People Channel Gaming Forum Community Leaders

Galactic Realms is part of the Peoples Connection Games (PCG) and Space Wars Sim Forum (SWSF), gaming areas on America Online, run by volunteers who are charged with seeing that the games, including Galactic Realms, are run well, maintained, and interesting. These Community Leaders have the final authority in all matters concerning the sim and may do whatever they see fit to benefit the Galactic Realms Universe. The PCG Leaders are to be treated with respect at all times. They will gladly listen to any complaints or arguments you may have, so long as you keep them reasonable, well thought out, and respectful. Treat the PCGs with the same respect you treat others, and with the same respect you would wish to be treated by others. The PCGs assigned to Galactic Realms are HOST PCG Medic, HOST PCG Talon, HOST PCG Akysha, and HOST PCG Ptah. Medic is the PCG contact for the SA sim. Talon is the contact PCG for the GE sim. Akysha is the PCG contact for the NR sim. Ptah is the rover PCG who will fill in for any of the other PCGs should they be unavailable.

Character Regulations/Spies/Escape Pods

There are only a few regulations regarding the character one chooses to play in Galactic Realms. The first and foremost is that there can be no more than one character per person (with the exception of registered spies; see below). Those found to be violating this regulation are subject to suspension or expulsion from Galactic Realms. The second, no simmer may command more than . . .

A) One Capital Ship at a time. Or

B) Six Starfighter Squadrons at a time.

When controlling a capital ship, one may also freely command any and all embarked vessels as well as any ground units, however alternate commanders may be placed in command if desired by the sim’s leaders via their post. Proper posting procedures must be observed to accomplish this change over. All capital ships are equipped with a personal escape pod for the commander of the vessel. These pods are designed with a tiny antigrav puncher and limited hyperspace capability to take the commander to the nearest friendly system. It is up to the commander of the capital ship to decide whether to use it or not. On a similar note, starfighter only players must be aware that there is no such escape pod for them. They are in command of one of the starfighters in their squadron. If their starfighters take enough damage to destroy every ship in their squadron, for all practical purposes, that character is killed in action. Spies will be allowed in the GR under the following conditions. All spies must be registered with their home sim leader, who should include that report among the monthly PCG reports. Any player and sim leader found in violation of this will face penalties. Spies will not be allowed to steal technology or equipment from the sim they are spying on. Spies uncovered by the sim they are spying on may be dealt with at that sim’s discretion. Remember, do not violate the one character per sim rule by having your spy return as an active player in your home sim. The last and most crucial of all, be creative and develop your characters! There's much more to simming than number crunching. After a while, all the calculating and figuring dies out, story lining and character interaction is an important and pivotal part of simming. Neither is complete without the other.

Posting Regulations

Posting may be done at all hours of the day, whether in combat or not. Standard action posts, such as deploying or recalling fighters, situation movement, raising and lower shields, and other similar actions, may be made once every 12 hours. Combat posts, which are those that involve actual firing of weapons, may also only be made every 12 hours. Remember, you may choose to fire all, or one, or two, or whatever you have, at any time you are in battle, as long as that particular weapon is not used more then once per hours. When posting in combat, you must be sure to take any and all damage. If your enemy does not respond to an attack after a period of 24 hours, then you seek a PCG or Sim Leader who will calculate and post damage for them. If you wait the proper time to attack again (12 hours), you do not have to wait for an enemy to respond before attacking them again. All combat posts must include a storyline and summary. It may be as brief or long as you like as long as it includes the essentials. All summaries must contain a Shield, Armor, and System status in the form of actual points, not percents. All summaries must also contain the location and heading of your vessel as well as this same information on any starfighters, support craft, troops, or vehicles you may be commanding. Remember, you must post raising your shields in your storyline, then show your shields raised in your summary. Your crew is not supposed to read your mind or anticipate your orders. A note on OOC comments. Please, please, please keep OOC comments to the bare minimum. If you have a problem with someone, try to work it out via email, or through your sim leaders. The only OOC comments needed are for obvious clarification reasons and you should try to work them into your post. It will not be legal for any one else to post for you. It is also illegal to pre-post before time allowed.

Storylining

A strong emphasis is placed on story lining in Galactic Realms. It is understood that we're not all novelists or the best writers, but no one condemns you for trying. You can learn to add and subtract, but writing is an acquired skill that will only get better with time and practice. Be patient, and seek advice of those who seem like they know what they're doing. It's highly recommended and suggested to interact with other characters, form friendships and rivals, and just generally let your imagination go. Having fun is what we're out to accomplish, proving yourself strategically on the battlefield is a bonus. Please remember that each of us has the same right to exist in this universe. Do not post something that adversely affects another player’s character without his permission. No one wants to sign on only to find out someone has storylined killing them without their knowledge. The only posts that may affect another person or handling spies, traitors, and the risk starfighter players take. Combat posts with a summary only will not be allowed. You must have something in your post that explains what you are doing. A summary is just that, a summary of what happened in the storyline of your post. However, summaries are encouraged as a supplement to your main post, as well as a status report.

Hyperspace Travel

equence. Your Hyperspace Charts are highly detailed and show all main hyperspace routes from one ring and sector to another. These main routes between adjoining rings each take a standard time of six hours to travel. There are 7 rings, so to travel from Deep Core Ring to Outer Rim Ring would take a minimum of 72 hours. On a similar note, if you are in a ring, and want to travel to another sector that belongs to that ring, it would take you 6 hours to travel from sector to sector. If you want to travel from a system in a sector to another system within that same sector, or perform a jump from one part of real space in a system to another spot in that system, that will take you 3 hours. You must also wait a minimum of 12 hours once you exit hyperspace in a system before returning to hyperspace.. This is to allow for more strategic traps and ambushes. To enter hyperspace, a vessel must be free of any restrictions such as Gravity Wells. Ships may only exit hyperspace at the far edge of a system if that system is not friendly. If it is friendly or has been previously scanned within the past 12 hours, a ship can exit near the planet. Upon exiting hyperspace, ships are free to power weapons and shields and make any other allotted actions. Each action is allowed one move per 12 hours, each weapon may be fired once per 12 hours. Ships cannot be in hyperspace for an indeterminable amount of time. Once you enter, you must have a destination and you must exit hyperspace after the designated travel time for that hyperspace lane and before you are in hyperspace thrice as long as that travel time. Be prepared to show were you entered hyperspace from via previous post, for failure to be able to do so will place your ship still sitting at the last proven system post, or at the nearest friendly system to that last proven post at discretion of the PCGs. Any ship left abandoned undefended for a period in excess of 48 hours may have the captain of that ship replaced at the Sim Leader’s posted request. That ship is to immediately return to a friendly port, and the prior captain is banned from Galactic Realms as a simmer until such time as they are re-instated by the PCGs. Abuse of this rule in combat will bring punitive action against the sim responsible.

Sublight Movement

Vessels may move as often as their speed and maneuverability allows per post prior to firing weapons. But they must follow the same posting times as firing weapons; twice per day at least 12 hours apart. Typically, starfighters will be able to travel twice the speed of capital ships in sub light. This includes travel through grav wells. If no grav wells are present, and you exit in an unknown system, the closest you can exit is 12 hours away until the system is scanned. If a grav well is present, you will be ripped from hyperspace and end up exiting 24 hours away. While there are no grids to plot, think of planetary space in 3 sectors. 3 Would be 24 hours away outside a grav well field. 2 would be 12 hours away where grav platforms and ships sit, or enemy capships exit hyperspace to scan. 1 is 6 hours away from the planet, where most PDF sits, and is in range of ground based anti-orbital weapons. Try to use landmarks and hour marks from planet to describe where you are in relation to things.

Scanning/Probing

Scanning is a very important part of space-based simming. Scanning allows vessels to become aware of the location of other vessels. There are several types and classes of scanners, each with a different effectiveness in comparison to the others. See below for the different types of scanners, and their abilities.

Type 1 Scanner - Allows a ship to conduct all scans except detailed. Requires 12 hours to conduct scans.

Type 2 Scanner - Allows a ship to conduct detailed scans. Requires 12 hours to conduct scans.

Type 3 Scanner - Allows a ship to conduct detailed scans. Requires 6 hours to conduct scans.

Type 1 Transmitter - Allows a ship to transmit scans to other ships in the same system.

Type 2 Transmitter - Allows a ship to transmit scan information to other ships in and out of the system.

Type 3 Transmitter - Allows a ship to transmit scan information to other ships in and out of the system.

Type 1 Jammer - Allows a ship to jam type 1 transmitters and jam type 1 scanners.

Type 2 Jammer - Allows a ship to jam type 2 transmitters and jam type 2 scanners.

Type 5 Jammer – A very rare crystal allowed for a special few UR systems to buy advanced jamming equipment before the supply ran out. These systems are marked by bracketed *’s in the galaxy section. Type 5 jammers stop all scans from working properly.

There are several other rules that apply to scanning as well. First, note that once you commence scanning, you automatically reveal your location to all ships and units in the system. Second, adjacent locations are considered visual range, regardless of the type of scanner, transmitter, or jammer, when in visual range, ships are always aware of each other, and therefore able to attack after a minimum wait of 6 hours to complete a visual short range scan. Third, know that a vessel cannot be attacked unless it is scanned for, with the exception of visual range, and transmissions of course. This does not mean that if a simmer posted exiting a ship in a friendly system, that an enemy sim can read his post, exit a fleet and destroy that ship. There has to be some realism here. Note also that for a Jam to be successful, it must be initiated at least before half of a scan time is complete or must be activated before a transmission is sent. Standard Scan - Reveals location of all space borne units. Detailed Scan - Reveals location of all space borne and ground units. Distress signals move as the speed of hyperdrive. A signal may be sent out via any valid comm unit until such time as a qualifying jammer stops it. That does not stop a shuttle or ship entering hyperspace and sending the call providing one is there and it is posted. If any system does not check in to Sector Headquarters after 24 hours, an automatic distress signal will be generated.

Ionizing & Capturing Enemy Vessels

Ion Cannons are specialized weapons used to short out a ship’s systems and disable the ship's ability to perform basic actions such as movement and weapons fire. Ion Cannons do not effect a ship's systems until shields are completely down. When a ship is disabled, it can then be boarded. A ship can be boarded in one of two ways:

#1: The ship can be moved (via tractor beams) into another ship's hangar and troopers can then board the disabled ship. However, to do this you must have a ship capable of holding another ship in her hull. An example of this would be an Imperial-class Star Destroyer dragging a Corellian Corvette into its hangar bays.

#2: The disabled ship can be boarded by shuttles and transports carrying troopers from another ship. They can either burn a hole through the hull plating on the ship to enter special sections, or they can enter the standard hangar bay.

One thing remains the same in all boarding attempts. You must follow the Ground Combat Rules when fighting for a ship. In order to capture a ship, you must retain control (outnumber enemy 4:1) of the ship or all troopers must be captured or killed.

CapShip vs. CapShip Combat

Capital Ship combat is perhaps one of the most important aspects of strategy in simming. There are many different types and classes of capital ships, generally defined as large ships which take a leading role in space combat, each with their own advantages and weaknesses. For example, an Imperial-class Destroyer has a powerful array of weapons as well as a good compliment of fighters, but lacks in protection and defenses. An MC-80 has fewer weapons, but makes up for it in shielding and fighters. Know your ship well and know what it is capable of. When Capital Ships engage in combat, it's a simple process of returning fire. First you must be within legal weapons range of your target, at max, 6 hours. Then it's as simple as firing your weapons. Your enemy will post damage and most likely fire back, or make a tactical move. And so it continues on until one of you is destroyed. A vessel is destroyed once all of its shield and armor points are depleted. Ionization is also an important feature to capital ships. Ion Cannons are special weapons that work wonders on a vessel’s computer systems. Ships only take Ion damage once their shields completely fail. For the effects of ion damage, see Ionizing & Capturing Enemy Vessels.

Altering Compliments

Altering Compliments is the system by which compliments -- units ready for battle -- are exchanged for other units. It is a very touchy subject in simming. We use a very simple set of guidelines and rules in Galactic Realms for this topic. First off, all troops take up the same amount of space. Humanoids don't range enough in size for a difference to be made, therefore, any troop type may be substituted for another troop type. Please keep realism in mind though. Vehicles may also be altered freely, but please maintain a sense of realism in doing so. An example being that an AT-AT couldn't replace a single AT-ST. Questions about these types of alterations should be directed to the PCG Community Leaders. Secondly, when altering Support Craft and/or Starfighters, total their lengths. The total length is your maximum amount, although you cannot exceed the number of craft in the original specs either. Therefore, you may have any support craft and starfighters onboard you wish, as long as their total length does not exceed the original loads or their numbers. Support Craft are listed as "Auxiliary Craft" in the specifications sections. You cannot exchange fighters for auxiliary craft or the other way around.

Fire Arcs

While the idea of fire arcs has a time and place, it mainly rests in the past. New technology developed mainly by the Hapan’s and widely copied by the other sims, has made virtually every weapon usable against any target of choice. Fully rotating turrets, improved speed and maneuverability have all added to this ability. For the purposes of Galactic Realms, arcs need no longer be a factor in determining whether you have a shot at a target or not.

Repairing System Power

In Galactic Realms, each starship has a number of onboard systems. **Note that your ships system allocations must be located in the status portion of your posts.**

Shielding: To determine how many shield points are recharged, you may recharge 5% of the shield every hour while in hyperspace or at rest in a friendly system only. You may only recharge your shields once per 24 hours.

Sub light Drive: Sub light drives may be repaired at a rate of 10% per hour.

Hyperdrive: A ship's hyperdrive is a very delicate system. If a ship’s systems are at 0, it's inactive until some systems are restored.

Systems: If systems are down, all power is temporarily lost to the ship. If some are not repaired within 24 hours, life support will run out. Nothing can be done with the ship until at least some system points are restored. Continuous firing of ions into a disabled ship can defeat the efforts of the crew to restore system points. Systems can be restored at a rate of 1% per hour in combat, or 5% per hour in hyperspace or in a friendly system.

Hull Damage must be repaired while the ship is in Dry Dock at a repair facility or ship yard. 3% of Hull Integrity may be repaired per hour.

Dogfighting/Fighter vs. Fighter Combat

Dog fighting is a very simple process of comparing number ratings and taking appropriate damage. To engage in a dog fight, fighters must first be located within weapons range of their target. You may opt to only use 1 of your weapons on a fighter if it has both energy and warhead types, saving the other for defense, or you may fire everything you have all at once. Fighters may reload their warheads by returning to their mothership. Completely reloading a fighter is a twelve hour process. This allows the pilots time to rest. Exiting and entering hangars and vice versa has to be posted a minimum of twelve hours apart. For the purpose of combat, the largest group starfighters may be massed into is a squadron, which numbers 12 craft. Starfighters must be attacked in their entire groups and cannot be singled out.

Element - 2 fighters

Flight - 4 fighters

Squadron - 12 fighters

Wing - 72 Imperial fighters, 36 Republic fighters

To Ionize fighters with other fighters, you must first deplete their shields, then fire ion weapons on them in standard capship vs. capship style combat. Capital ships must exit in the same system as their starfighters. If you lose your capital ship in battle, then you may continue to fight with your starfighters taking the same risk as a normal starfighter player in possibly losing your character, or you may turn control of your starfighters to allies in the battle if that ally has room as normal to host them, as he lost his starfighters in combat previously.

Example of starfighter dogfighting:

72 Miy’til Combat Interceptors attack 72 TIE Avengers

-72 Miy’til Combat Interceptors fire 288 Heavy laser cannons at your 72 TIE Avengers for a possible 288 points of damage. They also fire 144 advanced concussion missiles at your 72 TIE Avengers for a possible 864 points of damage. Possible total damage: 1,152

Reply for TIE Avenger player

-72 TIE Avengers fire 288 lasers at 144 incoming concussion missiles. Each six lasers shoot down an incoming missile. 48 Missiles shot down. 96 get through for 576 damage. Real damage is 864. Shields of 432 are destroyed. 432 damage left over for hull. Hull at 864

– 432 leaves 432 armor left. 72 TIE Avengers then fire 144 advanced concussion missiles at your 72 Miy’til Combat Interceptors for 864 damage. Since the Miy’til Combat Interceptors have no weapons left, all missiles hit.

-Miy’til shields of 288 are taken out leaving 576 hull damage. Hulls of 576 points leave no points left over, so all Miy’til Combat Interceptors are destroyed by return fire.

Fighters vs. CapShips

Engaging capital ships is a fairly easy process for starfighters. To attack, naturally the fighter must first be within weapons range, and then may simply fire a weapon system of choice. Capital ships however, are not completely defenseless against starfighters, though slow and jerky, capital scale turbolasers and lasers have a slim chance of hitting some fighters. To determine weather or not a

Heavy Energy Weapons & Torpedo-type warheads (i.e. Any Turbolaser-class weapon) hit you must follow the standard rule; 50% of the weapons fired would hit, 50% would miss a starfighter.

Light Energy Weapons (i.e. Laser Cannon, Heavy Laser Cannon, & Turbo-Charged Laser) must follow the rule: 75% of the weapons fired will hit, while 25% of the weapons will be evaded.

Concussion Missile-type Warheads must follow a modified form of the standard rule: 90% of the missiles will track and hit their target, 10% will miss.

If you are targeting incoming missiles instead of starfighters, the odds are even worse. One in 12 high energy weapons has a chance or knocking down a torpedo, one in 20 knocking down a missile. Always round up when you get a decimal. You must wait a minimum of three hours after attacking another ship or starfighter squad before your starfighter’s can return to the safety of their own hangar. Shooting down incoming missiles does not count as attacking someone.

Combat Space Patrol

Combat Space Patrol is a tactic used by capital ship commanders to protect their ships from incoming warheads and attacks by enemy starfighters. For friendly fighters to intercept warheads targeted at a capital ship, they must be on posted as being on Combat Space Patrol for that specific ship. You do not have time to scramble starfighters from you hangar in time to shoot down incoming warheads. You have to stay true to the 12 weapon fire rule to shoot anything, be it incoming warheads or other ships. If you make an attack and fire all available weapons at someone, then you are basically defenseless for the next 12 hours until your weapons recharge. You can certainly opt to save some weapons just in case your are attacked. If someone does attack you, you have up to 12 hours after you are attacked to shoot down incoming warheads. However, be it one hour or 11 hours after you have last fired your weapons, they are still going to go click unless they have not been fired for the 12 hours previous to you being attacked. Ex. A squad of X-Wings fires all it’s lasers and warheads at a squad of Starvipers. Then a squad of XG-2 Missileboats fires missiles at the X-Wings 11 hours later. The commander of the X-Wings has 12 hours to respond, but he has no weapons available because when the missiles were fired at him, he still had to wait another hour for his lasers to recharge. On the other hand, a squad of X-Wings fire only it’s warheads at the squad of Starvipers. The same squad of XG-2 Missileboats then fires it’s missiles at the X-Wings. Now, the X-Wing captain has weapons at his disposal that are fully charged, so he has up to 12 hours after the missileboats attacked him to post shooting down incoming warheads, plus firing his own warheads back at the missileboats if he chose to. Enemy fighters attacking an enemy ship must first engage at least 25% of that ship's combat space patrol. Whether that involves destroying them or just engaging them, that is up to the individual commander. But a capital ship cannot be attacked without first engaging that fraction of it's posted combat space patrol. As long as 25% of the capship has it’s fighters engaged in combat, other ships may take advantage of that hole in the coverage and attack the capital ship in question.

Deploying

Starfighters and support craft are deployed based upon the number and type of launch bays found onboard a ship. Most ships have standard and small launch bays, however some specialized ones are equipped with large and massive bays. You can scramble 6 squadrons per hour from a large bay, 4 squadrons per hour from a medium sized bay, and 2 squadrons per hour from a small bay. You may only have one hyperspace capable fighter squadron in hyperspace with you at a time. That squadron must be a part of your fighter load out listed in its statistics. This does not mean you have an EXTRA fighter squadron in addition to the # of fighters listed in your specific ships statistics. No external squadrons.

Repairing Starfighters

Starfighters and support craft that aren't destroyed in combat often suffer heavy amounts of damage. Shield damage for fighters only may simply be recharged at a rate of 10% per hour. Hull damage is replaced at a rate of 5% per hour, both done inside the mothership, however fighters may not repair damage while involved in combat. System damage automatically replenishes itself once a fighter returns to its mothership and powers down, then re-powers. This does not apply for Capital Ships (See the Repairing Systems ) section for details on how to repair capital ship damage.

Intercepting Warheads

Intercepting warheads fired at your ship is an important part of Space Combat. When an enemy opens fire, you may wish to knock down as many warheads as possible before you counter attack. The following system is how you may do this. Any unit posted as being on Combat Space Patrol for the target may intercept an inbound warhead on it using the proper amount of force. To intercept a warhead, a certain amount of weapons must be fired on it, once you fire enough weapons upon it, it's considered destroyed. In addition the units on CSP, the target may also fire any weapons it has of its own capable of intercepting warheads.

Concussion Missile - 4 laser cannons

Proton Torpedo - 2 laser cannons, or 2 CMs, or 1 ACM

Advanced Missile - 6 laser cannons

Advanced Torpedo - 4 laser cannons, or 3 CMs, or 2 ACMs

If you can't concentrate the proper amount of fire on a warhead, then it slips through and hits its target.

Ramming

To ram a vessel, you must first off be able to match its speed. If a vessel is faster than yours you may not ram it, unless of course it sub light engines are disabled. When you ram a vessel, it takes damage equal to your hull integrity, and you take damage equal to its hull integrity. If either vessel is destroyed in a ram, all onboard perish.

Tractor Beams

Tractor Beams are used for a variety of purposes from moving cargo and guiding friendly ships into position, to capturing and holding enemy vessels. Tractor Beams may only be used on a Capital Ship once its shields fall to 0%. A single beam may hold up to 100 meters worth of ship. Multiple beams from the same or separate ships may be combined to hold larger vessels. If you don't have enough tractors, then you can't get the job done. Tractor beams prevent craft from forward/reverse movement. They do not restrict hyperdrives. If locked in a tractor beam, a ship not totally in control of the tractoring sim may still work on repairing systems, and if in an appropriate position, a vessel may still raise shields, break free and enter hyperspace. Starfighters cannot tractor cap ships. Cap ships cannot tractor a starfighter sized craft under 30 meters. Starfighters can tractor other starfighters if equipped with a small sized tractor beam. Space tugs are specially designed to tractor either starfighters or cap ships, but must be known to be in the system before combat begins to be used. Starfighters cannot be boarded or captured during combat without using a tractor beam to bring them into a hangar

Gravity Wells

Gravity Wells distort space and have two purposes. One, preventing vessels from entering hyperspace, and two, keeping unfriendly traffic away from a system’s planet. A single Gravity Well effects a 25% area around a planet’s shipping lane. Multiple Wells may be combined for greater coverage. If a ship is covered by a Gravity Well, it is prevented entering hyperspace until that field is either down, or it moves out of range. It takes 12 hours for a cap ship to travel from the edge of a grav well to the source. Grav wells have to be setup outside the atmosphere of a planet, so it would take 12 hours to travel from the edge to the source, and another 12 to travel from that spot to the planet itself at sub light speed. If a sim drops into an unknown enemy system to scan, and there is at least one grav well present as per the PDF on file with the PCGs, then these first ships have to exit hyperspace outside the grav well until scanning of potential shipping lanes is complete.

PDF Rules/Regulations

Planetary Defense Forces are an essential part of protecting the territory that a sim has gained. They can be commanded by one person as well, allowing for greater defenses than sometimes a standard fleet can provide. There are certain rules and limitations placed on Planetary Defense Forces and their commanders based upon a planets value. A PDF Commander may be selected at the beginning of a battle and may not be altered until the end unless posted by the defending sim leader and the PCG Community Leaders are notified. PDF Commanders are given all the resources of their system to defend with on file with the PCGs prior to the battle. There are certain limits that apply to the number of units a system may have for defense. These limits are fairly minor and will not be increased unless PDFs are abused. This is based upon their value (UR, R, S, F, or P).

As well, there is a limit to how far orbital weapons can fire: Targets 6 hours away is the maximum range. When a system is scanned by an enemy force, the defending party has up to 18 hours after scanning has been completed to post PDF that is deserved for the scanning done. If not posted within this time the offending sim can request that the PCG Staff post PDF for them from the latest updated PDF list they have. If a sim repeatedly has problems posting their own PDFs, monetary fines will begin to be imposed to that sim as punishment and for motivation. Note that you can not exit hyperspace to scan a system 12 hours away and automatically post dropping troops on the surface, you are still, 12 hours away. All systems will start with a minimum PDF donated locally without cost to the sims, by the system as follows. Notice that his minimum PDF belongs to the citizens, not the Sim itself as they are not paying for it. You may not randomly remove the minimum PDF. Anything extra placed there by the Sim does remain the property of the sim, and can be moved around. Battle damaged PDF may be removed for repair. Attacked and captured planets will take 72 hours to install these replacement PDF items as needed.

Landing/Boarding

Ground Troops are an essential part of combat. Without them, you could not capture enemy ships that have been disabled and more importantly, could not capture and occupy planets. Galactic Realms Ground Combat rules are involved, but are fairly easy to grasp once the basics are down pact. For the process of ground combat to actually begin, one of the two opposing forces must first be transported to the battle zone. This is done through either landing barges or boarding transports. Landing Barges must be carried by larger craft, and are then deployed with their compliments and sent down to the surface. For a landing barge to get to the surface, it must first enter from a location near the planet, and post moving down into the atmosphere. Once that is done, the landing barge is no longer considered on the system space, but rather on the planet. It may then land at a location of choice and deploy its cargo. From there it may either wait, or return home. Landing barges may not be used to board enemy ships. Landing barges are designed to go up and down through the atmosphere. They are not capable of extended flight in a vacuum. Boarding Transports may only deliver troops to a vessel with its shields down. Once shields fall, a ship may be boarded. Transports may deploy all their troops in a single turn and either remain docked and wait, or move away. Simply post transports continuously ferrying troops as necessary.

Movement/Terrain

Compared to space style movement, ground movement is much more complex and detailed. This is an area for creative role playing, just make it believable. Different terrains can affect the movement of your troops.

Plains/Prairies - 1 movement pt to cross, +1 to attack ratings

Forests/Jungles - 2 movement pts to cross, +1 to defense ratings

Deserts/Ice lands - 2 movement pts to cross, no rating modifiers

Roads - .5 movement pts to cross, -1 to defense ratings

Cities - .5 movement pts to cross, +2 to defense ratings

Mountains - 3 movement pts to cross, +2 to defense ratings

Rivers - 3 movement pts to cross, -1 to defense ratings

Oceans/Lakes - may only be crossed by specialized craft, no modifiers

Troop vs. Troop Combat

Troops engage in combat with each other much in the same way as starfighters do, by a comparison of ratings. Each troop type has two ratings, attack and defense. These two ratings are compared to determine the amount of damage taken by each side. You simply multiply your troops attack rating by the number of troops then subtract the defenders defense rating multiplied by the number of defenders. The remaining number is the total number of damage points the enemy has taken. We will allow you to decide if you kill one troop then move onto the next, but please do not spread out damage equally among all troops. Try to be realistic when taking damage. Remember to take your own damage in return.

Squad - 10 troopers

Platoon - 40 troopers (4 squads)

Company - 160 troopers (4 platoons)

Battalion - 640 troopers (4 companies)

Regiment - 2,560 troopers (4 battalions)

Battlegroup - 10,240 troopers (4 regiments)

Corps - 40,960 troopers (4 battlegroups)

Troop vs. Vehicle Combat

Troops engage in combat with vehicles much the same way as starfighters do against capital ships, however unfortunately unlike starfighters being able to harm capital ships, the majority of troop weapons have no effect on vehicles. Only a few select specialized troop types are equipped with the proper weapons and capable of attacking vehicles, causing point damage. When attacking vehicles, it is a simple process of the exchange of fire. When taking damage from vehicles, divide the number of weapons fired at you by the average defense rating of your troop mass. The remainder is the number of weapons that impacts. Distribute that damage in anyway you like to your troopers.

Vehicle vs. Vehicle Combat

As with troops and starfighters, vehicles engage each other with a system of ratings and comparisons. Each unit has two ratings, attack and defense. The attack rating of one group of vehicles is compared to the defense rating of another and both sides takes the appropriate amount of damage to their armor.

Squad - 4 vehicles

Platoon - 8 vehicles (2 squads)

Company - 16 vehicles (2 platoons)

Battalion - 32 vehicles (2 companies)

Regiment - 64 vehicles (2 battalions)

Battle Group - 128 vehicles (2 regiments)

Corps - 256 vehicles (2 battlegroups)

Structures

Structures are another class of units seen in ground combat. They are immobile, and generally the last line of defense. Troop weapons, other than those specialized to damage structures, inflict no damage upon structures. Vehicle weapons follow a simple exchange of fire process with structures exactly like capital ships do against each other. General structures and their damage tolerance are listed below, other structures may be located elsewhere in the specifications section.

Road / Bridge - a single section of road can take up to 50pts of damage.

Cityscape - a single section of city can take up to 500pts of damage.

Orbital Bombardment

Orbital Bombardment often plays a very important role in ground combat. Orbital Bombardment is only effective against stationary structures however since compared to capital scale weapons, troops and vehicles are diminutive. For orbital bombardment to occur, a starship must first be in orbit of a planet. Being in orbit of a planet consists of being in the location in which the planet is located. Once in orbit, its open season upon any and all stationary structures from bases and buildings to entire cities and bridges. Bomber Style Starfighters capable of atmospheric flight per the Warbook may also bomb Structures. They may not fly under structures or ground shields.

Starfighter Involvement

Bomber Style Starfighters, if atmospheric capable, are very effective tools in ground combat. They may enter the atmosphere the same way as landing barges. Once in the atmosphere, they move along the planetary grid. Starfighters are in no way effected by terrain modifiers. When starfighters attack troops, to determine whether or not weapons hit, only a maximum of 10% of the weapons fired will hit the troops. When attacking vehicles and structures, all weapons fired make contact. To determine the amount of damage taken to a vehicle use the standard system. Starfighters may not fly under base structures.

Capturing a Planet

To capture a planet, both of the following objectives must be met. . .

A) 75% of all enemy ground forces are destroyed. and

B) It must be held for 24 hours, with all defender ships cleared of the system.

Once both of the previous objectives have been met, the planet is thereby considered under the aggressor’s control. It may be signed over beforehand should the PDF commander decide to. A system is considered completely cleared of enemy presence 12 hours after the last enemy ship has left, is disabled, or destroyed. That is 12 hours after the last attack post time that made it that way, not from the time of the last damage post.

Economy

The Galactic Realms economy revolves around the control of systems. Each system produces a certain amount of income, which is generated by taxation and exportation of goods. A planets income may be collected once on the first day of every month. It automatically transfers itself to the controlling factions main accounts and from there may be distributed to other accounts, or used in the construction of units. The PCGs will mail account status to the Sim Leaders, who will in turn keep them informed of every transaction. Currently, there is only one type of account in Galactic Realms. That account is the main sim's account. Each sim may have one official business office as part of their government to buy and sell military hardware to members or other sims. No private ships can be used in sim battles or bought, sold, or donated to a sim for less than the blue book price. PCGs reserve the right to limit companies or sales, if need be. There is a cost associated with the upkeep of cap ships in excess of 300 meters. This cost is noted on the ship stat pages and will be deducted from monthly taxes collected from sim systems before deposit. Sim Leaders MUST send updated Monthly Reports, or they will not receive monthly payment by the PCGs.

The Force

The Force is perhaps the most interesting element of Galaxy. In simming there are countless people claiming to be Jedi Knights and Sith Masters. Only a select few can claim correct training, however it shows the effect the Force does have on simming. So with that in mind it is obvious that in Galactic Realms many individuals will want to be able to claim to use the Force. Unfortunately not everyone can use the Force. While many people may want to be able to use the Force, only a few are able to do so. However, the possibility exists that anyone will be able to learn. This file is created not only for the benefit of the Force Users in Galactic Realms but also those who wish to learn to use the Force and for those who wish to be able to know when a Force User is doing something legal or illegal in a post.

Nature of the Force

The Force itself is truly a mystery. Even the Jedi Order did not know all they could about the Force. They knew that it was the energy field that made up the galaxy itself and connected the past and future and present and all living things and all forms of matter. They knew that it was powerful and could be manipulated by the individuals who were born with a high level of midi-chlorians in their body, a small life form that exists in individuals. Through them the Force can be seen. The force is said to have two sides, a light and a dark side. The light side embodies the common good, seeking to help people, not the pursuit of personal power. The dark side of the Force is another aspect of the force. It is able to be used by those who allow their emotions to strengthen their ability to use the Force. Emotions such as anger, fear, and hatred.

Finding a Teacher

In Galactic Realms no one will be allowed to join the Universe once it has began as a full fledged (rank of Knight/Warrior) Jedi, Sith, or fallen Jedi. Simmers will not be allowed to have stories with them being force sensitive until their being force sensitive is discovered by another Jedi or Sith in the Universe and they are told of their potential. Once a master has agreed to teach a simmer, that simmer must learn from him or her. In most cases this will include live role-play sessions, whether in private or in the Space Wars conference room (if it is not in use by a previously-scheduled event), mailings, and board training. Individuals who are not prepared will not be allowed to advance in rank. The only exception is for the two Masters on each side of the Force at the beginning of the game -- someone has to be around to get things started in the game! These, however, are the only exceptions that will be permitted. All other characters aside from those four must be fully trained in the standard method.

Force Regulations

This section is a brief overview of rules and regulations for circumstances that might arise in the Universe regarding the Force. It will be updated as problems arise and clarifications are needed.

-Combat between Force Users can take place either on the boards or in a private chat room. The Defender always has the choice. Combat must be initiated on the board however. A Jedi, Sith, or Fallen Jedi meets his opponent somewhere and challenges him by attacking or by drawing his weapon. The Defending person may either flee the area, defend himself on the boards by responding, or email the attacker asking to fight in a Private Room. Such battles must be logged and sent to the PCG Community Leaders. When the result is determined it is up to the two fighters to make a storyline post to show the results.

-The Force Powers in the Universe are up to the Simmers following the basic guidelines below. However, no Force User may use powers taken from "other sources" and can't be explained following the powers below. If such a thing occurs the simmer shall first be warned, then after a second offense his powers shall be lessened for two weeks. After a third offense that player’s character will loose the ability to touch the Force.

-Characters who have their characters not follow the way of their Order, e.g. a Jedi killing out of hatred, will be forced to make their characters change orders by the PCGs. A Jedi will turn to the dark side or a Sith leave the dark side.

Force Powers

The Force Powers used in Galactic Realms are listed below. Simmers advance in ability in that type of power as they advance. They also learn how to use the power for other uses. One of the reasons for this is to prevent new members from simply claiming powers. This way Masters teach their apprentices how to use powers differently to accomplish different things. Telekinesis- This is the ability for a Force User to alter and interact with the physical world in some way. The most simple way is pulling something to him with the Force. Pulling a Light Saber to your hand is an example. The stronger in rank the Force User the heavier the objects he will be able to lift and move. Sith Lords often use Telekinesis to kill enemies. Telepathy- This is the ability for a Force User to use his mind to interact with other minds. A Jedi could speak to someone else over a long distance or use the Jedi Mind trick to fool an opponent. This power also includes sense skills, like sensing Danger. For example, if someone was posting following another character, that character could be able to sense that through the Force should be powerful enough. Body Control- This is the ability for a Force User use the force to control his own body or, at times someone else’s. Examples of this power are enhancing strength. Increasing a Jedi's strength might allow him to jump higher or do flips with more ease. Increasing a Sith's strength might allow him to lift someone over his head with one hand and break bones. Remaining Conscious or helping someone regain consciousness could also be included. A Jedi who falls from a high distance might be able to reduce injury. Force Lightning- The Ability for a Sith Lord to create dark side energy in the form of lightning bolts that emit from his hands and are projected at his enemies. Such a power is extremely difficult and only available to the most experienced Sith Lords. The Master of the two Sith Lords, if he has been a Sith Lord for a long time should almost always know the power. The Apprentice Sith Lord does not always know the power and only when he has been fully trained for a long time can he acquire it.

Jedi Order

The Jedi Order was founded as a theological and philosophical study group countless years ago. It had gradually become aware of the Force. As they discovered the Force the order began to study it and search for the meaning of its power. Eventually the Order changed from a belief in isolated meditation to a group with responsibility to the galaxy. The Jedi Order became the peace keepers of the Galactic Republic. Their duty was to give Justice to all. The Jedi rejected the dark side of the Force and found enemies in the Sith Order, a splintered organization of their own order. They were all but destroyed by the Empire and the Sith, but with new force users, the Jedi returned. The Jedi Order has emerged again after being nearly wiped out. It has risen in strength and reestablished itself as the defenders of peace and justice in the galaxy. Their belief in Justice have made them the key allies of the Republic. Many of the Jedi teachings were lost long ago. The new Jedi and their apprentices have tried very hard to salvage the lessons of the past Jedi. Much was found in the Great Jedi Temple and much also in the storage yards of the past Emperor. The Jedi ranks are the same as they once were, they are as follows:

Jedi Master

Jedi Knight

Jedi Apprentice

Explanation of Jedi Ranks

Jedi Master- The Jedi Master is the highest Jedi rank attainable. They have complete control of their abilities in the Force and know how to control their emotions. In most cases Jedi Masters have apprentices in which they teach the Force.

Jedi Knight- The Jedi Knights were once the greatest Warriors in the Galaxy. They brought Justice and guarded the Republic. Now that Jedi are once again returning to the Galaxy the Jedi Knights have began to be seen as the Warriors of old. Having completed the Jedi Training they have control over their abilities and often are given apprentices to train.

Padawan- The Jedi Apprentices are assigned to Masters and Knights to learn the ways of the Force. Their training is long and they learn much in the time of their training. Once their master believes they are ready, they are made a Knight.

Sith Order

The Sith Order was created over two thousand years ago by a renegade Jedi Knight, who chose to experiment with the dark side of the Force. Believing the dark side to be stronger, he shared the things he had learned with his fellow Jedi Knights and many began to use the force as he did. Eventually he went before the Jedi Council to share with them what he had learned. The Council rejected his teachings and in anger the Jedi fled the order. Soon the Jedi who he had shared his teachings with joined him and they recruited others from the Jedi Order and founded the Sith Order. The Sith began to plot a war to exterminate the Jedi however, before it could truly begin the Sith rose up against their leader and destroyed him. Then chaos followed and the Order destroyed each other. The few that remained were destroyed by the Jedi Knights. All except Darth Thanik. He had seen the destruction of the Sith before it was to happen, knowing that the desire for power would force the Sith to destroy each other. He practiced the Jedi ideas of patience and so waited while the Sith destroyed each other. Then he left and began to work on his powers on his own. Eventually, he grew old and took an Apprentice. That Apprentice eventually became the Master when Thanik died and he took an Apprentice. And so it continued for nearly two thousand years, until the last of the Sith Lords were destroyed over Endor. But, as the Jedi thought the Sith had been destroyed before, they would return..... The Sith Order is the Order opposite the Jedi. They believe that their powers should not be used to serve but to dominate and to rule. While the Jedi protect, the Sith are aggressive. They use their anger to strengthen their powers. But the Sith teachings have progressed. When the Sith Order first came into being much was learned with nearly 50 members all studying the force. Many techniques and powers were of course learned. But still the Sith were rash and arrogant and so lacking patience, their control was not as great as it could have been. When they were destroyed, Darth Thanik's belief in patience allowed a Sith to become far more powerful then they had been before. Not only did they use the dark side of the force, but they were able to advance their powers and control it better through patience. The Sith often only have two members of the Order at a time, a Master and an Apprentice. Both, when the apprentice is fully trained, Sith Lords, and both can take the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. However; in this time of Civil War it is never impossible that the Sith would increase its members. With the Empire in place to protect the Emperor it is quite possible that he and his apprentice could control a larger Order to oppose the Jedi. The Sith believed that any Sith was stronger then a Jedi equal in rank. Long ago, when the Sith were reckless and without control that may not have been so, today who knows. Later, Sith Lords rediscovered the lost Sith teachings, as well as the lost ranking system, which is as follows:

Sith Lord

Sith Master

Sith Warrior

Sith Apprentice

Sith Initiate

Explanation of Sith Ranks

The rank of Sith Lord is the highest rank that can be achieved. When the Sith Order was first created, the Sith Lords were the strongest Sith and were the Sith that led the Order. They are for the most part, more powerful then any Jedi. Now, their are only two and if ever more Sith were allowed inside the Order, only two could hold the Sith Lord rank at a time.

The rank of Sith Master was given to the powerful Sith who had acquired ability beyond that of a Sith Warrior. Like most ranks it was opposite to a Jedi rank, a non Jedi Council member Jedi Master.

The rank of Sith Warrior is given to a Sith who had finished the basic training in the Force and has become strong enough in the Dark Side to be the equal of a Jedi Knight.

The rank of Sith Apprentice is given to any Sith with little training. The Sith is put under the teachings of a stronger Sith to learn.

The rank of Sith Initiate is not necessarily the weakest rank in the Order, but the lowest. Sith Initiates are often new recruits who are given the rank upon entering the Order. However, the rank is also given to fallen Jedi who do not receive a rank relative to their strength until they understand the Sith better.

Fallen Jedi

There have been many Jedi throughout the years that have fallen from the Jedi Order. The Sith were formed by such a Jedi. Often, however; the fallen Jedi are not as strong overall, being rash and unable to properly harness their powers except in anger. They are strong in offensive times but in other times they are often at a disadvantage. But dark siders who eventually gain control, through patience or simply constant study of the force, do become very powerful and can advance in ability. Fallen Jedi are dark siders and so the enemies of the Jedi. Though this section refers to Fallen Jedi, it also includes dark siders with no Jedi training. No fallen Jedi however, can simply be a Sith, because, like the Jedi the Sith are an Order and to be a Sith a dark sider must be taught by a Sith. Fallen Jedi though may often take titles such as Dark Jedi Knight or Master or other similar ranks. But because of the independence, Fallen Jedi are often hunted by the Sith Order as well. Because fallen Jedi and are so reckless and often lack control they do not advance as easily in the force as Sith and Jedi and must some how increase their ability to control their powers to advance. The fallen Jedi also do not have the teachings of the Sith available to them, and so they would not know the many Sith techniques and would have to discover on their own many of the abilities.