The rules
ASTEROID
1. ASTEROID BELT
An asteroid belt, like the asteroid field, is formed out of the
fragments leftover from planet collisions during the creation of
star systems or the debris from the destruction of planets and
moons. Asteroid belts however tend to be much larger
and will often form an unbroken ring around their stars.
Effects: Aside from its method of placement, an asteroid belt
is treated as an asteroid field in all respects, as shown on page
44 of the rulebook.
Placement: Use the normal pebbles and unused kitty litter to
represent the asteroid belt. The belt extends in a straight line
from one table edge to the opposite table edge, running
parallel to the sunward table edge. It will be the normal
D3x5cm in widt
2. DEBRIS FIELD
These are areas of space not unlike asteroid fields and such
like, created from leftover natural materials, fragments of past
battles or a combination of both. They are however
considered a lot denser and are therefore significantly more
difficult and dangerous to navigate.
Effects: Debris fields combine the effects of both gas/dust
clouds and asteroid fields, as described on page 44 of the
rulebook, so a ship trying to navigate through one will suffer
all the effects of having a blast marker placed on it and will
also have to make a Leadership test to avoid taking damage.
If the test is failed, remember that the ship will count as
having one less shield than normal, due to the gas cloud
effect, so this can prove to be very deadly to Escorts.
Placement: Debris fields can be made from either rocks or
parts of ships, surrounded by flock or cotton wool. Nominate
a point on the table and roll a scatter die. The debris field is
10cm wide and will extend for D6 x 10cm away from the
point in the direction indicated by the scatter die.
3. COMET
A comet is a huge ball of compressed ice, dirt and other light
materials that originate from the fringes of star systems. They
usually move in various eccentric orbits that take them from
the coldness of deep space to the inner regions of star
systems. When a comet gets close to a star, the increasing heat
will melt away its surface, thereby creating its characteristic
tail of gas and dust.
Effects: The comet is treated as an asteroid, as described on
page 44 of the rulebook, so any ship that comes into base
contact with it must pass a Leadership test to avoid taking
damage. The tail is treated as a gas/dust cloud, also on page
44, with the exception that it will block line of sight due to its
greater density. At the beginning of each turn, the comet will
move 10cm towards the table edge furthest from its initial
placement. When this edge is reached, the comet is
considered to have reached its zenith and will begin moving
back the same way.
Placement: Use a small piece of polystyrene to represent the
comet itself (you can use a ice cube, but that will quickly get
messy) and flock or cotton wool to show the tail. The tail is
teardrop-shaped and is approximately 20cm long and 5cm
wide at the broad end, (about the same size as the flame
template from 40K, which can effectively be used instead).
The tail must be placed so that it touches the comet with the
pointy end and pointing directly away from the sunward
edge.
4. WRECKAGE
Wreckage fields are the sad remains of smashed and shattered
ships of all sizes. Too battered to be considered Hulks by any
standard, wreckage still presents a great deal of value to any
fleet stumbling upon it.
Effects: Aside from its method of placement, wreckage is
treated as an asteroid field in all respects, as shown on page
44 of the rulebook. In scenarios using Victory Points,
wreckage fields are worth D6 x 20 VP´s to the player Holding
the Field at the end of the battle.
Placement: Wreckage can be made up from small parts of
ships, metal plates, pieces of armour and the like – in fact,
you can probably make a sizeable wreckage field just by using
all the small items that are in the bottom of your bits box!
Nominate a point on the table and roll a scatter die. The
wreckage is 5cm wide and will extend for D6 x 5cm away
from this point in the direction indicated by the scatter die.
5. HULKS
Although broken and burnt out, the shells of former mighty
warships is still deemed a valuable prize for all sides in a
conflict. Weapons and internal components may be
salvageable and the scrap metal can be reused to build new
ships.
Effects: Hulks follow the rules on page 26 of the Battlefleet
Gothic rulebook. At the end of any battle that uses Victory
Points to determine who won, the player who is considered
to be Holding the Field, as described on page 66 of the
rulebook, will receive bonus Victory Points for the Hulks. 25
points will be given for every Escort and 75 points for each
Capital Ship.
Placement: You can model up your own Hulks if you wish,
but you can freely use any spare ships you have to represent
them instead. Place D6+2 Hulks, at least half of which must
be Escorts, within 20cm of each other. The Hulks are
stationary and will not move during the game.
6. METEOR SHOWER
Considered to be one of the greatest natural threats to space
travel, meteor showers can spell doom for any ship unlucky
enough to fly into one of them. Although very similar to
ordinary asteroid fields they differ by moving through star
systems in random orbits that are both hard to detect and
map out on the space charts. Captains are well advised to
keep their distance.
Effects: A meteor shower is treated as an asteroid field, as
described on page 44 of the rulebook, with the exception of
two things. The meteor shower will move 2D6cm in a random
direction at the start of each turn and any ship or squadron
caught in it, must pass their Leadership test with a penalty of
–1, to navigate it successfully.
Use the scatter dice to determine the random travel direction.
Placement: Use the normal pebbles and unused kitty litter to
represent the meteor shower. It has the same size as normal
asteroid fields, typically D3x5cm wide and D3x5cm long.
7. ROGUE ASTEROID
Most asteroids are situated together in large groups such as
rings or fields. There is however some, usually larger types,
that tumbles through space alone and in very eccentric orbits.
These objects are considered to be highly dangerous by
spaceship captains, as their random moves can result in
disastrous collisions.
Effects: The rogue asteroid will move 2D6cm in a random
direction at the start of each turn, determined by the scatter
die. Any ship base that is moved over or comes into contact
with the asteroid is in danger of a collision and must pass a
Leadership test to avoid being hit. If the test is failed, work
out the collision as a ram attack with 8D6 damage. The
asteroid will only sustain superficial damage and is not
affected.
Placement: Use a single asteroid counter or one cut out of
polystyrene on a small round base.
8. DERELICT MINEFIELD
Derelict minefields may be centuries old and are most often
uncharted remains of former defences long forgotten. In
some cases they may even have been laid out by a race no
longer present in the area. As can be expected, derelict
minefields are as dangerous to any ships approaching it, due
to its lack of maintenance.
Effect: A derelict minefield works in much the same way as a
normal minefield, as described on page 143 of the rulebook,
except that any mines released from it will track the nearest
ship of any fleet.
Placement: As the rules dictate, the derelict minefield must
be placed near to another tabletop feature, so the players
must decide randomly which one. If no other feature has yet
been rolled for, pick the first one that comes along. Use the
scatter die to determine the direction of its final placement. It
will cover the usual area of D3x5cm by D3x5cm.
MAGNETIC ASTEROID FIELD
Magnetic asteroid fields are made up of large clusters of
either naturally magnetic rock or groups of extremely dense
minerals. Magnetic asteroid fields are much more dense than
a typical asteroid field and have a gravety well much like a
small planet Due to the powerful magnetic and gravitational
pull of these asteroid fields they tend to grow quite large as
they attract all loose materials within their area of influnce
towards them.
Effect: A Magnetic asteroid field follows all rules for a
standard asteroid field except as follows. The magnetic asteroid
field has a gravity well that extends from the edge of the field
up to 10cm. If this field was generated along with any other
asteroid fields setup those asteroid fields so they touch edges
with the magnetic asteroid field, these fields will follow all rules
for a magnetic asteroid field. Attack craft which move through
a magnetic asteroid field will be destroyed on a D6 roll of 4+.
Vessels within the field may not fire at all as the field is too
dense to get an accurate lock. Ships moving at half speed or
less through the field, or coming into base contact with the edge
of one, must pass a leadership test on 2D6 to navigate it
successfully. Ships moving more than half speed must make
this test on 3D6 instead. A ship using all ahead full special
orders or one failing their leadership test will imediatly suffer D6
damage from asteroid impacts, but its shield will block damage
as normal.
Placement: Use the normal pebbles and unused kitty litter to
represent the magnetic asteroid field. Like a normal asteroid
field, magnetic asteroid fields are placed so that they run parallel
to the sunward table edge. Typically magnetic asteroid fields are
D3x10cm wide and D3x10cm long.
