I know its just a game, but It sort of bothers me that asteroids don't move, and I was curious if anyone has ever considered playing a variant where the asteroids moved?

How I would set it up:

Place asteroids like normal. All asteroids have an arrow on them. This is the only direction they can move in.

Before dials are revealed, each asteroid moves 1 forward in the direction the arrow is facing.

It sounds fun, but it would be difficult to line up the movement template; sure, you could do it, but you would get into a lot of arguments over where that asteroid should be, especially when it smacks into someone.

The easiest thing would probably be to make some new asteroid templates with movement nubs and play that way. And maybe come up with some rules for asteroids colliding with each other (possibly roll an attack die; on a [focus] or [hit], move the asteroid that was hit 1--> away from the asteroid that collided with it; on a [crit], remove the asteroid from play).

The one problem that I foresee is that of Advanced Sensors; with asteroids moving before actions take place, the B-Wing suddenly becomes the single most maneuverable ship ever, since it can essentially ignore that asteroid that just barely drifted into its path. Maybe have the asteroids move at the end of the end phase, instead.

We've played a mission with moving asteroids, and as I recall it, it was something like this:

1. We used 12 asteroids (2 full sets) and they were placed as usual except that they could be placed up to Range 1 to the edges. (This actually gives very close to the same asteroid/(sq. inch) as the ordinary setup rules does)
2. After each End Phase we did a roll with a Green Dice for each asteroid

• On an (Evade) the asteroid move a 1 Movement template in that direction
• On a (Focus) the Asteroid didn't move
• On a (Blank) the dice was rerolled 1 time on the same "table", on a new (Blank) it stayed, otherwise as above

If your were hit by an Asteroid I think we said it was an automatic (Hit) damage

The asteroids were allowed to overlap/cluster and if the went off the map they drifted out into space.

Since it was very casual there really werent any discussions/debates regarding hits/collisions

Maybe you'll find this useful?

I have been working up some ideas along these lines myself. I wanted to photoshop some asteroids with move nubs on them first though. My thoughts have been to basically set up a tabletop version of the old asteroids game, so I am working on 3 different sizes of asteroids.

Start with 2-3 big asteroids on the table. They move 1 straight each turn. If one gets destroyed, it is replaced with 2 medium ones. The medium ones start 1 straight apart with a direction of movement at right angles to how the big one was moving. Medium rocks move 2 straight. Rinse and repeat for the small ones, which move 3 straight.

If a rock moves onto or over a ship, roll for damage just like a collision, but give the ship a stress as well (he wasn't expecting it). If a ship would overlap an asteroid, treat it like normal except the ship has an option to try and shoot the asteroid instead of colliding with it. The ship performs a primary weapon attack and if the rock is destroyed it splits as normal, the ship is not counted as overlapping for that turn but cannot perform an attack in the combat phase.

The map is a torus, so asteroids that exit the map reenter on the opposite side.

What I am not sure about is how tough to make the asteroids. Give them agility and "hull", or just say that they get no agility dice and just need so much damage to destroy? Should they accumulate damage or do you have to inflict enough hits with a single attack to destroy them?

Also, I am worried that, outside of a solitaire mission, there isn't enough incentive to shoot the asteroids. I love the idea of destroying asteroids to make your opponent's flying harder, but why would you ever waste an attack on a rock if you could shoot an enemy ship instead?

Some other thoughts, should seismic charges (and other bombs?) automatically destroy an asteroid they hit? They were pretty devastating to rocks in Attack of the Clones.

Edit: Forgot to include when the rocks move. I was considering they move before the activation phase, before the combat phase, at the end of the turn, or possibly including a "pilot" skill number on each one so that the asteroids move interspersed with the ships.

Also forgot, if an asteroid collides with another asteroid, it stops, just like a ship overlapping a ship, then both rocks are rotated 90 degrees and will head off in new directions starting next time they move.

I played a game at my FLGS a couple of weeks back that was a ton of fun. 4 of us playing, 2 ships each, one named pilot and one generic. Each one loaded with anything it could carry. Free for all dogfight.

But the real kicker was that the asteroids were all numbered. we had a d6 and a scatter die from 40k. Each turn, one person would take the dice and roll them. whatever number came up, that asteroid would move a 1 straight in whatever direction the scatter die pointed. If the target came up on the scatter, all the asteroids moved.

It was awesome. Totally cinematic. Really felt like trying to fly in an asteroid belt. Made for an incredibly fun game.

I take no credit for the idea though. I wish i remembered the name of the gentleman who came up with it that day. .

I suggested something similar as a game mechanic in the "Never Tell Me The Odds" topic - Asteroid Drift - roll a scatter dice for each asteroid at the start of each round, then move it one in the direction shown on the arrow.

It would make for some interesting maneuvering decisions if you knew the asteroids had potential to move into your path and cost you an action (or damage you)...

Scatter dice are awesome for asteroids.

I've run a variant where there are "magnetic" asteroids. We weren't precise, but if a ship passed near by them they would float about a "1" in the direction the ship was going.

Bouncy Asteroids: if you hit asteroids they "finish" your movement template but you stop.

Pac Man: they phase to the opposite side.

Destroyable

Asteroids are as dynamic as you make them.

I would love to see a modification or a pilot special ability that lets you add an extra, subtract one, re-place one...etc. I think the "3rd" faction, probably pirates, should have an "ambush" flavor where they can change the set up process, delay deployment, mess with obstacle rules.

I think the dragons' movement mechanic from Tsuro of the Seas might be adaptable and give a nice approximation of the roiling, tumbling colliding atmosphere of the asteroid fields in Empire.

Tabletop did an episode on Tsuro of the seas.

Hi,

Our group does this all the time. We Move them every 3rd turn of the game at the start of the turn.

We roll a 12 sided die and assume each asteroid is like a clock. At the same time as we roll the 12 sided die, we roll a D6, on a 1-3 move 1, 4-5 move 2, 6 move 3.

Simple and fun

we had one moving aestroid mission in a local store touarnement

and those things moved everytime towards me !!!! still managed to win but was hard >.>

well roll an attack dice and defense dice after battle phase and then look what results were thrown then place the moving template and on the edge of the aestroid where it is supposed to make a 2-turn. i dont have the paper anymore but i think u can find it in the forums somewhere. this idea was created by a france fanbase. u have to search for it or il ask my flag-ship-store retailer where he got that info.

there is another way of making em movable

use the scatter dice from warhammer 40k so u can see in wish direction it will fly and they should do 2-turns. i guess iam going to ask ma retailer so i can maaaaaybeee help u out.

oh and yeah u should bring some anti-aestrod magnets with u cause otherwise they will charge at u the whole game ;P

Is it Ravage magazine that had the moving and monstrous asteroid rules? We have played with both. While interesting, they do slow down play.