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   149
  A  H A R D  L I F E 
   
  A M O N G S T  T H E  S T A R S
  “There are other worlds than this one, and if there is no air to breathe, we 
  will simply have to make it.” 
  — P E T E R  W E Y L A N D
  
  Living in space ain’t pretty. Human life is 
  cheap and so are paychecks. There is always 
  someone worse off, willing to do your job for 
  even less, so you better not screw up and lose 
  the one you have. In most professions, having 
  dirt on your employer or becoming a certified 
  expert in a field are the only ways to maintain 
  any semblance of job security.
  Aside from the luxury accommodations of 
  the corporate elite and the cutting edge weap-
  ons of the Colonial Marines, almost everything 
  is grimy, used, and in need of repair. The only 
  colonists guaranteed to receive new parts and 
  equipment are the miners and atmospher-
  ic processor support personnel on planets 
  consistently exceeding their corporate quo-
  tas. In remote sectors, imported technologies 
  are overpriced and hard to come by, so most 
  equipment is jury-rigged, modified, and made 
  from recycled and refurbished materials. In 
  some territories, vehicles and starships are still 
  in use that are nearly a century old. Instead of 
  the expensive, three dimensional holograph-
  ic displays of yesteryear, most spacecraft are 
  equipped with conventional monitors and 
  basic sensor packages. Over the past several 
  decades, MU/TH/UR computer systems have 
  become less about the sophistication of the AI 
  and more focused on utilitarian function. Even 
  spacesuits are bulkier and provide less protec-
  tion than those produced during the golden 
  years of space exploration.
  In essence, humankind as a technological 
  society is on the decline.
  Humanity never would have left the cradle 
  of our solar system without the foresight of 
  visionary entrepreneur and businessman Peter 
  Weyland. Under his stewardship, the Weyland 
  Corporation introduced three things that en-
  sured mankind’s dominance over the stars—the 
  capacity to travel at faster than light speeds, 
  the introduction of the hypersleep chamber, 
  and the ability to terraform whole worlds.
  F A S T E R  T H A N  T H E 
  S P E E D  O F  L I G H T
  The ability to travel faster than light is the 
  lynchpin of mankind’s expansion outside our 
  own solar system. Without it, there would 
  be no extrasolar colonies and no corporate 
  star empires. First developed by Weyland 
  Industries in the 2030s, these engines are 
  sometimes referred to as displacement 
  drives. The system works on the principle of 
  an inverse relationship between velocity and 
  the flow of time. An FTL drive achieves these 
  speeds by displacing the volume of space 
  proceeding a spacecraft and drawing the 
  vessel forward with it. Accelerating to faster 
  than light speeds is not instantaneous. Ion 
  thruster build speed up to the point where the 
  displacement drive can take over, gradually 
  propelling starships to several times the speed 
  of light.
  When they were first deployed a hundred 
  and fifty years ago, FTL engines could impel 
  a starship such as a Heliades class Space Ex-
  ploration Vehicle at 10 to 15 times the speed 
  of light. Even though modern ships can travel 
  from 50 to upwards of 700 times FTL (read 
  more on page 167), that still means it can 
  take weeks or even years to travel the whole 
  of chartered space. To complicate matters, 
  prolonged travel at faster than light speeds 
  can cause a syndrome in mammals known as 
  Neurological Distortion Disorder—or the NDDs 
  for short (see the text to the right). To combat 
  this and to conserve resources on long trips, 
  space travelers spend most of their FTL time 
  in stasis.
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  H Y P E R  S L E E P I N G  W I T H  T H E  S T A R S
  Even before FTL was possible, hypersleep technol-
  ogy was in development. As early as the 2020s, 
  Peter Weyland had ordered his scientists to find 
  a way to extend life indefinitely. While not exactly 
  what Weyland had in mind, the resulting technology 
  was a significant leap forward. The ability to slow a 
  life-form’s biological processes to a near standstill 
  was beneficial to both the medical industry and 
  deep space missions at sublight speeds. When FTL 
  became a reality, stasis was adapted as a solution to 
  resource management on space flights.
  Hypersleep was soon found to offer other 
  benefits to man’s health in space. Traveling faster 
  than the speed of light can have a distortion ef-
  fect on human perception. Known as Neurological 
  Distortion Disorder, this syndrome causes paranoia, 
  epilepsy, psychotic behavior and other adverse 
  effects. Worse than that, the faster one travels, the 
  worse the symptoms. Stasis protects space travelers 
  from the NDD, with the added benefit of arresting 
  aging on a cellular level. 
  THE SLEEP  O F AG E S : The process of entering 
  hypersleep involves a mixture of gases and lower-
  ing ones temperature significantly. While travelers 
  are not conscious when in stasis, they can—and are 
  encouraged to—dream. As brain functions are also 
  slowed during hypersleep, a single dream can last 
  months. In fact, an entire industry has been created 
  to take advantage of this (see page 163). Dreaming 
  in hypersleep promotes mental health and can help 
  a body’s natural regenerative healing.
  R U LE S :  After a number of days of FTL travel 
  equal to the FTL rating of the ship (a lower rating 
  means a faster ship), roll a D6 on the table below. 
  When the same number of days have passed again, 
  roll again adding +1 to the roll. Keep rolling with the 
  same frequency, each time adding an additional +1 
  to the roll. As stated above, stasis offers protection 
  from the NDDs, but being abruptly awakened from 
  hypersleep is dangerous. Disorientation, headaches, 
  chest pain, and nausea are all common side effects. 
  While uncommon, some severe cases have resulted 
  in death. In game terms, a rude awakening from 
  hypersleep counts as an attack against you rolled 
  with six Base Dice. Should you be Broken by this 
  damage, you must make a Death Roll every Turn.
  In addition, hypersleep for any length of time 
  will make you Dehydrated (see page 106). The Hy-
  dr8tion drug (see page 137), taken before stasis, will 
  counteract this effect ■
    
  NEUROLOGICAL DISTORTION DISORDER
  ROLL
  EFFECT
  –5
  NO EFFECT. Yet.
  6–7
  PARANOIA. You become convinced that someone or something on board the ship is out to 
  get you. The effect, which lasts until the FTL travel ends, should be roleplayed.
  8–9
  EPILEPSY. You suffer episodes of epileptic seizures, that will disable you for a full Turn. 
  Roll a Stress Die each Shift—rolling a ÅÅ means a seizure occurs.
  10–11
  DEMENTIA. Your memory is a blank slate. You can no longer recall who you or the other 
  characters are. The effect lasts for D6 days after the FTL travel ends, and should be role-
  played.
  12+
  PSYCHOSIS. You must immediately attack the nearest person or creature, friendly or not. 
  You won’t stop until you or the target is Broken. Every friendly character who witnesses 
  your rampage must make an immediate Panic Roll.
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  GRAVITY DRIVES
  Corporate scientists are always working on 
  advances in FTL technology. A recent devel-
  opment operates by generating waves of force 
  throughout the length of the vessel which 
  propel it past light speed without the aid of 
  thrusters. Called Gravity Drives, these systems 
  create a distortion in space-time, allowing 
  starships to enter Einsteinian Space—a relative 
  state of non-existence in the material universe, 
  allowing ships to travel much faster than con-
  ventional FTL. The technology is a giant leap 
  forward, but the NDDs still require travelers to 
  enter stasis for prolonged journeys. The de-
  tails of this process and the principles behind 
  it are currently classified by Weyland-Yutani. 
  Still in experimental trials, Gravity Drives are 
  mostly unknown on the Frontier, found only 
  on high-end company yachts and exploration 
  ships hailing from the Core Systems.
  A fortuitous byproduct of the gravity drive 
  is that the fields generated by it provide pow-
  erful protection against ballistic and energy 
  attacks. Gravity Drives are finely calibrated 
  and weight sensitive—any unaccounted for 
  mass aboard a starship utilizing the system 
  risks severe course deviations.
  C H A R T E R E D  S P A C E
  Welcome to space. You’re going to die here—and 
  when that happens, your relatives are going to 
  need to know where to pick up your body and 
  whether to burn it or shoot it back into the void.
  The star map on the inside covers of this book 
  shows all of chartered space. The three largest 
  sections divided by government are the American 
  Arm of the United Americas, The Anglo-Japanese 
  Arm of Three World Empire, and the Collectivist 
  Block of the Union of Progressive Peoples. These 
  national domains cut through the Core, Veil, Outer 
  Rim, and Far Reach of known space.
  T HE COR E SYST E M S  are those closest to 
  Earth. They are the most prosperous colonies and 
  the playground of the elite. The 3WE and ICSC 
  dominate this region of space.
  TH E VEIL: Outside the core systems is the Veil.  
  Rich in resources for mining and cultivation, the 
  colonies of the Veil were terraformed and settled 
  by the 3WE over a century ago. Since then the 
  UPP has annexed many worlds here. Vast regions 
  of space in this region have been stripped bare 
  and made uninhabitable through unsafe mining 
  methods performed by both superpowers.
  T H E  O U T E R  R I M:  Beyond the Veil is the Outer 
  Rim. Out here American and UPP explorers dis-
  covered several resource rich planets that could 
  support human life without terraforming. The Rim 
  is the outer edge of civilized space. 
  T H E  FA R  R E AC H :  Extending from the Ameri-
  can Arm of the Outer Rim is the Far Reach. This 
  area of claimed but mostly uncharted space 
  stretches through vast areas of the unknown 
  to a scattered group of terraformed lifeblood 
  colonies essential to the UA and 3WE. Space 
  truckers call this string of worlds the Pearl 
  Necklace.
  T H E  F R O N T I E R :  Along the edge of explored 
  space lies the Frontier. It is a free-for-all land of 
  opportunity constantly expanding the boundaries 
  of known space. Beyond that lies darkness ■
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  So, you want to try your hand at surviving on 
  the Frontier. The average blue collar work-
  er here is a farmer, a pioneer, a maintenance 
  engineer, a wildcatter, a prospector, a miner, 
  a space trucker, a marshal, a manager or a 
  soldier—all dirty and hard-working professions. 
  Only a select few get to call themselves explor-
  ers.
  The best long-term option available to the 
  common human is to become a Frontier colo-
  nist. The vetting process isn’t easy—in addition 
  to competency and physical prerequisites, can-
  didates must endure an intense psychological 
  screening process that many potential colonists 
  fail. However, once you are approved for a col-
  ony, you are essentially set up in that position 
  for life, assuming you don't screw up royally. 
  Corporations and the colonial administration 
  can’t be bothered to replace a farmsteader or 
  terraforming maintenance engineer like you for 
  minor infractions. Also, the job has the add-
  ed bonus of your descendants inheriting your 
  position.
  Unfortunately, there is no glory or glamour 
  to be had as a colonist—the colonies on the 
  Frontier are experiencing an economic depres-
  sion while the companies in the Core Systems 
  grow fat off of the hard labor of others. Sup-
  plies are limited and more often than not, 
  colonists are told to ration and improvise. 
  L I V I N G  I N  S P A C E
  J U S T  I N  T O W N  F O R  S U P P L I E S
  While most Frontier jobs are colony based, they 
  all interact in one way or another. Prospectors and 
  wildcatters survey the terrain, staking claims to 
  mineral deposits and drilling exploratory wells in 
  unexplored regions. Miners often serve a one-year 
  contract at a particular colony site before being 
  rotated out. Farmers grow produce, maintenance 
  engineers keep the atmospheric processors 
  running, general managers oversee it all and the 
  marshals keep everyone in line. Space truckers de-
  liver supplies to the colony and bring that world’s 
  exports back to the Inner Core Systems. Many 
  corporate cargo haulers are former Colonial Navy 
  veterans who are down on their luck. The Colo-
  nial Marines and Navy protect these worlds, also 
  rotating in and out along the Frontier. Finally, cor-
  porations will send security and assessment teams 
  to ensure their resources are being well cared for. 
  Taken all together, it represents the well-oiled 
  machine of commerce—and everyone in it is just a 
  cog, a replaceable cog.
  Then there is the fringe element.
  Mercenaries, vagabonds and privateers move 
  from colony to colony, looking to eke out a living 
  on the fringe of normal society. Some are crimi-
  nals on the run, others are just disenchanted with 
  colonial and corporate bureaucracy. Many are 
  dangerous.
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  S P A C E S H I P S
  Between scouting missions and cargo runs, 
  people on the Frontier spend a lot of time in 
  massive metal cans hurtling through space. 
  Starships are designed for functionality, not aes-
  thetics. Floor gratings can be removed to access 
  conduits located beneath them, and exposed 
  machinery and tubing line the walls in all but 
  the crew’s quarters. Several typical spaceships 
  operating in 2183 AD are described on pages 
  180 and forward.
  A  LO N E LY  L I F E :  Living on spaceships can 
  mean sleeping for months at a time. To compli-
  cate matters, all this travel back and forth can 
  severely alter personal dynamics. When you 
  spend a few years making cargo runs in hyper-
  sleep you don’t age all that much, while your 
  family has been living active lives planetside. Chil-
  dren grow up and lovers grow older. Relationships 
  tend to unravel, leaving you with only your work 
  and your crew.
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  S P A C E  S T A T I O N S
  Space stations are mostly designed in a similar 
  fashion to spacecraft—the difference being that 
  there are many more habitat areas, as well as 
  large open malls. Station design is as varied as 
  that of starcraft—some consist of several towers 
  with a connecting latticework of travel tubes while 
  others are built out into the spires of massive de-
  commissioned refinery modules. Still others utilize 
  more traditional forms such as a wheel or sphere. 
  While most are built out of titanium composite 
  and other high end alloys, some, such as the reli-
  gious colony Arceon, are also composed of exotic 
  materials. Most space stations are like overpopu-
  lated cities in space—quarters are cramped for all 
  but the elite, those in the working class live and 
  work right on top of one another, and crime runs 
  rampant.  
  CL AU ST R O P H O B I A  I N  T H E  VO I D:  People 
  need room to breathe. Space itself might be vast, 
  but there just isn’t a whole lot of it available in the 
  stations floating amongst the stars. As windows are 
  a commodity in space, space stations often have 
  recreation centers and botanical gardens equipped 
  with environmental walls. These large monitors 
  project breathtaking views of natural vistas such 
  as wooded glades, tropical beaches, or majestic 
  mountain ranges. While expensive models include 
  a three dimensional projection, cheaper and more 
  prolific models use flat screen video.
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  ANCHORPOINT STATION
  The second space station to bear the name, the 
  massive Anchorpoint station is your crossroads 
  to the Frontier. Located in unclaimed space 
  a few scant parsecs from UAAC base Liberty 
  Echo, Anchorpoint is a convenient place to pick 
  up supplies, get some grub, refuel, make re-
  pairs in drydock, and pick up migrant crew and 
  workers for your next job. Location is every-
  thing, and Anchorpoint is positioned perfectly 
  to service the southern Outer Rim and the Far 
  Reach, providing an alternate route from the 
  Solomons to civilized space.
  Anchorpoint is considered neutral terri-
  tory and is governed by the ICSC—vessels 
  from any and all governments and corpora-
  tions are welcome here. The ICC and Colonial 
  Administration often send representatives to 
  negotiate intercolonial disputes at Anchor-
  point. The UA operates a Colonial Marshal 
  Bureau aboard, and a small contingent of 
  Colonial Marines is stationed in the garrison 
  office in tower four.
  The station has a very small permanent 
  population, but can easily house 3,000+ 
  transient workers and colonists. Anchorpoint 
  is composed of four refinery modules situated 
  around a central core hub. Three of the mod-
  ules have been converted to habitable space 
  similar to the Seegson company’s former 
  Sevastopol station, while the fourth is a func-
  tioning refinery for processing ores and gases 
  bound for the Frontier colonies. With concours-
  es laid out similar to a terrestrial spaceport, 
  the station is known for its dive bars, open 
  mall areas, service androids, and inexpensive 
  entertainment.
  WHAT’S THE STORY, MOTHER? While only 
  three years old, the newest incarnation of 
  Anchorpoint is the most successful space 
  station project outside of Sol system. The 
  original Anchorpoint was a colonial refueling 
  hub/science station situated in the Neroid 
  Sector, close to UPP space until 2179 when 
  she suffered a catastrophic reactor failure—
  for reasons unknown. Colonial Administration 
  and the ICC commissioned the Independent 
  Core System Colonies to build a new one, 
  placing it further out on the Frontier to facili-
  tate the colonization boom.
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  ARCEON
  Dubbed “the wooden planet” by space truck-
  ers, Arceon is a strange station. Originally an 
  old class V habitation sphere, the mile-wide 
  Arceon was repurposed as a monastery for 
  a reclusive technophobic monastic order. All 
  metallic areas within and without were cov-
  ered with wood, and all structures within the 
  sphere—an abbey, libraries, communal baths, 
  reservoirs, and even a massive glassworks—are 
  wooden and archaic in nature.
  Inside, there are wide-open spaces with ceil-
  ings as high as 300 ft tall, and the structure 
  itself is layered like an ant’s nest. Arceon sports 
  grass fields where crops and livestock are 
  grown and maintained. She is large enough and 
  rotates fast enough to maintain its own thin at-
  mosphere which is continuously processed and 
  replenished by technology located at the core 
  of the wooden world. The upper hemisphere 
  of the station is dominated by a massive lake, 
  replete with marine life.
  WHAT’S THE STORY, MOTHER? Arceon was 
  founded by a monastic “back to nature” move-
  ment in the 2100s. While initially dismissed as 
  a cult, the order proved to be dangerous when 
  they used the enhanced computer virus called 
  New Plague to wipe out an inordinate amount 
  of data on Earth, crippling credit unions and 
  trans-stellar corporations alike. The group even 
  detonated low yield nukes in key metropolitan 
  sectors, utilizing the electromagnetic pulse to 
  force people to get by without technology. As 
  more and more followers flocked to the order, 
  action was taken. Rounded up and arrested 
  by a joint 3WE and UA task force, the order’s 
  final sentencing was suspended when Weyland 
  Corp bought off the judges. The monks were 
  ultimately released into the conscripted cus-
  tody of Weyland-Yutani, who relocated them 
  to Arceon in exchange for the employment 
  of their leader, Saint Tomas—the computer 
  genius behind the New Plague. On Arceon, 
  the group is led by an Abbot. Also, an older 
  model android called Brother Anthony resides 
  with them to keep them from rising again. W-Y 
  ships stopped running supplies to Arceon after 
  Tomas died decades ago, and the monks have 
  very few actual visitors. Their crops and live-
  stock sustain them as they live the simple life.
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  D E E P  S P A C E  C O L O N I E S
  The concept of the colonies that was sold to the 
  general public was one of an offworld paradise. 
  While some planets did eventually become just 
  that, they are the product of the blood, sweat, and 
  tears of generations of colonists.  
  T ERR AFOR M IN G :  Terraforming began at 
  home in the 2010s, repairing the earth’s ecosys-
  tem from the ravages of war and pollution. The 
  next step was the moon, where localized areas 
  were pressurized and transformed. Mars soon 
  followed. While global warming was arrested 
  as soon as the processors took effect, it still 
  took decades to make the Earth whole again. In 
  a move to acclimate people to the idea of life 
  amongst the stars, Sir Peter Weyland offered in-
  centives to move offworld and colonize the solar 
  system while the earth healed. The strategy was 
  successful, and soon colonies were popping up 
  as far away as Saturn. Within a decade of the in-
  ception of the FTL drive, Weyland Industries had 
  set up an Atmospheric Processing Plant (APP) 
  on an extrasolar world, and it wasn't long before 
  people were eager to colonize there as well. In 
  the 21st century, terraforming helped mankind to 
  settle the stars. The costly process was exacting 
  and only performed on planets that had near 
  earth conditions, thus prompting the planet to 
  help sustain itself once the expensive terraform-
  ing was complete. 
  When the Yutani Corporation merged with 
  Weyland Corp at the start of the 22nd century, 
  terraforming was deemed unprofitable and put to 
  rest. Instead, W-Y astronomers searched the heav-
  ens for planets that could support human life on 
  their own. Colony missions like the Affiance and 
  the ill-fated Covenant were sent off to start life 
  on newly discovered earth-like planets. Without 
  the enormous economic strain that the Weyland 
  Corporation had endured in their efforts to trans-
  form entire worlds, Weyland-Yutani prospered. 
  The new model wouldn’t last. As more and more 
  people relocated to the existing offworld colonies, 
  populations on these worlds soared and resources 
  again diminished. Soon, the supply of habitable 
  worlds was outweighed by demand.
  B U I LD I N G  B E T T E R  WO R LDS:  Over the 
  next fifty years, more and more resources were 
  found on barren worlds along the shifting Fron-
  tier, prompting Weyland-Yutani to resurrect 
  terraforming and create a new fast and dirty 
  form of atmospheric processing. Recycling a 
  hundred-year-old ad campaign, Weyland-Yuta-
  ni again boasted they were “building better 
  worlds.” The claim was and still is debatable.
  Colloquially called a “Shake and Bake” colony, 
  an Atmospheric Processor (AP) is introduced 
  to a planet or moon to scrub its atmosphere 
  without the safety standards of the original 
  Weyland APPs. Essentially giant fusion reac-
  tors, these completely automated W-Y APs still 
  require constant monitoring and maintenance, 
  and colonies are often set up on worlds for the 
  sole purpose of servicing them. Weyland-Yutani 
  has deployed APPs across the Frontier, creating 
  colonies on any world that might have exploit-
  able resources.
  Terraforming can be a misnomer. It can take 
  decades to transform a planet’s ecology, and it 
  doesn't always hold. Most of the worlds under-
  going the process will never become earth-like. 
  They are barren, desolate, and alien places that 
  the processors can only alter enough for man to 
  survive on without a pressure suit. Some of these 
  worlds even require APPs to constantly run in 
  order to maintain a suitable atmosphere, making 
  the processor a prime target for enemy powers 
  and insurgents.  Some planets or planetoids that 
  are rich in mineral resources are simply unable to 
  even begin to support the terraforming process. 
  In those cases, pressurized facilities are built on 
  the surface to house laborers and their families. 
  Because of this, colonies can be built in nearly 
  any environment. Ocean, jungle, desert, arctic 
  and barren worlds are all common.
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  L I V I N G  Q U A R T E R S
  In space, no one can hear you snore… in hyper-
  sleep, at least. When not in stasis, however, you 
  need a place to bed down and call your own. Here 
  are your options.
  ON R OTAT IO N :  As a mining and construction 
  worker, you are often on rotation, and therefore 
  do not rate for full quarters. Instead, you bunk in 
  communal sleeping areas called cages. These fa-
  cilities have stacked levels of meshed enclosures 
  just long enough for a bedroll and tall enough 
  to sit up in. A small locker and personal effects 
  area is built into the headboard, and privacy is 
  accomplished through the use of blinds. Just 
  as on starships, showers and toilet facilities are 
  shared. 
  LONG HAU L S : On military and commercial 
  starship runs, most of your sleep time is done in 
  stasis pods. For personal time while traveling in 
  system, many freighters have a common area with 
  recessed bunks built into the walls. Like the cages, 
  these accommodations can be closed off with 
  blinds or curtains, and can be decorated accord-
  ing to your discerning tastes (or lack thereof). 
  Showers, the bathroom, galley and mess area are 
  all communal on these service ships, so the cof-
  fin-like bunks offer the only private place for most 
  military and long-haul crews.
  C R A MP E D  Q UA R T E R S :  On some space 
  stations, populations are high, and space is 
  optimized. Don’t expect to get too comfortable 
  in such places. The lower levels of stations like 
  Gateway have tight hallways and cramped studio 
  apartments with kitchenettes and bathroom facil-
  ities all in the same small area. These apartments 
  can be so small that it is uncomfortable for two 
  people to navigate one at the same time.
  G A LAXY  STA N DA R D :  Crew quarters on colo-
  ny and scientific exploration ships are often more 
  roomy, consisting of a standardized studio area 
  with a small private bathroom. If you’re skilled 
  enough, you might even rate your own viewport.
  LUXU RY  ACCO MMO DAT I O N S :  Don’t expect 
  to spend much time in any of these. Lavish to the 
  extreme, these penthouse apartments on starships 
  and stations are sometimes located on a separate 
  module with its own support system and supplies. 
  They are spacious, extravagantly stocked with 
  food, drink, and whatever its occupants might need 
  to survive for up to two years on their own.
  F U N C T I O N  B E F O R E  F A S H I O N
  On the Frontier, you dress for success, and here 
  that means practical. Clothing is usually overalls, 
  jumpsuits, leather gloves, bomber jackets and ball 
  caps, all in muted colors and often decorated with 
  colorful patches and corporate logos. On colder 
  worlds, colonists and explorers wear dark, layered 
  parkas and form-fitting leather aviator helmets or 
  fur-lined, billed hats with ear flaps. Marshals gener-
  ally wear blue, gray or tan utilitarian uniforms, and 
  military personnel of course dress in khakis and 
  olive drab. Company reps often wear suits in inap-
  propriate places, distinguishing themselves from the 
  blue collar workers. Corporate fashion includes dark 
  gray, navy, and black with white shirts and upturned 
  collars along with skinny ties. On planetoids with 
  nebulous atmospheres, compression suits are worn, 
  ranging from cumbersome padded models to the 
  sleeker, more advanced corporate spacesuits.
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  LIVING EXPENSES
  Northing is for free on the Frontier, not even 
  breathing. The chart below shows typical 
  living expenses, depending on your taste for 
  luxury and what you can afford.
  WEEKLY COST
  LIVING STANDARD
  $25
  Minimum
  $100
  Basic
  $300
  Normal
  $2,000
  Luxurious
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  M O N E Y  A N D  I D E N T I F I C A T I O N ,  P L E A S E
  Just whose money are you spending, anyway? 
  Identification and credit accounts are linked in 
  the colonies, and can be accessed in a variety of 
  ways. Most colonists carry a metal and transparent, 
  plastic prism ID account card that is encoded to the 
  owner’s thumbprint—debits only occur when the 
  proper recipient is holding the card. Other forms of 
  ID in the colonies include access codes, retina scans, 
  genetic breath analyzers, plastic or metal barcoded 
  dog tags, and barcode tattoos—although the latter 
  are usually reserved for convicted criminals.
  COLD CAS H :  Credit accounts constitute the 
  majority of transactions throughout the territo-
  ries, but life on the Frontier can be different. What 
  if you want to make a private purchase? Often, a 
  transaction without a record is favorable. Most ac-
  cepted cash is in denominations set by particular 
  corporations, and their worth goes up and down 
  based on the value of company stock. This can 
  lead to problems when a particular business only 
  accepts specific forms of currency. Rather than 
  bank notes, these are corporate notes. National 
  currencies are usually in electronic credit ac-
  counts only, as most governments prefer to keep 
  track of all their citizens’ transactions. However, as 
  the United Americas has grown disenchanted with 
  their reliance on corporations like Weyland-Yutani 
  and Lasalle Bionational, the Federal Reserve has 
  proposed resurrecting the United American Dollar 
  as paper currency.
  C U R R E N C I E S :  All debits and credits are 
  measured in, and converted to, United American 
  (UA) dollars, Three World Imperial (3WE) yen, or 
  Union of Progressive Peoples (UPP) yuen. Bills are 
  available in different denominations, such as 5, 10, 
  20, 100, 1,000, and 10,000—there are no singles. 
  Some corporate paper currencies include:
  W-Y COLONY DOLLARS. (Pronounced Why) Wey-
  land Yutani currency—the hundred W-Y dollar bill 
  has a security hologram imprint of Peter Weyland 
  on its face. Other bills depict company pioneers 
  such as Meredith Vickers, both Jenny and Hideo 
  Yutani, and Charles Bishop Weyland.  
  SEEG BILLS. Not as widely accepted as W-Y dol-
  lars, these bills bare only the Seegson logo and a 
  holographic denomination.
  BINAT COINS. These tokens are made of a mixture 
  of standard and precious metals, ranging from 
  steel, copper and platinum to even rarer earth 
  metals. 
  Conversion rates are always in flux, but as a 
  rule of thumb, W-Y dollars maintain their value, 
  and thus are the most sought after.
  W O R K  F O R  H I R E
  Let’s face it—you are out here for the paycheck 
  and not much else. In the adjacent table are some 
  typical salaries on the Frontier. Base salaries are 
  low because corporations don't want you to own 
  anything—they want to own you. Corporate credit 
  and loans are also available. Frontier employee 
  compensation packages also include living quar-
  ters, standard rations, bonuses, shares, claims, and 
  medical benefits. But brush your teeth, because 
  no one includes dental. Ever.
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  OCCUPATION
  WEEKLY SALARY 
  RANGE
  INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO
  Colonial Labor
  $500
  $640
  miners, prospectors, farmers, drivers, mechanics and 
  service personnel 
  Commercial 
  Employees
  $400
  $960
  space truckers, officers, technicians, cargo handlers, 
  pilots, navigators, medical and science officers
  Corporate and  
  Government Officials
  $540
  $1,200
  administration, execs, secretaries, sales persons, 
  auditors, hitmen and agents 
  Law Enforcement
  $400
  $700
  colonial marshals, federal investigators, colonial 
  guard and security
  Military Officers and 
  Enlisted Personnel
  $500
  $760
  All army, marines, and navy roles
  Elite Occupations
  $1,300
  $20,000
  CEOs, chairmen, entertainment professionals, 
  dreamers, scientists, doctors, elite assassins, gover-
  nors and high ranking military
  C O M M U N I C A T I O N S  O N  T H E  F R O N T I E R
  Interstellar space is vast. Transmissions are not 
  instantaneous, sometimes taking weeks or months 
  to reach the recipient. Fortunately, Weyland-Yutani 
  has built a sophisticated communication satellite 
  grid surrounding most inhabited sectors of space. 
  Known as the Network, all signals are routed 
  through it, sometimes bouncing off of thousands of 
  comm arrays before reaching their destination.
  Intersystem communications are much more 
  immediate, ranging from real time to a short lag, 
  depending on how far out one is from the recipient.
  Massive antenna arrays and satellite dishes 
  dominate spacecraft, stations, and ground facilities, 
  and a viable hard-wired uplink to them is necessary 
  for transmissions of any kind. Both interstellar and 
  intersystem long distance personal calls can be 
  extremely expensive, and if there are few comm fa-
  cilities available or there is high comm traffic across 
  the Network, you can find yourself waiting days be-
  fore you receive authorized time for that critical call.
  As it can take extended periods for a reply, most 
  colonial general managers, marshals, and military 
  commanders are forced to make decisions based on 
  their personal interpretation of policy without the 
  approval of the company or Colonial Administra-
  tion. As life out on the ass end of space can take its 
  toll on the psyche, this sometimes leads to bizarre 
  extrapolations of laws and procedures.
  LOST  I N  T R A N SMI SS I O N :  No one can hear 
  you scream, but you can hear a star sing. Space is 
  also noisy. Pulsars, black holes, and other stellar 
  phenomena all produce transmissions on a wide 
  variety of frequencies. Communication buffers 
  weed out these errant signals, but because of this, 
  legitimate transmissions with weak signals can 
  sometimes be lost in the mix.
  Intersystem call cards are tied directly to a 
  specific recipient. These cards provide you with 
  a direct line to your loved ones—Network and 
  distance permitting. Often used as business cards 
  by corporate reps, these transparent prism plastic 
  cards will automatically connect to the rep’s 
  receiver when inserted into a comm terminal. The 
  charge is usually billed to the company, but can 
  legally be reversed if a corporate deal goes sour.
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  M E D I A
  There is no such thing as the free press on 
  the Frontier. Most journalists are corporate 
  owned, and the few that aren’t are either spin 
  doctors for their government or just haven’t 
  been bought off yet. Propaganda is the norm 
  as each company decides what news to broad-
  cast. Colony-based signals broadcast local 
  news. Due to transmission times, Network 
  broadcast Interstellar News is often weeks 
  out of date, so most colonies have stopped 
  tuning in—something that could potentially be 
  catastrophic if an enemy or alien threat were 
  to make its way along the frontier.
  E N T E R T A I N M E N T
  Just like in every age before, 22nd century 
  people are easily bored. On the Frontier, that 
  boredom is remedied through music, drink, 
  and recreational drugs (for more on these, 
  see page 137) prescribed by company phy-
  sicians. On the music scene, classic rock and 
  country have seen a resurgence along the 
  outer colonies. Recordings are downloaded 
  from the Network and copied onto disposable 
  cassettes. If one pays heavy subscription fees, 
  broadcast entertainment can also be accessed. 
  Most of the recreational content on the Net-
  work exists to promote a company's products 
  and consists of reality programming, shopping 
  networks, and glorified corporate propagan-
  da. Just as it is with computer equipment, 
  entertainment technology ranges from hi-end 
  holographic representations to the standard 
  monotone, two-dimensional monitors. Enter-
  tainment terminals on colonies, stations, and 
  even some ships provide access to a variety of 
  electronic games.
  R E C R E AT I O N A L D R U G S A N D  DRI N K: 
  Time to get your buzz on. Alcohol remains the 
  old go to, with whiskey and vodka dominating 
  the market. The beer of choice on the frontier 
  is Weyland-Yutani’s original and genuine “ex-
  tra strong” Aspen beer. It’s watered down and 
  tastes like piss but it gets the job done—and 
  it’s better than that Souta Dry crap. Other sub-
  stances and supplements are covered under 
  Pharmaceuticals in Chapter 6.
    
  PERCHANCE TO DREAM
  As noted earlier, a lot of time in space is spent 
  in cryosleep—a state in which your bodily 
  functions and aging are slowed to the point 
  of near suspension. Your mind, however, can 
  dream. In fact, an entire industry is devoted to 
  manufactured and creative dreams.
  Talented dreamers can manipulate their 
  own dreams, which can be recorded by ex-
  pensive monitoring equipment and played 
  back for the entertainment of less imaginative 
  sleepers. Skilled dreamers weave and craft 
  stories and adventures in their subconscious 
  minds. Those sponsored by corporations—
  which is most of them—insert subliminal 
  messages into your mind as you sleep. 
  With some skill, it’s possible to use dream 
  monitoring equipment combined with a Neuro 
  Visor helmet to consciously enter the dream 
  of someone in stasis and communicate with 
  them.
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  R E L I G I O N
  Devotion to God is a force to be reckoned with. Tra-
  ditional religions still exist in the 22nd century, and 
  are represented on the Frontier in one form or an-
  other. Due to the economic depression and rigors of 
  life in space, extreme offshoots and sects are more 
  commonplace. Apocalypse cults, fundamentalist 
  missionaries, and spiritual gurus travel the Frontier, 
  recruiting colonists and strengthening their flock.
  In fact, the one egg that corporations seem to 
  have been unable to crack is religion. Even small 
  cults can be fanatical enough to evoke change, and 
  companies want employees with that kind of fervor 
  working for them. Corporate execs have even at-
  tempted—so far without success—to create a cult or 
  two of their own. Some have come to the conclusion 
  that beliefs can’t be manufactured, only sponsored. 
  To that end, corporate reps have begun approach-
  ing existing religious groups in the hopes of aligning 
  goals in the name of the almighty profit margin.
  MILLENAR IA N  D O O M SAY E RS : Fundamen-
  talist groups that believe the end times are near, 
  millenarian doomsayers await their final judgment 
  and the coming of God. Vowing celibacy, members 
  of these apocalyptic brotherhoods seek to atone for 
  their past sins through hard labor and devout pen-
  ance. Unsurprisingly, the largest fanatical followings 
  are on prison colonies, where the population has 
  nothing to do but await apocalyptic redemption. 
  As such, doomsayer groups often attract reformed 
  murderers and rapists. Punishment for those who 
  stray is often severe, ranging from isolation to star-
  vation, severe beatings, and even mutilation.
  MONASTIC ORD E R O F A RC E O N :  An 
  anti-technology movement that started on Earth, 
  the Order of Arceon grew exponentially when a 
  computer virus wiped out a huge portion of the 
  world’s data. After it was exposed that a member 
  of the Order was responsible for the virus itself, the 
  movement was deemed a global threat by the Three 
  World Empire. Those directly responsible were 
  arrested and Weyland-Yutani was contracted to con-
  tain and move the rest of the Order’s members to an 
  offworld location. The movement was squashed and 
  the Order was transplanted to the artificial satellite 
  world of Arceon (more on Arceon in the space sta-
  tion section). There they live a monastic and mostly 
  technologically free existence on a space station 
  that ironically could not exist without technology.
  P R AC T I T I O N E R S  O F  T H E  H O LY  I MMO-
  LAT I O N :  A quasi-religious pacifist group in 
  direct opposition to the corporate domination 
  of the colonies, the Practitioners of the Holy 
  Immolation first emerged during the Tientsin 
  Campaign. Since then, these fanatics have be-
  come known for staging protests where one or 
  more of their members will immolate themselves 
  in the name of a free frontier. Mostly a threat to 
  themselves, they sometimes endanger others 
  when their fires grow out of control in sensitive 
  areas, such as in a biodome or on a space station.
  C H U R C H  O F  I MMAC U LAT E  I N C U B A-
  T I O N :  Not much is known about this fledgling 
  group. Some authorities suspect they might be a 
  splinter faction of the infamous Earthsavers cult. 
  A century old group originally formed by dreamer 
  and self-proclaimed prophet Duncan Fields, the 
  Earthsavers believed that mankind’s sojourn to the 
  stars would herald the apocalypse. Like that long 
  dead organization, the Church of Immaculate Incu-
  bation places heavy emphasis on the apocalyptic 
  dreams of its fanatical seers. They believe the end 
  times are fast approaching, but their spin is that 
  the only survivors will be those who have sought 
  out and achieved transformation to a higher form. 
  This metamorphosis is attained by accepting what 
  they call the Seed of God into their hearts. With 
  few members and nothing to back up their claims, 
  the Church of Immaculate Incubation is essentially 
  harmless. Believing the alien creature in Robert 
  Morse’s banned book to have messianic signifi-
  cance to the imminent apocalypse, the Church 
  readily distributes illegal copies of Space Beast 
  throughout the colonies. As they seek to share 
  the dreams of their prophets with their flock, they 
  also actively recruit professional dreamers to their 
  cause. Their enigmatic leader is rumored to be a 
  wealthy man who has forsaken the good life and 
  poured his resources into the Church. 
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  L A W  E N F O R C E M E N T
  Insurrections, revolutions, coups, crime, and atroc-
  ities are all too common in the colonies. As such, 
  there are various levels of law enforcement on the 
  Frontier. 
  THE OFFICE  O F T H E  CO LO N IA L  M A R -
  SH ALS: The OCM is your local police force. For a 
  colony of 500–3,000 colonists, there will usually be 
  a single marshal, a sergeant, and a group of around 
  a dozen officers. Colonies of less than 300 individ-
  uals usually have only one marshal and one deputy. 
  At higher population levels, the marshal's office 
  grows with the importance of the colony itself. They 
  are supposed to enforce colonial law over corporate 
  policy, but many have been paid to look the other 
  way when it comes to company business.
  UNITED STAT E S  CO LO N IA L  M A RI N E 
  CORPS: Some colonies will have a Colonial Marine 
  Corps office and/or a contingent attached to them. 
  Those who don’t are still under the jurisdiction and 
  protection of the USCMC and the United Americas 
  Outer Rim Defense Fleet, and are usually with-
  in days to weeks of receiving support in case of 
  an emergency. Operated by the United Americas 
  Allied Command, they keep order on the borders 
  of known space. While other nations have their own 
  soldiers and support ships, none save that of the 
  UPP come close to matching the strength of the 
  Colonial Marines.  
  CO R P O R AT E  S E C U R I T Y  F O R C E :  In addi-
  tion to colonial protection, a corporation sponsoring 
  a colony might have its own security force attached 
  to it. This security team would operate outside the 
  jurisdiction of the OCM and the USCMC, and exist to 
  ensure corporate policy is enforced.  
  I N T E R ST E LLA R  CO MME R C E  CO MM I S-
  SI O N :  A central organization that conducts and 
  monitors interstellar trade, the ICC has its own 
  inspectors and agents that enforce regulations and 
  quarantine procedures throughout the colonies. 
  While owned and operated by Weyland-Yutani, they 
  are allegedly an autonomous organization that reg-
  ulates all trade equally. Allegedly ■
   
  THE LOCK UP
  When you’ve done the crime, you’ve got to 
  do the time. Frontier jail facilities range from 
  simple barred rooms to sensory depriva-
  tion chambers. On space stations, maximum 
  security isolation cells are kept in a state of 
  vacuum and null gravity. Prisoners detained 
  within are suspended in pressure suits.
  Prisons are another story. Most correction-
  al facilities are owned by private companies 
  like Weyland-Yutani and the Jĭngtì Lóng 
  Corporation. Why? They provide a plentiful 
  source of cheap manual labor. These pris-
  ons are built in extreme environments that 
  are high in resources but too dangerous for 
  civilian employees to exploit in a cost-ef-
  fective manner. Prisoners work for benefits 
  such as healthcare, interstellar comm calls, 
  and cigarettes. Some of these corporate run 
  maximum security facilities may hold up to 
  two million convicts. In order to keep track 
  of inmates, all are tattooed with a barcode at 
  the base of their neck.
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  S P A C E C R A F T
  B A S I C S
  Unless you’re a dirtbound colonist, you need to 
  get around in space and occasionally make a 
  pit stop. If that’s your thing, then this section is 
  definitely for you. Here, you’ll learn about space 
  travel, spacecraft, and how to nuke the entire site 
  from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
  S H I P  C L A S S E S  &  F E A T U R E S
  Commercial craft in the 22nd century are tracked 
  by model and weight class. A-G Class vessels are 
  light and relatively inexpensive. Class M vessels 
  fall in that sweet spot between having the best 
  cargo capacity and tolerable engine emissions. 
  They are the workhorses of the UA and 3WE.
  The table below lists a few common ship class-
  es and their typical characteristics, such as crew 
  size, length, FTL speed, and more. Individual ships 
  can vary greatly. On page 180 and forward, you 
  will find a selection of specific ships described in 
  more detail.
  All spaceships have these key features:
   
  T CORE COMPONENTS are central features present 
  on almost every spaceship, such as the bridge, 
  reactor, engine, and bulkheads.
   
  T INTERNAL MODULES are optional functions in-
  side the hull of the ship. They can be removed 
  and replaced.
   
  T ARMAMENTS are offensive weapons and defen-
  sive countermeasures.
   
  T UPGRADES are just that, improvements and 
  additions of various kinds.
    
  SHIP CLASSES
  CLASS
  LENGTH
  CREW
  FTL
  SIGNATURE
  THRUSTERS
  HULL
  ARMOR
  ARMAMENTS
  MODULES
  COST
  C
  15 m
  1
  –
  –1
  +2
  2
  4
  –
  2 x size II
  4 x size I
  $2,000,000
  G
  50 m
  3
  20
  +0
  +1
  5
  5
  1 x size II
  2 x size I
  3 x size III
  5 x size II
  7 x size I
  $9,000,000
  M
  300 m
  6
  12
  +1
  –
  9
  6
  1 x size III
  2 x size II
  4 x size IV
  6 x size III
  8 x size II
  $28,000,000
  R
  700 m
  12
  8
  +2
  –1
  12
  7
  2 x size III
  4 x size II
  5 x size V
  7 x size IV
  9 x size III
  $400,000,000
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  T R I P P I N G  T H E  L I G H T  F A N T A S T I C 
  Every craft capable of FTL speed has an FTL 
  rating that denotes how many days it takes for 
  the ship to traverse one parsec on the star map. 
  A lower number means a faster ship. Presently, 
  no existing ship has an FTL rating lower than 1. 
  To calculate your journey, multiply the number of 
  days per parsec by the number of parsecs. For ex-
  ample: If you have an FTL drive with a rating of 6 
  and you are traveling 9 parsecs, you wind up with 
  a trip that takes 54 days. 
  OVERCH AR G IN G  E N G IN E S :  Need to get 
  somewhere in a hurry? Your engineer might be 
  able to coax more speed out of your engines. Of 
  course, the reactor might start leaking radiation 
  everywhere and explode, but risk is the name of 
  the game, now, isn’t it? To do this, the engineer 
  makes a HEAVY MACHINERY roll (one Shift of work). 
  If successful, the ship’s FTL rating is decreased by 
  one step for one week (from 6 to 5 for example). If 
  the roll fails, the ship instead suffers a reactor leak 
  (see minor component damage, page 198), and 
  the engineer must make another immediate HEAVY 
  MACHINERY roll. If this also fails, the ship suffers a 
  reactor breach (major component damage, see 
  page 199), and the engineer must make a third 
  HEAVY MACHINERY roll. If the third roll also fails, the 
  reactor explodes, destroying the ship and killing all 
  on board. An engineer may only attempt to over-
  charge the engines once per week.
   
  PLANETFALL
  Ships built for atmospheric entry and plan-
  etary surface landings (with the Planetfall 
  Capacity upgrade) can be used to land on 
  any rock in space you like—but expect it to 
  be a bumpy ride. Planetfall usually takes 
  about one Shift to complete, and requires a 
  PILOTING roll. If the roll fails, the ship suffers 
  minor component damage (roll D66 on the 
  table on page 198). You can now choose to 
  abort the landing and try again next Shift. If 
  you continue, roll for PILOTING again. If the 
  second roll fails too, the ship suffers major 
  component damage (roll 2D6 on the table 
  on page 199). If you suffer engine failure or 
  a reactor breach, the ship will crash—hurry 
  to those EEVs! If the ship is still operable, 
  you again have the choice to abort or to 
  continue the landing, making a third PILOT-
  ING roll. If this third roll also fails, the ship 
  crashes hard, killing all on board.
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  YOUR OWN SHIP?
  Ship prices listed here are for common 
  models found on the Frontier. Older ver-
  sions of the same ship will be simultaneously 
  cheaper and less reliable. Spacecraft are cost 
  prohibitive. While there are independently 
  owned FTL ships out there, most vessels are 
  corporate or military owned and most crews 
  are either contracted employees or work for 
  hire. Corporations will often lease a com-
  mercial vehicle to an experienced captain or 
  crew with the option to buy at a later date. 
  A typical lease will cost you 2% of the ship’s 
  total price per year. If your crew strikes it big 
  on a particular job, you might find yourselves 
  set up for life, if you play your cards right, of 
  course. Independence is a luxury that most 
  on the Frontier cannot afford, but it is one 
  that many strive to achieve.
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  C O R E  C O M P O N E N T S
  Core components of a ship cannot easily be re-
  placed, but they can be upgraded.
  HULL: Spaceship frames typically consist 
  of bonded alloy and composite beams. These 
  materials provide enough strength for massive 
  acceleration, while remaining flexible enough 
  to withstand atmospheric entry for ships with 
  planetfall capacity. The structural strength of a 
  spaceship is measured by its Hull rating, which 
  in turn determines how much damage it can take 
  before becoming Disabled (see page 197).
  AR M OR: Exterior ship bulkheads are typically 
  fitted with laminated insulators, micrometeorite 
  shielding, composite material, and aerogel. Mili-
  tary ships tend to have heavier armor than civilian 
  vessels, but a direct hit from a railgun will slice 
  through any ship armor invented. The armor of a 
  spaceship is measured by its Armor Rating, which 
  works in a similar way as armor on vehicles or 
  personnel (see Chapter 5).
  B R IDGE: The bridge is the brain of the ship. 
  Sensors, communications, and engines are con-
  trolled from the bridge. The ship commander and 
  pilot are stationed here.
  SENSORS: Spaceships can be fitted with a 
  range of sensors of different types. They are 
  broadly divided into passive sensors, such as 
  optical, infrared, and radio telescopes, and active 
  sensors, such as wave radar arrays. Read more 
  about sensors and their use on page 190.
  CO MMU N I C AT I O N S A R R AY:  Spaceships are 
  fitted with a range of antennae and relays, some 
  for interstellar FTL communications and others for 
  intrasystem communication.
  R E AC TO R :  Spaceships of 2183 AD are generally 
  powered by fusion reactors. Military ships typi-
  cally use powdered lithium hydride as fuel, while 
  civilian vessels use heavy hydrogen isotopes like 
  deuterium and tritium.
  S U B LI G H T  T H R U ST E R S:  Sublight propulsion 
  is generated by rocket motors, powered direct-
  ly by the fusion reactor. Reaction mass such as 
  industrial carbon diamond is simply placed in con-
  tact with the fusion plasma, which heats it. The 
  heated gas is then expelled via the rocket motors. 
  The Thrusters rating of your ship functions as a 
  bonus to your PILOTING skill.
  D I S P LAC E ME N T  D R I V E S:  Faster-than-light 
  propulsion is provided by a tachyon shunt hyper-
  drive powered by the reactor, accelerating the 
  vessel past the light barrier. The FTL rating of your 
  ship indicates how many days it takes to traverse 
  one parsec—a lower rating means a faster ship. 
  See the boxed text on page 167.
  I N T E R N A L  M O D U L E S
  Internal modules come in different sizes, and are 
  divided into size categories with Roman numerals. 
  A size I module is the size of a personal vehicle, 
  while size V modules are as big as large build-
  ings. A ship can hold up to a certain number of 
  modules of each size. It’s possible to fit a smaller 
  module into a slot for a bigger one, but not the 
  other way around. The modules described below 
  are listed in the table on page 172, which also 
  includes capacities and prices. More ship modules 
  will be described in future modules to the ALIEN 
  roleplaying game.
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  ARTIFICIA L  IN T E L L IG E N C E : An advanced 
  computer mainframe, capable of running the ship 
  when the crew is in cryo sleep. Weyland-Yutani’s 
  MU/TH/UR and Seegson’s APOLLO are the two 
  most popular models, though UPP vessels are 
  generally equipped with an I-VAN model instead. 
  Read more on page 130.
  AIR SCR U B B E RS : Machinery needed to supply 
  the crew with breathable air. Carbon filters clean 
  pollutants from the air while churning machines 
  electrolyze the water and generate oxygen. Air 
  scrubbers come in many sizes and price levels, de-
  pending on how many people they need to keep 
  supplied.
  CARGO B AY:  An internal cargo hold with 
  external loading doors. Cargo doors are typically 
  included, and larger cargo bays include movable 
  H-frame cranes to assist loading. The maximum 
  load and cost of the cargo bay depends on the 
  size of the cargo bay module.
  CORPOR AT E  S U IT E : A spacious and luxuri-
  ous area for top level company representatives. 
  Typically includes a wet bar and a wall safe. Some 
  models even include a personal EEV.
  CRYO DEC K: A room with cryo chambers for 
  the crew. The capacity and cost of the cryo deck 
  depends on the size of the module. Read more 
  about hypersleep on page 151.
  DOCKING  U M B IL IC A L : An airlock and ex-
  tendable umbilical tunnel that enables docking 
  with other ships. A ship without a docking station 
  must land inside a hangar, or let smaller ships into 
  its own hangar, for the crew to enter or exit the 
  ship.
  EM ERGEN CY  E S C A P E  V E H IC L E :  All ICC 
  sanctioned starcraft are required by law to have 
  EEV pods or escape shuttles to accommodate the 
  ship’s entire crew complement. This is not always 
  enforced. See page 173 for a detailed description 
  of a selection of EEVs.
  G A LLE Y:  This is where you’ll chow down on 
  those prefab meals after weeks in hypersleep. 
  Includes a simple kitchen, refrigeration unit, and a 
  coffee maker. The capacity and cost of the galley 
  depends on the size of the module.
  H A N G A R :  Allows smaller ships to land in the 
  belly of yours. Includes a system of airlocks, to al-
  low entry without decompressing the entire ship. 
  How many other ships the hangar can accommo-
  date depends on the size of the module.
  ME D LA B :  An infirmary and laboratory that 
  typically includes surgical kits, medkits and a se-
  lection of medical drugs (see page 137). If you can 
  afford an AutoDoc or even a Pauling MedPod, this 
  is where you’ll place it.
  SA LVAG E  C R A N E :  A powerful crane mech-
  anism that lets you salvage starship wrecks and 
  space junk, pulling it into your cargo hold or 
  attaching it to your tractor hitch.
  S C I E N C E  LA B :  A highly advanced laborato-
  ry where your scientist can examine specimens 
  of alien life forms—among other things. The lab 
  comes with an assortment of equipment, giving a 
  +2 modification to OBSERVATION rolls when using 
  the Analysis talent.
  T R AC TO R  H I TC H :  Allows you to connect your 
  ship to a variety of huge, external cargo modules 
  weighing over a million 100,000 tons, such as gas 
  tanks, refineries or atmospheric processors. When 
  towing external cargo, the FTL rating of the ship 
  is doubled (from 6 to 12 for example).
  V E H I C LE  B AY:  A glorified garage for ground 
  vehicles, including a loading ramp for easy access. 
  How many vehicles the bay can accommodate 
  depends on the size of the module.
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  INTERNAL MODULES
  MODULE
  SIZE
  CAPACITY/TYPE
  PRICE
  Artificial Intelligence
  I
  varies
  Air Scrubbers
  I
  Up to 10 people
  $50,000
  II
  Up to 50 people
  $200,000
  III
  Up to 500 people
  $1,200,000
  IV
  Up to 2,500 people
  $3,000,000
  Cargo Bay
  I
  500 kg
  $10,000
  II
  10 tons
  $25,000
  III
  250 tons
  $100,000
  IV
  5,000 tons
  $250,000
  V
  100,000 tons
  $4,000,000
  Corporate Suite
  II
  $1 000 000
  Cryo Deck
  I
  1 person
  $50,000
  II
  Up to 10 people
  $200,000
  III
  Up to 50 people
  $2,000,000
  IV
  Up to 500 people
  $15,000,000
  V
  Up to 2,500 people
  $50,000,000
  Docking Umbilical
  II
  $300,000
  Emergency Escape Vehicle
  I
  Class A Ejection Pod
  $100,000
  II
  Class B EEV Type 20 Series
  $250,000
  II
  Class C EEV Type 337 FTL
  $500,000
  III
  Class D Lifeboat Module
  $1,500,000
  Galley
  I
  1 person
  $20,000
  II
  Up to 10 people
  $50,000
  III
  Up to 50 people
  $125,000
  IV
  Up to 500 people
  $500,000
  V
  Up to 2,500 people
  $3,000,000
  Hangar
  I
  Class A Ship
  $100,000
  II
  Class B Ship
  $250,000
  III
  Class C–D Ship
  $400,000
  IV
  Class E–G Ship
  $800,000
  V
  Class H–M Ship
  $1,200,000
  Medlab
  II
  $250,000
  Salvage Crane
  III
  $100,000
  Science Lab
  III
  $750,000
  Tractor Hitch
  III
  $600,000
  Vehicle Bay
  I
  ATV
  $75,000
  II
  VTOL Gyrocar
  $150,000
  III
  APC, Daihotai Tractor
  $250,000
  IV
  10 x APC
  $800,000
  V
  100 x APC
  $5,000,000
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  THE ABCS OF EEVS
  If your ship is in danger, you’ve got to get the hell off it, fast. In an emergency, MU/TH/UR will dump 
  her flight recorder data to your Emergency Escape Vehicle, lock onto the nearest homing beacon, and 
  auto-navigate you away from your exploding ship. So sit back, watch the fireworks and take a deep 
  breath. 
  A NOTE FROM MU/TH/UR: Aside from the 337 and shuttles equipped with a tachyon shunt, most 
  escape vehicles are incapable of FTL speed. While auto-piloted, navigation can be overwritten by 
  those aboard. If any of these craft are ejected from within an atmosphere, they will attempt a soft 
  landing with limited success.
  CLASS A EJECTION POD
  CAPACITY: 1
  LENGTH: 2m
  Designed for ejection in space only, the coffin shaped ejection pod has limited thrust capability but 
  can put an occupant in a state of semi-stasis for up to a week to prolong the possibility of rescue.
  CLASS B EEV TYPE 20 SERIES
  CAPACITY: 2–4
  LENGTH: 6m–8m (depending on model)
  A simple box-like pod with minimal thruster capability, the Type 20 has cramped seating, no capac-
  ity for cryosleep, and can sustain its occupants for ten days. They cannot land on a planet and will 
  burn up on reentry.
  CLASS C EEV TYPE 337 FTL 
  CAPACITY: 5 
  LENGTH: 14m
  An ICC standardized escape module designed by Bodenwerke Gemeinschaft to replace the mil-
  itary’s aged BD-409 EEV, the L shaped EEV Type 337 is built into the outer hull of many modern 
  starships. When the ship is crippled and there is no time to awaken the crew from stasis, MU/TH/UR 
  will transfer the crew’s cryosleep capsules to the EEVs and auto-eject them. The 337 can sustain a 
  crew in stasis for upwards of fifty years. FTL range is limited to 1.4 parsecs, but they are capable of 
  a controlled landing.
  CLASS D LIFEBOAT MODULE
  CAPACITY: 2–20 
  LENGTH: 23m
  This maneuverable escape craft is an ejectable module built into many high-end FTL spacecraft. 
  The module has seven rooms that can be configured as a mission dictates, ranging from a simple 
  crew lifeboat to luxury quarters to an experimental science lab. It can support three active occu-
  pants for two years or up to twenty people in cryosleep for fifty. The module can make planetfall 
  and be programmed for atmospheric flight. 
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  G-CLASS COMMERCIAL DEEP SPACE SALVAGE VESSEL
  CM-90S CORVUS
  M
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  CM-90S CORVUS
  M
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  CM-90S CORVUS
  M
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  CM-90S CORVUS
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  CM-90S CORVUS
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 6
  AI: MU/TH/UR 6000
  LENGTH: 54m
  SIGNATURE: +0
  THRUSTERS: +1
  HULL: 6
  ARMOR RATING: 5
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers II
   
  T Cargo Bay III
   
  T Cryo Deck II
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II
   
  T Galley II
   
  T Hangar III
   
  T Salvage Crane III
  ARMAMENTS: None
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Reinforced Frame II
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  A R M A M E N T S
  Armaments come in two types: offensive weapon 
  systems and defensive countermeasures. How 
  these are used is explained later in this chapter. 
  Just like modules, armaments can be removed 
  and replaced, and they are also divided into size 
  categories in the same way.
  As opposed to internal modules, however, 
  armaments are mounted on external hardpoints. 
  Each ship can only be fitted with a specific num-
  ber of armaments of each size.  It’s possible to fit 
  a smaller armament into a slot for a bigger one, 
  but not the other way around.
  Damage from ship armaments works in the 
  same way as personal weapons, but the scale is 
  different. Ship armaments can’t be used to target 
  individuals.
  The weapons described below are listed in 
  the table to the right, which also includes prices. 
  More ship armaments will be described in future 
  modules.
  ASAT M ISSIL E S :  The typical main armament 
  of military frigates, guided ASAT missiles have 
  long range and pack a heavy punch. Their main 
  drawback is that they take some time to reach 
  their target, giving it a chance to shoot the mis-
  sile down or deploy countermeasures. A missile 
  battery can typically fit eight missiles. Individual 
  missiles must be purchased separately.
  RAILGUN: This close defense weapon uses 
  superheated plasma to fire heavy metal rounds at 
  extremely high speed, slicing through ship’s armor 
  like butter. Railguns are not very accurate but 
  extremely deadly at short range. All armor counts 
  as half (round up) against railguns.
  PARTICLE B E A M  WE A P O N : These weapons 
  accelerate particles in a kinetic energy wave that 
  causes damaging ionization, and can overheat 
  electronics to the point of shutdown. Particle 
  beam weapons function differently from other 
  ship armaments. First, countermeasures have no 
  effect against them. Second, their base Damage 
  rating is reduced one step for each range cate-
  gory beyond CONTACT. Third, they inflict no hull 
  damage, only component damage.
  O R B I TA L MI N E S:  Cheap and very effective 
  against unwanted boarding parties, orbital mines 
  are a cost-effective short-range weapon. Individu-
  al mines must be purchased separately.
  TAC T I C A L N U K E S :  Shipborne nukes are 
  deployed from orbit to destroy planetary based 
  targets, even entire colonies. A 50 megaton 
  nuke will completely destroy all buildings and 
  kill all living beings within a 10 km radius, and 
  cause damage to buildings and people up to 100 
  km away from the center of detonation. In ad-
  dition, a high altitude detonation will create an 
  electromagnetic pulse that destroys unshielded 
  electronics. A nuclear missile battery can typically 
  fit five missiles. Individual missiles must be pur-
  chased separately.
  C I WS  LAS E R  A R R AY:  The defensive counter-
  measure CIWS—Close in Weapons System—is a 
  laser array designed to target and shoot down 
  incoming missiles, and even railgun rounds. 
  SE N S O R  D R O N E S :  When launched, sensor 
  drones create false sensor signatures that can 
  maneuver at speed and can lure away incoming 
  missiles and railgun targeting systems.
  SE N S O R  D E COYS :  These devices register 
  false radar signatures to confuse weapons.
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  OFFENSIVE ARMAMENTS
  ARMAMENT
  BONUS
  DAMAGE
  RANGE
  HARDPOINT
  COST
  COMMENT
  Short Lance ASAT 
  missile
  +1
  3
  Long
  Size II
  $12,000,000 
  Missile cost: $100,000
  Long Lance ASAT 
  Missile
  +1
  4
  Extreme
  Size III
  $25,000,000
  Missile cost: $400,000
  Light Railgun Turret
  –
  3
  Short
  Size I
  $1,500,000
  Armor piercing
  Medium Railgun 
  Turret
  –
  4
  Short
  Size II
  $8,500,000
  Armor piercing
  Heavy Railgun 
  Turret
  –
  5
  Short
  Size III
  $20,000,000
  Armor piercing
  400MeV Particle 
  Beam Weapon
  +2
  4*
  Long
  Size II
  $12,000,000
  Damage reduced over 
  range. See page 196. 
  800MeV Particle 
  Beam Weapon
  +2
  5*
  Extreme
  Size III
  $30,000,000
  Damage reduced over 
  range. See page 196.
  Orbital Mines
  +2
  2
  Contact
  Size II
  $10,000
  Tactical Nuke
  N/A
  N/A
  Surface
  Size III
  $50,000,000
  Missile cost: $1,000,000
    
  DEFENSIVE  
  COUNTERMEASURES
  ARMAMENT
  BONUS
  HARDPOINT
  COST
  Sensor  
  Decoys
  –
  Size I
  $1,200,000
  Sensor 
  Drones
  +1
  Size II
  $3,600,000
  CIWS Laser 
  Array
  +2
  Size III
  $45,000,000
   
  REWORKING YOUR SHIP
  To mount new modules or armaments to your ship, 
  or to make upgrades to it, you’ll need to find a 
  dry dock on a major space station or planetside 
  colony. The cost of a module or armament typi-
  cally includes the work of fitting it to your ship. 
  The work can take a week or more, depending on 
  the size of the module and if you’re willing to pay 
  extra to get it done faster.
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  U P G R A D E S
  Upgrades are a great way to customize your ship 
  and spend those hard-earned UA dollars. All up-
  grades are listed in the table below.
  A DDED H AR D P O IN TS :  You add one more 
  hardpoint to your ship, of the same size as your 
  current biggest hardpoint or smaller. This upgrade 
  can be purchased twice.
  A R M ORED B U L KH E A DS :  The Armor Rating 
  of your ship is increased by one. This upgrade can 
  be purchased up to three times.
  B OOSTED D IS P L AC E M E N T  D RIV E S:  The 
  FTL rating of your ship is decreased one step. You 
  can purchase this upgrade up to six times.
  ENH ANCED S E N S O RS :  Your active sensor 
  array is boosted, giving you a +1 modification to 
  the Target Lock action (see page 191). You can 
  purchase this upgrade up to two times.
  EX TER NAL MO D U L E S : Fittings for an extra 
  module of the same size as your current biggest 
  module or smaller are added externally to your 
  ship. Your ship won’t be pretty, but if you’re des-
  perate for more room, who cares? You need to 
  buy the actual module separately. This upgrade 
  can be purchased twice.
  OV E R P OW E R E D  T H R U ST E R S:  The Thrust-
  ers rating of your ship is increased by one step. 
  You can purchase this upgrade up to two times.
  P LA N E T FA LL C A PAC I T Y:  With this upgrade, 
  your ship is capable of atmospheric entry and can 
  land on any rock you like. Read more about this 
  on page 167.
  R E I N F O R C E D  F R A ME :  The structural frame 
  of your ship is reinforced, increasing its Hull rating 
  by one step. You can purchase this upgrade up to 
  three times.
  ST E A LT H  T E C H N O LO GY:  Your ship is fitted 
  with hull panels made of radar absorbent ma-
  terials, and your thruster outlets have infrared 
  suppressors to disguise the engine flare. The Sig-
  nature rating of your ship is reduced one step. You 
  can purchase this upgrade up to two times.
   
  SHIP UPGRADES
  UPGRADE
  COST
  Added Hardpoint, size I
  $1,000,000
  Added Hardpoint, size II
  $4,000,000
  Added Hardpoint, size III
  $10,000,000
  Armored Bulkheads
  $2,000,000
  Boosted Displacement 
  Drives
  $1,400,000
  Enhanced Sensors
  $2,200,000
  External Module, size I
  $100,000
  UPGRADE
  COST
  External Module, size II
  $500,000
  External Module, size III
  $1,000,000
  External Module, size IV
  $4,000,000
  External Module, size V
  $10,000,000
  Overpowered Thrusters
  $1,500,000
  Planetfall Capacity
  $1,800,000
  Reinforced Frame
  $1,200,000
  Stealth Technology
  $50,000,000
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  R E G U L A R  M A I N T E N A N C E
  Every week, a member of your crew needs to make 
  one HEAVY MACHINERY roll and one COMTECH roll to 
  service your ship. Each roll takes one Shift of work. 
  Only one person can roll, but others can help. If 
  you’re all in cryo sleep, get a synthetic to do the 
  work for you. A ship A.I. like MU/TH/UR can handle 
  the COMTECH service, but not HEAVY MACHINERY. If a 
  service skill roll fails, or is not made during a par-
  ticular week, your ship will suffer minor component 
  damage. Roll D66 on the table on page 198 ■
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  M O D E L  C M - 9 0 S  C O R V U S
  G-CLASS COMMERCIAL DEEP SPACE SALVAGE  
  VESSEL
  Space salvage is a dirty but lucrative business. 
  While an older model, the diminutive Corvus is 
  a reliable design with a steady presence on the 
  Frontier. Four overpowered multivector engines 
  make hauling scrap that much easier while an 
  underslung bridge allows the captain a good view 
  of the crew at work. The ship is equipped with a 
  tow crane rig for both heavy lifting and the towing 
  of disabled craft. An external elevator common 
  to Lockmart vessels is used to load cargo in the 
  spacious zero G storage hangar. While somewhat 
  smaller than an M class vessel, her overpowered 
  engines and reinforced crane/tow assembly nearly 
  push the Corvus into that classification. Salvage 
  missions can often go awry—the hulking space 
  wreck that could be your payday just might have 
  a faulty reactor that wants to explode. Because of 
  this, the Corvus is equipped with a rear dorsal life-
  boat that can accommodate most of the crew. The 
  lifeboat can operate independently of its vessel 
  for up to three months.
  N OT E WO R T H Y  S H I P S :  The USCSS Anesidora 
  operated in and around the Tartarus Sector in the 
  2130s. The ship was destroyed when Sevastopol 
  station’s orbit decayed and the station spiraled 
  into KG-348. Captain Clara Odenkirk’s salvage 
  vessel the USCSS Katharos operates out of An-
  chorpoint station. As the Katharos is often the 
  first ship on the scene of any wreck, the Colonial 
  Marshal Bureau is investigating any connections 
  between her captain and the frequently disabled 
  ships in the Far Reach.
    
  SPACESHIPS OF 2183 AD
  CLASS
  MODEL 
  NUMBER
  ROLE
  COST
  C Class
  Starcub
  Light Intrasystem Shuttle
  $2,300,000
  G Class
  Corvus
  CM-90S
  Commercial Deep Space Salvage Vessel
  $17,000,000
  M Class
  Bison
  CM-88G 
  Commercial Star Freighter
  $36,000,000
  CM-88H 
  Commercial Towing Vehicle
  $42,000,000
  Star Clipper
  CYG-NS3
  Commercial Transport Ship
  $37,000,000
  Conestoga
  RRTT-3
  Rapid Response Troop Transport
  $1,040,000,000
  S P A C E S H I P S  O F 
   
  2 1 8 3  A D
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  M O D E L  C M - 8 8 G  B I S O N
  M-CLASS COMMERCIAL STARFREIGHTER
  A well-known vessel in the shipping lanes, the 
  popular CM-88 series Bison has gone through 
  little in the way of cosmetic changes over the past 
  century. While originally advertised as an inter-
  stellar cruiser, ICC regulations made the Bison’s 
  weight class and interior volume an attractive 
  candidate for hauling freight. Some entrepreneurs 
  were even installing new engines on the Bison and 
  converting her into a towing vessel. Manufacturer 
  Lockmart decided to offer the ship in multiple 
  configurations and upgrade packages. Newer 
  models like the G have more sophisticated FTL 
  packages and communications suites than the 
  older B and D models, but their internal and exter-
  nal configurations are mostly the same. Plus, the 
  Gs usually aren’t as grimy. In its freighter configu-
  ration, the Bison carries its cargo in large internal 
  cargo bays.
   
  CM-90S CORVUS
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 6
  AI: MU/TH/UR 6000
  LENGTH: 54m
  FTL RATING: 20
  SIGNATURE: +0
  THRUSTERS: +1
  HULL: 6
  ARMOR RATING: 5
  ARMAMENTS: None
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers II
   
  T Cargo Bay III
   
  T Cryo Deck II
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II
   
  T Galley II
   
  T Hangar III
   
  T Salvage Crane III
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Reinforced Frame II
   
  CM-88G BISON
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 7
  AI: MU/TH/UR 6500
  LENGTH: 334m
  FTL RATING: 12
  SIGNATURE: +1
  THRUSTERS: +0
  HULL: 9
  ARMOR RATING: 6
  ARMAMENTS: None
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers II
   
  T Cargo Bay IV x 4
   
  T Cryo Deck II
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II x 2
   
  T Galley II
   
  T Medlab II
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Planetfall Capacity
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  M O D E L  C M - 8 8 H  B I S O N
  M-CLASS COMMERCIAL TOWING VEHICLE
  The 88H is the latest upgrade to transform a Bison 
  starfreighter into a full-fledged towing vehicle. 
  Unlike the previous models, wherein an exten-
  sive overhaul would be required to upgrade the 
  Bison’s engine manifold, the H model has easily 
  removable modular engine cores, allowing the 
  Saturn J engines to be swapped out for a Rolls 
  Royce with only a week in drydock.  So config-
  ured, the 88H can haul and deliver a massive 
  oil refinery, ore processing plant, atmospheric 
  processor, orbital station, or livery modules. While 
  even more powerful engines could be installed, 
  they would alter the Bison's weight class and de-
  feat the purpose of utilizing a Bison for this kind 
  of work in the first place.
  N OT E WO R T H Y  S H I P S :  The infamous USCSS 
  Nostromo was an 88B Bison in a towing configu-
  ration similar to the H. The Nostromo and the ore 
  refinery module she towed were destroyed in the 
  2120s when her self-destruct was set by her third 
  officer for reasons unknown.
  M O D E L  C Y G - N S 3  S T A R  C L I P P E R
  M-CLASS COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT SHIP 
  A retired Lockmart design, Star Clippers are still 
  in wide use shuttling personnel and/or small loads 
  of cargo across the Frontier. The ship’s cargo bay 
  ceiling is equipped with free-hanging stasis pod 
  coupling racks, allowing for easy attachment of ad-
  ditional pods and passengers. Many Star Clippers 
  are independently owned and operated as mer-
  chant vessels and charter craft across the colonies.
   
  CM-88H BISON
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 7
  AI: MU/TH/UR 7000
  LENGTH: 334M
  FTL RATING: 8
  SIGNATURE: +1
  THRUSTERS: +0
  HULL: 9
  ARMOR RATING: 6
  ARMAMENTS: None
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers II
   
  T Cargo Bay IV x 2
   
  T Cryo Deck II
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II x 2 (Starcub Shuttles)
   
  T Galley II
   
  T Medlab II
   
  T Tractor Hitch III
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Boosted Displacement Drives x 2
   
  T Planetfall Capacity
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  S T A R C U B  C L A S S  S H U T T L E
  C-CLASS INTRASYSTEM VESSEL
  Another aging design that still sees use on the Fron-
  tier, the Starcub shuttle is often used as an auxiliary 
  craft on freighters and other large ships. While older 
  models only carried two cryosleep chambers, the 
  later Starcub models carry three aboard. In addi-
  tion to her main engines, a Starcub is equipped 
  with unidirectional thrusters that allow for equal 
  forward and reverse acceleration. The Starcub is 
  also capable of short distance FTL flights and has 
  a maximum range of 13 parsecs before refueling 
  becomes necessary. The Narcissus was one of two 
  Starcub shuttles that were attached to the USCSS 
  Nostromo in 2122 when Warrant Officer Ripley used 
  it to escape the starfreighter’s destruction. The 
  second shuttle—the Salmacis—was damaged in a 
  docking accident prior to Nostromo leaving Thedus 
  and not aboard at the time, something that would 
  never happen today. The new ICC safety protocols 
  prohibit a ship from leaving port without a full com-
  plement of auxiliary vehicles or EEVs.
   
  CYG-NS3 STAR CLIPPER
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 6
  PASSENGERS: 200 (in cryosleep)
  AI: MU/TH/UR 6500
  LENGTH: 300M
  FTL RATING: 5
  SIGNATURE: +1
  THRUSTERS: +1
  HULL: 9
  ARMOR RATING: 6
  ARMAMENTS: None
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T  Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers III
   
  T Cargo Bay III x 4
   
  T Cryo Deck IV
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II x 4
   
  T Galley III
   
  T Medlab II
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Boosted Displacement Drives
   
  T Planetfall Capacity
   
  T Overpowered Thrusters
   
  STARCUB LIGHT SHUTTLE
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 1
  PASSENGERS: 3 (in cryosleep)
  AI: NONE
  LENGTH: 16m
  FTL RATING: 15
  SIGNATURE: –1
  THRUSTERS: +2
  HULL: 2
  ARMOR RATING: 4
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Air Scrubbers I
   
  T Cargo Bay I
   
  T Cryo Deck II
  UPGRADES: None
  ARMAMENTS: None
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  CM-88H BISON
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  M-CLASS COMMERCIAL TOWING VEHICLE
  CM-88H BISON
  M
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  CM-88H BISON
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  CM-88H BISON
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  CM-88H BISON
  MANUFACTURER: Lockmart
  CREW: 7
  AI: MU/TH/UR 7000
  LENGTH: 334m
  FTL RATING: 6
  SIGNATURE: +1
  THRUSTERS: +0
  HULL: 9
  ARMOR RATING: 6
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers II
   
  T Cargo Bay IV x 2
   
  T Cryo Deck II
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV II x 2 (Starcub 
  Shuttles)
   
  T Galley II
   
  T Medlab II
   
  T Tractor Hitch III
  ARMAMENTS: None
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Boosted Displacement 
  Drives x 2
   
  T Planetfall Capacity
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  C O N E S T O G A  C L A S S  F R I G A T E
  The versatile Conestoga Class Frigate is the most 
  common ship in use by the USCMC and Colonial 
  Marshal Bureau. The frigate boasts a modular 
  interior for different assignment configurations, 
  as well as numerous hard points for the addition 
  or subtraction of weapons arrays. The Conestoga 
  can be used as a science vessel, a military cargo 
  hauler, a hospital ship, or, most commonly, a troop 
  transport. The ship’s MU/TH/UR 9000 comput-
  er is capable of performing mission assignments 
  without the aid of crew, so long as it does not need 
  to make planetfall. Dropships are deployed from a 
  ventral hangar, and the frigate can be fitted with 
  an external docking rack to transport a phalanx of 
  EVAC fighters. The design is built by a subsidiary 
  of Weyland-Yutani, and as such they can be found 
  in the possession of corporate crews as well as 
  the military.  While 36 were commissioned by the 
  USCMC, only 25 of those remain active. It is unclear 
  how many W-Y possess as they were manufactured 
  within the ICSC. In its standard military configura-
  tion, the Conestoga is a force to be reckoned with. 
  You see one coming your way? Don’t piss them off.
  N OT E WO R T H Y  S H I P S :  The frequent sight-
  ings and ghost stories of the ill-fated USCMC troop 
  transport USS Sulaco are well circulated on the 
  Frontier. The W-Y Medical Frigate USCSS Patna 
  operates out of Anchorpoint station. Stripped of 
  its rail guns and long arm missile pod, the Patna is 
  W-Y XO Michael Bishop’s mobile headquarters on 
  the Frontier, and is equipped with six science labs, 
  a full surgical bay operating a dozen medpods, and 
  an entire platoon of combat ready mercenaries. The 
  Patna’s full capabilities are unknown, although she is 
  rumored to carry nukes while moving through UPP 
  and UA space—a clear violation of both the Strate-
  gic Arms Reduction and Washington Treaties ■
   
  CONESTOGA CLASS FRIGATE
  MANUFACTURER: Weyland-Yutani
  CREW: 12 (OR MU/TH/UR 9000 plus one Hyperdyne 341-B 
  model android)
  TROOP CAPACITY: 90
  LENGTH: 731m
  FTL RATING: 2
  SIGNATURE: +0
  THRUSTERS: +1
  HULL: 12
  ARMOR RATING: 10
  ARMAMENTS: 
   
  T Long Lance ASAT missiles (8 missiles)
   
  T Heavy Railgun Turret
   
  T 800MeV Particle Beam Weapon
   
  T Orbital Mines (60 mines)
   
  T Tactical Nukes (20 missiles)
   
  T CIWS Laser Array
   
  T Sensor Drones
   
  T Sensor Decoys
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers IV
   
  T Cargo Bay III
   
  T Cryo Deck IV
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV I x 20
   
  T Galley IV
   
  T Hangar IV
   
  T  Medlab II
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Boosted Displacement Drives x 6
   
  T Enhanced Sensors
   
  T Overpowered Thrusters
   
  T Stealth Technology
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  SMUGGLER’S RUN
  “So I teamed up with that bastard Tomland and we were on 
  the Volcus run. We had just skimmed the ICSC border and were 
  in the middle of taking on a juiced tanker module meant 
  for some dipshit colony in the Far Reach, I don’t remember 
  which one. This was ten—shit, eleven years ago. My contact—
  the guy making the delivery—had just unhitched his tug from 
  the tanker and guess who stumbles right onto us? God damn 
  border patrol. Colonial marshals riding a Conestoga frigate. 
  Delivery boy panics and fires on the marshals with a mining 
  laser. Yep. They don’t like that one bit, so they cycle up 
  the rail gun and send a spike right up his ass. It cut his 
  tug in two and plows right into the damn energy tanker. The 
  juice in those batteries went up real fast. The Cony got 
  slammed with the blast and we used the diversion to get 
  the fuck out of there. But those marshals weren’t done yet. 
  They took off after us—and I mean right after us. Tomland 
  was flying in a god damn straight line. The only maneuvers 
  he made were to keep the Cony directly behind us. Always. I 
  thought he was crazy until I saw they weren’t firing on us—
  not even a warning shot. Tomland was ex-military and knew 
  his shit. He figured the EMP from the tanker explosion had 
  fried the Cony’s particle beams and ASATs, but her rails 
  should have worked just fine. Turns out the big bitch can't 
  fire her big guns straight on—they’re right in the line of 
  sight of her hull. For all her bluster, she’s got a blind 
  spot right in front and behind her. Tommy kept us dead ahead 
  of them until we gained enough distance to kick in the 
  displacement drive and go FTL. The marshals stayed behind 
  to clean up the mess. In the end, the cargo was blown, my 
  contact was dead, the marshals were pissed, and the Cony 
  was fried. We managed to get out of there though. I scuttled 
  the ship, quit the business and became a cattle rancher on 
  Terraform 3. Much happier now. I’m only here on Anchorpoint 
  to drop off a load of beef.” ■
  —OVERHEARD IN THE OKIE CLUB ON ANCHORPOINT STATION
   187
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  S P A C E  C O M B A T
  Space battles in 2183 are short, sharp and 
  brutal, with the victory often going to the ship 
  who spots the enemy first and gets their best 
  shot in. This section deals with space com-
  bat, and describes how to play out a violent 
  encounter. The system described below is de-
  signed to manage combat between only a few 
  ships per side—the typical combat encounter 
  is a one-on-one ship duel.
  Space combat takes longer than ground 
  combat, both in real time and game time, and 
  is therefore played out in Turns (see page 83) 
  instead of Rounds.
  C R E W  P O S I T I O N S
  Spaceship crews can vary greatly, from a 
  single person to scores of people. Typi-
  cally, crews are divided into the following 
  positions during combat. For very small 
  ships, a single person can fill two or even 
  more positions. Note that a MU/TH/UR or 
  similar ship computer mainframe can fill 
  any or all of the crew positions if needed.
   
  T CAPTAIN: In overall command of the ship. 
  Gives orders and draws initiative.
   
  T SENSOR OPERATOR: Operate the ship sen-
  sors, using the COMTECH skill.
   
  T PILOT: The person at the flight controls. 
  Makes PILOTING rolls for ship maneuvers, 
  modified by the ship’s Thrusters rating.
   
  T GUNNERS: Fire the ship’s armaments, using 
  the RANGED COMBAT skill. Each weapon or 
  countermeasure generally requires at least 
  one gunner.
   
  T ENGINEERS: Make emergency repairs, using 
  the COMTECH or HEAVY MACHINERY skill.
  D I S T A N C E  A N D 
  Z O N E S
  Space is too vast for it to be meaningful to 
  keep track of the exact distance between 
  ships. Instead, the game uses abstract zones, 
  similar to ground combat—but in space, one 
  zone can be hundreds or even thousands of 
  kilometers wide. Also, all movement only 
  takes place in one dimension along a range 
  track—an abstraction of the three-dimen-
  sional movement that is actually taking 
  place.
  SPAC E  CO MB AT  MA P :  To keep track of 
  ship distances, you can use a space combat 
  map found at the back of this book (also avail-
  able for download from our website).
  R A N G E :  Like in ground combat, the range 
  between you and your enemy is divided 
  into range categories.
  “There are three things you must 
  remember when engaged in a space 
  battle. One: he who shoots first wins. 
  Two: range determines the shape of 
  the battle. Three: it is hard to radically 
  change your velocity vector in space.” 
  — E XC E R P T  F R O M  T H E  S TA R TA C  ' 7 6 
  I N T R O D U C T O R Y  S E M I N A R  T O  T H E 
  U S C M  S TA F F  C O L L E G E  B Y  
  C O L O N E L  J A M E S  M O R T I M E R ,  U S A S F 
  188 
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  A P P R O A C H  V E L O C I T Y
  Spaceships travel at incredible speeds. This 
  means that two ships approaching on differ-
  ent velocity vectors will quickly pass beyond 
  the range of each other’s weapons. Drastically 
  changing your vector is hard. This means most 
  combat encounters will be brief.
  When two ships approach each other, the GM 
  sets the initial approach velocity. It’s typically 
  two zones per Turn, but can be higher or lower 
  depending on the situation. If two ships have 
  synched their vectors, their approach velocity is 
  zero.
  If more than two ships are involved in the en-
  counter, they are divided into two sides. All ships 
  on each side have an initial approach velocity 
  against the ships on the other side.
    
  range categories
  RANGE
  DESCRIPTION
  Contact
  In the same zone. Ramming and boarding possible.
  Short
  Adjacent zone. Visual contact limit.
  Medium
  Two zones away. 
  Long
  Up to four zones distant.
  Extreme
  Up to eight zones distant. Sensor limit.
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  D E T E C T I O N
  Starship sensors have EXTREME range (eight zones). 
  When two ships enter sensor range of each other, 
  they will automatically detect each other’s pres-
  ence. If you use the space combat map, place a 
  marker representing each ship on the outermost 
  zones (the ones marked +4 and –4). If you have 
  access to the official Maps & Markers Pack for the 
  ALIEN roleplaying game (sold separately), use a 
  spaceship marker with the “ping” side up.
  TR ANSPOND E RS : All civilian spacecraft 
  are required to travel with their transponders 
  switched on. The transponder transmits data 
  about the ship’s position, name, class, home port 
  and destination. If the approaching ship has an 
  active transponder, you will immediately learn this 
  information, and you are able to target the ship 
  with your ship armaments (more on that below). 
  If you are using the Maps & Markers Pack, flip the 
  “ping” marker to show the spaceship in crosshairs.
  RUNNING SI L E N T:  Traveling with your tran-
  sponder switched off is unlawful and regarded 
  with suspicion—only smugglers and military 
  vessels do that. If the approaching ship is run-
  ning silent, your sensor operator needs to make 
  a successful Target Lock action (below) before 
  you can target it with your weapons. Until this is 
  done, leave the spaceship marker with the “ping” 
  side up.
  R E D U C E  SI G N AT U R E :  Staying hidden as 
  long as possible, often by controlling your heat 
  and electronic emissions, can be the key to 
  victory. By powering down your engines and 
  sensors, you can make it harder for an approach-
  ing ship to lock on to you. This can be done 
  even before the encounters starts, if you expect 
  trouble. Turning off your sensors reduces your 
  Signature rating one step, while powering down 
  your engines reduces your Signature two steps. 
  When your sensors are down, you cannot Target 
  Lock. When the engines are offline, you cannot 
  perform any pilot actions at all. Powering a ship 
  back up takes one Turn. Read more under Sensor 
  Operator Actions, below.
  I N I T I A T I V E  &  T U R N S
  When you encounter an approaching ship, draw 
  initiative. This works just like in personal com-
  bat (see page 87), but only the captain of each 
  ship draws an initiative card. Each Turn of space 
  combat has four phases, and each ship gets to 
  perform one action in each phase. All ships per-
  form their action in the phase, in initiative order, 
  before moving on to the next phase.
  1. SENSOR PHASE
  2. PILOT PHASE (INCLUDING MOVEMENT)
  3. GUNNER PHASE
  4. ENGINEER PHASE
    
  RUNNING SILENT
  POWER 
  DOWN
  SIGNATURE
  POWER UP
  Sensors
  –1
  One Turn (Sensor 
  Operator)
  Engine
  –2
  Two Turns 
  (Engineer)
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  D E C L A R I N G  A C T I O N S
  In each phase, the captain of each ship orders the 
  active crew member (senor operator, pilot, gunner, 
  engineer) to perform one action from the list of avail-
  able actions for each phase (see below). Only one 
  action per Turn can be performed—there are no fast 
  and slow actions in space combat. Also, there are no 
  stunts for skill rolls—instead, the action listings below 
  determine the effects of additional 
   rolled.
  Also, unlike personal combat, guessing your 
  enemy’s moves is difficult in space combat. There-
  fore, each ship selects its action in each phase 
  secretly. Actions are declared simultaneously, and 
  then performed in initiative order. Once all four 
  phases are completed, a new Turn begins.
  R E AC T I V E  AC T I O N S :  Some actions during 
  space battles are reactive, just like blocking in 
  close combat. That means that they break the 
  normal initiative order in the Turn.
  O R D E R  MA R K E R S :  To declare actions, you 
  can use the order markers included in the 
  Maps & Markers Pack. The active person on 
  each ship (player or GM) secretly hides an 
  Order Marker with the chosen action in their 
  hand, and these are then revealed. If you 
  don’t have access to order markers, you can 
  simply note down actions on a piece of paper 
  instead.
  1 .  S E N S O R  O P E R A T O R  A C T I O N S
  In the Sensor Phase, the sensor operator of each 
  ship can perform one of the actions listed below:
  TARGET LO C K: To lock your sensors on to an 
  enemy ship, make a COMTECH roll, modified by range, 
  the Signature rating of the enemy ship, and oth-
  er factors (see the table on the next page). If you 
  succeed, your sensors lock on to the ship and you 
  can now target it with your armaments in this Turn. 
  If you are using the Maps & Markers Pack, flip the 
  spaceship marker to show the spaceship outline.
  In subsequent Turns, you still need to Target 
  Lock the same ship in order to fire on it, but unless 
  the enemy ship Goes Dark, you don't need to roll 
  dice—the Target Lock succeeds automatically.
  G O  DA R K :  Reactive action. If an enemy ship 
  tries to Target Lock you in this Turn, you can try 
  to break the lock and slip away, by reducing your 
  infrared and electronic emissions, or moving into 
  a sensor blind spot such as a nearby star. Make 
  a COMTECH roll—each 
   you roll eliminates a 
   
  rolled by the enemy. In addition, you can immedi-
  ately reduce your Signature rating (taking effect 
  immediately) by powering down your ship’s sen-
  sors and/or engines, as part of the Go Dark action 
  (see page 190).
  P OW E R  U P  S E N S O R S:  If your sensors are 
  powered down, it takes one Turn to power them 
  back up again. No roll is required.
   
  TAKING ORDERS?
  Typically, crew members are expected to 
  follow the orders of the captain and per-
  form the action they are told to. However, 
  individual crew members can of course 
  disobey orders and perform another 
  action of their own choice. The conse-
  quences of such disobedience need to be 
  roleplayed.
   191
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  SPACE COMBAT ACTIONS
  PHASE
  ACTION
  SKILL
  EFFECT
  1. Sensor
  Target Lock
  COMTECH
  Lock on to target ship. Enables Fire Weapon 
  action.
  Go Dark
  COMTECH
  Reactive action. Each 
   eliminates one 
   
  rolled in enemy Sensor Sweep. Can also pow-
  er down sensors and/or engines.
  Power Up Sensors
  NONE
  Bring sensors back online.
  2. Pilot
  Accelerate
  PILOTING
  Increases approach velocity one step; two if 
  multiple 
   are rolled.
  Decelerate
  PILOTING
  Decreases approach velocity one step; two if 
  multiple 
   are rolled.
  Evade
  PILOTING
  Reactive action. Each 
   rolled eliminates 
  one 
   in an attack against you from SHORT 
  range or more.
  Ram
  PILOTING
  Same zone only. Opposed PILOTING roll. If hit, 
  both ships suffer damage.
  Dock
  PILOTING
  Same zone only. Requires same approach 
  velocity. Opposed PILOTING roll. Enables Open 
  Airlock action.
  3. Gunner
  Fire Weapon
  RANGED COMBAT
  Requires sensor lock on target. Inflicts weap-
  on Damage, +1 for each additional 
   rolled.
  Launch Counter-
  measures
  RANGED COMBAT
  Reactive action. Each 
   rolled eliminates 
  one 
   in an attack against you from SHORT 
  range or more.
  4. Engineer
  Emergency  
  Repairs
  COMTECH/ 
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  Temporarily repairs damaged component. 
  Will hold for one Shift only.
  Power Up Engine
  NONE
  Two consecutive actions needed.
  Open Airlock
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  Enables boarding.
  Reactor Overload
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  Initiates self-destruction of the ship, at the 
  end of the next Turn.
   
  TARGET LOCK
  FACTOR
  MODIFICATION
  Extreme Range
  –2
  Long Range
  –1
  Medium Range
  +0
  Short Range
  +1
  Contact Range
  +2
  FACTOR
  MODIFICATION
  Malfunctioning Sensors
  –2
  Target Ship Signature
  Varies
  Target Ship Sensors Offline
  –1
  Target Ship Engines Offline
  –2
  192 
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  2 .  P I L O T  A C T I O N S
  In the Pilot Phase, the pilot of each ship first 
  performs one of the actions listed below. Then, 
  after all pilot actions are resolved, all ships 
  move a number of zones equal to their current 
  approach velocity toward the enemy ship/ships 
  (or away from, if you have already passed each 
  other).
  ACCELER AT E :  Roll for PILOTING, modified 
  by the Thrusters rating of your ship. If you roll 
  one  
  , the approach velocity of your ship is 
  increased by one. If you roll several 
  , you may 
  increase your approach velocity by one or two 
  steps.
  DECELERAT E :  Roll for PILOTING, modified by 
  the Thrusters rating of your ship. If you roll one 
  , the approach velocity of your ship is de-
  creased by one. If you roll several 
  , you may 
  decrease your approach velocity by one or two 
  steps.
  M ANEUVER :  Make an opposed PILOTING roll 
  against the pilot of an enemy ship, modified by 
  the Thrusters rating of your ship. It counts as an 
  action for you, but not for the enemy. Only you 
  can push the roll. If you win the roll, you can 
  trade initiative cards with the enemy ship.
  R A M:  This action can only be attempted if the 
  target ship is at Contact range (same zone) at 
  the start of the Turn (before movement). Make an 
  opposed PILOTING roll against the pilot of an ene-
  my ship, modified by the Thrusters rating of your 
  ship. If you win the roll, you hit and both ships 
  suffer damage equal to half the full Hull score of 
  the opposing ship (round up). The target ship 
  then suffers extra damage equal to the number of 
   you rolled beyond the first.
  D O C K :  This action can only be attempted if the 
  target ship is at Contact range (same zone), and 
  if both ships have the same approach velocity. It 
  also requires a Docking Station module. Make an 
  opposed PILOTING roll against the pilot of an ene-
  my ship, modified by the Thrusters rating of your 
  ship. If you win the roll, your engineer may try 
  to breach the enemy ship (see below). Once the 
  docking is complete, the ships are joined togeth-
  er—only the bigger ship of the two can perform 
  any pilot actions.
    
  STRESS in SPACE COMBAT
  Stress and STRESS LEVELS are handled just like 
  in personal combat (see Chapter 5). However, 
  when rolling a Panic Roll, use the table on page 
  201 instead of the normal one. In addition, you 
  cannot relieve stress (see page 104) during an 
  active space combat.
    
  SHIP MOVEMENT
  Note that ship movement occurs at the end of 
  the Pilot Phase, after all pilot actions have been 
  resolved but before the Gunner Phase begins. If 
  one ship moves off the space combat map, but 
  the distance between the two ships is still eight 
  zones or less, simply move both ships an equal 
  number of zones back onto the map. Remem-
  ber—in space combat, only relative distance 
  matters.
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  CONESTOGA CLASS FRIGATE
  CONESTOGA CLASS FRIGATE
  MANUFACTURER: Weyland-Yutani
  CREW: 12 (or MU/TH/UR 9000 plus one 
  Hyperdyne 341-B model android)
  TROOP CAPACITY: 90
  LENGTH: 731m
  FTL Rating: 3
  Signature: +0
  Thrusters: +1
  Hull: 12
  Armor Rating: 10
  CONESTOGA
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  ARMAMENTS: 
   
  T Long Lance ASAT mis-
  siles (8 missiles)
   
  T Heavy Railgun Turret
   
  T 800MeV Particle Beam 
  Weapon
   
  T Orbital Mines 
  (60 mines)
   
  T Tactical Nukes 
  (20 missiles)
   
  T CIWS Laser Array
   
  T Sensor Drones
   
  T Sensor Decoys
  INTERNAL MODULES:
   
  T Artificial Intelligence I
   
  T Air Scrubbers IV
   
  T Cargo Bay III
   
  T Cryo Deck IV
   
  T Docking Umbilical II
   
  T EEV I x 20
   
  T Galley IV
   
  T Hangar IV
   
  T Medlab II
  UPGRADES:
   
  T Boosted Displacement 
  Drives
   
  T Enhanced Sensors
   
  T Overpowered 
  Thrusters
   
  T Stealth Technology
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  3 .  G U N N E R  A C T I O N S
  In the Gunner Phase, one gunner on each 
  ship can perform one of the below actions, 
  assuming your ship is fitted with one or more 
  armaments (see page 176). Only one weapon 
  may be launched in a Turn, even if you have 
  several weapons (and gunners) on your ship.
  FIR E WEAPON : You can only attack an 
  enemy which you have Target Locked. Roll for 
  RANGED COMBAT, modified by the Bonus rating 
  of the weapon you use and the range to the 
  target (see the table below). If your attack 
  hits, you inflict damage equal to the weap-
  on’s Damage rating on the target, just like in 
  personal combat. For every extra 
   you roll, 
  you inflict one additional point of damage. 
  Read more about damage to ships on page 
  197. If the pilot of the target ship Evades (see 
  above), each 
   they roll eliminates one ÄÄ 
  rolled by you.
  LAUNCH  CO U N T E RM E AS U RE S :  This 
  reactive action is used to launch defensive mea-
  sures such as sensor decoys and sensor drones 
  (see page 176). If any offensive weapons are 
  fired at your ship in this Turn from SHORT range 
  (adjacent zone) or more, your gunner rolls 
  RANGED COMBAT, modified by the Bonus rating of 
  the countermeasure. Every 
   rolled by your 
  gunner eliminates one 
   rolled by the attacker. 
  If you are attacked multiple times, make a sepa-
  rate roll for each incoming attack.
  4 .  E N G I N E E R  
  A C T I O N S
  In the Engineer Phase, an engineer on each 
  ship can perform one of the following actions. 
  Only one action may be chosen, no matter 
  how large the crew is. Others can help the 
  roll however (see page 63), up to a maximum 
  modification of +3.
  E ME R G E N CY  R E PA I R S:  A minor or 
  major component damage (see next page) is 
  hastily repaired. Roll for HEAVY MACHINERY or 
  COMTECH (or both) as indicated by the table 
  on pages 198–199. The repair is just a quick 
  fix—it requires no spare parts, but it will only 
  hold for one Shift. For permanent repairs, see 
  page 200.
  P OW E R  U P  E N G I N E :  If your ship’s en-
  gines have been powered down to decrease 
  your Signature rating (see Sensor Operator 
  Actions, above), it takes two Turns—two 
  successive actions by the engineer—to bring 
  them back online.
  O P E N  A I R LO C K :  Can only be performed 
  if your pilot has successfully completed the 
  Dock action (above). Roll for HEAVY MACHINERY. 
  If successful, you breach the enemy ship and 
  your crew can then board it (personal combat 
  ensues).
  R E AC TO R  OV E R LOA D :  Requires a HEAVY 
  MACHINERY roll. If successful, the reactor will 
  overload and explode at the end of the fol-
  lowing Turn, destroying the ship and killing 
  everyone on board. Make sure to get into 
  those EEVs fast. The self-destruct sequence 
  can be stopped with another HEAVY MACHINERY 
  roll (takes one Turn).
    
  SHIP WEAPON ATTACK
  FACTOR
  MODIFICATION
  Extreme Range
  –2
  Long Range
  –1
  Medium Range
  +0
  Short Range
  +1
  Contact Range
  +2
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  S H I P  A R M O R
  The armor of a spaceship works exactly like 
  body armor in ground combat. If your ship 
  takes a hit, roll a number of dice equal to its 
  Armor Rating. For each 
   you roll, the dam-
  age is decreased by one. This roll does not 
  count as an action for any crew member.
  C O M P O N E N T  
  D A M A G E
  Structural hull damage is not the only danger to 
  a spaceship. Specific components and modules 
  can also be damaged by each single attack, with 
  effects ranging from the annoying to the cata-
  strophic. This is called component damage.
   
  T If a single attack inflicts one or more points 
  of damage to a ship, but less than half of 
  its Hull rating (rounded up), the ship suffers 
  minor component damage. Roll D66 on the 
  table on the next page. If the result is not 
  applicable to your ship, re-roll.
   
  T If a single attack inflicts damage equal to 
  or higher than half the Hull rating (rounded 
  up), but less than the full Hull rating, the 
  ship suffers major component damage. Roll 
  2D6 on the table on page 199.
   
  T If a single attack inflicts damage equal or 
  higher than the Hull score, the ship is com-
  pletely destroyed and all crew and passen-
  gers killed.
  H U L L  D A M A G E
  Spaceships take damage just like people, but 
  the scale is different. When a ship has suffered 
  damage equal to or in excess of its Hull rating, 
  it is Disabled. This means that its engines and 
  all weapon systems fail, and the entire ship 
  suffers explosive decompression—time to get 
  to the escape pods, or at least into a com-
  pression suit. A Disabled ship is not blown to 
  pieces, however, it can still be repaired (unless 
  it suffers damage equal to its full Hull rating in 
  a single attack, more on that below).
  Note that particle beam weapons don't 
  cause hull damage, only component damage 
  (below).
    
  PERSONAL COMBAT in 
  space
  Personal combat and space combat can happen 
  at the same time. A Xenomorph might attack 
  your crew in the middle of a hostile encounter 
  with another ship. As personal combat is played 
  out in Rounds and space combat in Turns, we 
  recommend that you play out the personal 
  combat to its conclusion before resuming the 
  space combat. However, the GM is perfectly 
  within her rights to have you play a Turn of 
  space combat in the middle of a panicked fight 
  on board, just to raise tensions even more.
    
  COMPONENT DAMAGE
  DAMAGE THRESHOLD
  COMPONENT DAMAGE
  1 or more
  Minor Damage
  1/2 Total HP or more
  Major Damage
  Total HP or more
  Total loss of ship and 
  crew
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  MINOR COMPONENT DAMAGE
  D66
  DAMAGE
  EFFECTS
  REPAIR ROLL
  11
  A.I. malfunction
  COMTECH roll required to access the ship 
  A.I.
  COMTECH 
  12
  Air scrubbers offline
  –2 modification to all STAMINA rolls for 
  one Shift, then total air loss.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  13
  Airlock malfunction
  Main airlock cannot be accessed.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  14–15
  Armament  
  malfunction
  –2 modification to all attacks using a 
  random armament on the ship.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  16
  Artificial gravity mal-
  function
  Running action requires MOBILITY roll.
  HEAVY MACHINERY + 
  COMTECH
  21
  Autodoc offline
  Medical facilities cannot be used.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  22–23
  Cargo damage
  A random item kept in a cargo hold is 
  destroyed.
  –
  24
  Coffee maker  
  malfunction
  The coffee maker in the galley cannot 
  be used. 
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  25
  Comms malfunction
  All external communications offline.
  COMTECH
  26–31
  Compartmental  
  decompression
  A random compartment of the ship 
  suffers sudden decompression (see 
  page 107).
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  32–33
  Crew injury
  A random crew member is hurt. Roll for 
  the attack with six Base Dice. Each ÄÄ 
  inflicts one point of damage.
  –
  34
  Cryo chambers  
  offline
  Cryo chambers cannot be used.
  HEAVY MACHINERY + 
  COMTECH
  35
  Displacement drive 
  malfunction
  FTL rating halved.
  HEAVY MACHINERY + 
  COMTECH
  36
  Docking station dam-
  aged
  The ship cannot dock with other ves-
  sels.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  41
  Escape pod  
  malfunction
  EEVs cannot be used.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  42
  Hangar damage
  A random vessel in the ship’s hangar is 
  Disabled.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  43–44
  Instrument  
  malfunction
  PILOTING, RANGED COMBAT, and COMTECH 
  rolls on the ship get a –1 modification.
  COMTECH
  45
  Intercoms disabled
  All internal communications offline.
  COMTECH
  46
  Ladderway damaged
  MOBILITY roll required to move between 
  levels of the ship.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  51
  Life support offline
  Everyone on the ship without a pres-
  sure suit becomes Freezing, forcing a 
  STAMINA roll each Shift.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
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  D66
  DAMAGE
  EFFECTS
  REPAIR ROLL
  52
  Navigation system 
  offline
  COMTECH roll with a –2 modification is 
  required to plot any FTL travel. 
  COMTECH
  53–54
  Reactor leak
  Weak radiation (1 Rad/Shift) in the 
  reactor control area.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  55
  Refrigeration unit 
  damaged
  All refrigerated foodstuffs on the ship 
  are lost after one day.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  56–61
  Sensor malfunction
  All COMTECH rolls using the ship’s sen-
  sors get a –2 modification. 
  COMTECH
  62–64
  Thruster damage
  All PILOTING rolls on the ship suffer a –2 
  modification.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
  65
  Transponder offline
  The ship’s transponder stops working.
  COMTECH
  66
  Waste disposal  
  malfunction
  Things are about to get very smelly.
  HEAVY MACHINERY
    
  MAJOR COMPONENT DAMAGE
  2D6
  DAMAGE
  EFFECTS
  REPAIR ROLL
  2
  A.I. offline
  The ship A.I. is offline.
  3 x COMTECH
  3
  Escape pods heavily 
  damaged
  No EEVs can be used.
  HEAVY MACHINERY, 
  COMTECH
  4
  Sensor failure
  The ship’s sensors fail completely. Tar-
  get Lock cannot be made.
  2 x COMTECH
  5
  Displacement drive 
  failure
  No FTL travel possible.
  1 x HEAVY MACHINERY,  
  2 x COMTECH
  6
  Armament damaged
  A random armament on the ship is 
  unusable.
  HEAVY MACHINERY,  
  COMTECH
  7
  Engine failure
  The ship is dead in space. No pilot ac-
  tions can be performed.
  2 x HEAVY MACHINERY, 
  COMTECH
  8
  Critical crew injury
  A random crew member is Broken and 
  suffers a random critical injury.
  –
  9
  Bridge exposed to vac-
  uum
  The ship can no longer be controlled, 
  and all personnel on the bridge suffer 
  explosive decompression.
  2 x HEAVY MACHINERY, 
  COMTECH
  10
  Reactor breach
  The ship loses all propulsion. Strong 
  radiation (1 Rad/Turn) in the reactor 
  control area, weak radiation in the rest 
  of the ship.
  2 x HEAVY MACHINERY, 
  COMTECH
  11
  Chain reaction
  Roll twice on this table.
  –
  12
  Reactor detonation
  Total loss of the ship and all crew.
  –
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  S H I P  R E P A I R S
  Repairing a damaged ship requires time, skill, 
  tools (see Chapter 5) and often spare parts.
  HULL REPAIRS : Repairing hull damage re-
  quires one or several HEAVY MACHINERY rolls. One 
  roll can be made per Shift. Only one person can 
  roll to repair the hull, but others can help (see 
  page 63). Each 
   rolled removes one point of 
  damage. If the ship was Disabled, it is no longer 
  considered Disabled once one point of damage 
  has been repaired.
  COM PONEN T  RE PA IRS : The lists of minor 
  and major component damage describe which 
  skill rolls are needed to repair the component, 
  and how many rolls must be made. If several 
  skill rolls are listed, only one roll can be made 
  per Shift. Only one person can roll to repair the 
  same component, but others can help. Compo-
  nent repairs also require spare parts.
  Spare parts are abstracted into two versions: 
  mechanical and electronic. One mechanical 
  spare part is required for each HEAVY MACHINERY 
  roll, and one electronic spare part for each COM-
  TECH roll. The spare part is consumed if the roll 
  is successful. See the boxed text to the right for 
  more on spare parts.
  EM ER GENCY  RE PA IRS : During combat, 
  ship engineers can make emergency repairs 
  on components, but not the hull. This works 
  like normal component repair (above) but with 
  some key differences:
   
  T Each repair roll takes one Turn instead of 
  one Shift.
   
  T The repairs require no spare parts.
   
  T The repair is just a temporary fix, and the 
  component will fail again after one Shift.
  EVA REPAIR S :  Hull repair, as well as repair 
  of external components, will require you to 
  go spacewalking. If you can’t, find the nearest 
  space station with a dry dock ■
    
  PUSHING REPAIRS
  If you spend a Shift repairing your ship and 
  push the skill roll, you won’t have time to re-
  lieve stress (see page 104) before the next Shift 
  starts, in case you want to spend the next Shift 
  repairing as well.
    
  GETTING SPARE PARTS
  You’ll soon learn how important spare parts 
  for your ship can be. There are two main ways 
  to get more of them: buy and scavenge. Costs 
  can vary greatly, but a mechanical spare part 
  is typically about $100,000 at your average 
  spaceport, and an electronic spare part can cost 
  you twice that sum. If you don’t feel like paying 
  for spare parts, deep space salvaging might 
  be the business for you. With a Shift of work 
  and a skill roll (HEAVY MACHINERY for mechanical 
  and COMTECH for electronic), you can scavenge 
  a spare part from a derelict, assuming it’s not 
  completely blown to bits. In total, you can typ-
  ically scavenge a number of spare parts from a 
  ship equal to its full Hull score—half mechanical 
  and half electronic.
  200 
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  SPACE COMBAT PANIC ROLL
  RESULT
  EFFECT
  1–6
  KEEPING IT TOGETHER. You manage to keep your nerves in check. Barely.
  7
  NERVOUS TWITCH. Your STRESS LEVEL, and the STRESS LEVEL of all friendly PCs in the same 
  compartment as you, increases by one.
  8
  TREMBLE. You start to tremble uncontrollably. All skill rolls suffer a –2 modification until 
  your panic stops.
  9
  IGNORE ORDERS. You can’t concentrate and lose track of your surroundings. For the 
  coming Turn, you will not take any orders, accept help or discuss anything with any-
  one. Your STRESS LEVEL increases by one.
  10
  HYSTERIC COM CHATTER. You lose your cool and shout or babble over the intercom, mak-
  ing communications impossible. Your STRESS LEVEL is decreased by one, but the STRESS 
  LEVEL of every friendly PC who hears your chatter increases by one.
  11–12
  FREEZE. You’re frozen by fear or stress for one Turn, losing your next point of action. 
  Your STRESS LEVEL, and the STRESS LEVEL of all friendly PCs in the same compartment as 
  you, increases by one.
  13
  RUN TO SAFETY. You can’t take it anymore. You must leave your station and flee to a 
  safer area on the ship, be it a cabin, the galley, or somewhere else. Your STRESS LEVEL 
  decreases by one, but every friendly PC who witnesses your erratic behavior must 
  make an immediate Panic Roll.
  14
  ABANDON SHIP. You are overcome by terror and have to leave the ship. You run to the 
  nearest escape pod and activate it. If your ship has no EEV, you get into a compression 
  suit and leave through the airlock. Every friendly PC who sees you flee must make an 
  immediate Panic Roll.
  15+
  MAXIMUM OVERLOAD. The horror is too much. You lose all control and overload your 
  station, critically damaging it. Lose your next action and check the major component 
  damage table, depending on your position on the ship. Sensor Operator: Sensor fail-
  ure; Pilot: Engine failure; Gunner: Armament damaged; Engineer: Reactor breach.
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  SHIP COMBAT EXAMPLE
  The PCs, working for the Colonial Marshals, 
  are aboard the Porphyrion, a Conestoga Class 
  Frigate. They are hunting for a CM-90S Corvus 
  smuggler vessel named the Lyssa, which has been 
  raiding colonies in the sector. Suddenly, a ship 
  appears on their radar, suspiciously traveling with 
  its transponder switched off. 
  BEFORE THE BATTLE: The two ships detect each 
  other at EXTREME range (eight zones), so the GM 
  sets up the space combat map, placing a marker 
  representing the Porphyrion on the –4 zone, and 
  a “ping” marker for the unnamed ship on the +4 
  zone. The GM also decides that the initial ap-
  proach velocity of both ships is the standard two 
  zones per Turn.
    
  DRAWING INITIATIVE: Now it’s time for combat to 
  begin in earnest. Both captains draw initiative. 
  The GM draws a six, while Galt, captain of the Por-
  phyrion, draws an eight. Since the lowest number 
  goes first, the GM will be going first in each of the 
  Turn’s four phases after actions are declared.
  TURN 1 – SENSOR PHASE: Both the GM and the play-
  ers now secretly pick an action from the available 
  list for the sensor phase. The GM decides that the 
  mystery ship, after seeing the oncoming Marshal 
  vessel, will choose the Go Dark action. The play-
  ers are out here searching for smugglers, and the 
  lack of a transponder signal has made them wary. 
  They quickly settle on the Target Lock action. 
  After everyone has decided what they want to 
  do, both the GM and the PCs reveal their chosen 
  action at the same time. The GM won initiative, 
  so she would normally go first, but she chose Go 
  Dark, which is a reactive action, so during this 
  phase, the PCs act first. The Porphyrion’s sensor 
  operator, Dalhouse, makes a COMTECH roll with 
  a –2 modification due to the EXTREME range, but 
  still comes up with two 
  . Now the GM’s Go Dark 
  reactive action comes into play. She makes a COM-
  TECH roll and comes up with a single 
  . Her one 
   is subtracted from the two rolled by Dalhouse, 
  but Dalhouse still has one 
   remaining, so the 
  Target Lock is successful. The GM informs the 
  players that the mystery ship is, in fact, the Lyssa, 
  and the Porphyrion’s weapons lock on to it.
  TURN 1 – PILOT PHASE: Both Pilots secretly choose 
  an action from those available. The GM decides 
  that the startled smugglers will try and escape, 
  so he picks the Accelerate action for the Lyssa, in 
  order to get away from the other ship as quickly 
  as possible. The crew of the Porphyrion are look-
  ing to keep the other ship in their sights as long 
  as possible, so they decide on the Decelerate 
  action for this phase. Both choices are revealed 
  simultaneously. Then, because she drew the lower 
  initiative card, the GM acts first. The Accelerate 
  action calls a PILOTING roll, with a +1 modification 
  from the Lyssa’s thrusters. The result is one 
  . The 
  Lyssa’s approach velocity is increased by one, 
  to three zones per Turn. Now Mira, Porphyrion’s 
  pilot, gets to act. The Decelerate action also calls 
  for a PILOTING roll, with a +1 modification from the 
  Porphyrion’s thrusters, and after the dice settle 
  Mira has a 
  . The Porphyrion reduces its ap-
  proach velocity by one, to a single zone per Turn. 
  Once all this is done, both ships move at the end 
  of the pilot phase. The Lyssa moves three zones, 
  to the zone marked +1, while the Porphyrion 
  moves only one zone, and is placed on the zone 
  marked –3.
  TURN 1 – GUNNER PHASE: Once again, actions are 
  first chosen in secret. The GM decides that the 
  smugglers will try and scare off the PCs and 
  selects the Fire Weapon action. The PCs are here 
  to end the threat of the smugglers, so they also 
  pick the Fire Weapon action. The GM goes first, 
  launching a Long Lance ASAT Missile, which gives 
  a +1 modification to the RANGED COMBAT roll. She 
  gets a single 
  , and the missile hits, inflicting 
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  four points of damage. Captain Galt of the Por-
  phyrion rolls for his ship’s Armor rating, coming 
  up with a single 
  , which reduces the damage by 
  one, to a total of three. Since three is less than half 
  of the Porphyrion’s full Hull rating, the ship also 
  suffers minor component damage. Rolling D66 
  and getting a forty-five, they consult the table 
  and realize that the hit has disabled the internal 
  intercoms. Porphyrion’s Gunner, affectionately 
  nicknamed Ox, now fires back with a Long Lance 
  ASAT Missile of his own. He rolls his RANGED COM-
  BAT, also with a +1 modification from the missile, 
  and comes up with three 
  . The first 
   means 
  the attack is a hit, while each of the others add an 
  extra damage to the four already caused by the 
  missile, for a total of six damage. The GM then rolls 
  dice equal to the Lyssa’s Armor rating, getting two 
  . Two is subtracted from six, and the Lyssa takes 
  four points of damage. And because four is more 
  than half the Lyssa’s Hull rating of 6, the Lyssa also 
  suffers major component damage. Rolling 2D6 and 
  getting a total of three, the GM consults the table 
  and sees that the Lyssa’s escape pods are heav-
  ily damaged. Looks like the smugglers won’t be 
  escaping that way!
  TURN 1 – ENGINEER PHASE: Since both ships were 
  damaged, the Engineer of the Lyssa and Sarosawa, 
  Porphyrion’s Engineer, decide to choose Emer-
  gency Repairs as their action for this phase. The 
  GM goes first, and has to choose between either 
  a HEAVY MACHINERY or COMTECH roll, since both are 
  required to fix the EEVs. She settles on HEAVY MA-
  CHINERY and rolls the dice, getting one 
  . Work on 
  the EEVs has begun. Sarosawa sets to work fixing 
  the intercoms and makes a COMTECH roll, getting 
  two 
  . The intercoms are back online.
  TURN 2 – SENSOR PHASE: The GM knows that the PCs 
  are going to want to finish the job this turn, so 
  she chooses to Go Dark again. Not surprisingly, 
  the PCs again pick Target Lock as their action 
  for the phase. After the actions are revealed, 
  the GM’s choice of a reactive action once again 
  means that Dalhouse, Porphyrion’s sensor op-
  erator starts by rolling for COMTECH, with a –1 
  modification for Long range (four zones). Dal-
  house gets a single 
  . The GM rolls her dice for 
  the Go Dark reactive action, but unfortunately 
  doesn’t get any 
  . Once again, the PCs have a 
  lock on the Lyssa.
  TURN 2 – PILOT PHASE: At this point, the GM decides 
  that the only chance the smugglers have is to get 
  away, so she picks the Accelerate action. The PCs 
  continue to Decelerate. The GM rolls her dice for 
  PILOTING. She gets two 
   and decides to increase 
  the Lyssa’s approach vector by a further two, for a 
  total of five. Mira, the Porphyrion’s pilot also rolls 
  for PILOTING, but this time doesn’t get any 
  . The 
  Porphyrion’s approach vector remains the same, at 
  one. The Lyssa jumps ahead to the zone marked –4 
  on the space combat map, while the Porphyrion is 
  placed on the zone marked –2.
  TURN 2 – GUNNER PHASE: The smugglers settle on the 
  Launch Countermeasures action, hoping to buy 
  themselves at least another Turn of survival. The 
  PCs decide on the Fire Weapon action. Launch 
  Countermeasures is a reactive action, so the GM 
  waits anxiously as Ox prepares another ASAT Long 
  Lance Missile. He rolls four 
  ! Not a good day to 
  be a smuggler, it seems. The GM makes a RANGED 
  COMBAT roll of her own for her reactive counter-
  measures, coming up with three 
  , one less than 
  she needed. The missile slams into the Lyssa, 
  causing four points of damage. The GM makes one 
  final roll, for the Armor Rating of the Lyssa, com-
  ing up with a single 
   and reducing the damage 
  to three—still more than enough to Disable the 
  smuggler ship.
  And just like that, in less than the span of two 
  full Turns, the battle is over. Space combat in the 
  ALIEN roleplaying game is as fast as it is deadly. 
  Engage at your own peril!
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  SPACE COMBAT MAP
  -1
  -1
  -2
  -2
  -3
  -3
  -4
  -4
  
  +1
  +1
  +2
  +2
  +3
  +3
  +4
  +4
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Alien RPG (Year Zero Engine) [multi]/Alien - Preview Chapter - A Hard Life Amongst the Stars.pdf