Convolution

Star Force Commander

1 Star Force Commander:  Warfare in the 25th Century.
1 When Star Empires collided there began a terrible
1 war.  Billions perished in the 17.5 years of it's
1 span.  This game represents a time 3 years into that
1 war were each side was fairly equal.  The region
1 involved spanned some 35 light years. In that area
1 waring sides commited whatever forces that were
1 available.  Adhoc task forces of every discription
1 were throw in bit by bit in a vicious meatgrinder.
1 No side could mass the force necessary to sweep the
1 area clear of their opponents.  Thus small task
1 forces raided and attacked for several years.
1 At first average grade units were assigned to this
1 quadrant.  But as the situation grew more desperate,
1 first crack and then elete units were thrown in only
1 to be destroyed piecemeal.  Both sides learned
1 valuable lessons in tactics and from this conflict
1 some of the most distingiushed star force commanders
1+of all time were baptized.

2 Star Force Commander is a game of tactics and skill
2 commanding star ships in the 25th Century.  Each
2 player starts out as the senior captain in charge of
2 an adhoc task force.  With this force he may be
2 alloted some support ships or some tactical units
2 such as fighters, interceptors and troops.
2 With this force he must to go into combat against
2 ships of other races commanded by either other
2 players or the computer.  If he does well he may be
2 promoted to Commodore (2nd level). Later he may
2 be upgraded to a higher levels.
2 Each time the player enters the game he will be
2 assigned different warships and support ships.
2 At the end of each game these are returned to Star
2 Fleet Command. But as the games progress you may be
2 given special weapons or troops.  These are yours to
2 keep from one game to the next as long as they are
2 not destroyed or killed.  You may even be able to
2 capture some of these special items from other
2 players. Also, you are rewarded for victories with
2 more funds. With your funds you can requisition more
2 units from your Fleet Command.
2 After aquiring all the equipment you can for battle
2 the turns start.  The turns continue until no more
2 players are in the battle.  Either because their
2 ships have been destroyed or damaged or they have
2+withdraw from the sector.

3 Operations:
3 Each game function has a main menu.  When an option
3 is selected a sub-menu may appear. This gives the
3 player a more detailed list of possible options.
3 1. When a single number or letter choice is needed
3    a propeller will be shown some place on the
3    screen. Simply type one of the option numbers or
3    letters.
3 2. If more information is required an entry box
3    will appear.  Type the number or word and press
3    enter if you want that info to be passed to the
3    game.  If you don't want the information then
3    press the Escape key.  This will usually cancel
3    the option and return to the last menu.
3 3. When playing by yourself against the computer
3    an option must be selected at each menu. Players
3    can take as long as they want to decide on an
3    option.
3 4. When another player enters the game in a head-to
3    head battle the event-timer will be engaged and
3    the computer fleet will be erased.  A limited
3    amount of time will be allowed for each phase.
3    The 'End of Phase' time will determine how much
3    time is left for a selection.  If you do not
3    choose an option be the time limit you will move
3    to the next phase regardless.  If all players
3    complete their options before the time limit
3    the phase will immediately move to the next
3    phase.
3    Note - Help is available on all major menus by
3+          pressing H.

4 Scoring:
4 Players score points for any enemy troops and ships
4 they face and defeat in combat.  Ships must be
4 totally destroyed in order to get points. Troops and
4 and tac-craft destroyed in enemy bays and hangers do
4 not score points. Points Scores are boosted by the
4 ratio of losses to start points.
4 This is further multiplied to the ratio of friendly
4 losses to enemy losses. Requistion fund credits
4 (€) are also allocated in even more generous terms
4 to a victorious commanders.  This money can be used
4 to requistion new equipment.
4 If the player quits, disconnects or runs out of time
4 his game is saved.  Usually he will lose 50 points
4 if this happens.
4 Special Weapons and Artifacts captured can be put
4 to use by the capturing player as soon as their
4 next game.
4 The game will end immediately when one side or the
4+other has no offensive weapons on any ship.

5 Turn Sequence:
5 The turn consists of two basic parts. The Deploy-
5 ment Phase and the Battle Phase.
5 1. The Deployment consists of a single deployment
5    action.  Either moving a ship from one position
5    to another, transfering equipment around or
5    repairing.
5    Ships that have working engines can even leave
5    the battle zone.
5 2. The second phase consists of 3 fire segments.
5    Each side gets to choose attack Ops and in effect
5    'fire' at their opponents.  This causes damage,
5    first to the shields and then when they are lost
5    to the ship itself.
5    After each firing the results of all attacks are
5    shown briefly and then the next segment takes
5    place.
5 Each operation requires a proper Ops command.
5 After 3 fire segments a new Deployment Phase starts.
5 New Ops commands are issued at the start of each
5+turn.

6 Winning:
6 There are several levels of winning.
6 Winning the Battle:
6 The winner is the player with the highest score or
6 has eliminated 100% of the enemy force.  Consider-
6 ing the initial point value and how much each side
6 loses it is possible for both or neither to actually
6 be considered a winner.
6 Winning the Glory:
6 Players accumulate points, commissions, and medals
6 as they play.  Rank gives you better ships and more
6 credits which is just script used to ration out
6 scarce war materiel to the best commanders.
6 The 5 highest single battle score for each of the 4
6 races will be saved along with the 5 highest overall
6 total points on all sides.
6 Winning the War:
6 Besides your personal glory there is a war on and
6 the object is to win it.  Facing enemy task forces
6 and fleets is just part of the job.  His network of
6 forts and bases must be smashed or the sector can
6 never be safe.  It may be necessary to work with
6+other Star Force commanders to defeat these.


1 Blackhole Containment Unit (BHCU) A blackhole the
1 size of an atom is captured within a magnetic-grav
1 bottle. Tremendous amounts of energy are quantum-
1 mechanically radiated from a blackhole this size.
1 So much so that the ship cannot use all of it except
1 in combat.  The excess energy is redirected back
1 into the singularity to maintain it's size.
1 To generate the power needed to warp a ship needs
1 one of these units. A ship containing a BHCU is
1 refered to as a powership. Should this containment
1 unit ever rupture the energy released is so great
1+that it would tear the ship apart.

2 Shields: Immensely powerful eletro-magnetic fields
2 hold a cloud of ionized particles in a shockfront
2 cloud to the front and to the sides of a powership.
2 (Not unlike Earth's Van Allen Belts or the bow wave
2 in front of Jupiter.)  Attacks by high energy beams
2 or other weapons are deflected or pre-detonated by
2 the ionized buffer. Ionized particles generated by
2 the ship's engines are used to replace those that
2 are bled or blown away. The display will show a
2+blue background for all ships with active shields.

3 Hulls:  Basic ship structural integrity represented
3 as a factor.  The larger the ship the larger the
3 hull factor. Once this figure reaches zero the ship
3+will break apart.

4 Armor:  The hulls of armored ships are clad in what
4 is known as field armor.  This is the strongest
4 composite-metal armor plate imbedded by hyper-
4 strength force fields that align and maintain
4 molecular formations.  The field strengths and the
4 intrinsic thickness contribute to factors that make
4 up the armor value.  Armor can resist hits like no
4 other feature of a ship.  If the armor of a ship is
4 penetrated there can be great damage done to all
4+sections of that ship.

5 Section: There are many specialized ship sections
5 that must be maintained in order for the ship to
5 function.  The engines manuever the ship in line and
5 recharge the shields.  The fire controls target and
5 fire onboard weapons.  Crew sections represent 10-15
5 non-combat techinical personal that run the ship's
5 vital systems. The crew sections are needed if any
5 of the other functions are to work. When all crew
5 on a ship have been eliminated along with the fire
5 control and engines the tactical display will show
5+this ship as colored grey.

6 Bays and Hangers:  Bays are areas supported by their
6 own lifesupport and service systems and can
6 accomodate more than three squads (30-40) of the
6 heaviest armed troops.  Hangers are launch and
6 support areas for tactical fighter and interceptor
6 craft.  Each hanger can hold 6 such craft.
6 Freighters can hold containerized tac-craft, but
6+none can be launched from them.

7 Security troops are assigned to the security
7 sections.  There are usually two security squads
7 per section.  Security troops are for defense only
7 and do not have the capacity to make boarding
7+attacks on enemy ships.

8 The screen will show the enemy's ship disposition.
8 The B row represents the main battle line.  From
8 here a ship may fire any weapons it has the Ops
8 command for.  The C line is the reserve line. Ships
8 in this area may not fire nor be hit by direct
8 attack if screened by a ship in the B row.  They may
8 still launch fighter attacks and may launch probes.
8 The A line is the picket line and is mainly for
8 interceptors and minefields.
8 The whole arrangement is highly abstract and is
8 meant to represent 3D space.  Since it is not
8 possible to screen in more than one dimension per
8 ship, there a feature that will not allow too many
8+ships to be screened by too few screeners.

9 Note- Tonage does not include the weight of the BHCU
9 which with the BH weights .5 to 1.5 million mt.
9
9 Generally, there are two types of fleets.   The huge
9 strategic fleets sent to face an enemy strategic
9 fleet.  Or small task force fleets meant to stem an
9 infiltration action.  Most battles during the period
9 covered here where small actions involving less than
9+a dozen capital ships per side.

1 SD - StarDestroyer 7,000 - 10,000 mt. Armed with
1 phaser Is.  Secondary armament consists of missile
1 racks. Usually contains one point defense array.
1 These units usually cover the flanks of a battleline
1+to prevent flanking attack.

2 FR - Frigate 10,000 - 15,000 mt. Armed with phasers
2 and missile racks.  Usually contains one point
2 defense array (ams I). Frigates operate alone or
2 with other frigates or stardestroyers. However, in
2 this conflict they were pressed in service as a
2+stop gap measure.

3 CA - Cruiser 25,000 - 40,000 mt. Various subclasses.
3 Armaments vary but usually with photon torpedoes and
3 phasers.  All known races use battlecruisers or
3 cruisers as their medium tactical battle vessel.
3 The Federation has at four main classes of cruisers.
3 Many small crusiers were designed under limits
3 imposed by the 2432 Armaments Treaty and are thusly
3+called 'treaty cruisers'.

4 BB - Battleship 99,000 - 125,000 mt. Usually armed
4 with improved photon torpedoes, phaser IIs or IIIs.
4 This heavy armored tactical battle vessel is most
4+often found in Federation Strategic Fleets.

5 EX,CX - Escort Carrier,Fleet Carriers  The EX carry
5 2 squadrons of 6 tac-craft each. Designed to fill in
5 the 'gaps' between strategic fleets with their two
5 or more fleet carriers. CX, the fleet carriers carry
5 4-6 squadrons of tac-craft.  Designed to deliver a
5 massive tac-craft punch.  Strategic fleets of 100 or
5 more ships built around one or more fleet carriers.
5 However, in this conflict strategic fleets were dis-
5+persed into many small groups.

6 BX - BattleCarriers 150,000 - 200,000 mt.  These a
6 carry 4-6 squadrons of tac-craft similar to Fleet
6 Carrier. But Battlecarriers have a dual purpose in
6 that they are also have heavy armor and firepower
6+and can go 'on the line' if need be.

7 DX - Dreadnoughts 200,000 and more mt.  These carry
7 6 or more squadrons of tac-craft.  These also have a
7 dual purpose in that they are also have very heavy
7+armor and carry the heaviest standard weapons.

8 ** - Forts/Bases are extreamly well armored and
8 armed installations.  These are sometimes built
8 within super high density asteroids or moons. Bases
8 must be eliminated to progress toward the enemy's
8 home base. First the outposts have to be dealt with,
8 then the forts.  After these is a major base or two.
8 Finally the Sector Base must be overcome.
8 Forts and Bases take time to destroy.  A fort keeps
8 it's damage from player to player.  But, every day
8 some repairs are done.  The enemy may even send
8 ships to help protect the fort or base.
8 Battles with bases are not saved as they are when
8 fighting the computer enemy. You can easily withdraw
8 from fighting a base, but this counts as a loss on
8+your permanent record.

9 Generic Support Ships:
9 The support ships are important in that they help
9 keep the fleet supplied with replacement troops and
9 fighters. They also serve other special needs.
9 However, they have light shields and little or no
9 armor.  One good hit often destroys them.
9 T - Troop Ship: Holds up to 4 platoons of troops.
9 F - Freighter: Holds additional containerized tac-
9 craft or other items.  Is also used to store
9 captured enemy items.
9 R - Repair Ship: Repairs damaged ship.  Must be
9 adjacent the crippled ship in order to affect it.
9 U - Battle Tug: Is used to tow disabled ships to
9 safety.
9 M - Minesweeper: Sweeps away enemy mines and lays
9 friendly minefields.
9 S - SuperFreighter:  Very large version of the
9 freighter.
9 L - StarLiner: A civilian passenger liner pressed
9 into military service.  Hold many times the troops
9+that a ordinary troop ship can hold.


1 W3 - War Bird  7,000 - 8,000 mt.  Usually armed with
1 disrupters and missiles.  Contains at least 1 point
1 defense array.  Light armor and fast speed make this
1 more of a raider than a main battleline ship. W3 are
1+sometimes refered to as War Hawks.

2 W4 - War Bird 4 sometimes refered to as a War Eagle.
2 10,000 - 15,000 mt. Usually armed with disrupters
2 and missiles arrays .  Usually contains one point
2+defense array.

3 D5 - Assaultcruiser 10,000 - 15,000 mt. As the war
3 wore on it apparent that the lack of tac-craft left
3 a serious hole in Klingon combat effectiveness.
3 Originally intended for plantary assaults, assault
3 carriers were pressed into service as escort
3 carriers.  The 15 standard issue assault landing
3 craft were replaced by a single squadron of 6 tac-
3 craft. But, any amount of fighters were welcome by
3+the thinning Klingon forces.

4 D6,D7,D8 - Battlecruisers. Usually armed with photon
4 torpedoes and disrupters. These are the main capital
4 battle vessel of the Klingon Empire. The 'D' series
4 cruisers get that designation from the name of the
4 first one to battle Fed forces which was Drakon 1.
4 Touted as super-cruisers and designed to out fight
4 any comperable sized Federation ship it was soon
4 clear that the disruptors were not as powerful as
4 the Feds' new secret weapon, the phaser.
4 Klingons take pleasure in personal combat and a
4+large complement of boarding troops.

5 K8 - Base ship 100,000 - 150,000 mt. Usually armed
5 with photon torpedoes, phaser II or disrupter II or
5 proton torpedoe type II. Very strong ams.  These
5 carry 10 or more squadrons of tactical craft and
5+have room for at least a battalion of troops.

6 A9 - Andromdea class dreadnaughts 200,000 and more
6 mt.  These carry 6 or more squadrons of tac-craft.
6 They also have a dual purpose in that they are have
6 very heavy armor and carry the heaviest known
6+ weapons.

8 ** - Forts/Bases are extreamly well armored and
8 armed installations.  These are sometimes built
8 within super high density asteroids or moons. Bases
8 must be eliminated to progress toward the enemy's
8 home base. First the outposts have to be dealt with,
8 then the forts.  After these is a major base or two.
8 Finally the Sector Base must be overcome.
8 Forts and Bases take time to destroy.  A fort keeps
8 it's damage from player to player.  But, every day
8 some repairs are done.  The enemy may even send
8 ships to help protect the fort or base.
8 Also, battles with bases are not saved as they are
8 when fighting the computer enemy. You can easily
8 withdraw from fighting a base, but this counts as
8+a loss on your permanent record.

9 Generic Support Ships:
9 The support ships are important in that they help
9 keep the fleet supplied with replacement troops and
9 fighters. They also serve other special needs.
9 However, they have light shields and little or no
9 armor.  One good hit often destroys them.
9 T - Troop Ship: Holds up to 4 platoons of troops.
9 F - Freighter: Holds additional containerized tac-
9 craft or other items.  Is also used to store
9 captured enemy items.
9 R - Repair Ship: Repairs damaged ship.  Must be
9 adjacent the crippled ship in order to affect it.
9 U - Battle Tug: Is used to tow disabled ships to
9 safety.
9 M - Minesweeper: Sweeps away enemy mines and lays
9 friendly minefields.
9 S - SuperFreighter:  Very large version of the
9 freighter.
9 L - StarLiner: A civilian passenger liner pressed
9 into military service.  Hold many times the troops
9+that a ordinary troop ship can hold.

1 CL - Light Cruiser Early generation starship.
1 Used mostly on escort duty and to secure the
1 flanks of a battle line. Not as fast nor as
1 powerful as their enemy counterpart, these were
1 withdrawn from active duty when the larger ships
1+entered service.

2 CC - Standard Cruiser Imperium cruisers allowed
2 for great numbers of the dread Imperium storm-
2 troops to be quartered.  The standard style of
2 the Imperium is not to use a mix of weapons but
2 to use one type, the Gamma laser, and to use it
2+in dual mounts.

3 MC - Millenia Cruiser - Heavy version of the CC
3 cruiser. This type of warship also contains greater
3+space for more troops.

4 AX - Attacktcarrier - Standard configuration of a
4+medium battlecarrier.

5 MC - Magnum Cruiser - Largest version of the
5+cruiser class used.

6 QX,BX - Battlecarrier/Dreadnought - The Imperium
6 were aware of the Xoraptor dreadnought building
6 program and to match them they produced some of
6 these type ships themselves.  These were a success-
6 ful design and in fact were used more often against
6+other races than the Xoraptor.

7 JX - Juggernaut - Super Dreadnought - These were for
7 a period the largest of all known warships and are
7 considered the most powerful of all.   Only the
7+Leviathon proved to be of superior size.

8 ** - Forts/Bases are extreamly well armored and
8 armed installations.  These are sometimes built
8 within super high density asteroids or moons. Bases
8 must be eliminated to progress toward the enemy's
8 home base. First the outposts have to be dealt with,
8 then the forts.  After these is a major base or two.
8 Finally the Sector Base must be overcome.
8 Forts and Bases take time to destroy.  A fort keeps
8 it's damage from player to player.  But, every day
8 some repairs are done.  The enemy may even send
8 ships to help protect the fort or base.
8 Also, battles with bases are not saved as they are
8 when fighting the computer enemy. You can easily
8 withdraw from fighting a base, but this counts as
8+a loss on your permanent record.

9 Generic Support Ships:
9 The support ships are important in that they help
9 keep the fleet supplied with replacement troops and
9 fighters. They also serve other special needs.
9 However, they have light shields and little or no
9 armor.  One good hit often destroys them.
9 T - Troop Ship: Holds up to 4 platoons of troops.
9 F - Freighter: Holds additional containerized tac-
9 craft or other items.  Is also used to store
9 captured enemy items.
9 R - Repair Ship: Repairs damaged ship.  Must be
9 adjacent the crippled ship in order to affect it.
9 U - Battle Tug: Is used to tow disabled ships to
9 safety.
9 M - Minesweeper: Sweeps away enemy mines and lays
9 friendly minefields.
9 S - SuperFreighter:  Very large version of the
9 freighter.
9 L - StarLiner: A civilian passenger liner pressed
9 into military service.  Hold many times the troops
9+that a ordinary troop ship can hold.

1 SH - Star Hunter  Fast Destroyer type warship.
1 Lightly armed but useful in hit and run attacks.
1 The speed of these ships usually allowed them to
1+withdraw from a fight where they are outgunned.

2 SP - Star Predator Light cruiser.  Usually armed
2 with heavy mx missiles and proton cannons. Also,
2 supports small flights of tac-craft.  Considering
2 the boarding power of their prime enemy the craft
2+usually carrier are interceptors.

3 AX - Attackcarrier  Medium strength battlecarrier
3 For smaller taskforces these served as bases for
3 interceptor screens against the heavy boarding
3+attacks favored by the enemy.

4 BT - Terrorizer  Heavy cruiser class starship. The
4 Xoraptor moved from their cheap lighter raiding
4+design ships to the heavy multi-purpose design.

5 BR - Reptilon - Battleship The Xoraptors have spent
5 heavily on a warship building program and these are
5+the first of a new class of super heavy warships.

6 RX - Battle Rex - Battlecarrier. The battlecarrier
6 is the prime warship design used by the Xoraptors.
6 Second only to the Federation in tac-technology the
6 Xoraptors makeup anything they may lack in quality
6+with quantity.

7 LX - Leviathon  Ultra-Dreadnought The largest war-
7 ship of all.  These immense craft are basically
7+movable bases.

8 ** - Forts/Bases are extreamly well armored and
8 armed installations.  These are sometimes built
8 within super high density asteroids or moons. Bases
8 must be eliminated to progress toward the enemy's
8 home base. First the outposts have to be dealt with,
8 then the forts.  After these is a major base or two.
8 Finally the Sector Base must be overcome.
8 Forts and Bases take time to destroy.  A fort keeps
8 it's damage from player to player.  But, every day
8 some repairs are done.  The enemy may even send
8 ships to help protect the fort or base.
8 Also, battles with bases are not saved as they are
8 when fighting the computer enemy. You can easily
8 withdraw from fighting a base, but this counts as
8+a loss on your permanent record.

9 Generic Support Ships:
9 The support ships are important in that they help
9 keep the fleet supplied with replacement troops and
9 fighters. They also serve other special needs.
9 However, they have light shields and little or no
9 armor.  One good hit often destroys them.
9 T - Troop Ship: Holds up to 4 platoons of troops.
9 F - Freighter: Holds additional containerized tac-
9 craft or other items.  Is also used to store
9 captured enemy items.
9 R - Repair Ship: Repairs damaged ship.  Must be
9 adjacent the crippled ship in order to affect it.
9 U - Battle Tug: Is used to tow disabled ships to
9 safety.
9 M - Minesweeper: Sweeps away enemy mines and lays
9 friendly minefields.
9 S - SuperFreighter:  Very large version of the
9 freighter.
9 L - StarLiner: A civilian passenger liner pressed
9 into military service.  Hold many times the troops
9+that a ordinary troop ship can hold.


1 Main Guns:  Massive weapons that fire a variety of
1 electromagnetic beams.  Usually mounted in armored
1 turrets that can cover a near 360ø arc.  These take
1 few minutes or so to recharge their capacitors when
1 fired. The most common beam fired is the laser beam
1 or one of two derivation scalled either Disruptors
1 or Phasers.  Phasers packing more distructive over-
1 all force, but disruptors tend to produce slightly
1+more structural damage in ships and bases.

2 Proton Torpedoes:  When fired through high energy
2 particle wave packet guides these assume the
2 appearance of a ball of light. While moving at 99%
2 the speed of light these are less accurate than the
2 disruptors or phasers but more powerful. The proton
2 packet disperses somewhat with distance but may do
2+some damage with a grazing hit.

3 Missiles:  Self guided short ranged vehicle armed
3 with a thermo-nuclear warhead.  These must overcome
3 with stealth, electronic countermeasures, and anti-
3 missile system (ams) gattling cannons before they
3 can deal a hit on the target.  Special appliqu‚ add
3 on racks contain a two-shot missle salvo of multi-
3 megaton warheads can give even a small ship a very
3+powerful punch.

4 Tac-Craft: Small one or two-man, highly maneuver-
4 able, short ranged tactical craft. These have no
4 shields and minimal armor. Each squadron consists of
4 6 tac-craft.  One carrier hanger factor can accommo-
4 date a single squadron. When undertaking a mission
4 the whole tac-craft force of a single ship is sent.
4 Fighter: Most common type of tac-craft.  Their
4 mission is to attack capital ships.  Weaponary
4 varies from ship type to ship type and from race to
4 race.  The particular 'tac-armaments' are abstracted
4 into a single attack factor at this level.  Fighters
4 must approach within anti-missile systems (ams)
4 gattling cannon range to assure hits. Sometimes this
4 causes frightful loses to the squadrons.  They must
4 also fight their way through any interceptor screen
4 in their way.
4 Interceptors:  Both the interceptor and interdictors
4 are anti-fighter tac-craft. These patrol a region of
4 space looking for enemy fighters.  They are usually
4 the equal of 3 enemy fighters in a dog fight. They
4 are deployed as a Deployment option and remain on
4+patrol until they are recalled, destroyed or damaged

5 Boarding Attacks:  Troops can attempt to board enemy
5 ships that have no shields.  The strongest force is
5 automatically sent.  This force does not contain any
5 crew or security.  Boarding forces are first subject
5 of anti-missile defense fire. Next they must breach
5 the armor of the target ship.  The chance to do this
5 is porportional to the armor value. Armor of 7 or
5 higher is impossible to breach. Those that do manage
5 to get through engage enemy shipboard forces in a
5 brief and deadly fight.If the defenders are defeated
5 the defending crew may decide to fight or surrender.
5 If all personel on board are defeated the remaining
5 boarding party seize all special weapons and devices
5 and remove them to the attacking players recovery
5 ships.  There is room for a single captured item on
5 each carrier as well as one item per empty bay on
5 each freighter.
5 Boarding parties also set demolition charges to
5 destroy as much of the invaded ship as they can.
5 Capturing ships is near impossible since all are
5 equipped with scuttle devices that self destruct if
5 unauthorized personal try to command it.
5 Remaining boarding forces return immediately to
5 their home ship and will be ready for next turn.
5 Troops are assigned to ships in platoon strength.
5 Each platoon consists of 3 squads of 10-12 troops.
5 A single bay can accommodate 3 squads. In addition
5 every ship contains security spaces that can
5+ accommodate 2 squads/sections of security troops.

6 Probes:  While the tactical long range scans can
6 give some information on the disposition of enemy
6 ships probes are useful in determining exactly
6 which systems are functioning on a particular ship.
6 The probes life span in an area containing a enemy
6 ship often in only a few seconds.  However, in that
6+time it can scan and report a wealth of data.





1 The Deployment Menu will highlight the first letter
1 of available options.  In many cases only one option
1 can be selected per turn.
1
1 Unlisted Options:
1 Help -       Engages Online Help Menu system.
1 Escape Key - Exits most submenus.
1 Freshen Screen - Press 'F' at the Deployment Menu to
1              repaint the grid and the menu.
1 View Fleet - Press 'V' to see a quick list of the
1+             fleet.
2 Battle Menu allows certain toggles.  Changing the
2 background color from black to grey also changes the
2 grid from dark grey to light grey.
2
2 Unlisted Options:
2
2 Help - Engages Online Help Menu system.
2
2+Escape Key - Exits most submenus.
3 Flagship Menu - allows admirals and higher to keep
3 and maintain personal flagships.  Rear admirals and
3 vice admirals receive free flagships selected from
3 their fleets.  Other higher ranks must purchase
3 flagships from the ship yards.  Flagships can be
3 attached to a tactical fleet or can attempt to fight
3 other flagships in a duel.
3 Setting a flagships patrol factor to 0 means it will
3 not fight another flagship in a duel.
3 Flagships that remain with a game in progress can-
3 not fight in a duel.
3 Damaged flagships can be repaired or scraped.
3 A player cannot purchase a new flagship until he
3 scraps his old flagship.
3 Flagships that remain with a game in progress that
3 is abandoned are in effect scuttled and destroyed.