Cruise Missle Rules

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Cruise missiles are intelligent weapons used to attack targets from a great distance, while keeping the target guessing where it will come from and what's coming at him.

CONSTRUCTION:

1. Cruise Missile Components & Mass
Cruise missiles consist of a fuselage, a pair of wings and a nose section.
You are allowed to use any component/armor type up to Striker level from the normal Mekton component list.
Note that cruise missiles _MUST_ be in the Superlight weight class!!

2. Weapons & Warheads
True Missles
The only weapons a cruise missile can mount is it's warhead. This warhead is always placed in the Nose Section.
It can consist of one large bomb or several smaller ones, or even a payload of short ranged missiles, using the cruise missile as a "carrier" to deliver a spread of missiles to a target.
Cruise missile warheads are constructed as mines, explode on impact.
The missiles are constructed as normal.

Decoy Missiles:
You may opt not to mount a warhead at all, but instead choosing to equip the missile with decoy equipment: such a decoy will give a sensor signature according to the following:

• Bomber (any size)
• Up to a Hull Class 3 spaceship

The only way to tell the difference is to get visual contact; the decoy equipment is good enough to fool ASP.

Decoy electronics cost 20 CP and take 2 CP spaces.

Reconnaisance Drones:
You can also choose to turn the cruise missile into a recon drone, making it relay it's information it gathered back to the craft that launched it. This costs 15 CP and 2 CP spaces in the missile (you must buy any sensor systems separately) and 5 CP and 2 CP spaces on the launch platform, adding a crew member to the launch platform.
Of course, it is possible to have the recon drone make a splashdown, recover and refit it and use it again.

3. Additive Systems & Movement
Next to the essentials (thrusters, warhead(s), sensors and the IA system), cruise missiles have a (limited) list of other optional systems that can be installed, most of these are from MTS

• Environmental Protection Space/Re-Entry, Underwater (yes, you could theoretically launch cruise missiles from spaceships & subs)
• Resolution Intensifiers
• Stat Enhance: Logic Processors

4. Thrust & MA
Cruise missiles mount thrusters as any normal craft.
Missile MA is calculated as follows: Thrust + 4 + 2 per level of powerplant above normal.
EXAMPLE: A cruise missile mounts 9 thrusters and a +2 powerplant: It's MA is:
12(base) + 2(extra thrusters) + 4(missile bonus + 4(powerplant bonus) = 22

MV is calculated as for aircraft.

5. Multiplier Systems
Each Cruise Missile MUST mount a Portfolio 3 Internal Automation with the following skills: Piloting, Notice, Navigation. The level of performance you choose is completely your choice. Also, you might want to opt for Stealth or Maneuver Verniers.
Finally: Don't forget to weight scale the missile to the Superlight weight class (10-19 tons).

6. Cruise Missile Launch Platforms
Cruise missiles have to be launched from somewhere, preferably a mobile installation to keep the enemy on it's toes.

You can launch cruise missiles from any of the following platforms:

• Spaceships (See rules below)
• Sea-going Ships (See rules below)
• Bombers (Sorry, rules under construction, getting them out ASAP)
• Missile trucks/tanks (Construction rules under 1.5.2)

Spaceships/Seagoing Ships
Add the following to the Battery Weapons:

Cruise Missile Battery
Cost: 750 CP
Holds 25 cruise missiles
Can take 15 Kills
Adds 5 crew to the total, can fire up to ten missiles at different targets per turn.

Missile Trucks/Tanks:
Construct a vehicle like any normal one, with Main Body, Movement Platform and Turret. Add the following options:

• Cruise Missile Tubes
  Cost: 10 CP, take 5 CP Spaces, holds 1 cruise missile each.
  Can take 5 Kills. (Scaled: 10 Kills)
  Must be mounted in the turret.
  A turret can hold as many tubes as it's Cost divided by 4.
  Note that a missile in it's tube cannot be hit before the tube itself is destroyed.
  
• Missile Operator Station
  Cost: 5 CP, takes 1 CP space, requires crewman.
  Note that the operator's task is to program and launch the missiles, not control any recon drones fired from the truck, you will still need the recon drone operator for that. (Which adds a crewman to the vehicle) Scale the vehicle with a factor 2, cost scales with factor 3.

CRUISE MISSILE GAME RULES:
1. Launching & Programming
It costs a cruise missile operator 1 full turn to program the missile with any of the following commands:

• MOVE - move up to half MA in distance.
• SCAN - scan environment for hostile units & reference points
• DODGE - Use erratic flight pattern to avoid getting hit.

Each command uses 1 action. Thus, a 3-action missile could be programmed to do this: MOVE, MOVE, SCAN. Alternatively, you could program it to: MOVE, MOVE, DODGE. In this case, the missile will automatically SCAN every third turn, as it's last action (MOVE, MOVE, SCAN) Next to the action programming, the missile must have these parameters set:

• ALT - Flight Altitude in hexes
• SPD - Cruise speed in MA (flight speed per turn)
• AHU - Avoid hostile units (set as yes or no)
• RTB - Return To Base (set as yes/no) (for recon drones & decoys only: missiles ignore this parameter)

These are essential. So the FULL program for a 4-action missile might look like this:

DODGE, MOVE, SCAN, MOVE
ALT=1, AHU=YES, RTB=IGNORE

Which would mean the missiles moves half MA, scans the environment, moves, all in an erratic flight pattern. It does so 1 hex off the ground, and will attempt to avoid hostile units if possible.

Once programmed, it costs one action to fire the missile. Missiles can also come preprogrammed, thus eliminating the full turn programming time. No unit may ever fire more than two missiles per turn per operator.

2. Taking Turns
Cruise missiles NEVER seize initiative, they take their turn when it is their turn. Cruise missile MR (Mecha Reflex) can vary between -3 and +6.

3. Movement & Maneuvering
Cruise missiles do move intelligently; they tend to avoid flak traps and enemy units, but always selecting the least logical path to their target (Hey, these things are meant to CONFUSE the enemy, right ??!)
Each time a cruise missile makes a maneuver, it checks it's databanks to insure it's on path. Roll a D10. If the roll is equal or lower than the missile's intelligence, all is well and the missile remains on course. If the roll is failed, the missile will deviate from it's program, setting the first three actions to: SCAN, MOVE, MOVE then finishing it's original program. The moves are used to get the missile back on course.

4. Combat
Cruise missiles don't engage in combat. They simply keep flying, no matter what you fire at them, until they are destroyed. Cruise missiles are smart weapons with infinite courage.

The only time a missile "engages" is when it reaches it's destination, where any of the following can happen:

• The missile impacts on the target doing:
  
  1. The warhead damage
  2. The ram damage
  3. Powerplant explosion damage

  All damage is done simultaneously, though counting as 3 attacks for armor penetration.

• The missile ejects it's multiple warheads to the left and right of it's flight path where they explode (If loaded with such a warhead), then self-destructs.
  
• The missile launchres the misisles it was carrying, then self-destructs. Missiles launched this way automatically hit any building, and attack mobile targets with a base of 15.
  Note that neither decoys nor recon drones ever engage in combat, though the recon drone can be steered into a target, doing it's full ram damage and then self-destructing.

By: Jeroen

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