Chapter Nine: The StarShip Civilizations
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Chapter Sections:
The Forty-Eight StarShip Civilizations
The troop types listed in the last two chapters are a lot of fun and give
rise to a whole lot of varied possibilities, but after awhile you're going
to get tired of vanilla battles of one identical team of SpaceMan against
another. You're going to wish each side had more identity, more 'personality.'
And why not? With forty-eight StarShip Civilizations out there roaming
the galaxy, they have to have developed some variety over two thousand
years of war. There's plenty of room for you to make up your own
Civilization, with its own specialties, limitations, quirks, and 'personality.'
These should reflect the makeup of your PBB collection. For instance,
if you have a lot of blue motorcycles, then you might make your Blue Civilization
specialize in motorized cavalrymen. I have included nine example
Civilizations in this Chapter to show you the kinds of things you might
come up with; they reflect the pieces I have in my personal PBB collection
and the personalities of my usual opponents. These examples should
work well with most big PBB collections, but you might have to make your
own modifications to fine-tune them to your particular sets.
You will see that each of my Civilizations is associated with a certain
color, making their units, vehicles, and buildings easy to tell apart on
the battlefield. Each one is designed to take advantage of the minifigs
and special pieces that have been made in that general color over the course
of the last twenty years or so. Under each Civilization's section,
you'll find:
- a basic description of the the Civilization, including its power, politics, and philosophy
- a listing of its special units, weapons, vehicles, and abilities
- the types of battles they're likely to get in and their fighting style when they get there
I think you'll find that fighting as one of these Civilizations, with their
sense of identity and purpose, will be a lot more satisfying than
when you were just commanding anonymous divisions of SpaceMen.
Return to the top of the page.
Johar, the Yellow Raiders
The
Johar StarShip Civilization had the unfortunate luck to begin its colonizing
campaign in a resource-poor section of the galaxy. The dim suns in
this sector shone on barren rockball planets, lacking in the minerals and
metals the Joharites needed to maintain a serious war effort. What
they did eventually find, however, was a pocket of super-rich organic planets,
covered by impenetrable jungles, dense swamplands, and limitless steppes
teeming with vast herds of grazing animals. With this nearly inexhaustible
supply of biomass, the Joharites began cannibalizing their StarShip to
get the metal and equipment they needed to set up some serious bio-engineering
research facilites. While their weapons technology atrophied, they
perfected new techniques of cloning and genetik engineering. Painted
on the sides of Johari Bases and vehicles is the symbol of Four-Eyed Jack,
an early Johari Genetik who made heroic advances in bioengineering, despite
the fact that he had no one to experiment on except himself. To the
victims of a Johari raid, the sight of this smiley-face bearing down on
them at mach speed takes their natural fear of the SpaceMen's smiley-faces
and raises it by an order of magnitude.
Now, two thousand years into the Galactic War, the cannibalization
of the Johar StarShip has reduced it to about fifty mini-StarShips, which
move from hiding place to hiding place while their huge legions of cloned
SpaceMen sweep the galaxy in search of the metals and equipment they need
to rebuild their Civilization. Their primary concern is with obtaining
industrial metals and supplies. To accomplish this, they engage in
hit-and-run raids on enemy factories and industrial bases, trying to take
what they need and escape before an armed defense can be raised.
In rare cases, they try to take over isolated or abandoned factories for
their own use. However, they never stick around in one area for long,
because they don't have the firepower to hold off a concentrated assault.
They attack in great numbers on small, fast vehicles to quickly secure
an area so that a dropship can arrive to steal and transport away raw material
and finished products. If they have the chance, it is not uncommon
for them to bring timed explosives to destroy the buildings after they
have emptied them.
Johari Vehicles
Because of their shortage of industrial resources, the Joharites may
only have one weapon of Mk3 or above, or one chassis of Medium or above
(not counting DropShips), for every 200 points they are allowed to spend
on a battle. On an attack, all Joharites must be transported into
battle in vehicles. Almost every individual Johari SpaceTrooper will
have either a JetBoard or a RaidCycle.
JetBoards are One-Piece Hover Flyers with no weapons, genetikally engineered
from a manta-ray-like creature. Johari SpaceMen ride around on them
like flying skateboards. They cost five points. They are represented
by the 2x2 plank with pair of little 'wings' in the image to the left.
If a JetBoard is damaged, it is considered killed and destroyed.
It cannot be repaired by Mechanix or Medix.
RaidCycles are often transported into battle by Medium or Large Flyers,
which carry them around as if they were Mk2 Bombs. They are normal
One-Piece motorcycles with one or two hand weapons mounted on the sides.
Most Johari raids involve at least one DropShip, which is a Hover Flyer
built to transport stolen loot. Due to its extremely light construction,
a DropShip is cheaper to build but has weaker stats. A DropShip's
base cost is one half the base cost of a Normal Flyer of comparable size.
Its Movement Rate is only 4" per turn, and it takes a full turn for it
to get from orbit to the battlefield once it is summoned, and another full
turn to get back into orbit once it decides that it's time to go.
Its Armor Value is only 2d6+2. Most of the space on a DropShip is
devoted to cargo space for stolen loot (maximum 5 Blox of weight times
the Class of the vehicle); it gets one free crane or robot arm capable
of lifting 5 Blox of weight (this means that if you want to steal larger
objects, you're either going to have to get a couple of cranes working
together, or some SpaceMen to help lift, or you're going to have to chop
up the object somehow). Up to four hand weapons may be mounted on
the ship.
Johari Troops
The Joharites depend heavily on overpowering numbers, which are readily
available to them with their advanced cloning techniques. For all
regular troops from the Regular Combatants list (any troop type without
a ratio requirement), you get a 'two for one' deal: for every one you buy,
you get his clone for free.
The Johari Genetix Corps have also come up with an overadrenalized
and cryogenikally enhanced SpaceMan design, specialized for rapid assault
missions, called the SpaceManiak.
The SpaceManiak |
|
Move: |
20" |
Armor: |
2d6+3 |
Skill: |
1d6+2 |
Ratio: |
10 |
Cost: |
12 pts. |
SpaceManiax are hyperactive balls of energy, hopeless addicts of sugar,
caffeine, and adrenaline. Their inability to sleep or even sit still
for more than half a second leads them to run around at full tilt for hours
after the battle has ended, constantly scanning for snack pastries and
six-packs of SpaceCola.
SpaceManiax are much faster than normal SpaceMen. They often
pace speeding vehicles and jump onto them (they jump twice as far as normal
SpaceMen). They can run up and over a one-story wall. They
always get two attack phases. They must move at least 10" every turn,
or their hyperactivity peaks and their head bursts in a 1d10 explosion.
Running in tight circles (turning more than 720 degrees in a single turn)
makes them dizzy; their Skill decreases by four every turn that they do
this, and recovers by two points every turn after they've stopped spinning.
SpaceManiax almost never stop talking.
A SpaceManiak is represented by a grey, blue, and yellow minifig with
a yellow helmet and silver sunglasses.
Johari Combat
Most Johari battles are hit-and-run raids on enemy factories and warehouses,
although large cargo convoys are sometimes also targeted. Their primary
objective is to steal high-quality weapon and vehicle components, or raw
unprocessed industrial-grade material (represented by normal Blox).
Their secondary objective is to raze enemy complexes to the ground following
a raid. The defenders must spend at least 10% of their points on
a factory or warehouse with class III walls, filled with valuable loot.
Maybe some of the loot is being loaded onto trucks for transport, or a
supply convoy is coming in. The factory is as large or small as seems
appropriate for the size of the armies.
Bases and defenses may be added outside this factory at normal cost.
Defending troops and vehicles can be placed at normal cost as well.
A wave of defensive support troops arrives six turns after the defenders
first notice the Johari assault - these troops cost half price. More
reinforcements come twelve turns later. The cost of these troops
is reduced to one quarter, but the Joharites are fast enough that the battle
is usually over by the twelfth turn.
The Joharites must capture as much as they can before defensive reinforcements
arrive. DropShips are slow and have weak armor, so Joharites should
eliminate most of the enemy's defensive capability before summoning a DropShip.
The Joharite troops can also grab bits of loot and fly off with them themselves.
In smaller battles, the Joharites try to finish their business before
the first defensive reinforcements arrive. In larger battles, they
try to commandeer as much of the enemy defenses as they can - bases, vehicles,
and weapons - to lay down cover fire for the DropShip when the reinforcements
arrive. They will attack the gunners manning the turrets and the
pilots driving the vehicles rather than the turrets and vehicles themselves,
if they can.
Return to the top of the page.
Setvia, the Red Robot Socialist Republik
The
first significantly large Setvian colony was on the mineral-rich but hostile
volcanic world Vesuvius. The Civilization dedicated most of its resources
to mining, and over the years developed mighty robots and magnetic tools.
Their enormous supply of natural resources allowed them to expand quickly
over the many similar worlds in their region of the galaxy, quickly making
them one of the most powerful Civilizations in the galaxy, on par with
the Meikon Civilization. The two symbols of the Setvian Republik
are the Twin Volcanoes and the Fires of Vesuvius.
In battle, the Setvians use large robots as weapons platforms and central
command stations. Their strategy is to use their giant robots, defended
by groups of smaller robots and vehicles, to destroy enemy bases and large
vehicles as quickly as possible and then secure a command area from which
to conduct mop-up operations on the smaller enemy units.
Setvian Robots
Although they also use normal vehicles, Setvians prefer to go into
battle backed up by enormous Robots. A Robot's base cost is the same
as that of a Ground Vehicle of similar size, multiplied by how many levels
tall they are. Their number of weapon mounts is also multiplied.
For instance, a three-story tall Large Robot would have 3 x 10" or 30"
of weapon mounts. Thirdly, the number of levels multiplies how many
inches they have to move before they can turn 45 degrees, since these robots
get to be pretty top-heavy! When the Robot is damaged by weapons
fire, each level takes damage seperately. Robots should always have
enough extra stuff loaded on them to cut their Movement Rate in half.
All Robots get one free ComputerBank, that serves as the artificially
intelligent SpacePilot (with a Skill of 1d8) for the robot. Any damage
to the Robot that would normally kill the SpacePilot now fry a ComputerBank
instead. ComputerBanx in Robots work a lot like ComputerBanx in Bases,
and are subject to the same kinds of security problems, so don't let your
enemies get control of all of your Robots' ComputerBanx or they'll control
the Robot! Like a SpacePilot, a single ComputerBank can only aim
the Robot's weapons at one target per Attack Phase. Additional ComputerBanx,
costing five points each, can each fire weapons at one additional target,
and make one more ComputerBank your enemies will have to gain access to
before they can take control of your Robot. Finally, if you spend
one point to put a ComputerConsole on a weapon, then it will be able to
target by itself. ComputerConsoles can't act without the approval
of the ComputerBanx, so if an enemy tries to take control of a ComputerConsole,
or the ComputerBanx are shut down or taken over by the enemy, the ComputerConsole
and the weapon it controls shut down until the situation is remedied.
Robots can also have Outstanding Robotic Components, or ORCs, such
as enormous arms, magnetic cranes, car-crushing teeth, or a Mega-Chainsaw.
ORCs always cost at least 10 points, and the total cost should be agreed
upon by both players. You can find some good guidelines for the ORCs
you're most likely to build in the Siege Close
Combat section of Chapter Six: Siege Weapons.
Setvian Troopers
Setvians
tend to use a lot more SpaceDroids than other Civilizations. They
produce them for only 6 points, and there is no ratio limit of troops to
SpaceDroids. WorkDroids cost 3 points and have the same stats as
SpaceMenials, except that like all droids they get confused without humans
nearby to tell them what to do. Setvian SpaceDroids are represented
by black and red robot minifigs with clear helmets. WorkDroids are
built from scratch, with no minifig parts.
The Cybernetik |
|
Move: |
5" |
Armor: |
5 |
Skill: |
1d8 |
Ratio: |
1 per 5robots/droids |
Cost: |
10 pts. |
While
the Setvians have Medix and Mechanix like all the other Civilizations,
their extensive research into Robotix has allowed them to create a new
type of battlefield technician that combines the skills of both: the Cybernetik.
A Cybernetik might repair a damaged steering system by replacing it with
the head of a fallen SpaceDriver, or help a wounded SpaceHero by replacing
his legs with a propellor. They take special pride in finding the
most ridiculous and unlikely combinations possible.
Cybernetix have all the abilities of normal Mechanix, except that when
they are repairing or rebuilding vehicles, they can use minifig parts for
spare parts. In addition to their single tool, they may be assisted
by one or two WorkDroids, who each add 1d6 to all repair rolls. Also,
when rolling to see if they can build a new device from debris, they roll
1d6+1 instead of 1d6.
When acting as Medix, Cybernetix make their roll to save the patient
as usual but must replace the wounded limbs with robotic parts. These
will usually work just like the originals, but if a Cybernetik is strapped
for spare parts he might use something totally inappropriate, like a 2x3
Brik to replace a SpaceMan's legs. Obviously, that SpaceMan is going
to spend the rest of the battle in one place, unless other SpaceMen carry
him around.
Cybernetix can carry computers around with them in Cybernetik-Carts.
Computers only cost one point each; they are so common on Setvia that they
are used as doorstops and birdcage liners. If a Cybernetik needs
to replace a SpaceMan's wounded head, he has to use a computer to do it.
He may also build a computer into a vehicle. The minifig or vehicle
will now have Skill 1d6-1, and need to have humans nearby to tell them
what to do. Enemy minifig corpses can be turned into loyal android
slaves in this manner. As usual, enemies gain control of the computers
if they can gain access to them for a full turn.
Occasionally, a Cybernetik's hard work produces something that is not
really either a minifig or a vehicle. For instance, you might see
a 2x4 Brik with two pairs of legs, a Mk2 Laser and a short column topped
by a human head. This is a Cyborg. Cyborgs move 5" a turn,
have an AV of 1d10, and a Skill of 1d6-1. These pathetic miscreants
are usually scrapped for spare parts when the battle ends.
A Cybernetik is represented by a red-and-white minifig with the symbol
of the Twin Volcanoes on his chest.
Setvian Combat
Setvian combat strategy is centered around a small number of large
'Capital Robots' which are surrounded by defensive clouds of lesser troops,
vehicles, and Robots. These Capital Robots work as mobile command
centers, using their impressive firepower to reduce large targets to rubble
quickly, while their defensive clouds mop up attacking enemy units.
Setvia's enemies envy their valuable mineral-rich planets, and the
Setvians are often called on to defend their volcanic colony worlds.
Streams and pools of molten lava are often arranged in defensive rings around Setvian bases.
Terrain is barren and rough, and there are always plenty of rocks and boulders
around. Setvian bases usually employ some form of Mass Driver to
launch rocks all over the landscape. The ground is considered to
have AV of 3d10; anything striking the ground with enough force to break
the surface will cause a 3d10 fumarole explosion, sending molten lava everywhere.
Molten lava is represented by red Brix that flow downhill at one inch per
turn. Anything that touches molten lava takes 5d6 of Fire Damage,
so watch out!
Return to the top of the page.
Meikon, the Blue Federation
Early
in the Galactic War, three of the wussier StarShip Civilizations were paying
the price for their pansyitude. They kept attempting to use diplomacy and
promote the interests of culture and peace, and as a result they were repeatedly
taken advantage of and stabbed in the back by the other Civilizations.
Rather than learn from their inexcusable mistakes, they all withdrew to
distant corners of the galaxy to nurse their wounds and reflect on the
unfairness of it all. By a long coincidence, they all happened to
retreat to the same area. After some quick negotiation, they decided
that since they were all in the same situation, and since their coats of
arms all happened to be the same shade of blue, they should team up and
form a Federation. They named the Federation after the heroic
martyr Meikon, who died trying to promote diplomacy and rule of law among
the warring Civilizations.
Since that day, the Meikon Civilization gained steadily in power and
influence. Besides the resources of their three founding StarShips,
they are frequently joined by colonies abandoned by or revolting against
one of the other more oppressive Civilizations. The Meikons have
repaired their original StarShips, and even built a fourth, in addition
to numerous colonies and CityShips. In their area of the galaxy,
the Setvians are the only Civilization that can compare with them in terms
of power, resources, and territory.
The Meikons' military expansion is frustrated by their desire to always
behave fairly and in a culturally sophisticated manner. The Meikon
House of Congress rarely authorizes hostile military action, and in any
case the Meikon forces are usually bogged down in police actions, trying
to maintain law and order throughout their section of the galaxy.
In battle they rely heavily on well-established bases and medium- to large-sized
vehicles. Their strategic emphasis is on maintaining defensible positions
and drawing their enemies into the range of their weapon emplacements.
Meikon Technology
Although the Meikon Civilization has no special unique technologies,
it has taken regular technologies to new and fantastic heights. Dozens
of their SpaceShips have grown to the size of large cities, and their weapons
of war are bigger and better as well. Here are some of the additional
vehicles and weapons available to the Meikons:
Item |
Points |
Description |
Plastic Explosive |
5 |
a one-dot white plank that works as a 1d10 Explosive.
You can stick a bunch of these together to do a bunch of d10's of cumulative
damage. Stick it anywhere, and you can set it off by remote control
with a CB Radio. |
Class 5 Enormous Ground Vehicle |
* |
Up to 400 dots in size, it moves at 4" with 20" of Weapon Mounts and 4d10+4 AV. |
Class 5 Enormous Hover Flyer |
* |
Up to 350 dots in size, it moves at 4" with 16" of Weapon Mounts and 3d10+2 AV. |
MkIV Laser |
32 |
Range 20", UR 4, MP -2", Dmg 4d10+4, Size 16 (4 LaserPieces) |
MkV Ballistik |
36 |
Range 36, UR 8, MP -6", Dmg 3d20, Size 30 |
The Meikon "Enormous" class vehicles are sent in as mobile command
centers when a base is unavailable. They usually have the capability
to transport troops and small vehicles as well as wield the burliest Meikon
Siege Weapons. SickBays and Mechanix' Workshops can be added for
15 points and -5" Move, but only give bonuses when the vehicle is not moving.
Like bases, they must have at least one computer bank (the first one is
free).
Meikon Troopers
Meikon generals prefer sending in a few SpaceHeroes and heavily-armed
tanks to sending in a whole slew of normal SpaceMen and battle buggies.
They sometimes choose to ignore troop ratios for special missions.
They always try to capture enemy facilities and vehicles rather than destroy
them. With that in mind, a special division of SpaceMen was developed:
the Blue Berets.
The Commando or Blue Beret |
|
Move: |
7" |
Armor: |
1d4+3 |
Skill: |
1d8+2 |
Ratio: |
5 |
Cost: |
10 pts. |
The final training exercise of the Meikon Blue Berets involves being released
in the hard vacuum of space with nothing but SpaceArmor, a Magnetic Parachute,
and a special golden bowie knife. They are then expected to reach
the nearest planet and survive for two months in its Green Thing-infested
jungles, while making their way to an active volcano. They aren't
told that the volcano is patrolled by homicidal SpaceDroids. They
must get to the top of the volcano and wait up to a week for the automated
rescue ship to arrive. Fatality rates are high, but the SpaceTroopers
who manage to repair the rescue ship after it crashes into the lake of
molten lava and escape the planet are the most resourceful and battle-hardened
veterans of any Civilization.
Commandos are specially trained in base assault, stealth, first aid
and field repair. They carry the Meikon Survival Knife, which is a
small shiny gold knife that contains 5" of rope and a noiseproofed grappling
hook, a first aid kit, a mini-Mechanik-toolset, an electronic scrambler,
a silencer, three days of emergency rations, and a collapsible tent.
The Commando's specialty is infiltration. If he has any cover
whatsoever, he is invisible to his enemies. Ideally, a squad of Commandos
can kill everyone in a base without any of them ever realizing they are
under attack. They gain access to the base by climbing over the walls
with their ropes, or using their electronic scrambler to open the door.
Every turn that a Commando uses his scrambler on a door, roll 1d6.
A 5 or above opens the door, while a 1 activates the base alarm. Additional
Commandos add 1 to this roll, but a die roll of 1 still activates the alarm.
When attempting to do field vehicle repair, treat them like Mechanix
except that instead of rolling 1d6 for every tool and adding 5, roll 1d6-1
for every Commando helping and add 4. When using first aid, treat
Commandos like Medix, except that instead of getting 5 or higher on a 1d10,
they have to get 4 or higher on a 1d6. Additional Commandos add 1
to this roll. A Commando can attempt to give himself first aid on
the first turn after he goes down, but he rolls 1d6-1.
Commandos are normal SpaceMen with blue berets and little gold knives.
They are often given Magnetic Parachutes and dropped into battle by Flyers
or launched by Mass Drivers. They prefer to carry a Gyro Rifle,
which they put a silencer on and use as a sniper weapon.
Meikon Combat
Because the Meikon colonies and CityShips are major centers of interstellar
commerce, it is very easy to smuggle spies, saboteurs, and paramilitary
death squads into them. Most of the battles the Meikons get into
involve defending a military installation in the middle of dense city terrain.
Naturally, lots of Normal People and Normal Buildings get thrashed in the
crossfire.
Usually, the Meikon forces will be taken by surprise when they are
attacked, and won't be at full defensive strength. They do have the
option of calling in reinforcements. If the Meikon player wants to
spend some of his points on reinforcements, they arrive six turns after
an alarm is triggered, and they only cost half their normal point cost.
If he wants a second wave that arrives twelve turns after the first alarm,
they cost one third their normal point cost. Reinforcements can enter
from any edge of the battlefield.
When Meikons attack other civilizations, they try to bring in one Mobile
Command Center, an Enormous-class vehicle to serve as a command post.
Squads of SpaceMen establish a defensive perimeter while the Engineers
and Supply Trucks with prefabricated parts are deployed to create defensive
walls, bunkers, weapon turrets, watch towers, and a Mass Driver.
(Prefabricated Base walls cost one-half as much as the base they are designed
to build. Siege Weapons to mount on the new base cost normal price.)
Once the base is complete, the Meikons use the Mass Driver to launch paratrooper
Commandos behind enemy lines while the SpaceMan squads make a full frontal
attack. Hopefully, the Commandos can capture enough enemy equipment
to render the defending enemy troops ineffective.
Return to the top of the page.
Aennri, the Green Autocracy
The
Aennri Civilization does not figure greatly in most interstellar wars.
Their primary desire is to be left alone. Their StarShip has been
either hidden or destroyed, and they hide their colonies on forest and
jungle worlds, using an advanced stealth technology to hide themselves
from enemy scanners.
The Aennri have an almost supernatural ability to blend in with their
natural surroundings. Their bases are indistinguishable from rocks
and trees. In battle, they use BoobyTraps and hit-and-fade ambushes
to divide enemy forces, cut them off from supplies and reinforcements,
and whittle away at their numbers.
Aennri Encampments
The Aennri do not tend to use large-scale advanced technology, because
large energy signals cannot be hidden by their stealth devices. For
the most part, their Bases are hidden caves tunneled into the sides of
mountains or thick tree trunks, or web-like arrangements of ropes and bridges
in the tops of trees. (Ropes, bridges, and ladders are free; treetop platforms
are bought at normal building costs.) Occasionally they build bases
in the bottoms of lakes. Enemy forces will not discover Aennri Bases
unless they actually see an Aennri troop using one of the secret entrances.
This is difficult: if the Aennrienne is not in an enemy's line of vision,
not within 5", or has any sort of cover, the Aennrienne is effectively invisible.
(The 5" rule does not apply in open terrain, so Aennriennes always place their
bases in forests or jungles.)
Aennri forests are littered with hiding places such as hollow trees
and camoflauged foxholes. A designated Aennri hiding place costs
three points. An Aennrienne hiding in such a spot is absolutely invisible
to enemies. The hiding place is revealed if an enemy directly sees
an Aennrienne entering or exiting it. Enemies can then attack the
hiding spot, which usually has an AV of 1d10.
Aennriennes are too smart to get caught by their own traps, except
on purpose in extreme circumstances (such as setting off the volcano under
their base when hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded). Aennri BoobyTraps
are invisible until they activate. They are considered Exceptional
Landscape Features (or ELFs), so their point costs vary wildly. The
rules for creating custom Siege Close Combat
weapons work well for designing BoobyTraps. For mechanical traps
(like beartraps, covered pits, etc.) add one point to this cost.
For traps that require energy sources (like explosives set off by laser
tripwires), add 3 points for stealth coating. For traps that require
computer control (like a computer-targetted sniper rifle turret hidden
under a rock), add 5 points. Most traps will have 1d10 AV and 1d6
Skill.
Very rarely, an Aennri base will have a large Siege Weapon mounted
nearby. There is no way to hide such a large power source from
enemy scanners, so you can be sure it will be surrounded by lots of BoobyTraps. It is always placed
some distance from the Base, so as not to give away the Base location.
Aennri Troopers
Aennri
troops must take constant advantage of their stealth and cunning to survive
in battle, because of the limits on their armament. All Aennri SpaceTroopers
have -1 AV, which they have to sacrifice for their stealth devices.
They have -1 skill for any post-medieval weapon (like Gyro Rifles and ChainSaws)
but +1 close combat bonus. Consequently, Aennriennes spend most of
their time ducking in and out of hiding spots and ambushes rather than
engaging in head-on fighting.
An Aennrienne's location is revealed if he discharges an energy weapon,
or moves with a rifle or any weapon whose damage rating is measured in
d10's. In some cases this may reveal the location of a base or hiding
place. Aennriennes try to avoid that whenever possible.
Aennri armies are often composed entirely of SpaceMen (who, like all
Aennri SpaceTroopers, wear RobinHood hats) and Normal Medieval People.
SpaceHeroes are rare, and Mechanix and SpaceDroids are unheard of.
SpaceDrivers are unnecessary because Aennri vehicles don't get any larger
than horse-drawn carts and almost never have any Siege Weapons. Their
one special troop type is the SpaceTinker.
The SpaceTinker |
|
Move: |
5" |
Armor: |
4 |
Skill: |
1d6 |
Ratio: |
5 |
Cost: |
7 pts. |
The
Aennri SpaceTinker is part special-effects technician, part sadistic landscaper.
His deathtraps are not only carefully arranged to destroy enemy troop cohesion,
but to create a beautiful aesthetic whole. He might create a fairytale
scene by planting a vibrant bed of wildflowers beside a charming rustic
stone bridge crossing a placid stream. The wildflowers hide a covered
spiked pit, there is a computer-guided impact pistol mounted under the
bridge, next to the bridge foundations which are designed to collapse and
detonate. The stream is lined with razor tripwires which set off
a flash flood and release the SpaceAlligators.
SpaceTinkers must carry around one tool to build and repair their traps.
They come equipped with pockets full of electronic eyes, pressure sensors,
and tripwires. A SpaceTinker can automatically reset a trap that
has gone off and is undamaged, but more complicated tasks require die rolls.
If a SpaceTinker is trying to repair a trap that has been destroyed, he
rolls 1d6. On a 5 or more, he can repair the trap completely, or
salvage all the parts. On a 3 or more, he can salvage half the parts
(his choice). A 1 or 2 means all the parts are broken and useless.
A SpaceTinker can also create new traps in the heat of battle.
This takes a whole turn. An attempt to create a new trap entirely
out of available spare parts succeeds on a 3 or more on 1d6. He can
include parts of the landscape with his traps, like rigging trees to fall
or bridges to collapse. Common sense must be employed to decide whether
or not a SpaceTinker is actually capable of creating a given trap.
For instance, he might want to rig a cliffside to collapse, but he must
have some reasonable method of loosening the solid rock.
A SpaceTinker may attach Stealth Computers (2 points each) to his traps.
The SCs are represented by 1x2 flats with computer consoles printed on
them. A trap with an SC on it can be activated whenever the Aennri
player wants. Otherwise, the SpaceTinker must create a 'trigger'
to set off his trap. This might be a tripwire, pressure plate,
or electronic eye. When an enemy unwittingly activates the trigger,
a roll of 3 or more on a 1d6 means the trap has activated. Some traps
don't require a die roll. For instance, a covered pit always activates
when a SpaceMan steps on it. For most mechanical traps, it will be
pretty easy to see whether the SpaceMan then takes damage. For instance,
if you've built a big log with spikes sticking out that swings down from
above, just swing the log down and see if it hits the minifig.
Finally, SpaceTinkers have all the skills you'd expect of an all-purpose
handyman. Due to the primitive nature of Aennri Bases and vehicles,
SpaceTinkers can work on them as if he were a Technik or a Mechanik (usually
all it requires is a little carpentry). He can't work with the more
modern Bases and vehicles of other Civilizations.
A SpaceTinker is represented by a green minifig with a hood, wearing
a basket on his back to carry Stealth Computers and spare parts.
Aennri Skirmishes
Running raids on Aennri bases is a lot of fun, but it can also be difficult
to play. Both players must be able to agree quickly on point costs
for random traps and vaguely-defined bases, and be willing to fudge on
which Aennri troops are really "visible." The raiding player must
be able to pretend that he really doesn't see all those traps and ambushes.
This has the potential to raise a lot of arguments over nitpicking details.
If you and your opponent find yourself in the occasional dispute, try settling
it with a die roll. If you are arguing all the time, you should probably
try playing a civilization other than Aennri.
Armies that attack the Aennri are going to want to use a lot of Explosives,
since the AreaEffect damage will often destroy the units and traps you
can't detect. It's also a lot of fun to start setting trees on fire
and watch the Aennriennes run around with FireExtinguishers trying to contain
the fire while still staying hidden.
Aennri battles work best if you can create a truly enormous forest
landscape - the more complex, the better. Mountains, valleys, rivers,
rockslides, castle ruins, and medieval cities all add to this scenario.
Try to make the landscape as uneven as possible, with rocky cliffs and
rolling hills, and remember to use lots and lots of trees and shrubs.
Return to the top of the page.
Kirsiti, the White Knights
Even
before the beginning of the Galactic War, the Kirsiti Dictatorship was
on the brink of collapse. Graft and corruption were ubiquitous in
every level of the bureaucracy. When they were suddenly caught up
in the first wave of rabid inter-Civilization hostility, the command administration
fell apart completely. While the StarShip drifted out into the uncharted
space between galactic arms, a spiritual revolution was underway within
its hull. By the time the StarShip drifted back into inhabited space,
all corruption had been replaced by an obsession with fairness and freindly,
efficient service to one another. Under the new, pure-white Kirsiti
banner, the citizenry begin training in earnest to better serve their fellow
SpacePeople, putting on the white uniforms of doctors, cooks, and ResQ
workers,.
When they arrived among the inhabited planets, the Kirsiti began sending
out missionaries in vast numbers, determined to put their ideal of excellent
service to use. Almost immediately, all the Civilizations in the
area sent a vast cooperative assault to destroy the Kirsiti StarShip.
This rare alliance was made by the quick consensus between the Civilizations
that the Kirsitians were too irritating to tolerate. Despite their
sordid past, almost all Kirsiti citizens are militantly self-righteous,
manufacturing and deliberately misinterpreting situations to showcase their
moral superiority.
For this reason, only a very few of the Kirsiti citizens are humble
enough to achieve the highest expression of excellent service. Those
that do, begin to discover the amazing power that is the Farce - the mysterious
energy that binds minifigs together. When they are ready to devote
their lives to the study of the Farce, they become a Kirsiti Knight, and
wander the galaxy rendering aid to all who need it. Because their
dark eyes contrast so sharply against their crisp white uniforms, and because
of their psychic powers granted by the Farce, they have been named the
JetEye Knights.
Because the Kirsiti StarShip has been destroyed and its people scattered
across the galaxy, Kirsitians rarely raise large armies to run around rendering
friendly military service. When they get involved in big battles,
it's usually just a few of them who were in the wrong place when two other
Civilizations started shooting at each other. The closest they get
to military action is when a group of JetEye Knights band together to liberate
a planet oppressed by the Kraan Lords or an infestation of Green Things.
More frequently, JetEyes will go into battle alone to end some local injustice.
Kirsiti Citizens
Citizens of Kirsiti have few possessions of any significant value,
and as long as they keep their mouths shut, they have few enemies.
As such, they have little use for combat-trained soldiers. They sometimes arrange rescue missions,
sending detachments of Res-Q workers and Medix. Kirsiti Medix cost
only five points and make all their Medikal rolls at +1.
The JetEye Knight |
|
Move: |
8" |
Armor: |
1d6+4 |
Skill: |
2d6 |
Ratio: |
10 |
Cost: |
30 Pts. |
The JetEye Knights are shining pinnacles of virtue and efficient, friendly
service. Their fanatic devotion to these ideals often causes them
to place themselves in the way of danger, or spend days redoing other people's
shoddy work. They can never use their powers for unprovoked aggression
or in anger. Fortunately, they spend many decades of physical and
philosophical training under a JetEye Master to prepare them for these
difficult goals, and the Farce is their ally.
During their long years of study, meditation, and training, the JetEye
initiate learns many things about the Farce:
- The Farce binds the universe together. Without the Farce, everything
would fall apart into its blocky component parts.
- The Farce flows through every minifig. This is why they all have smiley faces.
- Adventure? Excitement? A JetEye fears not these things, but wars do not make one funny.
- We must unbuild what we have built.
- Luminous beings are we, not this crude plastic.
- Construction, construction - you must learn construction.
- What is in the cave? Only what you build yourself.
- For the JetEye it is time to eat as well.
- Your father he is. Built you, did he?
... and so forth; the JetEye trainee is expected to memorize all of these
platitudes and dozens more like them; some making more sense than others.
In any given situation, he will be able to think of a platitude that applies.
A JetEye Knight can use any weapon or equipment, but prefers to rely
on his LightSaber and the power of the Farce. The LightSaber is one of the
most amazing weapons ever created. It should only be used by someone
who is skilled in the Farce; amateurs usually get confused by the fact
that it doesn't weigh anything and end up cutting off their own limbs.
The LightSaber is powerful enough to cut through the armor of many vehicles
and buildings; rather than causing the vehicle to explode or blowing off
a chunk of the wall, the LightSaber will cut neat little slices and holes.
The Farce is supremely handy to the JetEyeKnight. It makes him
aware of everything that happens within 5": traps are made obvious, hidden
doors exposed, spies in disguise are recognized, etc. Not even the
most stealthy SpaceNinja could ever take a JetEye by surprise.
Also, it makes him very difficult to hit. Any time an enemy successfully
hits the Knight, the Knight has a chance to use the Farce to dodge or parry
the blow. Remember how much the enemy made his ToHit roll by.
If the JetEye can beat that number with a Skill Roll, he dodges it.
If he wants to parry the attack, he rolls against his LightSaber's UR of
2. If he makes his ToHit Roll by as much or more as his opponent,
he successfully parries the attack. If his opponent fired an energy
weapon, and the Knight makes his ToHit Roll by twice as much as his oppenent's
attack roll, he can aim the ricochet with a skill of 1d6. If his
opponent was attacking with a close combat weapon, parrying it with a LightSaber
will usually cut it in two. Successive dodges and parries in the
same round incur cumulative -2 Skill penalties to the Knight; ganging up
on a Knight is usually the only way to defeat him. There is no limit
to how many enemies can attack a Knight in the same turn.
A Knight can also use the Farce to telekinetikally move objects.
This ability has a range of 5". Objects float around as if a normal
SpaceMan were carrying them. Floating a zero-weight object, like
most kinds of equipment, incurs a -1 Skill penalty, minus however many
inches are in the object's MovePenalty. An object weighing 1 Blok,
such as a SpaceMan, incurs a -1d6 Skill penalty. A 2-Blok object
incurs a -2d6 Skill penalty, so it is the most a normal Knight can levitate.
He can use the Farce to throw an object with a skill of 1d6.
Finally, a Knight can perform one Ludicrous Feat per turn. These
work just like Stupendous Feats, except
that the Knight is using the Farce, so he can't perform a Ludicrous Feat
in hostility or anger. Examples of Ludicrous Feats include:
- Convincing a BlitzTrooper that these are not the SpaceDroids he is looking for.
- JetEye-Jumping 20" straight up to escape the Plastic Freeze Chamber.
- Seeing visions of the future.
- Telepathically contacting friends and relatives.
- Finding lost CarKeys.
A JetEye Knight is usually represented by a white SpaceTrooper with a clear
visor, but there is no JetEye dress code. They can dress however
they like, as long as their clothes are neat and clean. Every Knight
comes equipped with a LightSaber.
Kirsiti Missions
Kirsitians are suited more for campaign play than battle scenarios.
It's hard to get the points to add up unless the Kirsitians are only there
in support of another civilization or some Wolfen Rebels. When the
Kirsitians are working by themselves, it's best to ignore point totals and
troop ratios. You'll often be sending in one or two Knights Hospitable
against a 200 or 300 point army. Obviously, you'll have trouble taking
out entire armies with one or two Knights. Instead, you'll be trying
to accomplish specific missions, such as infiltrating the DoomPlanetoid
and dodging BlitzTroopers until you can engage Kraan Lord BeRator in a
LightSaber duel.
Return to the top of the page.
Kraan, the Black Empire
Centuries
ago, one of the most powerful of the JetEye Knights began to explore aspects
of the Farce that had been avoided. He discovered a dark side to
the Farce, called Sarcasm. Once he started down that dark path, he
soon discovered that it would forever dominate his destiny. He didn't
mind much, however, since his years of solitary study and reflection had
made him bitter and weird. Since then, he has used Sarcasm and Derision
to control the weak-minded and to unnaturally prolong his life, and has
raised himself to the rulership of a vast and powerful Empire.
The evil Emperor works tirelessly to consolidate his hold of the entire
galaxy, and unite it under his vision of the Grand Derision. He has
led other JetEyes down the Dark Path to become Kraan Dark Lords, who ruthlessly
conquer colonies and and systems with armies of BlitzTroopers and sinister
psychic powers. Placing little to no value in the lives of those
they conquer, they enslave many of them by turning them into HED Thralls,
implanting Head Explosion Devices in their craniums that transmit the Dark
Lords' Psychic commands and detonate the disobedient.
In battle, the Dark Lords will begin by sending in an armored air transport
full of BlitzTroopers to secure a landing site for the Dark Lords.
Automated HeadHugger droids are released to enslave all the Normal People
in the area, who are then used as human buffer zones between the Dark Lords
and their enemies. If there are no Dark Lords present, battle proceeds
in a more traditional manner.
The Kraan Legions
Normal Kraan war technology is fairly standard. Kraan battle
philosophy involves strict uniformity, absolute discipline, and overpowering
numbers of low-level troops and vehicles. Their SpaceTroopers are
called BlitzTroopers, and wear white SpaceArmor. Their SpaceDrivers
are NavalTroopers, and wear black SpaceArmor. There are no Heroes
or Champions or other troublemaking types, because the Dark Lords prefer
that their soldiers be weak-minded and easy to control.
The Dark Lord |
|
Move: |
6" |
Armor: |
1d6+4 |
Skill: |
2d6 |
Ratio: |
* |
Cost: |
40 pts. ( +10 pts. per additional 1d6 of Skill ) |
Dark
Lords are much more suited to battle than their Knightly counterparts,
since their dark nature lends itself easily to aggression and deceit.
However, a Dark Lord does not suffer the presence of other Dark Lords gladly,
so there is usually only one per battle. In rare cases, a number
of Dark Lords may be forced to work together if they are in the service
of an extremely powerful Dark Lord.
A Dark Lord has the same abilities with the LightSaber and the Farce
as a JetEye Knight (they sometimes choose to weild DarkSabers instead),
but his Skill rating is often significantly higher. He uses the Farce to
mock and humiliate his enemies. Whenever a Dark Lord attempts to
parry or dodge an enemy attack, and his skill roll is twice the number
the enemy made his attack roll by, the Dark Lord mocks his opponent's strength
by blocking the attack with his hand or butt or otherwise signifying his
absolute lack of respect for the attack. Dark Lords also have the
ability to perform one Dark Feat per turn, which are also mostly used for
the purposes of humiliation. ('What's the matter? Have you
forgotten how to breathe? Do you find your lack of respiration disturbing?')
In addition to powers similar to the Knights', Dark Lords have the ability
to send telepathic commands to anyone with a Head Explosion Device planted
in their skull. If the HED Thralls refuse a command or if the Dark
Lord gets tired of their incessant whining, he may opt to detonate selected
HEDs. This causes the Thralls' heads to burst in a 1d10 explosion.
Also, a Dark Lord may use the Farce to shoot lightning from his hands,
up to 3" away. These lightning bolts use up Skill points, so shooting
a lightning bolt that does 2d6 of damage will incur a -2d6 Skill penalty
until the end of the Kraan player's next turn. Dark Lords use this
skill very rarely, unless they somehow lose their LightSaber or need to
jumpstart their DIE Fighter.
Dark Lords are represented by black SpaceMen with LightSabers.
They wear opaque black visors to hide their smiley faces from others.
The HeadHugger Droid |
|
Move: |
6" |
Armor: |
1d4 |
Skill: |
1d6 |
Ratio: |
4 |
Cost: |
4 pts. |
HeadHugger Droids are frightening little biomechanical spiders.
Their only purpose in life is to chase Normal People down and jump on their
heads (head-jumping is an attack with a UR of 3 and a range of 3").
Once they have latched on to a head, they stay there for one round, during
which they violate its cranial integrity and plant a HED in the victim's
brain. They never run out of HEDs. They have no other combat
abilities.
HeadHuggers can climb walls like spiders and make 4" leaps at no penalty.
If submerged in water, they short-circuit. Any motley collection
of small black peices will make a fine HeadHugger. A minifig with
a HED installed is indicated by attaching a black cylinder to the top of
his head.
Kraan Engagements
Kraan tacticians make up for blowing a lot of points on the Dark Lords
by buying lots of cheap Blitz Troopers and lightly armed Small Flyers (usually
DIE fighters). Kraan soldiers do not have a lot of initiative.
Squad cohesion is very tight; members of a squad always try to stay within
an inch or two of another member of the squad. Squads whose number
has been reduced to less than five must try to join with another squad
and bring their number up. Every soldier in a squad is identically
equipped, and they try to maintain good formation. Blitz Trooper
squads never take risks or perform maverick operations. They always
try to maintain high standards of tactical discipline, always laying down
cover fire and waiting for reinforcements or finding other good tactical
excuses to be cowardly.
The Kraan have no allies, and will attack anyone, wherever they think
they can exploit a weakness.
Return to the top of the page.
Rios, the Orange Conspiracy
What
is now familiar to StarShip inhabitants as the most pervasive espionage
franchise in the galaxy started as a typo in the Rios Civilization's HomePage
on the Universal Unrestricted Uplink, (at "uuu.rios.civ", of course). This typo created
a security hole in the Rios' computer network, and soon a disparate band
of hackers, degenerates, punks, and losers had used the hole to carve out
a secret private space for themselves on the Rios server. Calling
themselves the Riotians, they began using the Rios networks to store and
trade pirated SpaceSoftWare, classified information, hacking techniques,
conspiracy theories, and pictures of naked minifigs. It was almost
two hundred years before one of them figured out the Rios Civilization
had introduced the security leak on purpose and had been monitoring and
cultivating their little group since the very beginning. By now,
they had grown into a huge online community of juvenile delinquents that
was unwittingly supplying the Rios Civilization with all kinds of classified
information. When the Rios leaders realized the jig was up, they
recruited the whole group into their intelligence organization.
The new group's maverick and unconventional methods gained them surprising
successes, and as time progressed their tattoos, neon-colored hair, multiple
body piercings, and garishly mismatched clothes became the unlikely hallmarks
of the Riotian secret agent. They were extremely popular with SpaceChildren
ages eight to twelve, and somehow managed to continue their clandestine
operations despite the publicity of their line of action figures, cartoon
series, movies, and other licensing deals. Then one day, the Chairman
of Intelligence and Marketing had the idea to turn the operation into a
franchise.
Today, there is an Espionage "M" Us in almost every major colony.
Besides Rios action figures, comic books, toy garrottes, and Do-It-Youself
SpyKit Jr.'s, customers can order any kind of classified information or
any type of custom espionage against any target, if they can pay the fee.
The
Rios espionage agents are divided into two groups: the SpaceSpies, who
dress in suits of clashing black, blue, and red, with sickly green visors,
and the SpaceCouriers, who dress in black, blue, and white, with orange
visors. SpaceCouriers are well liked and not usually involved in
battles, but if they are, they bring enough firepower to garuantee that
the package arrives on time. SpaceSpies are popular with the kids,
but by authority figures they are not well liked at all. Rather than
raw firepower, they depend on an array of gadgets carefully selected for
the mission at hand to accomplish their objectives.
Riotians very rarely engage in open firefights. Their battle
philosophy is "cut and run" - they always have an escape route prepared.
Ideally, they try to get their agents away before the enemy knows that
anything has gone wrong. When push comes to shove, their agents rely
on misdirection and an array of gadgets and booby traps to buy themselves
enough time to complete their mission and escape.
Riotian Gadgetry
Riotians have no special ability in base or vehicle construction, but
their personal equipment is among the most advanced in the galaxy.
It is rumored that the special gadgets are all developed by a mysterious
and reclusive genius known only as "Q." These gadgets are the lifeblood
of the Riotian espionage industry.
Riotian Gadgets |
Gadget |
Piece |
Cost |
Function |
Holographic Disguise |
Robot Claw |
5 pts. |
Disguises the bearer to look like any other minifig, as long
as the bearer does not interact with any objects (except to walk on them)
or make any attacks. |
Holographic Decoy |
Black Cylinder with Green Gem |
5 pts. |
Creates a holographic duplicate of the bearer, or any other
minifig in sight, that in artificially intelligent and can walk around and
talk to people, but can't interact with objects. |
AntiGrav Pack |
Brown BackPack |
3 pts. |
The wearer can hover around silently at 5" per turn, both horizontally
and vertically. |
Electronic ToolKit |
1x2 'Computer' Flat |
5 pts. |
On a roll of 4 or more on 1d6, the user can disable an alarm
unit, unlock a security door, tap a communication line, or otherwise override
security devices. A roll of 1 sets off an alarm. |
Grappling Hook Gun |
Modified Pistol |
3 pts. |
Fires a powerful grappling claw and 10" of rope, allowing the
bearer to climb tall buildings and swing across ravines. It has a
UR of 2, and winches the rope back in at 5" per turn. |
High-Power Transponder |
SuitCase |
3 pts. |
With one turn of setup, this suitcase can be converted into
a transmitter, which can send encrypted messages light-years away.
Digital photographs, secret documents, and other type of top secret information
are smuggled out with this device. |
Laser Sensor |
Black Gem |
1 pt. |
This device will activate anything it is attached to when any
minifig comes within 3". It is often used on Holographic Decoys,
specialized Grenades, and early-warning devices. |
Stun Modification |
Green Gem |
1 pt. |
Any weapon modified with this gadget becomes a stun weapon doing
the same amount of damage. Rather than killing or destroying its
target, the weapon now suppresses neural and electrical activity for 1d6+3
turns. Use it on minifigs, vehicles, SpaceDroids, ComputerBanx, etc. |
Miniature LaserTorch |
SprayCan Top |
4 pts. |
This torch is used to cut through walls and panels. It
takes a full turn to use, and does 1d10 per turn. This damage is
cumulative over any number of turns, so if you stand around long enough
you can cut through anything. Its range is 1", and it makes a 1" cut
per turn. If used as a Close Combat weapon, its UR is 6. |
There are lots of other underhanded gadgets you can make up, of course,
like acid earrings, exploding cufflinks, and chainsaw shoes. These
can be assigned point values however you like. Grenade modifications
are usually free. Riotians love to use modified grenades like OilSlick
Grenades, Neutron Grenades, Enormous Blok of Gelatin Grenades, Acid Grenades,
Caltrop Shrapnel Grenades, Green Thing Grenades, etc. Gadgets are often mounted on their
vehicles as well, like SmokeScreens, ColorChanging Paint, Amphibious Conversion,
and so on.
Riotian Gadgets look like other, more innocent objects, so they don't
raise much suspicion. However, if someone sees a minifig using the object
for its illicit purposes, his cover is blown and he is identified
as a Riotian Spy. Sometimes this means that he has to make a run
for it before the SpacePolice arrive, and sometimes it means he'll be
mobbed by drunken FratGuys who want to tell him how cool he is. Whatever
it is, it's going to be bad, so don't let anyone see your units using their Gadgets.
Riotian Espionage
The Rios Intelligence Agency has all normal troop types, except that
each one must be either a SpaceCourier or a SpaceSpy, or else the accounting
programs get confused and they don't get their PayChex.
Riotians are often the third player in a BrikWars battle, using the
confusion of open conflict to send SpaceSpies to infiltrate and steal secret
documents, or sending SpaceCouriers to break through enemy lines and deliver
a vital package. Two-player games with the Riotian SpaceSpies are
sometimes more like one-player games, because if the SpaceSpies do their
job right then the enemy will never know that they're there. When
defending against SpaceSpies, almost any security device costs 2 points,
such as security cameras, infrared detection beams, door locks, handprint
identification, etc. Any security device that can do damage costs
an additional 5 points per 1d6 of damage.
SpaceSpy missions are most entertaining in very large bases.
Lots of stairs and elevators, and random rooms like laundry rooms, bathrooms,
meat lockers, cubicle spaces, etc. give opportunities for tremendously
entertaining espionage situations. Ideally, you should build some
kind of mechanized processing plant, such as a DogFood packaging center
or trash compactor / incinerator, with lots of conveyor belts and automated
robot devices.
SpaceSpy franchises exist in most major cities, so no alarms go off
if a uniformed SpaceSpy is walking around in broad daylight minding his
own business. He only has to be careful and not get caught when he
sneaks into a restricted area. Most importantly, SpaceSpies must
have an exit plan, whether that means a specially hidden escape vehicle,
packaging themselves up and having themselves delivered out by SpaceCouriers,
or eating a SpaceCyanide tablet and seeing to it that their bodies are
never found.
Return to the top of the page.
Pantus, the Grey Threat
The
Pantus Civilization developed in an unsettling manner in its millenia of
isolation from the rest of humankind. They fanatically follow the
directives of Lord Pantus, a Blockhead with a strange ability to animate
and control large Crawling Stones and Ominous Grey Pairs of Pants.
Lord Pantus rarely engages in battle personally, instead sending a
subordinate Pants Lord to control the battle. The controller finds
a defensible corner from which to direct his minions to victory.
His safety always comes first, and so his Crawling Stones and Ominous Pants
are often called upon to block enemy bullets with their bodies. Fortunately,
they are nearly indestructible.
Pantlings
The citizens of Pantus are a spooky bunch, mechanistically going about
their daily business without conversation or emotion. Their daily
business consists mostly of quarrying stone and sewing pants. Pantus
Normal People attack outsiders on sight, even if they have no chance of
doing any damage whatsoever. The only time they display any emotion
is during their yearly production of Lord of the Pants, which always
induces wild screaming ovations and dozens of encores. Pantling SpaceTroopers
have stony dispositions and like to volunteer for suicide missions.
There will only be one or two squads of Pantling SpaceTroopers in any given
battle - most of the fighting will be done by Crawling Stones and Ominous
Pants. Pantling vehicles are very rare, because Lord Pantus dislikes
anything that moves faster than 5" per turn.
the Pants Lord |
|
Move: |
5" |
Armor: |
2d6+2 |
Skill: |
1d6 |
Ratio: |
1 per 10 Stones or pairs of Pants |
Cost: |
10 pts. |
Pants
Lords are the most exalted of Lord Pantus' underlings. He has given
them the ability to control legions of Pants and Stones, in addition to
their battle training. A Pants Lord is necessary to animate Crawling
Stones and Ominous Pants. If all the Pants Lords in a battle are
killed, all the Stones and Pants cease animation and become normal stones
and pants. They can control as many Stones and Pants as they like,
at whatever range.
A Pants Lord is represented by a grey minifig with a clear visor the
funny helmet with air tubes. Often, they will stick black or white
plumage on one or both sides of their helmet.
the Crawling Stone |
|
Move: |
2" |
Armor: |
2d10+10 |
Skill: |
1d6 |
Ratio: |
None(troop) |
Cost: |
3 pts. |
The
Pantus Crawling Stones are frightening grey Blox that creep around the
battlefield crushing things and animating lesser stones. They are
very difficult to destroy, and often stack themselves into walls to defend
more important Pantling troopers or installations. They can climb
up and down walls and ceilings at normal speed.
Crawling Stones attack by falling off embankments onto their enemies
or shoving them for 3d10 damage. Normally, if this beats their
AV roll, all this does is push the enemy around, but the Stones try to
eventually crush them against walls and rock formations, or other Stones.
Whenever a Stone pushes its target into something, roll the 3d10 for damage.
Next, roll the Stone's AV, the target's AV, and the AV of whatever the
target is getting shoved into (if anything). If all AV rolls are
higher than the damage roll, nothing happens. If not, the lowest
roll falls victim to the push. This may mean it gets shoved around
for 2", or it may be crushed for 3d10 damage. If the Stone is the loser, it means
it pushed so hard that it crumbled itself.
Because they move so slowly, Crawling Stones have a hard time catching
their enemies. Occasionally an overconfident enemy will try to escape
by stepping on a Crawling Stone, but the Stone just adheres itself to them,
incurring a -1" Move penalty or stopping them altogether. To catch opponents, Stones usually have to
gang up on them. Fortunately, they have the ability to increase their
numbers. An original grey Crawling Stone (one that was brought into
battle by a Pants Lord) can crawl onto any size normal Brik. After
sitting on that Brik for one turn, that Brik is also animated, and has
the same stats and abilities as the original Crawling Stone, except that
it cannot animate other Brix.
A Crawling Stone is represented by a grey Blok turned on its side or upside-down.
an Ominous Grey Pair of Pants |
|
Move: |
4" |
Armor: |
1d10+5 |
Skill: |
1d6 |
Ratio: |
None(troop) |
Cost: |
3 pts. |
Pantling
Ominous Grey Pairs of Pants strike terror in the hearts of all who behold
them. Normal People scare their Normal Children with bedtime stories
about the Ominous Grey Pants With Nobody Inside Them. These mysterious
Pants could only have been forged in the darkest pits of evil. Obsessed
with destruction, they stagger around battlefields kicking everything they
see. But most terrifyingly, nothing but the will of a Pants Lord
can move them. Even if a planetoid crashes into them, killing them,
they stand in the same place unmoved.
Ominous Pants march around kicking everything they see: trees, vehicles,
mountains, bases, cats, senior citizens, and so on. Their kick does 1d6
damage and has a UR of 2. They are very useful in battle as barricades,
because of their powers of immobility. A dead pair of pants is just
as immobile and indestructible as a live one. Pantus Prime
would be buried in Pants corpses if the Pants Lords hadn't discovered a
way to command dead pairs of Pants to detonate in a 2d10 explosion. (don't
walk too close to a dead pair of pants!)
Pairs of Pants can also be used to carry things. They have no
ability to pick things up or put things down, but they are strong enough
to carry anything someone else puts on top of them.
A pair of Ominous Pants is represented by a grey pair of pants with
a black or grey 1x2 Brik on top. The Brik is removed when the Pants
are killed.
Pantus Combat
The point of most Pantus battles are unclear to non-Pantlings.
Not interested in mundane objectives like conquering new lands or destroying
enemies, their goals are uncanny and strange. The Massacre of Raupill
V came to an abrupt end when the Pantus forces found the frying pan they
were looking for. The Pantlings fought the Three Battles of Anteron
II in order to kill a certain brown horse. While their objectives
are usually fairly innocuous, their methods are deadly. They will
destroy anyone and anything that come between them and their target.
Once they have achieved their mission, they fall back to protect the commanding
Pants Lord's escape.
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