Arcalane wrote:Oh, by the way, here's some basic rules to expect;
- Fleets will not be omgwtfhueg.
- Ships will probably be kept more to a BSF-stock scale in terms of size and armament for the sake of sanity, fast battle resolution and easy pricing.
- There will be no wankships. That is final.
- All ships will comply with the posted rules or not be allowed for use. That is final. This means we will need to examine the blueprints.
- Flagships have more leeway than normal ships when it comes to restrictions, but don't expect them to be cheap. You will only be allowed one at a time as well.
- Weapons cannot be modified whatsoever. This is also final. There may be some leeway for range enhancements only for flagships, and only within reason.
- Colonies can be captured or destroyed. They can also be blockaded. I'll explain this in a moment.
Blockading
Blockading, effectively, is the practice of blocking off trade routes, etc. to a system, port or planet. In this case, two things can be blockaded; the natural warp routes, or a system.
Warp Route Blockades
When a warp route is blockaded, a fleet is essentially camping out at the exit. Any ships that exit warp must either identify as friendly, engage in combat, or turn around and leave again.
Effectively, this gives you an extra layer of defense when protecting your home systems or borders.
Planetary Blockades
When a planet/system is blockaded, this has two effects; that system no longer generates income for it's owner, and the blockader also has the option to halt/destroy any ship or base construction.
There is also a slight chance that a planet will rebel against it's owner and join the blockading fleet's faction, but this is very low.
Obviously it is impossible to blockade your own systems.
Planet Capture
To capture a planet/system, you must drop at least one unit of Troops using a Transport. Planetary capture is very streamlined;
If the planet has no Troops defending it, then it is captured.
If there is one unit of Defending Troops for every unit of Attacking Troops, then there is a stalemate.
If the number of Defenders is higher than the number of Attackers, then the planet is safe.
If the number of Attackers is higher than the number of Defenders, then the planet is conquered.
For example; I land one unit of troops on Beta Orion's capital. There are no defenders. I capture the planet with little resistance.
I land two units of troops on Alpha Coriolis' capital. There are two units of defenders. We fight to a stalemate and require reinforcements.
I land another unit of troops on Alpha Coriolis the next turn. I then win, because 3 > 2. Simple.
However, if my enemy has a transport that reaches Alpha Coriolis with additional troops before my transport, increasing the number of defenders to 3, my 2 are outnumbered and defeated.
If
both transports arrive at the same time, then it is again a stalemate.
Systems, Planets, Boundaries and Ownership
For the sake of sanity, each system is considered to have only one habitable planet that determines the ownership of the system.
An empire can "claim" a system even if it does not inhabit it. However, you cannot claim systems that are not directly linked to your own systems. Two feuding empires can lay claim to a border system, for example, but you cannot automatically lay claim to everyone's homeworlds from the start of the game*.
(*You can from an IC PoV, but not ingame.
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