Dragon Fight v 3.2 rewriting.

 

I have been offered opportunity to run Dragon Fight game at my local games club. I need to finish writing the rules, or get them up to a presentable state, print them (I don't have a printer), acquire some suitable terrain for dragon lairs, and make up a few more bits and bobs. All of which is distracting me from rewriting my WW2 game (Slammer SMLE).

The core rules worked last time I tested them. I am expanding on the Advanced / optional rules, and it needs more diagrams. Maybe more dragons too...

In the latest amendment, I have taken out the Speed Kills Advanced Rules. These were a hold over from Fokker Fodder where they worked pretty well for biplanes with a set speed. In Dragon Fight they just added complexity without significant benefit. Having taken them out, I now need to adjust some of the Movement Point (MP) values for Climb and Dive manoeuvres. Climbing should cost more MP's and Losing height should cost less MP's. Previously these were compensated by gains or loss of Speed.

I also need to adjust the initial Wings rolls for Precedence and Movement Points. Previously these were adjusted by adding or subtracting Speed points. 

Now, If your Dragon has gained one or more Height Bands due to climbing, then reduce their Wings dice down one step.

If your Dragon lost one or more Height Bands due to swooping, diving or other manoeuvres but not due to a combat result. then increase their Wings dice up one step.

Generally one dice step changes the average score by +/- 1 point. A Dragon that climbs gains on precedence due to the greater Height Band, but loses on Movement Points due to the effort spent in climbing and loss of momentum. A Dragon that has lost Height in a dive reduces their Precedence due to the lower Height Bands, but gains MP due to 'going downhill'. I look forward to seeing how it plays out in practice.

Lastly, I am considering changing the name of the Game. Apparently Dragon Fight is a popular Martial Arts/Street Fighter type computer/console game. Dragon Flight would be a better choice as the game is more about flying than fighting. I may need to change the spelling to avoid conflict with Anne McCaffrey's estate! How about Dragonne Flyght ? 

Encounter One - back in print!

 Is there still a market for home published rules booklets ?

Way back in the mists of time, a lot of wargames rules were published by their authors as A5 stapled booklets with card covers, black and white text, and minimal illustrations. They might include a printed card quick reference sheet.

They were often sold by mail order or at games shows that the authors were attending. Some of them sold well enough to be stocked by games shops or miniatures producers.

Now most gamers have internet access and a home printer, so digital downloads seem to have the market covered. 

Over the years I have published a few wargames rules that have been freely available online as pdf documents. 

Recently, I printed off a small batch of the new edition of Encounter One. 

My primary intention is to gift copies to people that have helped or encouraged the project, secondary is to have some rule sets available when I play the game for new players to pick up. If there are any left after that, I would offer them for sale and hope to recover some of my costs. Mainly, I would just like to see people playing the game.

Would you buy a printed rule set, even if you can download the rules for free then print it yourself? 

What would you consider a reasonable price?

A5 stapled rules booklet, card cover, black and white, 42 pages + A4 card Quick Reference Sheet. 

Encounter 2 - Game

ENCOUNTER TWO 

During the protracted struggle between the old Empire and the newly declared Federation of Planets, the Empire expected an easy victory over the smaller Federation fleet. The Federation, however, were not so naive as to commit their vessels to a fleet action, and instead commenced a policy of lightning raids on Imperial bases and installations. This attritional warfare deeply wounded the Empire, who reacted by breaking up the grand fleet, to cover Imperial possessions throughout the periphery. 

 The grand fleet action never materialised, most combats being small local actions of little individual importance. Some however were decisive, affecting the political alliances of the minor systems. Typical actions of this time were : 

'BETA CASSEOPIAE' 073PN

Three Federation light raiders were surprised by two Imperial cruisers. The raiders were returning from a deep penetration of Imperial space, and had already suffered substantial damage. Although this fact was conveniently ignored in Imperial accounts of the engagement, it was the deciding factor. This was an important victory for an Empire losing support.  

'ASKOLD' 085PN

Six Federation vessels of varying class, overhauled the KRISTOPHALESE, an Imperial dreadnaught. After breaking down all her screens, a salvo of torpedoes detonated her drive units. The loss of the KRISTOPHALESE caused widespread panic throughout the fleet, causing desertion and even mutiny. The swift retribution which followed, only served to strengthen: the Federation's cause. 

Ships were now in short supply on both sides. The Federation were facing shortages of many essential materials needed for ship construction. The Empire was meeting similar problems, with both raw materials and finance; many systems were using the flimsiest excuse to withhold taxes. The time was right for a rethink in ship design; stalemate was setting in due to reticence on both sides to commit ships when risk was involved. 

The first of these new vessels were the Federation 'HUNTER' class. Small, light, and with heavy shielding, their long range offensive armament was minimal. The method of attack was copied from the pirates who roamed the spaceways, plaguing the Empire for three hundred years. The attacking craft would lock its tractors onto the enemy ship, and the two would be drawn together. Once docked, the attacker would blow in the enemy's airlocks and armed assault teams would storm aboard. This form of attack served a dual purpose 

1. The enemy was denied a ship, as effectively as if it had been destroyed. 
2. The ship, once captured and with only minor refit, can now be used against its former owners. 

The first use of this new class was at DRACO IV 098PN, where the Federation 'HUNTER' NOSFERATU successfully captured the Imperial cruiser CLEETHORPES, 120,000 tonnes above its own class. 

The loss to the Empire was a substantial setback on its own, but within a matter of months, refitted and renamed VENDETTA, the cruiser was escorting Federation supply ships through the Imperial blockade. Within eight months of the loss of the CLEETHORPES, the Empire launched their own class of boarding ships and the fighting began in earnest.............. 

“ After 600 years of subjugation to intergalactic fighting platforms, the foot-soldier returns to his rightful place... “

A STARFLEET STUDIES PRODUCTION

BY
M. BOOTH and P. BROUGH

This edition of Encounter Two was derived from a scan of the original rules, then polished up for the twenty-first century by Chris Nicole with the cooperation of Malcolm Booth.

"Encounter 2 was very much a ‘beer & pretzels’ game which we put together around a range of 20mm figures (the manufacturer I can’t remember, it’s been a while); Phil hand drew the cover, and I bashed out the rules on my wife’s portable typewriter

Reading through the rules was a bit of a trip down memory lane, and I remember demoing the rules at a convention (and selling them at side of table for the princely sum of 95p!)

We did briefly consider putting a board game together but to be honest we were both skint – I think the first print run was 100 copies and we had to trim them by hand."

Game Rules Free download - 357kb

Encounter 2 2023 Edition pdf     

Please let us know if you have any comments or questions.

Phil Brough & Malcolm Booth  Email: M.booth@sky.com

Transcription by Chris Nicole     Email:  chris_nicoleuk@yahoo.co.uk

Encounter One - Novan Incursion

 Ships of the Novan Incursion.

Ruthless Alien Raiders in Living Ships. The Novans are described as hyper-aggressive aliens and this is reflected in their Morale chart. Ramming and Self-Destruct are expected tactics from the Novans.

"The most bloodthirsty and cold blooded race known to Man (Including Man himself). 

First contact with the Novan empire came in 103PN and forced a sudden, albeit temporary truce between the warring factions. The Novan Empire, was, and still is, the only galaxy wide Empire known to Man. The early Novan incursions into Primary Known Space, although ruthlessly efficient and invariably successful, soon petered out into sporadic raiding, ironically removing mankind's last great unifying cause. The unexpected drop in the frequency of Novan raids has been attributed to internal strife, although this remains speculation."

Novans have a unique Zen Auto Repair system and Clever Metal self healing bio-metal skin that can heal hits from missiles but not energy weapons. Their Bridge also functions as Fire Control so they do not get Fire Control as a separate system. Their best weapon system is the Photon Torpedo, this is the best in the game, except it is wholly ineffective against Kennedy Fields. Novan Dart Launchers are also pretty good. With Clever Metal they have less need for point defence. They do not use Drones, but fighters are cheap. Most of my Novan ships have Inertialess Drives and will use it to position themselves for their next attack. 

Clever Metal provides pretty good resilience against missile attacks, if is not total immunity. Missiles will still hurt a Novan ship and damage any components they hit. There has been a tendency when fighting against Novans to concentrate on Energy weapons. My Novans usually carry heavier Shield layers than most ships of their mass. 

Novan ships are relatively expensive as they start with 30 points for their Bridge and Zen Auto-Repair. If you want Clever Metal then that starts at Mass 20 and means you spend at least 50 points before adding any weapons, shields or other equipment. You can of course build Novans without Clever Metal, but you still have to pay 30 points for their Bridge.

My standard vessels range from mass 20 to 35 which puts them in the cruiser class. Novans can build smaller ships but don't get Clever Metal below mass 20. Heavy Vessels go from 36 to 55 and Station Vessels have no mass limit. 

My Novan fleet for Encounter One are all from Citadel's Star Cruisers range. These were produced back in the 80's. Some were reissued as Tyranids for Space Fleet or Battle Fleet Gothic and now go for ridiculous prices on EBay.  I have seen some smaller ships from https://www.ravenstarstudio.com/ that would make good strike boats or Escorts but have not acquired any yet. Also some larger ships that could mean re scaling my current fleet to suit. 

I must have been influenced by Chris Foss's wonderful paintings of spaceships as I did mine in black and yellow wasp markings. My ships have most of their weapons pointed straight forward. They are pretty much flying guns. These will always try to blast their way through the enemy line then come round for another go.

Edited 17th April 2023 - Ship diagrams amended to Gif, Snake Heads uprated to Mass 40.

13th April 2023 - Ship diagrams added

Citadel Star Cruisers - The League

Novan Raiders

GW- Citadel Star Cruisers - The League

SCL4 - Sinca Veche - Light Cruiser. Codename Vespid

One of the smaller ship classes seen in a Novan raid. The Vespids tend to act as scouts and skirmishers. Scouting ahead of and guarding the flanks of the main fleet. Their usual armament is a forward Beam array of St20 supplemented by four photon torpedo launchers. Their beam turrets can add to the forward array or hit targets on their flank. They are well shielded for their mass but like most Novans tend to neglect point defence in favour of Clever Metal.

NOVAN	Ship		Vespid	Scout Cruiser
Core Systems		No		Mass	Cost	Comments
Bridge		1		1	30	[ ]
Reactor		1		1	0	[ ]
Main Drive		1	Strength 5	1	6	[ ]
Secondary Drive		1	Strength 5	1	6	[ ]
Manoeuvre Drive		1		1	1	[ ]
Inertialess Drive		1		1	5	[ ]
Defence		No
Shield St 4		3		3	15	[ ][ ][ ]
Shield St 3		2		2	8	[ ][ ]
Point Defence		2		2	6	[ ][ ]
Weapons & Systems		No	Facing
Beam St5		4	Forward	4	24	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Beam St5		2	Turret	2	12	[ ][ ]
Turret		2	Port, Forward, Starboard	0	16	[ ][ ]
Photon Torpedo Launcher		4	Forward	4	12	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Probe		1		1	8	[ ]
Hull and Cargo
Hull		24			0	[  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ]
Clever Metal		Yes		0	24
Cargo Holds		0		0	0
Total			Mass	24	173	Points

SCL3 - Moinesti - Light Cruiser. Codename - Hunter Killer

Often Encountered in the front line of Novan Raids, the Hunter Killer's are brutal gun ships. Their fire is concentrated in their forward arc with a St30 Beam array plus four photon torpedo launchers. Unusually for Novan's they carry a pair of turreted Bolt Launchers for peripheral defence. They are heavily shielded and will usually make a head on attack to punch through the enemy line.

NOVAN		Ship	Hunter Killer	Strike Cruiser
Core Systems		No		Mass	Cost	Comments
Bridge		2		2	32	[ ][ ]
Reactor		1		1	0	[ ]
Main Drive		1	Strength 5	1	6	[ ]
Secondary Drive		2	ST4 x2 = Total ST 8	2	10	[ ][ ]
Manoeuvre Drive		2		2	2	[ ][ ]
Inertialess Drive		1		1	5	[ ]
Defence		No
Shield St 4		3		3	15	[ ][ ][ ]
Shield St 3		2		2	8	[ ][ ]
Shield St 2		2		2	6	[ ][ ]
Point Defence		2		2	6	[ ][ ]
Weapons & Systems		No	Facing
Beam St 5		6	Forward	6	36	[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Bolt Launcher		2	Turret	2	12	[ ][ ]
Turret		2	Port, Forward, Starboard	0	16	[ ][ ]
Photon Torpedo Launcher		4	Forward	4	12	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Hull and Cargo
Hull		30			0	[  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ]
Clever Metal		Yes		0	30
Cargo Holds		0		0	0
Total				30	196	Points

SCL5 - Nyiregyhaza - Pursuit Cruiser. Codename Snake Head

Rarely seen, Novan Snake Heads appear to act as command carriers for a raiding fleet. They will usually be found near the centre of a raid and may be screened by other Novan warships. Snake Heads usually carry at least two flights of fighters in addition to their complement of Beam and Photon torpedo.  Novan Fighters are cheap at 2 points each, so I tend to maximise their numbers and send them out in swarms. 

When I first uploaded this design, I made a mistake. By building it at 36 mass it moved it into the Heavy Vessel class costing an additional 20%. Reducing it to Mass 35 to get it into Standard Vessels class, wasn't all that impressive for a command ship. Increasing its forward Beam array to ST30 and adding two more fighter bays for 32 fighters and Mass 40 it is rather more of a threat. 

NOVAN	Ship	Snake Head		Command Carrier
Equipment		No		Mass	Points	Comment
Core Systems
Bridge		2		2	32	[  ][  ]
Reactor		1		1	0	[  ]
Main Drive		1	Strength 5	1	6	[  ]
Secondary Drive		2	ST5 x2 = Total ST 10	2	12	[  ][  ]
Manoeuvre Drive		2		2	2	[  ][  ]
Inertialess Drive		1		1	5	[  ]
Defence		No
Shield St 4		4		4	20	[  ][  ][  ][  ]
Shield St 3		2		2	8	[  ][  ]
Shield St 2		2		2	6	[  ][  ]
Point Defence		3		3	9	[  ][  ][  ]
Weapons & Systems		No	Facing
Tractor		1		1	3	[  ]
Turret		1		0	8	[  ]
Beam St 5		6	Forward	6	36	[  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ]
Beam St 5		4	Turret	4	24	[  ][  ][  ][  ]
Turret		4	All Round	0	44	[  ][  ][  ][  ]
Photon Torpedo Launcher		4	Forward	4	12	[  ][  ][  ][  ]
Fighter Bay		4		4	20	[  ][  ]
Fighters	F	32	8 Fighters in each Flight		64	F F F F F F F F   F F F F F F F F   F F F F F F F F   F F F F F F F F
Probe		1		1	8
Hull and Cargo
Hull	H				0	[  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ][  ][  ] [  ][  ][  ][  ]
Clever Metal		Yes		0	40
Total			Mass	40	431	Points

SCL6 - Rimnicu Villa - Cruiser. Codename Head Hunter

Novan Headhunters are amongst the largest of their 'Standard' vessels. It is unsure whether the 'Death's Head' design on their prow represents a supernatural entity or their impression of humanity. It certainly does not resemble any known Novan entity examined so far. 

Head hunters are heavily shielded with the usual concentration of Beam and Photon Torpedoes in their forward arc. They also carry a turreted array of beams to cover their flanks.

NOVAN		Ship	Head Hunter		Battle Cruiser
Core Systems		No			Mass	Cost	Comments
Bridge		2			2	32	[ ][ ]
Reactor		1			1	0	[ ]
Main Drive		1	Strength 5		1	6	[ ]
Secondary Drive		2	ST4 x2 = 8		2	10	[ ][ ]
Manoeuvre Drive		2			2	2	[ ][ ]
Inertialess Drive		1			1	5	[ ]
Defence		No
Shield St 4		4			4	20	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Shield St 3		3			3	12	[ ][ ][ ]
Shield St 2		2			2	6	[ ][ ]
Point Defence		2			2	6	[ ][ ]
Weapons & Systems		No	Facing
Tractor		1			1	3	[ ]
Beam St5		6	Forward		6	36	[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Beam St5		4	Turret		4	24	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Turret		4	Port, Forward, Starboard		0	32	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Photon Torpedo Launcher		4	Forward		4	12	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Hull and Cargo
Hull	H	35				0	[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Clever Metal		Yes			0	35
Total					35	243	Points