Stellar Cartography

Nebulas

Nebulas are interstellar collections of ionized gas covering vast areas with a fog which is difficult to penetrate with conventional sensors. This causes the following effects:

• Hide ships and planets: Each point of nebula has a visibility factor depending on the level of density. Ships and planets will only be visible at this range.

• All Cloaking ships except the advanced cloaking Resolute Class Battlecruiser and Dark Wing Class Battleship which end their movement inside of a nebula will be decloaked after movement. Ships which start their movement inside of a nebula are decloaked at the beginning of the turn.

• Minefields and web minefields which are overlapping a nebula suffer from a 3X higher minefield decay rate.

• The Cobol Class Research Cruiser Ram scoop does not work (if ending movement inside a nebula).

• Planets inside Nebulas are 10 times more likely to experience a small meteor shower.

• The Bioscanner and sensor scans do not work on planets inside of a nebula except for the Pawn Class Baseship.

• Ion Storms which encounter a nebula have their voltage reduced by the nebula intensity each turn they touch the nebula.

• All native life on planets inside a nebula with visibility less than 50ly may be taxed higher than the normal rate before becoming angry. Since these natives have never seen the stars the arrival of aliens causes the entire population to go into a religious fervor.

• The Cyborg B41 Explorer and the Birdman Swift Heart Class Scout are equipped with a Nebula Scanner which will automatically detect planets and ships inside a nebula up to 100 light years away, regardless of the nebula density.

Debris Disks

(or Interstellar Asteroid Fields)

Occasionally a planetary system may have a debris disk which is a tightly packed collection of asteroids and interstellar dust and debris which can extend for several light years outside the system. These asteroid fields are impossible to navigate with large ships. Debris Disks have the following effects:

• Ships with a hull mass of 200 kt or more, Neutronic Fuel Carriers, Large Deep Space Freighter and Super Transport Freighters can not enter or pass through a debris disk without being destroyed. Smaller ships are able to navigate the asteroid field.
• Minefields can not be layed over a debris disk. A minefield which is layed over a debris disk will automatically be reduced in size so that it does not overlap a debris disk. Any additional mines will be lost (destroyed by impacts with asteroids).
• Planetoids inside debris disks are 20 times more likely to experience a small meteor shower and are likely to have very dense mineral concentrations. They are very unlikely to have native life. Planetoids can not sustain any colonists unless they have supplies to eat or a space station.
• Planetoids do not have warp wells.
• Specialized Starbases (Mining Stations) may be built at planetoids to assist in mining the planetoids and to have larger colonist populations. These space stations cost less than normal starbases (around half). They have a maximum of 50 defense posts and 20 fighters. Planetoids which have a space station can sustain a population up to 500 clans without loss and will have 2X mining on the planetoid. These space stations can not build ships and have no tech levels.
• The Falcon Class Escort (The Rebels) can hide inside an asteroid field cloaked from view by ships 1 ly away when it ends its movement inside a debris disk. Ships can not hyperjump out of a debris disk, but they can hyperjump in.
• Ships can not be towed into or through a debris disk. The tow lock is disrupted as the towing ship enters the field.
• Opening a Firecloud warp chunnel (start or end) from inside of a debris disk will cause all ships in the chunnel to be destroyed by asteroids sucked into the wormhole.

Star Clusters

Star clusters are huge collections of densely packed stars which can not be navigated by ships. Star clusters range in size, mass, and temperature and have the following effects:

• Ships that fly into or through a star cluster are destroyed.

• Ships can not hyper jump through a star cluster. Ships which attempt to hyper jump through a star cluster will be destroyed.

• Star clusters emit radiation which kills crew and colonists in starships. Ships which start in, or pass through a radiation halo will lose crew and colonists clans equal to the highest point of radiation passed through. The amount of radiation emitted is a function of the temperature of the star cluster and the distance to which it is emitted is a based on its mass.

• A ship which runs out of crew due to radiation will become a "ghost ship" and can be captured by any ship which tows it. Its warp speed will be set to 0 and it will be unable to fight.

• When capturing a ghost ship 10 crew members will be sent over to the other ship to capture it. If the ship is still inside the radiation halo those crew members may be killed. A ship must have at least 20 crew and two engines to capture a ghost ship.

• Because of their glory devices most Fascist starship designs are equipped with radiation shielding. With radiation shielding a ship will only lose 1/20 the normal crew and colonist loss when inside a radiation halo. The following ship hulls have radiation shielding:
  • D7a Painmaker Class Cruiser
  • Little Pest Class Escort
  • D7 Coldpain Class Cruiser
  • Ill Wind Class Battlecruiser
  • D3 Thorn Class Destroyer
  • Deth Specula Class Frigate
  • D19b Nefarious Class Destroyer
  • Saber Class Frigate
  • Victorious Class Battleship
• In addition:
  • Banshee Class Destroyer (Federation)
  • Moscow Class Star Escort (Evil Empire)
  • Armored Transport (Rebels)

• The Robots are not affected by star cluster radiation.

• Colonists and natives on planets inside a radiation halo are protected by the planet's atmosphere.

• Special starbases must be built inside a radiation halo with radiation shielding and more docking space. These starbases cost slightly more minerals and megacredits to build. The heavy shielding automatically increases the starbase combat mass by 200kt and the extra space allows up to 250 defense posts and 80 fighters. If a friendly starbase exists on a planet (yours or an ally) then ships at that planet are protected from the radiation while at the planet (they are docked at the station). The Robots build normal bases.

• Cloaked ships will only lose 1/2 the normal crew and colonists while cloaked. Advanced cloaking ships will only lose 1/3.

• Normal minefield hits and glory devices hits to enemy ships which occur inside a radiation halo will kill crew equal to the radiation level at the point of impact due to the sudden large hull breach.
  • It is not possible to lay mines over a star cluster or within 10 ly of it. A minefield which is layed over a star cluster will automatically be reduced in size so that it does not come within 10 ly of the star cluster. Any additional mines will be lost (sucked in by the gravity well of the star cluster). It is possible to lay mines within the radiation halo.

• Ion Storms which enter a radiation halo gain strength. Ion storms that touch a star cluster are immediately destroyed.

• Ships can not be towed into a star cluster. The tow lock is lost as the towing ship enters the star cluster.