Defender doctrine
The system defenders
Navy and worn-white plates. Mixed, patched hulls built from a home industry that has had generations to improvise. Local response, anchors and denial.
MOD.01
TWO CIVILISATIONS. TWO APPROACHES TO WAR.
Attacker doctrine
The incoming migration
Ceramic and graphite. Standardised, modular panels printed from a fleet that converted settlement mass into weapons mid-voyage. Pursuit, breach and objective breakers.
MOD.02
FRAME ROSTER
FIG. 3.7 — RECON, DEFENDER DOCTRINE, PLAN VIEW
Defender
Recon
| Role | Scout / interceptor / local response |
|---|---|
| Print time | Very short |
| Engines | 2 |
| Propellant | 150 |
| Main armament | Light cannon |
| Secondary | Micro-missiles |
| Utility | Heat sink or grapple |
| Defence | Plate armour or EMP hardening |
| Strengths | Acceleration · Fast reprint |
| Weaknesses | Thin hull · Light armament |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.7 — RECON, DEFENDER DOCTRINE, COMBAT
FIG. 3.8 — GUNSHIP, PLAN VIEW
Defender
Gunship
| Role | Mobile counter-assault craft |
|---|---|
| Print time | Medium |
| Engines | 2 |
| Propellant | 120 |
| Main armament | Light cannon turret |
| Secondary | Light missile |
| Utility | Heat sink or grapple |
| Defence | Point defence or EMP hardening |
| Strengths | Off-axis fire · Assault pair lead |
| Weaknesses | Medium print wait · Limited endurance |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.8 — GUNSHIP, COMBAT
FIG. 3.9 — BULWARK, PLAN VIEW
Defender
Bulwark
| Role | Frontline anchor / stack holder |
|---|---|
| Print time | Medium |
| Engines | 2 |
| Propellant | 100 |
| Main armament | Medium cannon turret |
| Secondary | Micro-missiles |
| Utility | Grapple or repair drone |
| Defence | Point defence or reinforced plate |
| Strengths | Stack host · Sustained turret fire |
| Weaknesses | Slow to reposition · Heat under stack |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.9 — BULWARK, COMBAT
FIG. 3.10 — EW SKIFF, PLAN VIEW
Defender
EW Skiff
| Role | Electronic warfare / disruption |
|---|---|
| Print time | Medium-long |
| Engines | 2 |
| Propellant | 100 |
| Main armament | Light cannon turret |
| Secondary | Micro-missiles |
| Utility | EW package |
| Defence | EMP hardening |
| Strengths | Disruption · Stack support |
| Weaknesses | Light guns · Needs escort |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.10 — EW SKIFF, COMBAT
FIG. 3.11 — MISSILE SLED, PLAN VIEW
Defender
Missile Sled
| Role | Heavy defensive anchor |
|---|---|
| Print time | Long |
| Engines | 3 |
| Propellant | 100 |
| Main armament | Medium flak |
| Secondary | Medium missile |
| Utility | Target painter or grapple |
| Defence | EMP hardening or medium point defence |
| Strengths | Ordnance volume · Largest stack capacity |
| Weaknesses | Long reprint · Poor evasion |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.11 — MISSILE SLED, COMBAT
FIG. 3.12 — PICKET, PLAN VIEW
Defender
Picket
| Role | Heavy perimeter denial |
|---|---|
| Print time | Long |
| Engines | 4 |
| Propellant | 200 |
| Main armament | Heavy railgun |
| Secondary | Bunker buster |
| Utility | Heat sink or grapple |
| Defence | EMP hardening or heavy point defence |
| Strengths | Long-range punch · Objective denial |
| Weaknesses | Long reprint · Slow rotation |
See it in action
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 3.12 — PICKET, COMBAT
MOD.03
SHIP ROLES
Scout & pursuit
Recon frames reprint in seconds. They hunt stragglers, intercept missiles and find the next fight. Thin hulls; do not linger.
Assault & anchor
Gunship and Bulwark take the line. Turrets let them fight off-axis. Stack them and they become a slow, loud fort.
Objective breaker
Needle, Bomber, Corvette and Picket exist to crack stations, printers and doors. Heavy shots, long reprints, escorts required.
Support & EW
EW Skiff, Suppression Skiff and Missile Sled keep a stack alive or a lane denied. They lose duels; they win maps.
MOD.04
WEAPONS
RAILGUN
KINETIC / FIXED / HIGH VELOCITY
Spinal slugs along the hull. Lead the target, hold the nose, accept the recoil.
Railgun
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.1 — RAILGUN
CANNON
KINETIC / FIXED / SUSTAINED
Chunky bore weapons that throw shells along the forward vector. Less snap than a rail; more volume.
Cannon
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.2 — CANNON
CANNON TURRET
KINETIC / TURRET / FLEXIBLE ARC
A rotating mount that tracks the mouse inside its arc. The hull can face the burn while the gun faces the threat.
Cannon turret
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.3 — CANNON TURRET
FLAK
KINETIC / TURRET / AIRBURST
Short multi-port turrets that fuse at a set distance. Built to shred missiles, drones and close crossings.
Flak
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.4 — FLAK
BEAM
THERMAL / CUTTING / CONTINUOUS
Lensed emitters for cutting terrain, doors and hulls. A drilling and breaching tool more than a dogfight gun.
Beam
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.5 — BEAM
MISSILES
GUIDED / LOCK-ON / ORDNANCE
From micro-missiles to standard, heavy, torpedo and bunker-buster. Lock with Q; guided only when LOCKED. Unguided shots still leave the rail toward the cursor.
Missiles
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.6 — MISSILES
POINT DEFENCE
AUTOMATIC / INTERCEPT
Close-in guns that spend kinetic ammo on inbound munitions. Light, medium and heavy tiers scale with the Defence slot.
Point defence
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.7 — POINT DEFENCE
GRAPPLE & DEPLOYABLES
UTILITY / STACKING / FIELD KIT
Hold F to fire a grapple and winch. Dock to a Stacker Rig host. X throws the equipped kit: mines, chaff, decoys, beacons, charges, ammo and repair.
Grapple and deployables
CLIP PENDING
FIG. 4.8 — GRAPPLE AND FIELD KIT