Starfighter Set Up and Rules

I haven't had a chance to run another mission yet, but I have been updating my set up. Here's a peek:

The Board
I picked up a black, 3' x 4' foamcore board from Michael's. Two of the sides fold inward; in this configuration, the board is 2' x 3'.

I used an idea from Terragenesis to create a hex template from cardboard. The hex corners are marked in white, which look like stars to me. My plan was not entirely successful, as my hex template was slightly askew. This caused problems as I neared the end. I finished by using a Memoir '44 hex as a template. Anyway, it seems to be useable.

Initiative Markers
The gray "meteors" act as initiative markers. The idea is to display each fighter's initiative roll. This makes it easier to remember whose turn it is without cluttering the board with unsightly dice.

Throttle Markers
In my rules, fighters select a throttle setting, which determines speed and impacts combat rolls. I realized that I needed to indicate the setting in some manner, so I created rocket exhaust from foam. Orange indicates regular throttle while red indicates afterburners. No marker indicates low throttle.

Laser and Explosion Markers
Not needed for the game itself, I created these for blog pictures. They illustrate the action.

RULES
For rules, I picked up a copy of Two Hour Wargames 5150: Fighter Command. It was a bit more detailed than I wanted, so I wrote up my own rules:

Turn Sequence

1.       Initiative – D6

a.       Move tailed ships first

b.      Then move low to high

2.       Set throttle

3.       Move

4.       Shoot

5.       Damage

Set Throttle

Roll	Throttle	MPs	Mods
1-2	L	3	+1
3-5	H	4	0
6	AB	5	-1

[Note: For solo games, I randomly roll for the throttle setting for all fighters except for my personal "Star"]

Move

Action	MPs
Move forward 1 space	1
Turn 60 degrees	2
Turn 120 degrees	3

·         Must move forward 1 space before making a turn

·         Can only make 1 turn before moving forward again

Shoot

1.       Target must be directly ahead of shooter

2.       Maximum range = 6 spaces

3.       Roll 1D6 per functioning cannon

Hit on 4-6

Mods:

·         Speed mod                         -1 to +1

·         Target speed mod           -1 to +1

·         “Star” pilot                          +1

·         Target hull damage         +?

Damage

Roll	Area	Effect
1-2	Hull	Lose 1 hull Enemy get +1 to hit
3	Engine	-1 mp 0 mp if 2 hits
4	Weapon	Lose 1 cannon
5	Hull	Lose 2 hull Enemy gets +2 to hit
6	Destroyed	Eliminated

Star Fighter Stats

Hull               3

Weapon       2

Engine          2

I like the 5150 concept of "Stars," which are the main characters of each player. Stars get certain advantages. In my practice game, Ray Gunn was the Star (although Ty Rowe performed better; Ray could not hit the broad side of the moon!). I selected the throttle setting for the Star before randomly rolling for the other fighters. This gave a nice element of unpredictability.