Re: Strategic Thrust using BR25 (LONG)

Donald Hosford wrote:
>
> Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:
> >	    In the game Dark Stars, they have a solar system display
with a
> >	    logarithmic scale.	The hexes in one "ring" of hexagons are
> >	    assumed to represent a larger area than the hexes of inner
rings.
> >	    That is, if the hexes in ring 5 are one billion miles per
hex,
> >	    the next ring had hexes something like 1.5 billion miles per
hex.
> Ah, an abstraction...How big was the map?

The interplanetary display is 9 "rings" deep. That is, hex zero has
the primary star, ring #1 is that hex's six adjacent hexes,
ring#2 is the 12 hexes adjacent to ring#1, and so on.
The rings are called "orbitals".
A hex in an orbital represents a larger volumn than a hex in
an inner orbital (logrithmic scale)

1 turn is about 2.5 months.

The solar system is generated randomly, rolling 1d6 for each orbital.

	     orbital
    1	2   3	4   5	6   7	8  9
-------------------------------------
1  t1  t1  t1  t2  t2  g1  g2  g2  g1
2  t1  t1  t2  t2  g1  g2  g2  g2  g2
3  t1  t2  t2  t3  g2  g3  g3  g3  g3
4  t2  t2  t3  t4  g3  g4  g4  g3  g4
5      t3  t3  t5      g4  g5  g4
6	   t4	       g5

t = terrestrial planet, g = gas giant, which come in various sizes.
They are placed at random spots in their orbitals.
Each turn, all planets move one hex clockwise in the planet movement
phase.

In the movement phase, each ship plots it's move, and whether it is
using it's interstellar or it's interplanetary propulsion this turn.
Ships have 3 choices for the type of movement: Up Well, Orbit, or
Down Well.

UP WELL: during movement, orbital the ship is in cannot decrease at
any time during the move, and at the end of movement the ship must
be at least one orbital higher (i.e., further from the center)

ORBIT: All movement must be in the same orbital it started in.
and all movement must be in the same direction (clockwise or counter
clockwise). In addition, if moving ORBIT type over consecutive turns,
they must be in the same direction.

DOWN WELL:  during movement, orbital the ship is in cannot increase at
any time during the move, and at the end of movement the ship must
be at least one orbital lower (i.e., closer to the center)

Ships have 3 choices for speed: increase, decrease, or the same.
They choose HEAVY ACCELERATION (HA), LIGHT ACCELERATION (LA),
HEAVY DECELERATION (HD), LIGHT DECELERATION (LD), or NO CHANGE (NC).
The affect on the ship's speed depends on the starting orbital,
and can be found on the movement table below.
The number from the table is added algebraically to the ship's
speed from the last turn.  This new speed is how many hexes the ship
*must* move in this turn. It must move all the hexes.

To use the tables, first find the table for which move type
the ship is using: Up Well, Orbit, or Down Well.
Next, find the ship's speed type: HA, LA, HD, LD, or NC.
Move across to cross reference with the ship's staring
orbital.  The result is the number added to the ship's
speed from last turn.

UP WELL
    Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +4	 +3   +2
LA  +1	 +1   +1
HD  -5	 -4   -4
LD  -2	 -2   -2
NC  -1	 -1   -1

ORBIT
    Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +4	 +3   +2
LA  +1	 +1   +1
HD  -4	 -3   -2
LD  -1	 -1   -1
NC   0	  0    0

DOWN WELL
    Start Orbital
    1-3  4-7  8-9
HA  +5	 +4   +3
LA  +2	 +2   +2
HD  -4	 -3   -2
LD  -1	 -1   -1
NC  +1	 +1   +1

The Riin use a gravity polarizer for interplanetary propulsion,
and a photon plasma matter/antimatter drive for interstellar.
The gravity polarizer can plot HA, HD, LA, LD, or NC, but
can only move Orbitally or Down Well.
The photon drive may plot HA, HD, or NC but can only
move Up Well.  You can switch from one to the other at
will from turn to turn.

The Gzrel use a line sheet light sail for interplanetary and
a bussard ramjet for interstellar.
The light sail can plot LA, LD or NC but can only move Orbitally
or Up Well.  The ramjet can plot LD or NC but can only move
Orbitally or Down Well.  The ship (like all ships) initially enter
the solar system under interstellar drive. The turn after it plots
a NC for the interstellar drive, the ship automatically switches to
the light sail. But once the Gzrel
switches to light sail, it cannot switch back to the ramscoop.
It has to leave the system, then it switches to ramscoop
and goes to another star.

The Tassar use a fusion pulse system (like Daedalus) for
interplanetary, and a ram augmented rocket for interstellar.
The pulse can plot HD, HA, or NC and can move all three ways.
Unlike the Riin and Gzrel, the pulse drive consumes fuel.
The ram rocket can plot HD or NC, and can only move
Orbitally or Down Well. It too switches to interplanetary drive
upon plotting a NC. Like the Gzrel, once the ship switches
to it's interplanetary drive, it cannot switch back.

The Terrans use an x-ray laser for interplanetary.  Their
wormhole jump cannot be used in the system.  Wormholes occur
in the Oort cloud outside a system.  A ship enters a black hole
and emerges from a white hole.	Since white holes only occur
in the cores of stars, ships must be capable of enturing 
stellar core conditions.  A refrigerater x-ray laser moves
heat, and provides propulsion.	(see David Brin's SUNDIVER)
The x-ray laser may plot HA, HD, LA, LD, or NC, and
any movement mode.  The drive consumes fuel (actually
heat from the core).

For the Tassar and Terran: explorer ships have 100 fuel cells,
light warships have 60 cells, heavy warships have 300 cells, 
and colony ships have 150 cells.
HA and HD consumes 8 cells.  LA or LD consumes 2 cells.
NC consumes 1.

Gravity Assist: If a craft is moved so that it is adjacent to
a planet or star for two or more consecutive hexes of the
craft's movement, it may accelerate faster than normally
allowed by the movement table.	If it is moved so that it
is adjacent for only one hex of movement, it may deacelerate
more than the table allows.  Planets of size t1-t4 allow
a change of 1 hex.  Planet types t5, g1, and g2 allow 2 hexes.
Planet types g3-g5 and stars allow change of 3 hexes.

Example: a craft is in the 4th orbital and is moving Up Well at
HA.  It would normally add +3 to its movement.	But if it
was going to move adjacent to a g1 planet for one hex it could
if the player desires, only increase the speed by +1 hex. Or
if moving adjacent for 2 hexes it could increase the speed
by 5 hexes.