Imperial Orbital Space Stations

by Quinton Woeppel (Used with permission)

Orbital Space Stations are artificial satellites that are placed in orbit around planets, moons, or spacial anomolies. Each Space Station is built to fill a particular need. There are three types of Imperial Space Stations: Science, Mining, and Planetary Defence. Each is constructed in a similar Manner. There is a Controlling hub surrounded by the wheel or ring of the actual station. The hub is the command center and the power core for the station. On the hub are also the Torpedo launchers as well as the anti-torpedo turrets.

The ring holds the station’s defensive Lances and Weapon Batteries. Each facing holds a set of station weapons. Any opposing ships may be targetted by up to two sides if the ship should fall into both firing arc.

Space stations have a distinctive form of movement. To represent the orbit of the station, it is moved 10cm per turn directly across the table. The Station is first placed on the table with in 30cm. of either side table edge and then moved each turn the full 10cm. directly across the table towards the opposite edge. The Staion may use any special orders except the Burn Retros and the All Ahead Full. The turn indicated in the Turn section indicates how much the Station can turn on its axis as it orbits. This allows the station to face attackers with remaining or more powerfull weapons.

The Mining Space station has a special attack with it’s Mining Laser. The Mining Laser is treated as standard weapon batteries except that all attacks are automatically shifted once column to the right and shields will not slow or stop it. Disregard all enemy shields. Hits with a Mining Laser cause no blast markers

The Orbital Space Stations do not use the standard Critical Hits Table or Catastrophic damage Table. Instead use the following:

Critical Hits Table:

2d6 roll	Extra Damage	Result
2	+0	Hub Armament Damaged: Hub Weapons and Torpedo launchers are damaged. They may be fired until they are repaired
3-6	+0	Ring Armament Damaged: The weapons on the outer ring are damged. The weapons in the facing closest to the enemy ship may not be fired until they are repaired.
7	+0	Fire: Roll to repair(extinguish) the fire in the repair phase, if the fire is not put out it causes 1 point of additional damage and continues to burn.
8	+1	Thrusters Damaged: The Station’s manuever thrusters are damged and the station may not be turned until the damage is repaired.
9	+0	Bridge Smashed: The armored hub of the station containing the Captain and his officers is smashed. The station’s Leadership is reduced by 3. this damage may not be repaired.
10	+0	Shields Collapse: The Station’s shield generators overload and burn out. The station’s shield strength is reduced to 0. This damage may not be repaired.
11	+d3	Hull Breach: A huge gash is torn in the station’s hull, causing carnage amongst the crew.
12	+d6	Bulkhead Collapse: Internal support structures on the station buckle and twist, whole compartments crumple with a scream of tortured metal. It will be a miracle if the station survives.

Catastrophic Damage Table:

Orbital Space Stations have no internal warp drives relying instead on their initial orbital velocity for movement and there fore must use a different Catastrophic Damage Table.

Damage and effects are identical to the Standard table with the following differences:

2d6 roll	Blast	Result
2-8	1	Drifting Hulk: Station continues to move 10cm. per turn. Place one blast marker in caontact with its base after each drift.
9-10	1	Blazing Hulk: The Station is reduced to a blazing hulk with uncontrolled fires raging in every section. In time the fires will burn out or trigger an explosive destruction. The hulk travels its customary 10cm. per turn, place a blast marker in contact with the station’s base and roll again on this chart after it’s move.
10-12	½ Dam.	Power Core Breech: The station’s power core suffers an overload in an explosion in a blazing inferno. Remove the Station from the table, leaving behind a number of blast markers equal to half the starting hits of the station. Every ship within 3d6cm. of the exploding wreck is struck with Firepower equal to the station’s starting hits.

Example Space Stations:

 

ORBITAL MINING STATION..........................100 pts. Hits Speed Turns Shields Armour Turrets 6 10cm 45 degrees 2 5+ 2 Armament: Range/Speed Firepower/Strength Fire Arc Ring Batteries 30cm Firepower 4 1 each Minig Laser 30cm Firepower 8 Forward Hub Torpedoes Speed 30cm Strength 4 All

 

ORBITAL PLANETARY DEFENCE STATION..........................175 pts. Hits Speed Turns Shields Armour Turrets 10 10cm 90 degrees 4 6+ 4 Armament: Range/Speed Firepower/Strength Fire Arc Ring Batteries 45cm Firepower 6 1 each Ring Lances 60cm Firepower 2 1 each Hub Torpedoes Speed 30cm Strength 6 All

Orbital Planetary Defence Stations may hold up to 8 dice of fighters at +10 points each.

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