Astral Conflict

Version 2.0
“Tabletop Rules for Wargaming in
the far reaches of Space”

Copyright © 2006
Youngdale Productions
www.clashofsteel.biz

$8.95

Registration # TXu-1-142-014
For ages 12 and up
 Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………….Page 03
Combat………………………..…………......Page 03
Strike Force and Fleet Commanders….…......Page 06
Fighter Class Boarding Parties……………....Page 07
Capital Class Ship Boarding Parties…….......Page 07
Master Engineers……………………...….....Page 07
Creating Custom Ships………………….......Page 08
Custom Weapons Table……………….….....Page 10
Creating Stats for a Capital Ship……….…....Page 11
Crew……………………………...……....….Page 13
Planets and Asteroids…………………….….Page 14
Capital Ships Attacking Planets……………..Page 15
Satellites and Probes…………………….......Page 15
Space Stations and Installations…………......Page 16
Suns and Solar Flares…………………...…..Page 16
Frigates…………………………………..…..Page 17
Escape Pods……………………..………..….Page 17
Space Mines………………………………....Page 17
Hit Locations Table……………………….....Page 18
Experience and Rewards…………...……......Page 19
Playing Astral Conflict Double-Blind……....Page 20
Scenarios…………………………….…........Page 21
Cloaking Devices……………….…………...Page 23
Progressive Tracking Targeting Computer….Page 24
Artificial Intelligence………………………..Page 24
Astral Conflict Play by Email…………….…Page 24

2
 Introduction

Greetings and Thank you for purchasing this product!

I hope you enjoy reading it and staging intergalactic
battles. You will find these rules compatible with most
space ship miniatures that you might possess. The ideal
size of the miniatures you use should be three to five
centimeters in length. You will also need a ruler and
dice to play this game.
The game board/surface can be as simple as a piece of
black felt. Miniatures, asteroids, moons, and planets
ideally should be mounted on stands. Combat is simple
and fast, with casualties happening soon and often. Bat-
tles should involve at least three ships on each side.
Feel free to create a history to your fleet and solar sys-
tems.

Combat

One game turn is divided into three phases. They are

the Movement Phase, the Shields/Repair Phase, and the
Weapons Fire Phase. Each phase is described below:

1. Movement Phase – Each player rolls one twenty-

sided die for each ship they are controlling. This is
called the “Movement Phase Initiative Roll.” Ships
move in the order of the die result, ties result in two or
more ships moving at once. Note that ships with Large
Crews (ex: all capital ships) may re-roll this result, but
the second roll stands.

Rolling a “1” results in your ship moving first. Ships

move up to a maximum number of centimeters accord-
ing to a die result. Which type of die you roll depends
on your ship’s engine type. A ship may make one 90
degree turn or two 45 degree turns during its movement.
Use a straight edge running lengthwise through the ship
to help determine the maximum angle available.

3
Ramming
Ships may ram into other ships if they have enough
movement left, can trace a straight and unobstructed line
to the target, and are at least half the size of the target
ship. Note though that capital ships may only be
rammed by other capital ships. Smaller ships would just
crumple against the capital ship’s hull. If two ships tie
in their movement phase initiative roll and only one of
them wants to ram the other, the defending ship gets to
move first and thus obviously the ram fails.
Damage from ramming is calculated in this phase and
immediately following the ramming. Roll one six-sided
die. If the ship that is ramming is larger than the target
ship, add one to the result. If the ramming ship is
smaller than the target ship, subtract one from the result.
On a die result of 4 or higher the target ship is hit. On a
result of 3 or less the ramming ship overshoots the tar-
get. Roll one six-sided die. The ramming ship is placed
that many centimeters past the target ship, along a
straight line from the original starting point.

If a ship overshoots a target and thus ends up ramming

another ship (friend or foe), the second target is auto-
matically hit. Note in this situation that if the ramming
ship is not a capital ship and second target is a capital
ship, the ramming ship is destroyed. No damage to the
capital ship in this situation.

To calculate damage on a ship that is rammed, measure

the total distance the ramming ship moved. That num-
ber (in centimeters) is equal to the number of hull points
of damage the target receives. If the target had its
shields readied, subtract one point of damage (subtract
two if the target is a capital ship). Usually this is irrele-
vant as the target ship will probably be destroyed if the
ramming ship moved any significant amount of distance.

Ships that successfully ram into other ships also take

damage! They take half the damage the rammed ship
takes (round down), before shields are taken into effect.
If the ramming ship had its own shields readied, it may
also subtract one point of hull damage (two points if it is
a capital ship).
Ships that are destroyed from the effects of ramming
are removed now from play. If by some miracle both
ships survive, place the ships 1D6 centimeters apart
from the point of contact. The facing of the ramming
ship will remain the same. The facing of the target ship
changes and is now spun to face in the direction directly
opposite the direction the attacking ship is facing.

If by some chance two ships have tied in their move-

ment phase initiative roll and both want to ram each
other, the following rules apply.

4
 Whichever of the two ships has the higher class engine
becomes the attacker, and the other the target. If both
ships have the same class engine, whichever ship has the
higher War Value becomes the attacker.
Both ships must have enough movement to have
reached each other from their original positions. Move
both ships halfway, facing each other and meeting in the
middle. The attacker automatically hits the target but
both ships take full damage! This damage will be the
distance they moved to meet in the middle. Readied
shields deflect one point of damage (two if both capital
ships). If the spaceships survive, they are then placed
end to end, facing opposite directions.

Example of ramming: Two fighter ships (not capital

ships) are 10 centimeters apart. Player 1’s ship is facing
the left side of Player 2’s ship and has Class II engines.
Player 1 rolls a “7” for movement initiative and the op-
posing player rolls a “9.” Player 1 moves first and rolls
2D10 for his movement due to Class II engines. He
rolls a total of 14. He can move fourteen centimeters
and does so, thus ramming into the side of Player 2’s
ship. Player 1’s ship is the same size as Player 2’s ship
so the 1D6 to hit die roll is unmodified. Player 1 rolls a
5, thus hitting Player 2’s ship. Both ships did not have
their shields readied so it is ugly. Player 2’s ship takes
10 points of hull damage and Player 1’s ship takes 5
points of hull damage. Both ships had less than 5 points
of hull left from previous turns, so they are both de-
stroyed and removed from play immediately.

2. Shields/Repair Phase – In this phase ships ready

their shields or try to repair shields that have been dam-
aged in the previous turn. Undamaged shields are acti-
vated on a six-sided die result of 3 or higher. Damaged
shields are repaired in this phase on a six-sided die result
of 4 or higher. Damaged shields that are repaired in this
phase cannot be readied until the next Shield/Repair
phase. Shields deflect one point of damage per attack
sustained (two points in the case of capital ships), but
then become damaged/down.

3. Weapons Fire Phase – In this phase all ships may

attack targets that are in range of their weapons. All
weapons on a ship may be fired once a turn. Multiple
targets are possible, but all secondary targets are at -1 to
hit on the roll result. Thus, subtract one from each die
result you get when attacking secondary targets. The
first target does not have this penalty. Each ship’s tar-
geting computer has its own die result that must be met
to hit a target.
Range is measured from the edge of the model where
the weapon is located to the edge of the target model. In
case of conflict, dice off to resolve issues.

5
 Damage in this phase is simultaneous. Ships that are
destroyed are not removed until the end of this phase.
Each weapon has its own damage value. Shields that
have been successfully readied in the Shield/Repair
phase may deflect one point of damage (two points in
case of capital ships) per weapon attack. But then the
shields have become “damaged” and must be repaired in
the next Shield/Repair phase. For example, a fighter
ship is hit from two lasers from one enemy and one
pulse torpedo from another enemy. The ship’s shields
will absorb a point of damage from each attack, for a
total of three.

Weapons are mounted on a ship’s front side, port side,

starboard side, or back side (facing rearward). A
weapon has a 90 degree firing arc originating from its
emplacement on the ship. An exception to this is the
laser batteries. They may be mounted in turrets for dou-
ble the War Value of the weapon. This gives them a 360
degree firing arc. For example, a medium laser battery
mounted in a turret would have a War Value of 20.
Note some capital ship class weapons may also be
mounted in turrets (scary indeed!). Damage is cumula-
tive, so keep track of damage done to each ship.

Strike Force and Fleet Commanders

If you have five or more ships you control fielded in

battle at once, one of them can be designated as the
Strike Force Commander (SFC). This person will be
located on any one of the ships, and adds one free re-roll
during the Shields/Repair Phase for any one of your
ships. He is the eyes and ears of the battle group and
communicates where the enemy is firing during battle.
A Strike Force Commander adds 10 to the War Value of
the ship he is located on.
If you have a group of ten or more ships you control
fielded in battle at once, one of them can be designated
as the Fleet Commander (FC). The Fleet Commander
must be located on the largest and most powerful (use
War Values and best judgment) of your ships. He adds
40 to the ship’s War Value but allows one free re-roll
during any phase. His guidance and experience lends
itself to the success of the whole battle group.
If your armada of ships includes capital class ships and
a strike force commander and/or fleet commander, they
will always be on the biggest capital class ship you have
in the armada. You need five ships in your armada to
field a Strike Force Commander, and ten ships to field a
Fleet Commander. Note that if you field fifteen or more
ships in a battle, you must have one Fleet Commander
and one or two Strike Force Commanders. Commanders
do not join boarding parties.

6
 Fighter Class Boarding Parties

Boarding takes place at the end of the movement phase

and is only possible if the attacking ship has a large
crew. The large crew includes a boarding party. To
board a ship, your ship must end its movement alongside
the target ship. Line up the ships side to side and touch-
ing. This is NOT a ram attack. The target ship must
have ended its movement also. If the target ship has not
moved yet and the attacking ship is right next to it, the
target can just simply move away to avoid being
boarded.
So if an attacking ship ends up next to the target and
wishes to board, roll 1D6. A result of 4 or higher means
the attacking boarding party has breached the hull and
entered the target ship. Now the target ship crew gets to
fight back. The defenders rush to meet the boarders.
Both players roll 1D8 and highest result wins (ties go to
the defender). If the defender wins, the boarding party is
killed and both players retain control of their respective
ships. The attacking ship can no longer board any other
ships this game, as its boarding party has been killed.
If the attacking boarding party wins the roll-off, they
have taken control of the ship. The target ship’s crew is
killed. The attacker controls the ship now, but cannot
attack with it. The ship remains where it is for the rest
of the game but can be used as normal the next game.
The boarding party can return to the attacking ship and
attempt other boardings on subsequent turns. But if the
boarding party leaves the conquered ship, another board-
ing party from any other player can enter automatically.
Boarding attacks against abandoned ships succeed auto-
matically and ownership transfers to the new party.

Capital Ship Boarding Parties

Capital ship boarding parties are highly trained, and

thus they receive a +1 to their 1D6 roll to breach a hull
of any non-capital ship. Thus they breach a hull on a 3
or higher when trying to board a non-capital class ves-
sel.
If two ships tie in their movement initiative roll and
want to board each other, they must have enough move-
ment to meet in the middle. Both teams roll 1D10 ver-
sus each other, highest roll wins and kills the other
boarding party. Re-roll ties. The ship that lost the com-
bat between boarding parties can no longer board ships
this game.

Master Engineers

A Master Engineer may be added to a capital ship’s

crew for a War Value cost of 30. The Master Engineer
allows one free re-roll of the ship’s Movement Rate roll
during the Movement phase. The Master Engineer is
not part of the boarding party.

7
 Creating Custom Ships

Use the following tables to create a custom spacecraft

and its corresponding stats. First, pick your hull type.
The hull points is how many points of damage a ship can
withstand before being destroyed. The “max. # of weap-
ons” column shows how many weapons you can fit on
that hull type. Each hull type also comes with shields.
Now you pick your engine type. The movement rate
column shows you which and how many dice to roll
during the movement phase. Note that if you have Warp
Drive engines, your movement will range from 11-22
cm.
Picking your targeting computer comes next. Each
type of targeting computer has its own “to hit” die type
that is used when rolling to see if a target it hit. The
“Hits on” column shows what unmodified die result is
needed to hit a target.
Now pick your weapons. Keep in mind the maximum
you can have due to hull type. The damage a weapon
can do is given in hull points. When you have finished
your ship, add up all the War Values of what you have
picked. This is the total War Value for your ship. War
Values are used to compare ships and create armadas.

Hull Types
Hull Type Hull Max. # of Weap- War
Points ons Allowed Value
Alpha 5 1 10
Class
Beta Class 10 2 20
Cruiser 20 4 40
Class
Destroyer 40 8 80
Class
Battlestar 60 10 100
Class
Behemoth 80 10 160
Class
Gargan- 100 12 200
tuan Class

Note that the first four hull types above are Fighter class
hull types. The Battlestar, Behemoth, and Gargantuan
Class hull types are for Capital ships. Creating a custom
Capital ship is discussed after the following tables.

8
 Engine Types
Engine Movement War Notes
Type Rate (cm) Value
Class I 2D8 10
Class II 2D10 20
Class 2D12 40
III
Warp 1D12+10cm 75 Not allowed on
Drive Alpha Class
hulls
Class 1D20+5cm 80 Capital Class
IV Engine
Class V 1D20+15cm 100 Capital Class
Engine
Class 2D20+10cm 150 Capital Class
VI Engine

Regular Weapon Systems

Weapon Range Damage War
(cm) Value
Battery, 5 2 5
Small Laser
Battery, 8 3 10
Medium Laser
Battery, 10 4 20
Large Laser
Ion Cannon 4 5 15
Pulse Torpedo 12 5 45

Targeting Computers

Targeting Roll “to Hits on War

Computer hit” die Value
Antiochus 1D8 7 or 8 10
4000
Magellan 9L 1D6 5 or 6 20
Nether X5 1D8 6,7, or 8 30
Starkiller 480 1D6 4,5, or 6 50

9
 Custom Weapons Table

Below is an custom weapons table to be used to design

new systems. Be sure you get your opponent’s approval
before using a ship with a custom weapon system. Note
that each of the weapon systems below fires one shot/
torpedo, and is not mounted in a turret. Double the War
Value of the weapon system if it is to be mounted in a
turret.

Weapon Range Damage War Value

2 5 5
4 2 3
4 5 15
5 2 5
5 5 20
6 2 8
8 3 10
8 5 25
10 4 20
10 5 30
12 5 45
12 2 15
20 2 30
20 5 50
25 2 35
30 2 40

10
 Creating Stats for a Capital Ship

Follow the simple steps below to create the stats for

your capital ship, adding up the War Value as you go
along.

Hull Types
The following hull types are available for capital ships:
Battlestar Class, Behemoth Class, and Gargantuan Class.
Battlestar Class ships have 60 Hull Points and have a
base War Value of 100. Behemoth Class ships have 80
Hull Points and have a base War Value of 160. Gargan-
tuan Class ships have 100 Hull Points, and have a base
War Value of 200.

Weapon Systems
Capital ships employ much larger weapons than the
standard fighters described on the previous pages. Both
the Battlestar and Behemoth Class ships can have up to
ten weapons. The Gargantuan Class ship can have up to
twelve weapons, but note can only target up to ten tar-
gets at once (if it has ten or more weapons).

Besides the standard weapons listed on page 9, the

weapons options for capital ships are as follows: Capi-
tal Class Laser Batteries, Pulse Torpedo Racks, Ion
Repeating Cannons. A Capital Class Laser Battery has
a War Value of 100, a range of 20 cm, is turret-mounted,
and deals 5 hull points of damage.

A Pulse Torpedo Rack will fire 1D6 torpedoes in the

Weapons Fire Phase. All these torpedoes from a rack
must be targeted at a single target. The torpedoes have a
range of 30 cm and deal 2 hull points of damage per
torpedo. Roll to hit for each torpedo. A Pulse Torpedo
Rack can only be forward mounted or rear mounted, no
turrets. A Pulse Torpedo Rack has a War Value of 150
per rack.

An Ion Repeating Cannon is turret-mounted like a

Capital Class Laser Battery. Its range is 10 cm and fires
1D4 shots at a single target in the Weapons Fire Phase.
Each shot does 5 hull points of damage, roll to hit with
each shot. The War Value for one Ion Repeating Can-
non is 80.

Targeting Computers
Only two options are available for capital ships, the
Flyswatter and the Equalizer. The Flyswatter allows
you to hit capital ships on a 6,7, or 8 (on 1D8) and all
other ships on a 5,6,7, or 8 (on 1D8). The War Value of
the Flyswatter is 80.
The Equalizer allows you to hit all ships on a 4,5, or 6
(on 1D6). The War Value of the Equalizer is 100. As
you can see, capital ships are pricey in War Value when
compared with the fighters!

11
Engine Types
Besides the engine types listed previously, three en-
gine types are available for the capital ships: they are the
Class IV, Class V, and Class VI. Class IV engines give
you 1D20+5 cm of possible movement a turn, and have
a War Value of 80. Class V engines give you 1D20+15
cm of possible movement a turn, and have a War Value
of 100. Class VI engines give a ship 2D20+10 cm of
possible movement a turn, and have a War Value of 150.

Following is an example of a capital class ship:

Ship Name: The Intimidator

Crew Size: Large (War Value: 10)
Hull Type: Battlestar (War Value: 100)
Hull Points: 60
Engine Type: Class IV (War Value: 80)
Movement: 1D20+5 cm
Targeting Computer: Flyswatter (War Value: 80)
Weapons: 3 Capital Class Laser Batteries
(War Value: 300, Range: 20cm, Damage: 5 ea)
Total War Value: 570

Capital ships are much larger than the fighter class

spacecraft. All the current game rules apply to capital
ships, with the following few exceptions:
• Only capital ships can ram other capital ships.
• Capital ships can damage and destroy planets.
• A capital ship’s shields deflect two points of dam-
age per attack, instead of the normal one.
• A capital ship’s crew must always be upgraded to
“Large Crew” for a War Value of 10.
• All capital ships are automatically equipped with an
escape pod at no charge.
Note that spaceship miniatures representing capital
ships must be significantly larger than regular ships dur-
ing the game. Miniatures 9cm and larger are ideal. The
space mine laying capability can be added to Capital
ships as well as cargo bays.

Ship Template

Ship Name: _______________

Crew Size: _______________
Hull Type: _______________
Hull Points: _________
Engine Type: _____________
Movement: __________
Targeting Computer: _______
Weapons: _______________
________________________

Total War Value: __________

12
 Crew

Crews can vary in size and experience. A crew of av-

erage size and experience comes with each ship you
design. To get a bigger or more experienced crew will
add to the War Value of the ship. An experienced crew
will add 20 to a ship’s War Value but will allow one free
re-roll during the Weapons Fire Phase for that ship. A
large crew (not allowed on Alpha Class hull types) adds
10 to a ship’s War Value but allows for one free re-roll
of the Movement Phase Initiative roll for that ship. In
either case, re-roll results are counted even if worse than
the original roll. Below are two examples of custom
created spacecraft……

Ship Name: Scorpion

Crew Size: Large
Hull Type: Beta Class
Hull Points: 10
Engine Type: Class II
Movement: 2D10
Targeting Computer: Nether X5
Weapons: Medium Laser Battery
Small Laser Battery
Total War Value: 95

Ship Name: The Mauler

Crew Size: Average
Hull Type: Cruiser Class
Hull Points: 20
Engine Type: Class I
Movement: 2D8
Targeting Computer: Starkiller 480
Weapons: Ion Cannon
2 Medium Laser Batteries
Total War Value: 135

13
 Planets and Asteroids

Planets and asteroids can hide ships from sight from

others. A model cannot be targeted if it is completely
hidden from view of an attacker. If the target of an at-
tack is behind cover and 50-99% hidden from view,
damage from successful attacks on the target will be
halved (round down). Asteroids may be the target of
attacks and have structure points similar to hull points.
For each centimeter of diameter, an asteroid will have
five structure points. Asteroids can be targeted in the
Weapons Fire phase and are automatically hit.
If an asteroid has been targeted and successfully de-
stroyed in the Weapons Fire phase, it explodes and frag-
ments scatter 1D6 cm out from the center of the asteroid.
Ships and other asteroids hit by these fragments take one
point of hull/structure damage. Shields may be used to
deflect damage from exploding asteroids. Damage from
asteroid fragments like all other damage in the Weapons
Fire phase is simultaneous. Note that one exploding
asteroid might trigger a nearby asteroid to also explode!
Note also that a tactic might be to target an asteroid next
to a desired target ship, hoping that the asteroid will ex-
plode and damage the nearby ship.
A planet cannot be destroyed by fighter spacecraft.
Attacking a planet with a Capital class ship is allowed.
This is explained later. Any ship must remain at least 2
cm away from a planet to avoid its gravitational pull.
Moons that are at least 4 cm in diameter are considered
planets. Moons that are less than 4 cm in diameter are
considered asteroids. They therefore may be targeted
and destroyed. Remember five structure points for each
cm in diameter.
A ship may also intentionally ram an asteroid. It will
automatically hit and do damage like normal ramming.
The distance the ship traveled in cm is the number of
structure points in damage it does to the asteroid. The
ship take half damage, rounded down. If by some mira-
cle the asteroid survives, place the ship (if that survives
also) directly on the other side of the asteroid.

14
 Capital Ships Attacking Planets

Capital ships are capable of attacking planets, but can-

not ram them. Well, they could, but they would be de-
stroyed with no major effect on the planet. Planets are
hit on a 1D6 result of 2,3,4,5 or 6. Planets have 100
structure points per cm of diameter, with a minimum of
400 structure points. Planets must be represented by a
model that is at least 4 cm in diameter. Ten cm and lar-
ger in diameter for planets is ideal.

Destroyed planets vaporize ALL ships and asteroids

within 10 cm of the planet. Ships that are 11-20 cm
away from a destroyed planet suffer 10 points of hull
damage. Ships that are 21-30 cm away suffer 5 points
of hull damage. Shields may be used to deflect damage
from exploding planets.
Capital ships still have to stay the standard 2 cm away
from planets to avoid the gravitational pull.

Satellites and Probes

Either side may use satellites and probes to help lo-

cated hidden targets and transmit messages. A round
blue marker, 1/2 cm in diameter, represents a satellite.
A round red marker, 1/2 cm in diameter, represents a
probe. Satellites have a War Value of 10 each and can
broadcast radio/TV communication transmissions out to
a range of 20 cm. Satellites are placed before a battle
begins. They pick up all unscrambled enemy communi-
cations if the enemy ship is within 10 cm of the satellite.
Scrambled enemy communications are picked up on a
1D6 roll result of 5 or 6.
A satellite can bounce a transmission from itself to a
ship or another satellite in range. Thus if someone has
enough satellites positioned on the map within range of
each other, they can transmit across a large area. A sat-
ellite can move 2 cm during a friendly ship’s movement.
Satellites have two hull points each, and are automati-
cally hit if targeted in the Weapons Fire phase. Satel-
lites may not have shields and cannot be rammed.
Probes have a War Value of 5 each and automatically
detect hidden/cloaked ships within 8 cm of the probe. A
probe can transmit ship locations to friendly ships only,
and out to a range of 15 cm. If a probe is within 8 cm of
an enemy ship that is behind cover, it will relay its posi-
tion to all friendly ships within 15 cm. The friendly
ships can then target the enemy ship (they still must
have line of sight and see 50% of that target), and dam-
age is not halved.
Probes have one hull point each and are automatically
hit if targeted in the Weapons Fire phase. Probes may
not have shields and cannot be rammed. A ship can
carry up to two probes. Probes are launched from a ship
during its movement, and at any time along its move-
ment path. Probes do not move from their drop-off loca-
tion.

15
 Space Stations and Installations

A small space station may be placed on a moon or as-

teroid that is at least four centimeters in diameter. A
space station has a base War Value of 20 and may house
two weapons. The station is usually around one centi-
meter in diameter. Use the Weapons Systems table for
custom ships to pick the weapons for the station. Add
the appropriate War Value of all weapons to the base
War Value. A space station have five hull points and
has a base-to-hit of 7 or 8 (on 1D8) for targets. Space
stations may be targeted and are treated as ships for tar-
geting purposes. A space station located on an asteroid
may not be rammed, but the asteroid still can be
rammed. An asteroid that explodes from ramming or
taking damage from weapons automatically destroys any
space stations on it.
Installations are located on moons and planets only.
They are used to launch Alpha Class fighter ships and
fire Weapons at enemy ships orbiting the planet/moon.
Installations’ War Values and capabilities are deter-
mined by measuring the size of the installation. Installa-
tions are a minimum of three square centimeters.
For every one square centimeter of building, the instal-
lation has five hull points, a War Value of five, and can
house one weapon. Don’t forget to add the weapon’s
War Value you choose to the overall installation value.
For every five square centimeters of size, an installation
can support one Alpha Class ship. The ship can take off
and land from the installation. Note that an installation
cannot be larger that the size of the planet it resides on.
Enemy ships can target installations. An installation
has a base-to-hit of 5 or 6 on 1D6 when attacking space-
craft. Installations may also receive transmissions from
satellites and can act as a relay station. Alpha Class
ships that are launching from an installation roll for ini-
tiative like everyone else, and move just like other ships
during the Movement phase.

Suns and Solar Flares

Suns are at least 10 cm in diameter and may be as large

as you wish. Suns cannot be destroyed by any means.
Any spacecraft within 5 cm of a sun may be hit by a
solar flare every turn that they are within range. Check
for solar flares during a ship’s movement when a ship
either starts, ends, or passes near a sun. Roll an eight-
sided die. On a result of an eight, the ship is hit by a
solar flare and takes five hull points of damage. Readied
shields may subtract one hull point of damage and re-
main undamaged. A starship equipped with lasers may
attempt to increase the chances of a solar flare. During
the Weapons Fire phase, a ship may target a sun within
range of its lasers. The sun is automatically hit, and
every starship within 5 cm has a chance of being hit by a
flare. Roll one eight-sided die for each ship in range.
On a result of 7 or 8, a flare hit the ship for five hull
points of damage. Readied shield may subtract one hull
point of damage and remain undamaged.

16
 Frigates

Frigates are created like any other starship with a few

exceptions. Frigates may not have Alpha Class hulls.
For every other hull type, they may have one cargo bay
per weapon slot allowed. They may have only one
weapon no matter what. For example, a frigate is cre-
ated with a Cruiser Class hull. It may have four cargo
bays, or three cargo bays and a weapon. Each cargo bay
can carry one ton or cargo.
Frigates may have reinforced hulls at the cost of a War
Value of five. Increase your frigate’s War Value by
five, and your hull points by five. During movement,
frigates are not allowed any 90-degree turns. They are
allowed up to two 45-degree turns only. Frigates may
ram, and can be quite good at it!

Escape Pods

All starships (except those with Alpha Class or Beta

Class hulls) can be equipped with an escape pod. The
pod can carry the entire crew and can be jettisoned in the
Shields/Repair phase of the turn. An escape pod adds 5
to the ship’s War Value. Once the pod is jettisoned, it
will move 1D6 cm in a random direction every Move-
ment phase. A pod starts out directly behind the ship
that jettisoned it. Roll 1D6 and consult the picture be-
low to find the direction the pod will travel that turn.

Escape pods that end up ramming into something be-

fore the end of the game are destroyed and the inhabi-
tants killed. Pods can be targeted and have 3 hull points.
Pods ramming into other pods ends up with both pods
destroyed.

Space Mines

Any starship can obtain space mine-laying capability

by adding 15 to its War Value. During the Weapons
Fire phase, a ship may drop mines directly behind it as
long as there are no ships within 3 cm aft of the mine-
layer). If it is laying mines, the mine-laying ship may
not fire any weapons during the Weapons Fire phase.
Place a round counter 2 cm in diameter directly behind
the minelayer.
Any starship or pod that intentionally or accidentally
moves into (or touches) a minefield takes 1D6 hull
points of damage. The minefield is clear after that. A
starship with mine-laying capability may lay mines fives
times in a single game. Minefields can only be cleared
by moving through and them. Mines cannot be targeted
by weapons.

17
 Hit Locations (Optional Rule)

If you want to make combat a bit more complicated

and interesting, here is a Hit Location table. When a
ship is hit by another ship’s weapons in the Weapons
Firing phase, and the damage penetrates the shields, roll
on the table below……

1D6 Roll Location Hit Effect on game

Result
1 Cockpit/Bridge Crew killed and ship crip-
pled. Ship remains sta-
tionary for rest of game.
2 Engine Core Defender’s ship move-
ment decreased by one cm
for rest of game. Cumula-
tive results possible.
3 Weapon Defender picks one
weapon that is destroyed.
4 Energy Cells/ Defender’s ship takes 2
Ammo extra hull points of dam-
age.
5 Quarters Defender’s ship loses its
boarding party.
6 Cargo Hold If carrying cargo, cargo is
lost.

The results take effect immediately. Note that a ship

can become pretty useless if its movement is reduced to
zero by engine core hits, or all its weapons destroyed by
weapon hits. A ship with a destroyed cockpit/bridge
may be boarded automatically, but the ship is still crip-
pled and remains stationary for the rest of that game.

18
 Experience and Rewards

So there you are, gloriously undefeated in many battles

with your trusty star fighter. But besides bragging rights
and a few captured ships, you don’t have much to show
for it. Well, here is an optional rule covering the experi-
ence your crew would get surviving all those battles.
Total up the times your particular ship was on the win-
ning side in a game. Now total up the times your ship
was on the losing side in a game. If your ship was ever
destroyed, you obviously can’t take advantage of this
rule. Divide the winning total by the losing total. Obvi-
ously, the higher the number the better. For every multi-
ple of two (round down), your crew gains one experi-
ence point. If you are undefeated, you claim every two
victories as an experience point! Experience points are
“banked” as soon as they are earned. This is so you
don’t lose any earned points if your win-loss ratio
changes for the worse.
Here is an example. Player Joe has played two games,
and he has lost one and won one game. His ship sur-
vived both games. The third game Joe wins. His 2-1
record gives him one experience point (2 divided by 1 =
2 which equals one experience point). He records that.
He loses his fourth game but his ship survives. His
number is now 1 (2 divided by 2) but he still has his one
experience point. If Joe wins his next two games, he
will get another experience point (4 divided by 2). Crew
experience points can be “cashed in” for the following
benefits:

Benefit Experience Point

Cost
Weapon Specialist Team 2
(Choose one weapon on your
ship, add 2 cm to its range to re-
flect crew experienced w/weapon
system)
Master Engineer (May roll 3
Movement Rate once a turn)

Master Navigator (May make an 4

additional 45-degree turn once a
turn during the Movement phase)

Damage Control Team (Total 5

damage taken each turn is re-
duced by 2 points)

This optional experience rule can be used in conjunc-

tion with the basic rules for large/experienced crew, or
as a substitute for those rules.

19
 Playing Astral Conflict Double-Blind

This is an optional method of playing Astral Conflict to

simulate the vastness of space and limited range of sen-
sor technology. Two, three, or four players maximum is
best, unless you have a large playing area. First, you
need to have two playing fields that are exactly the same
in size. Or just split your playing surface in two, with a
blind in the middle. Whatever planets, asteroids, etc.
you place in one playing field must also be placed in the
other. You are simulating the same area of space with
both playing fields. One playing area will be used by
one team, and the other area by the opposing team.
Place a large barrier/blind between both playing fields
so that one team cannot see the other team’s area.
Each side places their ships within 10 cm of the closest
edge to them. Markers or counters will also be needed
to indicate locations of enemy ships when detected.
Satellites and probes become important now in this
game. Each ship has sensors that will detect any ship/
satellite/probe within 16 cm of a 90-degree arc originat-
ing from the front of the ship. See the diagram below:

Once anything has been detected, the player may place

a marker where the object has been found on his map.
Note that if an enemy ship or satellite moves out of sen-
sor range, the marker is removed. Objects are detected
during the ship’s turn in the Movement phase, and you
may avoid ramming an enemy ship you would have run
into. Just don’t move your ship the maximum distance.
Note that all side automatically know asteroid, planet,
and sun locations during the game. Use these as points
of reference to help determine distances.
Probes will detect enemy ships within 8 cm and can
relay their location to friendly ships within 15 cm. So
one can definitely extend their search range by utilizing
probes. Satellites work in a similar but different way.
Any ship within 10 cm that uses unscrambled transmis-
sion delivery will alert the satellite of a presence. The
satellite will relay to a friendly ship out to 20 cm that
audio transmissions have been picked up. It will iden-
tify the audio as friend or foe, but cannot give exact lo-
cations. A satellite on a 1D6 result of 5 or 6 picks up
scrambled transmissions, but cannot determine if it is
friend or foe. Any ship may obtain a scrambled trans-
mission delivery system by adding 20 to its War Value.
Note that space mines, space stations, and installations
also remain hidden until sensors detect them. Once they
have been detected, their location will be known for the
rest of the game. This is because they don’t move!

20
 Escape pods are detected exactly like ships. Friendly
ships can broadcast their own location and transmissions
to other friendly ships out to a range of 24 cm.

Scenarios

Following are some scenarios to give a purpose to your

game, besides just the annihilation of your opponent.
Creating missions/scenarios and background stories adds
flavor to your games.

Scenario One
“Boarding the Cutlass”
Number of Players: 2
Mission Objective:
Attacker: Successfully board the “Cutlass” to retrieve
secret weapon documents
Defender: Maneuver the “Cutlass” across the playing
field and avoid being boarded
Game Duration: six turns maximum
Description: The ever-elusive “Cutlass” has been seen
in your patrol zone and rumor says it carries documents
pertaining to construction of a new secret weapon. You
just made captain and your crew is new, but catching the
“Cutlass” would be pivotal to your career. You set full
course to the coordinate the “Cutlass” was last at, and
hope your cadet training has prepared you…..
Mission Parameters: The game-playing surface should
be around 80 cm by 80 cm. The game ends and the de-
fender wins if they exit the opposite side of the board by
the end of the sixth turn, destroy the attacker, or resist
being boarded by the end of the sixth turn. The Cutlass
is not allowed to exit the board until after the fourth
turn. The attacker wins if they successfully board the
“Cutlass.” The attacker does NOT win if they destroy
the “Cutlass,” as this would mean the documents are
destroyed also. The attacker and defender may each
place one asteroid (2 cm in diameter at least) anywhere
on the field. Attacker places first. Players start on op-
posite sides of the board, within 5 cm of the edge and at
least 5 cm away from any asteroids.
Optional Rules: If both players agree, the Hit Location
Table may be used in this scenario

Ship Name: The Cutlass (Defender)

Crew Size: Average
Hull Type: Cruiser Class
Hull Points: 20
Engine Type: Class I
Movement: 2D8
Targeting Computer: Starkiller 480
Weapons: 2 Medium Laser Batteries

Total War Value: 120

21
Ship Name: The Aurora (Attacker)
Crew Size: Average
Hull Type: Cruiser Class
Hull Points: 20
Engine Type: Class I
Movement: 2D8
Targeting Computer: Nether X5
Weapons: Larger Laser Battery
Small Laser Battery
Total War Value: 105

Scenario Two
“For a fistful of Fusion”
Number of Players: 2-6 players with at least ten ships
total
Mission Objective:
Attacker: Reach and take control of the planet Yogera
for ship repairs
Defender: Defend the planet Yogera from attackers,
destroy half of attacker’s force
Game Duration: 1D8+4 turns or until half of the at-
tacker’s force is destroyed
Description: After a recent vicious battle near the
planet Nyela, you have guided your task force toward
the industrial planet of Yogera for repairs. The problem
is, Yogera is not under your control and the defenders
know you are coming. But Yogera is rich with re-
sources and you can’t risk a bigger battle with another
foe at any other planet…...
Mission Parameters: The game playing surface should
be at least 100 cm by 100 cm. Each side starts with an
equal number of ships, and the defender’s total War
Value of its force may be 1-30 points greater than the
attacker’s total War Value. The defender may also in-
clude in its force a space station or installation on Yo-
gera. This counts towards the War Value limit. Place a
planet that is at least 10 cm in diameter within 10 cm of
one edge of the board. Place all the defender’s ships
within 15 cm of the planet to start. Place the attacker’s
ships within 15 cm of the opposite side of the board.
The game ends and the defender wins if at least half of
the attacker’s force is destroyed (the attacker flees). The
attacker wins if they can reach Yogera and destroy all
defending ships within 5 cm of the planet. If neither of
these conditions is met by the end of the game duration,
the game is a draw.
Optional Rules: If both players agree, the Hit Location
table may be used for this scenario

22
Scenario Three
“Return to the Rock”
Number of Players: 2-4
Mission Objective: Have at least one ship survive at
the end of turn ten
Game Duration: 10 turns or until only one player sur-
vives
Description: Various scouting ships from different
fleets have accidentally encountered each other in an
asteroid field. Surprised and flustered, someone gets
trigger-happy and opens fire. Chaos ensues and carnage
reigns………….
Mission Parameters: The game surface should be
around 60 cm by 60 cm. Randomly place around 30
asteroids all over the board, making sure that there is at
least one asteroid per 10x10cm square (if you imagine a
grid placed over the surface). Each player has only two
ships, each within 10 cm of each other and within 10 cm
of a board edge. Each player’s combined War Value of
their two ships shall not exceed 225 points. No Capital
Class ships. Last one standing wins! There should be a
lot of asteroids exploding and shrapnel in this game!
Shifting alliances and backstabbing is to be encouraged!
Optional Rules: Place 1-5 space stations on appropri-
ately sized asteroids. These stations are neutral, and will
fire on any ship within range of their weapons.

Cloaking Devices (Optional Rule)

Installing a cloaking device on your starship doubles its

War Value. But as long as you don’t fire any weapons,
enemies cannot shoot at you during the Weapons Fire
phase. But if during a turn you fire your weapons, ene-
mies can attack you that turn. For instance, you can
move all over the board, and as long as you don’t shoot
at anyone or attempt to ram, no one can touch you. If
you are using the Hit Location table on page 18, any roll
result of 6 means the Cloaking Device was hit and de-
stroyed. So swap Cargo Hold for Cloaking Device on
the Location table. This optional rule can unbalance
game play if only one side employs Cloaking Devices.

23
 Progressive Tracking Targeting Computer

This targeting computer has a War Value of 80. It has

a firing sequence that allows it to become more accurate
as turns progress. On the first turn, the ship with this
targeting computer hits on a 1D8 result of 6,7, or 8. On
the second turn, the ship hits on a 1D6 result of 4,5, or 6.
On the third turn, the ship automatically hits its primary
target and secondary targets are hit on a 1D6 result of
3,4,5, or 6. After the third turn, start the sequence over
with the “to hit” roll of 6,7, or 8 on 1D8. Repeat this
sequence throughout the game. Capital class ships can
also install this targeting computer. This is an optional
rule and all opponents must agree to its use on any ship.

Artificial Intelligence

Instead of a “flesh and bone” type of crew, you can

replace them with robots. Robotic crew count as experi-
enced, but cannot be large. Thus a robotic crew allows
one free re-roll during the Weapons Fire Phase for that
ship. Robotic crews also add a +1 to their 1D8 roll re-
sult when defending against boarding parties. A robotic
crew adds 30 to a ships’ War Value. Any size ship can
have a robotic crew, and they are usually humanoid in
size and shape.

Astral Conflict Play by Email

Playing Astral Conflict by electronic mail is not hard

to setup. Using a map divided into hexes is best. A
scale of three cm per hex side should work, but then
modification of starship movement and weapon ranges
is needed. Three centimeters is equal to roughly 1.18
inches. See the tables below to convert to 3cm hex type
of movement/shooting……

Engine Types

Engine Movement War Notes

Type Rate (hexes) Value
Class I 4 10
Class II 6 20
Class 8 40
III
Warp 10 75 Not allowed on
Drive Alpha Class
hulls
Class 11 80 Capital Class
IV Engine
Class V 12 100 Capital Class
Engine
Class 14 150 Capital Class
VI Engine

24
 Regular Weapons Systems

Weapon Range Damage War

(hexes) Value
Battery, 2 2 5
Small Laser
Battery, 3 3 10
Medium Laser
Battery, 3 4 20
Large Laser
Ion Cannon 1 5 15
Pulse Torpedo 4 5 45

Capital Class Weapons

Weapon Range Damage War

(hexes) Value
Laser Battery 7 5 100
Pulse Torpedo 10 2/torpedo 150
Rack
Ion Repeating 3 5/shot 80
Cannon

The Pulse Torpedo Rack fires 1D6 torpedoes in the

Weapons Fire Phase. All these torpedoes from a rack
must be targeted at a single target. The torpedoes deal 2
hull points of damage per torpedo. Roll to hit for each
torpedo. A Pulse Torpedo Rack can only be forward
mounted or rear mounted, no turrets.

The Ion Repeating Cannon is turret-mounted like a

Capital Class Laser Battery. It fires 1D4 shots at a sin-
gle target in the Weapons Fire Phase. Each shot does 5
hull points of damage, roll to hit with each shot.

One person is the referee and updates the map for all
players, showing where each ship is located. The play-
ers e-mail the referee their targets, and the referee makes
the rolls for them. To determine ranges of anything not
covered in the above tables, round to the nearest division
of three. The range is that many hexes. For example, a
Weapon Specialist Team adds 2cm to a weapon’s range.
That equates to one hex (3cm) added to the weapon’s
range. Escape Pods move 2 hexes in a random direction
every Movement phase. Suns are at least 3 hexes in
diameter. Create house rules for other questionable
ranges beforehand to eliminate possible conflict. The
referee makes all rolls for the players to eliminate cheat-
ing. This hex conversion can also be used for regular
game play, thus eliminating the randomness of move-
ment.

25
 ASTRAL CONFLICT
Version 2.0

Engine Types
Engine Type Movement Rate (cm) War Value Notes
Class I 2D8 10
Class II 2D10 20
Class III 2D12 40
Warp Drive 1D12+10cm 75 Not allowed on Alpha Class hulls
Class IV 1D20+5cm 80 Capital Class Engine
Class V 1D20+15cm 100 Capital Class Engine
Class VI 2D20+10cm 150 Capital Class Engine

Hull Types
Hull Type Hull Points Max. # of Weapons Allowed War Value
Alpha Class 5 1 10
Beta Class 10 2 20
Cruiser Class 20 4 40
Destroyer Class 40 8 80
Battlestar Class 60 10 100
Behemoth Class 80 10 160
Gargantuan Class 100 12 200

By Jason Youngdale
Copyright ©2006
Youngdale Productions
www.clashofsteel.biz