Gunboat Rules

GZG has been releasing new minatures for their fleets of a new class of ship - Gunboats.

These small miniatures are larger than fighters but still small enough that a group of 3 come with a single stand and are identified as Gunboats or Missile Boats but Full Thrust never had 'official' rules covering this type of ship.

The Gunboat Rules below are highly based on the Full Thrust: Project Continuum rules for Gunboats but then I mixed in some old rules for building Small Craft from many years ago that I had saved and worked into a spreadsheet.

Full construction rules for building custom Fighters and building Small Craft are available in the works. 

Gunboats
3 gunboats in a grouip  on a stand - 6 combat endurance - 18 MU regular movement - 9 MU secondary movement
External Gunboat Racks 9 mass - Gunboat Bay 12 mass

Gunboats straddle the line between a very small ship, and a very large fighter. Gunboats are carried on hull mounted racks or in bays and are launched at the same time as other ordnance/fighters. They operate in groups of three on a single stand.

Gunboats have a speed of 18 MU and move like fighters with a secondary move of 9MU. They can fly in escort of a ship like fighters.  Gunboats have six points of combat endurance like fighters and they use this indurance like fighters to make attacks on enemy ships, fighters or ordnance or to make a secondary move during the Fighter Secondary Movement Phase.

Attacking a Gunboat
The larger size of gunboats means that they are engaged by anti-ship weaponry more easily than than fighters while still being small enough to be effected by Point Defense weaponry.

Point Defense / Fighter Weapons - Gunboats may be engaged in the Point Defense Phase by a PDS in range like they were  fighters.  Fighters may attack and target gunboats as if the were fighters.

Gunboats are tougher that Fighters so a gunboat can take 2 hits from Point Defense/fighter weaponry before it is destroyed.  A single point of damage will not destroy the Gunboat and for simplicity, the Gunboat will not have any negative effects other than another single point of PD/Fighter damage will destroy it.

Gunboats have a Heavy/Screened modification avalilable that can reduce their chance to take damage just like Heavy Fighters. 

To determine which gunboat(s) in a group are destroyed, the owning player should roll randomly. Gunboats then make their attacks in the Fighter Attack Phase (phase 10).

Ship Weapons - Direct Fire Anti-ship weapons may fire at gunboats normally in The Ship’s Fire Phase using the same rules as for fighters with each HIT destroying ONE gunboat. In the case of weapons that do multiple points of damage (Grasers or Pulse Torps for example) do not roll damage.

Gunboat Actions
Gunboats may only attack targets in their front arc like fighters.

Gunboats mount slightly larger and more powerful fire control systems than those on fighters, allowing them to engage targets up to 12 MU away. The entire gunboat group must target the same enemy ship/fighter group. If the gunboat squadron is engaging enemy fighters or ordnance, it may split its fire among eligible targets within range, just like fighters. Gunboat armaments vary widely. See the gunboat type descriptions for options and costs.

Gunboats Attacking Ships
Multi-Shot and Single Shot anti ship weapons from a Gunboat target ships as normal.  Point Defense weapons target ships as fighter weapons doing a single point of damage on a 6 only.

Gunboats may only be armed with weapons and other technology from their background. For example if your fleet does not employ Grasers then you may not use Graser gunboats.

Gunboats Attacking Fighters
A Gunboat's Point Defense weapons target fighters and other gunboats as normal.
Multi-Shot and Single Shot Anti-Ship weapons can target fighters with a -1 modifier

Gunboat Endurance 
Like fighters, Gunboats use 1 endurance point per turn that the group attacks (ships or fighters) or makes a secondary move.  Normally Gunboat groups have 6 combat endurance points but this can be increased with a Long Range modification. 

Gunboat Carriers

For a ship to carry Gunboats into battle, the ship must be equiped with Gunboat Racks, a Gunboat Bay, or a Boat Bay large enough to recover the whole group.

Gunboat Racks - 9 mass
A group of 3 gunboats can be mounted in external racks for 9 mass, the cost of the Rack is included in the cost of the Gunboat.  Gunboats cannot be refueled or rearmed in combat using their carrying rack, which reduces the utility of some weapon loads unless they have a large enough boat bay to recover the whole group.

Gunboat Racks are external systems and are subject to threashold rolls like other systems.  If a rack is damaged by a threashold roll, roll another d6 to determine if 1, 2 or 3 gunboat connectors are damaged and if a gunboat is still attached to a damaged connector, then the gunboat is destroyed.

Gunboat Bay - 12 mass
A group of 3 Gunboats may be kept in a Gunboat Bay which is very similar to a Fighter Bay.  Gunboat carrying ships with a Gunboat bay or a boat bay of sufficient size to recover the whole group may use that bay to retrieve and rearm gunboats during combat.

Gunboat Construction

Gunboats will be included in the forthcoming Small Craft Rules and will include full construction rules and a spreadsheet to quickly build and cost your own designs.  The basic design rules for Gunboats are included below.

Standard Gunboat designs for the GZGverse are available on the Gunboat SSDs page

Gunboat Base Frame

A Gunboat starts with these base stats:

       Primary/Secondary Movement of 18 MU / 9MU 
      2 slots for systems 
      6 Combat Endurance Factors
      NPV 3 / CPV 12

Gunboat Modifications

Modification	Slots	NPV	CPV	Description
FTL Drive	1	4	4	May enter/leave the table using FTL drive, does not require a carrier
Heavy / Screened	0	4	4	PDS fire treated as if the gunboat has Level 1 screens (-1 DRM)
Fast	0	2	2	Movement upgraded to 27MU / 9 MU
Slow	0	-2	-2	Movement reduced to 15MU / 6MU
Long Range	0	.5/CEF	2/CEF	Extra Combat Endurance Points

Gunboat Slots
Gunboats have 2 slots for weapons or other systems (FTL).  Small Craft may have up to 5 slots as anything larger is a starship.

FTL Modification
With advanced miniaturization, a FTL Drive unit can be (just barely) crammed into a gunboat hull. This allows the gunboat to enter and leave FTL like a ship, and make interstellar moves on its own. FTL Gunboats cannot be carried in racks or fit in Gunboat Bays. They count as being mass 4 for purposes of docking in boat bays. It does not consume an endurance point to enter a battle from hyperspace. Unlike FTL fighters, FTL Gunboats do not need a carrying vessel. FTL Gunboats can only mount normal FTL drives. More advanced FTL drives cannot be crammed into the tiny hull. Gunboat FTL drives generate very weak “distortion waves” when the gunboat enters or leaves hyperspace; it is insufficient to damage any nearby units. The gunboats themselves are very vulnerable to distortion, however. If there is a ship, planet, asteroid or other object sufficient to cause distortion where the Gunboat engages its FTL, the gunboat is destroyed. The maneuverability of gunboats means that they may elect to move in any direction while charging their FTL Drive, up to the normal maximum of 18 MU/turn. The next turn they make a half move in that direction, and disappear into FTL space.

FTL Gunboats can enter the table using their FTL like ships . This does not consume a point of endurance. Like a ship the FTL Gunboat enters with a speed between 1 and 10, and makes a half move straight ahead. The FTL Gunboat can then use a point of endurance to make a second move of 9 MU in any direction. FTL Gunboats are very vulnerable to distortion effects on their miniaturized drive systems, if they jump or arrive within 6 MU of a “massive object”, they are automatically destroyed.

Heavy/Screened Modification
Some gunboats are equipped with either screens or use heavily reinforced hulls. Point Defense and Fighter attacks to the gunboat are treated as if they had Level 1 Screens (-1 DRM).  Gunboats can not carry strong enough screens or reinforcements to have any effect if hit by Anti-Ship weapons.

Fast Modification
With more powerful engines, Fast gunboats can move 27MU per turn with the secondary move of 9MU

Slow Modification
More economical engines reduce the speed of a gunboat to 15MU with a secondary move of only 6MU

Long Range Modification
Gunboats start with 6 points of combat endurance. A Gunboat can have up to 6 additional endurance points.

Gunboat Weapon Systems

System	Type	Slots	NPV/CPV	Range	Description
Point Defense System	Point Defense	1	3	6MU	PDS may fire in support of ships
Area Defense Array	Point Defense	2	9	12MU	2 BD* to 6MU, 1 BD* to 12MU
Scattergun	Point Defense	1	6	6MU	Scattergun
Beam Battery	Multi-Shot	1	3	12MU	Class-1 Beam Battery
EMP Battery	Multi-Shot	1	3	12MU	Class-1 EMP Battery - EMP Damage
Graser	Multi-Shot	2	6	12MU	Short range Class-1 Graser
K-Gun	Multi-Shot	2	9	12MU	Short range Class-2 K-Gun
Needle Beam	Multi-Shot	2	6	12MU	Needle Beam target systems hit on 6
MKP Pack	Ordanance	1	4	12MU	A regular MKP
Pulse Torpedo	Ordanance	2	8	12MU	Short range Pulse Torpedo
Rocket Pod	Ordanance	2	9	12MU	3 Rockets hit on 3+ to 6mu, 4+ to 12MU
Salvo Missiles	Ordanance	2	9	12MU	Salvo of 4 missiles, placed weapon
Submunition Pack	Ordanance	1	5	12MU	Short Range Submunition Pack

Weapon System Descriptions

Point Defese System
A PDS system with a range of 6 MU for defending against fighters and gunboats. The small built-in fire controls of the PDS do allow them to be fired at different targets. The Point Defense systems may fire in support of allied ships within 6 MU.  PDS fire attacks fighters/gunboats with BD*, ships with BD-2*.

Area Defense Array
An enhanced Point Defense System against fighters and gunboats, the Area Defense Array can generate 2 BD* of PDS fire out to 6 MU and 1 BD* of PDS fire out to 12 MU. May fire in support of friendly units within 6 MU.

Scattergun
A single shot Scattergun with a 6MU range that inflicts BD* hits on fighters and missiles, 1d3 hits on Heavy Fighters.  If more than one is mounted on a gunboat, they may be fired either individually, or on the same turn. Because they have their own guidance systems, they can be individually targeted even if fired simultaneously.

Beam Battery
A Class-1 Beam Battery with a range of 12 MU doing BD* damage.  All Beam Batteries mounted must be fired at the same target due to limited fire control.

EMP Battery
A Class-1 EMP Battery with a range of 12 MU.  All EMP Batteries mounted must be fired at the same target due to limited fire control. BD* hits applying EMP Damage.

Graser
A short range Class-1 Graser with a range of 12 MU.  BD* hits with each hit doing d6 damage.

K-Gun
A short range Class-2 K-Gun. The K-Gun will hit on a 2+ to 4 MU, a 3+ to 8 MU, and a 4+ to 12 MU. Like a normal K-Gun, the damage from this Class-2 K-Gun is 2 points of damage but doubles on a subsequent roll of 1 or 2 to apply 4 points of damage.  K-Gun damage is Armor Piercing and ignores screens.

Needle Beam
A Needle Beam with a range of 12 MU.

Multiple Kinetic Penetratior (MKP)  Pack
A single shot MKP Pack. If more than one is mounted they may either be fired singly or simultaneously against the same target. They do BD hits. Each hit delivers 3 points of AP damage. MKP attacks ignore screens.

Plasma Bomb
Similar to a Plasma Bolt, this weapon is dropped during the Ordnance Launch Phase at the current location of the gunboat, which then must move away to escape destruction when the bomb explodes. If the Gunboat is engaged by other fighters/gunboats it may still drop its bomb(s) but may not move away.  Damage is the same as a Class-1 Plasma Bolt doing 1 d6 damage to all ships, fighter groups and gunboat groups within 6MU of the exploding bomb

Pulse Torpedo
A single-shot short range Pulse Torpedo Launcher. The Pulse Torpedo will hit on a 2+ out to 4 MU, a 3+ out to 8 MU, and a 4+ out to 12 MU with a hit doing d6 damage.  Pulse Torpedo attacks ignore screens.

Rocket Pod
A pod of 3 direct fire Rockets with a range of 12MU. The Rockets will hit on a 3+ out to 6 MU, and 4+ out to 12 MU.  Each Rocket that hits will do d3 damage.  The gunboat may launch none, some or all of its rockets for a single point of combat endurance.  All the rockets must be launched at the same target and also must not be engaged by other fighters/gunboats at time of launch.  Rocket attacks ignore screens.

Salvo Missiles
A Salvo Missile pack of 4 missiles (not 6). Due to fire control limitations, the target spot needs to be within 12 MU. The missiles are launched during the Ordnance Launch Phase and may not be engaged by other fighters/gunboats. These missiles attack as a normal salvo missile with d6-2 missiles attacking the nearest target who my fire defensively.  Each missile that hits the target does d6 damage. and ignores screens

Submunition Pack
A single-shot Submunition Pack. If more than one is mounted they may be fired singly or simultaneously against the same target.  A Submunition pack attacks with 3 BD* to 4 MU, 2 BD* to 8MU and 1 BD* to 12MU.  Submunition attacks ignore screens.

Using the Small Craft construction rules, larger Gunboats can be created with more options of mixing weapons.