| Name | USF Prosperity Class |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Capital Ship |
| Description | Designed for long range planetary defense missions, the USF Prosperity Class battle ship has been UNISETS main ship-of-the-line in every major conflict since the Lamassian seccession in 2671. The Prosperity class is light on weaponry, but features a reinforced and elongated prow, designed to be used in capital-ship ramming manouvers. It has extremely powerful rear engines, which further enhance its ramming capabilities. These engines in combination with its thin, aerodynamic frame make the Prosperity class one of the very few ships in its weight class capable of atmospheric flight, and it can even land on the surface of planets. This ability allows it to be cheaply resupplied at the far-flung UNISET outposts it was designed to defend during extended deployments |
| Special Effect | Move several spaces forward. If this causes a collision deal extra damage to the opponent. |
| Name | Ripple Torpedo |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Main Weapon |
| Description | The advanced warhead of the Ripple Torpedo is divided into several layers which detonate in sequence as the torpedo gets close to an enemy capital ship hull. Each successive explosion carves a path for the torpedo to push deeper into the ship’s armor, destabilising it’s structural integrity. |
| Effect | Deals damage to adjacent armor sections on impact |
| Name | Dragnet |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Main Weapon |
| Description | Though officially the Dragnet cannon is still a prototype weapon, a significant number have been fitted in modern UNISET battleships for ‘field testing’. The experimental design generates globules of an exotic form of plasma and fires them at high velocity towards enemy targets. On impact, the plasma envelops the side of the ship causing significant drag between the ship body and the very fabric of space time which surrounds it, significantly robbing it of momentum. The round deals little phsyical damage, but can disrupt the motion of enemy ships, leaving them open to be targetted by more traditionally destructive weapons…or blunt force trauma from a Capital Ship ram, as the case may be |
| Effect | Removes momentum from enemy ships on impact. |
| Name | Shield Cell |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Broadside |
| Description | Force shields are hardly new technology and the majority of large scale war ships have been equipped with small shield generators for decades. The UNISET shield cell, however, takes shield generation to an unprecedented scale, with a single module being able to blanket up to half a capital ship in shields simultaneously. UNISET ship designs take advantage of this capability by incorporating a large number of shield anchors on their exterior hull. |
| Effect | Applies powerful shields to one side of the ship. |
| Name | Wolfhound Beam |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Broadside |
| Description | Solid State lasers with enough power to be effective in capital ship combat were a game changer for the UNISET military in the civil conflict of 2861. Their relatively low wattage is compensated for by an unparalleled rate of fire. Rebel ships during the conflict lacked energy shields or substantial armor, and the continuous laser barrage from an array of these prototype beams could often see a rebel capital ship sliced completely in two before they even had a chance to fire. Since 2861, technological advancement in UNISET has improved these weapons to the point of being effective against even heavily armored, modern Capital Ships. This progression has culminated in the modern Wolfhound Beam; powerful enough to melt Capital Ship armor, a single array of Wolfhound Beams can output continuous damage on an opponent with one emitter firing as the others in its array cool down. |
| Effect | Medium power broadside laser capable of firing every turn. |
| Name | Sidewinder Torpedos |
| Faction | FPA |
| Component Slot | Broadside Torpedos |
| Description | Sidewinder torpedos are built en-masse in gigantic planetside factories in FPA space from scavanged materials. Utilising the tehcnical skill of thier populace, the FPA are able to manufacture sidewinders in incredible numbers with minimal resources. Though the performance of these torpedoes is enviable once they get moving, their improvised nature means that tolerances are too lax to permit launching from a tube. The FPA deploys sidewinders by simply lobbing them out to float freely in space, where the weapon will aquire its target independently and fire up its main engine to engage it. Without the need to reload a torpedo tube, sidewinders can be deployed rapidly and in vast numbers, but this slow to start procedure means that they can be easily shot down by any diligent enemy corvettes willing to close the distance. Worse still, this opens up the possibility for rapidly manouvering capital ships to accelerate into thier own recently deployed torpedoes causing substantial damage to thier own armor. Recently deployed sidewinders can transform from an asset to a minefield if the FPA commander needs to take rapid evasive manouvers. |
| Special Effect | Torpedo does not move on its first turn |
| Name | Slinghot System |
| Faction | FPA/Lamais |
| Component Slot | Hangar Bay |
| Description | The slingshot system was originally designed in the pre-spacefaring part of human history, making it one of the oldest pieces of technology still used in the modern era. In modern slingshot launch systems a pair of lorentz-force accelerators tug on a high tensile strength cable attached to a readied corvette, allowing it to accelerate to a significant speed before clearing the hangar bay doors and igniting its main engines. This allows capital ships to rapidly scramble corvettes to attack distant targets, or use the additional speed boost to duck past enemy space-superiority corvettes. Despite centuries of technological innovation, including wormhole-based corvette deployment, the sheer reliability and effectiveness of slingshots ensures that they remain a staple for many space-faring combat vessels. |
| Special Effect | Launch a corvette up to 2 additional spaces in a straight line |
| Name | Firebird Corvette |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Corvette (Destroyer) |
| Description | Firebird Crovettes epitomise UNISET’s doctrine of fielding technologically advanced and highly specialised equipment. Designed exclusively to operate in the vaccuum of space, Firebird corvettes are incapable of operating in even a tenuous atmosphere. However in thier native environment they are the fastest and most manouverable corvettes fielded by any nation. The unusual weapon of the Firebird utilises 4 plasma emitters which are fired in tandem at a point a short distance in front of the corvette’s prow. These emitters are mounted on long arms, away from the main chassis, to combat overheating problems. The result of all 4 emitters firing on a single target is imcomparable single-shot damage from a corvette, capable of melting through even the thickest capital ship hulls in 2 or 3 shots. This incredible damage output comes at a cost, however. Firebirds cannot engage targets at any significant range, and are effectively useless in a dogfight against all but the slowest of enemy corvettes. They also significantly lack armor of thier own, making every attack run a high-risk high-reward manouver. Firebird crews are not known for their survival rate, but the sad reality is that life is cheap in UNISET space, and many servicemen don’t have a choice. |
| Special Effect | Extremely short range weapon, extremely high damage |
| Name | The Hammer |
| Faction | FPA |
| Component Slot | Main Weapon |
| Description | The FPA Militia is famous for its widespread use of improvised weapons and no single item epitomises this trait better than the gargantuan improvised cannon known only as “The Hammer”. Repurposed from the shaft of a mining elevator, the original use of which was to transport minerals from deep within a planet to the surface by a combination of pneumatic and electromagnetic propulsion. The cargo pods which were previously used to transport minerals up the shaft have been packed with explosives and shrapnel to create a gigantic air-burst munition which will detonate at a pre-determined distance, laying waste to anything unlucky enough to be caught in the blast. No two FPA Hammers are exactly alike, as each colony in FPA space may have on hand different makes, models and varieties of equipment from which to construct them. These nuances from cause significant variation from weapon to weapon and make The Hammer an unpredictable and highly dangerous weapon to encounter. |
| Special Effect | Airburst shell explodes after 1 turn, dealing AOE damage. |
| Name | RNC Gilgamesh Class MK III |
| Faction | Lamais |
| Component Slot | Capital Ship |
| Description | The RNC Gilgamesh was the first capital ship ever created by the Musk Industries skunkworks on planet Bubastis in the region now known as the Principality of Lamais. The Gilgamesh, along with its 6 sister ships defended the borders of the newly founded Lamasian Empire in 2672. In the past 203 years, the this battleship class has remained in continuous service in Lamasian space, through the fall of the first empire and its subsequent re-instatement. Though the design has recieved many internal upgrades in that time, the Gilgamesh class’ sillhouette has become an iconic feature of the Lamasian Royal Navy. Astonishingly, the original RNC Gilgamesh is still officially in service, providing planetary defense at Bubastis, the site of its original creation. It has adopted the affectionat nickname “Theseus’ ship” in reference to the fact that every component of the ship has been replaced at least once since its original construction in 2665. |
| Special Effect | Instantly undo and remove up to half the ship’s momentum, warping back to a position previously occupied by the ship earlier in the turn. |
| Name | Maintenance Arm |
| Faction | FPA/UNISET |
| Component Slot | Hangar Bay |
| Description | Though the broad concept of robotic industrial arms is truely ancient, the modern Maintenance Arm is powered by bleeding edge artificial intelligence capable of learning and adapting from experience making them ideal workers in almost any industrual or military context. An experienced Maintenance Arm can strip down or rebuild a corvette in a matter of minutes, but will usually rely on human team mates for any work which requires entering tight spaces such as the interior of a constructed corvette. The self-improving maintenance AIs are also known to develop distinct ‘personalities’, which has lead to many human crews thinking of thier maintenance arm as a robotic member of the team who will almost invariably be consulted when planning projects or improvements to the hangar. In FPA space particularly, there have been instances where Maintenance Arms which were destroyed in battle have been granted a spaceborne funeral with full military honours, and many arms have been awarded medals for distinction and valour. |
| Special Effect | Reduces cooldown of Corvette Repair |
| Name | Authority |
| Faction | Lamais |
| Component Slot | Corvette (Destroyer) |
| Description | Though diminuative in size, the Authority corvette is feared throughout the galaxy. The tri-barreled GA-102 railcannon mounted on its underside comprises an entire third of the craft’s total mass and fires devastatingly powerful depleted uranium rounds capable of perforating a capital ship’s armor at up to 3km. With unusually heavy armor plating and the capability of atmospheric flight, these corvettes are routinely fitted with personal Kamimaru drives for use as the interplanetary transport method of choice for the Lamasian princes and even the Emperor himself. Named for thier intended purpose of representing the Authority of Emperor Lamais to govern his territory independently of UNISET, the dominating battlefield presence of Authority corvettes was a decisive factor in the defense of Lamasian territory during the original seccesionary conflict of 2672. |
| Special Effect | None |
| Name | Heat Lance |
| Faction | UNISET |
| Component Slot | Main Weapon |
| Description | Unbelievably cruel, yet incredibly effective, the UNISET Heat Lance emits a focussed beam of low frequency electro-magnetic radiation, which penetrates straight through any capital ship’s shields or armor. The path of the beam melts armor plating, the underlying supportive structure of the ship, as well as any crewmembers unlucky enough to be located in the way. UNISET command justifies the use of such a horrific weapon under the premise that the possibility of being boiled alive convinces many pirates and enemy commanders to pre-emptively surrender rather than risk even a single hit from a Heat Lance, thus preventing battles on the whole and saving countless lives. Many detractors both within and without UNISET space have labled the Heat Lance a “weapon of terror” and lobbied for use of the weapon to be classified as a war crime. Thus far, the military’s stance remains unswayed however, and Heat Lances continue to be fitted in UNISET capital ships. |
| Special Effect | Pierces directly though capital ships, dealing damage along the entire path of the weapon’s beam. |
| Name | Normandy |
| Faction | FPA |
| Component Slot | Corvette (Mine Layer) |
| Description | A surface-to-space cargo freighter, the Normandy class Corvette is also used in both space battles and planetary defence roles completely unmodified. Unlike most vessels in the FPA navy, which are typically civilian or industrial designs imported from UNISET, the Normandy corvette was designed and manufactured in Colony 13, a full member of the alliance, to provide the ruggedness and capacity uniqely demanded of transport vessels in the mining-focussed region of the frontier. Though the Corvette lacks any offensive weaponary, its ubiquety allows it to be deployed en-massed to sow metric tonnes of mines throughout any theatre of engagement at a moments notice and for minimal cost. Because the corvettes are unmodified when used in combat, there have been numerous instances of civilian Normandy’s being mistaken for combatants and destroyed by Lamasian and UNISET forces. Normandy owners in the civilian sector are finding it increasingly difficult to find crews who are willing to fly Normandy’s, which has lead to many of the craft being mothballed or scuttled. This represents a substantial undue burden on the FPA industrial sector, and Colony 13 is suffering massively under the lack of demand for thier primary exports. |
| Special Effect | Corvette leaves stationary mines in space which detonate when an enemy comes within range. |
| Name | RNC Virgil Class |
| Faction | Lamais |
| Component Slot | Capital Ship |
| Description | The RNC Virgil Class is designed specifically for offensive manouvers in hostile territory. Sacrificing a substantial amount of armor, as well as broadside weapon placements has allowed the fitment of additional manouvering thrusters to create an exceptionally agile Capital Ship design which retains the same devastating forward-facing weaponry as its heftier bretheren in the Lamasian Royal Navy. Virgil class cruisers are the newest addition to the Principalities fleet, debuting in the recent Lamasian crusade which lead to the principalities occupation of Earth. Virgil Class cruisers are often deployed in pairs to attack an enemy held system where they will utilise wolf-pack tactics to flank and rapidly destroy enemy capital ships before a heavier ship arrives to mop up any remaining enemy Corvettes and lock down the system. |
| Special Effect | Fire the ships reserve manouvering thrusters to gain an extra burst of speed or rotation. |
| Name | Leviathan Slug |
| Faction | FPA |
| Component Slot | Main Cannon |
| Description | The LV-1N piledriver was a popular piece of mining equipment which found a home with the asteroid mining operations in the Frontier between 1675 and 3850. This pneumatically powered pile driver was used to crush small pieces of asteroid into dust for processing. Thanks to lax safety standards in the frontier, modifying the LV-1N for use as a capital ship weapon is remarkably simple, and since the outbreak of war in 1852, almost every one has found a new home abord an FPA capital ship, where they take on the designation “Leviathan slug thrower”. |
| Special Effect | Fires slow-moving projectiles extremely quickly. |
| Name | The Fanatical Usurper |
| Faction | FPA |
| Component Slot | Capital Ship |
| Description | Exemplifying the old engineering adage “If it’s stupid, but it works, then it isn’t stupid”, the Fanatical Usurper is little more than a Wayfare industries super-heavy Mining Freighter with hodgepodge armor plates welded to its chassis. The original freighter’s outstanding cargo capacity means that plenty of weight could be spared for these armor plates, and has resulted in the toughest ship in the entire FPA fleet. The forward cargo bays of this beast have been replaced with capital ship weapons and the hangars, which originally housed shuttles for loading and unloading the freighter have been stocked with battle-ready FPA corvettes. The simplicity of this Battleship design, as well as its blatantly unfinished appearance, leads many enemy commanders to underestimate the Usurper’s capabilities, but they are usually set right once the ugly behemoth opens up with a barrage of torpedoes and cannons, whilst taking barely a dent from incoming fire. |
| Special Effect | Broadside weapons point forward for additional firepower, all main and broadside weapons can be fired simultaneously. |