Chapter 4: Combat Mechanics

Overview

Space combat in Mneme follows a structured turn-based system where each turn represents approximately one kilosecond (1,000 seconds or roughly 17 minutes) of game time. Each vessel has individual Initiative and acts in order of descending Initiative.

Initiative System

Rolling Initiative

Players roll 2d6 plus modifiers to determine turn order.

Initiative Modifiers
Condition	Modifier
Organization (Admin, Intelligence, Tactics) or Confidence (Leadership, Intelligence, Social) of Crews	DM varies
Intelligence or Social + Leadership or Admin	Combined bonus
Lowest thrust higher than opponent's lowest thrust	+1 Initiative
No Accepted Leader in group	-2 to Initiative
Effect of Encounter Setup rolls	Effect of prior roll

Initiative is Dynamic: May be adjusted up and down by actions and reactions during a turn; Example: Captain's "Rush" action can increase initiative by Tactics roll effect

Turn Order

Action Phases by Function
Phase	Function	Action Types Available
1	Captain	Significant Actions, Minor Actions
2	NavComm	Significant Actions, Minor Actions
3	Engineer	Significant Actions, Minor Actions
4	Pilot	Significant Actions, Minor Actions
5	Gunner	Significant Actions, Minor Actions
6	Everyone Else	Minor Actions only

Actions During Ship's Turn: When a vessel acts, crew members take all their actions at once; Each crew member gets 3 Minor Actions and 1 Reaction (except Automated Functions); Once everyone has acted, combat turn ends and new turn begins; Initiative is not re-rolled between turns

Action Types

Minor Action (MA)

The most basic unit of action. Every character gets 3 Minor Actions per turn.

Typical Uses: ; Maneuver : Move ship one space (Pilot); ; Communication : Basic transmission (NavComm); ; System Check : Quick diagnostic; ; Prepare : Spend action to create a reaction opportunity

Significant Action (SA)

Major actions that greatly impact the encounter. Costs 2 Minor Actions.

Typical Uses: ; Attack : Direct weapon fire; ; Jamming : Electronic warfare; ; Complex Maneuver : Evasive action, docking; ; Command : Leadership coordination; ; Activate Jump : Engage FTL

Focused Action (FA)

Spends all 3 Actions and Reactions for better success chance.

Trade-off: Cannot make any reactions after using Focused Action; Characters who made reactions cannot use Focused Actions; Any Significant Action can become Focused

Reactions (RA)

Responses to enemy actions or opportunities.

Standard Limit: One reaction per turn without penalty

Additional Reactions: ; Sacrifice Initiative : Commander spends 2 initiative points to grant extra reaction; ; Prepare (Minor) : Spend Minor Action for extra reaction with DM-1; ; Prepare (Significant) : Spend Significant Action for extra reaction with DM+1 or improve single reaction to DM+2

Cumulative Penalty: Each additional reaction beyond the first in the same turn: DM-1; Second reaction: DM-1; Third reaction: DM-2; Etc.

Range Bands

Ranges in space combat are relative to the PC's ship.

Space Combat Range Bands
Range	Distance	Hexes/Spaces	Notes
Adjacent (AD)	<1 km	0	Ramming range
Close (CL)	1 km	1	Sand casters max
Short (SH)	10 km	1	Pulse lasers max
Medium (M)	1,250 km	2-9	Beam lasers effective
Long (L)	10,000 km	10-24	Particle beams effective
Very Long (VL)	25,000 km	25-49	Meson guns effective
Distant (D)	50,000 km+	50+	Missiles only

Weapon Range Modifiers: DM+2 when used closer than noted range band; DM-2 when used 1 band further; Cannot be used beyond one band more than noted range

Greater than Distant: Scale changes to Light Seconds (300,000 km); Light Minutes: 18M km increments; Astronomical Units: 8 light minutes / 150M km; Light Hours: 1B km; Requires Referee fiat

Thrust Points (TP)

Thrust Points measure ship movement capability.

Basic Rule: A ship has Thrust Points equal to its Thrust rating; Each TP can move one space (hex or square); One space = 1,000 km (approximately)

Movement Costs: Moving to adjacent space costs 1 TP; Must have extra TP for "last mile" positioning to attack

CE SRD Maneuvering Table
Ranges	Thrust Cost	Cumulative Thrust
Adjacent to Close / Close to Adjacent	0	0
Close to Short / Short to Close	1	1
Short to Medium / Medium to Short	2	3
Medium to Long / Long to Medium	5	8
Long to Very Long / Very Long to Long	10	18
Very Long to Distant / Distant to Very Long	20	38

Missile Thrust: Standard Missiles: 10 TP; Missile Bay launch: +3 TP on first round

Ballistic Movement

When a ship, missile, or drone turns off thrust and goes ballistic:

Movement: Continues at 1 space per turn in last direction; Cannot change course without re-engaging drives; Example: Gunner uses "Go Ballistic" to hide missiles, then inches them 1-2 hexes per turn

Encounter Types

Ambush-Quarry Mechanics

The ambusher tracks an unsuspecting quarry.

Step 1: Declare Ranges; Determine starting distances

Step 2: Opposed Detection; Ambusher base TN: 10+, modified by quarry's sensors; Quarry base TN: 6+, modified by ambusher's actions

Step 3: Outcome; Ambusher succeeds, quarry fails: Ambush achieved at declared range; Quarry succeeds, ambusher fails: Quarry detects ambusher at extended range (Effect determines distance)

Chance Encounters

Initial Detection Roll: Opposed Navigation or Sensor checks
Winning Party Options: ; Initiate Combat : Begin encounter at favorable range; ; Evade : Increase distance; ; Parley : Attempt communication

Core Task Resolution

Target Number (TN)

Basic Formula: TN = 8 (Base) + Adversary's DM

Examples: ; Dodge Roll : TN = 8 + Attacker's Gunner DM; ; Electronic Warfare : TN = 8 + Adversary's Comms-Sensor DM; ; Range Check : TN = 8 + Adversary's Navigation DM

Effect Calculation

Formula: Dice Roll (DR) + Dice Modifier (DM) - Target Number (TN) = Effect

Success Minimum: Effect 0 is a Success, but has minimum Effect of 1; Negative Effect is a failure

Examples: 2d6 roll 7 + DM+1 = 8 vs TN 8 → 8-8=0 → Effect 1

Double Effect Rule

Natural 12 (6+6): Double positive Effect; Halve negative Effect

Natural 2 (1+1): Double negative Effect; Halve positive Effect

Weapon Damage: Roll's Effect adds to damage; Affected by Double Effect rule

One Roll Opposed Checks

Unlike standard CE SRD where both parties roll:

Only Players Roll: Referee doesn't roll for NPCs; Players roll against TN calculated as 8 + Adversary's DM; Speeds up gameplay; Players can optionally roll for adversaries to reduce Referee workload to zero

Grouping NPC Ship Turns

To speed up play with multiple NPC ships:

Group by Type: Similar ships act together
Single Roll: One roll for entire group when possible
Superiority Modifiers: Apply to group actions

Previous: Chapter 3 - Crew Functions Next: Chapter 5 - Actions