Ætheric Combat

Introduction: The Æther
Æther is the substance that pervades the universe. In many respects it is a fluid, and it is this property of which the æther propeller takes advantage.

Æther propeller-driven spacecraft accelerate gradually (0.02G per speed number). As the ship accelerates, though, its propeller becomes less efficient at interacting with the æther. Eventually, the ship reaches a cruising speed wherein further acceleration forward is impossible. More efficient propellers give higher cruising speeds. Cruising speed is about 5-and-a-third light seconds per day per speed number, and is reached in about 24 hours.

Æther propeller-driven vessels typically follow straight courses to their destinations, rather than the complicated hyperbolic orbits used by reaction motor driven vessels. Because of this, the propeller remains active during the entire course of the voyage; otherwise the vessel would begin falling back toward the Sun. This has some unfortunate drawbacks, though. Because the æther propeller is the only part of the vessel interacting with the æther, it is subject to æther turbulence, something about which reaction drive vessels do not have to worry.

Ætheric Combat
For the first two decades after the invention of the æther propeller, many experts considered æther combat an impossibility because of the massive velocities involved. Some posited that any possible ætheric combat would only take place in orbit, where the possibility of maneuver was difficult. By the early 1880s though, some writers had begun pointing out that while ætheric speeds were high, actual accelerations were very small. Therefore, if an attacker could match vectors with his intended victim combat could proceed using the limited weaponry of the period.

It was not long before these theories were put to the test.

These rules assume that opposing forces have matched vectors and are close enough for fighting. The game is played upon a hex map (the maps supplied with Brilliant Lances and Battlerider are perfect for this).  The hex scale is 1200 yards, and turns are 72 seconds long.

Movement
Æther ships move using a vector system. For each speed number (round to the nearest whole number), a vessel may change its vector by one hex. On the first turn, a vessel with a speed of 1 can move one hex. On the second turn, the vessel may add another hex to its movement; it will move one hex in the original direction, and the owning player may add one hex of movement in any other direction. A line is then marked between the starting hex and the ending hex (or a marker is used denoting both the beginning and ending hexes), and this becomes the vessel's initial vector for the next turn. Vessels will always accelerate in the direction of their facing.

Detection
Spotting an æther-drive ship is quite easy over vast distances — the wake of the æther propeller appears as a long cometary tail behind the flyer. The only exception to this is spotting directly astern of an active æther-drive ship. Because of the æther wake no ship can spot another ship directly astern. Coming up dead astern is a favorite tactic of attacking ships. Warships will occasionally use the "sprint-coast" tactic, accelerating for a few turns, then shutting down their æther propellers to spot any activity astern.

Weapons
Most weapons can be used in ætheric combat, with obvious exceptions (tether mines, drogue torpedoes, spike droppers, etc.).

Guns:  Guns used in ether combat have a range of 9 hexes, regardless of their planetary range. All targets within range count as being at long range (hit on a 5 or 6). However, any time a 1 is rolled, roll 1D6. On a 1-4 the weapon jams and requires 2D6 turns to clear. On a 5, the gun barrel warps rendering it permanently useless. On a 6, the gun barrel bursts, killing or wounding the gun crew (1D6: 1-2, lightly wounded; 3-4 seriously wounded; 5-6 killed).

Smutts Discharger: Smutts dischargers may only be fired to the front arc of the flyer. The torpedo will move the vector of the launching vessel (at the time of launch) plus one hex per turn straight ahead (it may not maneuver). At the end of five turns the torpedo explodes. If, during the its flight time it enters a hex containing a vessel, it will collide with the ship on a roll of 1 on 1D6. Damage is per the SGOM rules. For example, an ether flyer with a vector of three hexes launches a smutts torpedo. The torpedo moves forward four hexes per turn for five turns in the direction the flyer was facing when it launched the torpedo (for a total of 20 hexes).

Special Rules

Boarding Actions:  Boarding actions may only be fought if the target ship is rendered incapable of movement and the attacking ship has matched vectors and is in the same hex as the target ship. Boarders must be in space suits. All other boarding rules are applicable.

Explosive Decompression: Whenever a vessel is hit by a weapon whose penetration is greater than the armor value of the flyer, or is rammed by another vessel, the hull is breached and the vessel suffers explosive decompression. A vessel has one airtight compartment per hull size. Divide the crew of the vessel by the number of hull sections. Randomly determine which section is breached. If the crew is not in space suits, roll 1D6 for each crewman in that section. On a roll of 1-2 the crew member manages to get to a space suit, but spends the next 1D6 turns getting into it. On a roll of 3+ the crewman dies. Crew in space suits are not affected by an explosive decompression hit.

Double crew hits on an already decompressed section.

Ramming and Grappling: Ramming and grappling are as per the SGOM rules, with the exception that a collision occurs on a roll of 1-2 instead of 1-4.

Damage Results
Use the aerial flyer damage tables to determine the effects of any hits.   Modify the results using the following rules:

Boiler: 1-3 this is the Solar Boiler, 4-6 this is the Airscrew Boiler. Solar Boiler criticals destroy the solar boiler, rendering the ship incapable of maneuver, unless it has an alternate source of power. Solar Boiler hits cannot be repaired, and unless the flyer has emergency batteries the crew is in a lot of trouble. Airscrew Boiler hits do not cause the boiler to explode (it is cold iron), but until repaired renders the ship incapable of maneuver in an atmosphere.

Fire: Ships which have decompressed are not affected by fire. Fires in a hull section which decompresses are instantly extinguished.

Screw: 1-3 this is the Æther Propeller, 4-6 this is the Airscrew. Æther propeller criticals reduce the acceleration of the ship by the DV of the weapon. If the acceleration is reduced to 0 or below, the ether propeller is destroyed and the ship drifts on its last vector forever. Airscrew hits have no effect during ether combat, but note should be made of the number of screw hits taken so that the effects may be implemented when the vessel reaches an atmosphere.

Scenario 1: Piracy on the High Æther

Following its crushing victory over the Oenotrians, the British established a large military presence on Mars. The payroll for these forces was secretly shipped via a well-armed packet at regular intervals from England. A crime syndicate learned of the flight time of one of these shipments and resolved to intercept it.

Packet RMS Cyclone

The British crew are equipped with space suits.

Pirate Vessel Tyrranic

The pirates all have spacesuits.

The British player starts seven hexes from one map edge. The pirate player starts on a map-edge hex somewhere behind the British player. The pirate player must render the British ship incapable of maneuver, match vectors and board, failing this, the British player wins.