BATTLE MAT | Twilight Imperium Companion

:: SPACE BATTLES :: after movement is complete in an activated system, if ships from the active player and another player are present, a space battle must be fought. This happens over consecutive combat rounds until only the ships from a single player remain (or no ships if all ships are destroyed simultaneously on the last combat round.)

PRE-COMBAT ABILITIES
- Action cards - played "immediately before a space battle"
- Anti-Fighter barrage - roll 2 dice for each ship w/anti-barrage ability; for each result equal of higher than that ship's combat value, the opponent immediately loses one Fighter unit.
- Assault cannons
- Mentak racial ability
- Sabotage Run
- NOTE: the defender chooses in what order each applicable pre-combat ability is played, but anti-fighter barrage always happen before a sabotage run.
BATTLE ROUND
- Announce withdrawals/tactical retreats - attacker first has the option to withdraw, if he doesn't, the defender then has the option to retreat.
- Roll combat dice - simultaneously, both players roll dice for each ship present in the battle, scoring a hit on each result equal to or higher than the ships combat value.
- Remove casualties - for each hit scored by his opponent, players in turn must assign all their casualties, starting with the attacker and then the defender. Ships with the sustain ability can take two hits before being destroyed. All destroyed ships are returned to the reinforcement pile.
- Execute withdrawals/tactical retreats - if at this point in the battle all of the opposing force's ships have been destroyed, announced withdrawals/retreats are cancelled and the winning player's units must stay in the system. During a withdrawal/retreat, a player moves his entire fleet to an adjacent activated system that contains no enemy ships. Check that fleets meet the Fleet supply limits, any excess ships are immediately destroyed.
- End of space battle - if there are still ships of both players present, a new battle round begins until a single player's forces remain in the activated system.

:: INVASION COMBAT :: after a player has landed his Ground Forces during a Planetary landing, if there are enemy units present, combat occurs. Invasion combat is very similar to Space Battles, with the exception that no one can withdraw/retreat.

BEFORE COMBAT
- Bombardments - units with the bombardment ability may bombard a planet before the active player undertakes Invasion combat. Roll dice equal to the units combat strength multiplier, and remove a Ground Force on the contested planet for each hit scored on a result equal to or higher than the bombarding unit's combat value.
- Dreadnoughts may not bombard planets that contain at least 1 enemy PDS unit.
  - War Suns may bombard planets even if there will be no Invasion combat.
  - PDS fire - after the invading player has finished his bombardment, the defending player may fire a single shot with each PDS unit on the contested planet. For each hit scored, an invading Ground Force is destroyed.
INVASION COMBAT ROUND
- Roll combat dice - both players simultaneously roll dice according to each units combat strength multiplier, and score hits on results equal to or higher than the combat value.
- Remove casualties - each player assigns casualties according to the number of his scored by his opponent. Casualties are returned to the reinforcement pile, and if there are still units from both players present, another invasion combat round begins.
- Invasion success - if all defending Ground Forces were destroyed, and at least one attacking Ground Force survives the battle, the invasion is a success. All defending PDS units and Space Docks are immediately destroyed. The defending player gives the attacking player the corresponding Planet card, which he places exhausted into his play area. If all forces were destroyed, and no attacking Ground Force survived the last round of battle, then the defender retains control of the contested planet.