News
Metaverse - Turn Overview
2015-01-03 17:49:00
Welcome back to the ongoing first look at the mechanics of Metaverse. Today we will do an overview of the turn sequence and what a player can expect to occur in a typical turn. Metaverse features a turn sequence designed to integrate the varied components of a space battle in a logical sequence with as few exceptions and sequence interrupting actions as possible. The turn sequence is divided into three phases, each of which is divided into steps organized by the reaction times, flight speeds, and tactical flexibility of the components acting within them. The turn sequence is as follows:
Movement Phase
Combat Phase
End Phase
Movement Phase
This phase encompasses the movement of all the interacting components within Metaverse, classified as starships, starfighters, and indirect weapons. The first step is for player's to plot the movement of their starships simultaneously and in secret on their Plot Sheets. The movement possibilities available to any given starship are restricted by its installed propulsion systems which will be detailed in a later post. When all players have finished their plots, indirect weapons, represented by a counter or appropriate model, are moved. This occurs prior to starship movement to both represent the limited tactical flexibility of an independently targeting weapon such as a missile in comparison to a starship and to add a guessing game to the movement of these components. When indirect weapons have completed their movement, player's will then move all of their starships in accordance with their plots. The next step, Starfighter Operations, includes launching, recovering, rearming, and combining damaged starfighter squadrons. In addition it is in this step that player's will assign missions to their starfighter squadrons. In Metaverse, starfighters cannot fly about the table at will and target anything they wish. Rather, starfighter squadrons will be assigned one of three missions; strike, intercept, or CAP by their motherships. Limitations are placed on a mothership's ability to assign missions based on its installed command equipment. Finally, starfighters are moved in the last step. This occurs last to represent the flexibility of starfighter squadrons and their ability to react to the movement of starships.
Combat Phase
The second phase of the turn is where all the explosions and violence occurs. The first step is the least bloody and possibly the most important. The electronic warfare step is where starship's with installed EW systems, offensive and defensive, turn said systems on or off and choose targets for those systems. The first group to fire in the combat phase is starships. Within the starship combat step, weapons fire is adjudicated in descending order of crew quality representing the training, ability, and experience of some starships to outfight others. Starfighters fire after starships to represent that their engagement ranges are often shorter forcing them to approach through defensive fire prior to making their own attack. When starfighters have finished firing, indirect weapons may hit their targets. This occurs after starfighters to give squadrons on CAP the chance to shoot down incoming attacks. Finally, should any starship have been boarded during the course of the turn the admittedly simple combat between marines and crew is performed.
End Phase
When all combat is complete, player's have an opportunity to repair any damaged systems their starships have suffered during the turn. With this complete, some starships and starfighter squadrons may be subject to a morale check. This is based on the command quality of the starship rather than the crew quality as it is predominantly the command crew which decides whether to keep the starship in the fight.
The beauty of Metaverse's turn sequence is that there are no sequence exceptions, everything will occur in the same order every turn. Additionally, many of the steps of the turn assume the inclusion of certain elements. With the simplest of starship designs the only required steps would be the plot movement step, the starship movement step, the starship combat step, the repair step, and the morale step. In this way players can easily opt out of whole sections of the turn if they do not wish to play with those components.
With the next post we will give a detailed look at the plotting of starship movement, the movement of starships and of indirect weapons. As always some eye candy:
Previous: Metaverse - A First Look
First: Metaverse - Sneak PeakNext: Metaverse - Plotting and Movement
Last: Battlespace Publishing at Hotlead 2016