BASIC RULES
The Basic Game uses very simple rules for moving and fighting. New players should read these rules carefully and play the sample adventures before trying to learn the more advanced rules in the Expanded Game rule book.

THE MAP AND PLAYING PIECES

The two adventures included with the STAR FRONTIERS basic game take place on the large city map. The map shows the downtown area of Port Loren. Areas to the east, west and south of the map are residential. The spaceport is to the north. Each square on the map is 5- meters across.

Most large buildings (the Government Building, Pan-Galactic Corporation headquarters, the Medical Complex, etc.) extend several stories below the ground as well as two or three stories above the ground. Pedestrian walkways connect some buildings, and cross above the roads. The monorail is built above the buildings and walkways.

The cardboard playing pieces must be separated before they can be used. These counters include characters of all the races. Each player should choose a piece that resembles his character. There also are counters for vehicles, animals and strange aliens. Most of these are needed only in the Expanded Game.

GAME TURNS

STAR FRONTIERS games are played in turns. Each turn is six seconds long, so there are 10 turns to one minute. Note that game time is not the same as real time; it might take several minutes to play a sixsecond game turn if a lot is going on.

During his turn, a character can do any one of the.following things: 1. move 2. fire a weapon 3. move and fire a weapon 4. reload a weapon 5. stand and do nothing.

GAME TURN SEQUENCE

Each turn, players must do things in the order listed below.

1. Roll dice to see which side has initiative.
2. All characters on the side with initiative can move.
3. All characters on the side with initiative can attack.
5. All characters on the side without initiative can move.
6. All characters on the side without initiative can attack.

A player is not required to move or anack with his character. If the character moves or attacks, however, it must move or attack at the correct time during the turn.

INITIATIVE

At the beginning of each turn, one player from each side must roll 1d10. The result of this roll is added to the Initiative modifier of the character with the highest Reaction Speed from that side. Whichever side gets the highest total has initiative for that turn, which means they get to move and attack first.

If the totals are equal, then neither side has initiative. When this happens, the side with the highest single reaction speed moves and attacks first, followed by the other side. However, damage caused by successful attacks does not take effect until affer both sides have fired that turn (see Combat for more information).

Players must roll for initiative every turn of every fight.

MOVEMENT

Characters can move at two different speeds: walkina and running. The MOVEMENT TABLE shows how many map spaces characters from each race can move in one turn while walking or running. Moving diagonally is allowed.

MOVEMENT TABLE
Spaces Moved per Turn
Race Walking Running
Human 2 6
Dralasite 1 4
Vrusk 3 7
Yazirian 2 6

The numbers shown are the maximum distances a character can move at that speed. A Human, for example, could walk 1 or 2 spaces in a turn, or could run 3, 4, 5, or 6 spaces in a turn.

Roads. Crossing a road will slow a character down, because he must dodge traffic. When a character wants to cross a road, he must stop next to it, no matter how ma ny spaces of movement he has left. On the next turn, the character is placed directly across the road, and can move no farther that turn. The character can move normally on the next turn. There is no penalty for running alongside a road.

Pedestrian Walkways. To get onto a pedestrian walkway, a character must enter from one of the ends. A character does not have to stop before crossing a road if he is on a pedestrian walkway. Characters can walk underneath pedestrian walkways without any penalty.

Buildings. A character can enter or leave a building only through a door or from a pedestrian walkway. Characters entering or leaving through a door must stop moving when they reach the door. On the next turn, they can move through the door at their full movement rate. Characters can move about freely inside buildings.

Parking Areas. Characters can move normallythroughparking areas beneath buildings (see Skimmers). Characters must enter and leave parking areas through entrance ramps or elevators in the mall.

Stacking Counters. Only one playing piece can be in a square at a time, unless:

1. The characters are getting on or off the monorail or a skimmer.

2. One of the characters is on a pedestrian walkway and the other is on the ground beneath the walkway.

A character can move through a square that contains another character.

The Monorail

The monorail is the fastest way to travel long distances in the city. To get on the monorail, a character must move into a monorail terminal square and stop. The next turn, the character gets into one of the monorail cars and the car leaves. Monorail cars travel 10 squares per turn. Cars can leave a terminal in either direction (there are two tracks), but cannot change direction between terminals. A car must stop at each terminal for one turn before moving on.

If more than one character is boarding at the same terminal at the same time, they must get into the same car. If the characters want to get into different cars, one of them must wait until the next turn. when another car arrives. Each car can hold up to six passengers.

Riding the monorail costs 1 credit per day. Aher paying the fare, a character can ride the monorail as many times as he wants that day. A character must have his ID card to board the monorail.

Skimmers

Skimmers are similar to automobiles, but have protected hoverfans instead of wheels. They float on a cushion of air 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) above the ground. A skimmer can hold up to five passengers.

Skimmers have a maximum speed of 10 squares per turn, and must stay on the roads (except when parked). A character can get into a skimmer on the same turn he moves into the skimmer's square, but the skimmer cannot move that turn. On the next turn, the skimmer can move up to 3 road squares. It can move its full 10 squares on the following turn.

Skimmers must slow down when they turn or move through an intersection. (Magnetic field generators built into the roads automatically reduce the speed of approaching vehicles.) A skimmer can move only 5 squares if it turns or moves through an intersection during its movement. If a skimmer is in the middle of an intersection or turning a corner at the start of its move, it can move only 5 squares.

EXAMPLE: A skimmer traveling at a speed of 10 is seven spaces away from a corner (position A). The skimmer must reduce its speed to seven and stop just short of the corner (position B). On the next turn it can move five squares and turn the corner (position C). On the following turn it can move at full speed.

Rental Skimmers. Skimmers can be rented for 10Credits per day. To get a rental skimmer, a character must move next to the road and signal for one with his communicator. The skimmer, being driven by a computer, will arrive two turns later. The charaaer can get into the skimmer on the turn it arrives, but can't move till the next turn. The character who is driving the skimmer must have his ID card.

Underground Parking. Most buildings in Port Loren have underground parking garages for skimmers. Characters must use the entrance ramps to get into or out of these areas. Skimmers can drive through these areas at a speed of 5 squares per turn or less. Characters can walk or run through these areas at normal speeds.

COMBAT

Characters are in combat whenever at least one of them is attacking another in any way. Guns and grenades are the most common weapons. Two of a character's abilities are important in combat: Dexterity and Stamina. A character's Dexterity score determines his chance to hit a target. A character's Stamina score is the number of points of damage the character can take before passing out.

Sighting

A character must be able to see his target in order to shoot or throw a grenade at it. A character can see his target if a straight line from the center of his square to the center of the target's square is not blocked by a building. A building does not block a character's line of sight if the character is in a position where he can lean around the corner to shoot. Monorails, walkways, trees and other small obstacles do not block the line of sight. The Sighting Diagram shows several examples of clear and blocked lines of sight.

The Human at A can see the Yazirian behind the low wall at 8. If the Yazirian crouches behind the low wall, he will be completely hidden from the Human. The Human can not see the Dralasite at C because it is hidden by the corner of building 2. If the Dralasite was leaning around the corner, the Human could see it. The Vrusk at D is blocked from the Human'sviewbythe corner of building 1. If the Human leans around the corner, he can see the Vrusk.

Combat Procedure

Whenever a character fires a weapon at another character or any other target, follow this step-by-step procedure.

1. Count the number of squares in the most direct path from the attacker to the target. Count the square the target is in, but not the square the attacker is in.

2. Check the WEAPONS TABLE for the weapon the attacker is using. The distance in squares from the attacker to the target determines whether the target is at Point Blank, Short, Medium, Long or Extreme range. A target that is beyond Extreme range cannot be hit.

3. Subtract the Range Modifier for this range from the firing character's Dexterity score. The Range Modifiers are shown in parentheses beneath the ranges.

4. If the firing character was running or riding in a skimmer, subtract 10 from the result from step 3.

5. If the target has cover (see Cover), subtract 10 from the result from step 4. This final number is the character's "chance to hit."

6. Roll percentile dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the character's chance to hit from step 5, the character hits the target. If the number rolled is higher than the character's chance to hit, the character misses the target. (If the character missed with a grenade, it will go off in another square; see Grenade Bounces.)

7. If the target was hit, the character who fired checkstheWEAPONS TABLE to see how much damage his weapon causes. The character rolls the indicated number of dice and the target subtracts the result from his Stamina.

EXAMPLE: Eusyl is shooting a gyrojet pistol at a target eight squares away. This is medium range (-20). Eusyl's Dexterity score is 40. Subtracting 20 because of the range gives Eusyl a 20% chance to hit. Dave Schick rolls percentile dice and the result is 13. This is less than Eusyl's chance to hit, so she hit the target. Dave rolls 2dlO for damage, and the result is 12. The target character must subtract 12 points from its Stamina.

WEAPONS TABLE
Weapon Damage Range (5-meter squares)
Point Blank (0)* Short (-10)* Medium (-20)* Long (-40)* Extreme (-80)*
Gyrojet Pistol 2d10 --- 1 2-10 11-20 21-30
Laser Pistol 1d10 1 2-4 5-10 11-20 21-40
Laser Rifle 1d10 1-2 3-8 9-20 21-40 41-80
Needler Pistol 2d10 1 2-3 4-6 7-12 13-20
Doze Grenade special** --- 1 2-3 4-5 6-10
* Numbers in parentheses are range modifiers, subtracted from the firing character's Dexterity.
** See Damage: Doze Grenades.

Combat Procedure Summary

1. Find Dexterity.

2. Determine the range to target.

3. Subtract range modifier from Dexterity.

4. Subtract 10 if running or riding in skimmer.

5. Roll d100, if less than or equal to CHANCE TO HIT then you hit. (If threw grenade and missed check Grenade Bounces.)

6. Roll damage.

Grenade Bounces

When a character throws a doze grenade, hischanceto hit the target is determined normally. If the percentile dice roll is less than or equal to the character's chance to hit the grenade goes offwhere the character wanted it to. If the dice roll is higher than the character's chance to hit. the grenade bounces into a different square before going off.

The direction the grenade bounces is determined by rolling 1 d10 and checking the diagram below. The grenade bounces in the direction shown by the number that was rolled on the die. The diagrams show grenades coming from several different directions. If the grenade did not come exactly from one of these directions, use whichever diagram is closest to the situation.

Grenade Bounce Diagrams

Direction of Throw
* is target square

The distance the grenade bounces depends on howler it was thrown. The table below shows how far grenades will bounce if they are thrown from different ranges:

If the Target Was At Then The Grenade Will Bounce
Short Range 1 square
Medium Range 2 squares
Long Range 3 squares
Extreme Range 4 squares

A grenade will stop if it hits a wall or other obstacle.

EXAMPLE: Eusyl is throwing a doze grenade from long range. The grenade misses its intended square. Dave Schick rolls 1 d10 and gets a 5. The grenade bounces 3 squares directly to the right of the target square. and then goes off. If anyone was in that square, theywould be knocked out by the gas.

The effect of a doze grenade is described under Damage.

Automatic Hits

A roll of 01 to 05 always is a hit, regardless of mod)fiers, if the target is visible and in range. For example, if a characterwith a Dexterity score of 35 shoots at a target at Extreme range, his chance to hit is -45%. However, if the character rolls 01 to 05 on percentile dice, he hits the target anyway.

Cover

Cover is any solid object that can protect someone from gunfire. A character who is partially hidden by a wall, a rock, a skimmer, etc., has cover. A character has cover if he is in any of the following situations:

1. The character is in a space containing a monorail pylon, a statue, trees, low walls, large rocks or a parking area entrance ramp.

2. The character is inside a building. This applieswhetherthe character is fighting opponents who are also inside the building or is standing next to a door or window and shooting at targets outside.

3. The character is standing near the corner of a building, in a position that lets him lean around the corner to shoot at a target.

4. The character is standing on a pedestrian walkway.

5. The character is riding in a skimmer.

Vehicles

A character who is riding in a skimmer can fire a weapon, but has a -10 modifier for moving (the same as if the character were running). A character who is driving a skimmer cannot shoot a gun.

All characters who are riding or driving skimmers have cover.

A character riding in a monorail car cannot shoot at anyone outside the car, or be shot at by anyone outside the car.

Damage

When a shot hits its target, the firing character must roll dice to see how badly the target is injured. The WEAPONS TABLE lists how many dice of damage each weapon causes.

Damage caused by weapons is subtracted from the target character's Stamina. When a character's Stamina is reduced to O or less, the character is unconscious. An unconscious character cannot move or fire for the rest of the game. The character will die unless given a Staydose injection (see First Aid Pack).

EXAMPLE: Eusyl's Stamina score is 35. She is shot with a laser pistol, and takes 8 points of damage. Her Stamina is reduced to 27. After four more turns, Eusyl's Stamina has been reduced to 9 by two more wounds. On the next turn, Eusyl is shot with a needler and takes 12 points of damage. This reduces her Stamina to -3, so Eusyl passes out from her wounds.

Doze Grenades. Doze Grenades release a small cloud of fast-acting knockout gas. Any being in the same square as a doze grenade when it goes off will be knocked unconscious for one hour. A Stimdose will wake up the character, but will not restore 10 Stamina points. The gas affects only the square it is in, and lasts only until the end of the turn it is thrown.

Ammunition

All guns in the Basic Game use zither an ammunition clip or a powerpack. These fit into the handle of the weapon. Only laser pistols

and rifles use the same powerpacks; all other weapons have their own clips or powerpacks, and they can not be interchanged.

The number of shots in each powerpack or clip is shown on the following table:

AMMUNITION TABLE
Weapon No. of Shots
Gyrojet pistol 10
Laser pistol 20
Laser rifle 10
Needler pistol 10

Players must keep track of how many shots their characters have fired. When their weapon is out of ammunition, characters cannot fire until they reload.

Reloading. A character can reload a weapon with a fresh clip in one turn if the character does not run (and the character has a fresh clip). A weapon cannot be fired on the turn it is reloaded.

RECOVERING STAMINA

A wounded character can recover 10 points of Stamina by giving himself a Stimdose injection with the spray hypo from his first aid pak (see First Aid Pak). The effect of a Stimdose is temporary; affer three hours, the 10 points are lost and the character must rest without moving for 24 hours. A Stimdose will not help a character whose Stamina has been reduced below 0. It will not raise a character's current Stamina above his original Stamina.

Hospitals

At the end of an adventure, characters that are still conscious can take themselves and any unconscious friends to the Medical Complex to be healed. Healing costs 1 Credit per Stamina point recovered.

Characters who can not pay the hospital costs will be healed, but they must pay the hospital as soon as they earn enough money to do so.

OTHER ACTIONS

STAR FRONTIERS games allow something other games usually do not; a player can have his character try to do things that are not described in the rules.

Character abilities determine a character's chance of performing an action not explained in the rules. The player must roll a number equal to or less than the appropriate ability score on d100 to succeed. All the players should decide if an action is possible and which ability should be used to determine success. For example, players might decide a character can tackle another character by rolling a number equal to or less than his Strength score on d100.

If an action is very easy the player may add 5, 10, or 15 points to his score when trying to perform the action. If the action is difficult the player may subtract 5, 10, or 15 points from his score to determine if the character succeeds. All the players must agree that the character should get a bonus or penalty. Players also should decide the result of the action; if the character fails, does he fall and take damage? What happens to a character who is tackled?

Reactions

At some time, a player character may want to talk to a shopkeeper, pedestrian or other character that is not being controlled by another player (such characters are called non-player characters or NPCs). The player must determine the NPC's response. If the player rolls his character's Personality score or less on d100 the NPC will be friendly and cooperative. If the player rolls greater than the character's score, the NPC will be uninterested or unfriendly. In either case, the players must decide what the NPC will do.

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