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Unnamed VBAMSX campaign

Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 9:38 am
by mort2018confed
So, a few weeks ago I was planning on using VBAM 1E as a scenario generator for a series of SUE battles. Cut to now, I'm in year 4 of a VBAMSX exploration campaign. I started out with two races I've previously released in supplements--the Jestranki Defence League and the Vrushan Dominion from one of my earlier SNE supplements. Unusually, I decided to design the ships with the SXCA first, (4.3) which I altered for my own use (as well as correcting some minor errors). The JDL started as a (E/S/Q/W) -2/-1/-1/-1 TL race, while the Vrushan had -2 across the board, as I intended for them to be a IND-3/INT-1 race, having just reached their tech threshold.

The JDL was the luckier of the two, having two colonies off the bat and both of those being Major Colonies which, again, were insanely lucky--the less-lucky rolling Special Resources, Expanded Population and Mature Industry, with the other having a natural 12 which, with the FOURTH roll, gained the Gaia World trait. See what I mean?

Because of this, I had to alter my plans for the Vrushan and, instead of having them literally having just achieved INT-1 status, have them conduct some exploration beforehand, which resulted in a Large/Small splinter being generated and, luckily, being friendly enough they Unified.

The first turn saw a raid on Vrushal, the Dominion homeworld, in which two gunships managed to cause damage to an Ilash-Erk carrier. But that was just one of three raids to take place during this campaign (one was a 1EP raid).

In summary, the JDL have been the luckier of the two, managing to establish two colonies in systems with RAW stats of 6 and 8. The Vrushan have colonised one further system.

In 3000, the JDL activated an IND-3 NPE, the Palivan Royal Kingdom. Luckily, relationships were good enough and a few lucky rolls of the natural 50 and 100 variety bumped them to MDT/Alliance status, and the JDL even sold the PRK four of their Festranji-X survey cruisers to start their exploration efforts in late 3002.

In 3001, the JDL activated an INT-1 NPE, the Tak-Alsir Empire. Relationships weren't as good but luckily the dice gods decided to prevent the campaign's first interstellar war. The JDL and Vrushan also encountered each other (I fudged a roll in ~3000.04 that would have had the Vrushan survey force enter the JDL homeworld) and luckily they liked each other (rather underselling a starting REL of 95 each way), getting to Alliance status quickly.

In 3002, however, the JDL encountered the Stokhirh Federation. And then the dice went insane. After a fairly amicable meeting, on subsequent relationship rolls the Stokhirh rolled two '1's. Yep, they automatically declared hostilities and scraped a declaration of war. The battle between the two main fleets was...an anticlimax as a surprise roll of 9 for the JDL and 1 for the SF decided the battle (speaking for the JDL, I'm glad--apart from a trio of missile cruisers, the smallest warship was a CR9, CC4, 9/10/5 battleship). An armistice followed...and then the SF encountered the Vrushan, hated them, and declared hostilities...with the JDL home fleet one turns travel from their main colony. Another one-sided battle, then orbital bombardment as the SF this time refused to offer an armistice. At the moment I'm still managing the fallout, but the colony, being cut-off and the SF being an Autocracy, went into Rebellion as the ground forces were hit, then seceded and formed the Lokhirh Federation.

Further updates as they happen...