=BATTLESTAR=

GALATICA

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=BATTLESTAR=

galactica RPG RULES

by Chris & Leslie Lightfoot Introduction

Battlestar Galactica is an adventurous science-fiction drama set in a distant part of the galaxy where humanity fights to survive and find a new home after nearly being exterminated by the Cylons, a race of intelligent machines that humans themselves had created. In the series, adventure and drama are equally important. These rules are an attempt to evoke that balance, and the unique character of the universe. They are only guidelines and can at any time be ignored by the GM. Rules & World Overview

These rules are meant for easy play, not spending lots of time looking up modifiers. They are based on a simplified d10 system. Attributes describe basic physical and mental characteristics of a character. There are no "skills," per se. In the Battlestar Galactica universe, most of the main characters can accomplish simple tasks in a variety of fields. Anyone can drive a basic vehicle or play cards. These rules use Luck as an Attribute to reflect these abilities. Expertise describes those fields or disciplines where the character is especially skilled due to raw talent, practice, study, or a combination of the three.

The struggle to maintain hope is central to the stories set in the Battlestar Galactica universe. The mechanic of Hope and Despair reflect those themes.

Whenever the GM determines that an action is not automatic, a Task Roll may be required (see Task Rolls, below). Attributes, Expertise, Luck, and Hope/Despair may be involved. The GM sets a target number for the Task Roll. The more difficult the task, the higher the target number. Success or failure depends on rolling that target number or higher on one or more of the dice rolled. The more successes rolled, the more complete the success. Complex tasks may require multiple successes in order to succeed at all.

The Battlestar Galactica universe is a dangerous place. Characters are more likely to get hurt or killed than in other sci-fi adventures. Fortunately, in a dramatic setting, combat is less frequent and usually left to those in the military who are trained for the task. But an attack by a flight of Cylon Raiders is not the only danger - violence can erupt between humans at any time. And there is always the possibility that someone among you is not human at all...

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Attributes

Beginning player characters (PCs) have 12 Ranks to split between five Attributes. Players assign 1 to 5 Ranks to each Attribute. (Note: Normal human default = 1 Rank, human maximum = 5 Ranks, Cylon maximum = 6 Ranks.) Each Rank in Toughness, Quickness, Intelligence and Willpower gives a player one 10-sided die (d10) to roll in Task Rolls that involve that Attribute. Luck gives a player one 6-sided die (d6) per Rank in certain Task Rolls. Luck is never rolled alone. Toughness - (physical strength, block, stamina, maximum hand-to-hand

damage, etc) Quickness - (initiative, dodge/parry, reflexes, fine motor control, speed,

sneakiness, etc) Intelligence - (logic, intuition, knowledge, awareness, perception, etc) Willpower - (command, charisma, intimidation, resist intimidation,

persuade, resist persuasion, social ability, etc) Luck - (personal good fortune)

Areas Expertise

Beginning PCs have 12 Ranks to split among Areas of Expertise, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 in each area. Each Rank in An area of Expertise gives a player one d10 to roll in Task Rolls that involve that Area of Expertise.

Examples are listed below, but can be any broad skill category as agreed upon between the player and the GM. Areas of Expertise can overlap. A PC who has an Expertise in Politics would be able to give a speech, but not as well as someone who had an Expertise in Public Speaking. Conversely, Public Speaking wouldn't help in the back-room negotiations that Politics encompasses, but could help a Leadership situation if the character were addressing the troops. Example Areas of Expertise Comm Systems — includes operation, programming,

repair, etc. Medicine — triage/first-aid, surgery, diagnostics, etc. Starcraft Piloting (Small) — includes bombers, raptors,

vipers, shuttles, etc. Starcraft Piloting (Capital) — includes freighters, liners,

Battlestars, etc. Small Arms — pistols, rifles, grenades, rocket launchers,

etc. Mounted Weapons — mortars, gun emplacements,

vehicle/ship weapons, etc. Politics — campaigning, public relations, legislation, etc. Gambling — games of chance, probability, carousing, etc.

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Specialties Some PCs are particularly talented or trained in a specific group of skills

associated with an area of Expertise. A beginning PC selects one area of Expertise and defines a Specialty in one aspect of that Expertise. Example Specialties

Starcraft Piloting (Small): Viper Piloting Medicine: Surgery Small Arms: Rifle Organized Crime: Blackmail Communications: Encryption

Hope & Despair

In the Battlestar Galactica universe, one of the great challenges is keeping hope alive. Each PC has a Ranking in Hope and Despair that start at zero. When a victory is won or a great deed is accomplished, the GM can request the player to make a roll based on Willpower + Luck, with the target number of 6 + Despair Rank. If the player rolls at least one success, the PC gains a Rank in Hope (or loses a Rank in Despair). When a battle is lost or a personal disaster occurs, the GM can require a roll based on the PC's Willpower + Luck, with the target number of 6 + Hope Rank. If the player rolls at least one success, the PC gains a Rank in Despair (or loses a Rank in Hope). Hope or Despair Ranks could effect certain Task Rolls. For example: if the PC is attempting to make a hearfelt inspirational speech, the GM may allow the player to roll Willpower + Public Speaking + Hope. Similarly, Despair may be used to subtract from Task Rolls, such as when trying to recover from a trauma. Despair can have negative impacts in Social situations – the character may be too much of a “downer” to be popular. Rarely, Despair could add to a Task Roll, such as when interrogating a prisoner: Willpower + Interrogation + Despair (the character is so far gone that they're willing to take it out on others).

Ranks in Hope or Despair aren’t meant to determine a PC's personality; just to evoke the feel of the Battlestar Galactica series.

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Task Rolls

When a PC attempts an action, the GM may either allow the action and declare the result, or call for a Task Roll to be made. The GM will choose a relevant Attribute, plus an area of Expertise if one applies. There are three main types of Task Rolls

Default Rolls Attribute + Luck A Default Task Roll is made when a PC is attempting something that they have no training or affinity for: that is, the character has no relevant Area of Expertise. For this Roll, the player rolls a number of d10 equal to the relevant Attribute rank plus a number of d6 dice equal to the PC's Luck rank. Example 1 – Gaius Baltar is attempting to palm a disc containing incriminating evidence against him in the middle of a crowded room. The GM notes that Gaius has no relevant area of Expertise. The GM declares that this will be a Default Task Roll based on Quickness. Gaius has 2 ranks in Quickness and 5 ranks in Luck. Thus, Gaius' player would roll 2d10 and 5d6.

Standard Rolls: Attribute + Expertise

A Standard Task Roll is made when a PC is attempting something that they have trained for, have an affinity for or training in: a Task Roll using an Area of Expertise. For this Roll, the player rolls a number of d10 equal to the relevant Attribute rank plus a number of d10 equal to the relevant Expertise rank. Example 2 – Apollo is attempting to convince Colonel Tigh to allow him to leave the Galactica in the middle of an alert. The GM declares that this will be a Willpower + Tactics roll. Apollo has 3 ranks in Willpower and 2 ranks in Tactics. Thus, Apollo's player would roll 5d10.

Specialty Rolls: Attribute + Expertise + Luck A Specialty Task Roll is made when a character is attempting something in that they have specialized training with or a particular affinity for: that is, the PC has a Specialty in a relevant area of Expertise. For this Roll, the player rolls a number of d10 dice equal to the relevant Attribute rank plus a number of d10 equal to the relevant area of Expertise rank plus a number of d6 equal to the PC's Luck rank. Example 3 – Starbuck is attempting to fly her Viper through a dense debris field. The GM notices that Starbuck has a Specialty in Viper Piloting. The GM declares that this will be a Specialty Task Roll. Starbuck has 4 Ranks in Quickness, 5 Ranks in Starcraft Piloting (Small) and 2 Ranks in Luck. Thus, Starbuck's player would roll 9d10 and 2d6.

To determine whether the character has succeeded in a task, the GM

assigns a Target Number. This number represents the level of difficulty for a normal human to complete the task successfully.

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Example Target Numbers 1 = automatic (walk, talk, eat dinner) 3 = easy (activate a comm unit, chat at a casual party) 6 = standard (shoot a sidearm, deliver an interesting speech) 9 = challenging (landing a Viper on a moving deck, date a Senator) 12 = difficult (arm-wrestle a Cylon, intimidate an Admiral) 20+ = heroic (rewire a Cylon Raider, become a prophet) Target Numbers may be modified by the GM due to a variety of factors. For example, a PC could take time to prepare before attempting a task, or coordinate with other characters. Or a modifier could apply if the environment in which the attempt is made is hostile to the task. Successes

When any die in a Task Roll rolls a number that equals or exceeds the Target Number, that die is considered a Success. When a 10 is rolled on a d10 or a 6 on a d6 is rolled, that particular die may be rolled again and the new number added to the original 10 or 6. This continues as long as 10s on a d10 or 6s on a d6 continue to be rolled. (ie - both 10-sided and 6-sided dice 'explode.') A single Success means that the PC has succeeded in the task they were attempting. At the GMs' discretion, multiple Successes may mean that the success was more complete or accomplished with more panache or had farther reaching effects than the PC intended. Example 1 – Gaius' player is rolling 2d10 and 5d6 in an attempt to palm an incriminating disc in the middle of a crowded room. The GM declares that the Target Number is 7 (a little harder than standard but not challenging.) Gaius' player rolls the following numbers on their d10: 5, 3. And 5, 4, 4, 3, 1 on their d6. No die result is equal to or greater than the Target Number of 7.. Gaius has failed, is noticed, and now must try to explain his action to anyone who asks.

Example 2 – Apollo's player is rolling 5d10 in an attempt to convince Colonel Tigh to allow Apollo to leave the Galactica in the middle of an alert. The GM declares that the Target Number is 9 (challenging.) Apollo's player rolls the following numbers:9, 7, 5, 4, 1. One of these is equal or greater to the Target Number. Apollo succeeds – barely. There may be some bad feelings later.. Example 3 – Starbuck's player is rolling 9d10 and 2d6 in an attempt to fly Starbuck's Viper through a crowded debris field. The GM declares that the Target Number is 12 (difficult.) Starbuck's player rolls the following numbers on their d10: 10, 9, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3, 3, 1. And 6, 6 on their d6.

Since the player rolled one 10 on a d10 and two 6s on the d6s, the player rolls these three dice again. On the d10, they roll 3. And on the d6, they roll 6, 4. They roll the 6 on the d6 once more and get a 5. This makes Starbuck's player's total numbers on the d10: 13 (10+3), 9, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3, 3, 1. And on the d6: 19(6+6+5), 10(6+4). Two dice are equal to or above the Target Number of 12. Starbuck has succeed in her attempt and the GM decides that she can now lead others on the course through the debris field.

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Contested Rolls In Contested Task Rolls, two characters are working at cross-purposes. Combat is a special case of Contested Rolls, and is detailed in the next section. In general, any contest is won by the character who rolled more successes than their opponent. Example – Three characters are playing cards, and all are attempting to bluff. Each character would roll Willpower + Gambling, difficulty 8 (it’s a rough game). Any character with more successes than another has successfully bluffed that person. The character with the most successes is believed by everyone and wins the bluff. The GM might also apply successes in a different manner, such as looking for a total number of successes over time, or by subtracting one character’s successes from another character’s total (such as Combat Dodge, see below).

Combat & Conflict Resolution Combat is the most dice-intensive section of any RPG rules, but the following steps are meant to be as simple as possible. Rounds The length of a round is determined by the dramatic situation, and is usually a few seconds. Actions are resolved in order of initiative, round-to-round until the GM declares the Conflict is over.

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Initiative Whenever two or more characters come in conflict, the GM may call for an Initiative Roll. For each character, the roll is a raw number, determined by rolling one d10 and adding a character’s number of Ranks in Quickness, plus any applicable Expertise. Initiative Roll = 1d10 + Quickness Rank + Expertise Rank (if any apply) Example – Galen and a Cylon are drawing guns on one another across a street. The Cylon has 4 Ranks in Quickness and 3 Ranks in Small Arms. Galen has 3 Ranks in Quickness but no Areas of Expertise that would apply to a quick-draw situation. Thus, the GM rolls 1d10 + 7 for the Cylon’s Initiative while Galen's player rolls 1d10 + 3. The character with the highest total may go first, or may wait until another character acts and interrupt that action. If two characters are tied for initiative, the actions are resolved simultaneously. Initiative totals remain the same for the length of the Conflict. Note that Initiative Rolls are not Task Rolls, and Task Roll modifiers do not apply.

Actions and Multiple Actions In order of initiative, each character declares their action(s) for that round, and any Task Rolls are resolved. Each character acts once per round with no penalty. If a character declares multiple actions, their target number for all Task Rolls in that round are increased by 2 for each action taken after the first one. Example – Boomer is attempting to escape a fleeing mob and arrives at a locked door. Her player declares that Boomer will attempt to unlock the door while firing back into the mob. She is taking one extra action, so the target number for all her Task Rolls – both to unlock the door and fire her weapon – are increased by 2. If she decided to unlock the door and fire twice, all of her target numbers for this round would be increased by 4. A character’s first action is resolved on their initiative, then when all other characters have taken their first actions, any second actions are resolved in initiative order, then any third, etc.

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Movement A character may move up to their Quickness in yards per round without it being considered an extra action. A character may move up to twice their Quickness in yards in combat as an action, and multiple action modifiers apply. More complicated movement, such as broken field running or scrambling up a slope may be considered an action no matter how far a character moves.

A character may leap up to their Toughness +2 in feet from a standing start, up to twice their Toughness +4 in feet from a running start, and up to half their Toughness +1 in feet straight up. Leaping is generally considered an action requiring a Task Roll.

Pushing oneself beyond the above distances is possible, and might be accomplished by a separate Willpower roll or by making a Task Roll at a higher target number. Attacking

All attacks, whether against a person or an object, ranged or hand-to-hand, are handled by a Task Roll based on Quickness, with the standard difficulty number of 6. The Default Roll is Quickness + Luck, the Standard Roll is Quickness + Expertise (small arms, melee weapons, etc.) and the Specialty Roll is Quickness + Expertise + Luck. Attack Task Roll = Quickness + (Expertise) + (Luck) Note: There are an infinite number of modifiers that could apply given the situation, weapon, etc. Rather than listing them all here, the GM will assess any modifiers at the time of the roll.

Count the number of Successes rolled. This is your Base Damage. Multiply that number by the Damage Multiple of the class of weapon used. This is your total damage, up to the Maximum Damage of that weapon class.

Weapon Class Damage Multiple Max Damage

Bare Hand x ½ Attacker’s Toughness

Melee Weapon x 1 Attacker’s Toughness x 2

Pistol, Crossbow x 1 10

Automatic Rifle, SMG x 2 20

Grenade, Man Portable (Mortar, Rocket Launcher)

x 3 40

Vehicle Weapon, Artillery x 4 60

Small Spacecraft, Capital Ship Gun

x 5 80

Capital Ship Salvo, Missile*

x 10 100

Nuke* x 20 (varies by megaton) *For computer-guided weapons such as capital ship weapons, missiles and nukes, the Standard Task Roll is Intelligence + Expertise.

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Defensive Actions: Dodges, Parries & Blocks

Dodges last the length of a round and apply toward all attacks made against the character that round. The number of successes on a Dodge Task Roll is subtracted from the number of successes of any relevant Attack Task Rolls. If the Dodge Successes are greater, the character has evaded the attack and takes no damage. If the Attack Successes are greater, subtract the Dodge Successes and multiply the remaining damage points by the Damage Multiplier. A character may essentially dodge in place, or dive for available cover. Parries can only be made with melee weapons against melee or hand-to-hand attacks. Parrying applies only to the one attack that it is declared against. The number of successes on a Parry Task Roll is subtracted from the number of successes of the relevant Attack Task Roll. If the Parry Successes are greater, the character takes no damage. If the Attack Successes are greater, only the successes greater than the Parry Successes are applied. A successful Parry yields a bonus of -2 to the target number on your next Task Roll against that opponent. Blocks can only be made hand-to-hand against melee or hand-to-hand attacks. Blocking applies only to the one attack that it is declared against. The number of successes on a Block Task Roll is subtracted from the number of successes of the relevant Attack Task Roll. If the Block Successes are greater, the character takes no damage. If the Attack Successes are greater, only the successes greater than the Block Successes are applied. A successful Block yields a bonus of -2 to the target number on your next Task Roll against that opponent. If a character has still has an action left in the round, they may abort to a Defensive Action. The target number penalty is the same as was determined when the character declared the actions.

Example – This round, Boomer declared she would attempt to unlock a door and fire twice into a pursuing mob (target number +4). However, after her first action (unlocking the door), a man with a shotgun emerges out of the mob and fires at her. She decides to abort to a Defensive Action (dive for cover through the door). She gives up her remaining actions and rolls a Dodge at +4 target number.

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Armor Armor subtracts from damage after the Damage Multiple is applied. After the number of successes has been determined, and the damage multiplied, subtract the target’s Armor Rating. Taking cover behind a solid object acts to give a character the Armor Rating of that object – from the direction that protects the character.

Sample Armor Ratings

Object Armor Rating

Leather Jacket 1

Spacesuit 3

Interior Wall 4

Bulletproof Vest 5

Marine Full Dress 7

Riot Gear 8

Concrete Wall 12

Battlestar Interior Bulkhead 20

Viper Hull 30

Battlestar Exterior Hull 50

Attack Recap To recap, the sequence for determining damage is as follows:

1. Roll Attack Task Roll 2. Count number of Successes 3. Subtract number of Successes from any Defensive Action 4. Multiply remaining Successes by Weapon’s Damage Multiple 5. Subtract Armor Rating of any Armor

Taking Damage Damage Levels and Injuries After the above steps are completed, you will have a final Damage Total. Each point of damage subtracts one Damage Level from the target. Damage Levels are determined by Sturdiness. Each object or character has a Sturdiness statistic. For characters, this is equal to their Toughness + Willpower. Each Damage level subtracted reduces all Task Rolls by 1 dice until a character is healed. Example – Sergeant Hadrian is in a firefight. She is hit by a rifle shot. The attacker rolled four successes, and the Sergeant did not dodge. Four successes x Damage Multiple of 2 (Rifle) = 8 points of damage. Fortunately, Hadrian is wearing a bulletproof vest, so she subtracts 5 of those points. Hadrian’s player subtracts the remaining three points of damage to her Health Levels. Sergeant Hadrian is -3d10 to all Task Rolls until healed.

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If a character has no dice for a Task Roll due to injuries taken, that character cannot attempt the task. Example – Sergeant Hadrian wants to fire back, but has -3d10 due to damage.. She has a Quickness of three and has four ranks of Expertise in small arms. Her task roll would be 3 + 4 – 3 = 7d10. If she wanted to dodge, however, she would be in trouble. Her Quickness of 3d6 – 3d6 from damage = 0. Sergeant Hadrian cannot dodge. She cannot even move unless she has an Expertise such as running, endurance, etc.

Luck is unaffected by Damage Levels, but cannot be added to a Task Roll that has Zero dice. Example – Sergeant Hadrian attempts to crawl to cover. She has a Toughness of four, but no Expertise that applies. Toughness 4 – 3 (injury) = 1d10. Since she has a die left, she may add her Luck d6 to the roll. Once a character has lost Damage Levels equal to their Sturdiness, the character is incapacitated and will likely die without immediate medical attention. For each Damage Level lost beyond their total Sturdiness, even if a character is revived, that character permanently loses one rank in an Attribute (GM’s choice). If a character ever takes damage equaling more than twice their total Sturdiness, they are beyond any means of resuscitation. Comparably, if an object loses all its Damage Levels, it is destroyed. If it takes more than twice its total Sturdiness, it is vaporized or otherwise utterly destroyed.

Healing When attempting to recover lost Damage Levels, a character makes a Task roll using their unmodified Toughness + Willpower, with a target number of 6 + current number of Damage Levels down. At least one success indicates the character will regain one Damage Level after one week, at which time another Task Roll can be attempted. Medical care can speed recovery, and adverse conditions can lengthen it. These modifiers are GM’s discretion.

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=BATTLESTAR=

glossary The Twelve Colonies

History & Culture Prehistory/Myth

According to religious doctrine, humanity used to live on Kobol in a idyllic existence alongside the gods (the Lords of Kobol). About 2,000 years ago, there was a war caused by one jealous god, and humanity left. Twelve tribes emigrated to twelve habitable worlds in the nearby Cyrannus system, and the thirteenth tribe left for a world called Earth. The twelve tribes became the Twelve Colonies:

Aerelon

Aquaria

Canceron

Caprica – Caprica City (Colonial Capital)

Gemenon – (Fundamentalist traditions)

Leonis

Libra

Picon – (Colonial Fleet Headquarters)

Saggitaron – (Exploited by other colonies, some claim)

Scorpia – (Scorpion Fleet Shipyards)

Tauron

Virgon Modern Era

After settling on their new homes, another cataclysm befell the twelve tribes. This resulted in the destruction of much of their knowledge base and sent the colonies into a dark age. Centuries later, after their return to space, the Colonies established many observatories, listening posts, research stations and armories in their system, and an ever-expanding “red line” of explored space that included several other star systems. The Colonials also created a line of robots, called Cylons, to do work which they found unpleasant, including mining and serving as soldiers. The Cylons eventually rebelled, and held so much of the military power that they were well-matched with their former Colonial masters. With their mastery of Colonial technology, the Cylons were able to infiltrate nearly all networked devices. Twelve battlestars built in the opening years of the war relied on secure and durable technologies that were not networked. In response to the great threat posed by the Cylons, the Twelve Colonies signed the Articles of Colonization and formed a system-wide, centralized federal government for the first time. Contemporary Era

After the Cylon War ended, a long and bloody struggle of approximately 12 years, an armistice was declared, and the Cylons departed for a world of their own (location unknown, but near or in the Cyrannus system). The Colonials established a neutral meeting place, Armistice Station, and made diplomatic overtures for Cylons and Colonials to meet annually. However, these overtures were continually ignored. This year, the overconfidence of the Colonials in re-

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equipping their military with technologies vulnerable to Cylon interference proved to be their undoing.

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Government

The current government of the Twelve Colonies was established by the Articles of Colonization fifty-two years ago, partially as a response to the Cylon War. The form of government is a federal republic, lead by a democratically elected president and legislature. The Articles of Colonization also established system-wide standards for numerous civil liberties (many of these analogous to the United States Bill of Rights). Executive Branch The President at the time of the Cylon attack was President Richard Adar. The President is assisted by a Cabinet, consisting of the heads of the various government departments (Defense, Education, Health, etc). The President appoints a Vice President, and can request the resignation of cabinet members. Resignation is not mandatory unless confirmed by a vote of the Quorum of Twelve (see below). In the event of the death or incapacitation of the President, the Vice President and the Cabinet are included in the line of succession. Legislative Branch The Colonial legislature is bicameral. The upper house is the Quorum of Twelve, with each colony represented by a single delegate, each with one vote. It is a deliberative and legislative body, where issues are raised and resolutions voted on. The President of the Colonies is also the presiding officer of the Quorum, with the authority to break tie votes. If the Vice Presidency becomes vacant during a President’s term, the Quorum is responsible for the both the nomination and confirmation of a successor. The lower house, known as the People’s Council, is larger, elected on a proportional basis, and serves only in an advisory capacity. Other Branches

The government also apparently recognizes an unelected religious body in an advisory capacity, similar to the British House of Lords, and maintains a separate judiciary.

Religion

The religion of the Twelve Colonies, which the majority of the population practices to a greater or lesser degree, is a polytheistic faith that centers on the Lords of Kobol. Six important Lords of Kobol are:

Zeus – Father of the gods and head of the pantheon.

Hera – Wife of Zeus, queen of the gods, goddess of marriage and creation.

Apollo – Zeus' son, god of the hunt and of healing.

Artemis – Apollo’s twin sister, goddess of the moon, reproduction, and wilderness.

Aphrodite – Goddess of beauty and desire.

Athena – Goddess of battle, crafts and wisdom. Committed suicide "out of despair over the Exodus of the thirteen tribes" According to the Sacred Scrolls, a set of writings that forms the basis for the Colonial

religion, the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of Kobol. Conflict among the gods forced the exodus of the human population to the Twelve Colonies and Earth. The first line of the Sacred Scrolls states “life here began out there.” A controversial part of the Sacred Scrolls is the Book of Pythia, or Pythian Prophesies, a history of the human race and their exile from Kobol set down by the oracle Pythia some 1,600 years before the actual events. Some believe that the prophecies apply to the modern day as well, which reflects the more widely-held philosophy of the Cycle of Time. The Cycle of Time is a theory of circular progression of events that states that “we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity.”

Individual practice of religion includes personal idols of the gods (much like Greek lars and pentates) and rosaries. The separation of church and state not rigorous; state officials are sworn in by priests, who also preside over military funerals. Priests, who may be of any gender, are not required to practice celibacy, and may marry.

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Technology

The Colonials are a planet-faring race, with regular sublight commerce between the planets of the Twelve Colonies, their moons, and various space stations. They also possess faster-than-light drives, making interstellar travel possible. The standard term for FTL travel is "jump." The Colonial jump drives function by folding space, or creating wormholes through curved space, so that the distance between to points is crossed almost instantaneously. Accurate coordinates must be programmed into a navigational computer, and once activated, the FTL engines take some seconds to complete the process. Conservation of momentum applies, and a ship exits its jump at the same velocity as when it entered the jump.

The technology behind FTL systems is such that ships can jump with a high degree of accuracy, allowing ships to rendezvous in space and even "park" in a synchronous orbit directly above a given point on a planet's surface. Proper FTL use even enables vessels to arrive in crowded areas, such as the middle of an asteroid field or other ships, without the risk of collision and damage. The more pinpoint the jump, and the less mapped the area of space, the more time it takes to program jump coordinates into the navigational computer.

(Other than spacecraft technology, the overall technology level appears equivalent to late 20

th-century Earth, with certain advances and certain omissions. For example, scanning

technology such as radiation detection are move advanced, but personal networked devices like cell phones and laptops are unknown. This may be a result of the difficulties experienced during the Cylon war.)

Military

Colonial Military Rank Structure The rank listed across each row is approximately equivalent in each service, although an equivalent officer in the Fleet always ranks one in the Marines (an Admiral always ranks a General, etc.). A group of Marines, unless on detached duty, is always commanded by a Fleet officer. In the Fleet, a Viper or Raptor pilot is Ensign or above, a CAG (Commander Air Group) is usually a Lieutenant or Captain, a mid-line ship (such as a Frigate) is commanded by a Major or Colonel, and a Battlestar by a Commander or Admiral.

Colonial Fleet Colonial Marines

Commissioned Officer — Admiral Commander Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) Ensign

Commissioned Officer — General Brigadier General Colonel Major Captain First Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Chief Warrant Officer (1-5)

Enlisted — Master Chief Petty Officer Chief Petty Officer Petty Officer, 1st Class Petty Officer, 2nd Class Specialist Deck Hand Recruit

Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) — Sergeant Major Master Sergeant Gunnery Sergeant Staff Sergeant Sergeant Corporal Private First Class (PFC) Private

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Colonial Military Spacecraft Battlestar

Galactica Type: The Galactica type battlestar is a Colonial capital ship that combines the functions of aircraft carrier and battleship. The first twelve battlestars were laid down in the early days of the Cylon War, each representing one of the Twelve Colonies. Mercury Class: The Mercury class battlestar is an advanced warship introduced into the Colonial Fleet sometime after the First Cylon War. At the time of the current Cylon attack, there were 120 Battlestars in the Colonial Fleet, all but three of them Mercury class. (Notes are as of events of 1

st game session.)

Battlestar Class Status Commander Notes

Promethea Mercury Active Commander Samuel “Sunshine” Titus

Presumed last Battlestar.

Galactica Galactica Missing Commander William “Husker” Adama

Presumed destroyed at decommissioning.

Pegasus Mercury Missing Admiral Helena Caine Presumed destroyed at Scorpion Fleet Shipyards

Athena Galactica Missing

Atlantia Mercury Destroyed Fleet Admiral Nagala Flagship. Destroyed at Virgon.

Columbia Mercury Destroyed

Solaria Mercury Destroyed

Triton Mercury Destroyed

Mercury Mercury Missing

Raptor

The Raptor is a multi-role vehicle used by the Colonial Fleet. It is generally operated by a crew of two, is capable of atmospheric flight and is also equipped with a short-range jump engine, allowing it to make short faster-than-light hops. As an ECM platform, the Raptor contains a full suite of electronic countermeasure and monitoring tools. The Raptor is designed to fulfill a number of roles, the primary being that of reconnaissance / scout operations. Additionally, as a transport or marine assault vehicle, it can carry a squad of some eight marines plus their equipment. The Raptor is normally unarmed, as Raptors make a poor general-purpose fighter. Raptors do carry defensive decoy drones, communication drones and emergency flares. The drone launch systems can be retrofitted with a limited number of bombs or missiles for special missions.

Typically, a battlestar operates with a single squadron of 8-10 Raptors: one Raptor assigned to each Viper squadron aboard the battlestar, and up to two "reserve" Raptors.

Viper

The Viper is the Colonial Fleet's primary space superiority fighter / attack craft. Capable of atmospheric flight, the Viper is a single-seat craft mounting two kinetic energy weapons (KEWs), as well as having hardpoints beneath the wings for mounting missiles, munitions pods and other ordnance. The Viper was originally introduced into Colonial service shortly before the outbreak of the Cylon War. However, it was the Mark II variant, designed specifically for use with the new Colonial battlestars that is best remembered. The Mark II remained in service after the end of the war, but was subsequently superseded by newer models. At the time of the renewed Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies, the Mark VII was the front-line variant of the Viper design, retaining the Mark II general layout but using fully networked systems providing superior battle management and fight information for the pilot.

A fully-equipped Mercury-class Battlestar carries 160 Viper Mark VII fighters, in eight squadrons of twenty, and has production facilities to construct more. Each permanent Viper pilot has a Call Sign – a nickname used during in-flight communication – that is painted on the exterior of their assigned Viper.

- 18 -

Battlestar Galactica Character Sheet

Name: Player:

Job/Rank/ Duties:

Attributes Characters start with 12 Ranks divided between five Attributes, minimum 1 / maximum 5.

(Normal human default = 1, human max = 5, Cylon max = 6)

Advancement = Next level x 4 ep

Toughness (d10) - (physical strength, endurance, hand-to-hand damage & block, damage resistance)

Quickness (d10) - (initiative, dodge/parry, reflexes, fine motor control, speed, stealth, flexibility)

Intelligence (d10) - (logic, reasoning, intuition, insight, knowledge, awareness, perception)

Willpower (d10 )- (command, charisma, intimidation, persuasion, seduction, social interaction)

Luck (d6) - (add to Attribute Roll for default tasks; add to Expertise Roll for Specialization tasks)

Areas of Expertise Characters start with 12 Ranks (d10) divided among up to 12 areas of Expertise, minimum 1 / maximum 5.

(Examples: Small Craft Piloting, Politics, Comm Systems) Advancement = Next level x 2 ep

Specialty Starting characters choose one specialty aspect of one Area of Expertise.

(Example: Small Craft Piloting - Specialization: Viper) Additional Specialty = Luck x 2 ep

Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: ________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________ Area: __________________________________ Specialty: _________________________

Task Resolution Sample Target Numbers Task Rolls

1 = automatic walk, talk, eat dinner Default = Attribute + Luck*

3 = easy activate a comm unit, chat at a casual party Regular = Attribute + Expertise

6 = standard shoot a sidearm, deliver an interesting speech Specialty= Attribute + Expertise + Luck*

9 = challenging land a Viper on a moving deck, date a Senator * Luck cannot be added to a 0 dice Task Roll

12 = difficult arm-wrestle a Cylon, intimidate an Admiral Multiple Tasks = +2 target number per each task

20+ = heroic rewire a Cylon Raider, become a prophet Each target number or higher per die = 1 success.

Combat

Initiative = 1d10 + Quickness + (Expertise) Sturdiness (Toughness + Willpower)

(If Sturdiness is exceeded, character is incapacitated)

Weapon Type To Hit Task Roll =

Quickness + Expertise Damage Multiple

Maximum Damage

Hand-to-Hand x ½ Damage Levels

-1d to all Task Rolls per damage level

Cylons Only

Movement

Possessions Gear (worn) Gear (owned)

Currency

Appearance Age: Planet of Birth: Homeplanet:

Ethnicity: Sex: Height:

Eyes: Hair: Weight:

Personality

Background