Tresurion

Tresurion
Patrick Cowden
An Icehouse space battles system
:Players	Players:	2
:Time	Length:	unknown
:Complexity	Complexity:	???
Trios per color:		5
Number of colors:		2
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		2
Five-color sets:
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
1d20, 1d10, 15x25 (or larger) board
Setup time:
Playing time:
Strategy depth:		???
Random chance:		???
Game mechanics:
Theme:		space battle
BGG Link:		N/A
Status: Not Specified (v1.0), Year released: 2008

The Tresurion Sector in the Bantrax Galaxy is a hot bed of conflict. This area of open space does not fall under the juridiction of any government. It is truly free space. Many factions are fighting for control of this sector. Recent scientific surveys have found that the Tresurion Sector is rich in Chlolynium crystals. The heart and soul of the Aronium drive system that is the source of power for virtually all starships and power plants in the known universe. It is said that this sector is the source of an incredibly pure version of this rare crystal. So pure that it is theorized the power that can be culled from these particular crystals is more than ten times the normal amount. Something worthy of fighting over. Ice House Space Battles pits two opposing forces against each other that are vying for control of this sector.

The object is simple. Eradicate the opposing force to gain control of the Tresurion Sector.

The following are rules for the basic game. Future scenarios may vary aspects of this (such as initial setup, new ship classes, "terrain" such as asteroids, wormholes, etc…).

Equipment

• 2 Icehouse packs. Preferably of two different color sets. If not then have some way to distinguish between each player's pieces (volcano caps, stickers, washers over top of Icehouse piece)
• 1 Twenty sided die
• 1 Ten sided die
• 1 Playmat that is divided into 1" x 1" squares. This mat should have at least 15 x 25 quadrants. Chessex playmats work, but it is just as easy to purchase a poster board from an office supply store that is already marked off. A pack of three should cost around $5 or a thicker foam board can be purchased for the same amount. This is handy to have around for other Icehouse games or other gaming needs. See attached pictures in appendix.

Fleet Construction

Each player constructs a fleet from an entire Icehouse pack. These fifteen pieces can be combined to make a wide range of different starships. Each has its own unique abilities. Depending on the combonations a fleet may be comprised of five to fifteen different vessels. Record your ships on the Fleet Record Sheet. The ship list details the different types of vessels that are available in Icehouse Space Battles. It lists the Shield Strength/Toughness, Class of Ship, Movement Rate (MR), Fire Power, range of attack, and Universal Construction Number (UCN). See designer notes on UCN numbers. It is up to the player to determine what combonation works best for him. Does a swarming of smaller, faster ships get the job done (like the rebel alliance against the Death Star)? Or is a smaller fleet of huge lumbering vessels with big firepower more appropriate? Whatever your style you decide.

Setup

Place each fleet at opposite ends of the playmat. The ships must be in the first two rows of that end. The ships may be in any order as long as they are in the first two rows. Only one ship may occupy a quadrant at any given time.

Turn Sequence

Each turn is composed of two rounds. Player one's round and Player two's round. An initiative roll is made at the beginning of each turn. The sequence is as follows:

• Initiative
• Player One
  • move phase
  • attack phase
  • damage allocation phase
• Player Two
  • move phase
  • attack phase
  • damage allocation phase

Move Phase

each ship may move up to its full movement rate (MR). It may pass through a quadrant that contains a friendly vessel. It may not end its turn in that sector though. A ship may not pass through a quadrant that is occupied by an enemy ship.

Attack Phase

once a ship has ended its movement phase it may target an enemy ship. There must be a clear line of sight for the targeting system to lock onto its victim. The attacking vessel must also be within its attack range. A zero range indicates that the attacking vessel must be in an adjacent quadrant in order for its weapons to hit. A Light Frigate with a range of 1 can fire up to one quadrant away from its intended victim.

The attacking vessel rolls 1d20 and subtracts the MR of the targeted ship. The adjusted result must be greater than or equal to 10 to score a hit. A scout ship is small, nimble, and quick. Thusly, it is harder to hit because 9 points are subtracted from the attacker's die roll. The Dreadnaught fills the heavens with its bulk. This lumbering brute is an easy target. The ship attacking this vessel only has to subtract 1 from its attack die roll. Multiple ships may concentrate their fire upon one ship. In this case each ship must make its own separate attack die roll.

A ship may only fire once per turn and can only target one ship.

A natural 1 rolled on an attack roll is an automatic miss regardless of any bonuses. A natural 20, in the same respect is an automatic hit.

Damage Allocation Phase

once a hit has occurred damage must be determined. Each class of ship has differing amounts of damage it can dish out. This is determined by how effeciently the vessel is able to extract power from the Chlolynium crystal. A base amount of energy (1d10) can be extracted from a crystal to power the weapons system. The larger class starships have the space to house larger extracting units resulting in increased power being allocated to the destruction of its foe. This is culminated in the Dreadnaught class which has a damage potential of 7-16 points (1d10+6).

If multiple ships have targeted the same vessel, these damage results are combined into one number.

Damage is reduced by the amount of the damaged vessel's shield rating. An Alpha Class Frigate's shield can absorb 6 points of damage each round. Any amounts of damage above this slips through the shielding system and rends the starship apart.

The shield rating is also the amount of damage that the vessel can take before being completely destroyed. Though the Dreadnaught is like a sitting duck, it takes a lot of damage in a round to take her down. Conversely, just about any hit on a Scout ship will rip it apart. The trick is hitting it in the first place. A record of the amount of damage a ship has taken is kept on the Fleet Record Sheet. Once a starship has taken its full amount of damage it is destroyed and immediately removed from play.

Ship Classifications

Name	Shield	MR	Fire Power	Range	UCN
Scout	1	9	1d10	0	001
Corvette	2	8	1d10	0	002
Star Fighter	3	7	1d10	0	003
Light Frigate	2	8	1d10+1	1	011
Banshee Frigate	3	7	1d10+1	1	012
Rho Class A Frigate	4	6	1d10+1	1	013
Rho Class B Frigate	4	6	1d10+2	2	022
Theta Class Frigate	5	5	1d10+2	2	023
Alpha Class Frigate	6	4	1d10+3	3	033
Light Cruiser	3	7	1d10+2	2	111
Chimera Class A Cruiser	4	6	1d10+2	2	112
Chimera Class B Cruiser	5	5	1d10+2	2	113
Cruiser	5	5	1d10+3	3	122
Battle Cruiser	6	4	1d10+3	3	123
Star Cruiser	7	3	1d10+4	4	133
Light Battleship	6	4	1d10+4	4	222
Battleship	7	3	1d10+4	4	223
Heavy Battleship	8	2	1d10+5	5	233
Dreadnought	9	1	1d10+6	6	333

Scenarios and Designer Notes

Scenario teasers and designer notes are available in the .pdf download of the rules from the author's website

Entered in the Icehouse Game Design Competition, Summer 2008
Winner: Ambush 2nd: Logger 3rd: Albiorix 4th: Virus_Fight 5th: Atom_Smasher
6th: Dog_Eat_Dog & Martian_BattleSpires 8th: Pass_The_Pyramids 9th: T-Minus 10th: Tresurion