THE HOURGLASS DOMAIN
ALLIANCE SHIPS
(HDR1.1) SOLDIER HEAVY CRUISER (CA):
The Alliance Soldier Heavy Cruiser was a formidable starship armed with two Starbolts, two Medium Missile Racks, two Heavy Pulse Guns, four Medium Pulse Guns, and four Light Pulse Guns. A healthy amount of Absorption Armor surrounded the vessel, complimented by a strong Shield Guard. The Alliance Soldier Heavy Cruiser was fitted with a standard array of Battery Capacitors, although there was never enough energy to power all the functions on the starship. Of particular note were the numerous amount of Laboratories on the Alliance Soldier Heavy Cruiser, for, despite its name, the starship also doubled as a Science Vessel when needed.
DESIGNER NOTES:
The Alliance Soldier Heavy Cruiser sets the stage for the rest of the Heavy Cruisers in the Hourglass Domain.
Careful thought was put into the design of the Pulse Guns and the Missiles, for they laid the foundation for combat in the Hourglass Domain and they would also be used by other Hourglass Empires. The areas of Damage, To-Hit, Launch Rate, and Arming Energy had to be thoroughly examined to make sure they would all mesh together during battle.
Starbolts needed to be compared against the Pulse Guns, to ensure that their damage output and energy requirements were similar. Starbolts, in particular, are reminiscent of Disruptor Bolts, with low damage rates and precise to-hit probabilities.
The strength of the Shield Guard was of concern, because this was the primary barrier against enemy fire before the Absorption Armor. It should be noted that while the Shield Guard can be brought down by a substantial amount of damage, it can also be reinforced. This is essential because the Absorption Armor cannot be reinforced. So if a 16 point Shield Guard is reinforced with 10 additional specific reinforcement, it becomes a 26 point Shield Guard. Of course, the vulnerability of the Shield Guard is the slow rate at which it can rotate, but this attribute was purposely built in.
A lot of thought went into the Battery Capacitors, because they doubled as both Batteries and Phaser Capacitors, while being tied into each set of Absorption Armor. Too much and the starship would have too much Reserve Power. Too little and the starship wouldn’t have enough power to fire its Pulse Guns. I believe I found the right balance.
Lastly, since many factors such as Speed, Damage, Defenses, etc. were toned down in the Hourglass Domain, it made sense to also tone down other areas such as Admin Shuttles, Maneuverability, and High Energy Turns. Hourglass starships are not the sleek, fast flying ships of the Alpha Sector; they are slow moving turtles which inch toward their target with unbreakable resolve. Their agility on the battlefield should reflect this fact.
STAR BOLTS (SB):
* May be fired up to 3 times per turn maximum, once every 4 impulses (not more rapidly than that).
* Each shot costs 1 point of energy to fire
* Energy for firings may be allocated during EA or drawn from Reserve Power.
* Star Bolts are destroyed on TORP Hits on the DAC.
Treat Star Bolts as Disruptor Bolts in all other respects not noted above.
LIGHT/MEDIUM/HEAVY MISSILES
* Light, Medium, and Heavy Missiles have the characteristics noted on the Light/Medium/Heavy Missile Chart. Note the Speed, Endurance, Warhead, Damage, and Space for each type
* Light Missile Racks have 8 Spaces for Missiles (32 Light Missiles available before the Rack needs to be Reloaded), 2 Sets of Reloads, and can launch up to 4 Light Missiles per Turn, once every 4 impulses (not more rapidly than that).
* Medium Missile Racks have 8 Spaces for Missiles (16 Medium Missiles available before the Rack needs to be Reloaded), 2 Sets of Reloads, and can launch up to 3 Medium Missiles per Turn, once every 4 impulses (not more rapidly than that).
* Heavy Missile Racks have 8 Spaces for Missiles (8 Heavy Missiles available before the Rack needs to be Reloaded),, 2 Sets of Reloads, and can launch up to 2 Heavy Missiles per Turn, once every 4 impulses (not more rapidly than that).
* All Missile Racks are destroyed on DRONE Hits on the DAC.
Treat Light, Medium, and Heavy Missiles as Drones in all other respects not noted above.
SHIELD GUARD (SGRD):
* The Shield Guard functions as a standard Shield but protects only one facing at a time.
* The Shield Guard may be reinforced with Specific Reinforcement, but not General Reinforcement
* The Shield Guard may be moved every 16 impulses (and not more rapidly than that). Note that the New Shield Guard Facing does NOT need to be adjacent to the Old Shield Guard Facing. Use the Shield Guard Tracking on the SSD to note the current Shield Guard Facing.
* Destroyed Shield boxes on the Shield Guard may be repaired normally using Damage Control.
* The Cost to raise the Shield Guard every Turn is noted on the SSD.
* The Shield Guard is destroyed on FLAG Hits on the DAC.
ABSORPTION ARMOR (AA):
* Acts as Armor except when each box is destroyed, one point of power is transferred to the Battery Capacitors (if any are available). The maximum energy that can be stored by the Battery Capacitors cannot be exceeded. This transference of energy is immediate and available the following impulse after the destruction. The transference of energy cannot be delayed or stored; if the Battery Capacitors are full or unavailable, the energy is permanently lost.
* Absorption Armor is directional and only protects a specific facing.
* Absorption Armor cannot be reinforced.
* Absorption Armor costs no energy to activate per turn.
BATTERY CAPACITORS (BTCP):
* Can be used as either Reserve Power or as a Capacitor to fire any type of Pulse Gun
* Each box stores one point of energy maximum
* Battery Capacitors are destroyed on Battery HITS on the DAC
LIGHT/MEDIUM/HEAVY PULSE GUNS (LPG/MPG/HPG):
* All Pulse Guns may fire every 4 impulses (and not more rapidly than that)
* Light Pulse Guns can fire up to 4 times per turn
* Medium Pulse Guns can fire up to 4 times per turn
* Heavy Pulse Guns can fire up to 3 times per turn
* Light Pulse Guns cost .25 energy per shot
* Medium Pulse Guns cost .50 energy per shot
* Heavy Pulse Guns cost .75 energy per shot
* All energy to fire Pulse Guns must from come from the Battery Capacitors (no other source is valid, either during EA or via Reserve Power).
Treat as Phasers in all other respects not noted above.
1/2 HET (HOURGLASS DOMAIN):
* Hourglass Starships can only turn up to 180 degrees during a HET, although the cost is the same
HOURGLASS ADMIN SHUTTLES:
* Takes 3 Hits to destroy
* Carries a Light Pulse Gun that can only fire once per turn
* Maximum Speed is 3
