SDannex - Alternate Initiative Options

A fan site for the tactical board game, Silent Death: The Next Millennium.

Alternate Initiative Rules

One of the most infuriating moments I've ever had playing Silent Death occurred several years ago (12 years.. Gawd!!) During a free-for-all 500 TPV/ side slugfest held after closing hours at a local restaurant. When the dust had settled at the close of turn six, only two fighters left operable on the grid were my untouched Night Hawk, and Frank Wallace's slightly damaged and torpedo-less Spirit Rider. Around the table there was general agreement that I had this match in the bag, but Frank was stubborn and wanted to play it out until the final cataclysmic end. So... We started turn seven, picked up our 10-sided and rolled away, and my sure-fire victory evaporated; The Night Hawk's Pilot 1 was pit against a Pilot 9 and nothing short of a rolling miracle was going to give me initiative and the game. Every following turn the Spirit Rider managed to use its equivalent drive and move to the Night Hawk's rear arc simply due to the reality I'd blown initiative and had to move first, and each turn my damage track was filling up a few blocks at a time. After 6 more frustrating turns I let my stubbornness give way to realism and conceded after losing the Splatterguns and had insufficient drive to cross the map to disengage. In the intervening years from that fateful moment until now we have toyed with the initiative system in Silent Death:TNM trying to come up with a playable solution to the somewhat controversial one-die-takes-all initiative.

This essay will look at Silent Death initiative, and present several alternate optional initiative rules for other gaming groups. While initiative is a core part of Silent Death, there are a few minor flaws with the system that have not been clearly defined, and have caused problems during play. Often a group (Such as ours) may wish to change the system somewhat to experiment with a new tact or dimension to the game. There have been numerous times I've had discussions with other players wishing to try plotted or segmented movement, or who felt the initiative roll is unfair. Some initiative options were examined In More Then Valor the last published supplement to Silent Death, although I do not have a copy of this book, I have had an opportunity to review the material.

Silent Death Initiative - A review of initiative rules from the SD:TNM rulebook.

Point and Move - Winner select a starcraft to move.

Full Initiative - Starcraft follow initiative based on every pilot.

Bonus Initiative - Additional die to initiative roll in place of modifier.

Rigid Initiative - Initiative order by Plt rating.

The Dogpile - Initiative winners pile on the losers.

Modified Initiative - Additional modifiers to Initiative roll.

Segmented Movement - Starcraft movement by segmented turns.

For all examples below assume there are three equal sides to a free-for-all game. Frank has Three Spirit Riders (Plt 6/ Plt 5/ Plt 3), Scott has one Night Hawk (Plt 10), and Mike has two Thunderbirds (Plt 2/ Plt 5).

Review: Silent Death Initiative (Return)

For the (ahem) uninitiated, Silent Death movement alternates between starcraft on each side of a battle. To determine the movement order each player rolls 1D10 and adds the Plt rating of his best pilot on the map, the side with the highest result wins initiative. The side which loses initiative (In cases of multiple players to one with the lowest result) must move a starcraft first. The side that has the higher result moves one starcraft, and so on until the initiative winner moves their starcraft last and gets the best possible tactical position. This process and order repeats itself until everything has moved for the turn. Things get a bit tricky when one side has a numerical advantage over the other, generally the side with double the starcraft moves two vs. the one, in order, with the end perk to the initiative winner of getting to move the last ship.

Example: Mike rolls 1D10 with a result of 6 for an initiative of (6+5=11), Frank rolls 1d10 with a result of 2 for an initiative of (2+6=8), and Scott rolls 1D10 with a result of 2 for an initiative of (2+10=12). The movement order for this turn would be 1 Thunderbird then 3 Spirit Riders then 1 Thunderbird and then finally 1 Night Hawk.

While having the best pilot in a game having a tactical advantage might seem like a realistic mechanic, the initiative order can become quite complicated in larger games and often will give a tremendous advantage or disadvantage based on a single die roll. Conceivably in the example above Scott could easily position his Night Hawk outside of any opponent's weapon arc and force combat between the other two players until little opposition remained for the Night Hawk to tackle, thereby winning the game. Likewise the Plt 7 Thunderbird is vulnerable to the Night Hawk, but out of reach of the Spirit Riders despite numerical force superiority.

Occasionally an initiative order such as above can cause heated debate among players where the initiative rules are not clearly defined prior to the game start. Frank could legitimately argue that he need move only 2 Spirit Riders prior to the second Thunderbird since one has a superior Plt rating and his three starcraft do not double Mike's two. Mike would argue that he won his initiative based on his best pilot, and that if he were to move both T-birds he would be at a tactical disadvantage to both Frank and Scott... And things might get tense from that point on, all because these three equal sides with forces selection advantages/ disadvantages fall victim to a single die roll at the start of the movement phase each turn. Tactics from each player will probably decide the outcome of this match as there are a plethora of options available to both Mike and Frank with drive and torps, but initiative has already eliminated several options for each player.

The best method to prevent debate is to define initiative rules and quirks prior to force selection and play. The chart below defines initiative order based on the 1D10 roll following the rules presented in Silent Death: The Next Millennium. Equal forces move in turn, but overall advantages increase with force superiority to the initiative winner while advantages decrease with force superiority to the initiative loser. In multiple player games, treat the player with the lowest initiative as the loser, with the next highest initiative player treated as the winner. The player with the next highest initiative is then treated as the winner, and the previous player is the loser and so on for all players to determine movement order. Treat a single W(x) move or LW(x) from the previous group as a single L(x) or LW(x) for the current group. The only exception to this rule is that the highest initiative winner gets to move the last ship no matter what result on the chart.

Example 1 : In a 3 player game where the initiative order from lowest to highest is A, B, C where player A has 2 starcraft, player B has 3 starcraft, and player C has 2 starcraft: Player A uses the L(2) row and Player B uses the W(3) column when determining movement order between the two (LW(2),W). Player C uses the W(2) column and player B uses the L(3) when determining movement order between theses two (LW(2)). Players A and B have the first movement order of LW(2),W. When the first LW(x) has been completed (Player A moved a starcraft, followed by player B moving a starcraft), player C follows his LW(2) order by moving one starcraft, and completing the first round of the movement order. Players A and B each move a starcraft as per their movement order, but player C does not have to move since he won initiative and has only on starcraft left. Movement order is as follows: A then B then C then A then B then B and finally C.

Example 2: In a 3 player game where the initiative order from lowest to highest is A, B, C where player A has 2 starcraft, player B has 3 starcraft, and player C has 5 starcraft: Player A uses the L(2) row and Player B uses the W(3) column when determining movement order between the two (LW(2),W). Player C uses the W(5) column and player B uses the L(3) when determining movement order between theses two (L,W2,L,W2,L,W). Players A and B have the first movement order of LW(2),W. When the first LW(x) has been completed (Player A moved a starcraft, followed by player B moving a starcraft), player C follows his (L,W2,L,W3) order by moving two starcraft, and completing the first round of the movement order. Players A and B each move a starcraft as per their second LW(x) movement order, player C moves two starcraft completing the second round of the movement order, and retaining the last piece to move. Player B moves his last starcraft, followed by player C moving his last starcraft.

Force Superiority Initiative Table
W(x) - Initiative Winner, x is number of starcraft. L(x) - Initiative Loser, x is number of starcraft.
	W(1)	W(2)	W(3)	W(4)	W(5)	W(6)	W(7)	W(8)
L(1)	LW	L,W2	L,W3	L,W4	L,W5	L,W6	L,W7	L,W8
L(2)	L2,W	LW(2)	LW(2),W	L,W2,L,W2	L,W2,L,W3	L,W3,L,W3	L,W3,L,W4	L,W4,L,W4
L(3)	L3,W	L2,W,L,W	LW(3)	LW(3),W	L,W2,L,W2,L,W	L,W2,L,W2,L,W2	L,W2,L,W2,L,W3	L,W2,L,W3,L,W3
L(4)	L4,W	L2,W,L2,W	L,LW(3)	LW(4)	LW(4),W	L2,W2,L,W2,L,W2	L2,W2,L,W2,L,W3	L2,W2,L,W3,L,W3
L(5)	L5,W	L3,W,L2,W	L2,W,L2,W,L,W	L,LW(4)	LW(5)	LW(5),W	L2,W2,L2,W2,L,W3	L2,W2,L2,W3,L,W3
L(6)	L6,W	L3,W,L3,W	L2,W,L2,W,L2,W	L2,W,L2,W,L2,W2	L,LW(5)	LW(6)	LW(6),W	L2,W2,L2,W3,L2,W3
L(7)	L7,W	L4,W,L3,W	L3,W,L2,W,L2,W	L3,W,L2,W,L2,W2	L3,W,L2,W2,L2,W2	L,LW(6)	LW(7)	LW(7),W
L(8)	L8,W	L4,W,L4,W	L3,W,L3,W,L2,W	L3,W,L3,W,L2,W2	L3,W,L3,W2,L2,W2	L3,W2,L3,W2,L2,W2	L,LW(7)	LW(8)
L(9)	L9,W	L5,W,L4,W	L3,W,L3,W,L3,W	L3,W,L3,W,L3,W2	L3,W,L3,W2,L3,W2	L3,W2,L3,W2,L3,W2	L3,W3,L3,W2,L3,W2	L,LW(8)
LW(x) - Initiative order is loser then winner, repeat x times.
L - Loser moves one starcraft
L2 - Loser moves two starcraft
L3 - Loser moves three starcraft
W - Winner moves one starcraft
W2- Winner moves two starcraft
W3 - Winner moves three starcraft

Option 1: Point And Move (Return)

Complexity: Same Slowdown Factor: Varies on players Tactical Bonus: Dynamic tactical changes

This initiative option is the most straightforward, easiest to implement, and will change the entire tactics of the game. After experimenting with this option several years ago, our group now exclusively uses this initiative system as it has become the great battle equalizer. Each side rolls 1D10 plus the Plt rating of the best pilot, same as with Silent Death Initiative. Determine the initiative order from highest to lowest. (The side with the highest roll goes first, the lowest would be last.) In place of the lowest side choosing a starcraft to move first, the winner of initiative chooses a starcraft on the map that moves first. Typically, (Although very often one of a player's own ships!) this would be an opponent's starcraft of choice, regardless of side, size, type, Plt, or initiative. When all players have chosen a ship to move, the initiative order is repeated again for the turn.

Example: After rolling 1D10, the initiative order is determined to be Frank, then Scott, and then Mike. Frank picks the Night Hawk to move first, Scott chooses a Thunderbird to move second, and then Mike chooses a Spirit Rider to move. On the second round of initiative Frank picks one of the Spirit Riders, Scott picks the second Thunderbird, and Mike moves the last Spirit Rider.

Point and Move obviously affects nothing in a one-on-one smash, but will dramatically change the tone of the game when multiple players and/or starcraft are involved. Since the initiative rolls plus Plt rating remain the same, the change is easy for most groups to adapt once they get around the fact that your opponent chooses a starcraft to move. Uneven sides become a moot point, as the initiative order continues in rounds, following the order, until all starcraft have moved for the turn. Point and Move may affect the speed of a game depending on the players, some groups will actually speed up as the bigger/ more powerful craft usually get clobbered first, or the waiting period for a player to pick a craft will shorten as usually players have a target in mind and jump at the chance to pick a victim. Other groups may slow down, as there can be a lot of off-table scheming going on as to who will be the target of choice. Point and Move should not significantly alter the speed of the game.

What most players will notice immediately is the whole realm of tactical options, advantages, and disadvantages that will become evident very quickly. As a simple example, suppose there is a multiple side/ multiple craft battle using Point and Move initiative. If one player had a Black Widow (The favorite whipping boy of Silent Death), the usual tactic would be to crew your side with the highest possible Plt rating and retain your Black Widow as long as possible in movement order, allowing the big splats to engage the widest number of targets in blind arcs. With this initiative option, I can virtually guarantee the hapless Black Widow would be moving first round and everything will swarm around it with full guns blazing. More often then not a player will choose one of their own sacrificial lambs to draw opponents into a trap, or will find their tactical situation downgraded because a big ship has been forced to move early and they need to scramble everything they have for covering fire. I refer to Point and Move as the great battle equalizer because in most battles, if any particular ship is performing extremely well, that will be nearly the first ship to move in the next round. Initiative become less of an issue, it's effectiveness dulled, as each player has an impact on the battle, and tactics become more important then force selection. An interesting dynamic of this option is where you truly surrender a degree of control during movement, it is akin to playing a game of tic-tac-toe as you have that feeling of apprehension wondering which craft will be chosen next.

A note of warning: If you playing with a group for the first time or with a less then (ahem) mature crowd, point and shoot will easily be perceived, and functions quite nicely, by some as the epitome of picking on someone. The one drawback to this optional initiative rule is that it can be abused very easily, since players are not restricted in which starcraft they choose to move. Mob rule will quickly wipe out a solitary player, or tip the scale of battle heavily. If a player is previously known for standing up and ‘accidentally’ tip over a Risk board coincidently prior to their European armies getting wiped out, I suggest Point and Shoot will do nothing to improve the language around turn 3.

Option 2: Full Initiative (Return)

Complexity: 2 Slowdown Factor: 2 or 3 times, can require a GM Tactical Bonus: Adv. to high Plt ratings

The concept of Full Initiative is simple, how a group implements it is another matter entirely. I've seen this option used quite often by others and it is definitely not new or radical. Full Initiative is simply rolling 1D10 plus the Plt rating for each and every starcraft on the map. A chart of initiative order is made for the turn and each starcraft, regardless of side or player, will move when its turn comes up as the chart is run down from lowest to highest result. In cases of tied initiative, a second roll-off is usually required.

Example: Frank rolls 1D10 for each of his Spirit Riders and adds each Plt rating for initiative totals of 11,15,and 4. Scott rolls 1D10 for the Night Hawk for a resulting initiative of 16. Mike rolls 1D10 for each of his Thunderbirds for initiative of 8 and 11. Since a Spirit Rider and a Thunderbird have tied, Frank and Mike each roll 1D10 again giving the tiebreaker to Frank. The initiative order for this turn would be Spirit Rider C, then Thunderbird A, then Thunderbird B, then Spirit Rider A, then Spirit Rider B, and finally Night Hawk A.

Multiple starcraft in a scenario cause no confusion to Full initiative order, as every pilot is pre-defined. Also, starcraft with Drive 0 will be included in the movement order, unlike the other optional rules, and this will affect when Drive 0 turns are performed. Torpedo movement follows the same guidelines presented under Silent Death Initiative.

Full initiative has no affect on one-on-one battles, and can really slow things down to a crawl at the start of every turn. However, once the order has been set to everyone's satisfaction the turn will progress rapidly, often with an enforced 30-second time limit. In most cases either a GM or a group consensus makes a simple chart:

Initiative Order - Turn 1
Roll+ Plt:	Starcraft:	ID:	Notes:
4	Spirit Rider	C	Moved
8	Thunderbird	A	Moved
11 (T) -2-	Thunderbird	B

Given that a decent pilot will generally cost 40 - 50% BPV of a small attrition fighter, Full Initiative will ensure that those points will be very well spent in the course of a game, and severely lessen the 'cheese' factor of crewing all but one of the fighters with the omnipresent Plt 1 to save points. The impact of one really bad roll of the 1D10 is also lessened somewhat from Silent Death Initiative. The biggest disadvantage is the sheer amount of time and record keeping required for every turn's movement phase. If you are playing Wings of Death 500™, full initiative is not recommended unless you have smokers who can take advantage of the hour required by a supremely patient GM to make a chart and grab a (long) break.

Option 3: Bonus Initiative (Return)

Complexity: 1 Slowdown Factor: None for experienced players Tactical Bonus: Good for cursed die rollers

Bonus Initiative is a slightly modified version of Silent Death Initiative, utilizing the Skill Level Effects Table found on page 166 in the Silent Death: The Next Millennium Rulebook. In place of rolling 1D10 plus the Plt rating of the best pilot, players roll 1D10 plus the Tight Turn Cost die, found on the above-mentioned chart, of the best pilot. The goal of the roll is to have the lowest possible result, as initiative order will follow the highest number to the lowest. The one exception is in the case of a tie, the pilot with the lowest Plt rating of the two will move first, and if a tie condition still exists a roll-off between the two players will occur. Movement will follow the rules of Silent Death initiative as the side with the highest result will move one craft, then the second highest side will move and so on until the lowest result side. Multiple starcraft will follow the same rules as Silent Death initiative; generally the side with double the starcraft moves two vs. one in order with the end perk to the player with the lowest result getting to move the last ship.

Skill Level Effects Table				Example: Frank rolls 1D10+1D6 for his best Spirit Rider pilot for a result of 12. Scott rolls 1D10+1D4 for the Night Hawk pilot for a result of 4. Mike rolls 1D10+1D6 of his best Thunderbird for 7. Movement order for this turn would be Spirit Rider, then Thunderbird, then Spirit Rider, then Spirit Rider, then Thunderbird, and finally Night Hawk. Alternatively, depending on pre-game agreed rules the initiative could be Spirit Rider, Spirit Rider, Thunderbird, Thunderbird, Spirit Rider, and finally Night Hawk.
Piloting Skill (Plt)	Tight Turn Cost	Gunnery Skill (Gnr)	Attack Die Bonus (ADB)
1	1D10	1	1D4
2	1D10	2	1D4
3	1D8	3	1D4
4	1D8	4	1D4
5	1D6	5	1D6
6	1D6	6	1D6
7	1D4	7	1D8
8	1D4	8	1D8
9	1D4	9	1D10
10	1D4	10	1D10

Since bonus initiative relies on two die rolls as opposed to a static numerical addition to a single roll, it is possible for an inferior pilot winning initiative over a vastly superior one, although the odds are generally against it. Bonus initiative can be a blessing to the cursed die roller, or a nightmare to 'the truly cursed' die roller, as it lessens the one-die-takes-all aspect of initiative. Initiative is somewhat less effective, but gives any player the chance of winning/ losing initiative each turn. Plt rating is reduced in effectiveness, and generally pilot skill is often purchased at the threshold level, i.e. A lot of Plt 7, 5, 3, and 1. This a great option for players in a random free-for-all as points are concentrated on force selection with pilot skill of 7 usually the most cost-effective.

Option 4: Rigid Initiative (Return)

Complexity: 1 Slowdown Factor: Requires a set-up, otherwise faster too normal. Tactical Bonus: Fair, but costly.

Very similar to Full Initiative, without the time-consuming set up every turn, or similar to Silent Death Initiative as another variant. Rigid Initiative does away with the randomness of initiative, and goes straight to the point by Pilot skill. The concept is very simple, lowest Plt rating to highest with a roll off for a tie decides movement order.

Example: Movement order is as follows: Thunderbird A, then Spirit Rider C. Mike and Frank roll off with Frank having to move Spirit Rider B, then Thunderbird B, then Spirit Rider A, and finally Night Hawk A

Alternatively each side could follow Silent Death Initiative based on the best Plt rating of each side with the player having the lowest best-pilot rating moving first up to the player with the highest best-pilot rating last.

Example: Movement order is as follows by player: Mike, then Frank, and then finally Scott. This could mean Thunderbird, then Spirit Rider, then Spirit Rider, then Thunderbird, then Spirit Rider, and finally Night Hawk. However, the identity of the starcraft moved would be up to the player rather then the Plt rating. Frank could choose to move either Spirit Rider A or B or C first in the movement order, and Mike could elect either Thunderbird A or B as the second starcraft moved.

Both variants can result in movement order changing each turn when highest rated pilots fall on the battlefield. Rigid Initiative rewards the best pilots handsomely, and players get the biggest bang for pilot skill purchased. The system is quite fair, as players know what they are getting into before force selection and can plan accordingly. Initially the roll-off can become tedious, as there will probably be a lot of Plt 10 starcraft on the map. A great option for players of campaign games where an Ace pilot invokes fear in the opponents.

Option 5: The Dog Pile (Return)

Complexity: 0 Slowdown Factor: 0. Very quick Tactical Bonus: One-sided

Dog Pile is scenario specific, or perfect for players who just wish to pound on something for a really quick game. The Dog Pile has two variants; The first variant is where a target has no initiative to speak of, it simply moves first every turn and gets piled on by everyone else. Quick and a lot of fun, providing you are the piler as opposed to the pilee. Examples are where a player would take an impressive Warhound, and the other side would control a comparable fleet sent in to wipe it out. Other times this optional initiative rule might be seen would be a scenario specifically created where initiative is lost to one side, or determined prior to play.

The second variant of Dog Pile is what I like to call Luches Roulette; At the start of the turn's movement phase, each player/side rolls 1D10 plus the Plt rating of the worst pilot. Movement order is determined for the entire players/side's fleet moving from lowest result to highest. For the truly brave die roller you may mutually decide that this initiative order remains the exact same for the entire game/ scenario.

Example: All three players each roll 1D10 and add the lowest Plt rating to the result; Frank has an initiative result of 7. Scott has an initiative result of 15, and Mike has an initiative result of 4. The movement order is Mike moves BOTH of his Thunderbirds, then Frank moves ALL of his Spirit Riders, and finally Scott moves his Night Hawk.

Luches Roulette will stand the one-die-takes-all aspect of initiative out in the open. Roll a poor 1D10 and you are at a significant disadvantage for the turn. However, play of this type does have a degree of historical precedent with a force completely dominating the initiative of a battlefield until a random event or chance quickly turns the tide. Using the Plt rating of the worst pilot does tend to force players to offer up choice Pilot 1 targets to an opponent, and may even out the sides over a course of a scenario.

Obviously, these options are rather one-sided, and full of a lot of disadvantages. They have the one luxury of being the fastest method of running movement each turn. If a group wants to play a 5000 TPV/side, no Warhound slaughter-fest, I highly recommend this option for a very memorable game.

Option 6: Modified Initiative (Return)

Complexity: 4 Slowdown Factor: 3+ Tactical Bonus: High, changes initiative greatly.

Modified Initiative is an adjusted initiative system to reflect the tactical position of each starcraft from the previous turn and is an amalgamation of Rigid initiative and Bonus Initiative optional rules. One example of Modified Initiative is the Dog Fighting Rules found on the Code of The Void Warrior page.

Another variant of Modified Initiative is an adjustment to "size" of the initiative die roll plus a modifier to reflect the tactical position on the game map of each starcraft. These modifiers are based on the events that have occurred during the previous turn of the scenario, and only affect the initiative for the current game turn. The result is an initiative system that reflects the force composition, tactical position, starcraft integrity, and movement of each starcraft and rewards a player who has managed to gain a tactical advantage over another player despite differences in the pilot skills. A superior pilot will still have an advantage over an inferior one, however the effect is lessened to a degree.

Following the Rigid Initiative optional rules, initiative is determined per starcraft as opposed to each side. Each player will add his or her Plt rating to an initiative die for each pilot based on the chart below:

Initiative Die
Start of game/ Default/ No event last turn	1D10
Starcraft had < 6 damage track boxes marked off last turn.	1D8
Starcraft failed a tight turn roll last turn. (Rolled greater then available drive)	1D8
Starcraft unsuccessfully dodged a torpedo last turn. (Failed the dodge roll)	1D8
Starcraft deployed a decoy last turn	1D8
Starcraft had 7- 20 damage track boxes marked off last turn.	1D6
Starcraft had a critical hit result last turn	1D6
Gunboat has one 'X' marked off on any damage track.	1D6
Warhound has one 'X' marked off on any damage track.	1D6
Starcraft has a remaining drive < 5	1D6
Starcraft has a remaining drive of 1	1D4
Starcraft had >20 damage track boxes marked off last turn.	1D4

Each pilot will roll initiative using the lowest die possible on the chart above, based on events from the previous turn.

Example: During the movement phase last turn, Scott's Nighthawk failed the ((1D10 + Plt) - # of torps) -10 roll to dodge a torpedo from a Spirit Rider, but the torpedo's damage failed to get past the damage reduction. On the next game turn Scott rolls 1D8 and adds his Plt rating to the result

Option 7: Segmented Movement (Return)

Complexity: 5 Slowdown Factor: High Tactical Bonus: Removes initiative

Inevitably there is a call from certain player groups to do away with initiative altogether and modify Silent Death to encompass a rule system that allows for mutual movement and cannon fire. Such a system involves an extensive rewrite of the core rules and will completely change the game entirely. Converting this fast-paced game to something akin to Star Fleet Battles is usually for a desire for realism as opposed to playability and balance. I’ve included a sample rule system for the player groups that may wish to try it, but I would not recommend it in any way. The attraction of Silent Death is in its simplicity and the ease of play, Segmented Movement will remove those advantages. A typical game will require a great deal of planning, set-up, and each turn will (probably) require over an hour to play. The following rules have not been adapted for Warhounds play.

Eliminated Rules

The following movement rules in Silent Death are eliminated for Segmented Movement:

Turn Costs (3 Drive points for 1 hex facing)

Sideslip costs (2 Drive points for one hex side-slipped)

Drive 0 turns, Drift

Tight Turns

New Rules

Each Plt and Gnr rating becomes a skill/ speed level for controlling a starcraft. Each turn has been broken down into 12 segments where a starcraft has a movement action equal to it’s Drive rating. The segment chart is below:

Segments

Speed/ Drive

Players of Hero System rules will probably recognize the above chart, since it has been copied for Segmented Movement. Each starcraft will take it’s current Drive Rating at left and cross-reference to which segments it will move one hex facing or one hex forward or one hex side slipped. A result of 2X requires 2 movements. All movement will consist of either 1 of two conditions: Controlled Movement – Where an “X” result is recorded on the segment chart for the Plt rating/ skill of the controlling pilot and an “X” result is recorded for the starcraft’s current Drive Rating. Or, an “X” result is recorded for the current Plt skill rating and reserves the next recorded movement result for a starcraft, before the next skill level. Multiple skill levels are lost, and cannot be reserved. Uncontrolled Movement – When an “X” result is recorded for the starcraft’s current drive rating, but does not meet the controlled movement criteria above. Torpedoes have a Plt skill rating according to their type (Listed on the Master Torpedo Table). Prior to the start of each turn (And referred to as Post 12) a player may elect to voluntarily lower their Drive rating for the entire turn.

Example: On segment 1 all starcraft have uncontrolled movement. On segment 2, one Spirit Rider (Plt 6) and the Night Hawk (Plt 10) have controlled movement; all others would be uncontrolled movement.

Sequence of Play

The map for the game will be set up according to the standard rules. In place of the Silent Death sequence of play, players will follow the Segmented Order of Play for each segment:

Uncontrolled Movement Phase - Each starcraft or torpedo in play that has an “X” result in the segment chart must move one hex forward. Torpedoes targeted at moving objects move after the target moves.
Controlled Movement Phase – Each starcraft or Torpedo in play that has a controlled “X” result in the segment chart must move one hex forward or one hex facing or side slip one hex. Torpedoes targeted at moving objects move after the target moves.
Torpedo Results Phase – Plasma defense, point defense, decoys, dodging attempts, jamming and torpedo results are resolved.
Torpedo Launch Phase – Any pilot or gunner whose Gnr skill level records an “X” result on the segment chart may declare the launch of a torpedo. A player cannot use a reserved skill segment to launch torpedoes.
Missile Launch Phase - Any crewmember with an “X” result, or a reserved “X” action may launch available missiles. Each launcher may only be fired once per turn, and only one launcher per crewmember may be fired per action segment. A player can elect to launch on segment 12 and launch again on the next action segment without penalty. Standard lock-on rules apply in every case.
Cannon Fire Phase – Any crewmember with an “X” result, or a reserved “X” action may fire an available cannon. Each cannon may only be fired once per turn, only one cannon per crewmember may be fired per action segment, but multiple cannon per crewmember can be fired later during the same turn. A player can elect to fire on segment 12 and fire again on the next action segment without penalty. Gun crews fire in skill order. Resolve damage reduction, lost cannon/ torp/ missiles, and critical hits immediately.
End Segment Phase – Determine current Drive rating for any damaged starcraft. Disregard the previous movement on the chart and use the current drive rating for each starcraft on the segment chart. If a player voluntarily lowered their drive for the entire turn, change the segment chart only if the current drive rating falls below the voluntary drive rating.
POST 12 Phase – Point defense, plasma defense against any missiles launched during the previous turn. Resolve missile results. Players declare the current Drive rating for each starcraft if voluntarily lowering the drive rating for the entire following turn.

No other Initiative variant gives Plt and Gnr rating as much importance as Segmented Initiative. Playing with this system opens a whole new realm of tactical (And somewhat realistic) options on the map. A drive 18 rocket in the hands of a poor pilot will be a sitting duck for a much inferior craft in the hands of an ace or sharpshooter. During play, most players will lower their drive rating during an actual dogfight reserving the full drive potential for strafing or fleeing the scene. Trying to harness more power heavily offsets the cheap turn cost then a pilot can safely handle. (Try this system in an asteroid field for gobs of frustration.) Torpedoes become much easier to evade, although decoys are expended at a horrific rate. Missiles remain the true horror weapon of the game, as they will eviscerate an opponent during strafing runs.

Regardless of which option a player group decides to use in the future, no other change to the core rules will affect the style, tone, and balance of Silent Death as much as initiative. While Silent Death rules are fantastic as they were written, a subtle change of the rules will inevitably keep the game fresh and alive for years to come.

I welcome your input! All of the options above have been played, or are still used by us, at one time, but playtesting and improvments come from a varied host of players. Please share your experiences, ideas, suggestions, or insight by dropping a short note to sdannex@cogeco.ca