Thisis the page for newraces,fleets, optionalrulesand other fun stuff for G.O.B.S.!
I'll also postimages, scenarios, errata and temporary rules fixes here (whenwarranted). If necessary, I'll add a FAQ as well. (In most cases,I'll try simply to update the rules themselves.)
If you have asuggestion for a new race, an interesting battle scenario, picturesof your G.O.B.S.! fleet, or a pithy comment (or rules questionor suggestion), drop me a line. If I think it's in the spirit ofG.O.B.S.!, I'll post it here. Please keep in mind, this is afamily-friendly site! If a ten-year-old shouldn't see it, don't sendit to me either! If you're not sure, that might be telling yousomething.
You can contactme at the following e-mail address: thegobspageATaolD0Tcom(Replacethe AT and D0T with the appropriate symbols, of course.)
Yeah, it's adrag trying to work up some fleets when what you really want to do isget ships on the table and do some shootin'. So I've whipped up alittle chart of pregenerated ships, costed out, which you can use.Just pick your ships and total up your fleet. Best of all, if you'rea fan of the either of the two biggest space opera franchises outthere, you'll recognize some of your favorites. Justclick here for the charts page,and download the PDF.
Yes, all greatgames have supplements, and G.O.B.S.! is of course a greatgame! So here it is, including new rules for fighters, rules forspinal mount weapons (really big guns), rules for tractor beams,asteroids, space stations, defense satellites and new races andfleets... including the terrifying Hive, inspired by StudioBergstrom's incredibly wicked-looking Hive Fleet.
So what are youwaiting for, Admiral? Click here and download G.O.B.S.More!(Stillfree, of course.)
Dangit, Sparky! There's always some mistake!
The costs ofspinal mount weapons, defense satellites and the Spiders' spinneretweapon were left out of the G.O.B.S. More! update. Theseshould be as follows:
Spinal mountweapon (all fleets and races): 200 Megacredits.(Ka-CHING!)
Defensesatellites (all fleets and races): 10 Megacredits (base price; adddefensive systems and double weapons cost)
The Spiders'spinneret: 50 Megacredits.
Can't believe Imissed these; there are several discrepancies in the Combat charts,both in the rules and on the Handy Combat Chart.
I have updatedthe Handy Combat Chart to Version 4 to correct the errors; for now,prefer the chart to the listings in the rules.
Also, aclarification about torpedoes: to be clear, each object in atorpedo's blast radius has a chance to avoid the effects of theblast, due to the combinations of range and shield rolls compared tothe torpedo's detonation roll. It is therefore possible that twoobjects at identical radii might have entirely different results dueto different shield rolls; one might escape altogether, the othermight get nailed. Also, torpedo blasts are considered to besimultaneous; a torpedo detonation does not stop another torpedo fromdetonating in the same turn. However, torpedoes in a blast radiuswhich are not themselves detonating will take damage and maybe destroyed. Destroying a torpedo does not cause it to detonate; itis simply lost. And no, you cannot target a torpedo with a torpedo.(You can, however, hit another object so that a passing torpedo iscaught in the blast. Take aim!)
ConcentratedFire (or, Just Add Lasers)
A ship maydeclare "concentrated fire" on a target. If the ship fires *all* itsweapons of the same kind at a target (i.e., all its lasers, or allits phasers, etc.,) the attacker may roll one attack die for allthese weapons, with a +1 attack bonus. If the single attack roll hits(after modifiers, shields, etc.), *all* the "concentrated fire"weapons hit... but if it misses, they all miss. Remember, onlyidentical weapons can be concentrated. As many ships as you wish mayconcentrate their fire, but each ship rolls for its own weapons.Torpedoes can not be concentrated in this way.
Note that thisis very similar to the Drone special ability, and essentiallysupplants it. The idea is to speed up combat even more.
The MagicEngineer (or, "Why, aye, I can change the laws o' physics,Cap'n!"
You maypurchase uniquely skilled engineers for your ships. These engineersgive their vessels the ability, once per battle, to push one systembeyond its standard rating by a factor of 2, regardless of system.(For armor, add 2 to the defense roll. For weapons increase thedamage by 2 for one die only each attack. For thrust, increase by 2,and so on.) The effect lasts throughout the battle, or until lost asfollows: At the end of the turn, roll a d6. If a 1 or 2, he can'naegive you any more pow'r; the system returns to normal. However, youmust roll a second d6. If that result is a 1, the system shuts downaltogether, and must be repaired or is lost. A Magic Engineer mayonly push one system on one ship (the one he's assigned to, ofcourse) and may not transfer between vessels (he wouldn't be happywith any other lass o' the spaceways). Magic Engineers may not bepurchased by Boneheads, Bruisers, Drones, Slackers, the Hive, TyrantLackeys, Eviltyrranians, or Überjocks (there's just nomotivation to excell in these fleets!). Magic Engineers may onlyserve on ships of frigate class or larger. Each Magic Engineer costs50 megacredits (though they'll not say "Nae" to a fine bottle ofScotch to seal the bargain). All Magic Engineer actions must beannounced with a thick, Hollywood-style Scottish accent. ("Aye, an' afine ru-el it is, Sparrrky!")
Created byHoward Shirley
Arachnophobia,anyone? With suitably creepy looking ships, a chittering languagethat sounds waay too much like that thing in the third Lord of theRings movie, and poison-dripping fangs... well, maybe not the last...these fleets will send chills through any opponent. (Except Avian andFeline types. For some reason, these races see Spider ships andthink, "Mmm, Lunch." Spider fleets facing these racial types suffer a-1 initiative penalty.)
Uniqueweapon: The Spinneret.Each Spider ship may carry a single spinneret in exchange for twoweapons. The spinneret does not fire during the combat phase, butworks during the movement phase. As the ship moves, it creates anenergy force field in its wake; this field appears as a glowing fieldof charged particles. The "web" is virtually permanent, and acts asan energy weapon attack on any enemy vessel that crosses the web-lineduring the movement phase.
A Spider shipcannot lay a web and attack with other weapons in the sameturn.
Note: A web islaid in segments, and the individual segments should be indicated onthe map. A segment corresponds to the length of movement the spinningship makes in the turn it lays the web.
Range does noteffect the web line; when a ship crosses a web segment, the range isconsidered "close" range, and no penalty applies, regardless of thedistance between the target and the web-spinning Spider vessel.Maneuver does effect the web line attack; this represents thetarget's attempts to fly around the force field, and applies whetherthe target actually "maneuvers" during the movement phase or not (usethe target's full maneuver value). Defensive systems affect the webas normal (it is an Energy Weapon).
A separateattack occurs for each web segment a ship attempts to pass through,even if the segments are laid by the same Spider vessel.
In addition todamage, the web may prevent the target from moving. The target rollsa d6, modified by its Size Class. If the result is higher than itsThrust value, the target cannot cross the web line, and must endmovement adjacent to it. Roll separately for each web segment atarget attempts to pass through.
If a targetmanages to move through a web segment, the segment(s) moved throughmay be disrupted. Roll a d6 and modify with the target's size class.If the result is 2 or less, the web segment crossed are removed fromthe board. (If a target moves through more than one segment, rollseparately for each segment.)
Web AttackRoll: d10. Damage Roll: 2d6
SpinneretPurchase Cost: 100 points
Damage from aweb is applied at the end of the combat phase, as usual.
Webs do notprevent any weapons attacks, but they may affecttorpedoes.
Dissipating:At thebeginning of each combat turn, roll a d6 for each spinning vessel. Ona 5 or 6, the oldest web segment from that vessel (the one that hasbeen in place the longest) dissipates, and is removed from the board.Even if a Spider vessel is destroyed, any web section it has lainremain on the board until destroyed or dissipated.
Spiders haveanother unique ability: Any vessel equipped with a spinneret canchoose to move *first* within its class, regardless of the initiativedie roll.
TheÜberjocks are the result of years of genetic augmentation.They're faster, stronger and quicker than you, and they never let youforget it. In fact, they never shut up about it. Superior this,superior that, blah, blah, blah. They might actually be smarter thanyou, but since they're constantly bragging they often miss the momentwhen "lesser intellects" pull a fast one and kick their tails. Butthat doesn't mean it's easy to do. Überjocks add 1 to initiativedie rolls, treat all maneuver values as 1 better than normal for allship classes (excluding torpedoes), and add 1 to all attack rolls.Yikes. However, if the Überjocks *lose* an initiative roll, theylose all their advantages for that turn, and their maneuver value forthat turn is treated as 1 worse than the normal for all ship classes,due to their utter surprise at being out-thought by their punyun-augmented opponents.
The swornenemies of Überjocks, the Übergeeks got the brains theiraugmented cousins brag about having. Übergeeks may buy jammertorpedoes and defensive systems at half price, due to their technicalwizardry, and all Übergeek jamming equipment (includingtorpedoes) works on a 4,5, or 6 on a d6.
Special attack:H.A.C.K.E.D.Übergeeks (and only Übergeeks) have developed theHyperspace Astronav Computer Kinetic Energy Disruptor. Using thisdevice, Übergeeks may attempt to disable enemy computers.Instead of attacking or launching torpedoes, an Übergeek vesselmay attempt to disable any one enemy vessel, regardless ofrange.
TheH.A.C.K.E.D. weapon is used during the combat phase. Roll a die andmodify the result by the target's size class, and subtract theattacking Übergeek's size class.* If the result is 5 or more,the target cannot move, maneuver, launch torpedoes or fighters orattack at all in the following turn (it may still attack in thisturn, as such attacks are simultaneous). Note that otherwise, theH.A.C.K.E.D. weapon causes no damage, and is not counted against theDamage Result Chart. The H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon is not affected by anydefensives systems, range, or maneuver action.
*Note that ifthat class is negative, this will mean the result increases. Forexample, an Übergeek Superdreadnought attacks an enemyDreadnought with the H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon. The Übergeek rolls a3. The result is 3-1 (for the Dreadnought's Size Class), +2 (The sameas subtracting negative two) for the Superdreadnought, for a finalresult of 4.
Any attack onan Übergeek ship that results in Jammer Damage to theÜbergeek ship also destroys the H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon on boardthat vessel. (This damage cannot be repaired.) All Übergeekvessels carry a H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon, at a cost of 10 points pervessel. The H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon is carried in addition to all otherweaponry. No other fleets may use the H.A.C.K.E.D. weapon.
Weakness:Übergeeks,however, are weaker than most other races. All Übergeek vesselsare treated as one size class smaller when modifying damage dice.(For example, Übergeek Dreadnoughts and Battleships have amodifier of 0 rather than -1, and so on.) Übergeek torpedoes arenot subject to this penalty. (They can think, but they're not so goodat taking a punch.)
Babes withblasters. They're hot, they're fast, but they sure aren't easy.Perfect for when your battles need "that woman's touch." Amazonianslove carriers ("Motherships," of course!). Their fleets tend to bebuilt around an appreciation for speed and maneuvering ability overbrute force. Ships over the size of a battleship (excluding carriers)cost an additional 25% of their standard price, rounding up. (Thispenalty applies only to the base cost, not the cost of weapons andarmor).
In combat(though not in movement), all Amazonian ships add 1 to their maneuvermodifiers against attacks. On, uhm, "regular" occasion, however,Amazonians get a little testier than usual, and will unload with afirepower opponents might not expect. At the beginning of a battleagainst Amazonians, roll 1d4. If the result is 4, the enemy hasencountered the Amazonians on the wrong week. In this case,Amazonians add 1 to all damage dice rolled for successful hits.However, they also lose their combat maneuver modifieradvantage.
Their ships areincredibly improbable, yet incredibly cool. Long, sweeping fins withno apparent practical purpose. Huge jets of flame searing out fromequally impressive (though inexplicable) rocket nozzles. Brightprimary color schemes, tastefully applied to beautifully streamlinedhulls, dotted all over with viewing ports. Even the weaponry areworks of art.
But theRetronians don't stop with just looks. Oh, no, they pack a Saturdaymatinee punch as well. They favor "ray gun" weapons-- lasers,disruptors, plasma cannons, grav beams and the like, each of whichreceives an extra point of damage for successful hits. (In this case,it's a single point for each hit, not for each damage die.) Thisbonus does not apply to mass attack weapons (cannon, coil guns, FASTguns), which Retronians rarely use anyway. Retronians will usetorpedoes, though again, these do not gain the damagebonus.
There are twodistinct classes of Retronians: the Pluckiheroniansand the Eviltyrannians.These two groups are completely at odds with each other, and will notfight together (though they will always fight each other).Pluckiheronians may not build planetsmashers or superdreadnoughts;Eviltyrannians must build at least one superdreadnought orplanetsmasher (the Emperor's flagship).
Pluckiheroniansareincredibly lucky, and have a tendency to survive what appears to becertain death; at the beginning of each turn, the Pluckiheronianfleet rolls 1d10. The result is the number of the enemy's attack ordamage dice the Pluckiheronians may declare null for that turn. Thisdeclaration must be made when the dice are rolled, and thePluckiheronian gets to pick each die so nulled. These dice then donot apply. (If a die is modified for some reason, the modifier isalso nulled.) The dice nulled can be from different attacks (ordifferent damage rolls), and do not have to be picked all at once,but once the turn is over, any unused nulling opportunities are lost;each turn forces a new roll.
Eviltyranniansare not so lucky, but they compensate with more firepower. They mayadd 2 points of damage to all hits (ray guns only), instead of justone. However, they tend to underestimate opponents, and must subtract1 from all initiative rolls.
All Retronianfleets must add 10 to the cost of every vessel, just to cover thestyle. (Fins cost money!)
Yeah, they'rebirds. Big birds. (And no, they're not yellow and they don't singsappy children's songs.) They do have sharp talons, nasty curvedbeaks, extremely intimidating stares and an obsessive sense of honor.One canary joke, and you'll have your own entrails fordinner.
Avians arenimble: all avian ships add 1 point to their maneuverratings.
Avians gain +1to initiative when fighting Spiders and the Hive. (Mmm...lunch!)
Avians lose 1from initiative when fighting Felines and Snakes (due to racialfear), but add one to each damage die.
Avians haveexceptionally good targeting systems, and may add 1 to all attackdice rolls.
Aviansspecialize in nimble vessels. All Avian fleets must include the fullcomplement of fighters for each capital ship, and must include atleast two carriers. Avians do not build planetsmashers,superdreadnoughts or dreadnoughts, as such vessels are deemed tooclumsy and unwieldy to the Avians.
Avian vesselsmay not be armored with densifiers. ("Light" and "fast" are culturalwatchwords for Avians-- the concept of even temporarily makingsomething denser or thicker is outside of their mindset.)
They chitter.They skitter. They eat. And they kill. And kill. And kill... oh, yes,and one more thing. They breed.
Somehow they'vebred starships. Big, mean, ugly things out of your worst nightmares(or a creepy space-horror flick, take your pick). And they've flownthese ships across the galactic expanse, with only two objects inmind: Feed and breed. (No, they're not Frat boys.)
Weapons, Armor& Fleet Restrictions:Hive ships can have any weapon except Grav Beams or QuantumTorpedoes-- that evolutionary development is beyond them. But yes,they can do lasers and phasers and everything else. They can have anyarmor except shields. They don't make planetsmashers (they needplanets to feed on and breed on).
HiveAdvantages: They'requick-- treat all Hive ships as having 1 better maneuver rating thantheir standard counterparts.
Hive ships arealso better at damage control; they simply breed new parts! Hivevessels may repair damaged systems on a 4 or better on a d6. (Yes,they are hard to kill...)
The Hive isunaffected by the Clowns' unique -2 initiative modifier. While otherfleets can't take Clowns seriously, the Hive have no concept oflogical vs. illogical behavior, and don't understand humor at all.They just eat you, whether you're silly or not. (They'd be great tomake fun of at parties, only they eat all the guests.)
Hive vesselsmay infest enemy vessels and attempt to mutate them into Hivevessels. To do this, the Hive vessel must make contact with theenemy. Both vessels then roll a d6 and add their maneuver value. Ifthe target vessel's result is equal to or higher than the Hivevessel, nothing happens. If the Hive result is higher, the Hive shiplatches on and begins consuming (and altering) the enemy vessel ("thehost"). Each round, roll a d6 of damage, adding a d6 for each roundthe Hive vessel ("the parasite") remains attached. (So 1d6 the firstround, 2d6 the second, and so on.) Apply this damage as normal;however if the result is a KA-BOOM and the object has not beendamaged by any other weapon or device, then the object has been"absorbed" by the Hive. The former host is now a Hive vessel thatoperates with half the weapons, thrust and maneuver of the originalvessel. (The Hive player chooses which weapons the new vesselretains.) The vessel also retains its original defensive systems(even shields). Control of the vessel now goes to the Hive player.The parasite vessel lets go to fight and move as usual (subject toany damage it may have sustained, of course). Any racially specificadvantages and disadvantages of the absorbed ship are lost andreplaced with Hive advantages and disadvantages.
A Hive vesselthat has latched on travels with the vessel it is attempting toinfest. The Hive vessel is treated as having no speed or maneuverthroughout this process, even as it moves and maneuvers with its"host" vessel. The Hive vessel may attack no other targets during theinfestation process, and may not repair any damage received duringits time as a parasite.
More than oneparasite may attack a single vessel. For each parasite, add 1 die perround to the infestation attack. All parasite vessels must physicallycontact the host vessel; once touching they must always be orientedin the same manner as their initial contact, until the target isabsorbed or the parasites are resisted.
Resisting theParasite:Vessels with Hive ships latched on to them may fight back. Instead ofattacking other vessels, the host may attack its newly acquiredparasite. This attack is a roll of 3d6, regardless of the weaponry ofthe host vessel. If the two vessels are of different sizes, the rollis modified as follows: If the host is larger, add 1 damage point foreach level of difference in size. If the Hive vessel is larger,subtract 1 damage point for each level of difference. (For example, aHive frigate latches on to an enemy dreadnought. The enemydreadnought may roll 3d6 and add 4 damage points each turn to fightoff the Hive frigate. If the Hive frigate had latched on to agunboat, the gunboat would still roll 3d6, but would have to subtract2 points of damage.) This damage is applied to one parasite at atime.
Once a Hivevessel that is latched on receives damage equivalent to a TD result,the vessel must release the host and move at least 1 unit away. Itmay not attempt to infest that same vessel again.
Other vesselsmay attack a Hive ship that has latched on, but for every 4 points ofdamage done to the Hive vessel, 1 point of damage is done to thevessel it is trying to infest (round fractions down).
Breeding:Hive superdreadnoughts and carriers may also "breed" one new fighterper turn, instead of moving or attacking. The fighter's weapons andarmor must match weapons and armor found on its mothership. Thesefighters will not have torpedoes. These fighters are in addition toany fighters the ship supports at the beginning of thebattle.
Weaknesses:Hive aliens are nasty, fast and brutal, but they're not all thatsmart. Hive fleets must subtract 1 from all initiative rolls. Also,certain alien beings are resistant to the Hive's special abilities.Hive vessels may not infest Spider vessels-- the Spiders catch andeat Hive borders without even blinking. (Okay, so Spiders can't blinkanyway. You still get the point.)
All contents©2005 by Howard Shirley.