This is a PLAYTEST BETA offering for the Islamic Federation Navy. These designs are NOT official or final designs, and may change before publication. Please use these in battles and send your feedback to the GZG List if you have access, otherwise to me. Please give as much detail as possible--at a minimum, which IF ships you used, what fleet you fought against, how well or badly they did, what you liked or disliked about these designs.
The design philosophy of the Islamic Federation Navy (al-Bahriyeh al-Itihiid al-Islaam) takes different approaches depending on the size of the ship. Smaller vessels are relatively fragile and are intended to provide a concentrated missile barrage from long range. Heavy cruisers and larger classes are intended to be able to dish out heavy damage at close to medium ranges.
The IF uses standard Human drives amd four-row hulls. A Heavy Missile is an updated More Thrust missile; these usually come on Heavy Missile Racks (HMR).
Due to budget, doctrine, or general fractiousness, amirate squadrons often require a weapons fit different from that specified by the Sultanate fleet. To accomodate them, most ships are designed to accept a variety of weapons in 8-mass blocks. Any block can be selected at time of construction; however, these are not the same as OU modules and cannot easily be changed once installed. On most SSDs, blocks are designated by a rounded rectangle. Common blocks are: 4x HMR or 2x SMR or 4x B2(3) or 2x B2(6) plus 1x B2(3); examples are shown to the right.
These missiles are larger than individual Salvo Missiles, and have either longer endurance or a more powerful warhead.
Heavy Missiles have a primary movement range, like fighters, except that it is always 18mu for HMs. HMs have an endurance factor of 1 to 5 (depending on type), similar to the combat endurance factor of fighters. Unlike fighters, HMs must burn 1 point of endurance to make a primary move.
HMs are launched during Phase 4) LAUNCH ORDNANCE. After their first turn of flight, HMs are moved at the BEGINNING of Phase 3) MOVE FIGHTER GROUPS, i.e. before the fighters move. This means that fighters will be able to use their free primary movement to intercept heavy missiles, except on the turn the missile is launched.
HM attacks are allocated during Phase 6) ALLOCATE ORDNANCE AND FIGHTER ATTACKS. Any HM may expend one endurance point to make a secondary move of 6mu (3 in vector)--typically this is done to get more range, or to move so that the "closest target" is the one the player wants his HM to attack. After completing any secondary movement, a HM within 6mu (3mu in vector) of an enemy target will attack the nearest enemy target, just like a salvo missile.
A fighter group may attempt to intercept a HM as if it were a salvo missile salvo with only 1 missile (see Fleet Book 1, p. 6).
Heavy Missiles can be defended against using point defence fire during Phase 7) POINT DEFENCE FIRE. A single PDS can destroy 1 HM a roll of 4+ on 1D6. A Kra'Vak Scattergun or Sa'Vas'Ku Interceptor Pod will automatically kill 1 HM. Screening fighters or Class-1 Beam Batteries or K-guns will kill 1 missile on a roll of 5+ (any re-rolls are irrelevant since the missile is killed by the first hit anyway).
Any HMs that survive phase 7 now attack their targets, inflicting damage
that depends upon the missile type. Half of the damage is scored on ARMOUR
(round up), while the remainder is scored on HULL (or the next armour layer
in, for layered shells). After the attacks have been resolved, any HMs that
have exhausted their endurance factors and are out of attack range of any
viable targets are removed from play.
| Missile Type | Endurance | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Long Lance | 5 | 1D6 |
| Standard | 3 | 2D6 |
| Misericorde | 1 | 3D6 |
| EMP | 1 | see notes |
EMP missiles do not cause hull damage but can temporarily disable ship systems. For each HM-EMP that attacks, roll 1d6, subtract the target's screen level, and divide by two (round down). The result is the number of "EMP hits" done by that missile. The maximum effect for any number of HM-EMP attacks on one target in one turn is three EMP hits. Roll for EMP effects as per the EMP beam (this link opens a new window).
Heavy Missile launch systems come in two types: externally carried one-use launch racks (termed HM Racks, or HMR), or reloadable launching tubes. There are two options for the later version: either Heavy Missiles have their own, specific launcher system (denoted a HM Missile Launcher, or HML), or they can be launched from standard Salvo Missile Launchers (Fleet Book 1, p.9). The former option is probably more realistic, while the latter option allows for the use of HMs with existing, SML-equipped, designs. If HMLs are used, the launcher itself takes 2 MASS and costs 6 points. For either of the reusable launcher options (SML with HMs or HML), each HM carried in the internal magazine takes up 1 MASS and costs 3 points. An external HMR takes 2 MASS for the complete rack plus missile, and costs 6 points.