Attack Vector: Tactical
Encyclopedia
Attack Vector: Tactical is a space combat wargame
published by Ad Astra Games
. The game is consciously designed to model comparatively realistic space combat and eschew common conventions of space warfare. Attack Vector: Tactical is set in the "Ten Worlds," a region of space expanded ten parsec
s from Sol
.
Some factors, unusual to the genre of space combat games, that AV:T includes:
Beyond its physics model, is notable for being one of the few wargames that attempts true three dimensional movement. While prior attempts (BattleFleet Mars) have been made, most have failed in playability.
AV:T handles three dimensionality with several play aids, such as the Attitude/Vector Information Display (AVID), which is a color coded polar projection of a sphere fixed relative to the hexmap handling sighting angles and ship orientation for thrust, the Range/Angle Lookup Table (RALT), which is a table of the Pythagorean Theorem that's been color coded to reflect bearing angles used by the AVID, and tilt blocks, box miniatures and stacking tiles for on-map display of ship orientation.
Attack Vector: Tactical won the Origins Award
in 2004 for "Best New Miniatures Game
".
paradigm. There are no alien
civilizations. All technology present is at the very least currently feasible, with the singular exception of FTL
travel. Though its presence is acknowledged to permit extra-solar settings, it is limited to a degree rare to the genre.
Normal space travel is realistic, meaning travel between planets is a matter of months or even years, not hours. FTL is only possible from a single point in any given star system (within a quarter AU
of its sun), making it as much a destination to be reached as it is a means of reaching a destination. Different sets of routes each require a specific variation of the device, limiting the effective range of any given interstellar craft. Each use of the device must be planned well in advance of a pre-decided time, meaning one cannot use it to quickly escape from combat. All these factors combine to completely eliminate its effect on gameplay, making it similar to the Alderson Drive
of Jerry Pournelle
's CoDominium
Universe.
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
published by Ad Astra Games
Ad Astra Games
Ad Astra Games is a company that produces boardgames, miniatures wargames and role-playing games. It was founded in 2004 by Ken Burnside. The chief operating officer is former West End Games founder Daniel Scott Palter, and the office manager is Sam Pray, husband of horror and gothic romance...
. The game is consciously designed to model comparatively realistic space combat and eschew common conventions of space warfare. Attack Vector: Tactical is set in the "Ten Worlds," a region of space expanded ten parsec
Parsec
The parsec is a unit of length used in astronomy. It is about 3.26 light-years, or just under 31 trillion kilometres ....
s from Sol
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
.
Some factors, unusual to the genre of space combat games, that AV:T includes:
- Energy inputs, thermodynamic efficiencies, wavelengthWavelengthIn physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a...
s and focal array sizes of beam weapons. - The thermodynamic problems of power generation and heat dissipation for closed-loop coolant reactors on spaceships.
- Specific impulseSpecific impulseSpecific impulse is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines. It represents the derivative of the impulse with respect to amount of propellant used, i.e., the thrust divided by the amount of propellant used per unit time. If the "amount" of propellant is given in terms of mass ,...
(
) and propellant mass fraction of the fusion torches used to power the drive. While the fusion torch in AV:T, with its high Isp (around 100,000 seconds) and thrusts measured in 125 milligee increments are decidedly speculative, they are considerably more conservative than is common in reaction drives in science fiction. (They are probably off by merely an order of magnitude, rather than several orders of magnitude, for example.) - Thrust is continuous over time, tracking displacement, and even tracking changes in maximum thrust due to reduction of the ship's mass from spending fuel.
- StealthStealth technologyStealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...
is impossible due to the high energy output of the engines, allowing all players to see the location of the space ships of all other players. Speed of light propagation is not modeled since the players are within a few light minutes of each other.
Beyond its physics model, is notable for being one of the few wargames that attempts true three dimensional movement. While prior attempts (BattleFleet Mars) have been made, most have failed in playability.
AV:T handles three dimensionality with several play aids, such as the Attitude/Vector Information Display (AVID), which is a color coded polar projection of a sphere fixed relative to the hexmap handling sighting angles and ship orientation for thrust, the Range/Angle Lookup Table (RALT), which is a table of the Pythagorean Theorem that's been color coded to reflect bearing angles used by the AVID, and tilt blocks, box miniatures and stacking tiles for on-map display of ship orientation.
Attack Vector: Tactical won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
in 2004 for "Best New Miniatures Game
2004 Origins Award winners
-Best of Class Awards:-Vanguard Awards:* All Wound Up * Flames of War * Fire as She Bears! 2.1 * Pirates of the Spanish Main -Gamers' Choice Awards:* Legends...
".
Ten Worlds Universe
The Ten Worlds universe is designed around an iron-clad hard science fictionHard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
paradigm. There are no alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
civilizations. All technology present is at the very least currently feasible, with the singular exception of FTL
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
travel. Though its presence is acknowledged to permit extra-solar settings, it is limited to a degree rare to the genre.
Normal space travel is realistic, meaning travel between planets is a matter of months or even years, not hours. FTL is only possible from a single point in any given star system (within a quarter AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
of its sun), making it as much a destination to be reached as it is a means of reaching a destination. Different sets of routes each require a specific variation of the device, limiting the effective range of any given interstellar craft. Each use of the device must be planned well in advance of a pre-decided time, meaning one cannot use it to quickly escape from combat. All these factors combine to completely eliminate its effect on gameplay, making it similar to the Alderson Drive
Alderson drive
The Alderson drive, named after Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Dan Alderson, is a fictional device that enables instantaneous interstellar transportation. It is featured in the CoDominium series of science fiction novels by Jerry Pournelle, including the Mote series by Larry Niven and Jerry...
of Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
's CoDominium
CoDominium
-The CoDominium series:*A Spaceship for the King *He Fell into a Dark Hole *The Mote in God's Eye...
Universe.