Raiders of the Rim:StarshipRules

These are homebrew rules for Star Wars starships in Raiders of the Rim, based on Starblazer, Fate of the Stars, Tachyon Squadron, and other sources.

Starship Design

Ships have 4 basic Skills plus Scale. The basic Skills (attributes, whatever) are Drives, Systems, Guns and Shields. Respectively, these allow you to speed, box clever, shoot and defend better the more points you have. Each basic Skill category also gets a series of Stunts, representing special features and advanced systems.

Ships also have two Stress tracks: Hull and Systems. These are both x 2 the ship's Scale, so a Tie Fighter with Scale 1 has 2 boxes in its Stress tracks.

When building a ship, players get 1 basic Skill point per point of Scale, and 1 point for Stunts or further Skills enhancement. So, with a Scale 3 light freighter or yacht, you get 3 basic Skill points to enhance the ship's starting Mediocre +0 level in the 4 basic Skills. You get an additional 3 points for Stunts or to further enhance the basic Skills. (Note that a typical ship design is unarmed and unshielded at Skill 0 - you need Skill points in Guns and Shields to arm up.)

For all starship Skills, a character Skill caps a starship Skill or Stunt. So, with a high Pilot skill, tests will be against the Pilot skill level, not the ship's Drives rating. A skilled crew member can wring extra performance out of unpromising machinery. That said, if a crew Skill exceeds a ship Skill and the result is a failure, damage or other stress/consequences are increased by the difference between the crew Skill and the ship Skill, representing overstrained machinery failing.

The following is a selection of Stunts for the four basic Skill areas for ships. GMs or players can always come up with similar Stunts based on these principles.

Drives

• Fast ship - +2 Drives bonus for sublight tests involving speed, especially when Closing to Engage
• Advanced hyperdrive - reduces transit time in hyperspace, halves jump fuel consumption, maximizes 1 dice in jump rolls
• Advanced astrogation - reduces calculation time for jump to lightspeed, calculation becomes a half turn action rather than a full turn, +2 for jump rolls
• Maneuverability - (Scale 3 maximum) +2 in Pilot vs Pilot contests, or other tests of Pilot maneuvering skills

Systems

• Enhanced sensor suite - +2 in Systems vs Systems tests for detection; +1 zone range for detection
• Stealth suite - +2 in Systems vs Systems tests for escape and evasion or passing undetected
• Stasis pods - 10x base passenger capacity in stasis pods
• Passenger deck - double base passenger capacity
• Mining systems - tractors, fusioncutters and nets for detaching and catching minerals in space
• Enhanced hold - double base cargo capacity, special environmental fittings for handling exotics
• Shuttle/dropship - Scale 2 subsidiary ship
• Enhanced database - maximize 1 dice on any Knowledge or Investigation roll on board
• Enhanced engineering - maximize 1 dice on any Engineering roll on board

Guns

• Proton torpedoes - missile weapon (1 shot per Scale point only)
• Tractor beam - Guns vs Drives/opposing Pilot contest against target to capture it (only your Scale or below)
• Hyperdrive inhibitor - Guns vs Drives contest against target to prevent its escape to hyperspace
• Ram - ship hardened with offensive ram, Pilot vs Pilot contest in same zone, no Shields protection, rammer talks half damage
• Exotic weapon - unusual technology, doubling repair time for inflicted damage
• Super weapon - (Scale 6 minimum) devastating WMD

Shields

• Enhanced shields - +2 to Shields
• Hardened - +1 Stress box for both Hull and Systems
• Decoys - +2 in defensive moves in conflicts (1 shot per Scale point only)
• Point defense - (Scale 4 minimum) +2 Shields attack on small craft inside deflector shields

Starship Navigation

Aside from the special cases detailed below, many of the skills and especially stunts of starship construction don't apply when it comes to ship navigation. This is assumed to proceed relatively smoothly, except when the GM rules otherwise and requires rolls.

The rules for starship navigation are based on Fate's Zone system, and are inexact when it comes to speed and distance.

• Same Zone: Point-blank range, docking distance, deflector shield perimeter for snub fighter attacks
• 1 Zone distance: Close beam weapon range, near visual observation range
• 2 Zones distance: Long beam weapon range, same orbit
• 3 Zones distance: Extreme detection range, interlunar distances
• 4 Zones distance: Interplanetary distances

Closing the distance between two friendly vessels seeking to rendezvous doesn't require a test. Pursuits follow usual Fate rules. As soon as ships are within 2 Zones of each other, they can initiate an engagement.

Asteroid Fields

An asteroid field adds +1 to +2 to a ship's chances of evading detection while in the field, but periodic Pilot rolls need to be made to avoid damage to the ship. The difficulty of these rolls and the resultant damage are up to the GM. Miners may also elect to scour through asteroid fields for their riches. All kinds of exotic asteroid fields abound in the galaxy, including ones haunted by or composed of living beings, radioactive or electromagnetic fields, etc.

Hyperspace Jumps

A hyperspace jump requires a starship to be at least 2 zones distant from a planet's surface, or any object as large as a small planetoid. Calculations for the jump to lightspeed, made with Computing or the ship's Drives skill, take at least one round of calculations, although with the Advanced Astrogation stunt, this becomes a subsidiary action in a round.

These hyperspace jump range calculations are based on the canonical 6 weeks of hyperspace travel from the Galactic Rim to the Core Worlds along one of the major hyperspace lanes.

A standard hyperspace jump can cover roughly 1 parsec (3.26 ly) per point of Difficulty. The relevant roll is dictated by the ship's Drives rating, and other factors. So, a 1-parsec jump requires a +1 success, a 2-parsec jump a +2 success, and so on. This total can be influenced by external environmental factors. For instance, a hyperspace lane typically lowers the Difficulty (increases the range) of a jump by 1, or even 2, while a miscalculated jump or local environmental interference may raise the Difficulty by 1 or far more.

After each jump, a starship needs to stop and recalibrate its hyperdrive, and make the calculations for the next jump, at the new Difficulty. Consequences of a hard failure can include flying into the heart of a star, or other equally unpleasant outcomes.

A hyperspace jump takes an unpredictable but limited amount of time - usually around 3 hours per parsec - and a lot of fuel. Typically, each point of Difficulty burns 10% of the ship's fuel supply.

Starship Combat

These are the specialized rules for starship combat.

Detection

Starships have to detect each other to enter combat. Detection is a Systems vs Systems test, modified by advanced sensor suites, asteroid fields, stealth suites, etc. Unless a ship has a definite reason, orders, etc. to continue scanning, it cannot keep trying to detect until it finds a target; the first failure is definitive. However, once detected, a target is tagged, and cannot evade unless it can change the situation (e.g. fly into an asteroid field) to allow a fresh test.

Closing to engage

Once detected, ships need to move to within engagement range to start a combat. If a ship wants to avoid combat, it can do a series of Pilot vs Pilot tests as per a typical chase, with Drives (and the Fast Ship stunt) as a bonus on each side. The pursuer may also be a torpedo as well as another starship. Typically, closing within 2 zones of the target is enough to allow an engagement to begin.

Engagement

On entering an engagement, the combatants each make a Pilot roll, taking up a full turn. The result is their position on the engagement ladder.

The engagement ladder determines the combatants' relative tactical positions and firing sequence. This also applies to torpedoes as well as manned craft. The engagement ladder is also closely tied to the possible actions for each combatant in each turn.

At the end of each turn, combatants move 1 level down the engagement ladder, unless the turn's outcome determines otherwise.

Once a ship has exited the bottom of the engagement ladder, it has moved out of engagement range. Combatants are then assumed to be 2 zones apart, and if an aggressor wants to re-initiate combat, it has to close to engage as before, with the same Pilot vs Pilot tests.

Engagement Actions

The following are some of the standard engagement actions available to combatants. Others may be available depending on Guns and Systems types, and other factors.

Actions basically take half or all of each turn; 2 half actions can both be done in a single turn.

Actions require a roll of the relevant skill to succeed. For the majority of actions, the skill is Pilot. For pure gunnery actions (e.g. Snap shot), the skill is Shoot (or Guns). Crew manning turrets and other installations cannot do Pilot actions, but can do other actions separately.

Attack Actions

• Desperate attack (full turn): Spend a Fate point to climb 2 levels on the engagement ladder, then attack a ship at or below your new level.
• On their tail (full turn): Position yourself in the level directly above your target on the engagement ladder. Attack your target with a +2 bonus to your attack roll, increasing by +1 each turn.
• Targeted attack (full turn): Target and degrade Drives, Guns, Shields or Systems, by 1 point per shift. Success with style allows removal of 1 stunt per attack.
• Inside their shields (full turn): Insert yourself behind the Shields of a target of Scale 4 or above in the same level on the engagement ladder, and attack with Shields damage reduction ignored.
• Snap shot (half turn): Attack a ship at your level or below on the engagement ladder.
• Return fire (second half): Return fire against an attacking ship above you on the engagement ladder at -2 on Guns, if you are Scale 3 or above.
• Grapple and board (second half): Attack action, Pilot vs. Pilot, against target on same level of engagement ladder and lower Drives. If aggressor wins, they can grapple and board the target.

Non-Attack Actions

• Create an advantage or overcome (either half of turn): As standard Fate Core actions.
• Push (second half): Overcome action, Pilot vs. Pilot. If aggressor wins, they push defender down the engagement ladder.
• Evade (half turn): Maneuver to dodge incoming fire; Defend with Pilot vs. Shoot (or Drives vs. Guns).
• Repair (second half): Overcome action with Engineering vs. Fair (+2) to clear one damage instance.
• Pickup (full turn): Pick up a stranded pilot, jettisoned cargo canister, asteroid ore chunk, etc.
• Shake off a tail (full turn): Overcome action, Pilot vs. Pilot. If successful, both reposition in next turn.
• Reposition (either half of turn): Overcome action with Pilot. Position your ship at or below new result on engagement ladder. Do not degrade.
• Point defense (second half): +2 attack against any ship inside shields.
• Bug out (second half): Overcome action with Pilot vs. Fair (+2) to break off engagement. Requires no tail, and no opponent at same level.
• Jump to lightspeed (full turn): Calculate and initiate hyperspace jump. Requires no tail and at least 2 levels of separation on engagement ladder. Can be cut to half a turn with Advanced Astrogation.

Damage

Starships have two Stress tracks, one for Hull, the other for Systems. Each ship also has the usual Mild, Moderate and Serious Consequence boxes, with the usual 2, 4 and 6 shift values. The attacker decides which is targeted for each attack. The special Targeted Attack Action also allows even more specific targeting. Shields reduce the amount of damage done by the Shields value (but see below).

Each Consequence box filled for Systems does a corresponding amount of damage to Systems stunts. Each Consequence box filled for the Hull has potentially damaging or fatal effects as follows:

• +4: Hull breach, cargo compartment; cargo lost, no injuries.
• +3: Hull breach, crew compartment; 1 crew takes 1 roll damage.
• +2 Hull breach, crew compartment; all crew take 1 roll damage
• +1: Life support failure; crew have to reach escape pods or survive on suit air
• 0: Radiation leak; all crew take 1 roll radiation damage/round until fixed
• -1: Loss of control; ship maneuvers/repositions at random until helm repaired
• -2: Catastrophic outage; ship dead in space, no drives or internal power
• -3: Catastrophic failure; ship explodes, crew have time to reach escape pods
• -4: Catastrophic detonation; ship explodes, no chance of escape

Shields

Shields usually absorb damage equal to their rating. However, a torpedo, snub pilot, or other threat may be able to penetrate within shield radius. If so, Shields provide no protection against that damage.

Torpedoes

Torpedoes are small (Scale 0) guided missiles, usually with +3 Pilot and +3 Drives, with the Fast Ship and Maneuverability stunt. They home in on a target designated at launch, and aim to reach the same zone as the target. Once in the same zone, they explode. Damage depends on the payload, but is a standard +6.

Torpedoes can be fired both outside and inside an engagement. If fired or entering an engagement, they have to reach the same level on the engagement ladder to successfully detonate. If fired during an engagement, they can perform the "Inside their shields" attack. If their target is destroyed or shakes them off before they detonate, they explode, doing damage to all ships, friendly or hostile, at the same level in the engagement ladder.

In its terminal guidance phase, a torpedo can perform the "Inside their shields" action, if it succeeds in a Pilot vs Systems roll against the target.