Patrol Battle Rules – v. 4.1
1. Command Variants: you are limited to one Command Variant, and only in 2v2 or 3v3 matches. Command Variants are off limits for 1v1 duels. Command Variants consist of BB’s, DN’s, BCH’s and the Command Versions that exist for virtually all designs of standard Cruisers, Light Cruisers, Destroyers & Frigates. These are limited to 2v2 or 3v3 matches since these vessels did not operate alone (in normal circumstances). Refer to the Patrol Battle Matrix for a by race breakdown of BCH’s and DN’s and the other Command Variants.
Some PF races have BCH and DN type vessels that also are full PF Tenders. These will be denoted with an asterisk (*) and mention at the bottom of that races Matrix. These ships will count as both Command and Combat Support.
2. True Carriers: True Carriers are restricted to use in 3v3 battles (see the exception below) and the other 2 ships must be carrier escorts. Further, escorts must have their carriers (so they too will only be seen in 3v3 matches). Refer to the Patrol Battle Matrix for a by race breakdown of True Carriers and Escorts.
Additional escort restriction: The carrier’s escorts can not be of a larger hull class than the carrier they escort. Ex: a Fed NVS (Light Cruiser Hull Class) could have any escorts, as the largest Fed escort is the CL-Hulled NAC. However, a Fed FFV (Frigate Hull Class) could only have FFE’s as escorts. Heavy Cruiser Hulled CVS or Dreadnought Hulled CVA can have any escorts.
Exception: Any Frigate-hulled Carriers (Frigate hull referring to any carriers in that section of the ship selection screen) only require a single escort. All other above rules apply.
3. Only a single Combat Support Vessel may be used, and only in a 3v3. Refer to the Patrol Battle Matrix for a by race breakdown of Combat Support Vessels
Note for the PF races: PF Tenders are not considered Carriers but rather combat support vessels. Escort ships were provided for the PF races, but they have no Carriers to escort, so I have listed them under Combat support vessels as well. Any future mod that is used that provided True Carriers to all races, then those escorts will be subject to Rule #2.
4. ISC PPD Deployment Limit:
If the largest ship in the fleet is of CL(CM) class, then two PPD's are allowed for a fleet of three.
If the largest ship in the fleet is of CA(CC) class, then three PPD's are allowed for a fleet of three.
If the largest ship in the fleet is of DN(BB) class, then four PPD's are allowed for a fleet of three.
5. 1st Gen X Ships: Teams can deploy 1st Gen X-ships in two ways. Option A – A single Heavy Cruiser Hull X ship can be used as a Command Variant. These ships are listed with the Command Variants on the Matrix. All other ships must be non-X. Option B – All Ships in the formation must be X ships. These formations are still limited to single Heavy Cruiser X-hull. 1st Gen X ships for each Race are listed on the Matrix.
Additionally, the use of 1st Generation X-Ships will be restricted to ‘Advanced Era’ Matches. All Advanced era X2 ships (all ships beginning with an ‘X’ – ex. XCA, XCF, XCB) will not be used in Divisional Matches.
These rules apply to restricted designs (above) that were relatively few in number or specialized. When consulting the Patrol Battle Matrix, it is important to remember that the Matrix is simply a list of ships that fall under the above restrictions. All unlisted ships are under no restriction whatsoever and can be used at will.