Knight Hawks Expanded

From Star Frontiers Network

by Larry Moore and Brian Conway

Simultaneous Movement Table

This new movement system will significantly change the dynamics of the Knight Hawks board game. My goal is to offer a different approach by allowing each side to react to enemy movements, whether your ship is faster or slower.

The following table breaks down a Knight Hawks 10 minute turn into one minute segments. Cross reference your ships current speed in the first column – the row indicates on which turns you can move your ship and the number of hexes to move.

The Pelor is travelling at a speed of 7 is being chased by an Obar Enterprises fast attack craft travelling at speed 11. The Pelor can move on segment 2,3,5,6,8,9 and 10 while the pursuing craft can move on every turn.

Range Diffusion

This optional rule negates the to-hit penalty associated with beam weapons. Knight Hawks states that each hex a beam weapon travels reduces the chances to hit by 5%. For example; a ship firing its laser cannon at a ship 3 hexes away will incur a 15% penalty to hit. Instead this optional rule reduces the damage by 1 point (rounded down) for every two hexes the beam travels. Simply divide the number of hexes by 2 to find the damage reduction.

For example -
An Imp class privateer fires a laser battery on a Volong starliner at a range of 7 hexes. Laser batteries have a range of 9 hexes and do 1d10 damage. The Imp player hits and rolls 6 for the damage. 7 hexes / 2 = 3 which results in the privateer causing 3 points of damage in stead of 6.

Simultaneous fire!

Brian Conway (Imperial Lord) came up with a nifty rule for the Second Sather War game we played with Terl Obar a while ago. It allows for both offensive and defensive fire during the moving players turn.

Rule: Ships that move on their turn can fire weapons anywhere along the path the ship travels. As the ship moves the non-moving player may also fire at ships anywhere along the same path, as long as the ships are within range of the weapons.

Resolving Hits: Defensive fire always takes precedence before offensive fire. Defensive fire hits must be accounted for during the moving players turn before the moving player continues moving or firing.

For example -
A UPF Light Cruiser is moving 10 hexes towards a Sathar Destroyer, but wants to fire its Laser Battery at a Fighter along the way of its movement path. It may fire anywhere along its movement path at the Fighter, as long as it is in range, of course. However, if the UPF ship enters the firing arc of a Sathar ship during that path, it may be fired on, and the effects of any hits are applied immediately. These hits may prevent the Light Cruiser from completing its move, or firing certain weapons.