@RogerBW asked for a die roll:
Surprise and Shadow both turn to starboard.
Hunter attempts repairs: d6: 2
(In the Living Steel RPG/wargame, there’s an alien race called the Dragoncrests. They fight because their philosophy says fighting is the best possible thing to do. They are also sufficiently tough that where a human damage table has results like “incapacitate” or “kill” theirs have “insignificant”, “annoying” and “inconvenient”.)
3.C.1 Thor moves.
3.C.2 Surprise has AP, Hunter moves.
Thor will spend her Battery on “Defend Initiative”.
She will then move forward 1 space.
I’m not familiar with Living Steel (I’ll look into it), but my favourite video game of all time is Star Control II. In it, there’s a race known at the Thraddash, a violent, pig-like race of warmongers who fly small warships armed with weak forward cannons and powerful afterburners that leave damaging regions of plasma in their wake. Difficult to use ships, but in the right circumstances quite effective, especially against ships that can’t maneuver or accelerate quickly.
Anyway, when the hero meets the Thraddash, they are a slave-thrall race to the immensely powerful (and evil) Ur-Quan Hierarchy. The Thraddash believe that the strongest always rule: their culture is built on the idea that every time a more powerful culture comes along and conquers them, they adopt the ways and teachings of the new, stronger culture. The trouble is that whenever the old culture is conquered, there’s usually a limited thermonuclear exchange to determine who is really the strongest, so the Thraddash have nuked themselves back to the stone age four times before the hero meets them. They are now Culture 19, the one that was conquered by the Ur-Quan, but when the hero defeats enough Thraddash ships (around 20, I think?), the Thraddash abandon the Ur-Quan and become servants of the Alliance of Free Stars.
Thraddash Ambassador: “So, how should our new Culture conduct ourselves?”
Human Ambassador: “If you wish to learn our ways, you should do as we do.”
TA: “Ah! Ask a huge number of questions, and then attack when our enemies are bewildered as to why we continue to talk! What about what we should call our new, glorious Culture?”
HA: “I think it’s important that you name yourselves, since we are not overlords, but allies. What do you feel is the correct title for your new, more peaceful, but powerful culture?”
TA: “Oh, that’s tricky… hmmmm… something that encapsulates our new approach… urrrgghhh… and still does honour to our old ways… arrrgggghhhh… I’ve got it! We will name it… Culture 20!”
You then send the Thraddash off to slow down the genocidal Kohr-Ah, which the Thraddash barely put a dent in before retreating.
Gods, what a game…
Surprise reinforces aft.
Hunter moves straight.
Shadow uses Afterburner to turn starboard.
Hunter attempts repair: [roll d6[
@RogerBW asked for a die roll:
Try again, d6: 4
@Marx asked for a die roll:
Time to pay off on the chase, I hope!
Thor moves forward.
Weapons:
Thor locks Antimatter Torpedoes on Surprise and fires!
Range 2, hits on 2+ doing 4 damage:
d6: 3
@Marx asked for a die roll:
Phew! Okay, one damage through to the hull. Let’s see if we can finish her off…
Phasers at Range 2, hits of 1-3 will do 1 damage, 4+ does 2 damage:
d6: 6
@Marx asked for a die roll:
I don’t think that quite destroys Surprise, so Critical Damage:
2d6: 5 + 3 = 8
Oh, no, I take it back. 3 Shields plus 3 hull results in Surprise finally being able to be unsurprised.
Okay, one down. Caleb avenged. Let’s see if Thor can chalk up another one shortly.
Over to you!
@RogerBW asked for a die roll:
I agree, 3+3 is what you needed.
Hunter moves dead ahead.
_Shadow turns to starboard.
Hunter attempts repairs: d6: 2
No Batteries, so nothing from Thor.
Over to you for your Impulse E.
@RogerBW asked for a die roll:
No afterburners or firing.
Hunter’s repairs: d6: 4
3.F every ship AP and move.
Thor spends her AP on Reinforcing her Starboard Shields.
She then moves Forward.
@RogerBW asked for a die roll:
Shadow reinforces forward, Hunter reinforces aft.
Shadow and Hunter move forward.
Hunter’s repairs: d6: 4
One Red charge for both the Phasers and Torpedoes.
Thor adjust her curve to 2-4-2, prioritizing her guns a bit. Chasing down the Hunter at this point would take 2 more full turns… not impossible, but there is closer, more vulnerable prey.
Plus without Torpedoes, you could just bolt when I finally recharge them. The question is now whether I can destroy the Shadow before you rabbit, I think…
