THE PRIME SECTOR
ROVER SHIPS
(PMR10.1) MERCHANT VESSEL (MV):
The Rover Merchant Vessel was a known for its size and massive cargo capacity. The ship was well armed with Sonic Weaponry, although fighting was not the vessel’s function. Like all Rovers, the Rover Merchant Vessel engaged in the trading of resources, information, food, weaponry, and items. Interestingly, the Rover Merchant Vessel carried a full compliment of Fighters, although they only used them in the most dire of circumstances. Friendly Empires often escorted Rover starships to Bases within their space. Some Hostile Empires refused to allow Rovers through their space and destroyed them on sight.
DESIGNER NOTES:
The Rovers provide a Scenario and Historical Purpose in the Prime Sector. They are Traders and Wanderers who roam the spaceways. The Existence of Rovers allows:
Technology to be passed from one Prime Empire to Another, but with Limitations.
News, Rumors, and Gossip to arrive from far beyond an Empire’s Borders. Some Rovers share their information freely; others are Information Brokers. Some Rovers are Spies.
Goods, Equipment, Resources, Hand Weapons, Devices, Food, and other Items to be Traded.
Rovers to be Attacked by Prime Empires and Pirates interested in the Rover’s Cargo.
The Rovers were initially just Targets for SFB. But I wanted them to be Armed Targets. If an Attacker was not careful, they could be destroyed. So successfully attacking a Rover starship required Tactics and Strategy; it was not simply a shoot-fest.
The Rovers are armed with Powerful Technology, greater than standard Prime Sector Empires. Had the Rovers been interested in conquest, they might well have succeeded. But their starships are spread out, trading, exploring, gathering resources, and recording information. In terms of the SSD’s, the Powerful Weapons are spread out with limited Firing Arcs in such a way so that their damage cannot be effectively concentrated. This allows the Rover starship to defend itself, but not to obliterate the attacker with overwhelming armaments.
Designing the Rover Merchant Vessel allowed me to create an SSD that did not have to fit the Prime Sector Heavy Cruiser Mold. This was a good exercise in creativity and SSD design.
The Sonic Wave is a Powerful Plasma Torpedo that arms over 4 Turns. The Sonic Cannon falls in-between a Light Tractor-Repulsor Beam and a Heavy Tractor-Repulsor Beam. It is treated as a Phaser with a high energy requirement to arm. The Sonic Field is a defensive device that pushes close targets away from the Rover starship, buying them precious time in combat. It is similar to the Attraction Repulsion Field used by the Alunda. Clearly, the Rovers are masters of Sonic Technology whose secrets they carefully guard.
Lastly, the Rover Merchant Vessel is outfitted with Fighters. The Fighters are basic, but due to their numbers, they can pose a serious problem for an attacker. Again, the purpose of the Fighters is to enhance the Rovers’ Defense, not to make them some sort of Assault Carrier attacking enemies.
Overall, the Rovers remain Neutral in their Dealings and Actions. They have to be in order to survive and prosper. The Rovers cannot take sides in whatever conflict is going on at the moment. Still, there are some hostile empires that simply will not tolerate the Rovers moving through their space. These hostile empires destroy the Rovers on sight, forcing the Rovers to avoid their region of space altogether.
SONIC CANNONS (SC):
⦁ Sonic Cannons require Two Points of Energy to Fire.
⦁ Sonic Cannons cannot be Held.
⦁ Sonic Cannons use a Capacitor System identical to Phasers.
⦁ Sonic Cannons are destroyed on Phaser Hits on the DAC.
Treat Sonic Cannons are Phasers in all other respects not noted above.
SONIC WAVES (SW):
⦁ Sonic Waves are armed over 4 Turns.
⦁ Sonic Waves require 2 points of energy on the First Turn, 2 points of energy on the Second Turn, 3 points of energy on the Third Turn, and 5 points of energy on the Fourth Turn.
⦁ Sonic Waves can be Held at a cost of 3 points per turn.
⦁ Sonic Waves do not have a Bolt, Enveloping, Shotgun, or Pseudo Function. The Rovers may develop this technology in the future.
Treat Sonic Waves as Plasma Torpedoes in all other respects not noted above.
SONIC FIELDS (SF):
⦁ Sonic Fields are armed over Two Turns.
⦁ Sonic Fields require 3 points of energy on the first turn and 3 points of energy of the second turn.
⦁ Sonic Field cannot be held, but can use a Rolling Delay for 3 points every turn.
⦁ Upon activation, the owning player chooses a target for the Sonic Field to affect. The target must be within the firing arc and be from 1-3 hexes from the Rover starship. The target can be a starship, asteroid, monster, shuttle, fighter, plasma, drone, or similar.
⦁ Once the target is chosen, the target will be pushed 1 hex away from the Rover starship every impulse following the impulse of activation. Each hex must move the target further away (not closer, in a parallel location, or in some other direction) from the Rover starship; in the case where there are two hexes to choose from, the Rover player will choose the hex. The target will stop moving once it reaches 4 hexes away from the Rover starship.
⦁ The Sonic Field will stop taking effect 3 impulses after the impulse of activation, regardless of where the target ended up (even if in the same place).
⦁ It is possible for a target to not move at all, if it is moving toward the Rover starship while the Sonic Field is actively attempting to push it away. This is the case with Seeking Weapons, but also with Starships or fighters moving quickly toward the Rover starship.
⦁ Tractor Beams are nullified or prevented by the activation of a Sonic Field. Negative Tractor Energy will have no effect on Sonic Fields.
⦁ Displacement and Quantum Transportation will negate the effects of a Sonic Field.
⦁ No To-Hit Roll is necessary when activating the Sonic Field; it automatically grabs the chosen target.
⦁ Sonic Fields are destroyed on Drone Hits on the DAC.
Sonic Fields are treated as Attraction Repulsion Fields in all other respects not noted above.
ROVER-1 FIGHTERS (R-1 FIGHTERS): Rover Basic Fighters armed with a Light Sonic Cannon. A Light Sonic Cannon scores half damage (round down) and is limited to a Range of 8.
