Rogue Stars

SciFi Skirmish Wargame created by Andrea Sfiligoi. Published December 15th 2016.

Description

Rogue Stars is a character-based science fiction skirmish wargame, where players command crews of bounty hunters, space pirates, merchants, prospectors, smugglers, mercenary outfits, planetary police and other such shady factions from the fringes of galactic civilisation. Crews can vary in size, typically from four to six, and the character and crew creation systems allow for practically any concept to be built. Detailed environmental rules that include options for flora, fauna, gravity, dangerous terrain and atmosphere, and scenario design rules that ensure that missions are varied and demand adaptation and cunning on the parts of the combatants, make practically any encounter possible. Run contraband tech to rebel fighters on an ocean world while hunted by an alien kill-team or hunt down a research vessel and fight zero-gravity boarding actions in the cold depths of space - whatever you can imagine, you can do.

TL;DR: Essentially a small model count game that focuses on SciFi archetypes instead of a specific setting. Want to create Cyborg Space Pirates who wear power armor? You can. Want to create Space Marines? You can. Want to create Jedi? You can. The system is very open to player customization.

Gameplay

A d20 system that focuses on low model count games, in particular 4-6 models.

Crew Creation

Themes

Themes give access to Crew Creation options such as traits, equipment, and weapons. Rarely do themes require you to take specific gear

• Bounty Hunters: Essentially your non-official police like Spike from Cowboy Bebop or Boba Fett from Star Wars.
• Cultists: Evil Psionic characters that can use more deadly attacks. Sample characters might be the Sith from Star Wars or Chaos Sorcerers from Warhammer 40k.
• Cyborgs: Part man, part machine; they are allowed access to more cybernetic enhancements early on. Sample characters might be Techpriests from Warhammer 40k or Megaman from Megaman.
• Mercenaries: The soldiers for hire theme for the game, they are allowed access to all civilian and military equipment except Heavy Power Armor. Sample characters might be the Mercs from the Riddick franchise or the Mithril from Full Metal Panic!.
• Merchants: The corporations or trade houses of the far future, their biggest boost is buying equipment at half price. Sample characters might be Rogue Traders from Warhammer 40k or Weyland Yutani from the Alien VS Predator franchise.
• Militia: These are the true soldiers of the game, they have access to all civilian and military grade equipment. Sample characters might be the Imperial Guard from Warhammer 40k or Mobile Infantry from Starship Troopers.
• Miners: These characters typically represent the rebelious miners that are in so much science fiction. In particular they get access to better melee weapons and cheaper exosuits. Sample characters might be the miners from Red Faction or the crew from Red Dwarf.
• Pirates: These guys are space pirates and they are able to take special equipment such as personal teleporters and silenced weapons. Sample characters might be Dark Eldar from Warhammer 40k or Kei Pirate Guild from Outlaw Star.
• Psionics: The "magic" crew theme. These are the psychic warriors who can use mind control, clairvoyance, and telekinesis. Unlike Cultists they are not allowed any Dark Gifts. Sample characters might be the Jedi from Star Wars and Psykers from Warhammer 40k.
• Star Cops: Essentially the Space Police. They represent sheriffs, corporate security, and government agencies. Sample characters might be Adeptus Arbites from Warhammer 40k or Judge Dredd from Judge Dredd.

Designing Characters

Guidelines that help make certain archetypal characters.

• Robots: There is no Robot theme there are rules for designing them by taking the Artificial and Nonreactive traits. Though taking just the Artificial trait might be simple enough for a sentient robot. While the rules state that no squad can comprise of just robots you can get away with a squad of artificial characters.
• Aliens: Anything with the Vegetable or Mineral trait. For some reason this does not extend to Insectoid or Reptiloid traits.
• Cyborgs: Typically only available for the Cyborg theme. In the campaign rules if a limb is broken any crew theme can spend XP to replace the limb with a cybernetic enhancement.

Playtest Rules

Andrea Sfiligoi keeps in contact with the community through the Rogue Stars Facebook page and continues to add more playtest rules into the game.

New Traits

• Acrobatic Sidestep 3XP:

When a character with this ability is attacked in melee and the attacker fails by 5 or more, the character may move away up to 4 MU, not 2 MU as normal. A character carrying a Heavy load, or wearing a Exoskeleton ora suit heavy power armor may NOT use this Trait.

• Acid Blood 4XP (N):

The character belongs to an alien race whose bodily fluids are aggressive acids. Every time the model takes a wound, any character in base-to-base contact with the alien must perform a TN15 agility roll (add levels in Agile, subtract -1 if character is carrying a Heavy load or is Big or Huge) or take a Damage 2 attack in a random location. If the unmodified Endure roll is a 5 or lower, the acid eats through the character's clothes or armor, and the character must spend one action to get rid of the armor/clothing in the affected body part or suffer an additional Damage 2 attack each time the initiative switches. Multiple sprays on the character have each their potential Damage roll.

• Clinging N, 1XP per level, up to 3XP

Clinging is the ability to move up on walls and ceilings using Crawl, Walk, and Run actions. Sprinting is not possible. The trait comes in three levels to represent different grades of freedom while clinging, depending on the means used by the creature to stick to walls. Details on how the character does it are left to the player's common sense. With the first level, all limbs are used to stick to the wall.

With the second level, the character can have one free limb while clinging, and use it to hold equipment or use a tool/weapon (but reloading is going to be impossible). With the third level, the character can have two free limbs while clinging, but may still not use Long or Two-handed melee weapons. While clinging, a character gains an elevation +1 bonus to attack in melee any non-clinging If hit while Clinging, any result of a crippled limb or knocked Prone means the character falls.

New Tactical Disciplines

• We Shall Not Falter

No player may attempt to Take the Initiative from the squad with this Tactical Discipline when one of their characters goes OoA. Other attempts to Take the Initiative (when a squad reaches a major objective or uses a Reaction to Take the Initiative) may be performed as normal against a squad with this Tactical Discipline.

New Weapons

• Variable Ammo 1XP per ammo type - Shotguns only currently. While most weapons can be fitted with slightly different types of ammunition, a weapon with this rule can use dramatically different ammo types. By default, the weapon comes loaded with one of the following ammo types, and may purchase more ammo type at a cost of 1XP per ammo type. The weapon is assumed to be fitted with variable selectors. Switching from one ammunition type to another takes one action and one free hand (the hand supporting the weapon is used to switch the selector). If the weapon goes out of ammo, it may continue to fire by switching to another ammo type.
  • Dragonbreath: Damage 4, Scorching, Maximum Range 10.
  • Antidrone: Damage 4, +1 to hit drones, ignores penalty for firing at Diminutive targets. Non-Penetrating against targets that are not Drones.
  • Leaf Cutter: Damage 4, target may not claim cover modifier from vegetation.
  • Buckshot: Damage 4, Non-Penetrating, +1 to hit if target is between 3 and 6 MU away.
  • Armour Shredder: Damage 4, Armour Piercing if target is up to 4 MU away.
  • Jolt: Damage 4, Maximum Range 10, +1 Damage against robots and drones.
  • Herbicide: Damage 3, Maximum Range 10, +2 Damage against Vegetable targets.
  • Flechette: Damage 4, if there is another target within 2 MU of the first target, shooter performs a secondary attack at -2, Damage 3 against that target. If more than one secondary target exists, determine randomly which one receives the secondary attack. Note that this includes friends and foes. If Flechette ammo is fired into a melee, the shooter chooses a primary target for his attack. The Flechette will perform a secondary attack against all models, friends or foes, in melee contact with the primary target.

• Shotgun: Variable Ammo, Short Range, Two-Handed Cost: 6XP +1 per extra ammo type

• Sawed Off Shotgun: Variable Ammo, Short Range, Maximum Range 8 Cost 6XP +1 x extra ammo

• Voice Blaster:

The Voice Blaster is a sonic weapon that amplifies a person's voice into a deadly blast of sonic force. It doesn't require hands to use (the apparatus is either part of a helmet or headset or mounted on the character's torso, or built in as a cybernetic or robot part). Like all sonic weapons, it doesn't work in a vacuum, it gets +2 versus Mineral characters, and only Sealed Armour protect against it.

Damage: 3 XP cost (built-in only) 14 Class: Military Rules: Sonic, Energy, Short Range, Infinite Rounds

Can be considered a cybernetic enhancement as well and does not count against one's weapon limits.

New Weapon Upgrades

• Hotshot +3XP ( C)

This enhancement may be applied only to ranged energy weapons. The weapon is rewired in a way that increases its Damage by 1 against any target within 6 MU. Against targets that are more than 6 MU away, the bonus does not apply. Any critical failure on the weapon's Shooting roll means the weapon is destroyed. The weapon is replaced as normal between games. Hotshotting may also be applied to Built-In weapons, but any critical failure also inflicts an attack with half the weapon's Damage, rounded down, on the body part where the weapon is installed. This attack ignores that body part's Armour score (just perform the Endure roll for the part affected).

• Sniping Weapon +12XP (M, R)

This upgrade can be applied only to rifles (two-handed, non-Primitive ranged weapons). On an Aimed Shot or a Called Shot, the weapon ignores all range modifiers. The weapon, however, never gets a bonus for firing at point blank. This ability may not be used with Hail of Fire attacks.

• Phasing Laser +3XP (I)

Experimental technology developed by races with high incidence of evolved psionic powers, phasing lasers can hit normally Phasing targets, but are at -1 to Damage against normal (solid) targets. Switching between the Phasing and the Normal setting on a laser requires one action. This technology may be applied only to laser weapons, including X-Ray modified lasers.

New Psionic Powers

• Energy Parry (8 XP)

The psionic must be wielding a ready psionically powered melee weapon or an energy melee weapon to use this trait. Whenever an attack from a ranged energy weapon or primitive ranged weapon hits the character, the character may attempt to deflect it with his weapon. The TN for this action is the modified total rolled by the opponent (so, if the shooter rolled a total of 17, the psionic needs to roll a 17 or better to deflect the attack). If the shooting roll was a critical success, the attack may not be deflected. On a critical failure, the psionic's weapon flies from his hands (allow the opponent to place it anywhere within 3”). Each successful Parry puts one Stress token on the psionic. Note that no action or reaction needs to be available to the character to use this ability.

• Phasing 12 XP

The psionic may phase through solid objects. It takes two actions, and a successful TN12 Psi roll, to enter the phasing state. While phasing, the character can ignore all physical obstacles including enemies and move through them with a Walk action. If the character performs any movement faster than a Walk or use any other psionic ability, he loses the concentration required to remain phasing and becomes solid. A Phasing character is unaffected by all attacks except punches, kicks and martial arts attacks performed by other Phasing characters, and Phasing lasers. Psionic attacks that affect the mind hit him normally. The character's carried equipment phases with him, even if dropped, and becomes solid again if the character stops using the power. Phasing equipment does not work – all types of Armor will offer only 1 Point of armor against the melee attacks of other phasing characters, force fields will not work, and so on.

• Levitate Object 6 XP

The psionic can levitate an object that can be held in one hand, such as a one-handed weapon, a grenade, a tool or even a hypodermic needle to administer a drug. The object moves up to 4 per action, using actions or reactions from the psionic, who must be within 12” of the object at all time. If at any moment the psionic and the object become more than 12” apart, the psionic loses control over the object and the object falls to the ground.

When using an object through this ability, the psionic may not use any levelled Trait with that object. For example, when firing a levitating gun, the character would not benefit from any levels in the Marksman Trait. If using a weapon through Levitate Object, the user still needs to have a LoS to the target and may not perform the Aim action. A levitating grenade will still require one action to be primed (the priming happens telekinetically). One advantage of using a weapon through levitation is that the user is not constrained to using weapons designed for his morphology and size.

New Armour

• Superlight Combat Dress 10XP, Civilian

Armour 1 on legs and arms, Armour 2 on head and torso, Sealed

• Gargantua Armor 48XP, Military

Gargantua is an early model of Heavy Power Armour. It has the same stats and rules of Heavy Power Armour, but is also Bulky.

• Superlight Combat Dress 10XP, Civilian

Armour 1 on legs and arms, Armour 2 on head and torso, Sealed.

This can be combined with a kevlar jacket for +6XP. The combination gives Armour 4 to the torso, 2 on the head, and 1 on all other locations, and count as Sealed.

You could also combine Superlight Combat Dress (10XP), Kevlar jacket (6XP) and Refraction Field (10XP) for a total of 26XP. This combination would give you Armour 5 on the torso, 3 on the head, and 2 on limbs, and be Sealed. While actually more expensive than a suit of Power Armor (25XP), this combined set has the advantage of being Civilian-grade.

• • Author's Note: Please let me know if my math is wrong or these combos are too good, I don't think they are.

New Equipment

• Disposable Disentangler 1XP (C )

Using this one-shot item, you may perform a TN12 Tech roll to break free from being Entangled. You may also use this item to free an adjacent Entangled friend. You may purchase and carry as many as needed, at 1XP each.

• Cling-suit ( C ) 1XP per level, up to 3XP

This is a piece of civilian equipment that gives the wearer the same abilities as the Clinging trait possesses by some aliens, for the same XP cost. It is used to let humanoids move on settlements, structures and spaceships created by alien races with the Clinging trait, and it is also handy to perform spaceship repairs in zero-gee environments. The user has no hands or feet free while clinging, but can freely move on walls and ceilings. For other rules, see the Clinging trait. As a Civilian grade equipment, this can be damaged by superficial damage. If this happens while the wearer is clinging, the wearer will fall. The cling suit can be worn together with any Civilian-grade armour but not with Force-fields of any kind – the molecular charge suppression used to cling interferes with the force field generators.

Optional Rules

• Redshirts (Optional Rule)

Redshirt are cheaper, cannon-fodder characters that may be added to a gang. They can represent a lot different things: immature aliens that defend their queen, juvenile delinquents that try to impress gang members, rookie cops, fanatic followers of a psionic cult, violent fans of a famous popstar, would-be adventurers who hope to learn the trade, untrained militias, servitor races of stronger aliens, common rioters joining a rebellion, and so on.

Redshirts are created with 8 to 29XP each, using equipment appropriate to their theme and role. Being a Redshirt is a -8XP trait. They do not gain XP in campaigns and should not be assigned equipment that they couldn't normally have.

Redshirts activate only when a character spends one action to perform the Order action. This lets TWO Redshirts perform one action each, without dicing for activation. A Redshirt may perform a single action and then he may not receive another Order until the Initiative has switched.

Redshirts have -4 on all rolls they perform: Shoot, Morale, Melee, everything is at -4 (they are normal persons, even though they may have training and equipment beyond the reach of average people).

There is very little book-keeping involved with Redshirts. Redshirts do not accumulate Stress. The character using an Order to move two Redshirts receives 1 Stress token as normal, but the Redshirts need not be marked. If you are afraid you might lose track of which Redshirt has been activated, turn them so they face their baseline.

When a Redshirt gains one Pin token, he becomes Pinned. A Pinned Redshirt may not perform any action other than Running or Sprinting towards cover, until a character spends one action to Rally him (one action per Redshirt to be rallied). A Pinned Redshirt that takes another Pinned effect does not suffer any additional effects.

When a Redshirt takes one wound, no matter in which part of the body, no matter the severity of the wound, the Redshirt goes OOA.

Redshirts do not roll Reactions. A character may use a successful reaction to perform an Order, thus activating up to two Redshirts that haven't performed their action already. When a character goes OOA, Redshirts roll Morale (at -4, like all the rolls they make). Any Redshirt failing a Morale roll is Pinned, or Panicking if he rolls a critical failure. When Redshirts go OOA, characters do NOT roll Morale. They are more or less expected not to last too much.

If all the characters in a game go OOA or move off the table, any Redshirts still on the table automatically panic or surrender, as appropriate to the scenario.

• • Designer's note: Redshirts are useful for players who agree to field larger forces. We recommend that the number of normal characters plus Redshirts does not exceed a total of 10 figures per side. Players may agree to have only a couple of characters and more Redshirts for a quicker game that requires less book-keeping and dice rolling than usual. Players may also use Redshirts only in special occasions, for example in a final scenario that represents the culmination of gang warfare, where the gangs recruit all the riff-raff they can to bring more guns to the final battle.
  • Author's Note: Redshirt rules. These may be utter crap because I didn't have any chance to try them on the table (as my kickstarter started today I am quite busy) but please try them with an open mind and let me know how they work for you. In the book, if these work, I plan to have a list of typical Redshirts so players who want to play by the book can fall back to the "official" profiles. It's not written in the rules, but it is assumed that BOTH players agree to the use of Redshirts. They change the game considerably, but let you put more figures on the table if you want.

And remember, the shirts are red because blood won't show :-)