Earthforce Sourcebook

FAQs

Do I need Full Thrust to be able to use EFSB? 

No, EFSB is a standalone product.

Do you need the Babylon Project RPG rulebook to use the space combat rules in the EFSB?

Not really there is a section for player character control but you don't need to use for space combat as its optional.

Why is the Earth Force Source Book in a Full Thrust FAQ?

The EFSB combat rules were written by Jon Tuffley who wrote Full Thrust. They are derived from the basic Full Thrust Second Edition rules and are of interest to Full Thrust players in the Babylon 5 universe.

Why does it cost 1 point per facing change using thrusters in EFSB, while in Fleet Book:Volume 1 it costs 1 point for any number of facing changes?

It was felt that the cost of 1 point per facing change was too high for Fleet Book:Volume 1 ships with low thrust drives. You can use either version in either game if you prefer.

Can heavy beams have a range modifier greater than -6?

No, the rules are not explicit enough at this point - the HB should not be able to hit when the modifier gets to -6, so its maximum range is 36mu. The reroll only counts if you inflict some damage with the initial hit roll.

At 6MU and less you do you auto hit with heavy beam weapons?

Yes, you auto hit. They have a 60 degree arc which makes them a little more difficult to target. In the show, once in arc, they rarely miss at close range.

Can a fighter group that has been engaged by a fighter screen and survived then fire on an appropriate active ship in the combat phase?

No, if the attacking fighter group has been engaged by a fighter screen they cannot then attack in this combat phase.

Can a fighter group that have engaged in and survived a dogfight then fire on an appropriate active ship in the combat phase?

No, if the attacking fighter group choose to dogfight, the survivors cannot then attack their original target in the same combat phase.

Can non-screening fighter group defend a friendly ship from attack by an enemy fighter group?

Yes, but the attacking fighter group has a choice to make. They can either break off the attack and dogfight the non-screening fighter group, in which case they cannot attack their target in the same combat phase. Alternatively they can ignore the non-screening group, take losses from an unopposed dogfight (they can't fire back) and then the remaining fighters in the group, attack their target in the same combat phase.

When declaring targets for fighter groups, shouldn't this declaration alternate among the players as with movement? 

Yes, you should alternate.

Can a fighter group screen another friendly ship?

Yes, a fighter group can screen any friendly ship.

Can anti-fighter weapons shoot at fighter groups that aren't engaging your ship?

Yes, EFSB page 84, Anti-Fighter Batteries: An Anti-Fighter Battery may shoot at one Fighter Group that is within its specific arc of fire, and is within 6 MU. The Fighter Group does not have to actually be making an attack on the ship.

Fighter engagements are resolved when the target ship becomes active. Is damage by fighter weapons resolved before the target ship has a chance to fire its main weapons? 

Yes, EFSB page 72, Summary of Turn table:

4) Combat Phase. Ships and fighers fire weapons.

4a) Ship selection. Choose Active Ship and resolve fighter attacks against it.

4b) Weapons fire. Active Ship fires on other targets.

We're not sure about the order of attacks when a non-screening fighter group engages enemy fighters that are engaging a friendly ship. The rules discuss treating independent dogfights like ships that can activate, but this only applies to "free" fighters (not screening or engaging ships). The rules also discuss how screening fighters engage attacking fighters. But I don't know when non-screening fighters dogfight the fighters engaging a friendly ship. Do you treat them just like screening fighters, so the dogfight is resolved when the target ship becomes active?

If the target ship activated before resolving the non screening fighter dogfight on the would be attackers then in theory the attackers could attack without being involved in the dogfight. This is against the spirit of the game in that the non screening dogfight should happen to prevent the attack. Either make it a house rule that when a target ship is activated an attackers with non screening dogfights must resolve the dogfight then, that is make them behave like screening fighters. Or make sure you activate your dogfights before activating the ships under potential fighter attack.

What are the effects of energy mines on fighters?

There is no explicit rule on this. But 1 point of damage kills any fighter, and the Energy Mine attacks all targets in range so I'd say that any fighter within 6 MU of an exploding Energy Mine is dead. This ruling is influenced by similar rules for the Nova Cannon and Wavegun from FT2 and MT, though.

The cacscade roll in the text says 'greater than' the previous threshold row roll, but the example is 'equal to' the previous threshold row roll. so should it be 'greater or equal' or is the example wrong?

The example is correct - greater than or equal to the previous threshold roll. The wording in the rule is ambiguous.

If you receive three threshold checks from a single attack, should you roll once or twice for catastrophic damage? 

You roll once. If you fail that roll, you lose another row of damage boxes and roll once more for catastrophic damage; repeat until the ship dies or it manages a check.

Errata

Errors in the ship SSDs, The Sheperd should have one fire control, the Hyperion should have two fire controls.  The counters are missing from the UK version.