Battlespace Sirius™

 

Battlespace Sirius™ is an East of Orion game played with cards (representing interstellar vessels) and dice. Earth is on the brink of war. Each player controls a Ship racing at near light speed from Sirius to Earth to turn the tide of battle. Each player represents a different Earth faction. To prevail, your Ship must be the only Ship that survives the journey. In essence, you must win an interstellar dogfight.

The game is designed for 2-6 players. Each player selects a Ship from the 6 Ships available. Each Ship is functionally identical, so this is a choice of aesthetic preference to distinguish each player’s Ship. For example:

Image Platinum Starship Poker-Sized Card -- 6 Power Settings on each Ship Side: Bow, Port, Stern, and StarboardImage Orange Starship Poker-Sized Card -- 6 Power Settings on each Ship Side: Bow, Port, Stern, and StarboardImage Emerald Starship Poker-Sized Card -- 6 Power Settings on each Ship Side: Bow, Port, Stern, and StarboardImage Purple Starship Poker-Sized Card -- 6 Power Settings on each Ship Side: Bow, Port, Stern, and Starboard

 

 

 

 

The players also choose a random Lifeboat (a vessel that comes into play if your Ship is destroyed) from the 8 available Lifeboats. Lifeboats have limited abilities compared to Ships, but they are battle-ready interstellar vessels and a player can win with a Lifeboat. Each Lifeboat is different. Players do not reveal to each other the specifics of their Lifeboat. Examples of Lifeboats are:

Image of Emerald Lifeboat Poker-Sized Card showing Hull 4, Position "No," Sentry "No," and Weapons 2 Image of Cranberry Lifeboat Poker-Sized Card showing Hull 4, Position "Yes," Sentry "Yes," and Weapon 1 Image of Bronze Lifeboat Poker-Sized Card showing Hull 5, Position "No," Sentry "Yes," and Weapon 1 Image of Blue/Red Lifeboat Poker-Sized Card showing Hull 3, Position "Yes," Sentry "No," and Weapons 2

 

 

 

 

Note: The Introductory Game is for 2 players and uses only Ships (no Lifeboats). For the Introductory Game Rules CLICK HERE. For the Advanced Game Rules (2+ Players, Lifeboats) CLICK HERE.

Lifeboats are fastened to the underside of each player’s Ship and secured with Power Clips. Power Clips are used to track the available remaining Power throughout the game of each Ship’s Bow, Port, Stern, and Starboard Sides.

Sequence of Events

Players take turns. All actions take place according to a Turn Sequence. During each Player’s turn, the following steps take place:

  • Maneuver
  • Lock Targets
  • Enemy Reaction
  • Fire

Battlespace Sirius™ is available through The Gamecrafter for $22.99.   

About Ships

Anatomy. Each Ship has a Power value for each Ship Side (Bow, Port, Stern, and Starboard), beginning the game with a value of 6. During the game, the Power value of each Ship Side can range from 0-6. Each Ship Side has a Shield value equal to its Power value. Each Ship Side has Weapons.

Abilities. During your turn, your Ship can Maneuver, fire Weapons, and potentially Repair itself. During your opponents’ turns, your Ship can react preemptively to your opponents’ attacks.

Maneuver. Your Ship is racing at relativistic velocity toward Earth. Neither you nor your opponents will deviate from that path. But your Ship can Maneuver relative to your opponents’ vessels. So the playfield represents the relative position and orientation of your Ship to the others as you all scream toward Earth at space-ripping speed. The maneuvers available are Rotate (change orientation), Position (move ahead, behind, beside or to a corner), or both.

Each Side can fire 1 Weapon without using Power and can fire up to 4 Weapons per turn provided sufficient Power for each Weapon fired beyond the first (each additional Weapon fired costs 1 Power).

(c) 2019 John Conway

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