A Call to Arms:

Battlestar Galactica
8th Draft

The world ended with no warning.

All that was left was hope.
The Cylons were created by the people of the Twelve Colonies. Intelligent
robots, they were used as slaves and soldiers to fight humanitys wars.
But the Cylons became sentient and they rebelled. Man and machine
fought to a bloody stalemate, then the Cylons withdrew to a remote
region of space.
A truce between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons lasted for 40 tense
and silent years. Each year, on the anniversary of the treaty-signing,
humanity sent an envoy to the neutral ground of Armistice Station to
meet with a Cylon envoy. For 39 years, no Cylon envoy came.
Then, on the 40th anniversary, a stunning blonde a Cylon in human
form met the human envoy moments before the Cylons vaporized
the station and launched a genocidal attack on the Twelve Colonies.
In one devastating day, billions of human lives were consumed by
nuclear fires. Only those souls fortunate enough to be aboard starships
were able to band together and escape and flee into deep space, led by
the sole surviving Colonial warship, the battlestar Galactica.

Th e Cylon Wars
An sent ad firtero uro, nequita ntrarit. Verum recultum ausa detra? Dis.
Ast peremoltiae et L. Graet aciensunum ina, vertus vil consintessa ia Sertam
Romnique et conium lost grarentrem terditius tusatusci conum remusa re faci
iterit, que converf ecitus condius nos, ve, cor is, cruntis; nessimur, quostraed conscidem quonsu verceru demulicaus, se es, quertent.
Det, con hae notio, vidii sum nemum pra dem ine tat rectum ina vo, perfirmil
te il cae trarte, mentiam ressid senter hosus ignatestus re nius, a am pultus iu in
Etribusciem patum, cam tampessent? Castra poen Etruntem es autemnoximis re
pra nonsus achuctus vasdam dum fur quernih icapere mnihintimo conequiu mum,
utem actuspies non suli se nos C. Vo, tem.
At res! Simus remorae temus, sum publicae nonficivero atil hoctatra, Ti. Bonces de
faccis, quam hori patia itum am potatuam ius simius? Icibus serei inum steritem,
elari tiem mo unc ocaus vis convernihine et Catum se re, mantusque vidienihilia
moervis mus re, que nosupes! Ad consus hos reor quidem tem sena movitist? quas
viris. Catur auctod acios crionsiderte inendi, sena abis, consignatra nonimactum

Basic Rules ModificATIONS

These rules are based on Mongoose Publishings award winning game system A
Call to Arms that was written for Babylon 5. Obviously these rules just list the
changes to the basic ACTA system so are a complete game by any means.

Terminology

Throughout this rule set I refer to squadrons as a gaming unit. The word squadron
has simply been used in place of the word flight. Consider the words fligh and
squadron one and the same for game purposes.

Weapon Traits

These rules have added two more weapon traits to the game.
Nuclear Weapon: If a ship has at least one weapon with this trait it may
perform the following special action. The action may only be perfomred
once for each weapon system with the trait:
Nuclear Attack: Auto
Target an enem ship that is in range and line of sight of a wepaon
system that has the Nuclear Weapon trait. This wepaon is considered to
be firing a nuclear salvo and no other weapons may fire this turn.
Place a nuclear salvo token half way between the firing ship and the
target ship but do not resolve the attack, continue with the movement
phase. During the attack phase this token can be fired at. All weapon
systems require a roll of a 6 to hit and it has a number of damage points
equal to the number of AD that the wepon system firing the salvo has.
A salvo cannot be engaged in a dogfight. Remove the salvo token if it is

reduced to zero damage points.

At the end of the attack phase you reolve the nuclear attack. The
nuclear salvo will attack its target with a number of AD equal to its
remaining damage points. The attack uses the following traits: Super
AP, Quad Damage. In adition roll a D6 for each of the targets special
traits, on a 4+ the trait cannot be used during the next turn.
All ships and auxilliary craft within 3 of the target will be attacked by
1AD with the same traits as above.
Limited Payload: A weapon with the limited payload trait may be fired once
per game.
Advanced Targeting: Weapons with this trait work in an identical way to
weapons with the Beam trait, but for the purposes of other rules and traits
they are not beam weapons so for example Interceptors will be able to stop
an attack with Advanced Targeting.

Ship Traits

These rules have added 3 new ship traits to the game.

Point Defences: Point Defenses work in an identical way to Interceptors.
Advanced FTL Engines & FTL Engines: A ship with FTL engines can
use the rules for Hyperspace Mastery found in Sky Full of Stars for Shadow
Ships.
Auxiliary Scout: A ship with this trait follows the same rules as a ship with
the Scout trait. With two exceptions.
Auxilliary craft may take advantage of the redirect fire action performed by
Axilliary Scouts. The range of all scouting abilities on an auxilliary scout are
16 but when making a crew quality roll to use one of the scouting abilities
you may add 1 to the score for every other auxiliary scout that is within 6.
These supporting auxiliary scouts may not use any scout abilities for the rest
of the turn.

Critical Hits

The battleship designers in the BSG univers know that their ships have to be built
to withstand terrible damage and continue fighting. To completely destroy a target
you must saturate it with firepower.
To represent this the critical hit rules are slightly modified. When you score one
or more critical hits on a ship instead of rolling for each of them individually
roll once on the critical damage location table. Then, instead of rolling a D6 to
determine the critical damage effect add up the number of critical hits the attack
caused. This is the number used to determine the damage caused.

Th e Tw elve Colonies
The mainstay of the Colonial fleet was its 120 massive Battlestars and their waves
of Viper Fighters. Each Battlestar was built to be a batttleship, a fighter carrier
and the center of command for an entire fleet. With state of the art computer
systems, navigation controls and targeting equipment it is believed that in attack
or defence there is nothing that can defeat a Battlestar.

Colonial Special Rules

Fire Control

A Battlestars main offensive weaponry consists of multiple batteries of turreted

heavy cannon. The gun crews of a Battlestar are trained in complex firing
solutions allowing the Battlestars Commander to quickly switch between tactics
as the battle develops. Any weapon system with the Fire Control trait follows the
following rules:
Continuous Fire
Continuos Fire is the targeting and firing of the guns in each turret without regard for the readiness or targeting of other guns of the battery. The battery may
split its fire.
Salvo Fire
Salvo Fire is the simultaneous firing of all guns in a battery at the same target.
The battery gains the Twin-Linked trait but may not split its fire.
Full Salvo Fire
Full Salvo Fire is the simultaneous firing of two or more batteries at the same
target. If you have at least two batteries firing at the same target they gain the
Twin-Linked and Armour Piercing traits. Total all the attack dice for all the
batteries and roll them as a single attack.

The Battlestar Galactica

Acropolis class Battlestar

Points Value: 5
The first twelve Battlestars brought into service at the start of the Cylon War
were all of this class and many more were built during the conflict. After the war
they continued to see service but eventually more advanced ships were produced
and the Acropolis-class Battlestar was phased out. The Battlestar Galactica was
the last ship of this class in service and due for decommission when the Cylons
attacked the 12 colonies for a second time...
Hull

Damage

90/15

Speed

Crew

120/20

Turns

2/45

Troops

Craft

4 Squadrons of Viper VIIs or IIs and 3 Raptor Flights

Traits

FTL Engines, Flight Computer, Carrier 2, Fleet Carrier,

Command +1, Point Defenses 3

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Tubes

30

Double Damage,
Nuclear Weapon,
Slow loading, SAP

Fore Battery

18

Fire Control

Fore Dorsal Battery

18

F/P/S

Fire Control

Fore Ventral Battery

18

F/P/S

Fire Control

Port Battery

18

Fire Control

Starboard Battery

18

Fire Control

Aft Dorsal Battery

18

A/P/S

Fire Control

Aft Ventral Battery

18

A/P/S

Fire Control

Famous Acropolis-class
Battlestars:
Battlestar Atlantia
Battlestar Acropolis
Battlestar Columbia
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Pacifica
Battlestar Rycon
Battlestar Triton

M ercury class Battlestar

Points Value: 11

Famous Mercury-class
Battlestars:
Battlestar Mercury
Battlestar Pegasus

The height of Battlestar design was reached with the production of the Mercuryclass Battlestar. Almost twice the size of the Acropolis-class, due to advanced
technologies the Mercury-class required half the crew of the smaller ship. The
Mercury-class vessel replaced the dorsal armaments of previous Battlestars with
more turrets bolstering the port and starbord batteries as well as a larger set of
bombardment cannon directly to the front of the ship.
Hull

Damage

120/20

Speed

Crew

90/10

Turns

2/45

Troops

Craft

8 Squadrons of Viper VIIs and 5 Raptor Flights

Traits

FTL Engines, Flight Computer, Carrier 4, Fleet Carrier,

Command +2, Point Defences 4

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Tubes

30

Double Damage, Nuclear

Weapon, Slow loading, SAP

Fore Heavy Battery

30

SAP, Double Damage, Precise

Fore Battery

18

F/P

16

Fire Control

Fore Battery

18

F/S

16

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

F/P

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

F/S

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

A/P

Fire Control

Flightpod Battery

18

A/S

Fire Control

The Battlestar Pegasus Fore Heavy Battery opens fire...

Viper Superiority Fighter

The colonial fleet has used many varients of the Viper since before the first
Cylon War. Each new mark of fighter brought updated navigation and targeting
equipment along with increased weapon payloads and more efficient engines.

Viper Mark II [per squadron]

Hull

Damage

Speed

12

Dogfight

+3

Turns

SM

Traits

Afterburners, Atmospheric, Dodge 2+

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Lightning Javelin Missiles

AP, Double Damage,

Limited Pyload

Twin Autocannon

Twin Linked

Viper Mark VII [per squadron]

Hull

Damage

Speed

12

Dogfight

+3

Turns

SM

Traits

Afterburners, Atmospheric, Dodge 2+

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Lightning Javelin Missiles

AP, Double Damage,

Limited Pyload

Triple Autocannon

Twin Linked

Valkyrie class Battlestar

Points Value: 2
The Valkyrie-class Battlestar was built to utilise ship to ship missle technology
being developed by the Colonial Fleet. With tracking technology capable of
guiding a missile to strike an individual fighter. Capable of lighting fast targeting
calculation the weapon system fires a staggered salvo of missles. When the target
is struck the targeting systems calculate the trajectory of the remaining missiles
and adjusts their flight accordingly.
Technologically the Vakyrie-class is a step up from the Acropolis-class Battlestar,
with automated systems comparable with the Mercury-class however the Valkyrie
is smaller than both her sister Battlestars.
Hull

Damage

65/10

Speed

Crew

55/10

Turns

2/45

Troops

Craft

2 Squadrons of Viper VIIs and 1 Raptor Flight

Traits

FTL Engine, Flight Computer, Fleet Carrier, Command +1,

Point Defenses 2

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Fore Battery

15

Fire Control

Missile Turrets

20

SAP, Advanced Targeting,

Anti Fighter

Missile Turrets

20

SAP, Advanced Targeting,

Anti Fighter

Dorsal Bettery

15

Fire Control

Raptors with clearly

visible weapon pods...

Raptor Multi purpos e transport

The Raptor is used as a scout for the Viper Squadrons, however it is also
often used as a scout ship for the Battlestar itself, a general purpose shuttle and
often in battle it can be used as a mobile ECM. Raptors normally carry only light
weapons, nothing capable of taking out capital ships. Although they are capable
of carrying extra heavy external armaments mounted on various hardpoints.

Raptor Variants

At the start of a game before deployment you must declare which variant of Raptor each squadron is. You cannot field more than half of the Raptors as the same
variant. Scouts and ECMs can still engage and possibly win Dofights.

Raptor Scout [per Flight]

Hull

Damage

Speed

12

Dogfight

-1

Turns

SM

Troops

Traits

Afterburners, Atmospheric, Dodge 4+, FTL Drive, Auxiliary Scout, Stealth 5+,

No Armament

Raptor ECM [per Flight]

Hull

Damage

Speed

12

Dogfight

-1

Turns

SM

Troops

Traits

Afterburners, Atmospheric, Dodge 4+, FTL Drive, Stealth 4,

No Armament
ECM and support: If the Raptor ECM starts its turn within 4 of Battlestar or a Viper
squadron it can perfrom one of the following actions:

Give the Battlestar +1 to its Point Defences score until the end of the turn
Give the Viper Squadron +1 to its Dogfight score until the end of the turn
These bonuses do not stack if multiple Raptor ECMs target the same ship or squadron.

Raptor Gunship [per Flight]

Hull

Damage

Speed

12

Dogfight

+1

Turns

SM

Troops

Traits

Afterburners, Atmospheric, Dodge 4+, FTL Drive, Stealth 4+,

Weapon

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Rack

12

SAP, Double Damage,

Limited Pyload

Missile Rack

12

Anti-Fighter, Advanced
Targeting, Limited Payload

Twin Autocannon

Twin Linked

Th e Cylon Fle et
The Cylon attack came without warning. Using electronic warfare they were
able to cripple most of the Colonial fleet without firing a shot. Withinn hours the
extermination of mankind was almost complete...
The main Cylon warship is the Basestar. Although not heavily armed or armoured
a Basestars compliment of almost 800 fighters should br more than enough to see
off most opposition.

Cylon Special Rules

Cylon

The Basestar is commanded by a council of up to seven Cylon Agents but the

ships functions are controlled by a partially-humanoid Cylon incorporated into
the ship, known as a Hybrid. The Hybrid, for all respects of identity and control,
is the basestar. The preffered methiod of command on a Basestar is via deliberation and then voting on decisions. This may cause the Basestar to react more
slowly than a Battlestar in combat.
Raiders, however, have no Cylon Agents on board and are controlled by an autonomous biomechanical pilots. Sadly the intelligence of the Cylon Hybrid and
biomechanical pilot is limited. Although lacking in intelligence Cylon ships do
possess an almost animal instinct. Over time this instinc is sharpened and can
become very deadly.
Ships and Flights with the Cylon trait follow these rules:

Cylon ships do not have Crew damage scores and do not take crew
damage.

All Cylon ships, squadrons and waves have -1 Crew Quality

Battlestar Galacticas point

defenses are overwhelmed by
the firepower of multiple Cylon
Basestars.

 Cylon ships cannot be forced to stand down

Cylon ships cannot use the following Special Orders:

All Hands to Deck

All Power to Engines
Concentrait all Firepower
Give me Ramming Speed
Scramble Scramble
Stand Down and prepare to be Boarded

Re-roll any Crew Crital Hits critical hits scored on Cylon ships.

Waves

Raiders are at their most effective when used in overwhelming numbers. Raiders generally manuvre in massive formations made up of multiple squadrons in
excess of 60 fighters. A single Squadron of Vipers will be hard pressed to hold off
a wave of Raiders for very long, they might be able to hold their own for a while
but in the end numbers will begin to tell.
In the game a Wave deploys, moves, shoots, dogfights and takes damage like a
single squadron of fighters with the following exceptions:

A Wave has a damage score like larger ships, whenever the wave is hit
(and fails to dodge) it looses one point of damage. When the wave is reduced
to zero damage it is removed from the table.

When a Wave has lost at least half its starting damage its dogfight value
is halved and the AD on all its weapons are halved (rounding down).

A Wave that looses a dogfight suffers one point of damage per enemy
Squadron it was dogfighting . A Wave that wins a dogfight will destroy one
enemy Squadron that it was dogfighting.

Cylon Bas estar

Points Value: 4
The main Cylon ship of the line is more a carrier than a warship, not that a
basestar cannot handle itself in a stand up fight. A Basestar has FTL drives far
in advance of Colonial technology and it sub-light engines are also a complete
mystery as the vessel has no obvious thrusters but is still able to keep pace with
a Battlestar...
Hull

Damage

150/25

Speed

Crew

Turns

SM

Troops

Craft

Waves Of Raiders* and 6 Heavy Raiders

Traits

Advanced FTL Engines, Cylon

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Tubes

30

12

Double Damage,
Nuclear Weapon, SAP

Basestar Special Rules

Raider Carriers
Basestars have been known to carry just shy of 800 Raiders within their hulls.
Even though they carry this immense payload of fighters and they can launch
huge numbers of them at once it takes a while for the Raiders to form up and
move to attack.
Also due to the mechanical process used to launch its fighter there is no way a
Basestar can increase the speed at which Raiders are loaded into launch tubes
and sent on their way.
A Basestar starts the game with one wave of Raiders in play and in base to base
contact. A Basestar may then launch one wave of Raiders and one Heavy Raider
each turn. A Basestar may not launch a wave of Raiders if there are already 6
Waves active on the battlefield. If there is more than one Basestar in the battle
the number of active Waves allowed increases at 6 per Basestar.
Point Defenses
Basestars have no point defense weapons like Colonial Battlestars do. However
Basestars do often keep a wave of Raiders back to intercept enemy ordinance
and firepower as well as ward off enemy fighters.
If a Wave of Raiders starts the turn in base to base contact with a Basestar and
remains in base to base contact throughout the turn the Basestar gains the trait
Point Defenses 3. After an attack has been resolved each hit the Point Defenses
manage to stop reduces the Raider Waves damage score by one.

Cylon Raiders
Fast, agile and seemingly limitless in number, the Cylon Raider is a Viper
pilots worst nightmare. Heavy Raiders are used as gunships and heavily
armed transports, carrying squads of unstopable Centurion Warriors.

Cylon Raiders [per wave]

Hull

Damage

Speed

15

Dogfight

+4

Turns

SM

Traits

Advanced FTL Engines, Atmospheric, Cylon, Dodge 4+

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Tubes

AP , Double Damage

Autocannon

12

Cylon Heavy Raider [per squadron]

5

Hull
Speed

15

Turns

SM

Traits

Damage

Dogfight

+0

Troops

Advanced FTL Engines, Atmospheric, Cylon, Dodge 4+

Weapons

Range

Arc

AD

Traits

Missile Tubes

AP , Double Damage,
Limited Payload

Rapid Fire Autocannon

Twin Linked

It took the
combined
firepower of two
Battlestars to
utterly destroy this
one Basestar.