious reasons. Any system with such a feature automatically qualifies as having a landmark for the purposes of establishing a new territory. That is, you only need to construct a supply base and incorporate the territory, you don’t have to construct a generator or autofactory or anything of that nature, to create a new territory to take advantage of the effect.

An example is the Big Easy, a young system filled with protoplanetary debris. The origins of the name have been lost to time, but it is a star system that since at least the earliest days of human interstellar travel has been associated with the Demimonde, the black market, and the wrong side of the law. It has a special System Wide Landmark: “Any territory in this system has -2 to its natural stability point but espionage token generators constructed here produce two tokens instead of one.”

Stellar Sargasso: Solar winds eddy around your system, tramlines flicker and a hundred thousand years of derelicts and junk, from all across the galaxy, accumulate at your L points. Once a year spend a token and 2d4*$100 to launch an expedition to recover ancient technology. Military token will return some sort of TL6 Ship, R&D Token will return some sort of relic/tech?, Econ Token will generate a random lump sum of $ (may or may not be more than the cost, maybe a shit load more), Diplomacy token awaken ancient sleepers gain 1 unique ground unit?

Mutara Convergence: This massive blue blot in the sky is visible from every planet in the surrounding systems, its swirling gasses hiding the building blocks of interstellar life. So dense and energetic a region of space inevitably interferes with sensors, scanners and even the naked eye. It is not difficult to lose contact with other vessels navigating this region. Effect: Can build a Darkspace Terminal here without spending an Espionage token, however all combatants in a Mutara Convergence are treated as having Deep Cloak.

Ion Storm: This massive manifestation of high-energy particle reactions can span nodes, shutting down communications, impeding tramline stability, and rendering fighters at a severe disadvantage. Worse, an Ion Storm is vaguely mobile, able to transition tramlines. If there is one saving grace it is that an Ion Storm will rarely ‘double back’, and instead typically migrates forwards- though many may have migratory routes that loop back around to familiar territory. Effect: Anything that passes through this system counts at +2 distance for supply purposes, fighters take a variable penalty to all rolls in this system, and while transiting a Tramline, the Tramline counts as unstable for the next quarter. Note: If multiple ion storms occupy the same system they combine into one big super storm that occupies a node per storm.

=Other Structures=
These structures may be found or built but are ''not'' landmarks.
==Ultragates==
Transtellar transit gates left over from precursor species across history, Ultragates link to every other Ultragate of that type when active. Ultragates have range limitations but these are so great as to be functioningly meaningless inside the Origin Spur.

==Tramline Scaffolds==
A development by various species after the fall of the Overculture to shore up faltering Tramlines, Tramline Scaffolds link two systems that already possess a tramline of any condition. Building a Tramline Scaffold requires that both systems have been surveyed (See [[FTA3 Exploration]]) and the polity building the Scaffold has access to both systems. Once constructed, this link allows ships of any size category to traverse the link by passing through the Scaffold's aperture on each side one ship at a time. The presence of a Tramline Scaffold insulates a Tramline from some degree of external disruption, such as from Ion Storms or other anomalies, but this halves transit speed when in effect. Passage through the aperture disrupts stealth systems like Cloaking and Deep-Cloaking devices, rendering any such vessel traversing a Tramline Scaffold visible. Vessels that could normally traverse the tramline do not need to utilize the Scaffold.

Tramline Scaffolds can be built at any Technology Level and cost 1 Economy token and $5000, taking 2 years to finish. Tramlines built at technology levels below 5 have reduced safety features and are more prone to dramatically exploding when damaged.

=Trade=
Trade is a passive mechanic that impacts the value of your CI. Conduct and interaction between players, NPCs, and what have you can impact the $ value of your CI depending on circumstances. Short of catastrophe, a sector’s CI value will never go below 80% of its base value, but it can and will take hits. There are various map-connected things that can impact trade which will be obvious, etc.

There are a number of major systems that act as natural loci of trade across the Grid. In economic shorthand, these act as centers of trade for regions of space. Trade (and the impact on your CI) is broadly determined by events in each sector (and in the broad macro sense, FoF & Star Patrol activity modifies this as well), while specific events and player actions can modify CI values in specific systems.

CI generally fluctuates between 80% and 120% of its base value of 50 on an annual basis. This variation is due primarily to player actions, events, and the allocation of forces to commerce protection and piracy. Fluctuations below 90% and above 110%, that is considered out of the norm for year-to-year activity, can also have additional impacts above simply revenue.

Reducing CI below 90% can reduce the stability of every territory in a sector by one, excepting those owned by FoF states. This represents the disruption of trade being serious enough to make people unhappy. Correspondingly, CI value above 110% represents a boomtime economy, and populations are happy, resulting in all territories in such a sector gaining one stability.

==Sector Investment & Trade Bonus Income==
States that invest an economic token into a sector’s trade also receive additional bonus income. This will manifest as a lump sum of cash based on the total amount of CI in a sector and what trade looks like for the calendar year.

Star Patrol states gain bonus income for sectors they patrol being over 110%, representing fees collected for operations, tariffs, and other more abstract benefits. Correspondingly, when trade is below 90%, they receive 50% less bonus income, representing these sources of funding drying up.

Basic Example:
:Player Bob is located in the Fuckaround Sector. Trade there this year is disrupted by two small wars (--), two players actively engaging in Star Patrol operations (++) and a determined privateering operation by Steve. The mods determine that trade as a result in the Fuckaround Sector is down, reducing all CI output in the region by $2. As this is not less than 90% of base value nor more than 110% of base value, there are no stability effects. The +s and -s have deliberately nebulous impacts in order to spare moderator work overhead, and there’s dice involved under the hood. It’s supposed to be somewhat abstract as a model.

=Piracy=
States can engage in piracy by allocating ships to a sector on a raiding mission. Allocating ships generally requires a supply base in the target sector, and such ships burn supply as though they were one jump away from a supply base. However, a state may allocate 100 weight of ships to piracy “free” of extra supply burden (Flag of Freedom states can allocate 300) in any sector, even one without a supply base.

When yearly trade is calculated, moderators will note the list of player states who engaged in piracy operations in a given sector, and calculate their ill-gotten gains on that basis. Exceptional contributions to this effort may result in events being generated as part of the year-in-review.

=Commerce Protection=
As you might imagine, polities have a vested interest in protecting trade (even if they’re raiding other people’s). You may allocate 200 weight of ships to the commerce protection role, riding the space lanes and keeping trade safe on a general sector-wide basis. Ships above this level burn supply as if they were deployed one jump away from a supply base. This is considered when calculating trade value in a sector in a year. Exceptional contributions to this effort may result in events being generated as part of the year-in-review.

Ships allocated to the piracy and commerce protection roles are unavailable for the entire calendar year (representing rest & repair time, abstract deep-space deployment, communications OOD lag, etc), unless you spend a Military token that allows you to reshuffle your deployments. They do not consume supply above and beyond normal upkeep unless drawn into combat, however.

'''PM the commerce protection/piracy mod (Bob) your assignments'''

=Direct Investment=
Invest an Econ token into a foreign territory containing at least 5 foreign CI to gain money and intensify economic and diplomatic relationships between you and the foreign power controlling the CI.

The first token so invested by any power in a given territory in a given year generates return as follows: subtract the total foreign CI from 100, use the result as a percentage, and multiply this percentage by $1000 to get total returns for the investment. This value can be divided between any powers or entities as the investor and controlling power agree. Each subsequent token invested by any power in the same territory in the same year yields half the return (and CI) as the previous one. Lastly, if the total return on all direct investments in that territory is $500 or greater, it gains 1 CI at the end of the year.

This investment process represents a complex and intensive bundle of economic, social, and political relationships. It can thus be attacked by piracy or espionage, serve as a cover/conduit for espionage in both directions, and be integrated into all manner of diplomatic relations and related ethos abilities. Sustained increases in investment may also benefit stability of the target system (if not combined with hostile actions), and sudden/sharp reductions may harm it.

Notes: When direct investing in a Roamer or other state with modified CI ratings, use the actual base CI value rather than one derived from any income modifiers.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Ship Design

2023-10-06T17:47:32Z

Jacklyn:

FTA3 Military and Combat

2023-10-06T17:47:20Z

Jacklyn:

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue to Table of Contents:
=Logistics & Support=
All military equipment has a logistical weight listing in their unit entries, representing the amount of supply that they burn in the course of normal operations. This cost is paid whenever a ship fights in combat (above and beyond things like routine anti piracy patrol), or in a star system that lacks a forward operating post or supply base. See the notes in the next section for information on how to calculate supply use. Supply can be generated in a few different ways; purchasing on the open market, production from a Supply Generator landmark, or through salvage. The market rate for supply fluctuates from year to year, depending on events on the Grid.
==Supply Burn==
Supply use is determined by ship weight, times the number of systems away from a supply point, which is any location that counts as a territory for supply burn purposes. This means it’s relatively uncomplicated to patrol systems directly connected to your home system, but staging large battlegroups away from centers of supply is genuinely difficult. Supply lines, if unprotected, can also be vulnerable to enemy raiding.

There are two types of bases one can construct away from your territories to provide relief to supply costs. Establishing one of them is a required prerequisite to claiming a territory.

===Forward Operating Base===
A Forward Operating Base costs $2000 and one military token, taking a year to complete. A FOB allows 100 logistical weight of units - the Open Palm standard size squadron - to operate in a system without additional cost for being outside a Supply Point, and halves the distance for calculating the supply burn for those units operating away from it as counted from the nearest Supply Point. Units beyond the weight limit will pay their full cost for supply.
A Forward Operating Base does not count as a Supply Point for determining supply cost.

===Supply Base===
A supply base counts as your territory for the purposes of counting supply burn (ie: It is a supply point). Its cost is $4000 and two military tokens, taking a year to complete. A region must have a supply base established before it can become a new territory .A Forward Operating Base may be upgraded into a Supply Base by paying the requisite difference in cost and spending a military token. The upgrade is completed in a year.

==Supply Limitations==
It’s impossible to get negative supply. Any combination of Supply Bases/FOBs/Long Legs traits/whatever else can only cumulatively make it so ships cost no additional supply to operate in a system.

Your supply cost is based on the furthest a ship has been from supply in a calendar year, and normal supply burn happens once a year. Additional combat burns are above and beyond this.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Bill has a weight 50 cruiser group operating four jumps from his home system. This means the base supply burn value for this cruiser group doing its business is its total weight of supply, in this case 50, times four, for a total of 200.

Bill establishes a '''Forward Operating Base''' in the system he’s got these cruisers in. That means after the base is established, the cruisers can operate in that system and that system alone for their normal upkeep cost. Deploying them further away from his home system, however, still burns higher supply. Say Bill is deploying them two more jumps away from his home system, for a total of six jumps. The FOB doesn’t prevent higher supply burn, but it halves the distance modifier, so instead of costing its 50 weight of supply times six, it only costs 50 times 3, for a total of 150.
The next year, Bill upgrades the FOB to a '''Supply Base''', after which the system counts as a territory for the purposes of supply, both for operating in the system where it is located and for systems within a one jump radius of it. It also allows for the operation of unlimited weight of ships to be supplied, unlike a FOB. It also generally means that resupply missions don’t have nearly as much to fear from raiders or pirates.
</div></div></div>
=Space Combat=
There are two types of combat resolution, the more involved set designed for small unit engagements, single ship duels, etc. The system designed for mass combat resolution uses the same core stats but instead of having players decide every single tactical decision you give the resolution program broad directives.
==Pre Battle==
===Enumerate Fleets===
Each side simply lists the number and type of ships potentially involved in the fight
====Determine (potential) Battle Type====
There are two types of possible battles: 
Mobile 
Where both fleets are fully able to use their speed to maneuver for advantage. Note that actions to protect mobile things, like troop transports and merchant vessels are still mobile battles. Where otherwise unlisted, assume that such vessels have a speed of 1. Also note that a fleet defending a fixed objective may attempt to meet the attacking fleet in deep space, and fight a mobile battle, though this may create some risk of the fleet attempting the interception being out maneuvered, and the attacking fleet getting some amount of time to attack the objective without intervention from any defending units attempting an interception. 
Fixed Objective 
Where there is some fixed objective to be fought over, such as a planet, space station, or other objective that is relatively immobile. Assuming the defending fleet is not attempting any deep space interceptions, both sides declare their lowest speed. 
Declare Speed 
In a Mobile Battle, Each fleet will then declare the speed it is using. Any fleet elements unable to keep up with that declared speed become temporarily detached into a new fleet. If both sides wish, they may split their fleets into multiple elements with different declared speeds, and attempt to fight different engagements. Though this usually invites defeat in detail. 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example of a multi-element battle</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
A cowardly fleet decides to break formation and flee before battle is even joined, devil take the hindmost. The fleet splits into three elements, of speed 1, speed 2, and speed 3, all fleeing the region as fast as their engines will carry them. The opposing fleet, confident of victory over such spineless cowards, breaks their own fleet into a speed 2 section, which will intercept the speed 1 enemy, and a speed 3 section which will run down the speed 2 enemy. The fleeing speed 3 enemy is simply let go.
</div></div></div> 
=====Avoid/Bring to action (Mobile battles only)=====
In a mobile battle, it's possible that one fleet will decide it doesn't want to fight, after all. If the fleet opposing them has a higher speed, they can be automatically brought to action. If the fleets have equal speed, then each fleet controller rolls a d20; if the fleet trying to avoid action rolls higher, they have successfully avoided a battle, for now. This is why speed 1 battleships make poor pirate vessels; normal slow merchant vessels have slightly lower than 50% chance of successfully running away from them. 
=====Out-maneuvering a fleet attempting a deep space interception=====
or why it's generally smarter to defend 'close': 
As mentioned above, it's sometimes possible for a fleet trying to attack a fixed target to outmaneuver a defending fleet trying to intercept them in deep space. 
Each fleet rolls a d20. 
If the attacking fleet is 1 speed higher than the defender, the die rolls are unmodified, with ties going to the defender. If the defending fleet loses the roll off, the difference between the rolls is how many rounds the attacking fleet will have available to attack the fixed objective (and any ships in 'close defense' until the fleet that was attempting the interception arrives. 
If the attack fleet and intercepting fleet have equal speeds, the intercepting fleet gets a +5 to the roll. 
Attacking fleets with lower speeds are automatically intercepted. 
A successful interception means a Mobile Battle. 
If the entirety of the defending fleet simply decides to defend 'close' to the objective, it's a Fixed Objective battle instead. 
In a Fixed Objective Battle, each side simply declares the speed of their slowest ship. (Note that Starbases and other fixed defenses are speed 0, so defenders with fixed defenses in Fixed Objective battles will always have initiative.)
==Prepare for action==
===List ships taking place in battle===
Now that any pre-battle maneuvering is done, each player enumerates the ships actually taking part in the battle.
===Determine Initiative===
In a Mobile Battle, if one fleet has a higher declared speed, that fleet gets a +1 to position rolls for the whole battle. 
In a Fixed Objective Battle, if one fleet has a lower declared speed than the other, that fleet gets a +1 to position rolls for the whole battle. 
If both fleets have the same declared speed, then fleet position rolls are unmodified.
Battle
===Launch Fighters (start of battle only)===
Both players launch can fighters at this time. Note that cloaked ships without deep cloak must decloak to launch fighters. Ships with deep cloak may launch fighters and remain cloaked.
===Fighter Interception Phase (every round)===
If there is a large tech discrepancy between the fighters on each side, take the average TL of each side's fighters. If one side has an average TL advantage of 0.5 or higher, their fighters can intercept up to two times as many fighters, at the owning players discretion. 
Assuming no TL advantage, the side with the lesser number of fighters has all their fighters intercepted. An equal number of fighters from the larger side must allocate an equal number of fighters to the lesser side to intercept them.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One side has 10 TL5 fighters, the other has ten TL3 fighters. The TL5 fighters have an obvious TL advantage, so the TL5 side may allocate between 5 and 10 fighters to interception. If the allocate five, which is enough to intercept all ten of the TL3 fighters, they can send five fighters on to attack the opposing fleet, or they may allocate up to five more of their fighters to the interception (i.e. a maximum of 10, as if they did not have a tech advantage).
</div></div></div> 
Un-intercepted fighters may then go on to make as many anti-shipping attacks as they are able (e.g. first strikes from a Magnum Catapult or the Fighter doctrine, then the regular turn order anti-shipping attacks). There is only one 'dogfight' phase per turn, so fighters who are otherwise able to make multiple anti-shipping attacks get no extra dogfight rolls.

===Fighter Dogfight Phase (every round)===
Each player rolls a d20 for each fighter they have involved in the dogfight. The TN for killing an opposing fighter is 20, but they add their fighter TL to this number. For example, TL3 fighters need to roll a 17 or greater to kill an opposing fighter, while a TL5 fighter would kill on a 15 or higher. Certain doctrine choices or abilities may allow fighters to make more than one dogfight roll, or add additional bonuses to this roll. 

Each player allocates kills to their fighters as they choose. (i.e. lower TL fighters get killed first)

===Fighter First Strike (start of battle only)===
For every different attack a fighter is able to make (i.e. multiple first strikes, regular anti-shipping attacks) the player controlling the fighters is able to redirect the fighters to attack different valid targets. There is no need to waste later attack runs (e.g. second first strikes) on targets that have already been killed. 

A maximum number of fighters equal to the ship's weight can attack it at any one time. 

The TL of the fighter making the attack has no influence on anti-shipping strikes. 

For each fighter attacking a ship, roll a d20
* 1-10 Ship takes 10 damage
* 11-15 Nothing happens
* 16-20 attacking fighter is (mission) killed
If the ship the fighter is attacking has the flak trait, the fighter adds two to the roll. Certain other traits or doctrines may also modify the ship strike roll.
 

Note that the 'reconstitution' of mission killed fighters by Fighter Direction Centers does not happen until the end of the round, so fighters able to make multiple attacks may be killed before they can make them all.
====Fighter Cloak Detection====
Instead of making normal first strike anti-shipping attacks, fighters on attack runs can instead be used to detect cloaked ships. It takes five fighters per speed rating of the cloaked ship to detect it. Fighters able to make multiple first attacks can use their following first strike attacks to detect more cloaked ships, or to attack any revealed ships as normal.
===Stand Off attack resolution (start of battle only)===
Each player lists out the total number of stand-off attacks they have available. 
Any ship under regular cloak must de-cloak at this time to make stand-off attacks. Afterwards, they count as a ship operating normally. Ships with Deep Cloak can simply re-cloak after making stand-off attacks, and continue to operate under Deep Cloak as normal. 
In any event, stand-off attacks don't benefit from the attack advantages of being fired from a cloaked platform, they are simply fired from far enough away for the defender to properly react to them. 
'''Stand-off attacks automatically hit, and only roll to pierce'''. Standoff attacks do not benefit from piercing bonuses, such as those granted by torpedo and secondary battery modules, or by doctrine. 

Each player receiving stand-off attacks then calculates the relative percentages of weight for each of their ships being shot at. 
The player receiving the stand-off attacks then allocated them under the following rules: 
Each ship in the fleet must receive at least one attack, if available. If there are less stand-off attacks than receiving ships, the heaviest ships must be targeted first. With a large number of stand-off attacks, the attacks must be (roughly) split by the percentage weights calculated above. The player receiving the attacks may resolve any 'fractional' splits as they wish. If the stand-off attacks do different amounts of damage, the defender may also allocate them as he wishes. 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In this action, Player Bob has two Battleships (each weight 33) two heavy cruisers (each weight 16) and 3 frigates (each weight 8), for a total weight of 122. So each of the battleships would have a 33/122 = 27% share of any incoming stand-off attacks.
The fleet listed is receiving 40 standoff attacks, 32 doing 6 damage, and 8 doing 4 damage. The defender allocated them as follows:
* BB1: 10x 6 attacks
* BB2: 10x 6 attacks
* CA1: 6x 6 attacks
* CA2: 5x 6 attacks
* FF1: 1x 6 attack and 2x 4 attacks
* FF2: 3x 4 attacks
* FF3: 3x 4 attacks
 
After the attacks are allocated, roll to pierce any attacked ships, and inflict damage as normal.
</div></div></div> 

===Determine Fleet position (every round)===
Fleet position is re-rolled each round of battle. In subsequent rounds, the player that won the position roll last round gets a -2 to their roll. If they have won the position roll several rounds in a row, they get a cumulative -2 for every round they have one. This resets to 0 once they lose a position roll. 
Each player rolls a d20; The fleet with initiative gets a +1 on the roll. Re-roll ties. 
The player that won the position roll determines what distance each pair-off of ships engages at (see below) 
===Pair Off (every round)===
The player that won the position roll picks one of their ships and 'pairs' it off with one of the other players unpaired ships of their choice. The other player then does the same with one of their unpaired ships. Note that certain ship traits may affect pair assignments. If the number of ships is excessive, so that the alternating choices would take forever, [s]bribe[/s] grab a GM or uninvolved player and get them to do it. Once ships are paired up, they fight until one is destroyed or disengaged, and the survivor/victor is made available to either pair up with a new opponent or Flank into an existing combat. If a ship on the other side is available, they must pair off.

====Flanking====
If either player has ships 'left over' after all ships have been paired, these ships can be assigned to any 'pair' that the player chooses. These excess ships are referred to as ‘flanking’, they are able to declare their range to their target ship as they desire, even if the controlling side lost the position roll.
====Attempt to disengage====
A ship may '''disengage''' if its side wins the positioning roll-that is, attempt to withdraw from combat. The ships it is engaged with may attempt to pursue, requiring a 15 on a D20 to force the withdrawing ship to stay in battle. For each point of speed advantage the pursuer has over the pursued, reduce this TN by 2. If this roll is failed, the disengaging ships are removed from combat and don't participate in an engagement any further.
====Subhunting====
Cloaks are a special mechanic that curve-balls the normal combat mechanics. Standard cloaks are the archetypal Romulan cloaking device. Installing them has an added cost but they have fairly limited impact on other ship systems. A ship operating under 'regular' cloak must drop it in order to fire, perform sensor sweeps, etc. Once a ship has decloaked it operates essentially like any other ship. 
Deep cloaks are 'submarines in space' in that they operate under cloak at all times. This has a significant impact on many aspects of ship design and consequently deep cloaks are only found on specialized hulls (currently Prowlers and Hunter-Killers). 
Space is big and ships are small, so it is essentially impossible to simply fire randomly into space and hope to hit a cloaked ship that you know is in the general area. You have to detect them with your ship's sensors before you are able to get a target lock on a cloaked ship and fire on it. 
As many systems which provide protection for a ship against incoming fire are active and directed (e.g. shields, pin-point barriers, etc) rather than simply passive (e.g. armor) an attack from an unexpected direction can severely reduce the effectiveness of 'protection' type defenses. In addition, many of the same types of active protections can not be running while under cloak. So ships under normal cloaks need a few moments to bring these defenses online after decloaking, while ship with deep cloak devices simply do not mount such systems at all. 
=====Sensor check by defenders against cloaked ships (each round)=====
For each ship engaged with a cloaked target (either paired or flanking) rolls a d20 in an attempt to detect it, ships with the subhunter trait may roll two dice and choose which result they prefer. On a 16 or more, the cloaked ship is detected before it can fire. As such subhunting rolls take place 'at the same time', there is not time to transmit the location of the cloaked ship to others before the opportunity to fire is gone.
In the unlikely case that two cloaked ships are in combat against each other, at least one ship has to detect the other for any shooting to occur. If both detect the other, they both get the decloak piercing bonus against the other (if ships with regular cloak), or are simply able to fire at the other ship (deep cloaked ships).
=====Decloaking and firing=====
A cloaked ship that is not detected before it fires gets a +5 bonus to piercing against its victim. If the cloaked ship is detected, it may shoot as normal, but its victim has the time to properly direct its defenses, so there is no bonus.
=====Shooting back vs cloaked ships=====
If a ship under 'regular' cloak is detected before it has a chance to decloak and fire, the detecting ship is able to attack it with a +5 piercing bonus; if it was not detected beforehand, the retaliating ship fire at the decloaked ship as normal. 
For deep cloaked ships, the detecting ship has to detect it to get an opportunity to fire on it at all. Fire on deep cloaked ships is resolved as normal. Unlike ships under 'regular' cloak, there is no normal bonus to shooting at ships you detect under deep cloak. 
Note that the STAG module gives a +2 bonus to shoot at any type of ship it detects under cloak, regardless of cloak type. 
After a ship with 'regular' cloak decloaks and fires, it operates as a normal ship for the rest of the battle. A ship with a deep cloak will require subhunting rolls every round.

====Protect actions====
Ships with the protect trait can now declare which ships they are protecting. They are able to direct the attacks of one flanking ship of their choice on to themselves. The flanking ship will roll against the protecting ship’s defenses (avoidance, protection), not the defenses of the protected ship.
===Regular shooting (every round)===
All shooting is simultaneous, so, for example, any flanking ships may not choose to attack a different ship this phase, even if their target has ‘already’ been killed. 
Each ship will have a certain number of attacks. Where attacks are written in the condensed XxY (e.g. 11x6), the first is the number of attacks, and the second is the amount of damage each attack potentially does. 
When rolling to hit or pierce, a 20 on the die before modifiers is a critical success and always succeeds and a 1 on the die before modifiers is a critical miss and always fails. 
====To Hit====
Attacks against the Avoidance defensive stat are referred to as ‘to hit’.
=====Range Bonuses=====
Each type (Spinal, Direct, Seeking) has a favored range. And gets bonuses to hit at that favored range.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Range
|-
! !! Close !! Far
|-
| Spinal Mount || +1 || -1
|-
| Direct || +2 || 0
|-
| Seeking || +2 || +4
|}

=====Other Bonuses=====
Certain doctrines and certain ship modules may give a bonus ‘to hit’. Remember to total all appropriate bonuses when rolling.
=====Roll to Hit=====
Roll a d20 for each of your ships attacks and add your total to hit bonus to each roll, The target number is the target ships avoidance value. Results that match or exceed the target number are ‘hits’.
====To Pierce====
Attacks against the Protection defensive stat are referred to as ‘to pierce’.
=====Weapon Bonuses=====
Spinal mounts have an inherent +3 to pierce. 
Direct weapons have an inherent +2 to pierce. 
Seeking weapons have no bonus to pierce. 
=====Other Bonuses=====
Certain doctrines and certain ship modules may give a bonus ‘to pierce’. Remember to total all appropriate bonuses when rolling. 
=====Roll to Pierce=====
Roll a d20 for each of your ships attacks that hit add your total to piercing bonus to each roll, The target number is the target ships Protection value. Results that match or exceed the target number are ‘pierces’.
====Inflict Damage====
The target ship takes (number of pierces) time (the damage of the attacking ships weapons).
Remember that all shooting is simultaneous, so even dead ships get to ‘shoot back’.
===Regular Fighter Anti-Ship Attacks (every round)===
See directions in the ‘Fighter First Strike” phase, above, for directions on how to conduct fighter anti-ship attacks.
===Fighter Reconstitution (every round)===
At the end of the round, FDC may attempt to reconstitute any killed squadrons (i.e. roll a d6 for every killed fighter, as reconstitute them on a 4+). If there is any difference in the squadrons killed, the player who owns the killed fighters decides which ones are reconstituted from among the slain. 

Total up the total number (and TL) of any fighters still alive at the end of each round.
===Determine Casualties (every round)===
Any ship reduced to zero or less HP is considered mission killed. Its actual status will be determined in the Post Battle Phase.

Also determine how many fighters (and of what TL) died this round, and record how many fighters (and of what TL) will be active on the next round.

==Ending the Battle==
A battle ends once at least one side's ships have all fled or been destroyed. Any fighters or boarders still active at this point are assumed to surrender, barring exceptional circumstances, such as the defense of your home world. In such cases, these remaining forces can fight to the bitter end.
==Post Battle==
Record Damage level of surviving ships
(see Damage levels, below)
===Land Fighters===
Count the number of surviving fighters, and the number of hangars on surviving ships able to receive them. Any fighters in excess of available hangars are lost, unless you are in friendly territory. Then, the excess fighters can land on that territory.
===Resolve Fate of killed ships===
====Overkill or Critical Damage====
Any ship that took a critical piercing roll from any attack in the turn it died or was overkilled by 60% or more of its max HP value is hulked and the ultimate fate of the drifting hulk and associated narrative is determined by the polity whose forces control the battlespace at the end of combat. It may be possible to retrieve technical data (i.e. doctrine research) or small amounts of resources from hulked ships.
For each hulked ship, roll a d10: 
* 1-5 The ship is too heavily damaged to be of any further use.
* 6-9 The ship may be salvaged for 20% of its base hull $ cost immediately. Any advanced equipment, such as fold drives, may also be immediately salvaged on a 5+ roll of a d6. Roll separately for each piece of advanced equipment. If you are willing to leave units behind to control the battlefield, you may also salvage 20% of the ships base hull cost in single use DI after one quarter’s worth of work. If a battlefield is never not under control by someone's military units, anything of remaining value is quickly stripped by opportunists.
* 10 The ship is remarkably intact, considering the circumstances. It may be immediately pressed into service with heavy damage.
Also, see ‘Value of different TL of salvage’ (below)

====Successful Flight====
For killed ships that were not '''Run Down''' [https://swiki.fancruft.com/index.php?title=FTA3_Military_and_Combat#Running_Down_.E2.80.98Killed.E2.80.99_ships], roll a D10, which may be modified by having a damage control module (+1) or other bonuses. A ship may choose to spend a character shield automatically score a 10 on Damcon and may not be run down. 
* On a 1-4, the ship is destroyed. D-E-D dead. Escape pods launch but the ship is irrecoverable.
* On a roll of 5-6, the ship is mission killed and sufficiently damaged to be a write-off. It escapes on a vector to the nearest supply point (unless run down, see pursuit rules) but must be evacuated and becomes derelict upon arrival. It may be salvaged, producing a value of 40% of $ cost and single-use DI, which must be transported back to safe territory, or sold off to local salvagers/pirates/etc for a flat 60% value in $$ cost only based on the hull type assuming a standard of TL5 equipment. Advanced OPF equipment, such as fold drives, may be salvaged on a D6 roll of 4+ (roll for each advanced gizmo the ship might have)
** Also, see ‘Value of different TL of salvage’ (below)
* On a roll of 7-9, the vessel escapes on a vector to the nearest supply point and may choose to rendezvous with another allied fleet. The ship is heavily damaged (see below) unless it has the regeneration trait, if so, it only has medium damage. .
* On a roll of 10+, the ship is largely intact. It retreats to the nearest supply point, or it may choose to rendezvous with an allied fleet. It burns its weight in supplies (in addition to its normal burn) , has light damage (see below), or is in fine condition if it has regeneration, and becomes available to fight after the resolution of the battle it escapes from is over.

====Running Down ‘Killed’ ships====
Sometimes you just want a guy dead. Ships mission-killed in combat may still escape to warn allies, transfer critical supplies, or even become a thorn in your side for the rest of the campaign. But that's only if they get away. 
You may assign ships to Run Down mission killed assets and either destroy them or attempt to capture them. To run down a ship, you must send one or more ships with a total mass that is equal or greater, and all pursuing ships must match or exceed the speed of the running ship. All pursuing ships are removed from the current mission and not available for subsequent actions. 

You need to roll a flat 1d20. On a roll of 11 or higher, you catch the ship. For every ship caught, you may either automatically destroy them, or, if the pursuing ship(s) have a boarding module and appropriate troops, automatically capture the target. 

When you choose to destroy the target, your pursuing ship becomes available again in a number of weeks equal to the transit time to the next node, and automatically rejoins its fleet after that time. Pursuing ships that choose to destroy their targets are not vulnerable to interception by the enemy during this time, barring the most egregious of defensive espionage failures. Ships destroyed in this manner do not yield resources or research opportunities. 

If you choose to capture the target, the pursuing ship must take the time to escort the captured ship back to friendly territory. If you capture several ships, all the (formerly) pursuing ships may travel in convoy together, and you may choose to assign additional ships from the victorious fleet to escort your prizes back to friendly territory. This ‘prize fleet’ may be vulnerable to interception by the enemy, depending on the distance back to friendly territory and the normal course of fleet operations. Any prize ships ‘recaptured’ roll on the '''Successful Flight''' table [https://swiki.fancruft.com/index.php?title=FTA3_Military_and_Combat#Successful_Flight] to resolve their fate, any recaptured ships that get the ‘write off’ result are scuttled and destroyed.

Prize ships typically yield resources and research opportunities, not ships that you can repair and press into service. Roll a d10 for each prize ship.
* 1-4: The ship is too heavily damaged to provide any further value.
* 5-9: The ship provide 40% of their base cost in $ and single use DI.
* 10+: The prize ship is fully recoverable, and is brought into your service with Heavy Damage.
Any advanced equipment, such as fold drives, may be removed on a 4+ on a d6. Roll separately for each piece of advanced equipment. 

====Value of different TL of salvage====
The given values for salvage assume TL5 ships. TL4 pays -10% for each value, and TL3 pays -20% for each value. TL6 pays for 150% of each value.
===Ship damage===
====Damage Levels====
Maybe your ship got damaged in battle. Maybe it landed a little hard and it has a booboo. Ship damage is tracked as one of four levels (Fine, Light Damage, Medium Damage, Heavy Damage). After whatever the situation (battle, crash, squid encounter, etc) is resolved, check what percentage of the ship’s current HP is of its total possible HP. Fine is 100-75.1% total health, Light Damage is 75-50.1% health, Medium Damage is 50-25.1% health, and Heavy Damage is 25 - .1% health. To determine the HP thresholds for damage, multiply by ¾, ½, and ¼ and round as normal.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Heavy Cruiser Example Thresholds
|-
| Fine || 161 - 122 HP ||
|-
| Light Damage || 121 - 82 HP ||161*¾ = 120.75, rounded to 121 is the light damage threshold
|-
| Medium Damage || 81 - 41 HP || 161/2 = 80.5, rounded to 81 is the medium damage threshold
|-
| Heavy Damage || Less than or Equal to 40 HP || 161/4 = 40.25, rounded to 40 is the heavy damage threshold
|}

====Fighting While Damaged====
Damaged ships enter battle with starting HP equal to the damage threshold number. For example, the CA from above, entering battle with medium damage, would start at 81 HP.
====Repair====
=====Cost=====
The cost to repair a level of damage is $ 1/6th of the ship’s $ construction price, rounded normally.
For example, for a heavy cruiser that cost $175 to build costs $29 per damage level to repair (175/6 = 29.17, rounded to 29).
=====Time=====
Repair time per threshold is 1 quarter for every year the ship took to construct. For example, repairing a Cruiser (2 years construction time) from Medium to Light Damage would take 2 quarters.
=====Repair Location=====
You may repair light damage at a Forward Operating Base. Repair of medium damage requires a supply point, or the territory of a formal ally. Heavy damage can only be repaired within your own territory.

==Strategic Operations - Mass Combat Resolution==
When combats get to a certain size, it becomes impractical to resolve them player versus player in anything resembling a timely fashion. In this case, we resolve these combats in the autoroller, with players making some top-level tactical decisions and some basic rules adjustments so the autoroller can handle everything. This section breaks down those changes.
===Rule Simplifications:===
In mass combat, the following simplifications take place:
* Fighter Dogfights: Instead of the previously laid out rules, Fighters are first allocated to mutual interception, and the side with excess fighters may then go on the attack. Higher technology fighters do still get their extra interception ability.
* Disengagement is automatically successful (but may still be “Run Down” post-battle, per above). When ships reach your threshold to withdraw, assuming they aren’t completely killed off in that phase, ships automatically disengage. Ships that disengage under 10% health may be subject to a modified roll on the casualty table post-battle. Disengaged ships count as destroyed for the purpose of determining when a force automatically disengages, so this is a balance point for aggressiveness, keep that in mind.
===Tactical Decisions:===
In mass combat, a commander (the player) designates a few conditionals to guide the combat roller in its resolution. These conditionals are as follows:
* Preferred targeting for each type of ship (capital, cruiser, escort, meaning which type of ship do they try to engage with in pairing)
* Preferred target for excess fighter squadrons if they exist (particular hull type first, followed by ships with X% of damage, etc)
* Preferred disengagement orders for both individual ship type (HP%) and your force as a whole (% of combat weight lost, disengaged ships count as a loss)

=Ground Combat=
==Ground Combat Units==
The use of highly trained ground troops never entirely went away, but with the generally degraded level of technology after the Collapse, and the need to ensure none of the remaining server-spires or other advanced technology polities need to rebuild, means that interface troops are an essential part of any standing military. You can’t bomb an autofac from orbit and then expect it to keep working, after all. These represent, perhaps even more than naval forces, ‘expeditionary’ ground troops-they’re designed to be ferried in transports away from your home system and break things. Each ground force unit has two ‘trait’ slots for customization purposes (along with one inherent trait appropriate for its unit type, Espatiers having two), and may gain Keywords as appropriate during the course of play. Divisions and Corps, representing the inherent efficiency gained from larger-sized formations of similar composition, gain a third trait as long as they are not broken down into smaller units. Custom divisions built out of a myriad of component units do not get this bonus-you’re looking for optimization, this represents logistical and operational flexibility.

Units can be constructed & mixed together as much as you’d like, with the rule (for simplicity) that three battalions equals a brigade and three brigades equals a division. Yes this is simplified but we’re trying to keep things easy to resolve here. All ground forces take one year to be raised.

Interface Battalion/Brigade/Division/Corps $35/$70/$105/$140 & 5/10/15/20 DI 
Specialists in orbital insertions, planetary hot-drops, and storming airless moons. Often known as Marines. 
Quality: 2 
Mobility: 3 
Firepower: 2 
Morale: 3 
Traits: Insertion 

Espatier Battalion/Brigade/Division/Corps $40/$80/$120/$160 & 5/10/15/20 DI 
Specializing in spaceborne boarding operations, SAR, and other particularly skilled and sensitive work. The scalpel to the Interface unit’s sword. 
Quality: 3 
Mobility: 2 
Firepower: 2 
Morale: 3 
Traits: Boarding, Void Jockey 

Armored Battalion/Brigade/Division/Corps $50/$80/$140/$200 & 10/15/20/25 DI 
Not as easy to get on the ground as an interface unit, as their gear often has to be physically transported to the surface of a body (and is useless inside a station or small habitat) but has significantly more firepower when they’re able to actually use it. 
Quality: 2 
Mobility: 3 
Firepower: 3 
Morale: 2 
Traits: Breakthrough 

Mobile Infantry Battalion/Brigade/Division/Corps $30/$60/$90/$120 & 5/10/15/20 DI 
Infantry not designed primarily for insertion operations, but with light power armor, integrated transports, and light support. The bread and butter of most Polity ground forces. 
Quality: 2 
Mobility: 2 
Firepower: 2 
Morale: 2 
Traits: Dig In 

G.T.O. Defense Battalion/Brigade/Division/Corps $40/$80/$120/$160 & 10/15/30/60 DI 
Solving the problem of enemy orbital superiority throughout a theater of operations has been a problem since mankind achieved spaceflight. Modern systems represent an effective screen against enemy orbital superiority through a combination of mobile shield generators, shroud projection systems and an extensive battery of beam emitters and railgun launched missile systems mated to modern FC suites that are capable of engaging enemy ordnance and beams and either destroying or deflecting them. 
Quality: 2 
Mobility: 2 
Firepower: 0 
Morale: 2 
Traits: Mobile GTO Network 

Interface/Space Fighter Wing: $10 & 5 DI 
Aerospace interface fighters designed to conduct orbital and atmospheric operations. Terrible in deep space against true fighters, deadly in atmosphere or in close orbital space where speeds are much slower and air pressure is a factor. Used to support ground assaults on planets with atmosphere, or alternatively, to defend against said assaults. Take up a hangar slot on ships or can be deployed to a Territory. 

==Moving Ground Units Around==
Ground Forces are assumed to come with their own integrated troop transports that can defend themselves to a slight degree but really should be escorted as defending against a Pirate frigate with Common quality tech and a wolfpack of OPF Standard quality destroyers is quite another. These transports are assumed to have the ability to support logistically and land ground forces as needed. They do not, generally, have ortillery, however.

Some states have designed dedicated combat-capable troop transports, however, and these ships tend to add a significant multiplier to ground operations.

==Mustering, Combining, and Splitting Ground Units==
The ground combat system as designed strikes a balance by being “easy” for entry-by allowing players to purchase large, single design units, that may not be as optimizing but are more inexpensive, while also allowing players who want greater fidelity and engagement by allowing them to build their own units. As a result, it is possible to muster an interface division, and then break them down into individual brigades and battalions, and in theory save money. However, to represent the inefficiency inherent there, when breaking a large unit into smaller components, you have to pay 50% of the $ and DI cost of the parent unit to represent regenerating command & control, supply networks, and other factors. You may combine units freely, either those mustered as smaller units or those who have this surcharge paid for, but you don’t get to, for example, buy an interface division and an armored division and then just rearrange the battalions. This may not be entirely realistic but reality here has to bow to game mechanics.

==Unit Size Table==
This table below represents a quick reference of unit sizes to other unit sizes.

{| class="wikitable"
! Unit Size !! Battalion !! Brigade !! Division !! Corps
|-
| Battalion || 1 || 1/3 || 1/9 || 1/27
|-
| Brigade || 3 || 1 || 1/3 || 1/9
|-
| Division || 9 || 3 || 1 || 1/3
|-
| Corps || 27 || 9 || 3 || 1
|}

=Ground unit Stats=
==Quality==
The Quality of a Ground Unit depends on its type, as well as any modifiers from if the unit is Elite or not. In effect, this ranges from 0 to 4. The default quality of all Regular line units is 2, but some Q3 and 4 units exist.
==Mobility==
Mobility also depends on the type of the Ground Unit. Mobility ranges from 0 to 4.
==Firepower==
Some ground units have more firepower than others. This ranges from 0 to 4.
==Morale (and Fatigue)==
Morale and Fatigue is, again, rated on a scale from 0 to 4, and ties in to the supply of a ground force, how long they’ve been deployed, what they’ve been doing (Good luck finding high morale during COIN operations), and numerous other factors. The default morale is 2 and moderators will make judgment calls adjusting morale as appropriate to circumstance (also some game effects can raise or lower morale, it’ll be clearly stated.)
* 0 - The crews don’t want to be there, and the fleet is low on supply or is far from home.
* 1 - Morale is low, be it due to a recent defeat, long deployment, unpopular officers, a grueling insurgency, or low Stability.
* 2 - Average morale, the resting baseline
* 3 - Eager. The US Marine Corps on an off day
* 4 - Fearless. Iranian Basij during the Iran-Iraq war.
* Tech Level (TL) and ground troops
* TL 6 troops have +1 mobility and firepower after any other bonuses.
* TL 5 troops have the ‘default’ stats.
* TL 4 troops have -1 mobility and firepower after any other bonuses.
* TL 3 troops have -2 mobility and firepower after any other bonuses.
The normal stat maxima of 4 must be adhered to before these bonuses are applied; TL 6 units can have effective Mobility and Firepower of 5, if they were at 4 before their bonuses were applied.

Example: a TL 6 armored brigade with artillery, fast would have final stats of (Morale 2, Mobility 5, Firepower 5, Morale 2). 
Half TL advancement
If any rules still involve ground forces fighting at +.5 (one half) tech level, treat them as having +1 Mobility. 
==Mustering, Combining, and Splitting Ground Units==
The ground combat system as designed strikes a balance by being “easy” for entry-by allowing players to purchase large, single design units, that may not be as optimizing but are more inexpensive, while also allowing players who want greater fidelity and engagement by allowing them to build their own units. As a result, it is possible to muster an interface division, and then break it down into individual brigades and battalions, and, in theory, save money. However, to represent the inefficiency inherent there, when breaking a large unit into smaller components, you have to pay 50% of the $ and DI cost of the parent unit to represent regenerating command & control, supply networks, and other factors. You may combine units freely, either those mustered as smaller units or those who have this surcharge paid for, but you don’t get to, for example, buy an interface division and an armored division and then just rearrange the battalions. This may not be entirely realistic but reality here has to bow to game mechanics.

==Moving Ground Units Around==
Ground Forces are assumed to come with their own integrated troop transports that can defend themselves to a slight degree but really should be escorted as defending against a Pirate frigate with Common quality tech and a wolfpack of OPF Standard quality destroyers is quite another. These transports are assumed to have the ability to support logistically and land ground forces as needed. They do not, generally, have ortillery, however.

Some states have designed dedicated combat-capable troop transports, however, and these ships tend to add a significant multiplier to ground operations.

==Ground Unit Traits==
===Air Defense===
This unit has innate air-defense capabilities beyond shoulder fired munitions and the like. Each Air Defense trait in a unit counters one wing of enemy interface fighters.
===Assault===
These troops are designed to assault fixed fortifications and fight in dense close quarters. They tend to burn a whole lot of supply as a result. Counters enemy Engineers.
===Boarding===
This unit has the training and equipment to do boarding operations without significant penalty. (See Boarding for details)
===Breakthrough===
A unit victorious in combat can force one rerolled Damage Save roll for enemy units for each Breakthrough trait it possesses. Breakthrough and Dig In rerolls cancel each other out.
===Defensive===
A unit with the Defensive trait cannot be used in offensive operations. This trait cannot be removed or swapped by any method if it is a unit's inherent trait.
===Dig In===
A unit taking a Damage Save can reroll one result for each Dig In trait it possesses. Breakthrough and Dig In rerolls cancel each other out.
===Engineers===
This unit has a reinforced detachment of engineers for combat operations. This unit gains a 4+ (on a d6) recovery save if they are Exhausted or Destroyed in combat. Recovered exhausted units are fine, and recovered destroyed units are merely exhausted. Countered by the Assault Trait.
===Extra Artillery===
This unit has an additional company of artillery platforms to support it in combat. +1 to firepower
===Fast===
This unit is designed to move quickly both strategically and tactically, either because of hovertanks, VTOLs, simply being trained for it, whatever. +1 to mobility.
===Garrison===
Only applicable from the Revenant polity trait, Garrison units fight at +0.5 TL in a specified node.
===Insertion===
A unit with Insertion has a 4+ (on a d6) recovery save if they are Exhausted or Destroyed by Intercepting fighters on landing. Saved Destroyed results are reduced to Exhausted, whereas saved Exhausted units are available for combat operations.
===MASH===
A force with a MASH trait restores Exhausted units to combat. Each battalion equivalent with MASH as a trait can restore three battalion equivalents to the line.
===Military Police===
Units with this trait can suppress the negative consequences of a territory having different ethos from the rest of your state. You need 1 battalion-equivalent per CI in the territory to achieve this effect.
===Mobile GTO Network===
GTO Networks protect a 1:3 ratio of equivalent sized units from enemy ortillery, alongside the immediate area that the unit is stationed. Units protected against enemy ortillery fire that are targeted by it gain a +4 save on a d6 against the attack and on a pass do not have to make the damage check. Every GTO network past the first protecting the same target increases the success chances of a unit's save against ortillery by +1, up to a maximum saving throw of +2. Units with GTO Networks count as protecting themselves if targeted directly. Additionally every warship using ortillery against a target protected by a GTO network suffers a single Standoff attack per a round of bombardment of 5 attacks at base damage 6, per a battalion sized unit defending the target. Note: The only way to take this trait is with the GTO Defense Unit.
===Secured===
As with the ship trait, although this also represents improved loyalty.
===SCIENCE===
This unit is equipped to deal with Weird Shit. Primarily an out-of-combat effect but could have unconventional impact on combat from time to time.
===Special Forces===
These troops are trained for Black Ops and other off-the-books espionage work, they gain a +1 specialization bonus while on Espionage Ops, and do not contribute to Operational Loudness (unless tasked to do something especially loud).
===(Terrain Type) Specialist===
Some troops are specialized in fighting in particular types of terrain. These match the world types. Terrain specialists gain a bonus when fighting in their favored terrain, and are (story wise) also resistant to any excesses that type of terrain has to offer.

=Resolving Ground Combat=
==Damage Saves==
Ground units engaged in combat make ‘Damage Saves’. To make a damage save for a battalion, roll a d20. A result of 10-15 exhausts the battalion, and a result of 16-20 destroys it. Several things can modify the roll or result of a damage save, or even allow for one or more re-rolls.
Exhaustion
Exhausted units have taken enough casualties that they are effectively unusable for a quarter until they’ve been refreshed with replacements.

The following only apply to damage saves made as a result of ground combat, not interdiction or ortillery:

===Mobility Advantage===
Where ground combat is occurring, the side with the higher average mobility gets a -1 bonus to it’s damage saves,
===Firepower Advantage===
Where ground combat is occurring, the side with the higher average firepower inflicts a +1 penalty on damage daves to the opposing side.
===Mission Priority===
* A side fighting at high mission priority suffers a +2 penalty to damage saves.
* A side fighting at low mission priority gains a -2 bonus to damage saves.
===Breakthrough===
For every battalion with the breakthrough trait a side possesses, they may force one battalion on the other side to roll two damage saves and take the worse result. The units suffering this penalty must be picked before the damage saves are made. The breakthrough and Dig-in traits cancel each other out.
===Dig in===
Units with the dig in trait may roll two damage saves and take the better result. The breakthrough and Dig-in traits cancel each other out.
===Engineers (and Assault)===
A battalion with the ‘engineers’ trait gains a 4+ (on a d6) recovery save if they are Exhausted or Destroyed in combat. Recovered exhausted units are fine, and recovered destroyed units are merely exhausted. An opponent who has forces with the ‘Assault’ trait may cancel these recovery saves on a 1 btn to 1 btn basis. The player with Assault decides which recovery saves to counter before any rolls are made.
===MASH===
A force with a MASH trait restores Exhausted units to combat. Each battalion equivalent with MASH as a trait can restore three battalion equivalents to the line.
===Losing===
The side that lost a battle phase takes a +2 penalty to damage saves.

==Ortillery==
Ships in orbit or supporting a ground attack with the Ortillery Capability are capable of engaging and neutralizing ground targets. A Ship with Ortillery can force a number of ground units depending on the ship’s size to immediately make a Damage Save.

{| class="wikitable"
! Ship Size !! Ortillery Target
|-
| Escort || 1 Battalion Equivalent
|-
| Cruiser || 3 Battalion Equivalent
|-
| Capital || 9 Battalion Equivalent
|}

The player suffering the ortillery attack gets to choose what units are targeted. 

=Fighters=
==Interception and Dogfighting==
Interception and dogfighting are handled the same as ship combat, with interface fighters acting as any other fighter squadron during interception and dogfighting. Any ‘extra’ fighters may go on to provide Interdiction of landing forces, or to ensure Air Superiority.
==Interdiction==
Defending Interface fighters that have not been intercepted may directly attack ground units that are attempting to land on a planet. Each un-intercepted interface fighter squadron may attack a single landing battalion. Ground battalions so attacked must make a Damage save, with a bonus of +4 added to the roll. The player suffering the interdiction attack(s) gets to choose what battalions are targeted.
==Air Superiority==
A ground battalion with the air defense trait counters one fighter squadron on the Air Superiority mission.
A side with any number of un-countered fighters assigned to the Air Superiority mission receives a +1 to its battle resolution roll.

==Battle Value (BV)==
The BV of a battalion (btn) is the sum of its four stats. Battalions fighting in terrain they are specialized in add an additional one to their BV. The BV of a whole force is the average of the BV of its different battalions. The average mobility and firepower of the units should also be recorded, as they will have an effect on the number of casualties taken. Note that units exhausted or destroyed by ortillery or interdiction don’t fight, so there is no need to compute with BV.

Example: 
A force consists of: 
2 brigades (6 btn) of interface troops (Q2 M4 F2 M3) who are also specialized in the current terrain, so the BV of each interface btn is 12 (2 (quality) + 4 (mobility) + 2 (firepower) +3(morale) +1(specialization bonus). 
2 divisions (18 btn) of mobile infantry (Q2 M2 F2 M2) with extra artillery; BV 9 (2 (quality) + 2 (mobility) + (2 +1 for artillery) (firepower) + 2 (morale) 
And 
1 armored division (9 btn) (Q2 M3 F3 M2); BV 10 per battalion. 

So the average BV for the whole force (33 btn) is 9.82 ((6 * 12 + 18 * 9 + 9 * 10)/33) 
The average mobility is 2.64 ((6 * 4 + 18 * 2 + 9 * 3)/33) 
The average firepower is 2.82 ((6 * 2 + 18 * 3 + 9 * 3)/33) 
==Differing BV==
Compare the BV of the two opposing forces, and round the difference between them. This difference is the bonus that the better quality force will have to their resolution roll. 
Example: 
The force above (BV 9.82) is fighting a force of mobile infantry (BV 8), (round(9.82-8) = 2), so they gain a +2 advantage to their battle resolution roll. 

==Relative Size==
The Relative Size of units in combat is, again, based on the unit’s size. Battalions are the smallest possible unit, Brigades are larger than Battalions but smaller than Brigades, and Brigades are the largest. Three battalions make a brigade and three brigades make a division. Give the smaller force a 1 and the larger a 2. IF the larger force outnumbers it two to one, give the larger force a 4. If by three to one, a six; four to one, an eight.
==Mission Priority==
Sometimes a force is willing to rush the enemy guns, trading increased casualties to greater battlefield effectiveness, this is high mission priority; sometimes they are mainly interested in running out the clock, waiting for reinforcements, this is low mission priority. 
Units fighting with high priority gain a +1 to their resolution roll, and units with low priority take a -1 to their resolution roll. 

==Leadership and Strategy==
Both sides roll opposed d6 rolls, with each side getting a bonus to the roll depending on the plan of the force going into the battle and how it interacts with the other side’s plan. The winner of the roll adds the Lead (up to a maximum of +4) to their resolution roll.
==Battle Resolution==
Each side of the battle rolls a d20, adding and subtracting the bonuses and penalties above. The side with the higher roll has won this phase of the battle.
Every battalion involved in the ground fighting (i.e. not those that have already been exhausted before the fighter started) then rolls a damage save. Units that lost the battle phase take a +2 penalty to their damage saves. See Damage Saves (above) for a longer list of what can affect them.
==Time==
A combat phase in ground combat represents a full quarter (one RL week), as all this abstraction really is simplification of protracted ground campaigns spanning hundreds of kilometers, with terrain and numerous other factors in play. This could be waived in some circumstances, like a couple of brigades being dropped on a battalion or whatever, at moderator’s discretion.

With the basic battle results resolved, moderators will then make a judgment if one side or the other withdraws or surrenders, based primarily on four

==Boarding==
Boarding is very hard to do, normally requiring specialized troops known as Espatiers. Under combat conditions it’s normally done very rarely, and most Espatier work is done post-combat as part of pursuit. Moderators will determine when Boarding operations can occur and handle resolution as shit’s complicated and not intended to be a mainline combat tactic.

===Outdated Boarding Rules===
''These rules were originally written when it was thought boarding was to be a mainline combat tactic and are here for reference purposes only.'' 

As a note, using a unit without the Boarding trait increases difficulty by 50%. Notably, lower tech-level units do not suffer a notable penalty for fighting in boarding actions-at close range, there’s only so many ways to skin a cat and the tech disparity isn’t as important as grit and big booms.

First, the boarding unit has to actually successfully dock with the target. Coming from a ship with a Boarding Pod module helps, while the enemy possessing the Flak trait makes things more difficult. It’s also generally more difficult if the ship has undamaged engines or is faster than the ship carrying the Espatiers.

Boarders can attempt to seize control of the ship- or do damage to it from the inside. Whichever is chosen by the controlling player when the boarding action starts.

Actually damaging a ship is the easier of the two. Every turn that an Espatier unit is on board a warship, it will do damage to the ship’s HP equal to the sum of its Quality and Firepower rating times two. Damage from all on board. If a ship is destroyed this way, then the Espatiers disembark.

Capturing a ship is the hard part. In order to capture a ship, an Espatier Unit has to make a capture check: this is, roughly, 1d8 + Quality + Mobility+ Firepower versus 10 + half the target’s logistics weight. Defending Espatier units force the attacker to instead overcome the full logistics weight of the target. Multiple attacking units may add together their numbers, with each battalion of Espatiers adding together their values (but the D8 is only added once).

A captured ship is effectively disabled, and can be seized by the victorious side after battle- or scuttled.

Every turn that an Espatier unit is onboard a ship, be it attempting to destroy it or attempting to capture it, that unit will have to make a Damage Save, adding the Size of the ship and the Firepower of any hostile Espatier units to the roll. A result of 12 or more has the boarding Espatiers forced to retreat. A result of 15 or more sees the Espatiers destroyed. A result of 9, 10, or 11 sees the Espatiers take casualties but continue the mission; if they succeed, then they will have to spend a quarter recovering from the losses.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Thread Index

2023-10-06T17:47:07Z

Jacklyn:

#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]

=Mod Team=

'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/slacker.641/ Slacker:]''' My dumb ass. The conductor of the clown train we're all engaged in. 
'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/xjax1.481003/ xjax1:]''' Our queen of exploration & secrets lost and arcane, person you send exploration stuff to. 
'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/crusher-bob.334015/ Crusher Bob:]''' Lord of the Spreadsheet, general modding duties when available, Pirate Lord 
'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/lineark.32424/ LineArk:]''' High Poaster of the Scumshow & Espionage mod. Send sneaky stuff to him. 
'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/secondskink.312924/ Secondskink:]''' High Admiral of the Battlesheeps, general modding duties. 
'''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/members/iranon.514733/ Iranon:]''' Combat Sim guru and general modding stuff. 

=Game Map=
[https://h4rrib0.github.io/fta3bobmap/ Live Map]

=Political, Diplomatic, and Polity Action Thread=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/diplomacy-gunboats-and-hazards-to-navigation.1115674/ Diplomacy, Gunboats, and Hazards to Navigation]

=Sector/NPC Worksheet=
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HLJrAdYdnI1Fb-Juzb0GvCodzIHXHchLOup2aEStsZg/edit?usp=sharing Sector Worksheet]

=Plot System/Zone Worksheet=
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OF-GhkLlJz0Qj7rLDqKhsXsCHTf-b8WeoEJ51EGqYHg/edit?usp=sharing Plot System Worksheet]

=Strategic Operations & Deployments=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/strategic-operations-fleet-movement-notifications.1116820/ Strat Ops & Fleet Movement Notifications]

=Exploration Thread=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/indiana-jones-and-the-quest-for-loot-exploration-master-thread.1115456/ Indiana Jones and the Quest for Loot]

=Piracy/Commerce Protection Results Thread=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/pirate-petyrs-power-plundering-patrols-plump-plentitude.1115072/ Pirate Petyr's Power Plundering Patrols Plump Plentitude]

=NPC Sales / Market thread=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-galactic-market.1109382/ The Galactic Market]

=Player Trading/Sales thread=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-intergalactic-bazaar-public-player-sales-offers-to-buy-sell-trade.1115126/unread The Intergalactic Bazaar]

=Budgets=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/huygens-city-annual-grid-economic-report-budgets-gy1.1114688/ Year 1 Budget Thread]

=Other Useful Tools & Links=
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/teh-spreadsheet.1113358/ Bob's Budget Spreadsheet]

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

From the Ashes 3

2023-10-06T17:46:51Z

Jacklyn: added to index

[[File:Starmap.png|thumb|right]]

From the Ashes Three builds on decades of success in running long-term strategy roleplay on Spacebattles and elsewhere. The creative/moderation team sports over a century of RPG & Strategy experience between its members and is committed to running a long term, successful game for its players.

From the Ashes Three incorporates some of the deep lore of previous Spacebattles games into its backstory but also presents a new, unique setting that shouldn’t be daunting to new players. To FTA veterans, think of this as yet another Manifold of reality. To new players-there’ll be some weird references and backstory elements that may need some explanation but you’ll be good to play out of the box without any prior knowledge of the history.

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Thread Index]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
#[[FTA3 Exploration]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=Intro=
Eighty thousand years ago Humanity crawled out of its home star system, Sol, and into centuries of exploration, settlement and intercine conflict. They slowly unified into what became known as the Overculture, eventually joining with the Chelonians to be bequeathed the governorship of the Open Palm Federation by the Xan, already ancient when Humans were young. These two - followed several thousand years later by a third technic species of particular promise, the TKK - governed the Open Palm Federation for fifteen thousand years, becoming the galactic elders behind only the withdrawn Xan.

Sixty thousand years ago, the Overculture folded in upon itself. Having long led the Open Palm Federation in advanced if not downright esoteric physics and cybernetics, Humanity 60,000 years ago had become a species steadily losing touch with the material world. After preparing their successors - the Tharngolst - the Overculture vanished into incomprehensible software realms and with it, the vast majority of Humanity.

Thirty-seven thousand years ago, long-simmering disputes in the Open Palm Federation broke out into uprisings and conflicts. No interstellar polity dies quickly, and the Great War lasted for thousands of years. The Long Night that followed lasted for tens of thousands more.

Five thousand years ago the Long Night finally ended with space split between the darwinnowed Chelonian Protectorate - the last vestiges of the Open Palm Federation but so changed over time as to be unrecognizable - and the resurgent TKK 3rd Empire - the third and most lasting post-Great War TKK polity, each separated by vast gulfs of dark ages. Lesser species scurried between these titans, once friends but now tired foes, too entrenched in their ways to move beyond. The Tharngolst are believed extinct save devolved predators on the edge of known space. Humanity (what was left of it after the Overculture) had cladified into divergent strains of techno-survivors, these Ultramen and xFolk and Homo Extremis incomparably deviated from those that left Sol.

And then a century or two ago, the children of the Overculture returned. The softly humming server-spires that underpinned so much galactic infrastructure and survived the Long Night woke up and began to disgorge Humans. These reHumans were as if awoken from a dream, the descendants of a million simulations and fanciful worlds, forming polities new and retro. Ancient treaties and customs saw some treat these revenants and reclaimers with reverence if not outright awe, others saw reHumans as unwelcome.

It is 82,000(ish) AD and Humanity once again strides across the stars, but it will not be an easy path.

=Joining the Game=
Players can play as a '''Polity''', either a human derived one, one populated by non-human sophonts, or anything in-between.

Every player begins with the following:
# One of the '''Polity Templates''' that helps define your polity’s basic history and gives appropriate modifiers to match.
# Four ethea, with one being your dominant defining ethos.
# One Capital Territory (that is, a territory with a Capital Landmark in it), and three more territories in the same starting node.
# 300 CI, which generates $15000 for the first year of game play, this can be distributed amongst your starting Territories as you wish (Both inherent starting & those from Polity Templates/Ethos)
# 200 DI, Distributed amongst your territories as you see fit. (DI is tracked for capture purchases, but is pooled for actual production)
# 3 General Tokens per year
# Three Landmarks from the Landmark list distributed to your non-capital starting territories. Eligible Landmarks are marked in the appropriate rules with an (S).
# $20,000 of DI-independent spending representing your initial standing military.
# One starting Espionage Agency, generated with 12 Statistic points, 1 Specialization and 3 Asset unlocks.
# One Operational Doctrine tree unlocked with one trait selected.
# 2000 Supply
# 12 Ship Designs. You may choose one beneficial quirk from the Ship Design Quirk Table for five of these Designs. No quirk can be duplicated for a starting Design.
# Choose between either the Explorer or Strike Cruiser Specialist hulls, powerful cruisers equipped with the rare Fold Drive. You may start the game with up to 3 of these ships in your Starting Military.
# One Specialist hull unlocked.
# A single Supply Base at one of the starting ‘plot systems’ as designated by the mods.
# Two preferred planet types and two hostile planet types selected from the list towards the end of this document.
# 5 Points to “buy” from the following list:
:*4 more Ship Designs.
:*Another trait in your starting Doctrine tree.
:*20 CI to distribute across your Territories.
:*10 DI to distribute across your Territories.
:*$2000 more starting Military.
:*$1 additional Territory in a system outside your Capital Node with 10 CI.
:*400 additional Supplies
:*An additional Espionage Agency with the same points as your starter (12 stats, 1 Spec, 3 Unlocks)
:*Upgrade an existing Agency with 5 Statistic points and 1 Spec or 3 Unlocks
:*A Forward Operating Base in another plot system of your choosing.

==Polity Templates==
===Residents===
Space aliens! Residents are the various ‘native’ techno-sophonts of the Grid; some may have clawed their way into space under their own power while others might be ancient uplifts Some may even be humans, the far-flung and much-changed descendants of those that never entered the great digital oververse. No matter their exact origins, Residents all share the trait that they are well-established in known space, having their own defined region of settled space.
* Gain two Territories with 15 CI each in systems other than your starting one, with moderator discretion.
* Gain an additional Ethos or two territories as per above (total of 4)
* Generate 1 Military token annually
* You will have one hostile or two neutral NPCs of comparable size placed near you. They will generally be amenable to cooperating against you.
* Residents may also choose to take any or none of the following options:
:*Imperium Rex: You may have two additional Territories as per above (possibly up to 6!), though your token production is reduced by 1 Diplomacy and 1 Other annually.
:*Veni, Vedi, Vici: You may yet again have two additional territories as per above (8?!), though you will have at least one significant and hostile NPC or possibly an entire coalition of lesser powers ready to defend themselves against you.
:*Astro-Hungarians: You may add one additional system with 30 CI but your Stability decays towards its resting point by an extra point per turn.
===Reclaimers===
The Reclaimers are one of the two dominant philosophies of reHumanity - Reclaimers seek to return to a position of preeminence and have begun campaigns of expansion. These could be direct military conquests or rapid colonization of fallow worlds. The result is an expansionist human polity, though often one that is limited in the recovered technology - there seems to be a certain inverse correlation between reHuman polities that managed to extract significant advanced technology out of the server spires and those that adopted the Reclaimer mindset. Perhaps they’re compensating?
* Gain a Territory with 15 CI in a system other than your starting one, with moderator discretion
* Your resting stability point is increased by one point.
* Generate 1 R&D token annually
* You may have a large NPC on your borders, if you do so your territorial bonus becomes 2 x 15 CI in two non-starting systems.
* You may have two small hostile NPCs on your border. If you do, you generate 1 Military token annually.
===Revenants===
The other main reHuman philosophy are the Revenants. The main difference is that Revenants do not have a driving objective to return to the alleged glory days, instead looking to a new and different future in this new and different galaxy. That doesn’t mean they’re all fluffy bunnies; individual Revenants can be just as arrogant and superior as any other reHuman and as a polity Revenant states are hardly shy at using force when needed. They also often pack unexpected surprises and more than one Resident has thought to bully a small Revenant polity over some meaningless dispute only to have a force of advanced warships materialize and tear their forward fleet apart with various deadly sorts of weaponry. It's an error few make twice.
* The cost to restore OPF relics, infrastructure and landmarks is reduced by 50%
* You start with a second specialty hull (non-Fold drive) unlocked and open to production.
* You start with three TL6 Strike Cruisers.
* Generate 1 Diplomacy token annually.
* Begin the game with 1 fully repaired OPF Landmark (Moderator discretion).
* For each territory you possess, designate $500 of ‘Garrison’ forces. These units gain the Garrison [Node] trait, which increases their TL by +0.5 while in the corresponding node. You may replace losses to these units normally, or may redesignate which units are garrison forces (nation-wide) by spending 1 Military token.
* Your starting intel Agency starts with 2 points of Specialization built-in instead of 1, and an extra Unlock.

===Roamers===
The derogatory term for the numerous nomads that sail across the grid, some Roamers are the last remnants of ancient empires driven from their homeworlds, while others are simply wanderers that have formed up into like-minded societies. Many have picked up all manner of curios along the way and most polities on the grid will at least accept their temporary presence inside their space to engage in trade, diplomacy and exchange. Roamers do not have preferred planet types for obvious reasons.
*Generate 2 Diplomacy, 1 Espionage and 1 Economy token annually.
*Roamers are migratory, instead of Territories they can either build '''Convoys''' of Worldships or establish '''Satrapies'''.
:*'''Convoys''' can move freely a single jump of up to two tramline-links per year, and can extend that range by up to two tramline-links per [any] Token spent to a maximum of 5 tokens per year. Landmarks designated as Mobile can be moved aboard a Convoy, but they lose any benefits tied to their system of origin (IE, espionage token generator in the Big E, etc). All economic indices ($ income from CI, DI, etc) are reduced by 40% in a Convoy. Newly acquired Territories can be converted to Worldships, but only after their culture has been fully converted to match your Ethea. Territories below 10 CI can be converted to a Convoy free of cost.
:*New Territories above CI 10 can be set up as '''Satrapies'''. These are a special kind of NPC in that the territory’s internally produced resources are all funneled to your state, but they are counted as demilitarized neutral states by the rules of diplomacy on the Grid. Pirates may bother them but it’s generally unwise for nation-states to do so. As these territories do not move, they produce economically at their unchanged value.
*Roamers have three Ethos points instead of four. Instead you gain the ethos abilities of Low-Key and Starbound without selecting them as an Ethos. You can also choose to gain the Dominant abilities of both for one ethos point.
*I Know a Guy: You may spend a military token to instantly purchase $1000 in military or espionage units for the year as you dig through your rolodex.
*Jubilee! If a Convoy arrives at a system you have not ‘landed in’ within the past ten turns, your $ income for all territories and satraps in the '''sector''' is doubled that year and any other polities with territory or satraps in the '''sector''' gain 10% in $ income. You get one Jubilee a year.
*Research costs are reduced by 50%. Token cost is unchanged, however.
*When moving between sectors, Roamers can impact the trade market significantly, acting as either a significant modifier for either Piracy or Commerce Protection (Roamer player designates how their forces are acting).

===Rumpus===
Species that have only just clawed their way up to interstellar travel. Maybe you were isolated on a relic vault for forty thousand years, or maybe you just happened to evolve to sapience over the course of the long dark and only just made your first steps into a wider world, but regardless everything- and particularly the history of space- is new and interesting, and you’re going to point your nose every which-where regardless of accepted custom or culture and especially regardless of any warnings claiming that this isn’t a place of honor.
* Your Tech Level is 4. Don’t ask how to get to TL5, you’re a thousand years too early.
:*Up to 50% of your front-line military fleet may be TL5 ships, purchased third-hand from Crazy Chelon’s Honest Scrapyard.
:*You may reduce the TL of all your purchased starting equipment by 1. In exchange, rampant xeno-paranoid militarism gives you three times as many base forces. Lower technology forces have a lower upkeep cost (see the military rules for details)
* You will generally have a number of fallow systems near you.
* No Respect: All diplomacy actions cost double tokens. The loudness of espionage operations is halved.
* You can choose one of three options:
:*Starry-Eyed: Generate 2 additional General tokens per year.
:*Scrappy: Generate 1 Economy Token per year. Additionally, every time you suffer a meaningful defeat or setback (eg, military defeats, exogenous stability loss, etc), you gain 1 General Token.
:*Rally Around the Flag: Generate 1 Unity Token per year. In addition, most exogenous events that would decrease stability instead both increase it and provide special Rally Tokens with GM-determined effects.

=Ethos=
==Culture==
This is a topic that is simplified from what could be an incredibly intricate and complicated set of interactions, but won’t be because we would like everyone to not go insane. Suffice it to say, the OPF was an extremely long lived polity, with over a hundred thousand years of mediating disputes between cultures, societies, and even species. As a result, culture conflicts in FTA are more about broad overreaching ethos-driven debates more than menu choices or clothing.

Your territories are generally assumed to have the same culture as you do, as well as any new colonies you establish over the course of the game. What is different, however, is when your polity absorbs the territory of another state, either through peaceful diplomatic overtures, military conquest, economic domination, or some other means. Each NPC, no matter how big or small, has its own mix of ethos that defines, in practical terms, that state’s '''Culture'''.

A newly integrated territory requires token expenditure to settle the population down and align them with your values. For every ethos from the Antagonistic category that a new territory has, that is different than your own culture, you must spend one unity token and one token of a type that the ethos you’re swapping it to can generate. If the ethos is naturally antagonistic to one your polity possesses (hierarchy to egalitarian, for example), the cost is two unity tokens and one token of the type you’re switching it to produces.

For every non-antagonistic ethos a state has, you must spend a token of a type the ethos you’re switching it to produces.

Switching an ethos lowers the stability of a territory by one. This can be bought off by other means.

Newly acquired territories with different ethos to your own produce less resources in some fashion until they are integrated properly. Consult this chart below to see what penalties the territory suffers. These effects are cumulative, that is, a territory with four mismatched ethos suffer from all four effects. (obviously when two values exist, go with the lower one)

{| style="text-align: left" cellpadding="3"
! # of Mismatched Ethos !! Effect
|-
| 1 || CI Produces 10% less income.
|-
| 2 || Resting Stability at 4. DI Production reduced 50%.
|-
| 3 || Resting Stability at 3. Token Generators do not produce Tokens.
|-
| 4 || Resting Stability at 2. No landmarks function; CI produces 30% less income.
|-
|}

=Economy & Tokens=
see [[FTA3 Economy]]

=Research & Development=
See [[FTA3 Research & Development]]

=Diplomacy=
See Diplomacy section.[https://swiki.fancruft.com/index.php?title=FTA3_Ethos_%26_Politics#Diplomacy]

=The Setting=
==Space Travel==
The Grid is arguably the single greatest work of human esoteric physics, 'burning' easily-accessible interstellar travel routes into the hyperstructure of space itself. While the slow movement of the stars has degraded this ancient work over the last forty thousand years, most connections still exist, albeit not always as passable as they once were.

Actually traveling along a 'tramline' (a term derived from pre-space Human mass transit) is easy, so much so that jump drives are built by post-Open Palm sophonts that are under the mistaken impression that the Grid's tramlines are a natural phenomenon. In the heyday of the Federation jump drives could be built small enough that they could easily be installed on family-sized runabouts and shuttles, though today much of this miniaturization is lost. Even so, almost anything big enough to be considered a 'ship' as opposed to 'shuttle' can and does carry a jump drive today.

[Under Construction]

These simple factors combine to shape the astrogeography and space strategy of the 83rd millennium.

Jump gates do not have quality (they are effectively always Stable), but they do have span - maybe you only want (or have the money for) an escort-span jump gate!

==The Map==
The map is a '''Node''' based system, with important systems linked by gate or tram lines. A Node represents a primary system and some degree of surrounding space, generally comprised of Red Dwarf type dying stars and celestial debris, where minor development takes place called the Cloud. This cloud is abstracted for the purposes of rules and events and what have you. Your starting home system territories could be in the surrounding cloud, if it makes sense narratively. When game rules refer to territory in another system, they mean another node on the map, NOT something in the same node’s halo.

===Planet Types===
The galaxy is a diverse place and while OPF terraforming technology was good, it wasn’t perfect, and thirty thousand years of war and decay has ruined plenty of planets that might have once been nice places to live. Moreover, plenty of environments that are outright hostile to human life might be paradise to other life forms-even aside of extreme examples like the Genumet or Taloid, the Sondrak prefer worlds we would identify as deserts.

Settling a territory on a celestial body that aligns with your preferred planet type comes with some discount-a 25% reduction in the $ cost of establishing Landmarks and new territories there-while settling on a world that’s hostile incurs a 50% $ cost increase, representing the additional assets required to make the place liveable for your people. Even the hardiest transophonts have some requirements. Your starting infrastructure generally is assumed to be located on non-hostile worlds, and as a result these modifiers are only relevant to new construction in-game. Due note that this is whatever the dominant planetary trait is, and as a result these cannot be stacked.

Each Polity picks two Favored World types and two Hostile World types.

'''Gaian World''': These worlds are broadly similar to humanity’s homeworld, have large oceans and a varied climate.

'''Ocean World''': Technically usually defined as “archipelago worlds” are those with only a small percentage of their land above water. These worlds often have shallow continental shelves that provide vast areas of productive, accessible resources. True “Ocean Worlds”-that is, worlds with no dry land whatsoever and a world ocean vastly deeper than Earth’s, exist but are generally not targeted for settlement given how difficult it is to access resources and develop infrastructure..

'''Desert World''': Desert worlds are dry, dominated by desert and taiga biomes, typically with a relatively low percentage of surface water. They have significant day/night swings in temperature and large parts of their surface are inhospitable to baseline humans-however, their polar areas can be quite pleasant.

'''Swamp World''': A world covered largely in water, but with little topographic variety so most of the planet’s land surface is, well, swampy. Fairly rare, simply as the very process that makes a world home to organic life often also makes it geologically active enough to produce normal continents, but broadly habitable by most oxy-nitro based life if unpleasant. The Grunt prefer these worlds and engage in heavy internal fighting to control them when they’re found.

'''Tundra/Glacier World''': In some ways the very opposite of a desert world, these worlds are locked into an ice age. They might, in other geological epochs, be Gaian type, but whatever combination of tectonics, climate, and solar activity has resulted in large swatches of these worlds being covered in ice and snow. This constrains the biome variety found on the world as a result. Earth in the current era straddles the boundary between this state and a Gaian world, only held in check by active measures by the caretaker AI overseeing the cradle world from slipping back into another period of glaciation.

'''Volcanic World''': Generally younger worlds, with a very high fraction of radionuclides, resulting in active plate tectonics and crustal activity. Volcanism and earthquakes are a fact of life here and while an oxy-nitro based biosphere may be present, it likely has large amounts of contamination from heavy metals or other elements released as a result of outgassing. Many “Super-Earths” with biospheres fall into this category.

'''Eyeball World''': These are tidally locked worlds, not having a normal rotational period but instead a “light” pole and a “dark pole”. Depending on their primary and orbital position, they may host fairly normal twilight-adapted biomes or an array of unique life forms. These factors also determine how large the habitable zone is on such a world.

'''Cratered World''': These worlds are defined by their geology, or, rather, their lack of it. A lack of active weather or plate tectonics mean these worlds are still covered in impact basins or craters from their formation. Depending on the topography, it’s possible that deep canyons or basins may be habitable. These worlds range from “Warm Mars” type worlds through Earth’s moon depending on size and circumstance.

'''Methane World''': These worlds are akin to Titan in the Sol System, with large atmospheres, rich in organic materials, hydrology based on ethane and methane instead of water, and often exotice life. The taloid arose on such a world.

'''Radiated World''': These are worlds that for whatever reason are exposed to high amounts of hard radiation-Io in the Sol system is a good, if extreme, example. Some may still be inhabited but not by life familiar to baseline humans, depending on environment and temperature conditions.

'''Toxic World''': Worlds with reducing atmospheres or those completely lacking in oxygen, marginally habitable in the sense that there’s a local biosphere that certainly doesn’t mesh with baseline Earth life. They can be a ready source of chemicals and other industrial products too finicky to produce in nanoforges and have zero concerns about environmental protection for more exotic types of production.

'''Tomb World''': The fall of the OPF, from the first madness of the tharngolst to the last fleet engagement between the chelonians and TKK, was long, and bloody. Many worlds that were once thriving, full of life and development, are no longer so. Some remain barely habitable, choked with fallout and the detritus of orbital battles raining down. Some have had their atmospheres scoured completely. These worlds are not nice places to live, but, in theory, they are absolutely rich in potential salvage opportunities for those willing to take the chance.

==Species of the Orion Spur==
There are a large variety of sophonts extant across the territory of the former Open Palm Federation, both biological and synthetic in origin. The variety of manifestations of digital life is beyond the scope of this document, as there are endless variations, in terms of full independent SAI, uploads, etc. This list is also not a comprehensive overview of all extant species of Known Space, but merely a brief overview of the most commonly encountered species found across the volume of the Spur.

===Xan===
Preferred World Type: Gaian, Ocean
Trilateral land dwellers and the original founders of the OPF. The xan are revered as the founders of a cultural continuity stretching back nearly half a million years. Largely sublimated and retired from galactic affairs, but small populations (in relative terms) do exist in scattered locations across the Grid.

===Humanity===
Preferred World Type: Gaian, Ocean (Baseline homo sapiens sapiens; transhuman variants have a wide variety of preferences and tolerances)

Originally from Earth of the Sol system, humanity one of the three inheritors of the Xan, and were the heart of the OPF for fifteen thousand years. Their sublimation into the server-spires was, ultimately, arguably the root cause for the eventual collapse of the OPF, as their own chosen successors, the Tharngolst, ultimately fell short. Never entirely gone even once the majority of the species uploaded, there are now dozens of subspecies derived from the pre-space homo sapiens sapiens.

Posthumans: the uploads that replaced the Overculture 
Antehumans: Overculture-era 'normal' humans; generally fairly consistent to pre-space humans in body plan. Increasingly characterized by bio-mechanical integration 
Apohumans: The descendants of the humans that continued through the Long Night. Typically highly modified relative to antehumans. 
reHumans: Returned Humans. Antehumans, but returned. 
xFolk: "Mundane" humans that have regressed at some point to a peripheral, (near) baseline status; effectively reverting to something resembling archeo-humans of 80,000 years ago. 
Homo Extremis: Apohumans that have undergone major changes to survive in extreme environments; broadly considered a variety of distinct species in the larger homo genera, but this distinction is more scientific than cultural.

===Chelonians===
Preferred World Type: Desert, Gaian

Bipedal homeothermic herbivores, the first thing that would come to mind when describing this species is “A giant two legged sentient tortoise”. This isn’t an entirely unapt comparison, as the pre-sentient chelonians occupied a similar ecological niche on a planet broadly similar to Earth in the late Cenozoic. Standing an average of three and a half meters at the shoulder, with both an internal skeleton and external bone plating, chelonians are known for having the calm, collected attitude of a predominantly herbivorous species utterly unconcerned about predation. Chelonians do not rush into anything without cause but when they begin moving it is as an avalanche is coming.

Historically, the early Protectorate reached space at about the same time as humanity and were contacted by the xan within a few decades of their contact with Earth. Both species got along extremely well despite their very different temperaments, a pleasant surprise for the xan who were actively planning their withdrawal from galactic affairs. After humanity’s ascent into the server spires, the Chelonians attempted to become the moral center of the OPF, but ultimately they could not hold the Federation together as the Tharngolst began their descent to madness and the TKK bore the brunt of dealing with them. The Great War was as inevitable as a summer storm, but the Protectorate endured, keeping a number of worlds under its protection even as the OPF fell apart around them. Today, bitter, but ultimately unbowed, the Protectorate remains one of the two predominant successor states of the fallen OPF.

Chelonian populations can be found across the Orion Spur, although they are not quite as widespread as some species. Generally speaking, wherever chelonians set down roots, they established decent sized populations, so travelers across the Grid are likely to come across either individuals or small groups of the rumbling sentients, or heavily populated colonies, but not much in the middle.

===TKK===
Preferred World Type: Swamp, Ocean (TransTKK have a wide variety of tolerances)

Somewhat resembling Earth stick insects, the TKK were the third of the xan’s successor species. Somewhat younger than the chelonians and humanity, the outwardly insectoid race was the most dynamic and adaptable. Masters of their homeworld’s biota in a way no other species has ever quite managed, the TKK turned this bioengineering expertise on both themselves and on worlds across the Orion Spur, adapting themselves to new environments and uplifting numerous species into the Federation.

Most TKK go through a life-cycle: pupa, nymph, adult, hermit, and torpor. TKK pupa are soft-bodied and clumsy, moving about on unjointed prolegs, before undergoing the metamorphosis to nymphhood. As nymphs they acquire most of the common features of other stages of their life-cycle: an exoskeleton, a segmented bodyplan with eight limbs, and an arrangement of antenna atop their head. The social and physical maturation to adulthood is marked with the final development of Wings. After several decades a TKK can induce their transition to Hermitage, further hardening their carapace and significantly slowing their metabolism. The onset of Torpor sees a TKK adult enter either a state of deep hibernation or metamorph regression to the nymphhood that can, with some technological mediation, last multiple millennia.

Whether by natural heritage or millenias of self-tinkering, TKK are effectively biologically immortal though they usually do not spend most of their lifespan at full awareness. TKK social groups tend to emphasize extended hierarchical family bonds in order to provide the support networks to sustain members in the midst of Torpor and reintegrate them on their resurrection. It is of course by no means a rule and many TKK societies or minorities do not function in this way.

The cyclical nature of TKK social life gives their politics both adaptability and overall stability, but the TKK homeworlds started to suffer from the ‘baggage’ of many billions in Torpor. As members of the OPF this made their homeworlds prime candidates for the first stellar mega-engineering and megastructure development of the High Federation era, each having timespans projected in many thousands of years. Since their attention and resources were consumed by such colossal aspirations they were considered ‘out of the running’ for informal stewardship of the Open Palm as humanity began its retreat into the Spires. These stellar mining and dyson sphere complexes were still partially underway when the Tharngholst rampancy began.
It is these partially completed projects that were some of the first targets of the Rampancy, though the crises swiftly radiated outwards as the TKK struggled to contain the damage. The storytellers of the TKK Homeworlds maintain that they asked for, and received, permission from the Council to activate OPF quarantine protocols that granted local governing structures complete unification of military and civilian command. Thangholst berzerks and revenants continue to plague the ruins of the megastructures to this day.

Having borne the brunt of the damage of the Rampancy, the TKK also took on the responsibility of reconstruction as their adept mastery of biotechnology meant they were much more suited to the task than the notoriously bioconservative Chelonians. As the TKK tell it, they and their allies maintained the quarantine zones to thoroughly eradicate the Rampancy during the reconstruction process, and for this they were betrayed. According to this side of the story the Chelonian led Shield Worlds brought false charges of mono-species imperialism against the TKK Homeworlds before the Federation Council as pretexts for a series of treacherous attacks on the Quarantine perimeters. The great betrayal is cited as the reason for the TKK sundering from the Open Palm and the Great War that followed. While this is beyond ancient history, the conflicting histories told by the Shield Worlds and the TKK Homeworlds are often used to inflame the continually poor relations between the two up to the present day.

Today there are many TKK majority polities, but the chief among these is the 3rd Imperium. “Imperium” is a nuance-sufficient shorthand for a state of Martial Law that TKK historians maintain are rooted in the OPF quarantine protocols. The 3rd Imperium is the one of the two major powers of the Orion Spur, more dynamic than their counterparts and willing to engage with the lesser states of the former Federation but also with greater intended entanglement.

To simplify interactions with humanity, whose linguistic drift is considerable compared to that of the TKK, the TKK long ago adopted Latin as a second language and left the onus on translation on humanity. Perversely due to this, the TKK knowledge of ancient human history is often superior to that of much of humanity due to the classical nature of much of their schooling in this language.

===Tharngolst===
Preferred World Types: Swamp, Terran (baseline tharngolst) Radiated, Cratered, Void, Toxic (Revanant tharngolst if they exist which they don’t I swear)

The tharngolst were discovered by human explorers sixty five thousand years ago, soon after the withdrawal of the xan from governance. The species was young, but adaptable, and they were observed from afar while they mastered technology and colonized their star system. Biologically, they were hermaphrodite, invertebrate and eusocial, operating in the middle-to-upper tiers of their homeworld’s ecosystem. Their morphology gave them extraordinary adaptability without bioengineering in the manner of the TKK, and their ability to focus portions of their collective hive mind on individual members of their society for specific problems only enhanced this flexibility. Tharngolst telepathy only worked between members of the species, but it was immensely powerful and was largely responsible for the species-which in every other regard, biologically speaking, rather unremarkable-from reaching the top of the evolutionary heap on their homeworld.

Their replacement of humanity as the third leg of the OPF’s ruling triumvirate seemed an inspired decision by many, able in the same way as Sol’s children in interceding between the two very different outlooks of the chelonians and TKK and finding consensus while also protecting the less dominant species of the Federation. For nearly twenty thousand years, this opinion was amply reinforced, with the tharngolst beginning to consider the same marriage of biology and technology that humanity’s Overculture had embarked on that would eventually culminate in Posthuman server spires.

Unfortunately, somewhere, somehow, something tragically went wrong. The tharngolst, instead of sublimating into a virtual paradise of their own design and underpinning the information network of the OPF in the process, went mad and began lashing out. To this day, nobody knows what the trigger was. The tharngolst launched a vendetta across the stars, with destruction on their mind. It would take several thousand years to finally stop them, with the TKK bearing the brunt of the burden due to their own expertise, before they were finally stopped, and the costs of this conflict are the root causes for the end of the OPF.

Unfortunately, the Crusade wiped out well over 99% of the extant tharngolst population. The TKK were able to save a few small, isolated populations, either due to some glitches in their organic-cybernetic interface, or because they were outliers regarding the adoption of the tech, etc. Some of these populations survived the Great War and keep themselves a very low profile to this day.

Stories of Tharngolst Revenants lurking in the chaos of the Grid to wreck havoc upon what remains of Orion civilization are frequently heard, but not yet confirmed by any credible ReHuman or other polity.

===Sondrak===
Preferred World Types: Desert, Gaian

A post-Collapse species that was increasingly dominating stretches of the “No-Man’s Land” between the TKK and chelonians prior to the re-emergence of humanity, the sondrak are big-bodied, bipedal apex predators who developed sentience as the result of climatic changes on their homeworld. Largely individualistic but loyal to their clan or nation, the sondrak in terms of psychological outlook are in some ways very similar to humanity. In others, however, they are radically different. Their biological makeup meant that pre-technology sondrak were functionally unkillable by anything aside from another sondrak, a handful of rare diseases, and old age. They possessed incredible regeneration abilities, and were frankly bigger and meaner than anything else on their homeworld, which has left them with some interesting psychological quirks.

For one, sondrak see no real issue with physical violence to settle interpersonal disputes. To them, there’s no real difference between engaging in verbal debate and going a couple of rounds in the ring, because even if you lose a finger or something it’ll grow back in a couple of weeks. The discovery that most of the settled galaxy was populated by “softskins” who didn’t see things the same way was something of a shock to the species.

Another way in which their psychology is radically different is in terms of family structure. Sondrak reproductive practices involve group mating and communal raising of the resulting clutches of eggs. The actual parentage of particular offspring isn’t important, they’re all raised by the Clan. As a result, sondrak view legacy rather differently than most other species. Their original aspiration as individuals was to be ‘remembered’-that is, to obtain legendary status among their culture that persists across time.

The discovery that the galaxy was filled with a civilization hundreds of thousands of years old, with entire species given digital immortality through computational super technology, caused a shockwave in sondrak metaculture that has still not fully been resolved, and as a result, the sondrak are even more unpredictable as individuals than various human clades.

===Iase===
Preferred World Type: Void

Nobody knows where the iase originate from, including the iase themselves. Xan records indicate when they began spacefaring, there were already iase colonies scattered across the local volume. They have been extensively engineered over their long history and are adapted to microgravity. Iase colonies are normally in hollowed out asteroids, or in domes on airless moons. There is no central political entity for the iase as a species, although they were always been acknowledged as Federation members. The slight, pale, hairless species, bilateral in build with four limbs all adapted for manipulation (a legacy of the genetic engineering that made them thrive in microgravity) simply exist in thousands or millions of small colonies across the galaxy, integrated into whatever larger polity they happen to co-exist with.

What the iase are known for is being able to facilitate trade. While not remotely unified as a political entity, they communicate with their fellows for cultural and economic purposes, and their ubiquitous distribution across the Orion Spur (and beyond, if records from OPF expeditions into other parts of the galaxy are true) means they have been associated with interspecies long-distance travel for longer than the Federation existed.

The iase, as a species, are non-violent and unaggressive, unsurprising given their rather fragile microgravity adapted bodies. They are gregarious and welcoming of contact with other species, and their trade networks are probably the closest thing to a functional overarching body across the entirety of the Orion Spur. Iase colonies are equally prevalent in the Protectorate, in “Re-Man’s Land” between the two great empires, and within TKK space, and they all talk to each other.

The obvious implications for intelligence assets should speak for themselves.

===Caiveh===
Take the kzinti or kilrathi. Make them three feet tall, and somehow cuter. Kicked around by the TKK as a species during the Great War and afterward, pretty common members of the dysfunction that is current interstellar civilization. The sondrak admire their spunk.

Preferred World Type: Gaian

===Hyfi===
Contemporaneous with the rise of the sondrak, hierarchical owlbear imperialists who all fancy themselves to be Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Preferred World Type: Tundra

===Fueglan===
Older, second-tier species more or less contemporaneous with the TKK. Amphibious, unambitious, party animal cane toads on benders sorts. Everywhere but not in huge numbers. Just happy to be invited and hopes both teams have a good time.

Preferred World Type: Swamp

===Daedalians===
Crabpeople who got into space right as the tharngolst melted down. Unfortunate. Have, somehow, survived, and carved themselves a niche in things. Really wish they were over in the Perseus Arm, thoehiiojs-[Citation needed]

Daedalians are the pinnacle of evolution, as evidenced by Carcinization, the evolutionary phenomena in which all beings eventually try to evolve into Daedalians. They are decapod crustaceans of sublime intelligence, slavish generosity, impeccable taste and extraordinaty charisma. Their ancient and revered civilization stands as a living monument to their greatness.

Preferred World Type: Ocean

===Genumet===
Probably one of the more truly alien sophont species, vacuum dwelling crystalline based life forms who have scattered across a fair portion of the Spur. Were members of the Federation, generally friendly, keep to the outer fringe of star systems (think into the Centaurs in Sol) where the sort of slushy iceballs they derive nutrition from are frequently found. Originated in the volatile dense comet cloud of an unusual flaring red dwarf.

Preferred World Type: Void

===Taloid===
Nobody is sure how the hell they evolved, including the taloid themselves. Some assume some forgotten xan or human experiment. A race of mechanical life on a world where the beats of organic life were carried out on a warm-titan type world rich in mineral deposits. Self-organizing mechanical forms gradually increased in complexity until it resulted in sentience. It is important to recognize the taloid are incredibly distinct from other “synthetic” life, in that their sense of self and identity is tied to the physical form and not an informorph construct like most SAI. Fascinated by religion, both the myriad ones of their homeworld and of all the strange new beings they’ve encountered.

Preferred World Type: Methane

===Hurunghu’hn (Grunts)===
Think of a muskrat with an attitude problem that has the same relationship with a large grazing critter on their homeworld that a remora fish has with a shark, from a world full of things that make xenobiologists from across Orion go “bruh what the fuck”. Then give them a pack hunter mentality and access to fighter craft and tell them that people will pay them good money to get into scraps.

Preferred World Type: Swamp

===Milskri===
Preferred World Type: Volcanic

The Milskri are creations of a long finished non-human singularity that occurred in the Sagittarius arm. Physically they are around two meters long plus tail, with a body like a snake covered in yellow grey scales. They have six arms mounted along their spine, the joints apparently designed for amazing flexibility and acrobatics.

Milskri are hugely muscular and agile and are further blessed with superior senses. They are all but immune to poison, to disease, and have an amazingly strong skeletomuscular general body structure. Finally they are amazingly stealthy, their biology capable of evading even the most high tech sensors.

The Milskri were created not as some superior life form but rather as germs, biological weapons for the godlike AI that built them in its war against other godlike AI. They proved all too good at their task, getting loose and ending up destroying almost all AI gods in their region of space - even their original creators. They were brought to the Orion Arm towards the end of the Theopropulsion Age to fight the Dreadnought Gods, an action that is broadly considered a mistake to this day.

Milskri tactics revolve around hacking, sabotage and lots of explosives. While they are capable fighters they are not as good at fighting fellow sentients as they are the massive Godlike AIs they were designed to kill. Their technology is often designed to prevent exploitation by such AI, but this can leave them vulnerable to the capacities such devices (such as fully networked communications) that they give the enemy.

Milskri ideologies believe it is their duty to propagate entropy in the universe, to bring everything tumbling down. Of course, there are some Milskri who reject this course, but there are just as many fanatical true believers.

===Moss Bears (Aysheians)===
Looking like nothing so much as giant pony-sized tardigrades, the Moss Bears were something of a scourge of known space for several centuries until proper translation protocols were created and diplomacy was finally successful. With four sets of legs they have a clearly segmented body plan, with an eye turret akin to the Terran chameleon at each ‘shoulder’. They are also staggeringly resistant to radiation and can withstand far more radiation than any other technic sophont of the Orion arm; the median lethal dose normally exceeds 1000 Gy (over 100x that of a baseline human).

Preferred World Type: Radiated, Swamp

===Gryptids===
Hexapodal avians who were extremely traumatized by the Tharngolst Madness-being nearly exterminated has that effect, one supposes-and became violently against any kind of “smart” technology or MMI interfaces as a result. Extremely bio & techno conservative, to the point even the chelonians are sending DMs like “u good?”

Preferred World Type: Tundra, Swamp

===Iadelphe===
A race of friendly spider-ferrets who were nearly wiped out by the tharngolst and the subsequent War in Heaven that ended the OPF. Their homeworld became an irradiated ruin, the survivors scattered across the Spur have been trying to find themselves a new world to call their own ever since. Found in a lot of the marginal spaces on the Grid.

Preferred World Type: Gaia, Ocean

===Apectids===
A young, dynamic race just now discovering the galaxy is flaming dumpster fire. Their homeworld is near Terranova and they have joined the nascent Golden Commonwealth, but some of their folks are spread out across the tramlines. In some ways broadly similar to Earth-based biology, the apectids blend the features of a weasel and a hyena into a single, very double jointed package that adds in species-specific telepathy for spice.

Preferred World Type: Gaia, Tundra

===Note for Players===
This is by no means an exhaustive list of sentient species in the game, nor should it in any way constrain your design choices when constructing your faction. It’s purely meant to give you a guide and something to scaffold your polity’s backstory and place in the galactic ecosystem with. If you want to play an alien species instead of humans but don’t have any great ideas, feel free to construct a polity utilizing any or all of the provided.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Exploration

2023-10-06T17:31:11Z

Jacklyn: /* Surveying */

=Exploration=
The galaxy is a strange and wonderful place, full of adventure, danger, and more importantly, loot. Exploration is your way to find relics of the past and technologies for the future, but be warned, with great treasure comes equal or greater dangers to go along with it, no great bounty is unguarded in these strange stars.
==Surveying==
The first step to the bounty of the OPF, you need to know where the loot is to go and claim it, after all. Surveying takes 1 Year, 1 R&D Token, and 1 Ship with the SCIENCE trait to perform. Surveying will usually give you a piece of OPF loot, something left behind in a system that you can pick up, and will rarely give a Point Of Interest, hidden parts of the galaxy that have to be explored and conquered to be claimed. Surveying will also often generate a dilemma which may cause damage to your ships or put some other kind of roadblock in your path, you should expect to see one in about half of your surveys. Only a polity who has surveyed a node can explore points of interest within it, any polity other than them will have to either survey the node themselves, get information on the node through espionage, or get the information directly from a polity who has surveyed it, even if they would otherwise know the location of the points of interest through OOC means they are required to survey the node first to perform an Expedition. Once a polity surveys a node, they cannot survey the same node for 5 years, and non-roamer polities can never survey their capital node, as it has been so thoroughly explored during their development as to offer up no new secrets.
Any rewards from surveying are handled like Point Of Interest rewards, please see that section for more information.

===Survey Preperations===
Polites may spend an additional R&D token or $1000 to gain a +1 to their roll on the survey rewards table, gaining a maximum of +2 for spending an additional R&D token and $1000. Additionally, Polities may spend $ and tokens in the same manner as gaining additional rewards to gain a bonus to their dilemma roll.
Polities with the Science! Ethos gains the $ bonus for both of these effects for free, gaining an automatic +1 to both survey loot and danger rolls.

===Surveying In Plot Systems===
Some systems are just so prolific or mysterious as to be the perfect breeding grounds for loot and adventure, in FTA3 those are the Plot Systems. Plot Systems themselves are defined elsewhere (Blue-Ringed Systems on the map), but all loot rolls from a survey attempt in a Plot System get a +5 Modifier to their roll, meaning you will generate much rarer loot from surveying in these systems. In addition, there is a consistent source of loot and mystery flowing into these systems, so they are exempt from the normal 5-year cooldown on Surveying. However, due to their nature, certain Plot Nodes cannot generate Landmarks from surveying, and any POI in them does not generate Digsites or Landmarks (Equivalent Alternate Rewards will be given instead). POI and Surveys in Plot Systems are also notably more dangerous than other places, so buyer beware, that anomaly may contain more than you had bargained for...

===Surveying, As A Weapon===
Sometimes the best way to get something done is to let someone else handle it, in this case, someone else is the eldritch monstrosity you just released upon your opponent. As with normal surveying, it cannot be done in any players capital prime, and cannot be done within the same node within 5 years of your last survey attempt. Unlike normal surveying, weaponized surveying does not produce loot, and instead rolls a guaranteed dilemma, which your surveying craft can attempt to unleash upon your unsuspecting foe.

==Expeditions==
Now that you know where your loot is, what's left is to go and claim it! Expeditions are significantly more involved than Surveying, first, you need to know which Point of Interest you're going after and who you are sending. Each point of interest will have a basic set of requirements and conditions, such as “1 Ship, 2 Ground Battalions, Void Specialist Only” which are the bare minimum for the expedition to work at all, though particularly for higher difficulty Points of Interest the bare minimum will likely be no better than a scouting report on what exactly is inside, expect to need to send more on anything that isn't the easiest Expedition.

Expeditions are treated as any other military deployment so do not require a token to perform, however, unlike normal deployments, they are variable in timeframe and may disallow you from disengaging even at the cost of a token, as your forces get caught in a quantum trap or behind a steel blast door and cannot retreat. Exhausted Units cannot be refreshed with reinforcements until the end of the Expedition unless a MASH unit is assigned, in which case they get to refresh 3 Battalion at the end of each quarter per unexhausted Battalion with MASH.

On top of the bare minimum, there are also “Additional Reward” thresholds for each Point Of Interest, these are usually not required to complete the mission, you can simply brute force it with numbers, but having the right type of unit can be greatly conducive to getting better loot out of it. These thresholds are kept secret by the mods, but should be able to be inferred from the description of the Point Of Interest, such as a Gas Giant Megastructure benefiting from your ships having the Aquatic trait.

Each polity can only explore each Point Of Interest with one team at any given time, though multiple polities can explore the same Point Of Interest. Be warned though, it's unlikely unaligned polities flying different flags are going to get along well when raiding a tomb...
Point Of Interest Capacity
Each Point Of Interest has a capacity for how many individuals can be involved before they start taking stacking penalties to combat effectiveness and dilemma difficulty. There is only so much space in the ancient Tomb, after all, packing it full of men to try and capture it is going to make sure that none of them are particularly good at their jobs, and take far more casualties from traps and enemy forces. This is measured in terms of Battalions that are allowed to enter. Ships count as their weight in battalions for filling capacity, ships with Expeditionary count as half their weight instead.

Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait can be assigned to Expeditions to act as added muscle for your SCIENCE! Units, however, units without the SCIENCE! Trait never count for determining if you meet the Basic or Additional Rewards thresholds, so they are purely for combat resolution purposes. Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait still count against the Capacity of the Point Of Interest.

===This Belongs in a Museum===
Points of interest themselves never count as a landmark for the purposes of colonization, but some of them can decay into digsite landmarks or generate other landmarks, and these can be used to make territory.
===Expedition Supply Costs===
On top of any combat supply burn that may happen due to encounters within the Point Of Interest, Exploring a Point Of Interest requires ongoing supplies to maintain, Food, Ammunition and Fuel for mobile generators, among other things, are necessities to ensure that the Expedition is a success. Each involved Battalion burns 1 Supply Year, and Each Ship burns its weight in supply each year, both of these are modified by distance from the supply point as normal, including modifiers from Expeditionary and Long Legs, except that they count as 1 jump further from any points of supply (this means that exploring in your territory will still cost supply as if you were 1 jump away).
Example:
John has 6 Battalions and 1 Heavy Cruiser 3 Jumps from his territory to explore a Point Of Interest. He has a total of 6 Base Supply consumption from his Battalions, and 16 from his heavy cruiser. This is then modified by distance and long legs, so his Battalions count as being 4 jumps from supply and his Heavy Cruiser counts as being 3.Jumps, giving him a final yearly total of 24 Supply for his battalions, and 48 for his heavy cruiser.
===Dilemmas===
Finally, before you can claim your reward, there's going to be a Dilemma you have to solve, potentially multiple. These usually come in the form of enemies or traps you have to get past to get at your loot, and will often come throughout the year in the form of Expedition events that you will have to give orders for and may give you piecemeal loot that are usable immediately, as well as loot that is in escrow until the Expedition is finished. Occasionally a Point of Interest, instead of simply keeping the Capstone Dilemma contained within the Expedition mission, will unleash the Dilemma onto your empire as a whole, in this case you often (but not always) get your loot immediately without engaging the Dilemma, but have to deal with the problem on a national level (looking through old ruins can be an effective way to sabotage your opponents, if you sneak into their territory to do it).
===Point Of Interest Rewards===
There are lots of rewards one can get for exploring a POI, from Landmarks, to Fold Drives, even Entire ships, but inevitably, they will be yours, the only question left... how the heck do i get this home!?

Anything you obtain from a Point Of Interest or Surveying spawns in the node that POI/Survey was in. These rewards need to be transported back home before they can be properly used or installed, except for landmarks, which always spawn in place and cannot be moved under normal circumstances. Ground Units and Ships can be either spawned in the node they were obtained in or transported back home piecemeal, in which case they have generic freighters which will transport them back as if they were a ground unit outside of a landing force module; any non-ground or ship rewards are always transported back in this way. These generic freighters can be interdicted or raided as normal, and usually require an escort, unless you want pirates to be getting your loot instead of you.

These generic freighters can traverse out of any line, even unstable ones, but will not traverse an unstable line unless it has to. These freighters always make the most direct route for your capital, stepping around unstable lines where reasonable (if it would add more than 6 nodes to your journey to avoid it, you may traverse the unstable line). They otherwise follow normal strategic movement rules.

===Point Of Interest Longevity===
Each Point Of Interest usually sticks around after you explore it for the first time, and while subsequent Expeditions often give less impressive loot than the first time, they're still a stable source of OPF gubbins and Supertech. That is, of course, until they are depleted. Each Point Of Interest has an amount of successful runs that take place within it until it decays into a Dig Site Landmark, though certain Points Of Interest do not generate a Dig Site. The Dig Site Landmark generates Federation Artifacts, minor trinkets and pieces of high OPF tech that while not particularly useful or valuable on their own, can be combined for interesting effects, see OPF Preparations for more details.
===Delays===
Certain Expedition events or preparations (detailed later) cause Delays. Delays add additional time to finish the Expedition that do not generate Dilemmas for the players.This is time spent either outside the Point Of Interest or within a rest area of the Dungeon waiting for some sort of blockage to be cleared, or some type of external support. Usually Delays are applied in a block, and progress on the Expedition proper cannot be continued until the Delay is completed; exceptions to this will have a special note attached detailing how the delay is applied.
===Expedition Preparation===
Expedition preparation is a bit more involved than survey preparation, preparing for Expedition is done during the planning phase of an Expedition when making your initial post to the GMs and is completely optional. Preparation involves multiple options with varying requirements and costs listed below, the Science! Ethos ability does not negate the $ cost of Epedition

Only Troops and Ships with the SCIENCE! Trait that are part of the Expedition attempt count towards fulfilling requirements for Preparations. If a preparation would be made impossible by the restrictions of a Point Of Interest (such as disallowing the use of Ships) that preparation may not be used.

Each Expedition attempt may only have 2 Preparation Options applied to it, and each option can only be applied once.
(Note: Preparations can be re-flavoured for Story Posts however the player likes, but putting a name and theme to each effect makes them much more legible to use)
===Preparation Options===
====Slow and Steady Approach====
“Slow and Steady Wins the Race, or at least gets out of the race alive. May not be the most glorious approach, but it definitely makes things easier.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Reckless Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: +100% to Expedition Duration as a Delay. You gain a +3 to all rolls on the Dilemma table. 
Note: This will not be applied in a block like most Delays, and instead will mean every other Quarter is a Delay, so you generate Expedition events at half the rate.

====Reckless Approach====
“Sometimes the best approach is just to barrel through things as fast as possible, sure, you get hurt more, but you also get glory and gold even faster.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Slow And Steady Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: Halve The Expedition Duration, This means you will generate less Dilemmas overall, -3 Rolls on the Dilemma table, This makes Dilemmas more difficult.

====Exit Strategy====
“Always have a way out of every room you enter, and a way to kill everyone in it” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 1 R&D Token 
Effect: Negate Effects that would prevent you from retreating from an Expedition attempt.

====Deep Penetrating Scan====
“Huh, neat thing to know, the internal structure is made partially of Nanobots, so expect the place to shift around every once in a while.” 
Requirements: A Ship with the STAG Module 
Cost: $1000. 
Effect: You can accept Delay on the Expedition, gaining a +1 to Loot Rolls for every 2 Quarters you Delay your Expedition, stacking up to +3 and 6 Quarters of Delay. 

====Forward Scouting====
“You know, we ought to stop getting ourselves picked for scouting duty, we're always the first ones to get shot at, though we also get first pick of the loot, so maybe it's worth it.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Fast Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Expedition event that spawns enemy units you encounter is automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Sappers====
“Tread carefully here, one wrong step and you will set off a Stasis trap, and it's your own ass thats gonna be here when the sun goes supernova.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Engineers Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Trap (or trap-like) Expedition event you encounter is automatically negated.

====Enhanced Personal Scanners====
“Man, this thing has all the bells and whistles, hell, it even goes through walls, the hell did command score this thing?” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Autonomous Exploration Drones====
“That's another drone offline in Sector 6, seems like we have company there, lets go around and see if we can avoid that particular confrontation.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.
===OPF Preparations===
A special subcategory of Preparation options, OPF Preparations are extremely powerful preparations that require the use of Federation Artifacts. Due to their powerful and expensive nature, each Expedition Attempt may only utilize 1 OPF Preparation. OPF preparations still count as one of the two preparations a nation may make for the Expedition attempt.
(Note: The price of these may change once the game gets going, to preserve their balance.)

====Omni-Passkey====
“A devious little piece of work, this, it filters through every possible security key combination at an absurd rate, and manages to convince pretty much every autonomous defense system that they’re friendly. Sucks it burns itself out so quick, I would love one of these myself, but they're pretty much good for one run, and not much more.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Trap (or trap-like) Expedition events you encounter are automatically negated.

====IFF Spoofer====
“Makes you show up as friendly on pretty much every form of IFF the High Federation used, would be astounded by the potential military applications if it didn't require you to be facing an empire that died before our nation existed.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Any Expedition event you encounter that spawn enemy units are automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Dowsing Rod====
“Okay, Okay, hear me out, I know I sound insane, but this thing actually works, it must have nanobots or something, but it seriously pulls towards any OPF tech. Im not full of shit, I swear” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Netrunner Bot====
“This little beauty will permanently attach to the network access port of pretty much any OPF facility, it can't quite crack down to root access, but it gives us broad authority to tip the scales in our favor.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.

FTA3 Exploration

2023-10-06T17:29:55Z

Jacklyn: Created page with "=Exploration= The galaxy is a strange and wonderful place, full of adventure, danger, and more importantly, loot. Exploration is your way to find relics of the past and techno..."

=Exploration=
The galaxy is a strange and wonderful place, full of adventure, danger, and more importantly, loot. Exploration is your way to find relics of the past and technologies for the future, but be warned, with great treasure comes equal or greater dangers to go along with it, no great bounty is unguarded in these strange stars.
==Surveying==
The first step to the bounty of the OPF, you need to know where the loot is to go and claim it, after all. Surveying takes 1 Year, 1 R&D Token, and 1 Ship with the SCIENCE trait to perform. Surveying will usually give you a piece of OPF loot, something left behind in a system that you can pick up, and will rarely give a Point Of Interest, hidden parts of the galaxy that have to be explored and conquered to be claimed. Surveying will also often generate a dilemma which may cause damage to your ships or put some other kind of roadblock in your path, you should expect to see one in about half of your surveys. Only a polity who has surveyed a node can explore points of interest within it, any polity other than them will have to either survey the node themselves, get information on the node through espionage, or get the information directly from a polity who has surveyed it, even if they would otherwise know the location of the points of interest through OOC means they are required to survey the node first to perform an Expedition. Once a polity surveys a node, they cannot survey the same node for 5 years, and non-roamer polities can never survey their capital node, as it has been so thoroughly explored during their development as to offer up no new secrets.
Any rewards from surveying are handled like Point Of Interest rewards, please see that section for more information.

===Survey Preperations===
Polites may spend an additional R&D token or $1000 to gain a +1 to their roll on the survey rewards table, gaining a maximum of +2 for spending an additional R&D token and $1000. Additionally, Polities may spend $ and tokens in the same manner as gaining additional rewards to gain a bonus to their dilemma roll.
Polities with the Science! Ethos gains the $ bonus for both of these effects for free, gaining an automatic +1 to both survey loot and danger rolls.
===Surveying In Plot Systems===
Some systems are just so prolific or mysterious as to be the perfect breeding grounds for loot and adventure, in FTA3 those are the Plot Systems. Plot Systems themselves are defined elsewhere (Blue-Ringed Systems on the map), but all loot rolls from a survey attempt in a Plot System get a +5 Modifier to their roll, meaning you will generate much rarer loot from surveying in these systems. In addition, there is a consistent source of loot and mystery flowing into these systems, so they are exempt from the normal 5-year cooldown on Surveying. However, due to their nature, certain Plot Nodes cannot generate Landmarks from surveying, and any POI in them does not generate Digsites or Landmarks (Equivalent Alternate Rewards will be given instead). POI and Surveys in Plot Systems are also notably more dangerous than other places, so buyer beware, that anomaly may contain more than you had bargained for...
==Expeditions==
Now that you know where your loot is, what's left is to go and claim it! Expeditions are significantly more involved than Surveying, first, you need to know which Point of Interest you're going after and who you are sending. Each point of interest will have a basic set of requirements and conditions, such as “1 Ship, 2 Ground Battalions, Void Specialist Only” which are the bare minimum for the expedition to work at all, though particularly for higher difficulty Points of Interest the bare minimum will likely be no better than a scouting report on what exactly is inside, expect to need to send more on anything that isn't the easiest Expedition.

Expeditions are treated as any other military deployment so do not require a token to perform, however, unlike normal deployments, they are variable in timeframe and may disallow you from disengaging even at the cost of a token, as your forces get caught in a quantum trap or behind a steel blast door and cannot retreat. Exhausted Units cannot be refreshed with reinforcements until the end of the Expedition unless a MASH unit is assigned, in which case they get to refresh 3 Battalion at the end of each quarter per unexhausted Battalion with MASH.

On top of the bare minimum, there are also “Additional Reward” thresholds for each Point Of Interest, these are usually not required to complete the mission, you can simply brute force it with numbers, but having the right type of unit can be greatly conducive to getting better loot out of it. These thresholds are kept secret by the mods, but should be able to be inferred from the description of the Point Of Interest, such as a Gas Giant Megastructure benefiting from your ships having the Aquatic trait.

Each polity can only explore each Point Of Interest with one team at any given time, though multiple polities can explore the same Point Of Interest. Be warned though, it's unlikely unaligned polities flying different flags are going to get along well when raiding a tomb...
Point Of Interest Capacity
Each Point Of Interest has a capacity for how many individuals can be involved before they start taking stacking penalties to combat effectiveness and dilemma difficulty. There is only so much space in the ancient Tomb, after all, packing it full of men to try and capture it is going to make sure that none of them are particularly good at their jobs, and take far more casualties from traps and enemy forces. This is measured in terms of Battalions that are allowed to enter. Ships count as their weight in battalions for filling capacity, ships with Expeditionary count as half their weight instead.

Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait can be assigned to Expeditions to act as added muscle for your SCIENCE! Units, however, units without the SCIENCE! Trait never count for determining if you meet the Basic or Additional Rewards thresholds, so they are purely for combat resolution purposes. Troops and Ships without the SCIENCE! Trait still count against the Capacity of the Point Of Interest.

===This Belongs in a Museum===
Points of interest themselves never count as a landmark for the purposes of colonization, but some of them can decay into digsite landmarks or generate other landmarks, and these can be used to make territory.
===Expedition Supply Costs===
On top of any combat supply burn that may happen due to encounters within the Point Of Interest, Exploring a Point Of Interest requires ongoing supplies to maintain, Food, Ammunition and Fuel for mobile generators, among other things, are necessities to ensure that the Expedition is a success. Each involved Battalion burns 1 Supply Year, and Each Ship burns its weight in supply each year, both of these are modified by distance from the supply point as normal, including modifiers from Expeditionary and Long Legs, except that they count as 1 jump further from any points of supply (this means that exploring in your territory will still cost supply as if you were 1 jump away).
Example:
John has 6 Battalions and 1 Heavy Cruiser 3 Jumps from his territory to explore a Point Of Interest. He has a total of 6 Base Supply consumption from his Battalions, and 16 from his heavy cruiser. This is then modified by distance and long legs, so his Battalions count as being 4 jumps from supply and his Heavy Cruiser counts as being 3.Jumps, giving him a final yearly total of 24 Supply for his battalions, and 48 for his heavy cruiser.
===Dilemmas===
Finally, before you can claim your reward, there's going to be a Dilemma you have to solve, potentially multiple. These usually come in the form of enemies or traps you have to get past to get at your loot, and will often come throughout the year in the form of Expedition events that you will have to give orders for and may give you piecemeal loot that are usable immediately, as well as loot that is in escrow until the Expedition is finished. Occasionally a Point of Interest, instead of simply keeping the Capstone Dilemma contained within the Expedition mission, will unleash the Dilemma onto your empire as a whole, in this case you often (but not always) get your loot immediately without engaging the Dilemma, but have to deal with the problem on a national level (looking through old ruins can be an effective way to sabotage your opponents, if you sneak into their territory to do it).
===Point Of Interest Rewards===
There are lots of rewards one can get for exploring a POI, from Landmarks, to Fold Drives, even Entire ships, but inevitably, they will be yours, the only question left... how the heck do i get this home!?

Anything you obtain from a Point Of Interest or Surveying spawns in the node that POI/Survey was in. These rewards need to be transported back home before they can be properly used or installed, except for landmarks, which always spawn in place and cannot be moved under normal circumstances. Ground Units and Ships can be either spawned in the node they were obtained in or transported back home piecemeal, in which case they have generic freighters which will transport them back as if they were a ground unit outside of a landing force module; any non-ground or ship rewards are always transported back in this way. These generic freighters can be interdicted or raided as normal, and usually require an escort, unless you want pirates to be getting your loot instead of you.

These generic freighters can traverse out of any line, even unstable ones, but will not traverse an unstable line unless it has to. These freighters always make the most direct route for your capital, stepping around unstable lines where reasonable (if it would add more than 6 nodes to your journey to avoid it, you may traverse the unstable line). They otherwise follow normal strategic movement rules.

===Point Of Interest Longevity===
Each Point Of Interest usually sticks around after you explore it for the first time, and while subsequent Expeditions often give less impressive loot than the first time, they're still a stable source of OPF gubbins and Supertech. That is, of course, until they are depleted. Each Point Of Interest has an amount of successful runs that take place within it until it decays into a Dig Site Landmark, though certain Points Of Interest do not generate a Dig Site. The Dig Site Landmark generates Federation Artifacts, minor trinkets and pieces of high OPF tech that while not particularly useful or valuable on their own, can be combined for interesting effects, see OPF Preparations for more details.
===Delays===
Certain Expedition events or preparations (detailed later) cause Delays. Delays add additional time to finish the Expedition that do not generate Dilemmas for the players.This is time spent either outside the Point Of Interest or within a rest area of the Dungeon waiting for some sort of blockage to be cleared, or some type of external support. Usually Delays are applied in a block, and progress on the Expedition proper cannot be continued until the Delay is completed; exceptions to this will have a special note attached detailing how the delay is applied.
===Expedition Preparation===
Expedition preparation is a bit more involved than survey preparation, preparing for Expedition is done during the planning phase of an Expedition when making your initial post to the GMs and is completely optional. Preparation involves multiple options with varying requirements and costs listed below, the Science! Ethos ability does not negate the $ cost of Epedition

Only Troops and Ships with the SCIENCE! Trait that are part of the Expedition attempt count towards fulfilling requirements for Preparations. If a preparation would be made impossible by the restrictions of a Point Of Interest (such as disallowing the use of Ships) that preparation may not be used.

Each Expedition attempt may only have 2 Preparation Options applied to it, and each option can only be applied once.
(Note: Preparations can be re-flavoured for Story Posts however the player likes, but putting a name and theme to each effect makes them much more legible to use)
===Preparation Options===
====Slow and Steady Approach====
“Slow and Steady Wins the Race, or at least gets out of the race alive. May not be the most glorious approach, but it definitely makes things easier.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Reckless Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: +100% to Expedition Duration as a Delay. You gain a +3 to all rolls on the Dilemma table. 
Note: This will not be applied in a block like most Delays, and instead will mean every other Quarter is a Delay, so you generate Expedition events at half the rate.

====Reckless Approach====
“Sometimes the best approach is just to barrel through things as fast as possible, sure, you get hurt more, but you also get glory and gold even faster.” 
Requirements: Cannot be Combined With Slow And Steady Approach. 
Cost: None 
Effect: Halve The Expedition Duration, This means you will generate less Dilemmas overall, -3 Rolls on the Dilemma table, This makes Dilemmas more difficult.

====Exit Strategy====
“Always have a way out of every room you enter, and a way to kill everyone in it” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 1 R&D Token 
Effect: Negate Effects that would prevent you from retreating from an Expedition attempt.

====Deep Penetrating Scan====
“Huh, neat thing to know, the internal structure is made partially of Nanobots, so expect the place to shift around every once in a while.” 
Requirements: A Ship with the STAG Module 
Cost: $1000. 
Effect: You can accept Delay on the Expedition, gaining a +1 to Loot Rolls for every 2 Quarters you Delay your Expedition, stacking up to +3 and 6 Quarters of Delay. 

====Forward Scouting====
“You know, we ought to stop getting ourselves picked for scouting duty, we're always the first ones to get shot at, though we also get first pick of the loot, so maybe it's worth it.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Fast Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Expedition event that spawns enemy units you encounter is automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Sappers====
“Tread carefully here, one wrong step and you will set off a Stasis trap, and it's your own ass thats gonna be here when the sun goes supernova.” 
Requirement: 2 Battalions with the Engineers Trait. 
Cost: 1 R&D Token. 
Effect: The first Trap (or trap-like) Expedition event you encounter is automatically negated.

====Enhanced Personal Scanners====
“Man, this thing has all the bells and whistles, hell, it even goes through walls, the hell did command score this thing?” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Autonomous Exploration Drones====
“That's another drone offline in Sector 6, seems like we have company there, lets go around and see if we can avoid that particular confrontation.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: $1000 
Effect: +1 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.
===OPF Preparations===
A special subcategory of Preparation options, OPF Preparations are extremely powerful preparations that require the use of Federation Artifacts. Due to their powerful and expensive nature, each Expedition Attempt may only utilize 1 OPF Preparation. OPF preparations still count as one of the two preparations a nation may make for the Expedition attempt.
(Note: The price of these may change once the game gets going, to preserve their balance.)

====Omni-Passkey====
“A devious little piece of work, this, it filters through every possible security key combination at an absurd rate, and manages to convince pretty much every autonomous defense system that they’re friendly. Sucks it burns itself out so quick, I would love one of these myself, but they're pretty much good for one run, and not much more.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Trap (or trap-like) Expedition events you encounter are automatically negated.

====IFF Spoofer====
“Makes you show up as friendly on pretty much every form of IFF the High Federation used, would be astounded by the potential military applications if it didn't require you to be facing an empire that died before our nation existed.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 20 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: Any Expedition event you encounter that spawn enemy units are automatically negated (This cannot negate the Capstone Dilemma).

====Dowsing Rod====
“Okay, Okay, hear me out, I know I sound insane, but this thing actually works, it must have nanobots or something, but it seriously pulls towards any OPF tech. Im not full of shit, I swear” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Loot Rolls, This makes Loot Better.

====Netrunner Bot====
“This little beauty will permanently attach to the network access port of pretty much any OPF facility, it can't quite crack down to root access, but it gives us broad authority to tip the scales in our favor.” 
Requirement: None 
Cost: 30 Federation Artifacts 
Effect: +3 To Dilemma Rolls, this makes Dilemmas Easier.

FTA3 Economy

2023-09-27T05:17:31Z

Jacklyn: /* Research & Development */

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=The Game Economy=
The game economy uses three primary currencies: Cash money, generated by civilian infrastructure and represented as $, and Tokens, which are a more esoteric concept representing everything from the lobbying power of a state’s various actors to a people’s mindset and even more esoteric concepts. Tokens by nature represent different things and there are both generic tokens, representing the organs of your government doing stuff, and specific types of tokens representing, say, the efforts of a large research university or an organized religion in your polity. The final currency, Defense Industry or DI, represents shipyards, autofactories, training camps, and the like, is replenished yearly based on your production and other factors and can only be expanded through the investment of $ and the usage of particular tokens.

==Civilian Infrastructure==
Civilian infrastructure represents office buildings, farms, roads, schools, and everything that is required for people to live their lives and function in the early third century after the Return. As might be expected, this generates cash, through taxes and fees and what have you, that can be used by your government to buy stuff. CI is assigned to Territories, which are the principal building blocks of any Polity. A territory could represent a continent on a Garden world, a mineral-rich cluster of asteroids, an airless moon, or anything broadly comparable. Each point of CI generates $50 annually at game start. New CI can be generated through the investment of $ and the appropriate tokens, be given out as the result of an Event, etc. In theory, CI can also be lost due to certain circumstances at the discretion of the moderation team (Usually because of war or some sort of event).

==Renting DI==
Plenty of defense contractors scattered across the galaxy have excess capacity and are willing to sell it to polities that aren’t actively shooting at them. It is possible to purchase access to this pool of DI. It costs $1000 to rent 25 DI for a year. As with purchasing tokens, this price doubles for every 25 DI or token you rent.

==Cash Economics Overview==
Expansion of your economy is slower than in previous iterations of the game. This has reasons, both in and out of character. Out of character, managing and balancing the game once economies grow a certain percentage past their original starting size makes balancing core game mechanics extremely difficult. It also created, after a certain point, increasing paperwork bloat. In-character, the universe of FTA3 is old. Civilization has been extant in the Orion Spur for hundreds of thousands of years - the OPF was led first by the xan, then humans, and then the chelonians and TKK before falling into chaos. It’s not that there isn’t open territory available for the grabbing - of course there is. But over that span of time, countless worlds were settled, developed, and terraformed to be broadly suitable for baseline organic life (both carbon based organic forms and more exotic varieties). Your average Polity controls a star system that economically can support a huge population in modern comfort without too much trouble - any hardship for the average citizen is a conscious social decision, not a resource-based one. The incentive to go out into a distant star system and build a new home without a compelling reason…simply isn’t really there.

The $ purchase cost of all infrastructure, ships and other items can be pro-rated across the construction time of the item.

==Civilian Infrastructure & Income==
To start the game, a point of Civilian Infrastructure (CI) generates $50 of income. This number can change as the result of factors that we’re not going to get too deep into here, but are listed in other sections of the rules. Please list both your amount of CI in each territory and what your base $ per CI is in your budget for each territory (due to stability or other factors).

==Expanding Your Income==
It is, in fact, possible to establish new income generating territory, if there’s a compelling enough reason to. Natural loci of economic development - say, reactivated OPF autofactories, but also things like trading posts or centers of political gravity - can attract a significant population, and, as a result, civilian infrastructure that generates revenue.

In game terms, there are several steps required to establish a new territory that supports CI (and as a result generates income). First, the system where you intend to establish the territory must have a supply point. Second, there must be some objective or object of interest to justify putting a territory there. This is referred to in the game mechanics as a Landmark. This can be a token generator, an OPF autofac, a spooky neubula, or any number of things subject to mod approval. Some landmarks may be generated as the result of an event or mod action that do not have a direct production value, but provide some other game effect in the rules.

With these two essential elements in place, you have the prerequisites to establish a new territory.

It takes two years, $4000, an economic, and a unity token to establish a new territory. It starts with one CI which generates the same amount of income per year as your existing CI, and whatever your state’s base Stability level is.

==Expanding Civilian Infrastructure==
Expanding civilian infrastructure on an existing territory is possible, but expensive; you’re basically forcing a post-scarcity society (for the most part) to somehow consume more or have higher demand. Frankly this mechanically mostly works by getting more people out of the server spires or attracting immigration or other tricks to obtain more consumers generating economic activity rather than simply just building more stuff. You are limited to expanding your CI by no more than 2% of your total CI in this fashion in a single game year, with the caveat you can always build a minimum of 1. Round to the nearest whole number for that 2%. It costs 1 Econ token to build any amount of CI (up to the limit) and $500 per CI built. CI is completed in a single year.

=Tokens=
Tokens represent the organs of your polity, be they government, religious, social, or whatever, putting their willpower into doing stuff. A significant number of actions require the expenditure of tokens, which regenerate annually, but cannot be saved from year to year. They can be swapped both between players, and players and NPCs, representing various relationships be they economic, religious, political, etc.
==Token Types==
===General===
These represent your government’s basic operating capabilities (or the equivalent) and can be spent on any (almost) action.
===Diplomatic===
Representing your ties to other polities, be they economic or through your Foreign Ministry. Generally a pretty broadly applicable token.
* 1 DIPLO to establish relations with target NPC
* 1 DIPLO to increase by 1 relations with target NPC
* 1 DIPLO to decrease by 1 relations between designated PC and NPC
* (NPC Development Level/2) diplo tokens to diploannex target NPC
* making alliances, at the end of the diplo doc
* 1 DIPLO or 1 MIL to Close Borders for the year. This provides improved defense against piracy and lets you engage any violators in a system claimed by you without generating a CB. Don’t cross the neutral zone.Note that in general as closed borders are a longterm policy and as such it is assumed to be in effect until rescinded by the state in question not paying the token cost. This action is FREE during wartime.

===Military===
Representing the capabilities of your Military-Industrial complex, often used for constructing new Defense Industry but also expanding your ability to conduct operations outside your polity’s borders, as well as other functions.
* 1 MIL token (+$2000) per 5% DI (or fraction thereof) built, Maximum twice (i.e. 10%)
* 1 MIL token (or 1 R & D token) and $500 to unlock doctrine step (limited to 1 per year)
* 1 MIL $2000 to build a Forward Operating Base (1 year)
* 2 MIL $4000 to build a Supply Base (1 year)
* 1 MIL $2000 to upgrade a Forward Operating Base to a Supply Base (1 year)
* 1 MIL token $3000 and 20 DI to build a supply generator (1 year)
* 2 MIL $3000 and 30 DI to build a Fortification Network (2 years)
* 2 MIL $4000 to build a Dodecahedron (3 years)
* 2 MIL $4000 and 50 DI to build a Artemis System (2 years)
* 1 MIL and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build Operations Center (1 year)
* 1 MIL and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Hidden Armory (1 year)
* 1 MIL or 1 DIPLO to Close Borders for the year. This provides improved defense against piracy and lets you engage any violators in a system claimed by you without generating a CB. Don’t cross the neutral zone. Note that in general as closed borders are a longterm policy and as such it is assumed to be in effect until rescinded by the state in question not paying the token cost. This action is FREE during wartime.

===Research & Development===
Representing the abilities of your educational infrastructure, think-tanks, labs, and such. Used for things like researching new technology, reverse-engineering OPF or alien technology, etc.
* 1 R&D to explore a hypergrid node (See [[FTA3 Exploration]] for more information)
* 1 R&D $100 and 10 DI to design a new ship
* 1 R&D $500 to unlock a specialty hull
* 1 R&D and typically, $4000 and 15 DI, to refurbish OPF facility
* 1 R&D (or 1 MIL) and $500 to unlock doctrine step (limited to 1 per year)
* 1 R&D and $1000 to unlock OPF relic
* 1 R&D $4000 to build a Supercomputer Node (2 years)
* 1 R&D and 1 ESP $2500 to build Academy Grounds (1 year)
* 1 R&D and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build Prototyping Lab (1 year)

===Economic===
Representing the “heft” of your CI, in whatever form it takes.
* 1 ECON + 1 UNITY +$4000(plus other reqs) to establish new territory (2 years)
* 1 ECON token to unlock building new CI + $500 per CI (up to 2% your total)
* 1 ECON to invest in sector trade, see trade doc
* 1 ECON to invest directly into a territory’s economy (see economic rules)

===Unity===
Representing internal order, social stability or cohesion, and other more esoteric organs. These tokens can be played either dystopian or utopian depending on whim.
* 1 UNITY to raise a system’s stability by 1 (or $1000 or 150 supply, depending on ethos, may be limitations on spending supply) You may do this more than once per node per year, but the cost doubles
* 2 UNITY and $5000 to build a Regional Capital (2 years)
* 1 UNITY + 1 ECON $4000 (and other reqs) to establish new territory (2 years)
* 1 UNITY and $5000 to build a stability generator (1 year)
* 1 UNITY and 1 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Propaganda Center (2 years)
* 1 UNITY + (other tokens, depending on circumstances) to change change the ethos of a conquered territory to match your own.

===Espionage===
Tokens for underhanded shenanigans of various sorts.
* 1 ESP to create a new agency
* 1 ESP to upgrade an existing agency
* 1 ESP to unlock an asset type on a particular agency
* 1 ESP for all generic intel actions
* 1 ESP to begin an intel operation
* 1 ESP (instead of 1 R&D) and $500 to unlock an espionage doctrine. This also counts as your 1 doctrine research a year.
* 1 ESP and (1 MIL or 1 UNITY) $2000 to build an Agency Headquarters (2 years)
* 1 ESP and 1 MIL $2500 (and other reqs) to build an Operations Center (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 MIL $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Hidden Armory (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 R&D $2500 to build Academy Grounds (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 R&D $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Prototyping Lab (1 year)
* 2 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Listening Post (1 year)
* 1 ESP and 1 UNITY $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Propaganda Center (2 years)
* 2 ESP $2500 (and other reqs) to build a Planetary Blacksite (1 year)

===Plot===
A special token that is not generated automatically but is instead awarded to players by moderators as the result of the outcome of Events and gameplay resolution.
* 1 plot token to invoke a dramatic plot break to extend your Deniability Clock for espionage

==Purchasing Tokens==
The galactic market for surplus capacity is surprisingly robust, a legacy of the OPF infrastructure that still dots the Orion Spur. It is possible to buy a one-off token, of any type except Economic or General (for obvious reasons), from the nebulous Galactic Market. The first token purchased in such a fashion costs $1000, with each token purchased afterward doubling in cost. The cost also doubles if you rent DI as described in the next section.
Defense Industry:
In most regards, DI is the least complicated currency as it has really only one function-equipping your military and using it. You start with 200 DI, and can build 5% more through the expenditure of $2000 and a Military Token. This DI takes a year to come online and add itself to your annual production.. DI production does not accumulate from year to year, instead whatever unspent DI a polity has in a calendar year generates $5 each, representing selling the excess production to various non-state actors. You are capped at an increase of 10% each year, as functionally speaking your existing DI infrastructure can only expand so quickly and keep up.

=Landmarks=
There are a variety of landmarks that can form the centerpoint of a territory that provide game effects. Some of these can be constructed in a location, while others have to be salvaged and rebuilt and others are the result of natural evolution and can only be utilized when the opportunity presents itself.

==Constructed Landmarks==
'''Capital Prime:''' Your national capital is a unique Landmark, representing your political and economic center of gravity. Technically, all of your ethos-based token production comes from the Capital landmark. Your capital territory may have up to four token generators and any other landmark items allowed. Every player starts with one, and for Roamers it’s mobile. Transsophant/Advancers cannot relocate Capital Prime landmarks.

'''Regional Capital:''' (S) 2 years, 2 Unity Tokens, $5000: This represents your empire investing and establishing this node as a core part of your empire, enabling territories within to support token generating landmarks. Any capital node you conquer from another polity is assumed to have this building already. NPCs above Developmental Level 7 possess these.

'''Token Generator:''' (S) 2 years, 2 tokens of the type you’re creating a generator for, $5000; The territories in any node with either a Capital or Regional capital can support up to four. If somehow you acquire a territory that has a token generator present but a capital building absent, the generator works but you cannot build more. I have to fluff up all the bullshit here to represent the different types of token, but you get it. Fuck it, players fluff up Token Generators themselves, or the person who rolls it up does it when doing exploration results. Hell there’s multiple fluff possibilities for every type of token generator. It ain’t that serious. These do not generate General tokens or other specialty token types, such as plot tokens or migration tokens, only the others. Mobile.

'''Supply Generator:''' (S) Fluff as a AM supercollider, an exceptional mine, a He3 extraction facility, etc; dealer’s choice! Costs $3000, 20 DI, one military token and one year; produces 500 supplies for operations. Mobile.

'''Stability Generator:''' (S) This could be a religious landmark, a media empire, an arena for bloodsports, whatever. They raise the stability of the node they’re located in by one. Costs $5000 & 1 unity token, one year to complete. Additional generators beyond the first can only be used to counteract Stability Maluses. Mobile

'''Fortification Network:''' (S) A massive shield array, bunker network, or some other type of defensive fortification of massive scale worked into the foundations of the territory itself. Defensive forces fight at TL+0.5 in a territory with a fortification network and all targets and landmarks in the territory are more resistant to espionage and other targeted strikes. Costs $3000, 30DI, Two Military Tokens & 2 Years to complete.

'''Supercomputer Node:''' A massive processing node dedicated to decrypting and reverse engineering arcane technology. While using it, halve the cost of opening relics, reverse engineering and other similar projects; however, due to its nature, the relics or reverse engineering examples have to be stored within the supercomputer node, and are therefore vulnerable to disruption if the facility is taken by a hostile power and/or removed with espionage. Costs 4000$, 1 R&D token, & 2 Years to complete. Mobile

'''The Dodecahedron:''' The heart of the military machine, staffed entirely by generals and PFCs to bring them coffee. This is where doctrine is laid down, superweapons are dreamed up, and boondoggles initiated. Allows you to research a second doctrine for the same cost as the first each year. Also, it allows you to swap one doctrine choice you’ve selected with its opposite selection per year. However, you are required to design at least one new warship class every two game years, because procurement officers and naval design officers remain locked in eternal mortal combat. Limit one per polity. Costs $4000 and 2 military tokens, takes 3 years to build. Mobile

'''Artemis System:''' (S) - An Artemis system is a large fixed installation that can passively pick up waste noise from cloaked ships, giving generalized information on their presence and location - without one, even trying to hunt them is next to chasing needles in a haystack. They also provide the same information for uncloaked ships, and as such most important worlds have an Artemis system (or more than one, in case of sabotage, failure, etc) for tracking all travel through them. Artemis Systems are Landmarks and provide their benefit on a system-wide basis. 
$4000, 50 DI, 2 Military Tokens, 2 Years to Construct 

'''Temple:''' [Dom Spiritual] (WIP) - Temples can be built by Dominant Spiritualist polities. Temples generally provide benefits to both the builder and the host but give the builder leverage over the host, especially in the realm of Espionage. (This frequently will take the form of assets with the caveat that the location of a temple is as public a piece of information as they come.)
* They can spawn events.
* They provide the builder with $200 income annually. This is not CI and does not scale with CI. Hosts may demand this income be shared or even completely taxed.
* Upon completion, the host selects up to $250 of units to gain the Garrison trait, allowing them to fight at +0.5 TL while in this node.
* The creation of a Temple will give the builder leverage over the host particularly in the realm of Espionage - usually in the form of assets.
$2500, 1 Unity Token, 1 Year, Limit 1 per territory 

Temples can also be built inside your own territory. In this case, it allows you to select $250 of units to gain the Garrison trait, allowing them to fight at +0.5 TL while in this node, and might turn out useful for espionage if you have a religious agency operating at home, and has no other effects.

'''Fighter Command Node:''' (S) - A large, fixed installation dedicated to the strategic scale command and control of sub-warship craft operating in a given region. A Fighter Command Node requires a point of supply or an FOB to function, and grants all allied fighters supported there the benefits of a Fighter Direction Center module. Unsupported fighters (such as those carried on units in excess of an FOB’s weight limit) do not gain this benefit.
$2500, 1 Military Token, 1 Year, Limit: Only operates if an FOB or point of Supply is present.

'''Dig Site:''' - A site centered around the remnants of a Federation or other Point of Interest that has been wholly stripped of its useful military components. While not having direct military application, the Dig Site generates 1 Federation Artifact per year, which can be spent for various effects. Federation artifacts persist from year to year and can be traded, and stolen, between players, but have no effect on their own outside of unlocking effects as detailed in Exploration.
Special: Does not count as a ‘Constructed’ landmark, and instead is automatically created with the depletion of any Point Of Interest. (See Exploration for more details)

==Agency Landmarks==
Agency landmarks are a special subcategory of constructed landmarks that interact with the espionage system. Most of these landmarks, apart from the agency headquarters itself, have secondary conditions that must be met to build them. Commonly this is having the Agency headquarters built (though not necessarily in the same territory), as to maintain infrastructure of this scale, a stable foundation must be created. If a Landmark would lose its prerequisite, such as a headquarters being destroyed, it ceases to function until its prerequisite can be fulfilled again.

Agency Headquarters (S) - The beating heart of an intelligence agency, boasting plush conference rooms, cutting edge computing superclusters, training and medical medical facilities to bring the most out of their human resources and more unmarked underground rooms than there are letters in any known alphabet. Agency HQ prevents the standard yearly decay for one Agency, and also doubles the capacity for all asset types. Agencies do not need to be headquartered, and these facilities can be a liability when attacked (see the Statistic Decay section in the espionage rules for more information).
$2000, 1 Espionage Token and 1 Military or Unity Token to construct and takes 2 years. Mobile.
Specialization Specific:
Unless otherwise noted, you can only build 1 Specialization Specific Agency Landmark for each Headquartered agency you own with that specialization.

Operational Security Landmark -

Operations Center - A hub for communication, both public and secret, with vast planning rooms and round tables, allowing higher ups to direct operations in real time, and adapt exceptionally quickly.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Operational Capacity Specialization.
One additional operation at a time does not take a token to start, It is treated as ‘Well Planned’. You may use this operation with any agency, but you must make a note that you are using the Operations Center to do so. If an operation is taking place using this ability, and the operations center is destroyed or infiltrated, the operation is an automatic failure, and any assets assigned to it are left without an Exfiltration plan (though can still find their way home if they had assets on hand to do so).
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Military Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Hidden Armoury - A private armoury containing only the most advanced articles of armour and weaponry the agency can get its hands on, leagues above what is generally available to the nation itself.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Operational Coordination Specialization.
Ground Units and Human Assets assigned to operations count as one TL higher for the duration of their operation, including for any combat resolutions or tie breakers that may occur. Multiple instances of this Landmark do not stack, but can provide a backup if this landmark is destroyed.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Military Token, and takes 2 Years to construct.

Infrastructure Security Landmark -

Personnel Security Landmark -

Public Security Landmark -

Academy Grounds - The place where all James Bond’s and Johnny English’s start their journey, the factory that turns green recruits into hardened super spies.
Each Year, the Academy Grounds produces one of the following choices free of cost: 1 Special Agent, 2 Deep-Cover Agents, 2 Access Agents or 2 Informants. These can be assigned to any agency that have them unlocked, though they will need to be infiltrated into hostile powers to be used.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 R&D Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Prototyping Lab - The place where great minds meet to make all of the gadgets and dodads that spies need to perform at their best.
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Technological Intelligence Specialization.
Each Quarter, the prototyping lab produces 1 Technological Asset of your choice from among the types that Headquartered agencies have access to, free of cost. These can be assigned to any agency that have them unlocked.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 R&D Token, and takes 1 Year to construct. Mobile.

Listening Post -
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Open Source Intelligence Specialization.
$2500, 2 Espionage Tokens and takes 1 Year to construct.

Propaganda Centre -
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Domestic Deniability Specialization.
Once per Year, you can hold a Propaganda Campaign within one of your territories, for the rest of that year, that territory ignores Stability Loss from internal sources, such as from events, or from failing espionage ops (can be done retrospectively to a source of stability loss to negate it). This does not apply to foreign sources, such as a Psyops campaign.
$2500, 1 Espionage Token, 1 Unity Token, and takes 2 Years to construct. Mobile.

Planetary Blacksite - Officially, this place does not exist, many enemies of the state, or unlucky citizens, disappear within its bowels, never to be seen again. There are no obvious outward signs it does exist, but by logging traffic to the area, one might be able to discover that the old abandoned building is a lot busier than it ought to be...
Prerequisite: A Constructed Headquarters for an agency with the Foreign Deniability Specialization.
The Planetary Blacksite can be used to store assets, units and characters, as well as other items with GM permission. While inside the Planetary blacksite, they are unavailable to be used, but espionage operations & actions have a 100% failure rate against them if their Intelligence Gathering is lower than your deniability. Otherwise, everything inside the Blacksite is treated as if it had the Secured Trait.
$2500, 2 Espionage Tokens and takes 1 Year to construct.

==Open Palm Federation Landmarks==
These landmarks originate with the Overculture and its contemporaries. They cannot be built and must be repaired to regain full function. Revenant players get to start with one OPF Landmark on this list.

'''Manifold Spire:''' A product of end-stage Overculture technological development, Manifold Spires differ from Server Spires in that they breach dimensional boundaries to interact with higher energy states on macroscale. When fully repaired, a Manifold Spire reaches across the spire network and pulls descendants of old Humanity into this material universe. This action produces 15 CI that can be immediately applied to increase the current territory value. If there is no territory at this location, create a new one.

'''Server Spire:''' A fairly typical example of Overculture technology, the server spires have stood through tens of thousands of years, softly humming as they process and move data between the stars. They (by design or by happenstance) are the backbone of modern interstellar communication and tapping into one allows for easy but also secure communication with units in space. A server spire increases the supply range of anything passing through it by 1 as interstellar JIT techniques become possible - building a supply depot around a server spire is an effective way to cover a large volume of space.

'''Skein Impeller:''' Made from lacing superstring fragments into a fractal braidwork, this device cuts through the skein of spacetime and allows access to a theoretically unlimited number of dimensional subdomains. When fully repaired, each year you may roll on the OPF Gacha table once, as your explorers recover another piece of discarded overculture technology from within.

'''Marduk Autofac:''' Produces 10 Marduk Squadrons a year. The Marduk was one of the last of the Blackbird series of advanced OPF fighters.
-A Marduk can only be countered on a 2-1 basis by defending fighters on CAP, or 1-1 by equivalent superfighters.
-Marduks adds -2 to the fighter resolution D20 roll on the attack and a +2 to the fighter resolution D20 roll on defense.

'''Antichronal Stasis Lattice:''' Initially thought to have been produced by an unidentified cosmofauna, this massive crystalline web is actually the product of the Open Palm Federation, made of extremely minute membrane folds that alter the flow of time subtly enough that it stands completely still at the center while still allowing access and departure from that location. When fully repaired an ASL can be used to indefinitely store in pristine condition any 100 weight of units, including ground units and espionage assets, one or more macguffins, and/or a Token without degradation or the passage of time, until removed. Anything stored within is completely immune to outside interference while within, and will survive without damage in the event that this Lamdmark is destroyed. (This Landmark may already contain something when discovered)

'''Hoplite Autofac:''' Produces 3 battalions of Hoplite advanced battle armors a year; can be applied to a Interface, Espatier, or Mobile Infantry (battalion sized) unit to increase their TL to 6.

'''Fold Coral:''' An ancient life form from the height of the Open Palm Federation, Fold Coral was engineered as a biological means of producing a complete fold drive. Now virtually extinct, these life forms can be coaxed back from their quiescent states with careful care. When fully ‘repaired’ it produces 1 Damaged Fold Drive (Can be installed on any craft of 20 unmodified weight or lower as a module, or be used to build Explorers & Strike Cruisers without taking a module) per year.

'''Dahak Relay:''' An Open Palm Federation communications device, this massive artifact marks a target in any system that contains one or more of your units. Marked Targets are surrounded by a rainbow aura which persists for 12 months or until the Weapon is fired. A target Marked in this way cannot benefit from any form of stealth and emits a unique wavelength that you can track from across the hypergrid as long as it remains in this spatial domain. This Landmark can be activated once per year to mark a target. It may be activated an additional time by spending 1 or more R&D tokens, cumulative with the number of additional activations.

'''Eye of Ra:''' A massive Crysmer Lens that can focus and direct sunlight to any planet in the system, either to generate power or to immolate your enemies. If enemy forces are in-system it has a special attack, rolling a one-time attack at the beginning of the combat when stand-off attacks are resolved, rolling three times at +5 to pierce and bypassing Avoidance. For each successful pierce, the Eye inflicts 175 damage to the target(s).

'''Shattered Shell World:''' Even the mightiest Chelonian works were not perfect. Space-based attacks made against a shattered shell world fail on a 4+, while troops doing combat drop are lost/captured on a 1-2.
When first discovered as an exploration result, the world itself is (roll D6) 1 Volcanic 2 Cratered 3-4 Radiated 5 Toxic 6 Tomb

'''Reintegration Lattice:''' The endpoint of an OPF attempt at transtellar teleportation, damaged Reintegration Lattices are often the source of old spacer’s tales of ghost ships and other mysterious phenomena. While impossible to fully repair, this device can be stabilized, allowing it to periodically materialize copies of whatever last passed through the buffer- typically half a starship- which can be used as materials to upgrade a ship to TL5.5 once each year. Unfortunately, due to integrated anti-paradox drivers, the two pieces cannot be welded together to make a single TL6 ship.

'''Stormcaller Beacon:''' Even during the height of the Overculture, Ion Storms and Mutara Convergences proved too costly to ignore and too expensive to simply eliminate. Instead, a tool was developed to steer these anomalies away from developed space to limit their impact. A Stormcaller Beacon, when fully repaired, can attract and anchor an Ion Storm or Mutara Convergence at its location from up to 5 nodes away. This can draw an existing anomaly or create a new one by spending 2 R&D tokens and $3000. If this Landmark is disabled or depowered any Mutara Convergence at this location will begin dissipating, taking 2 years to fully vanish. Any Ion Storm at this location will begin migrating in a random direction after 1 quarter. It takes 2 quarters to depower or reinitialize a landmark of this type.

'''Dimensional Forge:''' The battered remains of a key component of an OPF manufactory, a Dimensional Forge is capable of alloying spacetime itself with enfolded technological segments capable of a large variety of tasks. When fully repaired, a D-FORGE may be used to bypass one (1) prerequisite to building a unit or landmark, per year.

'''Giant Gautama Xandha:''' Can take the form of a misty temple, giant statue, or some other monumental, somewhat spooky construct. If you are Spiritualist, you probably consider it holy. This counts as a Point of Interest for Exploration missions and depletes half as fast as normal. When this POI depleted, it becomes a Dig Site that produces twice as many Federation Artifacts as normal.

==Node Wide Landmarks==
These landmarks represent features of a given region. Not all star systems have them, in fact, most don’t, but through cultural, astrographic, or other circumstances, some nodes on the Grid become so known for a particular quirk or wrinkle that it provides advantages for those willing to exploit them. Roamers cannot take advantage of these landmarks unless they possess non-mobile territory in these systems, for obvious reasons. Any system with such a feature automatically qualifies as having a landmark for the purposes of establishing a new territory. That is, you only need to construct a supply base and incorporate the territory, you don’t have to construct a generator or autofactory or anything of that nature, to create a new territory to take advantage of the effect.

An example is the Big Easy, a young system filled with protoplanetary debris. The origins of the name have been lost to time, but it is a star system that since at least the earliest days of human interstellar travel has been associated with the Demimonde, the black market, and the wrong side of the law. It has a special System Wide Landmark: “Any territory in this system has -2 to its natural stability point but espionage token generators constructed here produce two tokens instead of one.”

Stellar Sargasso: Solar winds eddy around your system, tramlines flicker and a hundred thousand years of derelicts and junk, from all across the galaxy, accumulate at your L points. Once a year spend a token and 2d4*$100 to launch an expedition to recover ancient technology. Military token will return some sort of TL6 Ship, R&D Token will return some sort of relic/tech?, Econ Token will generate a random lump sum of $ (may or may not be more than the cost, maybe a shit load more), Diplomacy token awaken ancient sleepers gain 1 unique ground unit?

Mutara Convergence: This massive blue blot in the sky is visible from every planet in the surrounding systems, its swirling gasses hiding the building blocks of interstellar life. So dense and energetic a region of space inevitably interferes with sensors, scanners and even the naked eye. It is not difficult to lose contact with other vessels navigating this region. Effect: Can build a Darkspace Terminal here without spending an Espionage token, however all combatants in a Mutara Convergence are treated as having Deep Cloak.

Ion Storm: This massive manifestation of high-energy particle reactions can span nodes, shutting down communications, impeding tramline stability, and rendering fighters at a severe disadvantage. Worse, an Ion Storm is vaguely mobile, able to transition tramlines. If there is one saving grace it is that an Ion Storm will rarely ‘double back’, and instead typically migrates forwards- though many may have migratory routes that loop back around to familiar territory. Effect: Anything that passes through this system counts at +2 distance for supply purposes, fighters take a variable penalty to all rolls in this system, and while transiting a Tramline, the Tramline counts as unstable for the next quarter. Note: If multiple ion storms occupy the same system they combine into one big super storm that occupies a node per storm.

=Other Structures=
These structures may be found or built but are ''not'' landmarks.
==Ultragates==
Transtellar transit gates left over from precursor species across history, Ultragates link to every other Ultragate of that type when active. Ultragates have range limitations but these are so great as to be functioningly meaningless inside the Origin Spur.

==Tramline Scaffolds (WIP)==
A development by various species after the fall of the Overculture to shore up faltering Tramlines, Tramline Scaffolds link two systems that already possess a tramline of any condition. Building a Tramline Scaffold requires that both systems have been surveyed (See [[FTA3 Exploration]]) and the polity building the Scaffold has access to both systems. Once constructed, this link allows ships of any size category to traverse the link by passing through the Scaffold's aperture on each side one ship at a time. The presence of a Tramline Scaffold insulates a Tramline from some degree of external disruption, such as from Ion Storms or other anomalies, but this halves transit speed when in effect. Passage through the aperture disrupts stealth systems like Cloaking and Deep-Cloaking devices, rendering any such vessel traversing a Tramline Scaffold visible. Vessels that could normally traverse the tramline do not need to utilize the Scaffold.

Tramline Scaffolds can be built at any Technology Level and cost 1 Economy token and $5000, taking 2 years to finish. Tramlines built at technology levels below 5 have reduced safety features and are more prone to dramatically exploding when damaged.

=Trade=
Trade is a passive mechanic that impacts the value of your CI. Conduct and interaction between players, NPCs, and what have you can impact the $ value of your CI depending on circumstances. Short of catastrophe, a sector’s CI value will never go below 80% of its base value, but it can and will take hits. There are various map-connected things that can impact trade which will be obvious, etc.

There are a number of major systems that act as natural loci of trade across the Grid. In economic shorthand, these act as centers of trade for regions of space. Trade (and the impact on your CI) is broadly determined by events in each sector (and in the broad macro sense, FoF & Star Patrol activity modifies this as well), while specific events and player actions can modify CI values in specific systems.

CI generally fluctuates between 80% and 120% of its base value of 50 on an annual basis. This variation is due primarily to player actions, events, and the allocation of forces to commerce protection and piracy. Fluctuations below 90% and above 110%, that is considered out of the norm for year-to-year activity, can also have additional impacts above simply revenue.

Reducing CI below 90% can reduce the stability of every territory in a sector by one, excepting those owned by FoF states. This represents the disruption of trade being serious enough to make people unhappy. Correspondingly, CI value above 110% represents a boomtime economy, and populations are happy, resulting in all territories in such a sector gaining one stability.

==Investment into Trade & Trade Bonus Income==
States that invest an economic token into a sector’s trade also receive additional bonus income. This will manifest as a lump sum of cash based on the total amount of CI in a sector and what trade looks like for the calendar year.

Star Patrol states gain bonus income for sectors they patrol being over 110%, representing fees collected for operations, tariffs, and other more abstract benefits. Correspondingly, when trade is below 90%, they receive 50% less bonus income, representing these sources of funding drying up.

Basic Example:
:Player Bob is located in the Fuckaround Sector. Trade there this year is disrupted by two small wars (--), two players actively engaging in Star Patrol operations (++) and a determined privateering operation by Steve. The mods determine that trade as a result in the Fuckaround Sector is down, reducing all CI output in the region by $2. As this is not less than 90% of base value nor more than 110% of base value, there are no stability effects. The +s and -s have deliberately nebulous impacts in order to spare moderator work overhead, and there’s dice involved under the hood. It’s supposed to be somewhat abstract as a model.

=Piracy=
States can engage in piracy by allocating ships to a sector on a raiding mission. Allocating ships generally requires a supply base in the target sector, and such ships burn supply as though they were one jump away from a supply base. However, a state may allocate 100 weight of ships to piracy “free” of extra supply burden (Flag of Freedom states can allocate 300) in any sector, even one without a supply base.

When yearly trade is calculated, moderators will note the list of player states who engaged in piracy operations in a given sector, and calculate their ill-gotten gains on that basis. Exceptional contributions to this effort may result in events being generated as part of the year-in-review.

=Commerce Protection=
As you might imagine, polities have a vested interest in protecting trade (even if they’re raiding other people’s). You may allocate 200 weight of ships to the commerce protection role, riding the space lanes and keeping trade safe on a general sector-wide basis. Ships above this level burn supply as if they were deployed one jump away from a supply base. This is considered when calculating trade value in a sector in a year. Exceptional contributions to this effort may result in events being generated as part of the year-in-review.

Ships allocated to the piracy and commerce protection roles are unavailable for the entire calendar year (representing rest & repair time, abstract deep-space deployment, communications OOD lag, etc), unless you spend a Military token that allows you to reshuffle your deployments. They do not consume supply above and beyond normal upkeep unless drawn into combat, however.

=Direct Investment=
Invest an Econ token into a foreign territory containing at least 5 foreign CI to gain money and intensify economic and diplomatic relationships between you and the foreign power controlling the CI.

The first token so invested by any power in a given territory in a given year generates return as follows: subtract the total foreign CI from 100, use the result as a percentage, and multiply this percentage by $1000 to get total returns for the investment. This value can be divided between any powers or entities as the investor and controlling power agree. Each subsequent token invested by any power in the same territory in the same year yields half the return (and CI) as the previous one. Lastly, if the total return on all direct investments in that territory is $500 or greater, it gains 1 CI at the end of the year.

This investment process represents a complex and intensive bundle of economic, social, and political relationships. It can thus be attacked by piracy or espionage, serve as a cover/conduit for espionage in both directions, and be integrated into all manner of diplomatic relations and related ethos abilities. Sustained increases in investment may also benefit stability of the target system (if not combined with hostile actions), and sudden/sharp reductions may harm it.

Notes: When direct investing in a Roamer or other state with modified CI ratings, use the actual base CI value rather than one derived from any income modifiers.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Ship Design

2023-09-15T21:09:53Z

Jacklyn:

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
#[[FTA3 Economy]]
#[[FTA3 Ethos & Politics]]
#[[FTA3 Research & Development]]
Continue to Table of Contents:
=Ship Design=

==Bonus Stacking==
Where additive (or subtractive) and multiplicative bonuses from doctrines and quirks stack, they always resolve in the order that is least beneficial.
Example:
“Mahanian Might” reduces the weight of Cruisers by 2. “Forager” “[weight is] counted as halved when deployed on Piracy and Commerce Protection [...]”. So, a CL (normal weight 12) under the effect of both, would be reduced to 5 effective weight (12 - 2)/2, not 4 ((12/2)-2.

==Different Tech Levels==
A higher TL ship is roughly twice as effective, overall, as a ship of a lower tech level, four times as effective as a ship two Tech Levels lower, and so on. When ships are built, their overall HP and attacks are modified by the TL multiplier below, and rounded as normal:

TL6: Sqrt(2) = (1.414213562…) 
TL5: 1 
TL4: Sqrt(½) = (0.7071067812…) 
TL3: Sqrt(¼) = .5 

Example: a ‘standard gunfight’ CA has 161 HP and it’s attacks do 6 base damage. If it was TL4, then it’s final HP would be ( 161 * sqrt(½) = 113.84 -> ) 114 and it’s base attacks would do (6 * sqrt(2) = 4.24… ->) 4 damage.

==Prototyping==
You don’t just go directly from a computer model of a ship to building hundreds of them in the shipyard. The first ship(s) of a class always costs more. In addition to the normal construction price, the first ship(s) of a class costs an additional 1 R&D, $100, and 10 DI. Developing the prototype of a ship class requires no extra time, once you pay the prototype cost, you can immediately start construction of any number of ships of that class. Note that you have to build at least one.

==Quirks==
Sometimes, when you build the first ship of a class, everything goes to plan. Due to spooky interactions between the design of specialist ship hulls, the high iron union, and sacrifices made long ago to strange Gods, ship classes based on specialist hulls never develop quirks. Neither do Star Bases. But, for a class based on a normal hull, when the first ship(s) of a class are completed, roll a d12 and consult the quirk table: 
:1: Costly to build: Increase $ and DI cost by 10%
:2: Slow to build: Ships require an extra quarter to complete
:3: Ship gains the Yard Queen trait.
:4: Ship gains the Supply Hog trait.
:5-8: No quirk of note
:9: Ship gains the Thrifty trait.
:10: Roll a D10 and gain one of the following Traits: 1: Small 2: Large 3: Subhunter 4: Nimble 5: Flak 6: Forager 7: Deniable 8: SCIENCE! 9: Show the Flag 10: Pick One
:11. Ship gains the Long Legs trait.
:12: Inexpensive to build: Decrease $ and DI cost by 10%
Where the cost of the ship changes, you are either charged for the budget overruns in the budget year the newly completed ships roll off the assembly line, or refunded the budget surplus. 
The possibility of budget overruns, or finding out that the new design is a lemon is part of the reason why only a few of the new ship class are constructed in the first production run. 
If you decide you don’t want a rolled quirk for a ship, you may pay 1 R&D or Military token and $1000 to “buy it off”. This process is instant (and represents working out the issues during prototyping and construction or whatever)
Stacking Modules 
There is only so much armor or guns you can affix to a ship before diminishing returns begins to be a factor. Every time, after the second, you increase a stackable module it doubles the module cost, the second costs one and the third two, slotless modules do not count for this purpose. So, in total, 2 modules would take 2 module slots, 3 modules would take 4 slots, and 4 modules would take 8 slots. Certain modules are one-offs however and do not gain benefit from being multiples. The modules that can be stacked are labeled with an (M). 

Note that this stacking penalty only applies to the modules fitted in the ‘module slots’ of the ship hull (referred to as ‘picked modules’). Some doctrines or other things add a slotless (X) module to a ship. Slotless modules do not interact with stacking penalties. 

=Ship Hulls=
==[Show/Hide]Standard Escort Hulls==
<div id="mw-customcollapsible-0" class="mw-collapsible">
===Escort Carrier (CVE)===
''The CVE is the smallest hull that could conceivably fit hangars, the CVE is still massive compared to most Escorts, being the heaviest ship you can stuff down an escort line. Despite being significantly larger than other escorts, it doesn't make up for it in terms of durability or conventional firepower, with almost all of its spare internal space being put towards the difficult job of carrying and maintaining fighters.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 12 
HP: 60 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 3 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $80 
DI Cost: 20 
Time: 1 year
</div></div>

===Escort Division (DE)===
''A standard throughout the galaxy, the humble escort division serves as a staple for patroling and picketing operations. Due the the extremely cheap cost of production, there are endless variations of what is considered an escort, though often they are retrofitted civilian vessels with enhanced guns and sensors, many dedicated military variants of the vessels exist. Due to the small size of the individual vessels, an escort division encompasses 2-6 vessels, which work together closely.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 6 
HP: 35 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 13 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Point Defense Battery Network, Torpedo Bay 
$ Cost: $55 
DI Cost: 15 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div>

===Frigate (FF)===
''The smallest class of mobile singular ships, Frigates are created to operate alone or in small self-sufficient groups to give the nation more breadth in their patrols. They can also serve as pickets and screens for larger classes of vessels, but particularly in smaller nations they tend to be a reliable combat ship for operating alone or far away from home due to their relatively small size, though certainly more fragile than larger offerings. These characteristics of excelling in operating alone away from home make them excellent piracy or trade protection craft.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 8 
HP: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: STAG 
$ Cost: $65 
DI Cost: 15 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>
==Specialist Escort Hulls==
===(S) Fast Attack Craft Division (FAC)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 2 
Weight: 6 
HP: 35 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 13 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Stand Off (Full), No Jump Drive 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $45 
DI Cost: 12 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Merchant Cutter (QF)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 10 
HP: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 8 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Q-Ship 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $65 
DI Cost: 20 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Orbital Combat Ship (LST)===
''The need to take the fight downwell of gravity often demands an aggressively agile ‘streetfighter’ that can bring crucial mission capabilities into the risky environment of a contested orbit. Accordingly some naval architects independently converge on a large escort with a disproportionate emphasis on sprint speed, aerodynamic hull shape, and support capabilities for espatiers or landing forces – at the cost of armament. Such characteristics incidentally make them well suited for anti-piracy patrol…or privateering.'' 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Modules: 2 + Slotless Landing Force and Slotless Boarding Module 
Speed: 3 
Logistics Weight: 10 
Hit Points: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 14 
Base Attack: 3 
Base Damage: 4 
Traits: Orbital Support, Aquatic 
Base Cost: $70 & 12 DI 
Construction Time: 1 Year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Prowler (DDC)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 2 
Weight: 10 
HP: 35 
Prot: 6 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Traits: Deep Cloak 
Base Cost: $140 & 35 DI 
Construction Time: 1 Year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Sloop (DDS)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 4 
Weight:10 
HP: 70 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 10 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Expeditionary, Quantum Tunneler 
Hull Base Modules: Lab Complex 
$ Cost: $135 
DI Cost: 30 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Superfrigate (DDL)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 10 
HP: 80 
Protection: 8 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Subhunter 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $115 
DI Cost: 30 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

==Standard Cruiser Hulls==
===Heavy Cruiser (CA)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 115 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 7 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect, Long Legs (1) 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $175 
DI Cost: 45 
Time: 2 years 

===Light Carrier (CVL)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 18 
HP: 135 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 5 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $200 
DI Cost: 50 
Time: $2 years 

===Light Cruiser (CL)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 12 
HP: 80 
Protection: 8 
Avoidance: 10 
Attacks: 5 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Long Legs (2) 
Hull Base Modules: Secondary Batteries 
Construction Cost: $105 & 25 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===Support Ship (APD)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 2 
Weight: N/A (Supports 100 weight of units) 
HP: 60 
Protection: 5 
Avoidance:5 
Attacks: 2 
Damage: 3 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Auxiliary 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $150 & 40 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

==Specialist Cruiser Hulls==
===(S) Arsenal Ship (AS)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 85 
Protection: 9 
Avoidance: 8 
Attacks: 10 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Stand-Off (Full) 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $175 & 45 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===(S) Explorer (ENT)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 175 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 8 
Hangar: 0 
Base Traits: Expeditionary 
Hull Base Modules: Diplomacy Suite, Fold Drive, Lab Complex 
$ Cost: $300 
DI Cost: 60 
Time: 2 years 

===(S) Gravity Interdictor, Auxiliary (AGI)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Logistics Weight: N/A (Supports 100 weight of units) 
Hit Points: 60 
Protection: 5 
Avoidance: 5 
Base Attacks: 2 
Base Damage: 3 
Base Traits: Interdictor, Auxiliary 
Base Cost: $200 & 60 DI 
Construction Time: 2 Years 

===(S) Gravity Interdictor, Combat (CGI)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 150 
Prot: 9 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 7 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Interdictor 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $300 & 90 DI 
Time 2 years 

===(S) Hunter-Killer (HK)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 16 
HP: 50 
Prot: 8 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 7 
Base Traits: Deep Cloak 
Construction Cost: $200 & 50 DI 
Build Time: 2 Years 

===(S) Merchant Cruiser (QC)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 100 
Protection: 9 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Q-Ship 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $145 & 50 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===(S) Spinal Cruiser (CSG)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 20 
HP: 125 
Prot: 11 
Avoid: 8 
Spinal: 1x120 
Attacks: 0 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect, Spinal Mount 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $270 & 70 DI 
Build Time: 2 

===(S) Spinal Lancer (CLSG)===
Tram Span Cruiser 
Speed: 3 
Modules 3 
Weight 12 
HP 75 
Prot 8 
Avoid 10 
Spinal 1x80 
Attacks 0 
Damage 4 
Hangars 0 
Base Traits: Spinal Mount 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost 155 
DI Cost 40 
Time 2 

===(S) Strike Cruiser (CN)===
''More warship leaning than an ENT, and if fitted out as an Explorer, will probably lose to an ENT fitted with guns, as ENT get more (relevant) free modules. But if you'd prefer your fold drive ships to just fight, then CN is the hull for you.''
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 150 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 10 
Damage: 9 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Show the Flag, Expeditionary 
Hull Base Modules: Fold Drive 
Base Cost: $300 & 60 DI 
Time: 2 years 

==Standard Capital Hulls==
===Battlecruiser (BC)===
If you have capital tramlines available, and want to send out ships to wreck things, BC is one of best hulls to do that. Free speed makes it competitive in mobile battles too 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 8 
Weight: 26 
HP: 220 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 10 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Additional Sublight Engines 
$ Cost: $315 
DI Cost: 90 
Time: 3 years 

===Battleship (BB)===
''The pinnacle of being able to fight and still move around. It's only its low speed and high weight that holds it back from dominating over the BC. But if you don't care about either of those things, buy BB instead.'' 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules; 8 
Weight: 33 
HP: 320 
Protection: 13 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 12 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $430 
DI Cost: 120 
Time: 3 years 

===Fleet Carrier (CV)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 26 
HP: 200 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 9 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
Base Cost: $330 & 90 DI 
Time: 3 years 

===Starbase (SB)===
Notes: Star bases can’t gain quirks, just like specialist hulls. 
Tram Span: N/A 
Speed: N/A (counts as 0 for positioning) 
Modules: 8 
Weight: 25 
HP: 400 
Protection: 14 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 12 
Damage: 12 
Hangars: 6 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
Base Cost: $500 & 120 DI 
Build Time: 3 years 

==Specialist Capital Hulls==
===(S) Gatepuncher (GPB)===
Tram Span Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules 8 
Weight 33 
HP 320 
Prot 12 
Avoid 6 
Attacks 8 
Damage 12 
Hangars 0 
Base Traits Gatepuncher 
Hull Base Modules 
$ Cost 530 
DI Cost 180 
Time 3 years 

===(S) Space Control Ship (LHD)===
''Designed to dominate the orbitals over a heavily defended planet, an SCS can drop multiple brigades onto a planet’s surface and support them from orbit with command & control and ortillery fire'' 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 + 2 Slotless Landing Force 
Logistics Weight: 36 
Hit Points: 350 
Protection: 12 
Avoidance: 6 
Base Attacks: 6 
Base Damage: 8 
Hangars: 4 
Traits: Orbital Support 
Base Cost: $400, 100 DI 
Construction Time: 3 Years 

===(S) Strike Carrier (CVA)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 26 
HP: 200 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 10 
Hangars: 6 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Magnum Catapult 
$ Cost: $350 
DI Cost: 95 
Time: 3 years 

===(S) Supercarrier (CVB)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 33 
HP: 290 
Protection: 13 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 12 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Point Defense Battery Network 
$ Cost: $475 
DI Cost: 130 
Time: 3 years 

=Ship Module List=
===Additional Weapons (M)===
Increases ship’s attacks by 2, divided by seeking & direct fire as you allocate when the class is designed.
===Additional Sublight Engines (M)===
Gives a ship the Nimble trait.
===AEGIS (M)===
Increases this ship’s avoidance value by 1.
===Aquatic===
Allows a ship to operate in water (or other liquids) and dense atmospheres (Such as pre-space Venus). Cannot be applied to capital ships.
===Boarding Capability===
This ship can conduct boarding operations of enemy ships during narrative or adventure zone actions with a significant bonus. Represents breaching pods, additional power armored marines above a normal complement, etc; can carry a battalion of Espatiers or Interface troops. The boarding modules can also land its battalion of troops in support of a ground invasion, as if it were a landing module.
===Cloaking Device===
Gives a ship the Cloak trait. Can only be mounted on units with 26 or less base logistical weight.
===Damage Control Module===
Reduces the cost of post-damage repairs (Make note of this module’s existence for mod attention) and adds a a +1 to Damage Control rolls.
===Diplomacy Suite===
Grants the Diplomatic trait.
===Extended Support (M)===
Grants Long Legs (1) trait.
===Fighter Direction Center===
Coordinates the activities of a fleet’s fighters, enabling combat directors to redirect squadrons and reform ad-hoc groups after damage. Fighter squadrons mission killed can be reorganized and sent back into combat on a 4+ on a D6.
===Fire Control Array===
An array of active detection equipment used to burn through combat scale EW and provide more accurate targeting solutions in combat. Active fire control grants the ship +1 to hit and pierce. On a turn this ability is utilized (declare at the start of the turn), the FCA ship’s avoidance number is reduced by 1-you’re actively pinging with a variety of types of energy, it’s going to make it easier to spot you. Stealth Ships utilizing a fire control array reduce the DC to spot them by 5.
===Hangar===
Increases this ship’s hangar attribute by one (1). Limit of 1 for cruisers, 2 for capital ships.
===Lab Complex===
Gives the ship the SCIENCE trait.
===Landing Force (*)===
Transports and supports a battalion (escort), brigade (cruiser), or division (capital) in any configuration. Landing Force Modules are not subject to the normal module stacking limitations.
===Missile Targeting Array===
Allows ships to accurately target (and re-target) things that require precision, such as individual ships or specific parts of infrastructure. Used to guide IPBMs.
===Magnum Catapult Launchers===
Gives the fighters launched from this ship the First Strike trait.
===Ortillery===
Gives a ship the Orbital Support trait.
===Point Defense Battery Network===
Gives this ship the Flak trait.
===Reinforced Hull & Shields (M)===
Increase this ship’s protection value by 1.
===Secondary Batteries===
This ship mounts a degree of firepower aimed specifically at engaging escorts. +1 to hit and pierce vs escorts; not for spinal mounts.
===STAG===
(Special Tachyon Antagonism Gear) A STAG is a set of specialized anti-cloaking sensors, capable of reliably spotting a ship operating under cloak at close range and decent chance at greater range. It also includes specialized weapons tied directly into the sensors and tracking system. Gives ships the Subhunter trait and a +2 to hit ships they’ve detected in cloak. Larger ships have slightly superior STAGs but lose out on cost-efficiency.
===Structural Reinforcement (M)===
Increases ship HP by 20% of base hull HP.
===Torpedo Bay===
The ship mounts a set of heavy weapons designed to punch through armor and shielding. Vs any ship at least one class larger than the mounting ship, +1 to hit and pierce; not for spinal mounts.

=Ship Trait List=
===Auxiliary===
This unit can only sortie with support from proper combat ships. If ever alone with opposing forces at the end of a combat round it is immediately captured or destroyed.
===Cloak===
Decreases the “noise” this ship generates for the purposes of observation (see espionage and intelligence) and also the cloaked combat rules in this document.
===Deep Cloak===
A ship so fitted is capable of operating under sensor cloak effectively indefinitely. It uses the Deep Cloak rules in combat. Also counts as a standard cloak for strategic purposes.
===Deniable===
The ship is built using generic or ‘off the scrapheap’ technology, crewed by hired mercenaries or purpose-built synths, and distinctly at-odds with your standard of aesthetic. This ship is not immediately traceable back to your polity.
===Diplomatic===
A ship with this trait can be used for diplomatic ventures, granting a +X bonus to diplomacy rolls. Additionally, this ship can fly under ambassadorial flags, allowing it special privileges and access where other vessels would normally be restricted..
===Expeditionary===
This ship is always considered one system away from a point of supply, regardless of other modifiers to distance from supply.
===First Strike===
A carrier with this trait enables its fighters to attack as a Stand-Off attack once before regular combat begins.
===Flak===
A ship with this trait inflicts a penalty of +2 on the attack roll on fighters attacking it.
===Fold===
This ship is equipped with a High grade OPF Fold Drive, which can transit any tram line or jump gate at will and quickly. This means it ignores limitations on size and quality for any jump line on the map. They also can enter and emerge from a tram line far from its mouth, giving them significant strategic and tactical flexibility.
===Forager===
This ship has a minimal logistics footprint, meaning its weight is counted as halved for deployment weight limits when assigned to Piracy and Commerce Protection missions in a sector. It still consumes full supply.

===Gatepunch===
This ship has the ability to, in the short-term, stabilize and expand tramlines to allow the passage of larger ships in company with the gatepuncher. This ability does not work well under fire and generally requires the ship to be more or less undamaged.
===Gravity Interdict===
This ship can prevent others from utilizing fold drives and shrinks the span of jump lines by one step when in close proximity. Scales based on mounting ship category.
===Large===
Increases this ship’s base protection by one, reduces its avoidance by one.
===Long Legs (X)===
Reduces the distance modifier for supply when deployed away from a base by the value listed. Cannot reduce the modifier below 1.
===Nimble (X)===
Increases a ship’s base speed by the listed amount, to a maximum of 4. Nimble and Sluggish cancel each other out on a 1 to 1 basis.
===Orbital Support===
This ship can support units on the ground with command and control functions and pin-point fire support. While ortillery is greatly frowned on in general and banned by custom or law around a Server Spire or against a Garden World, practically speaking there’s a difference between some light railgun fire against a pirate asteroid base and glassing a Gaia-type world. (Expound as needed)
===Protect===
A ship with protect may redirect the attacks of a flanking ship of their choice on to themselves.
===Q-Ship===
This ship has the ability to appear significantly less threatening or as something else entirely. Ships with the Q-ship trait double their effectiveness when applied to either commerce protection or privateering duties in a sector.
===Quantum Tunneler===
This ship can navigate any tramline or gate pair no matter how degraded thanks to expensive, and somewhat finicky, advanced tensor coils.
===Regeneration===
Ships with regeneration have differing damage level thresholds than normal ships. (See: Ship damage: damage levels).
===SCIENCE===
This ship is equipped to deal with Weird Shit. Primarily an out-of-combat effect but could have unconventional impact on ship to ship combat from time to time.
===Secured===
Secured units are resistant to hostile intelligence operations. Any attacking against one has an automatic, baseline 50% chance of failure. Negates (and is negated by) the Secret Weapons asset.
===Show the Flag===
This ship has the uncanny ability to show up where a crisis is going on and participating.
===Sluggish (X)===
Reduces the base Speed of a ship by 1, to a minimum of 1. Nimble and Sluggish cancel each other out on a 1 to 1 basis.
===Small===
Increases this ship’s base avoidance by one, reduces its protection by one.
===Spinal Mount===
The ship has a singular large weapon rather than a collection of smaller guns; Spinal mounts have +1 to hit in close range, -1 to hit at long range, and +3 to pierce. It may benefit from fire control, but not from secondary batteries or torpedoes.
===Stand-Off===
This ship gets standoff attacks against the enemy fleet, before the first round of regular combat. Where the standoff is a specific number, it gets that many attacks. If it is Standoff(full) it gets attacks equal to it’s normal number of attacks. It’s also possible to have Standoff(full +X), where you make more standoff attacks than your normal number of attacks.
===Subhunter===
Gives you a re-roll to detect one cloaked ship at the start of combat (see cloaking rules).
===Supply Hog===
Increases the distance modifier for supply when deployed away from a base by one.
===Thrifty===
Ship consumes 20% less supplies.
===Yard Queen===
Ship consumes 20% more supplies.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Ship Design

2023-09-06T01:11:55Z

Jacklyn: /* Ship Hulls */

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Ship Design]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
Continue to Table of Contents:
=Ship Design=

==Bonus Stacking==
Where additive (or subtractive) and multiplicative bonuses from doctrines and quirks stack, they always resolve in the order that is least beneficial.
Example:
“Mahanian Might” reduces the weight of Cruisers by 2. “Forager” “[weight is] counted as halved when deployed on Piracy and Commerce Protection [...]”. So, a CL (normal weight 12) under the effect of both, would be reduced to 5 effective weight (12 - 2)/2, not 4 ((12/2)-2.

==Different Tech Levels==
A higher TL ship is roughly twice as effective, overall, as a ship of a lower tech level, four times as effective as a ship two Tech Levels lower, and so on. When ships are built, their overall HP and attacks are modified by the TL multiplier below, and rounded as normal:

TL6: Sqrt(2) = (1.414213562…) 
TL5: 1 
TL4: Sqrt(½) = (0.7071067812…) 
TL3: Sqrt(¼) = .5 

Example: a ‘standard gunfight’ CA has 161 HP and it’s attacks do 6 base damage. If it was TL4, then it’s final HP would be ( 161 * sqrt(½) = 113.84 -> ) 114 and it’s base attacks would do (6 * sqrt(2) = 4.24… ->) 4 damage.

==Prototyping==
You don’t just go directly from a computer model of a ship to building hundreds of them in the shipyard. The first ship(s) of a class always costs more. In addition to the normal construction price, the first ship(s) of a class costs an additional 1 R&D, $100, and 10 DI. Developing the prototype of a ship class requires no extra time, once you pay the prototype cost, you can immediately start construction of any number of ships of that class. Note that you have to build at least one.

==Quirks==
Sometimes, when you build the first ship of a class, everything goes to plan. Due to spooky interactions between the design of specialist ship hulls, the high iron union, and sacrifices made long ago to strange Gods, ship classes based on specialist hulls never develop quirks. Neither do Star Bases. But, for a class based on a normal hull, when the first ship(s) of a class are completed, roll a d12 and consult the quirk table: 
:1: Costly to build: Increase $ and DI cost by 10%
:2: Slow to build: Ships require an extra quarter to complete
:3: Ship gains the Yard Queen trait.
:4: Ship gains the Supply Hog trait.
:5-8: No quirk of note
:9: Ship gains the Thrifty trait.
:10: Roll a D10 and gain one of the following Traits: 1: Small 2: Large 3: Subhunter 4: Nimble 5: Flak 6: Forager 7: Deniable 8: SCIENCE! 9: Show the Flag 10: Pick One
:11. Ship gains the Long Legs trait.
:12: Inexpensive to build: Decrease $ and DI cost by 10%
Where the cost of the ship changes, you are either charged for the budget overruns in the budget year the newly completed ships roll off the assembly line, or refunded the budget surplus. 
The possibility of budget overruns, or finding out that the new design is a lemon is part of the reason why only a few of the new ship class are constructed in the first production run. 
If you decide you don’t want a rolled quirk for a ship, you may pay 1 R&D or Military token and $1000 to “buy it off”. This process is instant (and represents working out the issues during prototyping and construction or whatever)
Stacking Modules 
There is only so much armor or guns you can affix to a ship before diminishing returns begins to be a factor. Every time, after the second, you increase a stackable module it doubles the module cost, the second costs one and the third two, slotless modules do not count for this purpose. So, in total, 2 modules would take 2 module slots, 3 modules would take 4 slots, and 4 modules would take 8 slots. Certain modules are one-offs however and do not gain benefit from being multiples. The modules that can be stacked are labeled with an (M). 

Note that this stacking penalty only applies to the modules fitted in the ‘module slots’ of the ship hull (referred to as ‘picked modules’). Some doctrines or other things add a slotless (X) module to a ship. Slotless modules do not interact with stacking penalties. 

=Ship Hulls=
==[Show/Hide]Standard Escort Hulls==
<div id="mw-customcollapsible-0" class="mw-collapsible">
===Escort Carrier (CVE)===
''The CVE is the smallest hull that could conceivably fit hangars, the CVE is still massive compared to most Escorts, being the heaviest ship you can stuff down an escort line. Despite being significantly larger than other escorts, it doesn't make up for it in terms of durability or conventional firepower, with almost all of its spare internal space being put towards the difficult job of carrying and maintaining fighters.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 12 
HP: 60 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 3 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $80 
DI Cost: 20 
Time: 1 year
</div></div>

===Escort Division (DE)===
''A standard throughout the galaxy, the humble escort division serves as a staple for patroling and picketing operations. Due the the extremely cheap cost of production, there are endless variations of what is considered an escort, though often they are retrofitted civilian vessels with enhanced guns and sensors, many dedicated military variants of the vessels exist. Due to the small size of the individual vessels, an escort division encompasses 2-6 vessels, which work together closely.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 6 
HP: 35 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 13 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Point Defense Battery Network, Torpedo Bay 
$ Cost: $55 
DI Cost: 15 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div>

===Frigate (FF)===
''The smallest class of mobile singular ships, Frigates are created to operate alone or in small self-sufficient groups to give the nation more breadth in their patrols. They can also serve as pickets and screens for larger classes of vessels, but particularly in smaller nations they tend to be a reliable combat ship for operating alone or far away from home due to their relatively small size, though certainly more fragile than larger offerings. These characteristics of excelling in operating alone away from home make them excellent piracy or trade protection craft.''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 8 
HP: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: STAG 
$ Cost: $65 
DI Cost: 15 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>
==Specialist Escort Hulls==
===(S) Fast Attack Craft Division (FAC)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 2 
Weight: 6 
HP: 35 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 13 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Stand Off (Full), No Jump Drive 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $45 
DI Cost: 12 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Merchant Cutter (QF)===
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<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 3 
Weight: 10 
HP: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 8 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Q-Ship 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $65 
DI Cost: 20 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Orbital Combat Ship (LST)===
''The need to take the fight downwell of gravity often demands an aggressively agile ‘streetfighter’ that can bring crucial mission capabilities into the risky environment of a contested orbit. Accordingly some naval architects independently converge on a large escort with a disproportionate emphasis on sprint speed, aerodynamic hull shape, and support capabilities for espatiers or landing forces – at the cost of armament. Such characteristics incidentally make them well suited for anti-piracy patrol…or privateering.'' 
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<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Modules: 2 + Slotless Landing Force and Slotless Boarding Module 
Speed: 3 
Logistics Weight: 10 
Hit Points: 50 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 14 
Base Attack: 3 
Base Damage: 4 
Traits: Orbital Support, Aquatic 
Base Cost: $70 & 12 DI 
Construction Time: 1 Year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Prowler (DDC)===
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<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 2 
Weight: 10 
HP: 35 
Prot: 6 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Traits: Deep Cloak 
Base Cost: $140 & 35 DI 
Construction Time: 1 Year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Sloop (DDS)===
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<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 4 
Weight:10 
HP: 70 
Protection: 7 
Avoidance: 10 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Expeditionary, Quantum Tunneler 
Hull Base Modules: Lab Complex 
$ Cost: $135 
DI Cost: 30 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

===(S) Superfrigate (DDL)===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="width:500px; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Stats</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Tram Span: Escort 
Speed: 3 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 10 
HP: 80 
Protection: 8 
Avoidance: 11 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Subhunter 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $115 
DI Cost: 30 
Time: 1 year 
</div></div></div>

==Standard Cruiser Hulls==
===Heavy Cruiser (CA)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 115 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 7 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect, Long Legs (1) 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $175 
DI Cost: 45 
Time: 2 years 

===Light Carrier (CVL)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 18 
HP: 135 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 5 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $200 
DI Cost: 50 
Time: $2 years 

===Light Cruiser (CL)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 12 
HP: 80 
Protection: 8 
Avoidance: 10 
Attacks: 5 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Long Legs (2) 
Hull Base Modules: Secondary Batteries 
Construction Cost: $105 & 25 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===Support Ship (APD)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 2 
Weight: N/A (Supports 100 weight of units) 
HP: 60 
Protection: 5 
Avoidance:5 
Attacks: 2 
Damage: 3 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Auxiliary 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $150 & 40 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

==Specialist Cruiser Hulls==
===(S) Arsenal Ship (AS)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 85 
Protection: 9 
Avoidance: 8 
Attacks: 10 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Stand-Off (Full) 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $175 & 45 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===(S) Explorer (ENT)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 175 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 8 
Hangar: 0 
Base Traits: Expeditionary 
Hull Base Modules: Diplomacy Suite, Fold Drive, Lab Complex 
$ Cost: $300 
DI Cost: 60 
Time: 2 years 

===(S) Gravity Interdictor, Auxiliary (AGI)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Logistics Weight: N/A (Supports 100 weight of units) 
Hit Points: 60 
Protection: 5 
Avoidance: 5 
Base Attacks: 2 
Base Damage: 3 
Base Traits: Interdictor, Auxiliary 
Base Cost: $200 & 60 DI 
Construction Time: 2 Years 

===(S) Gravity Interdictor, Combat (CGI)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 150 
Prot: 9 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 7 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Interdictor 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $300 & 90 DI 
Time 2 years 

===(S) Hunter-Killer (HK)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 16 
HP: 50 
Prot: 8 
Avoid: 9 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 7 
Base Traits: Deep Cloak 
Construction Cost: $200 & 50 DI 
Build Time: 2 Years 

===(S) Merchant Cruiser (QC)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 16 
HP: 100 
Protection: 9 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 6 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Q-Ship 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $145 & 50 DI 
Build Time: 2 years 

===(S) Spinal Cruiser (CSG)===
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 4 
Weight: 20 
HP: 125 
Prot: 11 
Avoid: 8 
Spinal: 1x120 
Attacks: 0 
Damage: 4 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect, Spinal Mount 
Hull Base Modules: 
Construction Cost: $270 & 70 DI 
Build Time: 2 

===(S) Spinal Lancer (CLSG)===
Tram Span Cruiser 
Speed: 3 
Modules 3 
Weight 12 
HP 75 
Prot 8 
Avoid 10 
Spinal 1x80 
Attacks 0 
Damage 4 
Hangars 0 
Base Traits: Spinal Mount 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost 155 
DI Cost 40 
Time 2 

===(S) Strike Cruiser (CN)===
''More warship leaning than an ENT, and if fitted out as an Explorer, will probably lose to an ENT fitted with guns, as ENT get more (relevant) free modules. But if you'd prefer your fold drive ships to just fight, then CN is the hull for you.''
Tram Span: Cruiser 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 20 
HP: 150 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 10 
Damage: 9 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Show the Flag, Expeditionary 
Hull Base Modules: Fold Drive 
Base Cost: $300 & 60 DI 
Time: 2 years 

==Standard Capital Hulls==
===Battlecruiser (BC)===
If you have capital tramlines available, and want to send out ships to wreck things, BC is one of best hulls to do that. Free speed makes it competitive in mobile battles too 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 2 
Modules: 8 
Weight: 26 
HP: 220 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 10 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Additional Sublight Engines 
$ Cost: $315 
DI Cost: 90 
Time: 3 years 

===Battleship (BB)===
''The pinnacle of being able to fight and still move around. It's only its low speed and high weight that holds it back from dominating over the BC. But if you don't care about either of those things, buy BB instead.'' 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules; 8 
Weight: 33 
HP: 320 
Protection: 13 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 8 
Damage: 12 
Hangars: 0 
Base Traits: Protect 
Hull Base Modules: 
$ Cost: $430 
DI Cost: 120 
Time: 3 years 

===Fleet Carrier (CV)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 26 
HP: 200 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 5 
Hangars: 9 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
Base Cost: $330 & 90 DI 
Time: 3 years 

===Starbase (SB)===
Notes: Star bases can’t gain quirks, just like specialist hulls. 
Tram Span: N/A 
Speed: N/A (counts as 0 for positioning) 
Modules: 8 
Weight: 25 
HP: 400 
Protection: 14 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 12 
Damage: 12 
Hangars: 6 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: 
Base Cost: $500 & 120 DI 
Build Time: 3 years 

==Specialist Capital Hulls==
===(S) Gatepuncher (GPB)===
Tram Span Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules 8 
Weight 33 
HP 320 
Prot 12 
Avoid 6 
Attacks 8 
Damage 12 
Hangars 0 
Base Traits Gatepuncher 
Hull Base Modules 
$ Cost 530 
DI Cost 180 
Time 3 

===(S) Space Control Ship (LHD)===
''Designed to dominate the orbitals over a heavily defended planet, an SCS can drop multiple brigades onto a planet’s surface and support them from orbit with command & control and ortillery fire'' 
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 + 2 Slotless Landing Force 
Logistics Weight: 36 
Hit Points: 350 
Protection: 12 
Avoidance: 6 
Base Attacks: 6 
Base Damage: 8 
Hangars: 4 
Traits: Orbital Support 
Base Cost: $400, 100 DI 
Construction Time: 3 Years 

===(S) Strike Carrier (CVA)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 26 
HP: 200 
Protection: 10 
Avoidance: 9 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 10 
Hangars: 6 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Magnum Catapult 
$ Cost: $350 
DI Cost: 95 
Time: 3 years 

===(S) Supercarrier (CVB)===
Tram Span: Capital 
Speed: 1 
Modules: 6 
Weight: 33 
HP: 290 
Protection: 13 
Avoidance: 6 
Attacks: 4 
Damage: 6 
Hangars: 12 
Base Traits: 
Hull Base Modules: Point Defense Battery Network 
$ Cost: $475 
DI Cost: 130 
Time: 3 years 

=Ship Module List=
===Additional Weapons (M)===
Increases ship’s attacks by 2, divided by seeking & direct fire as you allocate when the class is designed.
===Additional Sublight Engines (M)===
Gives a ship the Nimble trait.
===AEGIS (M)===
Increases this ship’s avoidance value by 1.
===Aquatic===
Allows a ship to operate in water (or other liquids) and dense atmospheres (Such as pre-space Venus). Cannot be applied to capital ships.
===Boarding Capability===
This ship can conduct boarding operations of enemy ships during narrative or adventure zone actions with a significant bonus. Represents breaching pods, additional power armored marines above a normal complement, etc; can carry a battalion of Espatiers or Interface troops. The boarding modules can also land its battalion of troops in support of a ground invasion, as if it were a landing module.
===Cloaking Device===
Gives a ship the Cloak trait. Can only be mounted on units with 26 or less base logistical weight.
===Damage Control Module===
Reduces the cost of post-damage repairs (Make note of this module’s existence for mod attention) and adds a a +1 to Damage Control rolls.
===Diplomacy Suite===
Grants the Diplomatic trait.
===Extended Support (M)===
Grants Long Legs (1) trait.

===Fighter Direction Center===
Coordinates the activities of a fleet’s fighters, enabling combat directors to redirect squadrons and reform ad-hoc groups after damage. Fighter squadrons mission killed can be reorganized and sent back into combat on a 4+ on a D6.
===Fire Control Array===
An array of active detection equipment used to burn through combat scale EW and provide more accurate targeting solutions in combat. Active fire control grants the ship +1 to hit and pierce. On a turn this ability is utilized (declare at the start of the turn), the FCA ship’s avoidance number is reduced by 1-you’re actively pinging with a variety of types of energy, it’s going to make it easier to spot you. Stealth Ships utilizing a fire control array reduce the DC to spot them by 5.
===Hangar===
Increases this ship’s hangar attribute by one (1). Limit of 1 for cruisers, 2 for capital ships.
===Lab Complex===
Gives the ship the SCIENCE trait.
===Landing Force (*)===
Transports and supports a battalion (escort), brigade (cruiser), or division (capital) in any configuration. Landing Force Modules are not subject to the normal module stacking limitations.
===Missile Targeting Array===
Allows ships to accurately target (and re-target) things that require precision, such as individual ships or specific parts of infrastructure. Used to guide IPBMs.
===Magnum Catapult Launchers===
Gives the fighters launched from this ship the First Strike trait.
===Ortillery===
Gives a ship the Orbital Support trait.
===Point Defense Battery Network===
Gives this ship the Flak trait.
===Q-Ship===
This ship has the ability to appear significantly less threatening or as something else entirely. Ships with the Q-ship trait double their effectiveness when applied to either commerce protection or privateering duties in a sector.
===Reinforced Hull & Shields (M)===
Increase this ship’s protection value by 1.
===Secondary Batteries===
This ship mounts a degree of firepower aimed specifically at engaging escorts. +1 to hit and pierce vs escorts; not for spinal mounts.
===STAG===
(Special Tachyon Antagonism Gear) A STAG is a set of specialized anti-cloaking sensors, capable of reliably spotting a ship operating under cloak at close range and decent chance at greater range. It also includes specialized weapons tied directly into the sensors and tracking system. Gives ships the Subhunter trait and a +2 to hit ships they’ve detected in cloak. Larger ships have slightly superior STAGs but lose out on cost-efficiency.
===Structural Reinforcement (M)===
Increases ship HP by 20% of base hull HP.
===Torpedo Bay===
The ship mounts a set of heavy weapons designed to punch through armor and shielding. Vs any ship at least one class larger than the mounting ship, +1 to hit and pierce; not for spinal mounts.

=Ship Trait List=
===Auxiliary===
This unit can only sortie with support from proper combat ships. If ever alone with opposing forces at the end of a combat round it is immediately captured or destroyed.
===Cloak===
Decreases the “noise” this ship generates for the purposes of observation (see espionage and intelligence) and also the cloaked combat rules in this document.
===Deep Cloak===
A ship so fitted is capable of operating under sensor cloak effectively indefinitely. It uses the Deep Cloak rules in combat. Also counts as a standard cloak for strategic purposes.
===Deniable===
The ship is built using generic or ‘off the scrapheap’ technology, crewed by hired mercenaries or purpose-built synths, and distinctly at-odds with your standard of aesthetic. This ship is not immediately traceable back to your polity.
===Diplomatic===
A ship with this trait can be used for diplomatic ventures, granting a +X bonus to diplomacy rolls. Additionally, this ship can fly under ambassadorial flags, allowing it special privileges and access where other vessels would normally be restricted..
===Expeditionary===
This ship is always considered one system away from a point of supply, regardless of other modifiers to distance from supply.
===First Strike===
A carrier with this trait enables its fighters to attack as a Stand-Off attack once before regular combat begins.
===Flak===
A ship with this trait inflicts a penalty of +2 on the attack roll on fighters attacking it.
===Fold===
This ship is equipped with a High grade OPF Fold Drive, which can transit any tram line or jump gate at will and quickly. This means it ignores limitations on size and quality for any jump line on the map. They also can enter and emerge from a tram line far from its mouth, giving them significant strategic and tactical flexibility.
===Forager===
This ship is particularly well designed for extended operations on the space lanes, meaning its weight is counted as halved for supply purposes when deployed on Piracy and Commerce Protection missions in a sector.
===Gatepunch===
This ship has the ability to, in the short-term, stabilize and expand tramlines to allow the passage of larger ships in company with the gatepuncher. This ability does not work well under fire and generally requires the ship to be more or less undamaged.
===Gravity Interdict===
This ship can prevent others from utilizing fold drives and shrinks the span of jump lines by one step when in close proximity. Scales based on mounting ship category.
===Large===
Increases this ship’s base protection by one, reduces its avoidance by one.
===Long Legs (X)===
Reduces the distance modifier for supply when deployed away from a base by the value listed. Cannot reduce the modifier below 1.
===Nimble (X)===
Increases a ship’s base speed by the listed amount, to a maximum of 4. Nimble and Sluggish cancel each other out on a 1 to 1 basis.
===Orbital Support===
This ship can support units on the ground with command and control functions and pin-point fire support. While ortillery is greatly frowned on in general and banned by custom or law around a Server Spire or against a Garden World, practically speaking there’s a difference between some light railgun fire against a pirate asteroid base and glassing a Gaia-type world. (Expound as needed)
===Protect===
A ship with protect may redirect the attacks of a flanking ship of their choice on to themselves.
===Q-Ship===
This ship has the ability to appear significantly less threatening or as something else entirely. Ships with the Q-ship trait double their effectiveness when applied to either commerce protection or privateering duties in a sector.
===Quantum Tunneler===
This ship can navigate any tramline or gate pair no matter how degraded thanks to expensive, and somewhat finicky, advanced tensor coils.
===Regeneration===
Ships with regeneration have differing damage level thresholds than normal ships. (See: Ship damage: damage levels).
===SCIENCE===
This ship is equipped to deal with Weird Shit. Primarily an out-of-combat effect but could have unconventional impact on ship to ship combat from time to time.
===Secured===
Secured units are resistant to hostile intelligence operations. Any attacking against one has an automatic, baseline 50% chance of failure. Negates (and is negated by) the Secret Weapons asset.
===Show the Flag===
This ship has the uncanny ability to show up where a crisis is going on and participating.
===Sluggish (X)===
Reduces the base Speed of a ship by 1, to a minimum of 1. Nimble and Sluggish cancel each other out on a 1 to 1 basis.
===Small===
Increases this ship’s base avoidance by one, reduces its protection by one.
===Spinal Mount===
The ship has a singular large weapon rather than a collection of smaller guns; Spinal mounts have +1 to hit in close range, -1 to hit at long range, and +3 to pierce. It may benefit from fire control, but not from secondary batteries or torpedoes.
===Stand-Off===
This ship gets standoff attacks against the enemy fleet, before the first round of regular combat. Where the standoff is a specific number, it gets that many attacks. If it is Standoff(full) it gets attacks equal to it’s normal number of attacks. It’s also possible to have Standoff(full +X), where you make more standoff attacks than your normal number of attacks.
===Subhunter===
Gives you a re-roll to detect one cloaked ship at the start of combat (see cloaking rules).
===Supply Hog===
Increases the distance modifier for supply when deployed away from a base by one.
===Thrifty===
Ship consumes 20% less supplies.
===Yard Queen===
Ship consumes 20% more supplies.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Military and Combat

2023-09-04T05:21:03Z

Jacklyn: First round of combat con\verted from the doccument, Shipbuilding rules and hulls next.

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
Continue to Table of Contents:
=Logistics & Support=
All military equipment has a logistical weight listing in their unit entries, representing the amount of supply that they burn in the course of normal operations. This cost is paid whenever a ship fights in combat (above and beyond things like routine anti piracy patrol), or in a star system that lacks a forward operating post or supply base. See the notes in the next section for information on how to calculate supply use. Supply can be generated in a few different ways; purchasing on the open market, production from a Supply Generator landmark, or through salvage. The market rate for supply fluctuates from year to year, depending on events on the Grid.
==Supply Burn==
Supply use is determined by ship weight, times the number of systems away from a point of supply. This means it’s relatively uncomplicated to patrol systems directly connected to your home system, but staging large battlegroups away from centers of supply is genuinely difficult. Supply lines, if unprotected, can also be vulnerable to enemy raiding.

There are two types of bases one can construct away from your territories to provide relief to supply costs. Establishing one of them is a required prerequisite to claiming a territory.

===Forward Operating Base===
A Forward Operating Base costs $2000 and one military token, taking a year to complete. A FOB allows 100 logistical weight of units - the Open Palm standard size squadron - to operate in a system without additional cost for being outside a Supply Point, and halves the distance for calculating the supply burn for those units operating away from it as counted from the nearest Supply Point. Units beyond the weight limit will pay their full cost for supply.
A Forward Operating Base does not count as a Supply Point for determining supply cost.

===Supply Base===
A supply base counts as your territory for the purposes of counting supply burn. Its cost is $4000 and two military tokens, taking a year to complete. A region must have a supply base established before it can become a new territory .A Forward Operating Base may be upgraded into a Supply Base by paying the requisite difference in cost and spending a military token. The upgrade is completed in a year.

==Supply Limitations==
It’s impossible to get negative supply. Any combination of Supply Bases/FOBs/Long Legs traits/whatever else can only cumulatively make it so ships cost no additional supply to operate in a system.

Your supply cost is based on the furthest a ship has been from supply in a calendar year, and normal supply burn happens once a year. Additional combat burns are above and beyond this.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Bill has a weight 50 cruiser group operating four jumps from his home system. This means the base supply burn value for this cruiser group doing its business is its total weight of supply, in this case 50, times four, for a total of 200.

Bill establishes a '''Forward Operating Base''' in the system he’s got these cruisers in. That means after the base is established, the cruisers can operate in that system and that system alone for their normal upkeep cost. Deploying them further away from his home system, however, still burns higher supply. Say Bill is deploying them two more jumps away from his home system, for a total of six jumps. The FOB doesn’t prevent higher supply burn, but it halves the distance modifier, so instead of costing its 50 weight of supply times six, it only costs 50 times 3, for a total of 150.
The next year, Bill upgrades the FOB to a '''Supply Base''', after which the system counts as a territory for the purposes of supply, both for operating in the system where it is located and for systems within a one jump radius of it. It also allows for the operation of unlimited weight of ships to be supplied, unlike a FOB. It also generally means that resupply missions don’t have nearly as much to fear from raiders or pirates.
</div></div></div>
=Space Combat=
There are two types of combat resolution, the more involved set designed for small unit engagements, single ship duels, etc. The system designed for mass combat resolution uses the same core stats but instead of having players decide every single tactical decision you give the resolution program broad directives.
==Pre Battle==
===Enumerate Fleets===
Each side simply lists the number and type of ships potentially involved in the fight
====Determine (potential) Battle Type====
There are two types of possible battles: 
Mobile 
Where both fleets are fully able to use their speed to maneuver for advantage. Note that actions to protect mobile things, like troop transports and merchant vessels are still mobile battles. Where otherwise unlisted, assume that such vessels have a speed of 1. Also note that a fleet defending a fixed objective may attempt to meet the attacking fleet in deep space, and fight a mobile battle, though this may create some risk of the fleet attempting the interception being out maneuvered, and the attacking fleet getting some amount of time to attack the objective without intervention from any defending units attempting an interception. 
Fixed Objective 
Where there is some fixed objective to be fought over, such as a planet, space station, or other objective that is relatively immobile. Assuming the defending fleet is not attempting any deep space interceptions, both sides declare their lowest speed. 
Declare Speed 
In a Mobile Battle, Each fleet will then declare the speed it is using. Any fleet elements unable to keep up with that declared speed become temporarily detached into a new fleet. If both sides wish, they may split their fleets into multiple elements with different declared speeds, and attempt to fight different engagements. Though this usually invites defeat in detail. 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example of a multi-element battle</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
A cowardly fleet decides to break formation and flee before battle is even joined, devil take the hindmost. The fleet splits into three elements, of speed 1, speed 2, and speed 3, all fleeing the region as fast as their engines will carry them. The opposing fleet, confident of victory over such spineless cowards, breaks their own fleet into a speed 2 section, which will intercept the speed 1 enemy, and a speed 3 section which will run down the speed 2 enemy. The fleeing speed 3 enemy is simply let go.
</div></div></div> 
=====Avoid/Bring to action (Mobile battles only)=====
In a mobile battle, it's possible that one fleet will decide it doesn't want to fight, after all. If the fleet opposing them has a higher speed, they can be automatically brought to action. If the fleets have equal speed, then each fleet controller rolls a d20; if the fleet trying to avoid action rolls higher, they have successfully avoided a battle, for now. This is why speed 1 battleships make poor pirate vessels; normal slow merchant vessels have slightly lower than 50% chance of successfully running away from them. 
=====Out-maneuvering a fleet attempting a deep space interception=====
or why it's generally smarter to defend 'close': 
As mentioned above, it's sometimes possible for a fleet trying to attack a fixed target to outmaneuver a defending fleet trying to intercept them in deep space. 
Each fleet rolls a d20. 
If the attacking fleet is 1 speed higher than the defender, the die rolls are unmodified, with ties going to the defender. If the defending fleet loses the roll off, the difference between the rolls is how many rounds the attacking fleet will have available to attack the fixed objective (and any ships in 'close defense' until the fleet that was attempting the interception arrives. 
If the attack fleet and intercepting fleet have equal speeds, the intercepting fleet gets a +5 to the roll. 
Attacking fleets with lower speeds are automatically intercepted. 
A successful interception means a Mobile Battle. 
If the entirety of the defending fleet simply decides to defend 'close' to the objective, it's a Fixed Objective battle instead. 
In a Fixed Objective Battle, each side simply declares the speed of their slowest ship. (Note that Starbases and other fixed defenses are speed 0, so defenders with fixed defenses in Fixed Objective battles will always have initiative.)
==Prepare for action==
===List ships taking place in battle===
Now that any pre-battle maneuvering is done, each player enumerates the ships actually taking part in the battle.
===Determine Initiative===
In a Mobile Battle, if one fleet has a higher declared speed, that fleet gets a +1 to position rolls for the whole battle. 
In a Fixed Objective Battle, if one fleet has a lower declared speed than the other, that fleet gets a +1 to position rolls for the whole battle. 
If both fleets have the same declared speed, then fleet position rolls are unmodified.
Battle
===Launch Fighters (start of battle only)===
Both players launch can fighters at this time. Note that cloaked ships without deep cloak must decloak to launch fighters. Ships with deep cloak may launch fighters and remain cloaked.
===Fighter Interception Phase (every round)===
If there is a large tech discrepancy between the fighters on each side, take the average TL of each side's fighters. If one side has an average TL advantage of 0.5 or higher, their fighters can intercept up to two times as many fighters, at the owning players discretion. 
Assuming no TL advantage, the side with the lesser number of fighters has all their fighters intercepted. An equal number of fighters from the larger side must allocate an equal number of fighters to the lesser side to intercept them.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One side has 10 TL5 fighters, the other has ten TL3 fighters. The TL5 fighters have an obvious TL advantage, so the TL5 side may allocate between 5 and 10 fighters to interception. If the allocate five, which is enough to intercept all ten of the TL3 fighters, they can send five fighters on to attack the opposing fleet, or they may allocate up to five more of their fighters to the interception (i.e. a maximum of 10, as if they did not have a tech advantage).
</div></div></div> 
Un-intercepted fighters may then go on to make as many anti-shipping attacks as they are able (e.g. first strikes from a Magnum Catapult or the Fighter doctrine, then the regular turn order anti-shipping attacks). There is only one 'dogfight' phase per turn, so fighters who are otherwise able to make multiple anti-shipping attacks get no extra dogfight rolls.

===Fighter Dogfight Phase (every round)===
Each player rolls a d20 for each fighter they have involved in the dogfight. The TN for killing an opposing fighter is 20, but they add their fighter TL to this number. For example, TL3 fighters need to roll a 17 or greater to kill an opposing fighter, while a TL5 fighter would kill on a 15 or higher. Certain doctrine choices or abilities may allow fighters to make more than one dogfight roll, or add additional bonuses to this roll. 

Each player allocates kills to their fighters as they choose. (i.e. lower TL fighters get killed first)

===Fighter First Strike (start of battle only)===
For every different attack a fighter is able to make (i.e. multiple first strikes, regular anti-shipping attacks) the player controlling the fighters is able to redirect the fighters to attack different valid targets. There is no need to waste later attack runs (e.g. second first strikes) on targets that have already been killed. 

A maximum number of fighters equal to the ship's weight can attack it at any one time. 

The TL of the fighter making the attack has no influence on anti-shipping strikes. 

For each fighter attacking a ship, roll a d20
* 1-10 Ship takes 10 damage
* 11-15 Nothing happens
* 16-20 attacking fighter is (mission) killed
If the ship the fighter is attacking has the flak trait, the fighter adds two to the roll. Certain other traits or doctrines may also modify the ship strike roll.
 

Note that the 'reconstitution' of mission killed fighters by Fighter Direction Centers does not happen until the end of the round, so fighters able to make multiple attacks may be killed before they can make them all.
====Fighter Cloak Detection====
Instead of making normal first strike anti-shipping attacks, fighters on attack runs can instead be used to detect cloaked ships. It takes five fighters per speed rating of the cloaked ship to detect it. Fighters able to make multiple first attacks can use their following first strike attacks to detect more cloaked ships, or to attack any revealed ships as normal.
===Stand Off attack resolution (start of battle only)===
Each player lists out the total number of stand-off attacks they have available. 
Any ship under regular cloak must de-cloak at this time to make stand-off attacks. Afterwards, they count as a ship operating normally. Ships with Deep Cloak can simply re-cloak after making stand-off attacks, and continue to operate under Deep Cloak as normal. 
In any event, stand-off attacks don't benefit from the attack advantages of being fired from a cloaked platform, they are simply fired from far enough away for the defender to properly react to them. 
'''Stand-off attacks automatically hit, and only roll to pierce'''. Standoff attacks do not benefit from piercing bonuses, such as those granted by torpedo and secondary battery modules, or by doctrine. 

Each player receiving stand-off attacks then calculates the relative percentages of weight for each of their ships being shot at. 
The player receiving the stand-off attacks then allocated them under the following rules: 
Each ship in the fleet must receive at least one attack, if available. If there are less stand-off attacks than receiving ships, the heaviest ships must be targeted first. With a large number of stand-off attacks, the attacks must be (roughly) split by the percentage weights calculated above. The player receiving the attacks may resolve any 'fractional' splits as they wish. If the stand-off attacks do different amounts of damage, the defender may also allocate them as he wishes. 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:auto; overflow:auto;">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Example</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In this action, Player Bob has two Battleships (each weight 33) two heavy cruisers (each weight 16) and 3 frigates (each weight 8), for a total weight of 122. So each of the battleships would have a 33/122 = 27% share of any incoming stand-off attacks.
The fleet listed is receiving 40 standoff attacks, 32 doing 6 damage, and 8 doing 4 damage. The defender allocated them as follows:
* BB1: 10x 6 attacks
* BB2: 10x 6 attacks
* CA1: 6x 6 attacks
* CA2: 5x 6 attacks
* FF1: 1x 6 attack and 2x 4 attacks
* FF2: 3x 4 attacks
* FF3: 3x 4 attacks
 
After the attacks are allocated, roll to pierce any attacked ships, and inflict damage as normal.
</div></div></div> 

===Determine Fleet position (every round)===
Fleet position is re-rolled each round of battle. In subsequent rounds, the player that won the position roll last round gets a -2 to their roll. If they have won the position roll several rounds in a row, they get a cumulative -2 for every round they have one. This resets to 0 once they lose a position roll. 
Each player rolls a d20; The fleet with initiative gets a +1 on the roll. Re-roll ties. 
The player that won the position roll determines what distance each pair-off of ships engages at (see below) 
===Pair Off (every round)===
The player that won the position roll picks one of their ships and 'pairs' it off with one of the other players unpaired ships of their choice. The other player then does the same with one of their unpaired ships. Note that certain ship traits may affect pair assignments. If the number of ships is excessive, so that the alternating choices would take forever, [s]bribe[/s] grab a GM or uninvolved player and get them to do it. Once ships are paired up, they fight until one is destroyed or disengaged, and the survivor/victor is made available to either pair up with a new opponent or Flank into an existing combat. If a ship on the other side is available, they must pair off.

====Flanking====
If either player has ships 'left over' after all ships have been paired, these ships can be assigned to any 'pair' that the player chooses. These excess ships are referred to as ‘flanking’, they are able to declare their range to their target ship as they desire, even if the controlling side lost the position roll.
====Attempt to disengage====
A ship may '''disengage''' if its side wins the positioning roll-that is, attempt to withdraw from combat. The ships it is engaged with may attempt to pursue, requiring a 15 on a D20 to force the withdrawing ship to stay in battle. For each point of speed advantage the pursuer has over the pursued, reduce this TN by 2. If this roll is failed, the disengaging ships are removed from combat and don't participate in an engagement any further.
====Subhunting====
Cloaks are a special mechanic that curve-balls the normal combat mechanics. Standard cloaks are the archetypal Romulan cloaking device. Installing them has an added cost but they have fairly limited impact on other ship systems. A ship operating under 'regular' cloak must drop it in order to fire, perform sensor sweeps, etc. Once a ship has decloaked it operates essentially like any other ship. 
Deep cloaks are 'submarines in space' in that they operate under cloak at all times. This has a significant impact on many aspects of ship design and consequently deep cloaks are only found on specialized hulls (currently Prowlers and Hunter-Killers). 
Space is big and ships are small, so it is essentially impossible to simply fire randomly into space and hope to hit a cloaked ship that you know is in the general area. You have to detect them with your ship's sensors before you are able to get a target lock on a cloaked ship and fire on it. 
As many systems which provide protection for a ship against incoming fire are active and directed (e.g. shields, pin-point barriers, etc) rather than simply passive (e.g. armor) an attack from an unexpected direction can severely reduce the effectiveness of 'protection' type defenses. In addition, many of the same types of active protections can not be running while under cloak. So ships under normal cloaks need a few moments to bring these defenses online after decloaking, while ship with deep cloak devices simply do not mount such systems at all. 
=====Sensor check by defenders against cloaked ships (each round)=====
For each ship engaged with a cloaked target (either paired or flanking) rolls a d20 in an attempt to detect it, ships with the subhunter trait may roll two dice and choose which result they prefer. On a 16 or more, the cloaked ship is detected before it can fire. As such subhunting rolls take place 'at the same time', there is not time to transmit the location of the cloaked ship to others before the opportunity to fire is gone.
In the unlikely case that two cloaked ships are in combat against each other, at least one ship has to detect the other for any shooting to occur. If both detect the other, they both get the decloak piercing bonus against the other (if ships with regular cloak), or are simply able to fire at the other ship (deep cloaked ships).
=====Decloaking and firing=====
A cloaked ship that is not detected before it fires gets a +5 bonus to piercing against its victim. If the cloaked ship is detected, it may shoot as normal, but its victim has the time to properly direct its defenses, so there is no bonus.
=====Shooting back vs cloaked ships=====
If a ship under 'regular' cloak is detected before it has a chance to decloak and fire, the detecting ship is able to attack it with a +5 piercing bonus; if it was not detected beforehand, the retaliating ship fire at the decloaked ship as normal. 
For deep cloaked ships, the detecting ship has to detect it to get an opportunity to fire on it at all. Fire on deep cloaked ships is resolved as normal. Unlike ships under 'regular' cloak, there is no normal bonus to shooting at ships you detect under deep cloak. 
Note that the STAG module gives a +2 bonus to shoot at any type of ship it detects under cloak, regardless of cloak type. 
After a ship with 'regular' cloak decloaks and fires, it operates as a normal ship for the rest of the battle. A ship with a deep cloak will require subhunting rolls every round.

====Protect actions====
Ships with the protect trait can now declare which ships they are protecting. They are able to direct the attacks of one flanking ship of their choice on to themselves. The flanking ship will roll against the protecting ship’s defenses (avoidance, protection), not the defenses of the protected ship.
===Regular shooting (every round)===
All shooting is simultaneous, so, for example, any flanking ships may not choose to attack a different ship this phase, even if their target has ‘already’ been killed. 
Each ship will have a certain number of attacks. Where attacks are written in the condensed XxY (e.g. 11x6), the first is the number of attacks, and the second is the amount of damage each attack potentially does. 
When rolling to hit or pierce, a 20 on the die before modifiers is a critical success and always succeeds and a 1 on the die before modifiers is a critical miss and always fails. 
====To Hit====
Attacks against the Avoidance defensive stat are referred to as ‘to hit’.
=====Range Bonuses=====
Each type (Spinal, Direct, Seeking) has a favored range. And gets bonuses to hit at that favored range.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Range
|-
! !! Close !! Far
|-
| Spinal Mount || +1 || -1
|-
| Direct || +2 || 0
|-
| Seeking || +2 || +4
|}

=====Other Bonuses=====
Certain doctrines and certain ship modules may give a bonus ‘to hit’. Remember to total all appropriate bonuses when rolling.
=====Roll to Hit=====
Roll a d20 for each of your ships attacks and add your total to hit bonus to each roll, The target number is the target ships avoidance value. Results that match or exceed the target number are ‘hits’.
====To Pierce====
Attacks against the Protection defensive stat are referred to as ‘to pierce’.
=====Weapon Bonuses=====
Spinal mounts have an inherent +3 to pierce. 
Direct weapons have an inherent +2 to pierce. 
Seeking weapons have no bonus to pierce. 
=====Other Bonuses=====
Certain doctrines and certain ship modules may give a bonus ‘to pierce’. Remember to total all appropriate bonuses when rolling. 
=====Roll to Pierce=====
Roll a d20 for each of your ships attacks that hit add your total to piercing bonus to each roll, The target number is the target ships Protection value. Results that match or exceed the target number are ‘pierces’.
====Inflict Damage====
The target ship takes (number of pierces) time (the damage of the attacking ships weapons).
Remember that all shooting is simultaneous, so even dead ships get to ‘shoot back’.
===Regular Fighter Anti-Ship Attacks (every round)===
See directions in the ‘Fighter First Strike” phase, above, for directions on how to conduct fighter anti-ship attacks.
===Fighter Reconstitution (every round)===
At the end of the round, FDC may attempt to reconstitute any killed squadrons (i.e. roll a d6 for every killed fighter, as reconstitute them on a 4+). If there is any difference in the squadrons killed, the player who owns the killed fighters decides which ones are reconstituted from among the slain. 

Total up the total number (and TL) of any fighters still alive at the end of each round.
===Determine Casualties (every round)===
Any ship reduced to zero or less HP is considered mission killed. Its actual status will be determined in the Post Battle Phase.

Also determine how many fighters (and of what TL) died this round, and record how many fighters (and of what TL) will be active on the next round.

==Ending the Battle==
A battle ends once at least one side's ships have all fled or been destroyed. Any fighters or boarders still active at this point are assumed to surrender, barring exceptional circumstances, such as the defense of your home world. In such cases, these remaining forces can fight to the bitter end.
==Post Battle==
Record Damage level of surviving ships
(see Damage levels, below)
===Land Fighters===
Count the number of surviving fighters, and the number of hangars on surviving ships able to receive them. Any fighters in excess of available hangars are lost, unless you are in friendly territory. Then, the excess fighters can land on that territory.
===Resolve Fate of killed ships===
====Overkill or Critical Damage====
Any ship that took a critical piercing roll from any attack in the turn it died or was overkilled by 60% or more of its max HP value is hulked and the ultimate fate of the drifting hulk and associated narrative is determined by the polity whose forces control the battlespace at the end of combat. It may be possible to retrieve technical data (i.e. doctrine research) or small amounts of resources from hulked ships.
For each hulked ship, roll a d10: 
* 1-5 The ship is too heavily damaged to be of any further use.
* 6-9 The ship may be salvaged for 20% of its base hull $ cost immediately. Any advanced equipment, such as fold drives, may also be immediately salvaged on a 5+ roll of a d6. Roll separately for each piece of advanced equipment. If you are willing to leave units behind to control the battlefield, you may also salvage 20% of the ships base hull cost in single use DI after one quarter’s worth of work. If a battlefield is never not under control by someone's military units, anything of remaining value is quickly stripped by opportunists.
* 10 The ship is remarkably intact, considering the circumstances. It may be immediately pressed into service with heavy damage.
Also, see ‘Value of different TL of salvage’ (below)
====Running Down ‘Killed’ ships====
Sometimes you just want a guy dead. Ships mission-killed in combat may still escape to warn allies, transfer critical supplies, or even become a thorn in your side for the rest of the campaign. But that's only if they get away. 

You may assign ships to Run Down mission killed assets and either destroy them or attempt to capture them. To run down a ship, you must send one or more ships with a total mass that is equal or greater, and all pursuing ships must match or exceed the speed of the running ship. All pursuing ships are removed from the current mission and not available for subsequent actions. 

You need to roll a flat 1d20. On a roll of 11 or higher, you catch the ship. For every ship caught, you may either automatically destroy them, or, if the pursuing ship(s) have a boarding module and appropriate troops, automatically capture the target. 

When you choose to destroy the target, your pursuing ship becomes available again in a number of weeks equal to the transit time to the next node, and automatically rejoins its fleet after that time. Pursuing ships that choose to destroy their targets are not vulnerable to interception by the enemy during this time, barring the most egregious of defensive espionage failures. Ships destroyed in this manner do not yield resources or research opportunities. 

If you choose to capture the target, the pursuing ship must take the time to escort the captured ship back to friendly territory. If you capture several ships, all the (formerly) pursuing ships may travel in convoy together, and you may choose to assign additional ships from the victorious fleet to escort your prizes back to friendly territory. This ‘prize fleet’ may be vulnerable to interception by the enemy, depending on the distance back to friendly territory and the normal course of fleet operations. Any prize ships ‘recaptured’ roll on the successful flight table (below) to resolve their fate, any recaptured ships that get the ‘write off’ result are scuttled and destroyed. Prize ships typically yield resources and research opportunities, not ships that you can repair and press into service. Roll a d10 for each prize ship. On a 1-4 the ship is too heavily damaged to provide any further value. 5-9, they provide 40% of their base cost in $ and single use DI. Any advanced equipment, such as fold drives, may be removed on a 4+ on a d6. Roll separately for each piece of advanced equipment. On a 10, the prize ship is fully recoverable, and is brought into your service with Heavy Damage.
Also, see ‘Value of different TL of salvage’ (below)
====Successful Flight====
For killed ships that were not run down, roll a D10, which may be modified by having a damage control module (+1) or other bonuses. A ship may choose to spend a character shield automatically score a 10 on Damcon and may not be run down. 

* On a 1-4, the ship is destroyed. D-E-D dead. Escape pods launch but the ship is irrecoverable.
* On a roll of 5-6, the ship is mission killed and sufficiently damaged to be a write-off. It escapes on a vector to the nearest supply point (unless run down, see pursuit rules) but must be evacuated and becomes derelict upon arrival. It may be salvaged, producing a value of 40% of $ cost and single-use DI, which must be transported back to safe territory, or sold off to local salvagers/pirates/etc for a flat 60% value in $$ cost only based on the hull type assuming a standard of TL5 equipment. Advanced OPF equipment, such as fold drives, may be salvaged on a D6 roll of 4+ (roll for each advanced gizmo the ship might have)
** Also, see ‘Value of different TL of salvage’ (below)
* On a roll of 7-9, the vessel escapes on a vector to the nearest supply point and may choose to rendezvous with another allied fleet. The ship is heavily damaged (see below) unless it has the regeneration trait, if so, it only has medium damage. .
* On a roll of 10+, the ship is largely intact. It retreats to the nearest supply point, or it may choose to rendezvous with an allied fleet. It burns its weight in supplies (in addition to its normal burn) , has light damage (see below), or is in fine condition if it has regeneration, and becomes available to fight after the resolution of the battle it escapes from is over.
====Value of different TL of salvage====
The given values for salvage assume TL5 ships. TL4 pays -10% for each value, and TL3 pays -20% for each value. TL6 pays for 150% of each value.
===Ship damage===
====Damage Levels====
Maybe your ship got damaged in battle. Maybe it landed a little hard and it has a booboo. Ship damage is tracked as one of four levels (Fine, Light Damage, Medium Damage, Heavy Damage). After whatever the situation (battle, crash, squid encounter, etc) is resolved, check what percentage of the ship’s current HP is of its total possible HP. Fine is 100-75.1% total health, Light Damage is 75-50.1% health, Medium Damage is 50-25.1% health, and Heavy Damage is 25 - .1% health. To determine the HP thresholds for damage, multiply by ¾, ½, and ¼ and round as normal.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Heavy Cruiser Example Thresholds
|-
| Fine || 161 - 122 HP ||
|-
| Light Damage || 121 - 82 HP ||161*¾ = 120.75, rounded to 121 is the light damage threshold
|-
| Medium Damage || 81 - 41 HP || 161/2 = 80.5, rounded to 81 is the medium damage threshold
|-
| Heavy Damage || Less than or Equal to 40 HP || 161/4 = 40.25, rounded to 40 is the heavy damage threshold
|}

====Fighting While Damaged====
Damaged ships enter battle with starting HP equal to the damage threshold number. For example, the CA from above, entering battle with medium damage, would start at 81 HP.
====Repair====
=====Cost=====
The cost to repair a level of damage is $ 1/6th of the ship’s $ construction price, rounded normally.
For example, for a heavy cruiser that cost $175 to build costs $29 per damage level to repair (175/6 = 29.17, rounded to 29).
=====Time=====
Repair time per threshold is 1 quarter for every year the ship took to construct. For example, repairing a Cruiser (2 years construction time) from Medium to Light Damage would take 2 quarters.
=====Repair Location=====
You may repair light damage at a Forward Operating Base. Repair of medium damage requires a supply point, or the territory of a formal ally. Heavy damage can only be repaired within your own territory.
==Strategic Operations - Mass Combat Resolution==
When combats get to a certain size, it becomes impractical to resolve them player versus player in anything resembling a timely fashion. In this case, we resolve these combats in the autoroller, with players making some top-level tactical decisions and some basic rules adjustments so the autoroller can handle everything. This section breaks down those changes.
===Rule Simplifications:===
In mass combat, the following simplifications take place:
* Fighter Dogfights: Instead of the previously laid out rules, Fighters are first allocated to mutual interception, and the side with excess fighters may then go on the attack. Higher technology fighters do still get their extra interception ability.
* Disengagement is automatically successful (but may still be “Run Down” post-battle, per above). When ships reach your threshold to withdraw, assuming they aren’t completely killed off in that phase, ships automatically disengage. Ships that disengage under 10% health may be subject to a modified roll on the casualty table post-battle. Disengaged ships count as destroyed for the purpose of determining when a force automatically disengages, so this is a balance point for aggressiveness, keep that in mind.
===Tactical Decisions:===
In mass combat, a commander (the player) designates a few conditionals to guide the combat roller in its resolution. These conditionals are as follows:
* Preferred targeting for each type of ship (capital, cruiser, escort, meaning which type of ship do they try to engage with in pairing)
* Preferred target for excess fighter squadrons if they exist (particular hull type first, followed by ships with X% of damage, etc)
* Preferred disengagement orders for both individual ship type (HP%) and your force as a whole (% of combat weight lost, disengaged ships count as a loss)

=Ground Combat=
==Ground Operations==
Ground Combat is, again, relatively simple. Each side totals up their battle value, as determined by their own stats, Traits, and any enemy modifiers that may come into play, and then engage in an opposed roll. They then determine damage and that concludes ground combat for the quarter.

The '''Battle Value''' of a force is based on the unit’s Quality, Mobility, Firepower, Relative Size, Specialization, Morale/Fatigue, and Leadership.
===Quality===
The Quality of a Ground Unit depends on its type, as well as any modifiers from if the unit is Elite or not. In effect, this ranges from 0 to 4. For mass engagements, add the Quality of all units together and divide by 4, rounding up to the nearest whole number. The default quality of all Regular line units is 2, but some Q3 and 4 units exist.
===Mobility===
Mobility also depends on the type of the Ground Unit. Mobility ranges from 0 to 4. For mass engagements, Average out the mobility, rounding up to the nearest whole number.
===Firepower===
Some ground units have more firepower than others. This ranges from 0 to 4. For mass engagements, Average out the Firepower, rounding up to the nearest whole number.
===Relative Size===
The Relative Size of units in combat is, again, based on the unit’s size. Battalions are the smallest possible unit, Brigades are larger than Battalions but smaller than Brigades, and Brigades are the largest. Three battalions make a brigade and three brigades make a division. Give the smaller force a 1 and the larger a 2. IF the larger force outnumbers it two to one, give the larger force a 4. If by three to one, a six; four to one, an eight.
===Specializations===
If a unit is doing something related to its Specialization as part of the battle plan, it adds a 1 to the total Battle Value. Some environmental factors can impact battle value as well.
===Morale and Fatigue===
Morale and Fatigue is, again, rated on a scale from 0 to 4, and ties in to the supply of a ground force, how long they’ve been deployed, what they’ve been doing (Good luck finding high morale during COIN operations), and numerous other factors. The default morale is 2 and moderators will make judgment calls adjusting morale as appropriate to circumstance (also some game effects can raise or lower morale, it’ll be clearly stated.)
:0 - The crews don’t want to be there, and the fleet is low on supply or is far from home.
:1 - Morale is low, be it due to a recent defeat, long deployment, unpopular officers, a grueling insurgency, or low Stability.
:2 - Average morale, the resting baseline
:3 - Eager. The US Marine Corps on an off day
:4 - Fearless. Iranian Basij during the Iran-Iraq war.
===Leadership and Strategy===
Both sides roll opposed d6 rolls, with each side getting a bonus to the roll depending on the plan of the force going into the battle and how it interacts with the other side’s plan. The winner of the roll adds the Lead (up to a maximum of +4) to their force’s Battle Value.
===Air Superiority===
If one side of an engagement has clear air superiority from Aerospace Fighters (that is, more squadron weight than the other), then that side gains an additional +2 to their Battle Value. Be aware that air defense upgrades can negate enemy aerospace fighters. This is calculated after the Interceptor phase.

Once the Battle Value of both sides is added together, both sides roll off with D20s. The winner of an engagement is the force with the higher combined Battle Value+roll. The Lead, or the Difference between the two Battle Values, is the severity of the engagement.

All engaged units, regardless of who won or lost, have to roll a d20. This is called the Damage Save. Any result over 15 has a unit destroyed, and any result over 10 is Exhausted (PROVISIONAL VALUES) -this unit has taken enough casualties that they are effectively unusable for a quarter until they’ve been refreshed with replacements. The Loser of an engagement adds the Lead to this roll. The unit with the higher average mobility has a modifier here to avoid damage (gotta figure it out) whereas the side with the higher average firepower lowers the thresholds for Exhausted and Destroyed by 1.
===Ortillery & Intercepting a Landing===
Ships in orbit or supporting a ground attack with the Ortillery Capability are capable of engaging and neutralizing ground targets. A Ship with Ortillery can force a number of ground units depending on the ship’s size to immediately make a Damage Save, with a bonus to the roll equal to the size of the Ship providing Ortillery fire.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
! Ship Size !! Ortillery Targets !! Damage Roll Bonuses
|-
| Escort || 1 Battalion Equivalent || 1
|-
| Cruiser || 1 Brigade Equivalent || 2
|-
| Capital || 1 Division Equivalent || 3
|-
|}

Defending fighter squadrons can force a similar Damage Save on Ground Units landing from orbiting spacecraft.

When a squadron makes an attack run on a landing Ground Unit, the Ground Unit must make a Damage save, with a bonus of +4 added to the roll. An Interceptor Squadron can only attack a single unit this way.

Interception attacks can be countered by escorting aerospace fighters. Each escorting squadron can force a dogfight (see space combat fighter rules) with one intercepting squadron, with “excess” interceptors getting free attacks on dropping troops.

Ortillery & Interception is resolved before Battle Value is determined and the two sides roll off. Units damaged or destroyed in this phase aren’t calculated in a force’s BV.

A combat phase in ground combat represents a full quarter (one RL week), as all this abstraction really is simplification of protracted ground campaigns spanning hundreds of kilometers, with terrain and numerous other factors in play. This could be waived in some circumstances, like a couple of brigades being dropped on a battalion or whatever, at moderator’s discretion.

With the basic battle results resolved, moderators will then make a judgment if one side or the other withdraws or surrenders, based primarily on four factors: Quality, Morale, Balance of Force, and Number of Exhausted and Destroyed sub-units.
===Fighting Different Technology Levels in Ground Combat===
Most Grid Polities have their specialized ground forces equipped to the OPF Standard level. Local militia (that is, the abstracted forces tied to CI) are not going to be able to stop them unless they tremendously outnumber the other side or someone’s real stupid. Generally speaking, if you throw a marine brigade at a territory that’s only protected by CI militia, it’s not a question of “if” but “when” is that brigade going to capture the territory. This is the same logic as to why a sondrak privateer isn’t going to seriously threaten your cruisers on patrol.
==Boarding==
Boarding is very hard to do, normally requiring specialized troops known as Espatiers. Under combat conditions it’s normally done very rarely, and most Espatier work is done post-combat as part of pursuit. Moderators will handle boarding actions as shit’s complicated and not easily quantified. Notably, lower tech-level units do not suffer a notable penalty for fighting in boarding actions-at close range, there’s only so many ways to skin a cat and the tech disparity isn’t as important as grit and big booms.

As a note, using a unit without the Boarding trait increases difficulty by 50%.

First, the boarding unit has to actually successfully dock with the target. Coming from a ship with a Boarding Pod module helps, while the enemy possessing the Flak trait makes things more difficult. It’s also generally more difficult if the ship has undamaged engines or is faster than the ship carrying the Espatiers.

Boarders can attempt to seize control of the ship- or do damage to it from the inside. Whichever is chosen by the controlling player when the boarding action starts.

Actually damaging a ship is the easier of the two. Every turn that an Espatier unit is on board a warship, it will do damage to the ship’s HP equal to the sum of its Quality and Firepower rating times two. Damage from all on board. If a ship is destroyed this way, then the Espatiers disembark.

Capturing a ship is the hard part. In order to capture a ship, an Espatier Unit has to make a capture check: this is, roughly, 1d8 + Quality + Mobility+ Firepower versus 10 + half the target’s logistics weight. Defending Espatier units force the attacker to instead overcome the full logistics weight of the target. Multiple attacking units may add together their numbers, with each battalion of Espatiers adding together their values (but the D8 is only added once).

A captured ship is effectively disabled, and can be seized by the victorious side after battle- or scuttled.

Every turn that an Espatier unit is onboard a ship, be it attempting to destroy it or attempting to capture it, that unit will have to make a Damage Save, adding the Size of the ship and the Firepower of any hostile Espatier units to the roll. A result of 12 or more has the boarding Espatiers forced to retreat. A result of 15 or more sees the Espatiers destroyed. A result of 9, 10, or 11 sees the Espatiers take casualties but continue the mission; if they succeed, then they will have to spend a quarter recovering from the losses.

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

FTA3 Espionage

2023-07-23T22:09:04Z

Jacklyn:

Thousands of years of simulated existence failed to snuff out those essential human vices: the desire to observe, pass judgment on others and then at the behest of society, enforce that judgment. Groups likewise observe one another, pass judgment and enforce their desires on each other through influence, subterfuge and violence, sometimes discreetly but more often not.

The human being which, in all its permutations has failed to evolve beyond the status of a social animal, continues to use tools of observation, judgment and enforcement in the pursuit of myriad goals. Those emerging anarchist polities may have abolished their institutions of policing and carceral states, but continue to investigate crimes, protect the community with militias and hold councils to enact their particular visions of justice. Certain genera Homo Extremis may download their mental patterns into a substrate of self-organizing nanomachines and abolish biological death, but their new existence presents other risks: deletion, copying, theft and torture of mental duplicates in absentia and other horrors unimaginable to those who live in the blasphemous corpus of the Real, requiring network security with unfathomably bloated budgets.

It is often said that no person is safe from bad actors. Such phrases are often said by spies and policemen, who would obviously like to enjoy the milk and honey of state funding in a time of crisis.

'''Navigation'''
#[[From the Ashes 3]]
#[[FTA3 Military and Combat]]
#[[FTA3 Espionage]]
Continue to Table of Contents:

=Tools and Concepts in Espionage=
==The Agency==
The Agency is the ‘ship’ of the espionage rules, though rather than using standard templates each one is fairly unique. Agencies are created by spending an Espionage Token and gain 6 points to spend on their attributes. They can be further upgraded by spending additional Espionage Tokens, which grants an additional 3 minus Y points, with Y being the number of Espionage Tokens previously spent on upgrading that agency the same year. Rapidly setting up a brand new service has sharp limits and diminishing returns, even pouring all the resources of the state to build.

All players may choose to begin with a single Agency with 12 points for free. There is no limit on how many Agencies a player can have: they are fundamentally conduits for action that require Token spending to be useful, and having too many things covering the same purview can be deleterious to performance or provide leverage to a hostile power.
===Agency Statistics===
Agency Statistics represent core competencies in one of four categories of action, each significantly important in the scope of espionage operations. Statistics are assigned every time a new Agency is created, and whenever tokens are expended to upgrade an existing Agency.

Agency statistics have no inherent maximum or minimum, though if an attribute drops to 0 or less the agency becomes Compromised, and cannot be utilized for any actions for the rest of the game year. Agencies with extremely low negatives are particularly dangerous, being essentially exploitable targets for other players’ intel operations.

===Agency Decay===
Agency statistics decay in the following circumstances:
* Every year, all Agencies lose 1 point from their highest statistic if they are above 12 total points, not including specializations
* Whenever an Agency engages in an intelligence operation, it loses 1 point (player choice).
* Whenever an Agency is the subject of an intelligence operation, it loses at least 1 point (attacker’s choice) and may lose more.
* If the territory the Agency is headquartered in goes into low Stability (3 or less) or is subject of a violent attack, it loses 1 additional point from their highest statistic that year. '''Flag of Freedom ignores this penalty.'''
* If the territory the Agency is headquartered in is conquered by a hostile power, the Agency is destroyed. However the player may spend an Espionage token to have everyone evacuated, allowing the Agency to evacuate and limiting the damage to 5 Statistic points (defender’s choice).

===Operations===
Operations comprises the ability to plan, engage in and protect the secrecy of espionage actions.

Each point of Operations:
* Counters a point of a relevant Intelligence Gathering to prevent early warning.
* Allows an additional intelligence operation to be ‘well planned’ per Game Year.
* Allows an additional military asset (warship, ground unit, etc) to be ‘well integrated’ into the Agency without harming effectiveness.

===Security===
Security provides passive protection from hostile actions, and provides effectiveness in counterintelligence operations.

Each point of Security:
* Increases the difficulty of hostile actions.

===Intelligence Gathering===
Intelligence Gathering provides passive warning of hostile actions, as well as analysis of hostile actors and debris to determine responsible parties when the state or organization is subject of an operation.

Each point of Intelligence Gathering:
* Provides a potential pool of human (or near-human) assets that can be subverted to improve espionage and other hostile actions against a target nation, upon request.
* Provides improved technical analysis of signals, footage, debris and other artifacts and detritus to determine the origin and potential intentions of a hostile party that was not previously identified.
* Grants increased early warning of potential hostile actions, and limited understanding under fog of war.

===Deniability===
Deniability is a special mechanic to give a legitimate cover of “no I didn’t” for as long as possible. It is not a blanket ability to refuse responsibility in every single way, but a way to mitigate consequences, control narratives and prevent immediate unilateral intervention by a coalition looking to make some justified conquests.

Deniability works as follows:
* Higher deniability provides better control over domestic narratives. At high ratings, your people may simply not care, patriotically view your actions as a necessary evil for the sake of the nation or have a completely warped understanding of reality thanks to your strong psychological operations division.
* Deniability provides a ticking clock, delaying the authentication of documents, debris, etc by unvarnished, unbiased third parties. While it can be penetrated by strong TECHINT or a defector (cultivated via HUMINT), in theory it provides a long buffer by which point the worst anger will have subsided and you will have made concessions and agreements that make reprisal undesirable.
* Deniability allows the cultivation of a number of proxies equal to its rating. Proxies are non-government groups which can act on your behalf, occasionally, but are mostly self-motivated and self-interested. Proxies do not reveal your backing initially, but as they take casualties, are subject to intelligence operations or become large and powerful enough to negotiate on the level of nations and powerful organizations, that loyalty may subside. Caveat emptor.

==Deniability Clock==
''“We didn’t do it, but you deserved it and if you don’t watch yourselves we’ll do it again!”''

The Deniability Clock is a mechanic that exists to mitigate the immediate consequences of intelligence operations, particularly disproportionate responses by larger powers against their perceived inferiors for minor slights or skullduggery, as well as the formation of large unjustified coalitions responding to minor slights with the well-honed knives of partition. Of course, there are natural limits to such things: particularly grandiose acts of terrorism, surprise attacks on military infrastructure and the killings of heads of state: these are all basically just acts of war and one gets what they deserve for pushing on them.

The Deniability Clock instead is meant to delay response for a player who has invested in the relevant statistics, buying time to negotiate deals and for tempers to cool.

The clock is measured as follows: measure up the difference between attacker’s Deniability vs the defender’s Intelligence Gathering. The numerical difference (if positive for the attacker) is how many game years they get before their complicity is revealed. If the defender’s gathering score is higher, the attacker is revealed immediately after the attack resolves.

Proxies are a special Agency Asset class that work differently from standard deniability. They are instead tracked separately and have their own conditions for exposure.

Finally, Deniability hinges to some extent on the discretion of the launching state. The most extreme acts will in fact break the most strident measures of secrecy. Practically speaking, if your actions cause a calendar day or a named harbor to become perpetually associated with infamy, there isn’t much you can do. Moderators will always tell the player if a certain act is Too Loud.

===Extending the Clock===
The Deniability Clock is not meant to be played with or extended, generally. Even using the correct assets, having a well-designed Agency and planning carefully can’t buy you unlimited time. Despite this, there exist three ways to add Deniability Clock time:

* Plot Armor: Spending a Plot Token (and only a Plot Token) will make narrative intervention to buy you time. The amount depends on the event that is generated by the Plot Token and how serious the operation being concealed is, but consider a minimum buff of 50%.
* Burning the Agency: Burning your Agency to the ground right after it carries out a loud attack produces a lot of loose ends, especially since it means having to orphan or liquidate every single asset connected to it at the time of the op. The potential gain is similar to Plot Armor, with a minimum of 50%... but will also create a lot of burned agents and left-behind special forces to join the mercenary business.
* Betrayal: First strike betrayal of close allies will always help you out. As allies (PC or NPC), add a 50% buff. Betraying close allies (PCs who cooperate with you on intel, Blood Brothers) adds a 100% buff. '''You can only claim this bonus once per game.'''

==Loudness==
Loudness is an overall measure of how noticeable the actions taking place over the course of an intel operation really are. To a conspiratorial, web weaving mindset, certain acts, outcomes and means of achieving them will always be Too Loud and to be avoided (or mitigated) at all costs- but not all people are endowed with identical sensibilities, so it’s the responsibility of the moderator to work with the player to explain their understanding and establish a good consensus.

Loudness is broken down into 3 general phases:
* Planning Loudness represents the noise of putting assets into place. Conducting an all-hands fleet review before you carry out a big surprise attack on an enemy harbor is loud. Buying all the antitoxin to a specific nerve gas to cripple civilian response to a terror attack is loud.
* Operational Loudness represents the noise of conducting the mission. Having a fleet punch down a capital tramline all at once screaming the national anthem is loud. Gassing a stadium during an internationally televised concert is loud.
* Outcome Loudness represents the noise and fury that follows getting what you want. Taking out a whole regional harbor before your war declaration has hit the presses is loud. Killing a hundred thousand people in a highly public and televised manner to sow fear and terror is loud.

Loudness is mitigated in a few ways:
* Operations and Operational Security directly mitigate all loudness.
* Deniable and Q-Ships do not contribute to Planning Loudness.
* Cloaked ships do not contribute to Planning Loudness if they haven’t been to port since the operation began planning. They do not contribute to Operational Loudness.
* Spec-Ops Ground Units do not contribute to Operational Loudness.
* Taking out comms buoys and suppressing courrier ships will directly mitigate Outcome Loudness.
* Proxies can mitigate loudness at all stages, though Outcomes less than the other two. People might not blink at a crime family dumping a few activists in a ravine but no amount of ‘boys being boys’ will forgive killing a head of state.
* Rumpus states have roughly halved loudness: not being taken seriously cuts both ways.
* Certain special events or system conditions such as space storms may limit maximum loudness by sheer isolation.

=Upgrading Agencies=
Once rolled, an Agency is a feature-complete tool for intelligence with basically full access to the mechanics, requiring no further investments other than regular expenditure of Tokens to upkeep its statistics. Agencies have a number of ways to expand and improve their functionality, called Specializations and Assets.
==Specializations==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Specialization Progression Table
|-
! !! Mission Successes !! Mission Failures/Counterintelligence Successes
|-
! 1st Unlock || 1 || 2
|-
! 2nd Unlock || 3 || 6
|-
! 3rd Unlock || 6 || 12
|-
! 4th Unlock || 10 || 20
|-
! 5th Unlock || 15 || 30
|-
! 6th Unlock || 21 || 42
|-
! 7th Unlock || 28 || 56
|-
! 8th Unlock || 36 || 72
|-
! 9th Unlock || 45 || 90
|-
! 10th Unlock || 55 || 110
|-
! 11th Unlock || 66 || 132
|-
! 12th Unlock || 88 || 176
|-
|}

Specializations are the manifestation of institutional know-how and culture as organizations gain experience through trial and error, and hone in on particular functions. Security organizations get better at security, information gathering services begin to infer details by accumulating masses of data and so on.

In addition to the specific effects described in their writeup, each Specialization acts as a permanent +1 to the Attribute it corresponds to. Unlike regular attributes, these are not diminished in the regular action of conducting or being the target of intelligence operations.

There are 12 specializations, which are unlocked as Agencies successfully complete operations. Mission failures also contribute to the development of specializations, but half as quickly, as do successful defenses against hostile espionage actions.

The results are cumulative: four failures and four successes (effectively 6 successes) is enough to unlock a 3rd specialization.
===Operations Specializations===
====Operational Security (OPSEC)====
The ability to maintain secrecy and mitigate OSINT observation of troop numbers, assets, etc.
* Passive Benefit: Your agency is functionally immune to OSINT from powers without the OSINT Specialization or relevant assets.
* Active Benefit: INFORMATION BLACKOUT - You can completely suppress all internal documentation for a single operation at a time. Doing so is conspicuous (people know something is up) but obscures details to anybody without assets on the ground or inside your Agency.
====Operational Capacity (OPCAP)====
OPCAP is the logistical overhead of your operations, and how well your agency can maintain them. Stealing Data and Killing Senators isnt easy to do at the same time, all while on a shoestring budget, after all.
* Passive Benefit: One operation at a time does not cost a Token to start. It is treated as ‘well-planned’.
* Active Benefit: ALL HANDS - You can combine your ‘well-planned’ operations, providing a stacking bonus to effectiveness that scales.
====Operational Coordination (OPCOR)====
OPCOR represents how your agency integrates with the militant arm of your nation, and how effective they are at utilizing those military assets.
* Passive Benefit: Your agency can integrate military units instantly and without any penalties to their operational effectiveness.
* Active Benefit: ZERO-DARK THIRTY - You can rush a single operation at a time with no serious impacts to loudness or chances of success.
===Security Specializations===
====Infrastructure Security (INSEC)====
The protection of the built environment, digital networks and other assets of the state.
* Passive Benefit: Non-complete damage (i.e.: wasn’t destroyed, in lost CI/DI or repair cost) to Landmarks, Territories or Convoys received from hostile operations is halved if your agency was defending against it.
* Active Benefit: NEVER FORGET - If a Landmark, Territory or Convoy or other meaningful structure has been the target of an hostile operation but wasn’t destroyed, you may declare it Secured. If it was destroyed, you can always rebuild for 80% of the time and cost to build or a GM assessment of the value (OPF structures are subject to GM fiat and may be exorbitantly expensive and involve a quest to gather materials).
====Personal Security (PERSEC)====
The protection of named individuals within the government and armed forces, as well as other persons of interest.
* Passive Benefit: It is basically impossible to insert human assets into your state. Actively conducting operations, as well as active powers provided by other Specializations, can bypass this.
* Active Benefit: INTERNAL AFFAIRS - When you become aware of a Double Agent, Defector or similar human asset operating in your territory, you can instantly acquire a Special Agent with a close relationship to the hostile asset. These do not cost Tokens to create, but you may only have one at a time per agency.
====Public Security (PUBSEC)====
Nominally the goal of most domestic agencies, PUBSEC in particular focuses on the protection of the public, their exposure to dangerous information and people, as well as their methods of contact with foreign entities.
* Passive Benefit: Hostile operations to destabilize your regime or territories can never inflict more than half the Stability of a single territory, unless you are already at 3 or lower.
* Active Benefit: SECTION 9 - Non-Militia Special Forces assigned to this Agency have Show the Flag inside your own territory and that of any allies who cooperate with you in intelligence
===Intelligence Gathering Specializations===
====Human Intelligence (HUMINT)====
The development of informants, defectors and other human assets.
* Passive Benefit: You can ‘flip’ captured human assets without an operation. This takes 1d6 turns of intel resolution, longer for high cost (2+ Token) and/or Secured assets.
* Active Benefit: OUR MAN IN X - Whenever there is a major event (the GM can clarify what is major or not), you can declare you have an asset of any type on the scene. This asset is temporary and lasts as long as you keep interest in the event.
====Technical Intelligence (TECHINT)====
Analysis of the situation via technological systems and understanding. Also covers SIGINT, decryption, measurement and signature intelligence and geospatial intelligence.
* Passive Benefit: You can reuse captured technical assets. This takes about a quarter to swap the keys over.
* Active Benefit: Q DIVISION - One operation at a time has a ‘budget’ of 1d3 (GM roll) free technological assets, which spawn instantly and cease to exist after the resolution of the op.
====Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)====
Understanding of a situation via publicly available knowledge, interpolation of data from press releases and trade publications, financial information and hear-say on the tradelanes.
* Passive Benefit: Your open source intelligence gathering pierces the OPSEC specialization’s protection.
* Active Benefit: BELLING THE CAT - Gain an Espionage Token the first time you produce a significant OSINT writeup on your own active intelligence operations that year.
===Deniability Specializations===
====Domestic Deniability====
The ability to mitigate the domestic consequences of intelligence operations. Domestic Deniability is significantly more effective than Proxies and Foreign Deniability, but only applies domestically.
* Passive Benefit: In territories that have your Culture, Stability loss caused by backlash from failed or Ethos-contradicting espionage operations is capped at 2.
* Active Benefit: TRUTH SOCIAL - Once per Year, you may completely eliminate the consequences (Stability Loss, Insurrections, ect) of one of your operations domestically. Any foreign consequences still remain, but your population simply accepts whatever reason you gave without questioning it.
====Foreign Deniability====
Secret assets, open source technology, cloaking and other means to delay (but not prevent) the discovery of foreign intelligence operations.
* Passive Benefit: Every power (PC or NPC) that voluntarily corroborates your alibi/denials adds to your total Deniability Clock time.
* Active Benefit: FALSE FLAG - When using Deniable or foreign-built assets in an operation, you can lay evidence to imply another power is responsible. Credibility of such evidence will be based on resources allocated to the operation, and lasts as long as the Deniability Clock.
====Proxies====
Proxies are foreign agents, non-state actors and other assets that can mask your activities. Proxy-based deniability lasts as long as they do, though both the survival and loyalty of such cutouts is inherently more questionable than your own forces.
* Passive Benefit: Your proxies are more competent and able to use non-Deniable equipment and funds directly from you without it tying back to you.
* Active Benefit: PRODIGAL SON - One of your proxies gains the full benefits of your Doctrines, Agency specializations and other intangibles. The enhanced proxy is more resilient and loyal than normal, able to survive serious setbacks and willing to fight it out to the end.
==Assets==
Assets are human resources, secure locations, specialized tools and other forms of capital used in the execution of espionage operations. While an Agency is assumed to contain any number of employees or members who act on behalf of the group, human assets are exceptional examples of such people, talent to be cultivated, protected and compensated for the relevant efforts. Likewise, technological assets represent above-standard issue equipment, archeotechnological devices and one-off prototypes that cannot easily be reproduced.

Assets are not acquired without significant effort: while any intelligence agency can reliably train assassins (indeed, most ‘assassins’ are simply any competent, disposable associations on the margins of an agency’s rolodex), Special Agents represent a significant investment of genetic, cybernetic, or pharmacological enhancement to personnel. Therefore, Assets have to be Unlocked before a state can reliably produce them. Certain Specializations or Doctrines may allow unlocks to be bypassed on a limited basis.
===Unlocking Assets===
Assets are unlocked in one of several ways, becoming permanently available to an Agency of that player’s choice.

* Spending an Espionage or R&D token unlocks any one asset type and produces a single prototype.
* Achieving a Specialization also unlocks an Asset type for that agency.
* Certain factions may reward players with Asset unlocks which they may apply to any one of their agencies.
* If an asset is claimed as an exploration reward, it also becomes permanently unlocked for an agency of the player’s choice.

It should be noted that asset unlocks are on a per-Agency basis. Burning Agencies also burns all their core competencies, including institutional knowledge to train specific kinds of agents or build certain kinds of assets.
===Asset List===
These asset lists are not exhaustive. New asset types may become available over the course of play, created by events or player research.

====Military Units (Free Unlock)====
Limit: 5 + (Operations x2)

Allows for the integration of military units into Agencies to function as flagships, stealth insertion craft or provide some muscle for a raid. These units are considered to be well-trained and integrated into the command loop of espionage, providing their full benefits as units and suffering no penalties unless particularly inapplicable. While the CIA Death Star is a perfectly valid option, this system is meant to represent Zumwalts and Navy Seals (assuming maximum theoretical competence for both). If an Agency ever winds up over capacity in military units, they must be removed from service (for the agency) or transferred to another one.

Military units assigned to an agency are subject to Supply, as in the regular ship rules. Check LINK HERE OR SECTION TAB for more information.

====Human Assets====
Limit: Intelligence Gathering

Grants a number of special agent types that can enhance intelligence operations. Human Assets do not cost upkeep, but if an Agency ever goes over capacity on them they are expected to be put on stand-by (unavailable for the rest of the fiscal year), reassigned to another Agency or retired.

=====Defectors=====
Defectors are an advanced category of human asset, who have been persuaded that spying against their home country will allow them to enter a better life in yours.
* EFFECT: Defectors double a single total score, offensive or defensive, against a specific polity for the duration of one Operation. Then, they demand some means of escape (typically via another Operation, safehouses or the assistance of Proxies) and cease to be of use.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset operations to acquire defectors.

=====Embassy/Consulate [Unlocked for Free]=====
While mostly known as places to get a new passport and send some letters, Embassies are often dens of spies working for the foreign services.
* EFFECT: A safehouse without a stat boost, but an anticipated level of diplomatic immunity.
* ACQUISITION: You have one with everyone, and you should theoretically have consulates in major cities and trade stations too. If it takes me more than 5 minutes to figure out if you don’t have one or not, you have one. You always have one. Jesus Christ.

=====Safehouses=====
Managed by a loyal long-term infiltrator and staffed by local helpers, a safehouse provides shelter to operatives before, during and after operations take place, as well as a good place to stash defectors.
* EFFECT: Grants a single-point Statistic boost (or two Specialties) to an agency when built (list bonus per safehouse), and provides protection to other human assets.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to build a Safehouse.

=====Deep-Cover Agent=====
A special category of agent meant to enter a hostile state and infiltrate its highest functions. Deep-Cover Agents are powerful tools, stronger and more effective than Defectors and reusable. On the other hand, the lack of a clear exit strategy means they are prone to ‘going native’ and their exposure in a botched operation could be catastrophic.
* EFFECT: Deep-Cover Agents can fully replace the effect of any other Human Asset, but are fully reusable. As their cover careers progress there’s a chance that their clearance and access to classified materials increases. There’s a 5% chance any time a Deep-Cover Agent is used that something bad happens.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to place a Deep-Cover Agent.

=====Double Agent=====
A special category of Human Asset that takes time to activate. A Double Agent operation creates an ongoing defense against a hostile state attempting to create a Human Asset in your own state, with a chance to make the resulting agent a double agent.
* EFFECT: Double Agents expose any intelligence operations they are involved with, and can cause them to fail on-demand. Double Agents generally require an exit strategy, involving an operation to extract them, a safehouse or similar measure. As they often operate in your territory, this is somewhat simpler to manage than a regular Defector.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to create a Double Agent.

=====Special Agent=====
Highly trained intelligence operatives, Special Agents are often (but not exclusively) highly trained and augmented sophonts, inhuman by deed if not by nature. They are to the Agency what the cloaked ship is to the fleet, a powerful if brittle (for the expense involved) tool.
* EFFECT: Special Agents provide a reroll to a single operation they’re attached to per year. They are fairly durable but have a non-zero chance of going off-radar if an operation goes bad or loud (or both).
* ACQUISITION: Spending 2 Tokens creates a Special Agent.

=====Access Agent=====
Agents are inserted into the crew of a high-value military asset or the social life of a high-value named person (such as a researcher or head of state). When the Access Agent uses emotional or sexual intimacy, they are sometimes referred to as a honeypot.
* EFFECT: Access Agents consistently provide the whereabouts of whatever thing they were attached to and make espionage actions involving them much easier.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset Operation to create an Access Agent.

=====Informants=====
Informants are a typical boots-on-the-ground type of asset that provide small improvements to intelligence gathering.
* EFFECT: Informants can be called upon once per Game Year to improve an Early Warning result by one step. They can even be called upon if you have no Early Warning at all, revealing hostile operations against you by the power they are embedded in. Informants have a 50% chance of getting burnt when called upon.
* ACQUISITION: Human Asset operations to acquire informants.

====Technological Assets====
=====Supply Cache=====
A single-use Supply Base in the middle of nowhere. Stealthed and off-the-books.
* EFFECT: Functions as a hidden Supply Base for one, maybe two missions (assuming a round trip). Usually scuttles after the fact, though occasionally they might persist as interesting space detritus that gets colonized by cosmobarnacles or sundogs a thousand years later.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Spy Satellite=====
Hidden satellites provide up-to-date observation on goings on in a specific planetary neighborhood.
* EFFECT: Gain passive observation over a specific planet for FISCAL TIME UNIT. Intelligence Gathering operations require no additional on-the-ground assets to work.
* ACQUISITION: Technological Asset Operation to place a Spy Satellite.

=====Punishment Sphere=====
Using the same virtualization technology that was the basis of the Spires, the Punishment Sphere reconstitutes and perpetually tortures a perfect simulacra of an individual or group of individuals. Poorly understood noetic-resonance effects allow these experiences to be asynchronously beamed directly into the minds (or virtual mindstates) of the individuals in question, traumatizing them into uselessness. Most polities arrive at a policy of declaring these machines illegal one way or another, for moral or security reasons.
* EFFECT: Make a single unit or asset useless for a single FISCAL TIME UNIT, or if used as part of an intelligence operation, nonlethally ‘kill’ a target for an extended period of time. The asset is then expended.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market smugglers. Spend a Token.

=====Secret Weapons=====
Exploding shoes, designer diseases meant to eliminate entire lineages and fountain pens that kill you instantly: since the dawn of spycraft the spy has imagined himself the modern Prometheus, armed with killing tools from the imagined future.
* EFFECT: When conducting an operation involving harming a specific target, there is a 50% chance it works perfectly with no complications, a 1% chance of backfiring and a 0.5% chance of serious collateral damage. The asset is then expended.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Deep Space Observation Satellite=====
Built in the Oort Clouds of systems of interest, DSOSes provide passive observation of places of interest. Cross-referencing light bounce from 1-2 years ago with more recently flight logs purchased from data brokerages or secured via OSINT provides further insights. DSOSes are long-lasting and hard to locate but easy to blow up once discovered.
* EFFECT: See what someone was up to 1-2 years ago. With good OSINT, also gives an accurate view of what they’ve built up since.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Darkspace Terminal=====
While roads to nowhere may seem counterintuitive when there remains an entire (post)human cosmos to retake, these gateways allow agencies to build hidden redoubts in interstellar space. Connecting to zones potentially a dozen light years away from any known star, they are protected by obscurity and the sheer time it would take for light emitted by station mastheads and drive plumes to reach civilization. Darkspace Terminals were made famous by a censured species known as the Marenghi, who would abduct entire planetary populations on their glassships to hidden hospital stations where inimitable atrocities would take place.
* EFFECT: Access a lot of nothing. Each gate can ‘dial’ a single location, and also ‘call back ships’ that have previously used the terminal.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Darkspace Black Site=====
A gravitational anchorage that makes it possible for ships with the coordinates to A-Drive to interstellar space.
* EFFECT: Requires a Darkspace Terminal. You can build infrastructure in the middle of nowhere and ships can A-Drive to your location without using the Terminal. Less secure, particularly if someone steals the coordinates from your CIA-flagged cargo haulers.
* ACQUISITION: Spending a Token.

=====Dark Exordium=====
Exordiums, so-called Oracle Machines or Deep-Time Augers, are machines created to access messages sent from the future. Infocorruption weapons deployed by [REDACTED] during the collapse of the High Human-era OPF has made mechanical prognostication a fraught science and these captured whispers may contain curses by those defeated in that bygone era.
* EFFECT: The GM works with the player to present a worst-scenario for every aspect of their intelligence operation. Provides a stacking reroll to the operation, but has a 1% chance of backfiring (2% if a Special Agent is assigned, as fate blesses and curses great men with interesting lives).
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market smugglers. Spend a Token.

=====Pattern Box Cache=====
Pattern Boxes (sometimes called Theseus Boxes or Shell Matrices) are a black box OPF-era technology theorized to be some sort of asynchronous transmat portal. Ships and only ships (as Pattern Boxes rarely work on anything without a significant displacement) can be totally gutted and cast adrift for extreme periods of time. Upon the activation of the Box, the ship is reconstituted to its prime functional state and is immediately ready to use. Pattern Boxes have been used a few times to smuggle entire armadas deep inside enemy territory over a matter of decades, the perfect tool to stage a coup or launch a rebellion.
* EFFECT: Scrap a single ship, recouping resources as appropriate. The ship remains unusable (obviously) until recalled into being with the Pattern Box.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market suppliers. Spend 2 Tokens.

=====Black Chamber Cache=====
The archeotechnological devices known as Black Chambers produce so-called Carbon Copies of sapient beings, perfect duplicates that scan correctly down to nanometer-precise analysis of brain patterns and biometrics. These are not clones and suffer no issues in terms of shortened telomeres or other genetic disorders, but complete copies. Their minds however are completely different, often created to-spec by their users. Over time these differential patterns exert themselves and their brains diverge physically from the originals, as does the regular wear-and-tear of life. For whatever reason Black Chambers cannot easily replicate extremely dense species like Chelonians, leading to a preference for ‘heavy’ races in high-security positions.
* EFFECT: Perfectly duplicate an existing non-ship unit or asset. Has no mechanical benefits beyond this, but may have some uses for intelligence.
* ACQUISITION: Have good relations with an elder race or their black market suppliers. Spend a Token.

===Proxies===
Limit: Deniability

Proxies are cutouts and buffers between agency involvement and immediate identification of their activities by other parties. Proxies are generally assumed to already exist in the world in some form before the players bring them into being: they are not created whole cloth by the agency, even front companies emerge from intelligence agencies presenting themselves as financiers to organizations that would have sought to create them regardless.

They provide complete deniability in the terms suggested by their SECRECY section, so PMCs will only affect domestic deniability, cults will generally cover up unless founded by a spiritualist state (in which case the fiction is paper thin) and so on. Proxy-based deniability always fails in two cases, however: if destroyed by a hostile state (a controlling state can purge their own proxies without any issues) or if infiltrated by a hostile party. Deniability can also falter in logical conditions, such as mistreated PMC forces being captured or cults betraying their sponsor state for co-religionists, though this is moderated on a case-by-case basis and will usually require an operation and/or expenditure of espionage or diplomacy tokens.

Finally, even with any amount of cloaking, carefully unmarked hulls or proxy forces acting as cutouts-to-cutouts, too much heat will always blow the lid on an op. A shot heard around the world will usually result in every party down the chain ratting you out to save their own skins.

=====Private Military Contractor=====
Privatizing the edges of a conflict is the least credible way for a state to distance itself from any atrocities taking place but provides a level of separation that can be accepted by a domestic audience. Mercenaries are often veterans and their hangers-on, and develop relevant complexes: when they feel forgotten or disrespected, they tend to take it poorly and go to various lengths to redress these grievances, imagined or otherwise.
* EFFECT: PMCs become a de-facto independent, self-sufficient force that can be hired by other players to make you a tidy profit. They are a great clearinghouse for old equipment and political unreliables, but are only loyal provided you maintain your support: money, a steady trickle of equipment and work that isn’t obvious suicide missions.
* SECRECY: Only affects domestic opinion.
* ACQUISITION: Spend a Military, Espionage or General Token and assign some units to create their initial roster.

=====Crime Syndicate=====
Criminal organizations emerge naturally in periods of instability or weak government, taking up duties left behind by the authorities in marginal regions. Doubly so when the state declares a particular substance, act or state of being to be illegal when it is desirable or necessary- syndicates prosper in such repressive climes. Sometimes states will fund their own mafias, creating a loyal and controlled opposition to suppress the real rebels. One should be careful to not make them too powerful- an allegedly patriotic mafia may have plans of their own for the nation running, against the wishes of the government.
* EFFECT: Criminal undergrounds soak up resentment against the government and provide a recruiting pool for skilled (and unskilled) auxiliaries to conduct intelligence operations. Like PMCs, they mitigate the domestic consequences of espionage, and can be trivially eliminated under the guise of anti-corruption purges. As a side benefit: when business is good, you might get a little money for the slush funds!
* SECRECY: Crime syndicates provide solid cover for foreign and especially domestic operations but fold hard under pressure.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state that has recently suffered Stability Loss to spawn a new crime syndicate. Even yourself.

=====Insurgency=====
Conquered territory rarely goes happily, and authoritarian regimes often host malcontents and countercultures that are always happy to take the fight to the government. Formal resistance often develops in the shatterzones where government authority is the weakest: the mountains and the hills, the islands, and in space the shoal zones, the warrens of moons and on hostile planets. Unlike crime syndicates, controlling the opposition by founding your own rebels is often much more difficult and is only something states do when they already know they’re about to go into civil war and want to ensure the leading coalition is as weak and/or unpalatable to foreign aid as possible.
* EFFECT: Insurgencies will turn swathes of enemy territory unsafe and continue to be a thorn in the side of the state they were founded against. They tend to fight above their weight- lethal aid and other resources tend to perform very well in their hands. Should they ever win their war against the authorities, they might also readily form the new government.
* SECRECY: Insurgencies tend to be opaque and take secrets to the grave, but can be infiltrated due to a big tent, all-hands-on-deck approach to organizing.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state that has recently conquered territory, has territory with an incompatible ethos or is at low Stability. Insurgencies will sometimes spawn by themselves when a region is conquered, aligning themselves to their former government and/or allies.

=====Coup D’Etat Faction=====
Movements that arise from the dissatisfied elite of society, whether the military, judges, merchants, priests or aristocracy seeking to depose the current leader to install a new one.
* EFFECT: A coup faction is an inert force until a moment of exceptionally weak government, at which point they stake their claim. In the intervening time until they push their luck, they are a useful vessel for foreign influence and after taking over, will remain friendly to whoever put them there unless there are serious material, ethical or geopolitical reasons not to be. Coups that fail their takeover can run off to become Insurgencies, Cults or PMCs instead.
* SECRECY: Coup D’Etat Factions tend to be pretty discrete until they aren’t. After the coup happens and the tanks roll into the capital, player culpability is pretty cut and dry.
* ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage Token on any state with 3 or less Stability. The Coup will activate their plans, regardless of your own, if their state hits 1 or less Stability. Once they accomplish their goals, the faction dissolves and assumes control of the state. As a rule, Coup D’Etat Factions manifest through the Dominant ethos of a state. For this reason, Dominant Egalitarian states are immune to coups as their democratic institutions are too resilient to external pressure.

=====Front Company=====
A fairly common proxy for intelligence services, most fronts are shipping, import/export or security companies that can justify their outsized access to government materiel. Other types of companies may exist but may have difficulty justifying having large flotillas of warships on hand, even if they’re off-brand Deniable hulls that look like common cargo hullforms.
* EFFECT: A front company requires a large up-front investment and appears naturally on public markets, offering the services implied by their cover. Acting as an instrument for their founding agency, fronts also spy on their clients and give additional insights into whatever industry they have been put into. On the other hand, particularly large and prosperous front companies tend to get a little out of hand, seeking to accomplish the interests of their stakeholders and employees over those of the agency. Front Companies generate a single specialized token representing their area of expertise, which they spend at their own discretion (in this manner it is a fully independent NPC).
* SECRECY: Front companies are extremely secretive, particularly as they grow beyond their original scope. They are not however fanatical, and will quickly bow to pressure by a powerful state. On the other hand, a country that threatens every company with extermination unless they divulge their secrets may become something of a pariah.
ACQUISITION: Spend an Espionage or Economy Token and spend a minimum of $5000 in initial startup cash, which is efficiently converted to CI, hulls and other assets. Individualist states double the value of the initial investment, as do Prosperity states (x3 if you have both).

=====Cult [Unlocked for Spiritualists]=====
A favorite of intelligence services, cults are self-contained, secretive and hierarchical- perfect patsies to do as they like. They run newspapers, small businesses, gated communities and death squads with equal aplomb. Occasionally a cult may outgrow its bounds and come to take over entire nations, a grim result for those who might fall under their sway.
* EFFECT: A cult is a relatively straightforward proxy to use, providing one or two degrees of separation from the agency proper as orders go to leaders and then are laundered down to lay persons or hopeful outsiders on the edge of the community.
* SECRECY: Cults have very little to do with the founding state and tend to run a strict code of silence versus outsiders, UNLESS formed by Spiritualist states who absolutely cannot help themselves in making their allegiance and philosophies clear. The code of silence will still be in place, of course, but the origin of such a group will be obvious.
* ACQUISITION: Spending an Espionage or Diplomacy token forges a connection with a cult to put it at an Agency’s disposal. Spiritualist states can instead spend Unity tokens, and can create a new Cult any time they suffer Stability loss by sending schismatics and renegades away to help the cause in a faraway land. They are likewise immune to subversion by Cults, for obvious reasons.

=====Revolutionary Army=====
Like insurgencies and coups, though rather than being a product of popular or elite resentment, the revolutionary army arises somewhere at the confluence of marginalized social movements, academic speculation and reactionary elites. The revolutionary army grows outside the borders of the nation, attracting fellow travelers and emigres, building parallel power through media, fronts and enclaves in friendly states, waiting for a crisis to intervene in.
* EFFECT: A revolutionary army is like an insurgency from without, building power in the bordermarches until the state is too weak to resist. They can be negotiated with, but will settle for nothing less than becoming the new center of power in their target state. A revolutionary army is not necessarily targeted at a single state, but may aim to impose its rule or ideology across multiple states. A revolutionary army has an explicit Dominant Ethos with the benefits and penalties this implies, representing their desired social order.
* SECRECY: As with insurgencies, though hosting them in your borders makes their allegiance much more obvious.
* ACQUISITION: Spending an Espionage or Diplomacy token creates or forges contact with a revolutionary army. The conditions are identical to insurgencies with two differences: no ethos provides immunity and their Dominant Ethos must be compatible with the player states’.

=====Free Station [Unlocked for Flag of Freedom]=====
Microstates where anything goes, these crop up and vanish quickly in the scope of galactic history. Today’s hot new pirate port is often tomorrow’s floatsam as the venal and fractious nature of pirate lords takes its toll.
* EFFECT: It’s a pirate port on the edge of civilization with 1d10 CI and 1d5 DI, adding to that roll every time someone invests in it. Easy access to all kinds of freebooters and miscreants make espionage much, much easier. Anyone can invest in a Free Station, resulting in byzantine networks of patronage and allegiance. The station keeps this income and production to itself, of course, but can be coaxed to various agreements.
* SECRECY: You can buy secrecy. Other players can buy your secrets. Don’t be outbid. Of course, no small number of these stations have ultimately been destroyed by their former patrons in a bid to keep their master’s activities a secret.
* ACQUISITION: Spend any two Tokens. Flag of Freedom halves this to one.

===Better Units===
Higher TL spaceships and ground units assigned to Agencies provide soft quality improvements in espionage operations. Generally speaking, high-TL units can shrug off penalties from not having the right traits or modules for a particular mission, and in competitions between comparatively evenly matched Agencies, ties will break in favor to whichever side has more TL 5-6 units assigned.

Agencies and the espionage system themselves do not directly use the TL system, since these organizations can much more easily access advanced technology in excess of the norms in their own states.

=Doctrine=
In addition to the Specialization and Asset system (which generally applies to a single Agency at a time), there is also an Espionage Doctrine which will improve the performance of all player Agencies.

=Generic Espionage Actions=
These do not have loudness and are not moderated, except for resolution of outcomes.

Disruptive Operations
* Cost: 1 Token, plus any reinforcements or extra pay the player wants to assign.
* Effect: Creates a non-specific pirate taskforce that will attack a single target non-suicidally for a limited amount of time.
* Complications: It’s relatively easy to identify who hired pirates to attack a random colony.

Diplo Jockeying
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: When a player suffers Stability Loss, double the cost of their first stability increase (i.e.: double money, double Stab building output, double Unity Tokens, etc). Can be repeated multiple times in a turn, affecting one additional expenditure or territory.
* Complications: You have to shelter guilty parties responsible for the stab loss (whistleblowers, religious minorities, deposed dictators who ran off with the national savings, etc), who can be kind of annoying.

PsyOps
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Lower the Stability of a single territory. Territory under siege is more likely to surrender.
* Complications: None

Obscure Breakthroughs
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Hide research progress or the results of exploration Tokens can be ‘assigned’ to this in perpetuity, keeping your developments secret (until they are so obvious as to be impossible to hide) at the cost of not regenerating.
* Complications: Hurts national prestige when everything is a secret.

Security Operation
* Cost: 1 Token, plus any resources the player wants to assign.
* Effect: ‘Take care’ of any named character or group that shows up in your borders. Dead or alive.
* Complications: Caveat emptor when it comes to normalizing political assassination.

Smuggle Assets
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Move anything, anywhere, anytime. Does not calculate based on the travel map.
* Complications: You have to abide by a potentially quite inflated travel time that scales based on ‘how much stuff’ you’re moving around.

Protect Trade
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Sift through OSINT, foreign ministry reports, and more to maximize the safety of your trade on the Grid.
* Complications: Pirates only have to be lucky once and nobody can play perfect defense.

Assist Privateering Operations
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Sift through OSINT, foreign ministry reports, and more to maximize the take of your pirate operations
* Complications: Actively running intelligence operations in support of flag of freedom operations makes it rather more likely someone’s going to pin down you’re taking their stuff.

The Great Game
* Cost: 1 Token
* Effect: Counter one token invested by another player in an NPC
* Complications: It’s very obvious you’re acting against the other player’s interests.

=Advanced Espionage=
This section covers the ins and outs of planning and executing intelligence operations, using the Agency and various other tools to accomplish those goals.

==Passive Benefits==
These are things that simply having a decently-built Agency and some well-placed assets provides, no actions required.

===Early Warning===
Early Warning is an option that appears when intel is resolved. If the defending nation has a higher total Intelligence Gathering score than the attacker has Operations, they get a warning that something is about to happen. If their Intelligence Gathering (plus Specializations) total is more than double than the opposing pool, the defender gets a rough estimate of numbers and types of assets being deployed.

In either case, Early Warning permits the redeployment of relevant assets, within reason. Ships with Fold Drives can always be moved around to intervene, while other types of assets (particularly ground units, aerospace craft and small vessels with limited A-Drives) must be reasonably close to act.

===Counterespionage===
Agencies, even if never used to conduct hostile operations, passively provide their controlling states with a buffer against intelligence operations. Intelligence Gathering can root out spies, while the Security statistics prevent direct attacks.

===Policing and Counterinsurgency===
Intelligence agencies can contribute to law enforcement and keep an eye on goings-on in civil society. Forces that are assigned to intelligence agencies will generally do better at jackboots and hearts and minds campaigns than regular forces.

There is one other advantage to clearly delineating which of your services (if you have more than one) is putting boots on the ground in lawless or contested territory: it simplifies who’s going to be defending against hostile actions by other players. The moderation team thanks you for the consideration.

===Laundering Actions===
Players always have the option of using their agencies and their proxies to conduct diplomacy, commerce or leak information. OOCly, they can request that a GM (even those other than the attending Espionage GM) post a relevant item in their stead to conceal that it is being done as part of the espionage system. They can also write entire IC posts as their proxies and have those posted by moderators, muddying the waters as to which organizations are working at the behest of intelligence services and which are doing so of their own initiative.

Other players always have the option of looking into the origins of such requests, but Tokens are a scarce resource and few people have the resources to look into every single off-the-cuff news item.

==Planning Operations==
===Determine Objective and Scope===
All operations have an objective, the specific outcome desired by the player: this can be killing a named person, kidnapping someone, sabotaging a landmark, damaging stability in a region, etc. The scope covers both the geographical scale of the region affected, the area of operations and the extent of the opfor.

Assassinating a local drug kingpin to raise stability in an area that got hit by a negative event in the yearly rollover is straightforward and low-scope, assassinating a head of state to send a whole region into a tailspin of conspiracy and national mourning for a year is just about the same act and tools involved but the scope is orders of magnitude larger. Particularly large-scope actions may involve multiple opposing players, such as hitting major international trade stations on the TKK or Chelonian sides of local space.

An operation can have multiple objectives and scopes. It’s best to list everything you can think of, that you actually want to happen than not.

Objective and Scope should ideally be composed as follows:

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES
:* Objective:
::* Kidnap the Dauphin of Grand Dolphy of Oceania (attacking a named person).
::* Cause widespread panic (lower stability).
:* Scope:
::* The Summer Palace at Insert Dolphin Pun (landmark at X territory).
::* The entirety of the Grand Dolphy of Oceania (all territories).

===Allocate Resources===
Every operation needs an Agency assigned, at least. With literally nothing else except an Agency, players can conduct espionage. Other resources like human or technological assets, proxies and military units can significantly improve the results. When kidnapping named persons for example, it’s always useful to have an exit vehicle prepared.

Continuing from the example operation, resources might look like this:

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES
:* Agency: MI666 (Operations 4 [OPSEC], Security 3, Intelligence Gathering 3, Deniability 1 [Foreign Deniability])
:* Military Units:
::* Moon Whaler-class Cloaked Cruiser ‘Ahab’
:* Human Assets:
::* Special Agent Jerman Bieville
::* Access Agent at Summer Palace
:* Technological Assets:
::* None
:* Proxies: None

===Present to the GM===
After allocating resources, the player can optionally provide a step-by-step writeup of how they expect the operation to go, what contingencies they have in place and how they want their operatives to behave. While these are mostly qualitative differences, it’s better for the speed and quality of moderation that these things are hashed out in advance in as much fine detail as possible so that every party is satisfied.

Once ready, the operational write-up is sent to the GM via private message (ideally a regular PM convo on SB). A good format would be a PM with a linked google document, as it can both be edited in response to discussion and has a built-in log to show edit history to prevent tampering after resolution takes place.

A completed writeup for POD OF VERSAILLES might look like this.

OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES 
Deepest England is intervening in the affairs of the hated Dolph people to limit their ambitions in a mutual area of interest. To do this MI666 is authorizing a bold direct action to kidnap the Dauphin ahead of his coronation (after the planned abdication of his father, Louis) to cause a succession crisis and public panic. Mechanically this will result in stability loss, particularly in the capital region and other areas with Noble Estates (a unique landmark type the Grand Dolphy possesses).

Special Agent Jerman Bieville is deploying into Oceanian territory via gravchute and will be presented with fake documents procured by the informant at the Summer Palace. He will use the bustle of the leadup to a major presentation of the Dauphin (a pre-party to the abdication and coronation events) to enter palace grounds, neutralize the guards and exfiltrate with the Dauphin before anyone is the wiser. He will then use a Grav-Fulton to get up to the HDMS (Her Deepest Majesty’s Ship) Ahab, which will skim the lower atmosphere.

:* Objective:
::* Kidnap the Dauphin of Grand Dolphy of Oceania (attacking a named person).
::* Cause widespread panic (lower stability).
:* Scope:
::* The Summer Palace at Insert Dolphin Pun (landmark at X territory).
::* The entirety of the Grand Dolphy of Oceania (all territories).
:* Agency: MI666 (Operations 4 [OPSEC], Security 3, Intelligence Gathering 3, Deniability 1 [Foreign Deniability])
:* Military Units:
::* Moon Whaler-class Cloaked Cruiser ‘Ahab’
:* Human Assets:
::* Special Agent Jerman Bieville
::* Access Agent at Summer Palace
:* Technological Assets:
::* None
:* Proxies: None

There are a few problems with this, to a prospective moderator: it’s very loud, given it involves a potential shooting match in the most secure grounds in Grand Dolphy territory. A future head of state is also a well-protected and constantly scrutinized target.

The moderator’s responsibility is to offer up some suggestions at this point, like using a Front Company to assist the Special Agent’s insertion into the Palace, and using a Black Chamber to create a duplicate of the Dauphin. While costly investments (1 Token apiece) they significantly improve the odds and quiet the process of the operation itself. Emboldened by the extra resources invested and the better odds, the Deepest England player decides to have the clone surgically modified with an biomodded explosive implant with a large yield as a Secret Weapon to slaughter the party in attendance, spending yet another Token and adding another objective.

===Assessing and Managing Loudness===
As mentioned in the Loudness section under Key Concepts, the success and utility of missions can be affected by their Loudness. While it may be tempting to go for a maximalist outcome (killing a head of state or an entire legislature with high explosives), the diplomatic consequences and failure chance may overwhelm the perceived benefits.

The actual player interface with Loudness is abstracted, the moderator simply tells them which parts of the mission are Loud and gives them an opportunity to redress them using the guidelines above.

===Waiting for Resolution...and Rushing===
With discussions concluded, all that’s left is for moderation to happen. All espionage is resolved every new FISCAL TURN UNIT. However, sometimes player initiative or random events may require a rushed result for an outcome the player in question desires.

In which case there’s the option to Rush, which requires spending an additional Token (in addition to the one for simply planning the Operation, and for all the assets taken to carry it out).

In the case of our example OPERATION POD OF VERSAILLES, the Deepest England player has gotten word that Grand Dolphy Louis Jean MCCCXIII de Oceania has died in his sleep and the Dauphin will be crowned well before the FISCAL TURN UNIT ends. Not only that, but security will be raised because the Oceania player had an informant in Deepest England and expended them, being alerted to the fact there is a hostile scheme against his uncrowned princeling.

The Deepest England player decides to go all-in, and revises the plan. The plot will be to replace the Dauphin with the Black Chamber clone to act as a puppet king, and the whole attack will intentionally fail to cause confusion. Since the operation was revealed by an informant, the Deepest England player is confident of his opsec and that the fine details have not been exposed yet. He makes a final revision to the orders… and rushes POD OF VERSAILLES through.

It resolves the moment a moderator has time to look at it.

The mission is chaotic and violent, killing many at the palace in the course of the attack. Special Agent Jerman Bieville is MIA (likely to reappear at some inconvenient time for the England player) but has sacrificed himself for the success of the mission. The real Dauphin is imprisoned in the Borehole of London, sealed in an iron mask, and his clone sits atop the gilded throne, a puppet of the English. There have been political consequences, which the English were more than happy to pay, but a war has been averted.

Of course with so many loose ends and so many lives lost, both sides will spend a great deal of time dealing with the aftershocks and the truth may some day come out…!

[[Category: From the Ashes 3]]

User:Jacklyn

2022-11-13T23:29:40Z

Jacklyn: Initial Creation

Why are you even looking at this page?

Stuff I've Done or Contributed to: 
[[Xianxia: The Forgotten Path]] - Stalled / Unfinished, Dunno if I'm coming back to it

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-23T03:26:40Z

Jacklyn: /* Power Traits */

=Second Temple Kingdom of Outremer=
:Great Power
:The Last Remnant of the Pact of Steel.
==Power Traits==
:Big Empty
:Hostile Climate: The Great Zeon Desert
:War of the Worlds

==Optional Traits==
:Great Patriotic War
:Rogue State
:Atomic Futurism
:Operation Paperclip

=[[United States of Aurelia]]=
(Zeronet)
:Regional Power
==Power Traits==
:Operation Paperclip

==Optional Traits==
:+Special Relationship
:+New Imperial Century
:+Free Haven
:-Brain Drain

==Summary==
:3000 Wealth Production
:2000 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:5 Years in Wealth Production
:1 Tech Strike
:10 Cities, including a Capital
:3 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:Fresh Water
:Arable Land
:Uranium

==NP Spend==
25NP Uranium

=The Akira Technocracy (Jacklyn)=
:Great Power
:Homeland: a Rather large island far off the coast of a nearby continent, it has lush and plentiful food and water on its northern side, where most of the inhabitants live, but there is also a long stretch of southern wasteland, too infertile and hot for any real-life to thrive, which is often used for government black sites and as a rocket testing area.
:Government: Technocracy
:Ideological Landscape: 100% Technocrats(One Party, One People)
==Summary==
* 12750 WP
* 8250 IP
* 5 Year Military Spending
* 6 Starting Tech Strikes.
* 15 Cities (1 Capital)
* 9 Factories (1 Naval HQ)
* 7 Natural Resources(H.Metals, L.Metals, Uranium, Oil, Fresh Water, Airiable Land, Coal)
* 300 Fission Bombs

==Power Traits==
:-One Party, One People
:-Big Empty
:-Hostile Climate(Tropical)

==Optional Traits==
:+Atomic Futurism
:+Ancient Astronomy
:+[Space] Mafia
:+Manhattan Project
:+Island State
:-Where Have All The Men Gone
:-My Manual Is Full Of Eels
:-Black Mark

==NP Spending==
:5*Extra Tech Strike [25 NP]
:25 NP worth of extra WP
:25 NP worth of extra IP
:Natural Resource [25 NP]

=Serene Empire of Mizuho=
:Minor Power
:A southern latitudes archipelago state.

===Traits===
*Island State
::So many islands.
*Fish Monopoly
:So many fish.
*Uranium Monopoly
:There's pitchblend in them thar hills.
*The Woman's War
::Mizuho's religion has always been the domain of priestesses and this has led to a culture far more egalitarian than most.
*Warrior Culture
::Train harder!
*Worthless Yellow Rocks
::It is said that the Rabbit in the Moon came from Mizuho.

*Hostile Climate
::While Mizuho's climate itself is quite amenable, the nation's myriad of islands tend to be extremely rugged and flat land suitable for large-scale construction is rather limited and often already built-upon.
*Pieds Noir
::The Collegium has long exerted influence over Mizuho. The reactionary old men in cahoots with them are still kicking.
*Operation Paperclip
::Fleeing Gilder Fortgeschrittenreich scientists built Mizuho a nuclear device in 1945.
*Black Mark
::This nuclear weapon was to be used against the Collegium's Hyundai Island and the massed fleet there. Unfortunately the bomber carrying it was shot down and the weapon exploded over the city of Pyonjeon, killing roughly 80,000 civilians. Oops.

===Stats===
*1 Resource (Fish)
*2000 Wealth Production
*1000 Industrial Production
*3 Years in Military Spending Spree
*1 Tech Strike
*4 Cities, including a Capital
*4 Factories, including a Naval HQ
====Point Spread====
*1,000 Wealth Production (20)
*100 Industry Production (5)
*5 x Tech Strikes (25)
*1 x Natural Resource [Fish] (10)
*2 x Natural Resource [Oil] (20)
*2 x Natural Resource [Uranium] (20)

===Gazeteer===
We have islands! And fish!

=The Sublime Yuhwan College of Nations including the Pious Common Kingship of the Hoopoe Forest and the Sanctified Tsintsar Crown of Yuhwasattva Vãduva=
a.k.a. The Collegium, the Rzeczpospolita, or simply Gyerim-Covasna
:Middle Power
:Joseon dynasty Austria-Hungary

===Traits===
*Great Patriotic War
::Somehow, the Collegium lives still. What greater proof of miracles can there be?
*Boondoggle
::What do you mean the Great War is over...?
*Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
::The Rzeczpospolita is obliged to protect many small fellow travelers in the light across the world.
*Plurinational State x2
::The Kingdoms of Gyerim and Covasna operate with considerable autonomy from the rest of the Collegium.
*Where Have All the Men Gone?
::"My grandfathers joke that if you took all the pieces of their bodies they lost in the Great War and put them together, you'd have a whole eunuch."
::"Why a eunuch...?"
::"Well I'm here, aren't I?"
*The Woman's War
::The realities of the Great War pushed at the open door of the highly egalitarian, even outright Matriarchal, culture of many nations in the Rzeczpospolita.
*Free Haven
::The women of the Collegium want fine men!
*Brain Drain
::Bright young women want to see what's going on in the rest of the world.
*Woke Space Jesuits (Worthless Yellow Rocks)
::If there are Gods and other nations unknown in the stars then the Yuhwa's Gospel must go to them, until ''all'' the heavens roll in compassion alike.
*Cutthroat Politics
::"Well it's complicated. Have you heard of the Norons and Sorons? It's a long story, but first, we must discuss parallel universes-"
*Republican Tradition
::"-Actually that's quite fine, that's all I needed to know really."
*Nuclear Trauma
::The Pyeonjeon Sarcophagus
*The Sick Old Man
::Lots of chronically underdeveloped villages. Good tourism value though!

=Federal Union of North Zealand=
:Great Power
:1950's Atompunk America/Canada/Australia

===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Zealand scientists cracked the secrets of the atom, to tremendous effects.
*New Imperial Century
:Zealand and the Union proper remained remarkably untouched by the war, its factories churned out vehicles, weapons, and supplies for combatants the world over.
*Free Haven
:The Federation welcomes the tired, huddled masses of the world to build its greatness.
*Atomic Futurism
:Powered by the atom and the indomitable intellect of its scientists Zealandia future is bright!

*Operation Paperclip
:OSI has secured scientists from many questionable and unethical sources for the future of the Federation.
*Cutthroat Politics
:Zealands politics is a mess of Federal and State level campaigns and coalitions that have a frightening tendency to collapse at the drop of a hat.
*Boondoggle
:The Federation seeks continued control over Zealand, through soft and hard means.
*Black Mark
: The short lived "Atoms for Freedom" program backfired horribely in the nuclear pyre of Pyonjeon.
*War of the Worlds
:Where else would the sword of Damocles fall but upon a Jewel of the world?

===Stats===
:13500 Wealth Production
:7800 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:6 Tech Strike
:18 Cities, including a Capital
:18 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:L. Metals, H. Metals, Oil, Coal, Fresh Water, Arable Land, Uranium

100 Nation Points, which can be traded for:

:1 for 50 Wealth Production [-30]
:1 for 30 Industrial Production [-20]
:5 Extra Tech Strikes [-25]
:25 for Extra Resource [-25]

=Janaxpachasuyu (The Empire of the Celestial Skies)(Murtox)=
:Great Power
:Inca Empire on Steroids
===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Only the Atom will safeguard the Huacas of our ancestors
*Plurinational State x2
:Our history as rulers is long and rich, as such, we have a couple of extra inheritances from olden times. Kashamarkasuyu and Chachapoyas remain powerful vassal kingdoms within our lands.
*Special Relationship x2
:Small kingdoms are also within our grasp, I mean authority. Tumpis, Ariqipa, Luritu and Wanuku are just in our historical sphere of influence.
*New Imperial Century
:The war was fought and hard but it never reached our industrial heartland.
*My Manual Is Full of Eels
*Big Empty
*Black Mark
*Operation Paperclip
*Energy Cartel
*Boondogle

=United Kingdoms of Nortia (Oseng)=
:Regional Power (Former Great Power before the War?)
:Inspired by Aristocratic Europe (Northern/Western Europe in particular) plus certain video games
:Located in the north of a continent, northern regions are possibly cold and lightly populated by "highland clans."
:Catholic style faith centered on the goddess Aidios and local spirits dominates, females play large role in clergy.
:Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with a High King/Emperor and a Parliament with House of Lords and House of Commoners (Possible lesser kings and princes?)
:Semi-Democratic or more likely Cold War Democratic, with powerful security services and strongly influential aristocratic elements.

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-23T01:58:13Z

Jacklyn: /* The Akira Technocracy (Jacklyn) */

=Second Temple Kingdom of Outremer=
:Great Power
:The Last Remnant of the Pact of Steel.
==Power Traits==
:Big Empty
:Hostile Climate: The Great Zeon Desert
:War of the Worlds

==Optional Traits==
:Great Patriotic War
:Rogue State
:Atomic Futurism
:Operation Paperclip

=[[United States of Aurelia]]=
(Zeronet)
:Regional Power
==Power Traits==
:Operation Paperclip

==Optional Traits==
:+Special Relationship
:+New Imperial Century
:+Free Haven
:-Brain Drain

==Summary==
:3000 Wealth Production
:2000 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:5 Years in Wealth Production
:1 Tech Strike
:10 Cities, including a Capital
:3 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:Fresh Water
:Arable Land
:Uranium

==NP Spend==
25NP Uranium

=The Akira Technocracy (Jacklyn)=
:Great Power
:Homeland: a Rather large island far off the coast of a nearby continent, it has lush and plentiful food and water on its northern side, where most of the inhabitants live, but there is also a long stretch of southern wasteland, too infertile and hot for any real-life to thrive, which is often used for government black sites and as a rocket testing area.
:Government: Technocracy
:Ideological Landscape: 100% Technocrats(One Party, One People)
==Summary==
* 12750 WP
* 8250 IP
* 5 Year Military Spending
* 6 Starting Tech Strikes.
* 15 Cities (1 Capital)
* 9 Factories (1 Naval HQ)
* 7 Natural Resources(H.Metals, L.Metals, Uranium, Oil, Fresh Water, Airiable Land, Coal)
* 300 Fission Bombs

==Power Traits==
:-One Party, One People
:-Big Empty
:-Cutthroat Politics
==Optional Traits==
:+Atomic Futurism
:+Ancient Astronomy
:+[Space] Mafia
:+Manhattan Project
:+Island State
:-Where Have All The Men Gone
:-My Manual Is Full Of Eels
:-Black Mark

==NP Spending==
:5*Extra Tech Strike [25 NP]
:25 NP worth of extra WP
:25 NP worth of extra IP
:Natural Resource [25 NP]

=Serene Empire of Mizuho=
:Minor Power
:A southern latitudes archipelago state.

===Traits===
*Island State
::So many islands.
*Fish Monopoly
:So many fish.
*Uranium Monopoly
:There's pitchblend in them thar hills.
*The Woman's War
::Mizuho's religion has always been the domain of priestesses and this has led to a culture far more egalitarian than most.
*Warrior Culture
::Train harder!
*Worthless Yellow Rocks
::It is said that the Rabbit in the Moon came from Mizuho.

*Hostile Climate
::While Mizuho's climate itself is quite amenable, the nation's myriad of islands tend to be extremely rugged and flat land suitable for large-scale construction is rather limited and often already built-upon.
*Pieds Noir
::The Collegium has long exerted influence over Mizuho. The reactionary old men in cahoots with them are still kicking.
*Operation Paperclip
::Fleeing Gilder Fortgeschrittenreich scientists built Mizuho a nuclear device in 1945.
*Black Mark
::This nuclear weapon was to be used against the Collegium's Hyundai Island and the massed fleet there. Unfortunately the bomber carrying it was shot down and the weapon exploded over the city of Pyonjeon, killing roughly 80,000 civilians. Oops.

===Stats===
*1 Resource (Fish)
*2000 Wealth Production
*1000 Industrial Production
*3 Years in Military Spending Spree
*1 Tech Strike
*4 Cities, including a Capital
*4 Factories, including a Naval HQ
====Point Spread====
*1,000 Wealth Production (20)
*100 Industry Production (5)
*5 x Tech Strikes (25)
*1 x Natural Resource [Fish] (10)
*2 x Natural Resource [Oil] (20)
*2 x Natural Resource [Uranium] (20)

===Gazeteer===
We have islands! And fish!

=The Sublime Yuhwan College of Nations including the Pious Common Kingship of the Hoopoe Forest and the Sanctified Tsintsar Crown of Yuhwasattva Vãduva=
a.k.a. The Collegium, the Rzeczpospolita, or simply Gyerim-Covasna
:Middle Power
:Joseon dynasty Austria-Hungary

===Traits===
*Great Patriotic War
::Somehow, the Collegium lives still. What greater proof of miracles can there be?
*Boondoggle
::What do you mean the Great War is over...?
*Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
::The Rzeczpospolita is obliged to protect many small fellow travelers in the light across the world.
*Plurinational State x2
::The Kingdoms of Gyerim and Covasna operate with considerable autonomy from the rest of the Collegium.
*Where Have All the Men Gone?
::"My grandfathers joke that if you took all the pieces of their bodies they lost in the Great War and put them together, you'd have a whole eunuch."
::"Why a eunuch...?"
::"Well I'm here, aren't I?"
*The Woman's War
::The realities of the Great War pushed at the open door of the highly egalitarian, even outright Matriarchal, culture of many nations in the Rzeczpospolita.
*Free Haven
::The women of the Collegium want fine men!
*Brain Drain
::Bright young women want to see what's going on in the rest of the world.
*Woke Space Jesuits (Worthless Yellow Rocks)
::If there are Gods and other nations unknown in the stars then the Yuhwa's Gospel must go to them, until ''all'' the heavens roll in compassion alike.
*Cutthroat Politics
::"Well it's complicated. Have you heard of the Norons and Sorons? It's a long story, but first, we must discuss parallel universes-"
*Republican Tradition
::"-Actually that's quite fine, that's all I needed to know really."
*Nuclear Trauma
::The Pyeonjeon Sarcophagus
*The Sick Old Man
::Lots of chronically underdeveloped villages. Good tourism value though!

=Federal Union of North Zealand=
:Great Power
:1950's Atompunk America/Canada/Australia

===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Zealand scientists cracked the secrets of the atom, to tremendous effects.
*New Imperial Century
:Zealand and the Union proper remained remarkably untouched by the war, its factories churned out vehicles, weapons, and supplies for combatants the world over.
*Free Haven
:The Federation welcomes the tired, huddled masses of the world to build its greatness.
*Atomic Futurism
:Powered by the atom and the indomitable intellect of its scientists Zealandia future is bright!

*Operation Paperclip
:OSI has secured scientists from many questionable and unethical sources for the future of the Federation.
*Cutthroat Politics
:Zealands politics is a mess of Federal and State level campaigns and coalitions that have a frightening tendency to collapse at the drop of a hat.
*Boondoggle
:The Federation seeks continued control over Zealand, through soft and hard means.
*Black Mark
: The short lived "Atoms for Freedom" program backfired horribely in the nuclear pyre of Pyonjeon.
*War of the Worlds
:Where else would the sword of Damocles fall but upon a Jewel of the world?

===Stats===
:13500 Wealth Production
:7800 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:6 Tech Strike
:18 Cities, including a Capital
:18 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:L. Metals, H. Metals, Oil, Coal, Fresh Water, Arable Land, Uranium

100 Nation Points, which can be traded for:

:1 for 50 Wealth Production [-30]
:1 for 30 Industrial Production [-20]
:5 Extra Tech Strikes [-25]
:25 for Extra Resource [-25]

=Janaxpachasuyu (The Empire of the Celestial Skies)(Murtox)=
:Great Power
:Inca Empire on Steroids
===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Only the Atom will safeguard the Huacas of our ancestors
*Plurinational State x2
:Our history as rulers is long and rich, as such, we have a couple of extra inheritances from olden times. Kashamarkasuyu and Chachapoyas remain powerful vassal kingdoms within our lands.
*Special Relationship x2
:Small kingdoms are also within our grasp, I mean authority. Tumpis, Ariqipa, Luritu and Wanuku are just in our historical sphere of influence.
*New Imperial Century
:The war was fought and hard but it never reached our industrial heartland.
*My Manual Is Full of Eels
*Big Empty
*Black Mark
*Operation Paperclip
*Energy Cartel
*Boondogle

=United Kingdoms of Nortia (Oseng)=
:Regional Power (Former Great Power before the War?)
:Inspired by Aristocratic Europe (Northern/Western Europe in particular) plus certain video games
:Located in the north of a continent, northern regions are possibly cold and lightly populated by "highland clans."
:Catholic style faith centered on the goddess Aidios and local spirits dominates, females play large role in clergy.
:Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with a High King/Emperor and a Parliament with House of Lords and House of Commoners (Possible lesser kings and princes?)
:Semi-Democratic or more likely Cold War Democratic, with powerful security services and strongly influential aristocratic elements.

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-23T01:34:42Z

Jacklyn: /* The Akira Technocracy */

=Second Temple Kingdom of Outremer=
:Great Power
:The Last Remnant of the Pact of Steel.
==Power Traits==
:Big Empty
:Hostile Climate: The Great Zeon Desert
:War of the Worlds

==Optional Traits==
:Great Patriotic War
:Rogue State
:Atomic Futurism
:Operation Paperclip

=[[United States of Aurelia]]=
(Zeronet)
:Regional Power
==Power Traits==
:Operation Paperclip

==Optional Traits==
:+Special Relationship
:+New Imperial Century
:+Free Haven
:-Brain Drain

==Summary==
:3000 Wealth Production
:2000 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:5 Years in Wealth Production
:1 Tech Strike
:10 Cities, including a Capital
:3 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:Fresh Water
:Arable Land
:Uranium

==NP Spend==
25NP Uranium

=The Akira Technocracy (Jacklyn)=
:Great Power
:Homeland: a Rather large island far off the coast of a nearby continent, it has lush and plentiful food and water on its northern side, where most of the inhabitants live, but there is also a long stretch of southern wasteland, too infertile and hot for any real-life to thrive, which is often used for government black sites and as a rocket testing area.
:Government: Technocracy
:Ideological Landscape: 100% Technocrats(One Party, One People)
==Summary==
* 12750 WP
* 8250 IP
* 5 Year Military Spending
* 6 Starting Tech Strikes.
* 15 Cities (1 Capital)
* 9 Factories (1 Naval HQ)
* 7 Natural Resources(H.Metals, L.Metals, Uranium, Oil, Fresh Water, Airiable Land, Coal)
* 300 Fission Bombs

==Power Traits==
:-One Party, One People
:-Big Empty
:-Black Mark
==Optional Traits==
:+Atomic Futurism
:+Ancient Astronomy
:+[Space] Mafia
:+Manhattan Project
:+Island State
:-Where Have All The Men Gone
:-My Manual Is Full Of Eels
:-Rogue State

==NP Spending==
:5*Extra Tech Strike [25 NP]
:25 NP worth of extra WP
:25 NP worth of extra IP
:Natural Resource [25 NP]

=Serene Empire of Mizuho=
:Minor Power
:A southern latitudes archipelago state.

===Traits===
*Island State
::So many islands.
*Fish Monopoly
:So many fish.
*Uranium Monopoly
:There's pitchblend in them thar hills.
*The Woman's War
::Mizuho's religion has always been the domain of priestesses and this has led to a culture far more egalitarian than most.
*Warrior Culture
::Train harder!
*Worthless Yellow Rocks
::It is said that the Rabbit in the Moon came from Mizuho.

*Hostile Climate
::While Mizuho's climate itself is quite amenable, the nation's myriad of islands tend to be extremely rugged and flat land suitable for large-scale construction is rather limited and often already built-upon.
*Pieds Noir
::The Collegium has long exerted influence over Mizuho. The reactionary old men in cahoots with them are still kicking.
*Operation Paperclip
::Fleeing Gilder Fortgeschrittenreich scientists built Mizuho a nuclear device in 1945.
*Black Mark
::This nuclear weapon was to be used against the Collegium's Hyundai Island and the massed fleet there. Unfortunately the bomber carrying it was shot down and the weapon exploded over the city of Pyonjeon, killing roughly 80,000 civilians. Oops.

===Stats===
*1 Resource (Fish)
*2000 Wealth Production
*1000 Industrial Production
*3 Years in Military Spending Spree
*1 Tech Strike
*4 Cities, including a Capital
*4 Factories, including a Naval HQ
====Point Spread====
*1,000 Wealth Production (20)
*100 Industry Production (5)
*5 x Tech Strikes (25)
*1 x Natural Resource [Fish] (10)
*2 x Natural Resource [Oil] (20)
*2 x Natural Resource [Uranium] (20)

===Gazeteer===
We have islands! And fish!

=The Sublime Yuhwan College of Nations including the Pious Common Kingship of the Hoopoe Forest and the Sanctified Tsintsar Crown of Yuhwasattva Vãduva=
a.k.a. The Collegium, the Rzeczpospolita, or simply Gyerim-Covasna
:Middle Power
:Joseon dynasty Austria-Hungary

===Traits===
*Great Patriotic War
::Somehow, the Collegium lives still. What greater proof of miracles can there be?
*Boondoggle
::What do you mean the Great War is over...?
*Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
::The Rzeczpospolita is obliged to protect many small fellow travelers in the light across the world.
*Plurinational State x2
::The Kingdoms of Gyerim and Covasna operate with considerable autonomy from the rest of the Collegium.
*Where Have All the Men Gone?
::"My grandfathers joke that if you took all the pieces of their bodies they lost in the Great War and put them together, you'd have a whole eunuch."
::"Why a eunuch...?"
::"Well I'm here, aren't I?"
*The Woman's War
::The realities of the Great War pushed at the open door of the highly egalitarian, even outright Matriarchal, culture of many nations in the Rzeczpospolita.
*Free Haven
::The women of the Collegium want fine men!
*Brain Drain
::Bright young women want to see what's going on in the rest of the world.
*Woke Space Jesuits (Worthless Yellow Rocks)
::If there are Gods and other nations unknown in the stars then the Yuhwa's Gospel must go to them, until ''all'' the heavens roll in compassion alike.
*Cutthroat Politics
::"Well it's complicated. Have you heard of the Norons and Sorons? It's a long story, but first, we must discuss parallel universes-"
*Republican Tradition
::"-Actually that's quite fine, that's all I needed to know really."
*Nuclear Trauma
::The Pyeonjeon Sarcophagus
*The Sick Old Man
::Lots of chronically underdeveloped villages. Good tourism value though!

=Federal Union of North Zealand=
:Great Power
:1950's Atompunk America/Canada/Australia

===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Zealand scientists cracked the secrets of the atom, to tremendous effects.
*New Imperial Century
:Zealand and the Union proper remained remarkably untouched by the war, its factories churned out vehicles, weapons, and supplies for combatants the world over.
*Free Haven
:The Federation welcomes the tired, huddled masses of the world to build its greatness.
*Atomic Futurism
:Powered by the atom and the indomitable intellect of its scientists Zealandia future is bright!

*Operation Paperclip
:OSI has secured scientists from many questionable and unethical sources for the future of the Federation.
*Cutthroat Politics
:Zealands politics is a mess of Federal and State level campaigns and coalitions that have a frightening tendency to collapse at the drop of a hat.
*Boondoggle
:The Federation seeks continued control over Zealand, through soft and hard means.
*Black Mark
: The short lived "Atoms for Freedom" program backfired horribely in the nuclear pyre of Pyonjeon.
*War of the Worlds
:Where else would the sword of Damocles fall but upon a Jewel of the world?

===Stats===
:13500 Wealth Production
:7800 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:6 Tech Strike
:18 Cities, including a Capital
:18 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:L. Metals, H. Metals, Oil, Coal, Fresh Water, Arable Land, Uranium

100 Nation Points, which can be traded for:

:1 for 50 Wealth Production [-30]
:1 for 30 Industrial Production [-20]
:5 Extra Tech Strikes [-25]
:25 for Extra Resource [-25]

=Janaxpachasuyu (The Empire of the Celestial Skies)(Murtox)=
:Great Power
:Inca Empire on Steroids
===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Only the Atom will safeguard the Huacas of our ancestors
*Plurinational State x2
:Our history as rulers is long and rich, as such, we have a couple of extra inheritances from olden times. Kashamarkasuyu and Chachapoyas remain powerful vassal kingdoms within our lands.
*Special Relationship x2
:Small kingdoms are also within our grasp, I mean authority. Tumpis, Ariqipa, Luritu and Wanuku are just in our historical sphere of influence.
*New Imperial Century
:The war was fought and hard but it never reached our industrial heartland.
*My Manual Is Full of Eels
*Big Empty
*Black Mark
*Operation Paperclip
*Energy Cartel
*Boondogle

=United Kingdoms of Nortia (Oseng)=
:Regional Power (Former Great Power before the War?)
:Inspired by Aristocratic Europe (Northern/Western Europe in particular) plus certain video games
:Located in the north of a continent, northern regions are possibly cold and lightly populated by "highland clans."
:Catholic style faith centered on the goddess Aidios and local spirits dominates, females play large role in clergy.
:Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with a High King/Emperor and a Parliament with House of Lords and House of Commoners (Possible lesser kings and princes?)
:Semi-Democratic or more likely Cold War Democratic, with powerful security services and strongly influential aristocratic elements.

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-23T00:17:37Z

Jacklyn: /* Summary */

=Second Temple Kingdom of Outremer=
:Great Power
:The Last Remnant of the Pact of Steel.
==Power Traits==
:Big Empty
:Hostile Climate: The Great Zeon Desert
:War of the Worlds

==Optional Traits==
:Great Patriotic War
:Rogue State
:Atomic Futurism
:Operation Paperclip

=[[United States of Aurelia]]=
(Zeronet)
:Regional Power
==Power Traits==
:Operation Paperclip

==Optional Traits==
:+Special Relationship
:+New Imperial Century
:+Free Haven
:-Brain Drain

==Summary==
:3000 Wealth Production
:2000 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:5 Years in Wealth Production
:1 Tech Strike
:10 Cities, including a Capital
:3 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:Fresh Water
:Arable Land
:Uranium

==NP Spend==
25NP Uranium

=The Akira Technocracy=
:Great Power
:Homeland: a Rather large island far off the coast of a nearby continent, it has lush and plentiful food and water on its northern side, where most of the inhabitants live, but there is also a long stretch of southern wasteland, too infertile and hot for any real-life to thrive, which is often used for government black sites and as a rocket testing area.
:Government: Technocracy
:Ideological Landscape: 100% Technocrats(One Party, One People)
==Summary==
* 12750 WP
* 8250 IP
* 5 Year Military Spending
* 6 Starting Tech Strikes.
* 15 Cities (1 Capital)
* 9 Factories (1 Naval HQ)
* 7 Natural Resources(H.Metals, L.Metals, Uranium, Oil, Fresh Water, Airiable Land, Coal)
* 300 Fission Bombs

==Power Traits==
:-One Party, One People
:-Big Empty
:-Black Mark
==Optional Traits==
:+Atomic Futurism
:+Ancient Astronomy
:+[Space] Mafia
:+Manhattan Project
:+Island State
:-Where Have All The Men Gone
:-My Manual Is Full Of Eels
:-Rogue State

==NP Spending==
:5*Extra Tech Strike [25 NP]
:25 NP worth of extra WP
:25 NP worth of extra IP
:Natural Resource [25 NP]

=Serene Empire of Mizuho=
:Minor Power
:A southern latitudes archipelago state.

===Traits===
*Island State
::So many islands.
*Fish Monopoly
:So many fish.
*Uranium Monopoly
:There's pitchblend in them thar hills.
*The Woman's War
::Mizuho's religion has always been the domain of priestesses and this has led to a culture far more egalitarian than most.
*Warrior Culture
::Train harder!
*Worthless Yellow Rocks
::It is said that the Rabbit in the Moon came from Mizuho.

*Hostile Climate
::While Mizuho's climate itself is quite amenable, the nation's myriad of islands tend to be extremely rugged and flat land suitable for large-scale construction is rather limited and often already built-upon.
*Pieds Noir
::The Collegium has long exerted influence over Mizuho. The reactionary old men in cahoots with them are still kicking.
*Operation Paperclip
::Fleeing Gilder Fortgeschrittenreich scientists built Mizuho a nuclear device in 1945.
*Black Mark
::This nuclear weapon was to be used against the Collegium's Hyundai Island and the massed fleet there. Unfortunately the bomber carrying it was shot down and the weapon exploded over the city of Pyonjeon, killing roughly 80,000 civilians. Oops.

===Stats===
*1 Resource (Fish)
*2000 Wealth Production
*1000 Industrial Production
*3 Years in Military Spending Spree
*1 Tech Strike
*4 Cities, including a Capital
*4 Factories, including a Naval HQ
====Point Spread====
*1,000 Wealth Production (20)
*100 Industry Production (5)
*5 x Tech Strikes (25)
*1 x Natural Resource [Fish] (10)
*2 x Natural Resource [Oil] (20)
*2 x Natural Resource [Uranium] (20)

===Gazeteer===
We have islands! And fish!

=The Sublime Yuhwan College of Nations including the Pious Common Kingship of the Hoopoe Forest and the Sanctified Tsintsar Crown of Yuhwasattva Vãduva=
a.k.a. The Collegium, the Rzeczpospolita, or simply Gyerim-Covasna
:Middle Power
:Joseon dynasty Austria-Hungary

===Traits===
*Great Patriotic War
::Somehow, the Collegium lives still. What greater proof of miracles can there be?
*Boondoggle
::What do you mean the Great War is over...?
*Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
::The Rzeczpospolita is obliged to protect many small fellow travelers in the light across the world.
*Plurinational State x2
::The Kingdoms of Gyerim and Covasna operate with considerable autonomy from the rest of the Collegium.
*Where Have All the Men Gone?
::"My grandfathers joke that if you took all the pieces of their bodies they lost in the Great War and put them together, you'd have a whole eunuch."
::"Why a eunuch...?"
::"Well I'm here, aren't I?"
*The Woman's War
::The realities of the Great War pushed at the open door of the highly egalitarian, even outright Matriarchal, culture of many nations in the Rzeczpospolita.
*Free Haven
::The women of the Collegium want fine men!
*Brain Drain
::Bright young women want to see what's going on in the rest of the world.
*Woke Space Jesuits (Worthless Yellow Rocks)
::If there are Gods and other nations unknown in the stars then the Yuhwa's Gospel must go to them, until ''all'' the heavens roll in compassion alike.
*Cutthroat Politics
::"Well it's complicated. Have you heard of the Norons and Sorons? It's a long story, but first, we must discuss parallel universes-"
*Republican Tradition
::"-Actually that's quite fine, that's all I needed to know really."
*Nuclear Trauma
::The Pyeonjeon Sarcophagus
*The Sick Old Man
::Lots of chronically underdeveloped villages. Good tourism value though!

=Federal Union of North Zealand=
:Great Power
:1950's Atompunk America/Canada/Australia

===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Zealand scientists cracked the secrets of the atom, to tremendous effects.
*New Imperial Century
:Zealand and the Union proper remained remarkably untouched by the war, its factories churned out vehicles, weapons, and supplies for combatants the world over.
*Free Haven
:The Federation welcomes the tired, huddled masses of the world to build its greatness.
*Atomic Futurism
:Powered by the atom and the indomitable intellect of its scientists Zealandia future is bright!

*Operation Paperclip
:OSI has secured scientists from many questionable and unethical sources for the future of the Federation.
*Cutthroat Politics
:Zealands politics is a mess of Federal and State level campaigns and coalitions that have a frightening tendency to collapse at the drop of a hat.
*Boondoggle
:The Federation seeks continued control over Zealand, through soft and hard means.
*Black Mark
: The short lived "Atoms for Freedom" program backfired horribely in the nuclear pyre of Pyonjeon.
*War of the Worlds
:Where else would the sword of Damocles fall but upon a Jewel of the world?

===Stats===
:13500 Wealth Production
:7800 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:6 Tech Strike
:18 Cities, including a Capital
:18 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:L. Metals, H. Metals, Oil, Coal, Fresh Water, Arable Land, Uranium

100 Nation Points, which can be traded for:

:1 for 50 Wealth Production [-30]
:1 for 30 Industrial Production [-20]
:5 Extra Tech Strikes [-25]
:25 for Extra Resource [-25]

=Janaxpachasuyu (The Empire of the Celestial Skies)(Murtox)=
:Great Power
:Inca Empire on Steroids
===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Only the Atom will safeguard the Huacas of our ancestors
*Plurinational State x2
:Our history as rulers is long and rich, as such, we have a couple of extra inheritances from olden times. Kashamarkasuyu and Chachapoyas remain powerful vassal kingdoms within our lands.
*Special Relationship x2
:Small kingdoms are also within our grasp, I mean authority. Tumpis, Ariqipa, Luritu and Wanuku are just in our historical sphere of influence.
*New Imperial Century
:The war was fought and hard but it never reached our industrial heartland.
*My Manual Is Full of Eels
*Big Empty
*Black Mark
*Operation Paperclip
*Energy Cartel
*Boondogle

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-23T00:17:24Z

Jacklyn: /* The Akira Technocracy */

=Second Temple Kingdom of Outremer=
:Great Power
:The Last Remnant of the Pact of Steel.
==Power Traits==
:Big Empty
:Hostile Climate: The Great Zeon Desert
:War of the Worlds

==Optional Traits==
:Great Patriotic War
:Rogue State
:Atomic Futurism
:Operation Paperclip

=[[United States of Aurelia]]=
(Zeronet)
:Regional Power
==Power Traits==
:Operation Paperclip

==Optional Traits==
:+Special Relationship
:+New Imperial Century
:+Free Haven
:-Brain Drain

==Summary==
:3000 Wealth Production
:2000 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:5 Years in Wealth Production
:1 Tech Strike
:10 Cities, including a Capital
:3 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:Fresh Water
:Arable Land
:Uranium

==NP Spend==
25NP Uranium

=The Akira Technocracy=
:Great Power
:Homeland: a Rather large island far off the coast of a nearby continent, it has lush and plentiful food and water on its northern side, where most of the inhabitants live, but there is also a long stretch of southern wasteland, too infertile and hot for any real-life to thrive, which is often used for government black sites and as a rocket testing area.
:Government: Technocracy
:Ideological Landscape: 100% Technocrats(One Party, One People)
==Summary==
* 12750 WP
* 8250 IP
* 5 Year Military Spending
* 6 Starting Tech Strikes.
* 15 Cities (1 Capital)
* 9 Factories (1 Naval HQ)
* 7 Natural Resources(H.Metals, L.Metals, Uranium, Oil, Fresh Water, Airiable Land, Coal)
*300 Fission Bombs

==Power Traits==
:-One Party, One People
:-Big Empty
:-Black Mark
==Optional Traits==
:+Atomic Futurism
:+Ancient Astronomy
:+[Space] Mafia
:+Manhattan Project
:+Island State
:-Where Have All The Men Gone
:-My Manual Is Full Of Eels
:-Rogue State

==NP Spending==
:5*Extra Tech Strike [25 NP]
:25 NP worth of extra WP
:25 NP worth of extra IP
:Natural Resource [25 NP]

=Serene Empire of Mizuho=
:Minor Power
:A southern latitudes archipelago state.

===Traits===
*Island State
::So many islands.
*Fish Monopoly
:So many fish.
*Uranium Monopoly
:There's pitchblend in them thar hills.
*The Woman's War
::Mizuho's religion has always been the domain of priestesses and this has led to a culture far more egalitarian than most.
*Warrior Culture
::Train harder!
*Worthless Yellow Rocks
::It is said that the Rabbit in the Moon came from Mizuho.

*Hostile Climate
::While Mizuho's climate itself is quite amenable, the nation's myriad of islands tend to be extremely rugged and flat land suitable for large-scale construction is rather limited and often already built-upon.
*Pieds Noir
::The Collegium has long exerted influence over Mizuho. The reactionary old men in cahoots with them are still kicking.
*Operation Paperclip
::Fleeing Gilder Fortgeschrittenreich scientists built Mizuho a nuclear device in 1945.
*Black Mark
::This nuclear weapon was to be used against the Collegium's Hyundai Island and the massed fleet there. Unfortunately the bomber carrying it was shot down and the weapon exploded over the city of Pyonjeon, killing roughly 80,000 civilians. Oops.

===Stats===
*1 Resource (Fish)
*2000 Wealth Production
*1000 Industrial Production
*3 Years in Military Spending Spree
*1 Tech Strike
*4 Cities, including a Capital
*4 Factories, including a Naval HQ
====Point Spread====
*1,000 Wealth Production (20)
*100 Industry Production (5)
*5 x Tech Strikes (25)
*1 x Natural Resource [Fish] (10)
*2 x Natural Resource [Oil] (20)
*2 x Natural Resource [Uranium] (20)

===Gazeteer===
We have islands! And fish!

=The Sublime Yuhwan College of Nations including the Pious Common Kingship of the Hoopoe Forest and the Sanctified Tsintsar Crown of Yuhwasattva Vãduva=
a.k.a. The Collegium, the Rzeczpospolita, or simply Gyerim-Covasna
:Middle Power
:Joseon dynasty Austria-Hungary

===Traits===
*Great Patriotic War
::Somehow, the Collegium lives still. What greater proof of miracles can there be?
*Boondoggle
::What do you mean the Great War is over...?
*Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
::The Rzeczpospolita is obliged to protect many small fellow travelers in the light across the world.
*Plurinational State x2
::The Kingdoms of Gyerim and Covasna operate with considerable autonomy from the rest of the Collegium.
*Where Have All the Men Gone?
::"My grandfathers joke that if you took all the pieces of their bodies they lost in the Great War and put them together, you'd have a whole eunuch."
::"Why a eunuch...?"
::"Well I'm here, aren't I?"
*The Woman's War
::The realities of the Great War pushed at the open door of the highly egalitarian, even outright Matriarchal, culture of many nations in the Rzeczpospolita.
*Free Haven
::The women of the Collegium want fine men!
*Brain Drain
::Bright young women want to see what's going on in the rest of the world.
*Woke Space Jesuits (Worthless Yellow Rocks)
::If there are Gods and other nations unknown in the stars then the Yuhwa's Gospel must go to them, until ''all'' the heavens roll in compassion alike.
*Cutthroat Politics
::"Well it's complicated. Have you heard of the Norons and Sorons? It's a long story, but first, we must discuss parallel universes-"
*Republican Tradition
::"-Actually that's quite fine, that's all I needed to know really."
*Nuclear Trauma
::The Pyeonjeon Sarcophagus
*The Sick Old Man
::Lots of chronically underdeveloped villages. Good tourism value though!

=Federal Union of North Zealand=
:Great Power
:1950's Atompunk America/Canada/Australia

===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Zealand scientists cracked the secrets of the atom, to tremendous effects.
*New Imperial Century
:Zealand and the Union proper remained remarkably untouched by the war, its factories churned out vehicles, weapons, and supplies for combatants the world over.
*Free Haven
:The Federation welcomes the tired, huddled masses of the world to build its greatness.
*Atomic Futurism
:Powered by the atom and the indomitable intellect of its scientists Zealandia future is bright!

*Operation Paperclip
:OSI has secured scientists from many questionable and unethical sources for the future of the Federation.
*Cutthroat Politics
:Zealands politics is a mess of Federal and State level campaigns and coalitions that have a frightening tendency to collapse at the drop of a hat.
*Boondoggle
:The Federation seeks continued control over Zealand, through soft and hard means.
*Black Mark
: The short lived "Atoms for Freedom" program backfired horribely in the nuclear pyre of Pyonjeon.
*War of the Worlds
:Where else would the sword of Damocles fall but upon a Jewel of the world?

===Stats===
:13500 Wealth Production
:7800 Industrial Production
:5 Years in Military Spending Spree
:6 Tech Strike
:18 Cities, including a Capital
:18 Factories, including a Naval HQ
:L. Metals, H. Metals, Oil, Coal, Fresh Water, Arable Land, Uranium

100 Nation Points, which can be traded for:

:1 for 50 Wealth Production [-30]
:1 for 30 Industrial Production [-20]
:5 Extra Tech Strikes [-25]
:25 for Extra Resource [-25]

=Janaxpachasuyu (The Empire of the Celestial Skies)(Murtox)=
:Great Power
:Inca Empire on Steroids
===Traits===
*Manhattan Project
:Only the Atom will safeguard the Huacas of our ancestors
*Plurinational State x2
:Our history as rulers is long and rich, as such, we have a couple of extra inheritances from olden times. Kashamarkasuyu and Chachapoyas remain powerful vassal kingdoms within our lands.
*Special Relationship x2
:Small kingdoms are also within our grasp, I mean authority. Tumpis, Ariqipa, Luritu and Wanuku are just in our historical sphere of influence.
*New Imperial Century
:The war was fought and hard but it never reached our industrial heartland.
*My Manual Is Full of Eels
*Big Empty
*Black Mark
*Operation Paperclip
*Energy Cartel
*Boondogle

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-22T04:15:39Z

Jacklyn: /* Optional Traits */

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-22T01:44:51Z

Jacklyn: /* Summary */

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-22T01:44:21Z

Jacklyn: /* The Akira Technocracy */

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-22T00:53:23Z

Jacklyn: /* Summary */

Xianxia: The Forgotten Path

2021-07-21T23:14:42Z

Jacklyn: Added a couple Traits, and added to the reference section

By the advent of the 16th century, cannons had become commonplace in China, and European handheld guns had started to hit the Chinese market. As a result, martial artists and cultivators, once the pinnacle of strength within Chinese society, had begun to fall out of favour. Guns were able to fell a cultivator in a single shot, so why become one? This, along with the dwindling Qi upon the world’s surface, has led to a severe decline in the number of cultivators; old dreams of immortals and ascension are long forgotten. However, all is not lost as a new wave of Celestial Qi has swept across the world, a gift from the upper realms, and Cultivation is once more starting to take root as Spiritual Herbs and Heavenly Beasts once long thought extinct are blooming upon the world once again.

The date is 1656, and the Qing Dynasty has just started establishing itself after a massive resurgence in the powers of heaven, allowing cultivators to reach heights not seen since ancient times. They once again raid old tombs and lofty peaks in search of treasures and techniques of their ancestors.
= Reference =

== Basic Resources ==
Describes the basic resources for the game, there will be more magical items, but they will be exceptional cases rather than standard resources.

Money: Whatever the form, mortal money is an essential resource to any sect, whether it be in the form of Copper Coins or Silver Taels; Money can be traded for most mundane Items and services a sect might need, and in sufficient amounts might even be able to be exchanged for some more magical items if the owner is willing to part with it for simply money. When money is too mundane to buy an item, many cultivators use spirit stones as a currency or swap with other treasures.

Disciples: Disciples are your sects manpower; these disciples are in various realms of lower cultivation, averaging around what level your sect is. Used for any applications that need available manpower, rather than exceptional personal skill, and are your pool for growing heroes.

Prestige: As important as any other currency, keeping face is very important for any cultivator. While it doesn’t have any physical value and cannot be traded, high prestige and low prestige both have unique challenges and benefits. Can go into the negatives.

== Heavenly Materials ==
List of all the basic heavenly resources and what they’re generally used for, usually these resources can only be found or traded for spirit stones. Not exhaustive of the upper-level resources, but those are rare treasures in their own right.
Celestial Bronze(Weapon Refining), Meteoric Iron(Armor Refining), Spirit Stones(Recovery), Spirit Herbs(Pill Refining), Beast Cores(Hero Refining), Heavenly Jade(Talisman Refining).

== Sect Buidlings ==
The basic sect building that your sect is built around has many basic training facilities to allow cultivators to cultivate within its grounds, but there are many more buildings and improvements you can add to this basic structure. This is a list of some basic examples that have defined uses, but you can create custom ones, so long as you give a proper description of its workings in your post.
:Weapon Refinery: Required to create Weapon Relics
:Armour Refinery: Required to create Armor Relics
:Pill Refinery: Can be used to create all sorts of cultivation pills and poisons, and refine rare herbs, giving them more potent effects.
:Talisman Refinery: Required to create Talisman Relics
:Library: allows heroes to store and share techniques, allowing you to duplicate a technique to another hero for a cost.
:Closed Cultivation Room: Allows one Hero to upgrade for half the cost each turn.

= Sect Rules =
As the first cultivators in the rebirth of Qi, you are one of the first to establish yourself as a sect in this new era. Some ancient Sects may be on the same playing field as you, but most Sects within this era do not have a storied history, as they have mostly died out in the waning years of martial arts before the rebirth.

Each Sect has the following to start:
* 1 Hero(Sect Leader)
* Basic Sect Facilities
* 2 Positive Traits(take 1 Negative Trait to gain a Third)
* 500 Money
* 50 Disciples
* 10 Spirit Stones
* 5 Prestige

=== Traits ===
Traits are the various upgrades that you apply to your sect, you may only have up to 2(3 if you take a negative trait). Most traits are taken on game start, but some can be gained after. You may only have 1 Trait tagged Sect type, and if you would ever gain another, you lose your old one. There are some traits that do not appear on this list, because they can only be obtained in-game, through secret methods.
==== Positive Traits ====
*Ancient Sect(Sect Type): Start the game with a Mid-Grade relic; you can choose the type, it can be either a Weapon, Armor, Talisman, or Furniture relic, but the GM decides the exact effect. If your sect type ever changes, lose this relic.

*Hidden Sect(Sect Type): Your sect was founded in secrecy and remains in secrecy, not many Disciples find their way into your ranks, but those that do are extremely talented. You gain half the normal Disciples from any event(including the starting amount) but are twice as likely to generate a Hero each turn.

*Demonic Sect(Sect type): Demonic Sects have a much harder time engaging in diplomacy, and are more likely to have NPCs attack them if they are nearby. Demonic sects treat negative prestige differently, rather than being disregarded or looked down upon, as Demonic Sects build negative prestige, they become more infamous, gaining additional bonuses above what a sect of equivalent positive Prestige would have.

*Herb Gardens: Your sect has vast fields of herbs for use by their disciples, and even has managed to succeed in cultivating some rare spirit herbs, providing the elders with a consistent supply. Each turn you get 1 Spirit Herb, in addition, your Heros recover from injuries twice as fast thanks to the abundance of herbs.

*Mines: Your sect was founded on a mine containing Heavenly Materials, Choose Celestial Bronze, Meteoric Iron, Spirit Stones or Heavenly Jade, you gain 1 of that selected material type per turn(3 if you selected Spirit Stones).

*Great Works: Your Disciples upon the founding of your sect created a great building to commemorate the occasion, the building becoming a core part of your sect in the process. Choose one of the Following: Weapon Refinery, Armour Refinery, Pill Refinery, Talisman Refinery, Closed Cultivation Room, or Library. You gain the appropriate building for no additional cost and may repair it for no cost if it ever gets damaged or destroyed.
==== Negative Traits ====
*Cursed Sect(Sect Type): a curse has befallen your sect, and you cannot seem to prosper until it is lifted. You cannot change Sect types (Even if a new one would normally override this) until you remove the source of the curse. Reduce all prestige gained by half.

*Lone Wanderer: While you have founded a sect, and built the necessary buildings on your own, you are still, as always, very alone. You gain half the normal Disciples from any event, and you start with no Disciples.
= Character Rules =
WIP

Xianxia: The Forgotten Path

2021-07-21T06:40:23Z

Jacklyn: Basic Post, wanted to have it more done for the initial, but i need to go pass out

By the advent of the 16th century, cannons had become commonplace in China, and European handheld guns had started to hit the Chinese market. As a result, martial artists and cultivators, once the pinnacle of strength within Chinese society, had begun to fall out of favour. Guns were able to fell a cultivator in a single shot, so why become one? This, along with the dwindling Qi upon the world’s surface, has led to a severe decline in the number of cultivators; old dreams of immortals and ascension are long forgotten. However, all is not lost as a new wave of Celestial Qi has swept across the world, a gift from the upper realms, and Cultivation is once more starting to take root as Spiritual Herbs and Heavenly Beasts once long thought extinct are blooming upon the world once again.

The date is 1656, and the Qing Dynasty has just started establishing itself after a massive resurgence in the powers of heaven, allowing cultivators to reach heights not seen since ancient times. They once again raid old tombs and lofty peaks in search of treasures and techniques of their ancestors.
= Reference =

== Basic Resources ==
Describes the basic resources for the game, there will be more magical items, but they will be exceptional cases rather than standard resources.

Money: Whatever the form, mortal money is an essential resource to any sect, whether it be in the form of Copper Coins or Silver Taels; Money can be traded for most mundane Items and services a sect might need, and in sufficient amounts might even be able to be exchanged for some more magical items if the owner is willing to part with it for simply money. When money is too mundane to buy an item, many cultivators use spirit stones as a currency or swap with other treasures.

Disciples: Disciples are your sects manpower; these disciples are in various realms of lower cultivation, averaging around what level your sect is. Used for any applications that need available manpower, rather than exceptional personal skill, and are your pool for growing heroes.

Prestige: As important as any other currency, keeping face is very important for any cultivator. While it doesn’t have any physical value and cannot be traded, high prestige and low prestige both have unique challenges and benefits. Can go into the negatives.

== Heavenly Materials ==
List of all the basic heavenly resources and what they’re generally used for, usually these resources can only be found or traded for spirit stones. Not exhaustive of the upper-level resources, but those are rare treasures in their own right.
Celestial Bronze(Weapon Refining), Meteoric Iron(Armor Refining), Spirit Stones(Recovery), Spirit Herbs(Pill Refining), Beast Cores(Hero Refining), Heavenly Jade(Talisman Refining).

= Sect Rules =
As the first cultivators in the rebirth of Qi, you are one of the first to establish yourself as a sect in this new era. Some ancient Sects may be on the same playing field as you, but most Sects within this era do not have a storied history, as they have mostly died out in the waning years of martial arts before the rebirth.

Each Sect has the following to start:
* 1 Hero(Sect Leader)
* 2 Positive Traits(take 1 Negative Trait to gain a Third)
* 500 Money
* 50 Disciples
* 10 Spirit Stones
* 5 Prestige

=== Traits ===
Traits are the various upgrades that you apply to your sect, you may only have up to 2(3 if you take a negative trait). Most traits are taken on game start, but some can be gained after. You may only have 1 Trait tagged Sect type, and if you would ever gain another, you lose your old one.
==== Positive Traits ====
*Ancient Sect(Sect Type): Start the game with a Mid-Grade relic; you can choose the type, it can be either a Weapon, Armor, Talisman, or Furniture relic, but the GM decides the exact effect. If your sect type ever changes, lose this relic.

*Hidden Sect(Sect Type): Your sect was founded in secrecy and remains in secrecy, not many Disciples find their way into your ranks, but those that do are extremely talented. You gain half the normal Disciples from any event(including the starting amount) but are twice as likely to generate a Hero each turn.

*Demonic Sect(Sect type): Demonic Sects have a much harder time engaging in diplomacy, and are more likely to have NPCs attack them if they are nearby. Demonic sects treat negative prestige differently, rather than being disregarded or looked down upon, as Demonic Sects build negative prestige, they become more infamous, gaining additional bonuses above what a sect of equivalent positive Prestige would have.

*Herb Gardens: Your sect has vast fields of herbs for use by their disciples, and even has managed to succeed in cultivating some rare spirit herbs, providing the elders with a consistent supply. Each turn you get 1 Spirit Herb, in addition, your Heros recover from injuries twice as fast thanks to the abundance of herbs.

*Mines: Your sect was founded on a mine containing Heavenly Materials, Choose Celestial Bronze, Meteoric Iron, Spirit Stones or Heavenly Jade, you gain 1 of that selected material type per turn(3 if you selected Spirit Stones).

==== Negative Traits ====
WIP
= Character Rules =
WIP

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-21T05:49:59Z

Jacklyn:

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-21T05:49:39Z

Jacklyn:

Talk:Atom Age Awakening: A Cold War SD

2021-07-21T05:48:58Z

Jacklyn: