Lord Julian stood on the bridge of the Hawkwood Galliot Dawn's Light, and stared at the planet Stigmata below him. The tranquillity it radiated from space belied none of the insanity raging on its surface. Far below him, a state of constant warfare existed - humans of every sort against the insidious Symbiotes. Lord Julian repressed a shudder at the very thought - he had avoided every contact with the Symbiotes thus far; but he had read the reports. He knew them to be vile creatures, bent upon the eradication of humankind from the stars. So the church had said, and judging from the numerous engagement reports from the Brothers Battle, the Muster, and others, Lord Julian was inclined to agree. These godless things were deserving of his hatred. And, he thought secretly, his fear.

The Dawn's Light was currently in use as an escort to several Muster troop carriers being sent to Stigmata. All in the name of Emperor Alexius and all that. Lord Julian had heard rumors of a strong strike against the Symbiotes; intended to remove their foulness from Stigmata and then eventually to carry the war to the planet Absolution. It was not the first time that such noble plans had been discussed. Lord Julian could not remember any of them having any lasting effect.

Still, escort duty was far from the worst thing that one could be doing. Lord Julian's cousin, Erath, was stuck protecting transports near Gwynneth. Vuldrock Raiders had nearly destroyed his ship twice. And Erath was becoming increasingly certain that the third time would be the end for him.

So, Lord Julian thought, Stigmata is the place to be. Although the common naval defenders of Stigmata were out on maneuvers, Lord Julian was confident that he and ' his Muster companions would not see any action. Symbiote ships had not been sighted for some time; there was nothing to fear from an enemy who was trapped planet-side.

Battles

Holistic Design's new game, Noble Armada, presents battles in the the Fading Suns universe using the great ships that fly the lanes between the worlds. In this game, you can wage the feuds between the noble houses to great starships that duel like ancient pistol-armed aristocrats.

In Noble Armada, ships are as likely to be boarded and captured as they are to be simply shot to pieces in the void of space. This is a major change from the mindset of a lot of spaceship gamers ("grapples? Aren't those for naval games?" ).

Noble Armada mixes the familiar elements of both space and wet naval actions in a game that only uses a D20. It's quick to learn and tough to master - the perfect elements for a great game.

I was disappointed, however, to find that my favorite nasties of the Fading Suns universe, Symbiotes, were missing (I have been told they shalt he appearing as a major part of a future expansion). In the meantime, let's introduce a nifty role-playing twist to Noble Armada, in a scenario called...

Containment

The alarm systems of the Dawn's Light's suddenly went off. Lord Julian quickly dashed to his bridge command chair to learn what was going on.

"First mate, report!"

His first mate, Siddik, poured over a monitor for another moment, and then stood to face him.

"Lord Julian sir! We appear to have been infiltrated by Symbiotes. Our marines are currently engaged in the troop quarters. Marine sergeant Dvow reports that they are taking serious losses."

Lord Julian sprung from his chair. "What? How can that be? We have not allowed any ships to dock with us!" he shouted.

"We do not know how, sir, " Siddik replied. "Only that they are on-board. And that they seem to be winning. "

Winning? This was the beginning of a bad day for Lord Julian. He drew his wireblade and prepared for the worst.

Harsh Reactions

It seems that every time any naval fleet surrounds Stigmata, the Symbiotes react harshly. Either by throwing large numbers of troops at landing zones, or by increasing their parasite infiltrates behind enemy lines. Each time, they have employed a new trick to wreak havoc on the human troops.

However, nothing has ever happened like this before.

There are three ships escorting four troop carriers filled with troops. Each of the ships came under sudden attack by infiltrators; but it was the Hawkwood Galliot Dawn's Light that bore the brunt of the assault. Unknown to the Hawkwood crew, a large number of their marines were in fact masquerading Symbiotes. The Muster ships easily fought off the relatively few infiltrators on their ships. The Dawn's Light was not so lucky. The Symbiotes took control.

And they are not in a good mood.

Attacking Force: Symbiotes

The Hawkwood Galliot Dawn's Light. It has been commandeered by the Symbiotes, who now intend to destroy as many of the other ships as possible before they are themselves destroyed. They are elite crew and boarding parties, although the number of human marines (which the Symbiotes have defeated) is halved. (Reduce each marine section on the ship by one-half)

Defending forces: Muster

Two league Sentry escorts. They have average crew and marines.

Four Caravan Freighters. They have loaded troops instead of bulk cargo. They are treated as having Marines 15 instead of the usual compliment, all in the cargo hold (not all troops on the ships can act as Marines). Average crew and stars.

Special Rules

The Symbiote player's targets are the freighter (first) and the escorts (second). They know that the freighters are carrying troops for an attack on their world, and they have risked all in order to stop them. Therefore, the Symbiote player MUST shoot at freighters whenever possible. Only if the freighters are out of fire arc or range will they attack the escorts.

The Sentrys, on the other hand, have received orders to destroy the Symbiotes at all costs - including their lives. Should the Symbiotes escape with control of the Dawn's Light, they could do incalculable damage to the Known Worlds.

Victory Conditions

If the Symbiote player can destroy all four freighters, they achieve a total victory (three freighters = major victory, two = tie). If only one freighter is destroyed before the Symbiote ship is lost, then it is a minor victory for the Muster. If the Sentrys destroy the Symbiote ship before it can destroy any freighters, the Muster wins a total victory.

Terrain and map set- up

Use four hex maps. Place the planet counter in the center area. All ships begin in high orbit, six hexes from planet Stigmata. The Muster player sets up the four freighters tirst (no further than I hex from one another), then the Symbiote player sets up his ship (which cannot be within 3 hexes of any freighters), and the Muster player sets up the two escorts last.

Historical Outcome

The Symbiote ship was able to eliminate two freighters before the escorts were able to destroy it. House Hawkwood then performed a major investigation to find out why security did not discover so many hiding Symbiote parasites.

Tactics

Symbiote Player

You have a pretty strong advantage over the Sentry ships. However, the special rules require you to ignore them as targets in favor of the freighters. The freighters are no match for you at all; but attacking them while leavi g yourself open to attacks from the Sentrys is not wise. Your best bet is to use the planet Stigmata for cover as Much as possible - your speed should help you chase freighters (who are likely to scatter) and to avoid being wedged between both Sentrys.

Remember that you can target the Sentr s if the freighters are not in fire arc or range - use this to your advantage whenever possible. A few extra shots might make all the difference. Also, be careful with boarding your troops are easily the best aboard either ship, but your numbers are limited. Boarding the freighters could be dangerous - they are loaded with troops, some acting as marines. A few poor fights and their numbers could be telling, despite their lower quality.

B>Muster Player

You have a two-part mission. Protect the freighters and destroy the Symbiote ship. The freighters do not stand a chance against the Dawn's Light for long - pull them away as quickly as possible, and break them apart from each other. Make the Symbiote player chase them, and then hit him with the Sentry ships. Although he can destroy the Sentries relatively easily, he must target the freighters first.

Try to limit his shots to a single freighter whenever possible (hey, it's a tough universe - better to lose a few fingers than the whole fist). Beware of providing him no freighter targets he may make short work of the Sentrys. Try to carefully initiate boarding actions - he only has 10 marines, so hitting him at the right time may just enable you to take him out.

Notes: This scenario has very specific objectives for both sides. The Symbiote player has the advantage of superior firepower, but the Muster player can dictate how and when that firepower gets used, to a degree. For some good optional rules:

• Increase the Muster's skill levels. Especially their Marines. If they can obtain better boarding ability, it will change the tactics used considerably.
• Give the transport ships grapple guns. As they stand, the Marines on these ships can only fight if the Symbiote player chooses to board - not a likely option, given the limited crew on the ship. If the freighters can grapple with the Dawn's Light... then there are likely to be fireworks.
• Give the Dawn's Light its normal Marine allotment. Doubling the Symbiote Marines on board will increase the boarding options for the Symbiote player. (Combine this with the two above options for real fun)
• You can also change the given ships to a degree - as long as the Symbiote player gets 1 big ship, and the muster player gets two ships worth half the points of the Symbiote ship each, then the scenario will work.