Taking it to the Enemy: Campaigning with Star Navy 5150

    The mood at Spacer's Rest, the dive favored by spacers and naval personnel on on Delta-Zukhona Three, was celebratory. The place was packed with the majority of officers and crew from  the GPSN Wombat, Pantheer, and Jaguar. Ferdinand Branson, Captain, Gaea Prime Star Navy had made good his promise, and three rounds of Confucian Brandy had been quite rapidly downed, to the delight of the proprietor, a shady character who went by the name of Vladimir Roshenko. Captain Branson was schmoozing (and boozing)with the officers and men, bestowing praise upon the men and women of all three ships, and making a special effort to recognize the contributions of the Wombat and her, uh thin skinned Moltulian Captain. The celebration was mixed with measure of sadness for the many crew of Branson's flagship, the Jaguar, who had perished in the last, desperate battle of their Patrol mission. Repairs to "the Jag", as her crew and captain fondly referred to her, were nearing completion, but they had had to draft a sizable number of new recruits and  down-on-their-luck spacers to fill her out to a full complement. It would be some time before the ship would be able to regain her status at the top of the performance ratings for Task Force 95... although not too long, if Branson had anything to say about it.... and he intended to have a LOT to say about it!

    The assembled Naval personnel were rapidly becoming happy drunks. Naval tradition held that the Brandy got it's name from the way it "confused you" and really "hit you up the yin-yang"; beyond doubt it was potent stuff. Like the rest of the crowd, Branson was feeling the effects of his draughts, when a very sober (and on duty) Commander Ishiaharra strode into the room, carrying a sealed leather valise emblazoned with the emblem of the GPSN - an old fashioned ship's anchor flanked by 2 comets - rendered in gold. It was a rather silly throwback to centuries of naval tradition, but it was reserved for the conveyance of certain formal GPSN documents. The loud chatter filling Spacer's Rest settled down quickly, as the Commander sought out his Captain.

"What is it, Ishy? Feeling left out of the party" Branson asked, his voice just slightly slurred.

    "No, sir. This just came in by Courier Drone, and I was instructed to bring it to you immediately, and open it here, publicly."  At this, and excited murmur went up from the assembled personnel, and Ishiaharra opened the seal and set the valise on a table. It opened it self and a holographic image of rear Admiral Wendy Espinoza, Branson's immediate superior, appeared.

    "Captain Branson, Admiral Toerjold asked me to convey his personal greetings. Sector command is very pleased with your handling of the Delta Zukhona affair thus far. Your squadron has destroyed a Hishen Patroller, a Slaver, and 2 Mother Ships without losing any of your own. By his command, you are hereby promoted to acting Commodore, GPSN. In addition, I have been directed to detach the GPSN battleship Rakshasa, under Captain Donal Wright, to act as your flagship. Congratulations, Ferdy!"

    The Spacer's Rest erupted in cheering. Branson was a successful and popular officer. What was more, Naval tradition required that he buy a round of Brandy for all present. "Thjis is going to be a *very* expensive day", thought Branson to himself, as he motioned to Roshenko to honor tradition.

    "Further", Admiral Espinoza's image continued, "Admiral Toerjold has directed that I convey to you that as soon as the Rakshasa arrives, you are to commence your next mission. The exodus of the Hishen from the system has resulted in an influx of pirates; you are requested and required to Hunt them down and clear the system of them, *Commodore* Branson. That is all."

    The Rest filled with more cheers; Hunting pirates was a popular duty. Their ships seldom posed a real threat to those of the GPSN, and spacers universally hated pirates. It looked to be good opportunity to shake down the new ship and personnel joining the Squadron.


EDITOR'S NOTE:
    At the conclusion of each battle within a given Mission, the player's ships must all roll on the After the Battle table to see if damage is repaired and when; occasionally a damaged ship is destroyed/scrapped. Barry rolled well each time (the Rep of 5 for his ships helped there), so they were all repaired promptly. A failed Engine Damage test in the last battle resulted in the Rep of the Jaguar decreasing from 5 to 4. 

    At the conclusion of an entire Mission, both sides roll on the After the Mission table; the comparative results determine whether your Campaign Morale increases, decreases, or stays the same, as well as the effect upon the Campaign Morale of your opponent. When one side reaches a Campaign Morale of zero, the other side has won. Barry rolled the best possible result, and therefore the Star Navy's Morale rose from 4 to 5, while that of the Hishen fell from 4 to three. 

    Also at the end of a Mission, each of the player's ships roll to see if their Rep increases or decreases. The results are influenced by the starting Rep of the individual ship, and sometimes by whether it received or inflicted damage during the course of the Mission. Barry's Rep 5 ships cannot go above Rep 5 (the best), and he failed to roll well enough to increase the Rep of the Jaguar back up from 4 to 5. 

    Finally, a test is made versus your current Campaign Morale to see if an additional ship is added to your command, and if so, what size it is. Barry rolled well, adding a ship, and a second roll determined that it was a Class 5 ship (He needed to roll a "6" on a D6 for that). Another roll determined that the new GPSN ship was a Rep 4 Battleship!

    Following these determinations, the player's next mission must be determined, Star Navy 5150 uses the following simple but clever table for that:

LAST MISSION	SUCCESS	FAILURE
Patrol	(1-4)  Hunt	(1-4)  Defend
Patrol	(5-6)  Attack	(5-6)  Convoy
Attack	(1-4)  Attack	(1-4)  Patrol
Attack	(5-6)  Hunt	(5-6)  Defend
Defend	(1-4)  Patrol	(1-4)  Defend
Defend	(5-6)  Hunt	(5-6)  Convoy
Hunt	(1-4)  Hunt	(1-4)  Patrol
Hunt	(5-6)  Attack	(5-6)  Convoy
Convoy	(1-4)  Patrol	(1-4)  Defend
Convoy	(5-6)  Hunt	(5-6)  Convoy

Branson's first mission, now completed, was it will be recalled, PATROL (as is the case for all "by the book" random Star Navy 5150 campaigns, although obviously there is nothing really to prevent you from starting with a different mission). As you can se, had the mission been a failure, the D6 roll would give a 2/3 chance of the next mission being DEFEND, and a 1/3 chance of the next mission being CONVOY. However, Branson's PATROL mission was a success, and thus there was 2/3 chance the next mission would be HUNT,and 1/3 chance it would be ATTACK. 

For a DEFEND mission, the player must prevent his planet from being bombarded; for ATTACK, the player must bombard the enemy planet. Bombarding is completed if a Class 5 (Big - ships range from Class 3 to Class 6, with Class 6 being huge and not usually encountered) or 6 ship spends 3 map moves in the Planet square. for a CONVOY mission, the player must escort six merchant ships from the planet to the farthest corner of the system and back. For Hunt, the player must resolve all PEF's against forces that are usually weaker and of lower quality - it certainly seems the easiest of all the missions. As it turns out, Barry rolled low, so HUNT it was!

    Commodore Branson felt oddly out of place on the bridge of the Rakshasa. He was used to commanding a *ship*, dammit! Higher command was downright boring much of the time without the day to day affairs of running a ship as distractions. He missed sitting in the Captain's chair. Even more, he missed the old Jag, where every officer and almost every spacer were known to him. The personnel on his new flagship were all competent, but he barely knew anything much about any of them beyond what was in their personnel files. It didn't help that his flag captain was a man that Branson couldn't relate to at all, and it seemed that it worked both ways. Captain Wright came form the old Nobility of Gaea Prime, and owed his captaincy far more to his family name and influence, rather than any military abilities that Branson could see. Worse, Wright had been senior to him on the captain's list, and thus resented serving under a man that had been promoted ahead of his place, as well as one whom he considered his social inferior. It certainly made for very strictly formal, sullen interactions on the bridge to the Rakshasa. Therefore Branson preferred to spend most of the time in his Squadron Command Center, and limit his time on the bridge. That seemed to suit Captain Wright just fine as well. 

   With a sigh of resignation Ferdy left the bridge and took the lift to his personal quarters. They were, to his mind, rather ostentatious for an officer on a warship, but he wasn't asked for his input on these maters. He used his cortical implant to call for his Flag Lieutenant, a promising young woman named Nadine Jacova. 

    "At your service, Commodore", the crisply uniformed Lieutenant announced, entering his quarters. For a man who had been far too long without a female partner, she was entirely too attractive. Hormones aside, that was irrelevant as she was within his chain of command. Despite his reputation as a womanizer, Ferdy had no intention of getting into any amorous relations that violated GPSN guidelines; that was one set of guidelines that was all to rational! 

"Lt. Jacova, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me your impression of the mission's progress so far. You have my permission to speak candidly."

" Aye-aye, Sir. Well, Sir, it has been a good opportunity for the ships of the squadron to work on learning to maneuver together, and to break in some of the new recruits and replacements. The only bogey we've run down just turned out to be an outdated freight hauling bulk cargo that hadn't bothered to update their transponder codes for far too long. Of course we searched it over good, but there were no signs of any pirate or smuggling activity, so we let it go with a citation and a minor fine. All the other bogeys seem to hover at the fringes of the system, and dart out of scanner range at the first opportunity. That's keeping us from breaking in any of the new personnel with some actual combat experience. The simulations we've been running have helped some, but there's no substitute for the real thing, is there, Sir?"

"You have that right, Lieutenant!" Branson observed with conviction. "I think the Rakshasa may be scaring off the bad guys. It's an awfully big ship for a Pirate hunting force!"Speaking off of the record, have you formed any impression of her Captain?"

"Well Sir, Captain Wright isn't an easy man to get to know. I can tell you he isn't terribly well liked by many of his crew... and what's worse is that he isn't very well respected either. Below decks, the hands refer to him as "Do no Right!", she offered nervously.

"Thank you for you candor, Lieutenant. Let us hope that he is a better fighting captain than he is a diplomat, then, shall we?". 

"Of course, Sir. As there are no more sensor bogeys, shall I signal to Captain Ishiaharra and the rest of the Squadron to set course for home base at Delta-Zukhona Three?"

Branson smiled at the the sound of his former XO's name. Of course, technically, it was acting Captain Ishiaharra, but he had little doubt that Sector Command would approve his strong recommendation to make the promotion permanent. "Yes, Lieutenant. Let it be done. Dismissed!"

EDITOR'S NOTE:

This proved to be a short mission; only one PEF was contacted, and nothing was found. The other 2 PEF's, according the the PEF movement table, skittered off the edge of  system space, as did a fourth (new) PEF generated as part of the Campaign (System) Movement process. Rolling on the After the Mission Tables, Barry again rolled very well, and the GPSN Campaign Morale increased to 6, while that of the Hishen dropped to "2".  Since no combat took place, no ships could increase their Rep, and the end of Mission rolls resulted in all existing ships being retained. Barry rolled well on the table for new ships, and another Class 5 ship was added; this proved to be a Rep 4 Fast Attack Carrier.


Commodore Branson welcomed Tobias Gefalt to the meeting of Squadron Brass. "Good to to have you and the  Zephyr join the squadron, Tobias. We can really use the support of your fighters, both on the offense and defense."

"Thank you, Commodore. She 's a good ship with experienced pilots, but the support teams for the flight bays are pretty green - Sector Command commandeered cost of my veterans to replace the men it lost in that butt f$#@ in the Gowlima Nebula; FOUR new carriers crippled!  I wouldn't want to be in the boots of the 1st Space Lord when he tries to explain how THAT happened to the Gaea Prime Senate!"

"Well, Captain, it looks like we'll have a chance for plenty of combat drills, at least. Sector Command didn't seem convinced by my report that there was almost no pirate or enemy activity here in Delta-Zukhona Three system, and has ordered us to 'use due diligence to scour the spaceways for exactly what we found none of earlier this month. Maybe that debacle has made them overly cautious?  Regardless, it's the same old Star Navy... 'Ours is not to question why', and all that, you know!"

"All too well, Commodore; all too well." replied Captain Gefalt, with rather more emotion than the time worn phrase seemed to call for.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

This  also proved to be a short mission; no PEF's were even contacted; all 2 PEF's beat an a hasty retreat off the edge of  system space, leaving Bransons forces klittle to do but combat simulations before they returned to base.  Rolling on the After the Mission Tables, Barry didn't roll quite as well, and the GPSN Campaign Morale styayesd at 6, while that of the Hishen dropped to a bare minimum value of "1".  If the Hishen Morale drops any lower, the Campaign will be over! Once again, the End of Mission rolls resulted in all existing ships being retained. Barry rolled less well on the table for new ships this time, so only a lowly Class 3 Destroyer of Rep 4 was added. Barry commented that these HUNTS felt like "hollow victories, there having been no combat. It seemed to us that a simple adjustment to the PEF movement table whereby PEF's at the edge of the system (which squares compromise 14/33 possible) that score 2 successes only flee the system if there is a player force within 1 square.


"Attention all ships! Commodore Branson's gig has arrived on the Rakshasa. Prepare for hyper transit to Alpha-Zukhona Seven system."

"This is Commodore Ferdinand Branson. In accordance with our new orders from Sector Command, we're finally going to take the fight to the damned Heshees, and attempt to cripple their local base of operations, thus permanently easing the pressure on Delta-Zukhona Three. On my mark... Let it be done!"

Emerging from the disorientation that even the most grizzled spacers experienced during hyper transit, Branson struggled to attune his cortical implant properly to the Squadron's sensor net. "Lieutenant Jacova, status report, please?"

"Aye Aye, sir; CVL Zephyr, CA Jaguar and Panther, CL Wombat, and the Rakshasa all report uneventful transits aside from the usual scattered cases of space sickness. Captain Nefix reports minor damage to the DD Mongoose's missile tubes; estimated repair time - less than 2 hours. Sensors show Four bogeys, all likely to represent Hishen Naval forces. They don't seem to have detected us yet, Sir, but that can't last long, unless they're all engaged in 'pleasuring' their poor slaves. Their forces are clustered near the planet.

"Thank you, Nadine."

"Commodore to Squadron", Branson beamed through his implant, "The Heshees may not have noticed our arrival yet, so we'll pause briefly while the Mongoose repairs some minor transit damage. All ships to adopt Stealth Mode until further notice. Let it be done!"

"Alien Ships!  You have violated the Space of the Hishen Empire. Lower your shields immediately, heave to, and prepare to be boarded. This is your only warning! Acknowledge!"

"Squadron, Battle Plan Omega-2. Execute!" transmitted Branson. "By the way" he muttered, "That's GPSN for 'Acknowledged', you Heshee bastards!"

    Lieutenant Jacova followed the action on the holographic battle tank of the Flag Command post. Battle Plan Omega-2 called for the three cruisers, with their heavy complement of AA batteries, to form a screen between the two huge Capital ships and the enemy, while the fragile Destroyer held back with them for some close in support (and hoped that she would seem so insignificant that the enemy wouldn't waste shots targeting her).  The Star Navy was facing a strong Hishen squadron consisting of a Class 3 Monitor, a Class 4 Overseer and a Class 4 Saver, and a Class 5 Capitol Ship. The relatively weak shields of the Slaver made it the target of choice, with all the guns of the fleet targeting her. The  Jaguar and the Panther each scored moderate damage. Half of the massive guns of the Rakshasha experienced a targeting malfunction, and their shots went well wide of the target. The one that did hit the Slaver, however, ripped through multiple decks and ruptured her Fusion bottle, the ship disappearing in a blaze of light. "I believe the odds just improved, Commodore", she observed needlessly.

"Captain Gefalt, where is my fighter cover? There should be three flights of our fighters out there, and I see.... nothing!:" Branson demanded angrily.

"Yes Sir. Sorry, Sir! It seems that the the Launch bay crew forgot to disengage the Hangar safety protocols.... bays are coming on line..... NOW!"

"Commodore, the Hishen ships are giving targeting priority the Zephyr; she has  sustained mild damage so far.

"Just doing as I would do in their place", replied Branson. "They can't really hurt us in the Rakshasa unless they knock out some of our shields with missiles, but they can damage the Zephyr. They don't even have to destroy her - just knock out her Hangar Bays and she might just as well be out of the fight."

"The Zephyr's first three flights of fighters are away , Sir." reported Lieutenant Jacova. "Captain Gefalt reports they'll shadow the enemy until the next group launches."

"Yes, without enough fighters ion the attack, they'll have little chance of penetrating the Hishen AA fire", Branson agreed. "It'\s the Capital  Ship that's the real threat. Captain Weright, target her, and especially see if you can take down some of her shields; until that happens the rest of the Squadron is to concentrate their gun fire on the Slaver."

"Aye-Aye, Sir!" came back at Branson via his implant from all the ships of his squadron.

"The Jaguar took heavy damage from the last Hishen volley, Commodore. Her guns are all still in action, but she's lost 2/3 of her shields and over 50% of her hull integrity," alerted Lt. Jacova. "Rakshasa's fire has weaken the shields on the Capitol ship, though, as well as causing some damage to her hull integrity and primary batteries. "Zephyr is having trouble getting their second group of fighters launched."

"Gefalt, tell those Hangar crews that if those fighters are launched in the next 2 minutes, I am personally seeing that they are assigned to the Radium processing plants on Hephaestus-Nine for the rest of their (likely short) lives. Let it be done!" Branson ordered. "Ishy, you've done your part. Now get the Jag out of here!  We'll meet at the rendezvous point after the battle to regroup."

"Sorry, Commodore. My implant seems to be on the fritz. I couldn't make out that last transmission. We're weakened but with all our guns still operational Jaguar is gonna kick us some Heshee Capitol Ship  butt!" 

"Commodore, Jaguar has knocked out another of the Capitol ship's shield's, and further damaged her hull, but she's down to less than 15% hull integrity, and all her guns were knocked out in the return fire."

"Captain Ishiaharra, get my ship out of here, NOW!" Branson shouted loudly.

"Jaguar engaging hyperdrive as ordered, Commodore...."

"Well, we're both down a ship now, but I like 5;3 odds better than 6:4 anyway.  Continue to give first priority to the enemy Capital Ship for targeting," directed Branson.

"Zephyr reports two hangar bays have raging fires from the heavy enemy fire she has taken; they will be out of commission until repairs can be made. The remaining bay is still operational... barely, according to Captain Gefalt." 

"Captains Quyot and Dhruz, take the Panther and the Wombat in closer and try to draw off some of the Heshee fire from the Zephyr."

"Understood, Commodore".

"We're continuing to whittle away at that Capitol Ship, Commodore. Scans estimate 75% shield loss, and another of her primary guns is off line. The Cruiser's have also their Overseer as well. The Zephyr's shields have failed completely now, and their still having a heck of a time launching fighters from their remaining bay. Hull integrity is down to 50%. Captain Gefalt is requesting permission to hyper out to the rendezvous point, Sir" announced Lt. Javova.

Branson gritted his teeth. "Like heck he will; As long as he has an operational Hangar Bay, Zephyr's gonna hang tough with the rest of us!"

"Captain Quyot reports the Wombat is taking moderate damage from the enemy, Sir; Thrust is down 33%, one shield is down, and Hull integrity is down to 75%." Lt Jacova reported duly.

"The enemy Capitol Ships shield's are down now, Sir!

"All right, people, let's take her out. Target her Engines!" Branson directed.

"So they didn't have the stomach for it , eh?" Branson commented wryly, watching the huge Capitol Ship break off the action and hyper out. "I see Zephyr finally managed to get another flight of fighters off. With that Capitol Ship's AA fire out of the picture, the fighter's should have a good chance against the remaining Overseer and Monitor, which have only minimal AA capability."

"The enemy  Monitor and Overseer have swung around, looking for a shot up our kilt with their missiles, Commodore." remarked Nadine Jacova.

"Captain Nefix, bring the Mongoose around and prepare your missile tubes for firing!", commanded Branson.

"Aye, Aye, Sir", Nefix responded. She was grateful for not being sacrificed earlier in the battle, but now it was time to show that her ship was a worthwhile addition to a Squadron that was fast becoming a Sector legend.

"Commodore Branson, those last Heshee missile volleys knocked out our last operational Hangar Bay and the last of our shields. Respectfully request permission for the Zephyr to hyper out and commence repairs, so that we can return soonest and  recover any surviving fighters before their life support windows run out," intoned Captain Gefalt slowly and firmly.

"All right, Tobias, you've earned it now. Let it be done!" Branson responded.

"Four to two now!" he exclaimed. "Hishen Ships, this is Ferdinand Branson, Commodore GPSN. You are hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Heave to and we will accept your unconditional surrender."

"My great aunt will be your pleasure slave before that happens, GeePee scum!" came the sneering reply... accompanied by another round of Missiles, this time directed at the Panther.

"Very well," Branson remarked, more to himself than anyone else. It was all but unheard of for Hishen ships to surrender, the the Code of War required he give them the chance. "Fighters, commence final attack runs, all missiles and guns, target and destroy those Hishen blackguards!"

It was never clear which weapons stuck the final blow on each of the remaining two Hishen ships, but it hardly mattered., as both literally ceased to exist shortly thereafter. Every ship in the squadron had taken at least some damage, with the Wombat and Zephyr having been particularly hard hit. "All ships, proceed to the rendezvous point for repairs and fighter recovery operations. After that we have more Heshees to get to before we can destroy their base on Alpha-Zukhona Seven. Let it be done!"

EDITOR'S NOTE:

GPSN Forces:

Jaguar, Class 4 Heavy Cruiser, Captain Ishiaharra  Rep 4

Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 4    AA 1    

Panther, Class 4 Heavy Cruiser, Captain Dhruz      Rep 5
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 4    AA 1   

Wombat, Class 4 Light Cruiser, Captain Quyat       Rep 5
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 2    AA 3

Rakshasa, Class 5 Battleship, Captain Wright/Commodore Branson (FLAG)  Rep 4

Thrust 2    Hull 12    Shields 4    Guns 6    AA 2

Zephyr, Class 5 Fast Attack Carrier, Capatain Gefalt    Rep 4

Thrust 2    Hull 12    Shields 3    Hangar Bays 3    AA 3

Mongoose, Class 3 Destroyer, Captain Nefix    Rep 4

Thrust 4    Hull 4    Shields 1   Guns 1    Missile 2

Hishen Forces:

Voyeur, Class 3 Monitor

Thrust 4    Hull 4    Shield 1    Guns 1    Missile 2

Submission, Class 4 Slaver          Rep 4
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 2    Guns 2    Missiles 2    AA 2

Dominance, Class 4 Overseer    Rep 5

Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3   Guns 4    AA 1

Master Wang, Class 5 Capitol Ship
Thrust 2    Hull 12    Shield 4    Guns 6    AA 2

The sheet below shows the System Map used for the various Missions, as it stood at the start of this last  engagement; Hishen PEF 4 has been eliminated, and thus three remain. Branson's forces must proceed to the planet with at least one Class 5 ship remaining, and spend 3 turns of Activation in the Planet square for the Mission to be a success. At this point, we stopped play. In addition to playing three tabletop games, we had run more than three missions in 3 hours! The After the Battle rills showed the Lightly damaged Rakshasa would never the less be out of the action until the next mission, but all other ships were fully repaired. Branson's squadron has it's work cut out for it still!

CONCLUSIONS:

    Once again, Star Navy produced quick enjoyable games that played even faster having been through our earlier games 6 weeks ago, and choosing to print out (mostly) the right sheets needed for reference during the game. Adding more ships only increases playing time incrementally, not exponentially. Thus, it meets its design goals (handle fleet level actions and below in a quick, straightforward manner) exceptionally well. The relatively simple rules using only three weapons systems (Guns, Missiles, Fighters - more may be coming in the future) do lead to relatively limited opportunities for tactical finesse. I suspect the authors routinely played with asteroid fields to provide a more tactical element t the games. Also, the absolute nature of the shield/gun interaction means that a well shielded ship can stand off and shoot at multiple opponents with impunity, with only missiles and/or  as a potential equalizer. These are reasonable abstractions given the scope and design goals. 

    The campaign system was really what drew me to these rules in the first place, however. It is very possible to just play one of the Missions as a game itself, usually leading to 1 - 3 tabletop engagements. I have always found Naval scenarios the hardest kind to generate, and these rules are a great help there. Once you select your forces, the rules handle placement of the enemy forces (PEF's) within the system, PEF movement (different for each scenario type, and often influenced by the Campaign Morale of the faction), enemy force generation (anywhere from nothing to a few ships more or less than yours, with the types and ratings then being generated randomly based upon the largest class ship in your forces. The tactical rules already include provisions for determining the starting distance and attitude (approach angle) of the opposing forces. That's a pretty complete package, folks!

Using the rules for a full scale campaign, the initial Patrol Mission, which is not easy, was straightforward enough. When moving on from there to the next mission, the rules are a bit vague/confusing as far as player force selection. On the one hand, there is this nice system for gradually adding (and sometimes, subtracting!) ships to your core forces from  mission to mission. This is great, as the ships (and with some fluff, such as the above, their officers) gradually gain a history so that you care about what happens to them. On the other hand, for say, the ATTACK mission above, the rules say "Select your forces; we suggest at least a Task Force" A task Force is 3-4 squadrons of ships - there are examples given for each faction, but no indication how or if you are supposed to use them or just use them as a take off point to devise your own. Now, that works fine if this is just a one off Mission, but how does that work in the full Campaign setting?  What's the point of adding ships to your forces, tracking their rep, repair status, etc if you can just pick whatever you want for forces at the start of each Mission? Some examples of this process would have been very useful, especially as the rules provide good and frequent examples of how to do almost everything else. 


I would have a few suggestions for the Campaign Rules, then:

1) Modify the HUNT Mission PEF movement table slightly as already discussed.

2) The player's core forces are carried along from Mission to Mission, and are adjusted as per the existing Campaign rules. These ships MUST be kept together as a single force on the System map. 

3) Additional forces may be assigned to the mission from the faction's Fleet list (either as desired up to the maximum available, either as desired and/or randomly, or possibly added by the Mission specs themselves.  However, ships lost from the Fleet List on earlier Missions are not available for selection for the rest of the Campaign! It may be that that is the way the authors intended this process to work, but neglected to explain it.

Despite these criticisms, I think the overall concept of the Missions and Campaign rules is brilliant, and well worth the price of the entire rules set. I am already thinking about how to adapt them for use with the more tactical Galactic Knights tabletop rules. That shouldn't be terribly difficult.

"Let it be done!"

Peter

The Contest for Delta-Zukhona Three - Campaigning with Star Navy 5150

    Captain Ferdinand  Branson accessed the heavily encoded priority one  message by syncing it with his cortical implant, and it unlocked, with the icon of the Gaea Prime Star Navy, blazing withing his brain. He assimilated the contents with a mixture of anticipation and foreboding.

"FROM: Star Navy, Lyris Sector Command

TO: Ferdinand Branson, Captain, GPSN

Captain Branson, GPSN intelligence reports indicate that the Hishen may be preparing to attack our colony on Delta-Zukhona Three. While the population is small, the colony extracts and processes the majority of the Rubidium used by our forces in this sector. Loss of the colony would gradually impair the ability of all Star Navy ships in this sector to enter and leave hyperspace. Pressing matters elsewhere in the sector, as well as the uncertain reliability of these reports leave sector command able to allocate only limited resources to this matter at present. Therefore, you are hereby requested and required to take your own ship, the GPSN Heavy Cruiser Jaguar, and two other ships from Task Force 95 to be assigned to you by Rear Admiral Espinoza, and proceed directly to Delta-Zukhona Three. After arrival, your squadron will patrol the area, driving off any enemy forces encountered, and then return to the planet and report your findings to the planetary GPSN security officer, and wait for further instructions. Hereof, fail not!

Sven Toerjold, Fleet Admiral, GPSN, commanding Lyris sector. "


   As he digested his new orders, his command console cheerfully chimed out the tune. "The Leader of the Pack", indicating a message from the commander of Task Force 95, Rear Admiral Wendy Espinoza. Branson had a whimsical side that endeared him to his subordinates! Keying his implant to the message's access code, Wendy's familiar face appeared on the screen.

"So, Ferdy, it seems that your day has come at last. Take a shuttle over to the Retribution, and we'll discuss the ships I am to assign to your squadron".

"Aye-Aye, Admiral, I'll depart immediately."

"Acknowledged.  Espinoza out".

    Wendy was a long time comrade and mentor, but it still didn't pay to keep the brass waiting! He arrived on the bridge of  the Retribution in good time, smoothing out the largely imaginary wrinkles in his uniform. With a nod to her flag captain, Epinoza gestured to Branson to follow her to her command suite.

"Congratulations on your first taste of higher command, Ferdy! Although it's long overdue, I can't say that I will be happy to have one of my best fighting ships and captains detached form Ninety-Five. The Huishen have been giving us fits in Lyris sector, and now this possible treat to our Rubidium supply!  My intuition tells me this is real, so although I'm stretched thin, I'm willing to let you have you pick of the cruisers for your squadron, as long as their captains are junior to you... of course."

"That's very generous of you Admiral -"

"Oh, please drop the formalities when were in private, Ferdy!"

"That's very generous of you, Wendy," he intoned with the trace of a twinkle in his eyes. In fact, it was quite extraordinary. It helps to be the favorite protege, Branson observed to himself.  "In that case, I'll want another Heavy Cruiser for punch, and a Light Cruiser to be sure we can fend of the missiles those accursed Slavers."

"Wise choices, Ferdy. I am pleased that your time in Nintey Five hasn't AL been spent chasing pretty women!"

"No Ma'am, mostly been spent chasing ugly Hishen!"  The two friends shared a somewhat nervous laugh. "Anyway, I'll take the Heavy Cruiser Panther, and the Light Cruiser Wombat. Both ships have well seasoned crews and fine captains, even if I'm not exactly friends with Quyat after that dust up  at New Dordrecht. Still the Wombat's the best light CA in the Task force, even if those Moltulians can, err, get under your skin, if you know what I mean?"

Wendy chuckled, the Multilians being an allied race within Gaea Prime that was well known for the periodic (and rather messy) shedding of their epidermis. "I agree, his ship is the best, but aren't you worried that your past differences might cause problems within your squadron?"

Branson sat up straight and peered into the eyes of his friend and CO. "I expect that Quyat will do his duty; nothing, more, nothing less. If not, we;;, I have been rumored to have friends in Task Force Command, no?"

Wendy's now stern face, relaxed, then broke into a small smile. "It's settled then. I'll send the necessary authorizations to Quyat , and captain Dhruz on the Panther. Good luck and God speed, Ferdy!"

"Thanks, Wendy. We'll see what the darned Hishen are up to, and hopefully put a stop to it! I'd love to stay and talk, as we may not get to see one another again for a long time, but I have a zillion things to prepare for the Mission. By your leave?"

"Dismissed, Captain," Wendy responded smartly, back to her Admiral personna once again."

"Aye-aye, sir!"


EDITOR'S NOTE: this is almost all fluff created (largely) from random rolls for names, and the outcome of the starting phase of the 5150 Campaign set up. In game terms, we selected a campaign with the Active player having the Star Navy, and the enemy being the Hishen. A Campaign always starts with a Patrol mission and a squadron of 3 - 4 ships. It was determined that the Star Navy was Defending the planet. The ships were rolled for randomly on the Class 4 ship table, and all proved to be of Rep 5 (the best possible - elite crews/captains, hence the above dialogue). Barry dad the Star Navy, playing the rile of Captain Branson, while I would handle the (dice generated) evil Hishen. 

Branson's squadron started in low orbit around Delta-Zukhona Three, while three PEF's (Possible Enemy Forces) were generated at various locations on the 6 x 6 square grid. Branson's PATROL mission was to resolve all PEF's and then return to the planet. If any PEF enters the Planet square or  Branson's squadron is destroyed, the mission is lost.

We had agreed that the first real contact would be judged to have the result of the battle generated from the campaign we started last time (I hadn't been able to save the Campaign "map"). Thus contact with PEF #2 was swiftly handled, representing said battle, in which the Star Navy prevailed. "After the Battle" checks resulted in the Squadron restored to undamaged condition for all ships. The next PEF to be contacted was #3.


"Sensors show that bogey now resolving to be a solitary Hishen Slaver, Sir!" observed his XO,  Commander Ishiahara."

"Well, they're no match for us, so I'd expect it to turn tail and hyper out once they scan us, but... let's be ready anyway, eh? No telling what the Hishen will do, even when they're outnumbered! Shields up! Gunnery, work your firing solutions on that Slaver!"directed Branson crisply.


"Sir, she's spotted us and... is coming straight in at six kps! we're equivalent ship classes, except... there are THREE of us!" exclaimed Ishiaharra, perplexed. "They musty be trying to close to missile range as they can't expect to penetrate our shields. Get those Antimissile salvos up and loaded, and keep revising your targeting solutions!", the XO directed.

Quite right, observed Branson silently to himself. It was all over in a few stellar minutes; the Slaver, having weak shields and guns, took heavy damage from the gunfire of the Star Navy ships, but was unable to break through their shields in return. It did manage to fire a fullsalvo form its two missile launchers, but the abundant (and highly competent) anti-missile batteries easily destroyed every last one before it could do any damage to Branson's ships. Immediately thereafter, the Slaver's fusion bottle lost containment, and it exploded in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. "Bastards never really had a chance", observed Branson dryly.  "Good work on those missiles, Quyat" he sent over the con to the Captain of the Wombat. "Aye-aye, Sir" came the terse response. Branson sighed. Old quarrels die hard, it seemed. "Set course for that final Bogey, Commander. Let's clean out the last of the trash!"  "Aye-aye, Sir!", replied Ishaiharra as he gave the necessary orders.

The Hishen Slaver explodes, out numbered and outclassed. 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Branson's Squadron was as follows:

Jaguar, Class 4 Heavy Cruiser, Captain Branson (FLAG)  Rep 5
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 4    AA 1    

Panther, Class 4 Heavy Cruiser, Captain Dhruz      Rep 5
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 4    AA 1   

Wombat, Class 4 Light Cruiser, Captain Quyat       Rep 5
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 3    Guns 2    AA 3


Hishen Forces

Bondage, Class 4 Slaver          Rep 4
Thrust 3    Hull 8    Shields 2    Guns 2    Missiles 2    AA 2



"I'm reading multiple engine signatures from that final bogey, Captain. Resolving.... now! Looks like no cake walk this time, no disrespect, Sir! I make it a Hishen Mother ship with a Monitor and a Patroller as escorts." Ishiaharra felt some anxiety; he had seen what those fighters could do if they broke through, back at the battle of Sigma-Leonis prime, and it wasn't pretty!

"XO, get me Captain Quyat on the con."

"Captain Quyat, we have hardly been friends in the past, but I picked you and your ship because, honestly, you have the best Light Cruiser in the task force. We both need each other to be on our best game today. Can I count on you to have our backs against the pocking Hishen fighters?"

"Aye-aye, Sir. You can count on  me, my ship, and my crew. You shoot that Carrier out of space and we'll take care of the Fighters. Quyat out!"

"Well, I don't think he's a member of my fan club yet, but unless I misjudge my, er, man, he'll give it all he's got" muttered Branson under his breath.

The Hishen of coursed launched their full complement of fighters and held them back until a second group could be launched. The (?) insane Hishen carrier design has NO shields, and thus all the Star Navy ships fired  their on her. As they had the initiative, a lucky shot turned one of the four hangar bays into a blazing inferno, incinerating the unfortunate pilots before they could even launch their fighters. The fighters ganged up on one of the Heavy Cruisers (The flagship, Jaguar). 

" Sir, there are SIX flights of Hishen fighters headed our way, and it looks like we're going to be their target." Ishiarra blurted out to Branson. 

The Captain accessed his cortical implant, reviewing the tactical display. He was not pleased by what he saw. "Captain Druhz, you have drifted outside of the 2 click range necessary for our AA batteries to act in sync! Close up with the rest our formation immediately!  Acknowledge!"

"Roger that, closing up. Dhruz out!"

"Dreck!" shouted Ishiaharra. "Those fighters are making their final; attack runs; Panther will be too late to help us knock them off." 

"We'll *really* have to hope Quyat can get past that affair on New Dordecht this time!" replied Branson.

"For what we are about to receive", Ishiaharra intoned the millennia old formula.

As it turned out, Wombat was able to take out two of the attacking squadrons, but that still left 4 to hammer Panther. Fortunately, the resultant damage was sever, but not crippling. "Damage control reports heavy casualties on all decks, major loss of Hull integrity. Gun Turret # 3 and Shield generator #2 are off line!" Ishaharra pronounced, rather unnecessarily as the reports were flooding Branson's brain already.  "Thank God those  Hishen ships don't have enough guns mounted to shoot their way through cotton candy!" the XO added helpfully. "Of course if they can close and combine their missile launchers with another fighter wave..."

"Brandson to Squadron. Concentrate all gun fire on that pocking Mother Ship! I want her bays blazing and he hull venting plasma, soonest, before she can launch even more Fighters!"

"Sir, sensors show heavy damage scored on the Mothership, with multiple hull breaches, and all her engines off line but... two of her fighter bays remain operational. By the taselled teats of Tinola, those damned Hishen hangar teams are well trained; two more squadrons of Heshees are coming our way - still six in total sir. They're forming up..."

"Commander, my implant is operational and I can still *barely* manage to read a tac display, thank you very much!" Branson snapped. "Quyat, Druz, I want every last one of those Hishen bastards we can target shot down this time. "Do it and I'm buying the next three rounds of Confucian Brandy at Spacer's Rest for you... and all of your crews!"

The crews of all three GPSN ships erupted with whoops as all three ships turned in 5 sigma performances!  Still, that left 2 flights of Hishen fliers. This time the Jaguar was luckier - all her remaining gun turrets were knocked out, but hull integrity held at a shaky 25%. The GPSN AA fire bushed also easily brushed aside two Hishen missile volleys from the Patroller and Monitor as well. Branson contemplated warping his ship out, as the Jaguar had little more to offer this fight, but he'd be damned if he'd appear a coward in the eyes of his squadron. "Dhruz, Quyat - Jaguar's a cripple. It's up to you. Kill that mother pocking Mother ship!" he intoned lowly and pointedly. " Oh, and that was might fine shooting by Wombat, Captain Quyat. I believe the drinks will indeed be on me!"

"Aye-aye, Sir!" replied both Druz and Quyat. The Panther's four heavy gun turrets pounded the Mother ship, and it exploded, scattering debris across the system. The it was Wombat's turn. Only one of her two batteries got past the Hishen's shields, but it completely vaporized the bridge of the much smaller ship. Coming hard on the loss of their Flagship, the Heshee next in command evidently decided he had seen enough and promptly warped out of combat. 

With the loss of their Carrier leaving them nothing else left to do, the surviving two flights of Hishen fly boys attempted one last run on the Jaguar; Wombat's AA salvos knocked them out long before they were any real threat. Still full of fight, the surviving Patroller's missile salvo was equally easily deflected, and it's lone light gun turret missed the crippled Jaguar. 

"Why  doesn't that Hishen bastard run for it?" mused Captain Branson out loud. "He has to see it's hopeless now, and we're sure to send the entire ship and it's crew to Hishen hell before long."

"Sir, the Patroller seems to be maneuvering for a final desperate shot up the kilt with his guns..."

"Squadron hard to Port! All batteries fire upon the enemy on my mark... NOW! ordered Branson calmly. The Hishen suffered such overwhelming damage that they were never sure exactly which shot did her in, but every man and woman of the squadron (and at least one Moltulian!) heaved a large sigh of relief as the final Hishen ship blew apart in a spectacular fireball. 

"Sir, sensors report no remaining bogeys in system", reported Ishiaharra, his still somewhat boyish looking face betraying his unbridled relief.

"Ishy, have the Squadron, set course for Delta Zukhona Three." ordered Captain Branson. "Damage control, I'm afraid you have your work cut out for you. However I believe I'll be making the proprietor of Spacer's Rest a wealthy man, and myself a pauper, but hey, you can't take it with you, right?"  proclaimed Branson with an evident twinkle in his pale green eyes. 

Besides, he observed to himself, anyone who joined the Star Navy looking to get rich was either a fool or hopelessly corrupt... most likely both. Anyway, he needed a drink... or three, himself!

EDITOR'S NOTE:

This brought the  GPSN "Patrol" Mission to a successful conclusion. This post has gotten long as I got "in" to the write up, so we'll conclude the story of the rest of the Campaign in part 2. Hope you enjoyed this installment as much as Barry and I enjoyed playing it! 

Tune in next time, space opera fans!  :-)

Peter