Defenses for Starships in Star Probe, Star Empires and Star Frontiers

 Now that we have determined how to handle velocity, acceleration, deceleration, jump distance, and turning it’s time to take a look at Defenses. 

Into Guarded Space by John Berkey

Star Probe

Star Probe ships have screens available to use in defense. The game uses Screen Value or SV followed by a number. The Screen Value is in terms of Megarons of damage it can absorb before collapsing from overload. Once the screens are down the ship will begin to take damage. Note however that the screens are able to dissipate 1 Megaron of damage per turn in which your screens receive no hits. Even if your screens collapse as long as your screen generators are not destroyed and you can avoid your ship receiving hits your screens will regenerate as above. If your generators are hit your Repair Crew will need to fix them (if you don’t have Repair Crew you will not be able to fix them), Damage is cumulative to the generators and the amount of damage they take equals the number of turns the Repair Crew will need to repair them.

Star Empires 

Screen Defense: Screens are protective energy fields which will absorb five beam attacks on a ship or fort. Screens will absorb up to their Megaron value in any one turn before overloading and collapsing. All damaged received after screens collapse is scored on the ship or fort. Screens will regenerate after two turns if no damage has been reciprocal on the unit itself.

If you combine these two sets of rules we now have the maximum number of hits the screens can take, options on regeneration time, and repair options.

Star Frontiers

Star Frontiers has several different types of defensive screens and other defenses that we need to look at.

None: many ships have no defenses, these are mainly civilian ships.

Reflective Hull: this is mirror-like paint that is sprayed onto a ship’s hull. I will cause a laser beam to bounce off the ship without causing any damage.

Masking Screens: a screen created when a ship releases a cloud of water vapor into space. The vapor crystallizes and firms a protective cloud surrounding the ship. This makes the ship difficult to hit, and it absorbs energy from a laser. If a ship is hit by a laser while inside a masking screen the amount of damage that is rolled is divided in half (fractions are rounded up). The result is the number of damage points inflicted on the target ship. Masking screens have the same effect on a laser fired out of the screen as it does on a laser fired into the screen. The masking screen only stays with the ship as long as it travels in a straight line at its current speed. A asking screen used by a ship or station in orbit will stay with the orbiting ship or station for one complete  orbit. Ships carry a limited number of masking screens. 

Proton Screens: 

Electron Screens:

Stasis Screens:

Interceptor Missiles (ICM): interceptor Missiles are small missiles that can be fired at incoming torpedoes, assault rockets and rocket battery barrages.