A Gravity Portal is a shifting gravitational anomaly that transports units through space and/or time. It is especially dangerous as it often is not detected until a unit enters it.

(IP2.11) Gravity Portals cannot be located except by (IP2.5).

(IP2.12) Gravity Portals cannot be damaged, destroyed, tractored, displaced, placed into stasis, or otherwise affected except as allowed in these rules.

(IP2.13) Gravity Portals do not affect previously laid webs. Web cannot be laid or cast within 30 hexes of a Gravity Portal.

(IP2.14) Gravity Portals do not affect planets, terrain, bases, mines, or other stabilized points in space.

(IP2.15) Units can be tractored into a Gravity Portal hex and will be transported on entering the hex, but a tractor beam cannot be maintained through or on exiting a Gravity Portal.

(IP2.16) Units displaced into a Gravity Portal will not be transported by the Gravity Portal.

(IP2.17) Gravity Portals break lock-ons. No unit or weapon may fire through a Gravity Portal. Type-III drones and seeking weapons on ballistic courses that do not have or require lock-on can move through a Gravity Portal without affect.

(IP2.18) Gravity Portals are used to generate scenarios. The destination scenario (IP2.4) cannot be controlled.

(IP2.21) DRIFTING

(IP2.211) Gravity Portals drift 1 hex each turn.

(IP2.212) If a judge is available he secretly rolls for drift and keeps track of the Gravity Portal’s location.

(IP2.213) If no judge is available the defending player performs the functions of the judge. In this case the defending player may not enter the Gravity Portal hex at any time unless he locates it using (IP2.53).

(IP2.214) The judge secretly rolls 1 die during the Allotment Segment of each turn and moves the Gravity Portal’s location 1 hex in the direction indicated by the die roll.

(IP2.215) Only the judge (or the defending player if no judge is available) knows the exact location of the Gravity Portal unless a player has located it using (IP2.5).

(IP2.216) Gravity Portals will not drift into hexes containing stars, planets, moons, black holes, white holes, pulsars, or other similar "massive" terrain. If the die roll places a Gravity Portal in such a hex another die is rolled until a result is obtained that does not place it in such a hex. A Gravity portal will drift through "non-massive" terrain such as asteroids, nebulas, etc.

(IP2.217) If the Gravity Portal drifts into a hex containing a unit, that unit is not transported. Only by moving into a Gravity Portal hex is a unit transported.

(IP2.218) Gravity Portals are not affected by web, black holes, or other terrain.

(IP2.22) GRAVITY WAVE

(IP2.221) Each time the Gravity Portal drifts the judge rolls 2 dice. If the result is a 2 or 12 the Gravity Portal generates a Gravity Wave (P9.4). If a Gravity Wave is generated the judge rolls an additional 2 dice and multiplies the result by 10 to determine the strength of the Gravity Wave. The Gravity wave starts in the Gravity Portal’s hex and expands from that point.

(IP2.222) Players may locate the Gravity Portal’s location (that turn) by noting the origination point of the Gravity Wave (IP2.52).

(IP2.223) If a Gravity wave is generated it is generated in both the originating and exit scenarios.

(IP2.224) If a Gravity wave is generated it is generated it will not affect units in the Gravity Portal hex.

(IP2.23) WINDOWS

(IP2.231) Gravity Portals are only open during certain windows (impulses).

(IP2.232) Windows are open on impulses 2-5, 7-10, 12-15, 18-21, 23-26, and 28-31.

(IP2.233) All units entering during the same window are transported to the same destination scenario.

(IP2.234) Units entering a Gravity Portal hex on impulses when a window is not open are not transported or affected.

(IP2.235) Players determine the destination scenario using (IP2.4).

(IP2.236) Players may escape an impossible situation using Escape (IP2.6).

(IP2.31) EXIT EFFECTS

(IP2.311) Exiting units are placed in the Gravity Portal hex in the destination scenario as indicated by (IP2.4).

(IP2.312) Exiting units have the same speed and facing in relation to the Gravity Portal in the destination scenario as they had on entering the Gravity Portal in the originating scenario.

(IP2.313) No impulses are gained or lost by units exiting a Gravity Portal.

(IP2.314) Turn mode and sideslip mode are reset (C3.45) on units exiting a Gravity Portal.

(IP2.315) Positron Flywheels are reset on units exiting a Gravity Portal (C9.23).

(IP2.316) Exiting a Gravity Portal disrupts fire control (D6.68).

(IP2.317) Exiting a Gravity Portal exposes a cloaked unit on the exit impulse.

(IP2.318) Active ESGs are deactivated on units exiting a Gravity Portal.

(IP2.319) Seeking weapons lose tracking and become inert unless ballistically targeted (F4.0), (IP2.16).

(IP2.32) TUMBLING

(IP2.321) Exiting a Gravity Portal may cause a unit to tumble (C6.55).

(IP2.322) Units exiting a Gravity Portal roll (C6.55) to determine if they will tumble. They cannot use their HET breakdown bonus.

(IP2.323) Units that tumble due to exiting a Gravity Portal DO NOT suffer a breakdown. However all breakdown penalties are applied to a unit that tumbles on exit except (C6.542) and (C6.544).

(IP2.324) Tumbling units also suffer the effects of (C6.55).

(IP2.325) Fighters, shuttles, and ballistically targeted seeking weapons ignore (C6.555).

(IP2.326) If a tug tumbles it’s pods automatically separate as in (C6.56).

(IP2.41) CHARTS

(IP2.411) Sample destination scenario charts are included in Annex IP2. Players are welcome to vary these charts. It is suggested that harder scenarios get the least likely die rolls (for the charts and the scenarios in the charts).

(IP2.412) The player entering the Gravity Portal rolls 2 dice to determine which destination chart (of those selected) to use for that window.

(IP2.413) The player then rolls another set of 2 dice and consult the chart to determine the destination scenario.

(IP2.414) ROLL is the destination scenario die roll result.

(IP2.415) SCENARIO is the destination scenario.

(IP2.416) PORT is the Gravity Portal’s location at the start (first impulse a unit exits the Gravity Portal) of the scenario.

(IP2.417) RACE is the player in the scenario the attacking player will replace.

(IP2.418) DEFEND is the location of the main defending player’s unit or his starting hex.

(IP2.419) NOTES are any changes or other information required to set up the scenario.

(IP2.42) SETUP

(IP2.421) The Gravity Portal is located in the hex indicated as PORT and drifts (IP2.21) from that location.

(IP2.422) If a floating map is used by the destination scenario the Gravity Portal and players may leave the destination scenario map. Units leaving the map where the Gravity Portal is located may keep track of their location relative to the Gravity Portal in hopes of being able to return and locate it to escape.

(IP2.423) If a fixed map is called for by the destination scenario use a tournament barrier (P17.0).

(IP2.43) ATTACKING FORCE

(IP2.431) Units exiting a Gravity Portal are the attacking force.

(IP2.432) Attacking units enter the destination scenario on the impulse that they entered the Gravity Portal.

(IP2.433) The destination scenario picks up from the impulse in which the first attacking unit exits the Gravity Portal.

(IP2.434) Attacking units enter the destination scenario with weapon loading, weapons status, and other allotments intact. Attacking units, unless specified in the rules, lose nothing by their exit from the Gravity Portal.

(IP2.435) Items expended by attacking units prior to entering the Gravity Portal (drones, shuttles, mines, PFs not on mech-links, etc.) are considered expended from the first impulse of the destination scenario.

(IP2.436) The attacking player has only the units that entered the Gravity Portal during the window in which the Gravity Portal was open to the selected destination scenario (unless another window opens to the same scenario).

(IP2.437) The attacking player does not receive reinforcements designated in the destination scenario. Reinforcement may only be received through (IP2.436).

(IP2.438) The attacking force may only disengage by escaping (IP2.6).

(IP2.44) DEFENDING FORCE

(IP2.441) The defending player has the units and uses the rules called for by the destination scenario.

(IP2.442) The weapons status of the defending player’s units are reduced by 1 level from the level specified by the destination scenario (they are really surprised!).

(IP2.443) If the defending player’s units are specified by the destination scenario to be at weapons status-0 they are considered to be surprised (D18.0).

(IP2.444) Defending player units start in the hex or hexes specified by (IP2.418).

(IP2.445) If a defending player base, planet, or other immobile or specific unit are moved in the destination scenario all other defending player units maintain their orientation to this object or unit.

(IP2.446) If the destination scenario does not specify a defending race then the judge will select a defending race.

(IP2.447) If no judge is used the players must set up a chart of defending races by agreement and roll to determine a defending race.

(IP2.448) If a scenario has alternatives the judge may select any listed alternative. If no judge is available then no alternatives may only be used by player agreement.

(IP2.5) LOCATING A GRAVITY PORTAL

(IP2.51) Players may locate a Gravity Portal by noting the hex in which units enter a scenario.

(IP2.52) Players may locate a Gravity Portal by noting the hex in which a gravity wave is generated by a Gravity Portal’s drift.

(IP2.53) Players may locate a Gravity Portal by accidentally entering it.

(IP2.54) Players locating a Gravity Portal by (IP2.51), (IP2.52), or (IP2.53) cannot track its location after it drifts.

(IP2.55) LOCATING USING INFORMATION

(IP2.551) Players may locate a Gravity Portal by gaining 500 points of information on it by any means and maintaining this level of information for 32 impulses.

(IP2.552) Players do not know how much information they have gathered until they have gathered the entire amount needed and the judge informs them of it’s location. The judge keeps track of information gained by each player. If no judge is used the opposing player will track the amount of information gathered by the player in writing.

(IP2.553) Players must specify to the judge when they are attempting to gather such information.

(IP2.554) At the beginning of each turn each player will lose 20 points of gathered information. The information level can never be reduced to a negative level.

(IP2.555) Players who have located the Gravity Portal using (IP2.55) use (IP2.62) to determine their return window.

(IP2.61) METHODS OF ESCAPE

(IP2.611) Units may escape a destination scenario by re-entering the Gravity Portal during the same window in which they exit it.

(IP2.612) Units may escape through a return window (IP2.62).

(IP2.613) Units may escape by reentering the Gravity Portal during any open window and using (IP2.4). This may place them in a worse (or better) situation than they were in when they exited the Gravity Portal.

(IP2.62) RETURN WINDOWS

(IP2.621) Players who locate a Gravity Portal using (IP2.55) may determine when a return window will open.

(IP2.622) A return window will always return a player to the location/scenario from which they originally entered a Gravity Portal, even if they reentered a Gravity Portal and were transported to another destination scenario.

(IP2.623) After locating a Gravity Portal using (IP2.55) roll 2 dice. This die roll indicates the number of turns to the return window turn. If the roll is a 12 and it is turn 3 the return window will open sometime during turn 15.

(IP2.624) If a player’s information level is reduced below 500 information points for 32 impulses after he has determined his return window turn he must gain an additional 50 points of information to roll for a new return window turn.

(IP2.625) On the return window turn roll a die and use this chart to determine when the return window will open:

DIE ROLL 1 2 3 4 5 6

RET. IMP. 2-5 7-10 12-15 18-21 23-26 28-31

(IP2.626) If a player misses a return window he loses 10% of his information level [plus (IP2.554) if applicable].

(IP2.627) Defending player units which enter the Gravity Portal during the same window as the escaping player’s units will follow the escaping player’s units to the originating scenario and must use (IP2.6) to return to their originating scenario.

(IP2.628) Units that enter a Gravity Portal during any window other than the return window use (IP2.4).

(IP2.71) Players may set up their own destination scenario charts. In a campaign players may choose to use a set destination chart for each Gravity Portal.

(IP2.72) Use different destination charts for each direction the Gravity Portal can be entered from. In this case the player must escape using a return window (IP2.62) by entering the destination Gravity Portal on the same hex side that he exited from during an open window. If he enters from any other hex side he must use (IP2.4).

(IP2.73) Reduce or increase the number of impulses/turns between Gravity Portal shifts (IP2.21).

(IP2.74) Reduce or increase the die roll for Gravity Waves (IP2.221).

(IP2.75) Reduce or increase the multiplier for the strength of a Gravity Wave (IP2.222).

(IP2.76) Reduce or increase the number of information points required to locate a Gravity Portal (IP2.561).

(IP2.77) Reduce the number of impulses the windows are open; use (3-5, 8-10, 13-15, 18-20, 23-25, 28-30) or (3-4, 8-9, 13-14, 18-19, 23-24, 28-29) or any other variation.

(IP2.78) Make a Gravity Portal operate in one direction only (i.e., eliminate return windows).

(IP2.81) A Gravity Storm is a Gravity Portal in an Ion Storm (P14.0). They are very rare, but can transfer entire systems/planets, etc. to other sectors of space. This may be how the system of Aurora was transferred to the Omega Sector.

(IP2.82) Within a Gravity Storm ignore (IP2.13) and (IP2.14). It affects terrain, planets, mines, web and other normally stable terrain.

(IP2.83) Due to the confusion of the transfer it takes 30 turns for units (and planets) to realize they have been transferred.

(IP2.84) A gravity storm (gravity portal within an ion storm) has no return window. Units displaced by a Gravity Storm can (by any means) detect (IP2.5) the Gravity Portal, but no return window is available.

(IP2.85) All transferred units are transferred to the same destination.

(IP2.86) Within an Ion Storm, a gravity portal transfers all units/terrain/systems within the Ion Storm (including the Ion Storm) intact to a destination in another sector of space or another galaxy. Players should work out a method of determining the destination.

(IP2.87) The Ion Storm dissipates immediately after the transfer takes place.