Contact Unknown Field Manual
The enemy is not always known. The mission is not always clear. The decision is always yours.
A public, browsable reference to how the GM adjudicates naval operations. It explains the rules and information limits without revealing any faction's private orders, position, intelligence, ship defects or unpublished blueprints.
01 · What kind of game is Contact Unknown?
Contact Unknown is a Discord-friendly, GM-adjudicated naval command game. Players build and deploy ships, organize formations, pursue diplomatic or military aims, and submit orders. The GM resolves actions according to feasibility, equipment, intelligence, contact quality, opposition, and a small number of objective-level 2d6 rolls. It is not a gun-by-gun simulator.
There are no automatic battles: hailing, shadowing, reconnaissance, interception, withdrawal, escort, negotiation and peaceful passage are all valid command objectives. Fleet labels and doctrines do not grant free statistical bonuses.
02 · Orders & operational turns
Players receive only information their faction can plausibly know, issue written orders to the GM, and receive faction-specific reports. Orders should identify units, objective, position/movement, formation, support arrangements, emissions posture, rules of engagement, and contingencies. Standing orders continue as feasible. Messages and new instructions take effect when received, not retroactively.
The GM adjudicates simultaneous activity, accounts for communications delay, resolves meaningful uncertain objectives, applies ammunition/damage/readiness effects, and issues separate reports. Diplomacy is player-led: a dice roll cannot force another player's political agreement.
03 · Modular ship construction
Hull displacement is expressed in MU; equipment also costs Construction Points (CP), reactor Power Units (PU), and sometimes Hardpoint Units (HU). Ships require a bridge, tactical drive, basic sensors, reactor, and—if independently traveling between systems—an authorized interstellar drive and fuel. Each design must fit mass, hardpoints and both combat/transit power configurations.
| Hull architecture | Structure MU / starting HI | Hardpoints HU |
|---|---|---|
| Military | ceil(20% of displacement) | floor(displacement / 20) |
| Reinforced | ceil(30% of displacement) | floor(displacement / 20) |
| Civilian | ceil(12% of displacement) | floor(displacement / 50) |
Suggested hull classifications
Class names describe a vessel’s general size and intended naval role. They are guidelines, not mandatory design categories: an unusual 100 MU scout or 200 MU transport remains legal if its actual architecture, equipment, and resource budgets comply with construction rules. Names do not grant combat bonuses or impose additional construction requirements.
| Suggested classification | Displacement (MU) | Hull Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol craft | 20–39 | 0 |
| Corvette | 40–69 | 1 |
| Frigate | 70–99 | 1 |
| Destroyer | 100–149 | 1 |
| Light cruiser | 150–199 | 2 |
| Heavy cruiser | 200–299 | 2 |
| Battlecruiser | 300–399 | 3 |
| Battleship | 400–599 | 3 |
| Dreadnought | 600+ | 4 |
Displacement step: Designs use 20 MU increments, beginning at 20 MU. The classification bands are descriptive, so not every MU value within each range is a legal design size.
Four primary tactical drives
Choose exactly one primary tactical drive. Each installation uses a hull-scaled mass and power allowance. Tactical drives can be combined with maneuvering modules (vector thrusters, gravitic rings, overboost), but those modules do not directly increase FTL speed. Fuel rates apply to each ship individually. Installation cost is computed by the live shipbuilder; Economy and Interceptor construction prices are Alpha calibration values.
| Drive | MU | Power (PU) | MV CPt | Conventional jump | Extraordinary thrust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | ceil(10% D) | 1 × ceil(D/50) | +2 | 1 FU | 1 FU |
| Standard | ceil(8% D) | 2 × ceil(D/50) | +2 | 2 FU | 1 FU |
| Fast | ceil(12% D) | 4 × ceil(D/50) | +5 | 2 FU | 2 FU |
| Interceptor | ceil(15% D) | 6 × ceil(D/50) | +7 | 3 FU | 3 FU |
Hull/base construction cost is ceil(displacement / 2) + structure MU CP. The builder's installed equipment catalogue supplies the current MU/CP/PU/HU prices; some Alpha items are experimental. Approved, previously saved blueprints retain their original equipment snapshots when costs later change.
04 · Capability ratings
Eight ratings summarize capabilities: FP sustained Firepower, ST burst or guided Strike, PR Protection, PD Point Defense, MV Mobility, SN Sensors, EW Electronic Warfare, and CM Command. Equipment grants raw Capability Points (CPt), converted using diminishing returns.
| Raw CPt | 0 | 1 | 2–3 | 4–6 | 7–10 | 11–15 | 16+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Ratings inform comparative effectiveness; raw CPt of participating systems informs weight of effect. Disabled modules cease contributing. Multiple weapons operating in one coordinated objective do not each produce an independent die roll. Size/Hull Scale informs effect magnitude and resilience, not an automatic hit bonus.
05 · Sensors, intelligence & contact adjudication
A sensor result has four possible information stages. The stages describe the kind of information the observing faction possesses, not an automatic ladder of mandatory dice rolls. A vessel may be precisely tracked yet remain entirely unclassified.
| Stage | What may be reported | What is NOT automatically learned |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Detection | A contact or emission exists; rough sector/direction, possibly approximate presence | Reliable movement, number of individual vessels, ship class or allegiance |
| 2 · Tracking | Usable bearing, course/motion estimate, relative position, changing range; possibly separable contact count | Vessel purpose or political identity; count may remain uncertain if unresolved returns overlap |
| 3 · Classification | Broad type/function, e.g. warship, merchantman, large transport, suspected naval escort; confidence stated | Name, faction, exact class, mission, cargo, intentions or registration |
| 4 · Identification | Specific ship or credible allegiance/identity supported by actual corroboration (recognized silhouette, secure transponder, unmistakable signature, verified intelligence, direct inspection) | Secret orders, future intentions, hidden destination or internal condition without independent evidence |
Adjudication procedure
- State the observation objective. Passive sweep, active search, persistent track, vessel classification or specific identification; determine what the observer already knows.
- Check what evidence can actually exist. Sensor suite and SN, target signatures, emissions/EMCON, concealment/EW, range and geometry, movement, environmental interference, duration, independent observations, active/passive choice, recognition databases and shared intelligence.
- Establish the maximum evidential stage. Better dice cannot manufacture a ship name or allegiance if no distinguishing evidence exists. A strong sensor may obtain several useful observables at once; an observed transponder or reliable intelligence may identify quickly even without a longstanding track.
- Roll 2d6 only for meaningful uncertainty. Use the relevant SN versus concealment/EW, plus credible situational modifiers within the usual total ±3 cap. When stages present genuinely different opposed tasks, they can require separate tests; do not force one roll for each stage.
- Translate quality into an actual report. Failure: no new reliable information (existing track may degrade if circumstances demand). Partial: useful but incomplete/coarse information, possibly tracking or tentative classification if supported. Success: the intended evidence-supported objective is established. Exceptional: unusually clear or additional supported details, potentially multiple stages. No outcome automatically advances a set number of stages.
- Record the information, confidence, age and recipient faction. Report only confirmed observations and appropriate uncertainty. A prior classification/ID may persist while a current track goes stale; reacquisition and renewed tracking are distinct from forgetting the identity.
Public example: plausible information split
Observer A: follows multiple faint returns passively; learns approximate bearing and movement (Tracking), no warship/transport classification.
Observer B: obtains a clear silhouette of a vessel; classifies it as a warship (Classification), but has no verified faction or hull name.
Observer C: resolves several contacts and follows their course and count (Tracking); greater positional precision does not make its classification more advanced.
Hypothetical example only; not a public account of any campaign faction's actual information.
Quick adjudication worksheet (guidance, not automation)
The worksheet illustrates a possible evidence ceiling and report quality. It does not replace GM judgment or automatically disclose faction intelligence.
Information sources and constraints
Passive sensors are quieter but may obtain fewer high-quality observables; there is no hard passive-identification ban. Active sensors can improve tracking/analysis but reveal an emitter if detectable. EW may complicate discernment without erasing already-established observations. Shared tracks require credible communications and provenance. Range, time on target, sensor quality and relative motion influence both possible information and its confidence. A track can be excellent while political affiliation remains unknown.
06 · Formation and hybrid mutual support
Each task group orders a formation purpose independently from its support separation. Line concentrates force; Close Screen protects named assets; Distant Screen scouts/intercepts farther out; Independent operates separately.
| Support relationship | Permitted support when actually feasible | Not automatically permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Close | Immediate appropriate PD, screening, local assistance | Unlimited PD reach, perfect targeting or universal shared defenses |
| Extended | Contact sharing, viable long-range fire, later interception/reinforcement | Immediate local PD beyond physical effective reach |
| Detached | Independent mission; possible messages/rendezvous or truly long-range aid | Instant rescue, automatic shared targeting or close screening |
Formation integrity can be Intact / Strained / Disrupted. Movement, damage, degraded communications, jamming and conflicting orders can strain or break support; restoration takes credible coordination and sometimes time. Formation relationship does not equal contact range to an adversary.
07 · Contact and engagement ranges
| Band | Index | Typical opportunity (not automatic authorization) |
|---|---|---|
| Standoff | 3 | Search, track, contact sharing and viable stand-off attacks with sufficient targeting |
| Long | 2 | Long-range weapon engagement, interception and approach |
| Medium | 1 | Principal fleet maneuvers and combat |
| Close | 0 | Close assault, inspection, local support and close-proximity defenses |
These are abstract opportunities, not fixed kilometer values or movement rates. A Close-screen escort can face a hostile target at Standoff. Closing or opening range needs plausible propulsion, geometry, time and contested movement where relevant.
07A · Relative positioning & interception
Admiralty uses relative tactical geometry, not a measured tactical grid. Contact range, friendly mutual-support separation, and positional relationship to an operational objective are independent facts. None alone establishes an interception or a firing opportunity. A force's adjudicated position and movement persist from turn to turn until changed by a feasible action.
Operational anchors and relative position
An anchor is the vessel, formation, location or projected movement corridor relative to which position is described. The GM records the anchor explicitly, together with the position and current trajectory. Positions are descriptive, not exclusive rigid zones.
| Relative position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ahead | Along an anchor's projected direction of travel |
| Astern | Behind the anchor along that trajectory |
| Flanking | Offset from the anchor's principal movement corridor |
| Screening | Positioned for a specified protective or observational role; actual mutual support must still be checked |
| Displaced | Outside the immediate engagement or interception geometry |
| Undetermined | Insufficient established geometry; the GM must not assume a favorable position |
These terms describe position relative to trajectory, not spacecraft facing. Intercepting is a maneuver intent, not a positional guarantee.
Movement states and maneuver scope
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Holding / Station-keeping | Maintains the established position or mission station |
| Observing | Monitors a contact without necessarily attempting to close |
| Closing | Attempts to reduce separation or improve position |
| Intercepting | Maneuvers toward a predicted meeting point |
| Screening | Maintains a protective or reconnaissance arrangement |
| Withdrawing | Attempts to increase separation or disengage |
| Transiting | Moves toward a destination or operational anchor |
Minor adjustments (local spacing and routine station-keeping) usually require no roll. Significant repositioning (moving from flank to intercept, closing a contact band, establishing a screen) requires plausible time and may warrant a contest. Major maneuvers (crossing an operational area, substantial pursuit, or major disengagement) may span turns. These are adjudication categories, not compulsory phases or fixed movement-point costs.
Interception status
| Status | What is established |
|---|---|
| Not attempted | No current interception effort |
| Attempting | A maneuver toward interception is underway; the target may still escape |
| Position established | Adjudicated geometry permits a plausible challenge, interception, or engagement subject to other constraints |
| Lost / Aborted | Opportunity was lost, or the attempt ended |
Detection is not interception. A sensor contact may be accurate while the observing ship lacks the position, propulsion capability, time, or target-quality track needed to intercept or fire. Interception position does not compel combat or establish target-quality data.
GM maneuver procedure
- Use the last established relative position, trajectory, anchor and time available.
- Identify the requested position, contact band, or objective.
- Check propulsion/MV, acceleration limits and ALCS if relevant, target motion, track quality, support spacing, and departure clocks.
- Allow clearly feasible uncontested maneuvers without a roll. For meaningful uncertainty or opposition, resolve one existing 2d6 objective test.
- Record the achieved position, movement state, interception status, and outstanding constraints for the next turn.
- Report only spatial estimates the faction's forces could plausibly know; do not disclose hidden locations or orders.
Use one record per independent force or formation; separate ship records only when ships actually separate. No fixed kilometers, coordinates, facing, movement points, mandatory three-stage clocks, or automatic band transitions. Later optional maps may present different information to different factions without redefining this model.
08 · Emissions control (EMCON)
| Mode | Posture | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| I · Silent | Passive sensing; no routine external transmissions / active search | Discretion, slower or limited coordination; not invisibility |
| II · Restricted | Passive monitoring; directed or specifically authorized communications/emissions | Controlled disclosure, less sharing throughput |
| III · Active | Routine radio / active sensors allowed | Stronger tracking and coordination; emissions may reveal source |
| IV · Unrestricted | Full communications, illuminators, targeting and active EW | Operational throughput at potentially substantial signature cost |
Sensor and communications orders can be set separately from the default posture with recorded exceptions. Quiet, low-power internal coordination need not create a detectable long-range broadcast. Electronic deception and active search may reveal their emitter; EMCON has no automatic flat -1 modifier. Relevant opposition modifiers must arise from real equipment and conditions.
09 · The 2d6 resolution procedure
Resolve feasibility → relevant opposing capability → bounded circumstances → one 2d6 objective result → physical and operational consequences → faction-specific reporting. Typical combined modifier range is ±3. Do not roll once per gun, missile, fighter or independent theoretical action when the player ordered one coordinated objective.
| Modified total | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 or less | Failure or frustrated objective |
| 6–8 | Partial success, limited or compromised achievement |
| 9–11 | Success |
| 12+ | Exceptional success |
Dice cannot make an impossible attack penetrate by luck: check target availability, weapon range, approach, ammunition, target data, armor/scale interaction and PD/EW first. Success says whether the attempted objective worked; physical effect and severity depend on installed participating capability, targets and circumstances.
10 · Equipment traits & doctrines
Weapons should have distinct credible niches rather than purely superior replacements. Kinetics offer general sustained fire and armor pressure; beams offer precision and range with high power demand; plasma is effective at close-range thermal pressure without automatic shield bypass; magazine-fed missiles support replenishment, VLS supports concentrated sealed salvos but reloads in port, torpedoes focus heavy guided strikes and remain vulnerable to interception.
Point defense needs actual coverage and readiness. Screens, thermal protection, fire control, EW, target sharing, supply support and command systems matter if their traits apply to the objective. Equipment traits are not free cumulative +1 bonuses. Battle line, standoff missile, torpedo flotilla, carrier, information superiority, layered escort, plasma assault, commerce raiding, fortified defense and expeditionary logistics are viable emergent doctrines, not selectable stat packages.
See the Fleet Doctrine reference for formation summaries and the public Naval Design Bureau for current equipment prices.
11 · Carriers, wings & strikecraft
Embarked aviation is tracked in wings, each initially 3 Strength Points (SP). Strike wings contribute ST, interceptors PD, recon wings SN, and multirole wings share ST/PD. A wing at reduced strength contributes floor(full CPt × current SP / 3) to the applicable mission; at zero SP it must be replaced. Embarked capabilities apply only while the wing is physically available, launched and tasked, not as unconditional bonuses to every action.
Ordinary readiness permits up to two routine assignments per operational turn per ready wing, with supply constraints; surge assignments impose additional risk. Field replacement can restore up to 1 lost SP per wing per turn with suitable parts, or up to 2 at a suitable base. Separate sortie supplies and wing readiness matter. One coordinated strike objective produces one appropriate 2d6 resolution, with provisional attrition allocated to the actual participating wing group.
12 · Vortex movement & preparations
Vortex travel is an authorized campaign capability and is not automatically available to every conventional shipbuilder design. Standard coordinated jump preparations use a 3-turn preparation and one-turn charge sequence; preplanned, organized departures may take 2 preparation turns, and disorganized departures may require 4. A scenario may explicitly amend these prior to orders, as in the current Alpha playtest.
The GM tracks preparation, charging, credible interference and whether each vessel is ready. Neither seeing nor hailing a vessel automatically resets its clock; opposition must physically and plausibly interfere. Preparations can be emission-quiet; actual charge visibility depends on authorized drive and signature facts. The exact destination of another faction is not public merely because its vortex drive is charging.
13 · Acceleration Load Compensation Systems
ALCS reduces acceleration loads for people inside specifically protected occupied volumes; it supplies no thrust, no MV CPt, no flight-speed increase and no jump-clock reduction. Routine operation requires no ALCS. Sustained high-G maneuvers may strain unprotected crews; extreme/overboost maneuvers require plausible engines, vessel structure and adequate compartment protection to sustain human operation.
| Installable module (Alpha) | MU | CP | PU | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Localized | 3 | 10 | 3 | Bridge / essential watchstations |
| Distributed | 7 | 22 | 7 | Principal crew compartments |
| Reinforced high-G | 10 | 35 | 12 | High-load critical stations |
| Habitation segment | 4 | 12 | 4 | Up to 20 habitation units of living area |
Install no more than one principal ALCS type; add habitation segments as appropriate. A failed ALCS during an extreme maneuver may interrupt crew stations or cause casualties, not automatic hull damage. Values and coverage thresholds are provisional Alpha abstractions; existing unprotected ship designs remain legal.
14 · Damage, ammunition, endurance and support
Hull Integrity measures ship survivability; component degradation can reduce ratings without destruction. Damage effects depend on location, protection, severity and credible subsystem exposure. Ammunition is finite: magazine-fed launchers can replenish from appropriate stores in the field, but sealed VLS cells require an approved naval-port refit and an out-of-action reload window.
Fuel Units and endurance
Every Fuel Store provides 1 FU of capacity and costs 1 MU and 1 CP. Fuel is recorded per vessel. A conventional FTL jump deducts the tariff of the installed Economy (1), Standard (2), Fast (2) or Interceptor (3) drive. A declared sustained emergency/high-G burn deducts respectively 1, 1, 2, or 3 FU. The tariff covers the entire transit maneuver as an abstraction, not a claim that tactical engines power FTL directly. Ordinary cruising, stationkeeping, patrol, standard interception, routine combat movement and normal withdrawal do not deduct separately tracked FU. Only sustained exceptional thrust needs the extra expenditure.
Ships may declare a minimum reserve in standing orders. An emergency expenditure below that reserve requires command authorization or credible necessity, not an arbitrary mechanical impossibility. Units cannot spend more fuel than they carry; refueling requires actual compatible supplies and physical access. Vortex jumps use distinct, scenario-defined fuel costs, not conventional tariffs. Existing SL-806 playtest vessels retain their established endurance without retroactive invalidation; new designs and future campaigns use the listed tariffs.
Fuel, supply ships, carrier aviation stores, maintenance stations, crew readiness, repair capability and communications determine how long a fleet can remain effective. Support formations must remain in actual reach; a detached repair tender does not magically replenish a force elsewhere.