ZeroSpace 3e EN:Starships

Contents

If this were a starship combat game, rather than a space fantasy roleplaying game, we would make this section much more complicated. A ship's Mass would make Piloting rolls more difficult, different weapons would be more or less effective against different defenses, and so on. But it's not a starship combat game, so this section is deliberately quite simple.

Overview

All starships have four basic systems: Computer, Engines, Sensors, and Mass. Many starships also have Weapons and Defenses, and some starships have specialized equipment such as camouflage fields or tractor beams.

Table: Starship systems

System	Description
Computer	Computer rating adds to crew members' Astrogation and Orbital Mechanics action value
Engines	Computer rating adds to crew members' Spaceship Piloting action value
Sensors	Sensors rating adds to crew members' Sensor Operation action value
Mass	Mass enables the starship to withstand more damage
Weapons	Weapons rating adds to crew members' Starship Gunnery and Star Fighter Combat attack value (AV)
Defenses	Defenses rating add to the ship's defense value (DV) when it is attacked
Other	Other equipment will be described in its entry below

In game terms, starships operate much like characters' personal equipment: the action value (AV) of the character using a starship's systems is equal to the character's relevant attribute plus the rating of the given system. For example, the action value of a character using a starship's sensors would be their Perception plus the rating of the starship's Sensors.

If no crew member with the appropriate general skill is available, the action value of the character making the roll is equal to the rating of the ship's system. For example, if no crew member with the Navigation skill is available, any member of the crew can attempt Sensor Operation rolls. The character's action value would be equal to the ship's Sensors rating.

Order Of Play

As with personal combat, everything that happens in a round of starship combat is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but we make people take turns to keep the game orderly.

The most important factor in determining which starship acts before which is situational awareness. If a starship is not aware of their opponent, then they don't have the opportunity to attack. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat.

However, if the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, or if you would prefer to roll dice to see who goes first, the players and the GM should each make a Perception + Sensors task roll at the beginning of the conflict. Turns proceed each round from the highest roller to lowest.

Combining Effort

Starship combat, piloting, and repair are exceptions to the Combining Effort rules. Combining Effort does not provide any additional benefit: larger starships have more to repair, but they also have larger crews, so it's assumed that everyone who can help with a given task already is, and it all balances out.

Computer

The ship's computer performs two main roles, aside from mundane housekeeping and diagnostic tasks: Astrogation and Orbital Mechanics. If the ship's navigator has expertise in one of these areas, then they get a bonus die when making rolls related to those tasks.

Astrogation

Astrogation pertains to getting from one stellar body to another. This could be two stars, a star and a nebula, or just two arbitrary locations which are not in the same solar system. If the character using the computer has the Navigation skill, their action value (AV) is equal to the character's Reason plus the ship's Computer rating. If the character using the navigation computer does not have the Navigation skill, then their action value is equal to the ship's Computer rating. The difficulty value (DV) is based on how well-known the destination is.

Table: Astrogation difficulty value examples

Difficulty value		Examples
--	Routine	Navigate between two well-documented locations along an established route
3	Challenging	Navigate to an unfamiliar location along an established route, or to a familiar location along an undocumented route
6	Frustrating	Navigate to a location using incomplete course data
9	Nigh-impossible	Navigate to a location using improvised course data

Note that the distance to the destination does not directly impact the difficulty value. However, the more remote the destination, the farther off-course the ship will be on a failed Navigation roll.

Orbital Mechanics

Orbital Mechanics pertains to getting around within a solar system. If the character using the computer has the Navigation skill, their action value (AV) is equal to the character's Reason plus the ship's Computer rating. If the character using the navigation computer does not have the Navigation skill, then their action value is equal to the ship's Computer rating. Orbital Mechanics is usually an opposed roll, because it's not really possible to get lost within a solar system. The typical reason for making an Orbital Mechanics roll is to reach a destination before someone else does. The difficulty value (DV) is equal to the Reason of the other pilot plus the Computer of their ship. On a successful Orbital Mechanics roll, the navigator has plotted a trajectory that will allow their ship to reach its destination several hours ahead of the other ship.

Engines

A starship's engines are its most important asset, because without them, it's going nowhere. If the ship's pilot has expertise in Spacecraft, then they get a bonus die when making starship Piloting rolls. If the character at the controls has the Piloting skill, their action value (AV) is equal to the character's Agility plus the ship's Engines rating. If the character at the controls does not have the Piloting skill, then their action value is equal to the ship's Engines rating. The difficulty value (DV) is based on the complexity of the maneuver being attempted.

Table: Piloting difficulty value examples

Difficulty value		Examples
--	Routine	Landing at a starport or on level ground, docking with a relatively motionless starship
3	Challenging	Landing in violent weather, flying through obstacles, docking with a moving but cooperative starship
6	Frustrating	Flying through an incomplete space station at full speed, docking with a moving uncooperative starship
9	Nigh-impossible	Flying through an asteroid field at full speed, docking with an uncooperative starship at full speed

A failed Piloting roll will usually result in damage to the ship. For every failed Piloting roll, the ship loses one point of structural Integrity. It's difficult to destroy a starship by flying it poorly, but an exceptionally bad pilot can do it.

Pursuit

Closing with another starship requires an opposed Piloting roll. The difficulty value (DV) is equal to the Agility of the fleeing pilot plus the Engines of their ship. If both ships want to close, the roll is not opposed: instead it is treated as a challenging task (difficulty 3).

On a successful pursuit roll, the pilot can decrease the range between the ships by one range band. If both pilots want to pursue the other ship, but one pilot wants to remain farther away then the other, the pilot whose Piloting roll had the larger margin of success dictates the range between the ship on that round. If both ships want to flee, or if one ship wants to flee and the other ship declines to pursue them, the fleeing ships are automatically successful.

Sensors

A starship's sensors are used to find things and to analyze them. The item being sought or examined could be a specific asteroid, a crippled starship, a starship with a camouflage field, or a strange energy reading. If the character using the ship's sensors has the Navigation skill, their action value (AV) is equal to the character's Perception plus the ship's Sensors rating. If the character using the sensors does not have the Navigation skill, then their action value is equal to the ship's Sensors rating. The difficulty value (DV) is based on the subtlety of the thing being searched for or analyzed.

If the character using the ship's sensors has expertise in Sensor Operation, then they get a bonus die.

Table: Sensor Operation difficulty value examples

Difficulty value		Examples
--	Routine	Locate an active starship within long range, locate a familiar energy signature within long range, analyze a familiar energy signature within medium range
3	Challenging	Locate an active starship beyond long range, locate a familiar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within short range
6	Frustrating	Locate an inactive or disabled starship within long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature within long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within medium range
9	Nigh-impossible	Locate an inactive or disabled starship beyond long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within long range

1. Range Bands

Note that making a successful Sensor Operation roll is required each round in order to attack a ship with an active camouflage field. If the character at the controls of the ship with the camouflage field has the Piloting skill, the difficulty value (DV) of the Sensor Operation roll is equal to that pilot's Agility plus the rating of the ship's camouflage field. If the character at the controls of the ship with the camouflage field does not have the Piloting skill, the difficulty value (DV) of the Sensor Operation roll is equal to the rating of the ship's camouflage field.

Mass

Mass rating reflects the physical structure of the ship. A starship which is large or densely constructed will have a higher Mass rating than one which is smaller or less dense.

Integrity

Integrity represents a ship's ability to withstand damage. The higher the starship's Integrity rating, the more times it may survive attacks which impair it. A starship's Integrity is normally equal to its Mass rating. If a ship's Mass permanently changes, its Integrity also changes.

When a ship is successfully attacked, one (or more, if using the optional XXX Margin Of Success rules) is temporarily subtracted from its Integrity. A ship which has lost more than half of its Integrity incurs a penalty die on any offensive or defensive action. A ship which has been reduced to zero Integrity is disabled: it is out of the fight, and it will probably require extensive repairs. Integrity may not be reduced below zero.

Normally, the crew of a damaged starship may repair half of the ship's lost Integrity (rounded down) by working on it for about a day. Further damage may only be repaired at a starship repair facility called a stardock. Most full-service starports have stardock facilities. Barring some extraordinary event, a ship's Integrity will be completely repaired after a week in a stardock.

If the ship has taken some other form of damage, such as damage to one of its systems, this damage is temporary. It is all repaired once the crew has had a day to work on it.

Weapons

A starship without weapons is simply a moving target. Small starships, with a maximum crew of three or four (and often a crew of just one), use the Star Fighter Combat area of expertise. Larger ships, with crews from five up to several thousand, use the Starship Gunnery area of expertise. If the ship's gunners have expertise in these areas, then they get a bonus die when making those rolls.

Starships can attack a number of times per round equal to the ship's rating in Weapons, or equal to the number of gunners, whichever is less (each gunner can only fire one weapon once per round).

In addition to adding to the gunner's attack value (AV), the ship's rating in Weapons dictates the range of its weapons. The range of the ship's weapons are covered in Range Bands, below.

Starship weaponry is much more powerful than the blasters carried by individuals. If a starship weapon is brought to bear against an individual rather than against a structure or another craft, the attack value (AV) is increased by 10.

Star Fighter Combat

Star Fighter Combat pertains to the weapons on small, maneuverable fighter craft, which typically have a crew of one or two -- four crew members, at most. If the gunner on such a craft has the Combat skill, their attack value (AV) is equal to the character's Agility plus the ship's Weapons rating. If the gunner does not have the Combat skill, then their attack value is equal to the ship's Weapons rating. The defense value (DV) is based on sturdiness and maneuverability of the target (see Defenses, below).

Starship Gunnery

Starship Gunnery pertains to aiming large weapons at things, usually from a console. If the character using the weapon console has the Combat skill, their attack value (AV) is equal to the character's Reason plus the ship's Weapons rating. If the character using the weapon console does not have the Combat skill, then their attack value is equal to the ship's Weapons rating. The defense value (DV) is based on sturdiness and maneuverability of the target (see Defenses, below).

Range Bands

As with terrestrial combat, there are five range bands in starship combat: close, short, medium, long, and remote. Standard starship weapons have an effective range based on the Weapons rating of the ship. Due to the vast distances involved, attacking more distant targets is usually not possible. If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the attacker incurs an attack penalty (-3) when attacking a target beyond the ship's effective weapon range.

Special weapons may have an effective range that is independent of the starship's Weapons rating: these are described under Other Equipment, below.

The "typical weapons" listed below are mostly for flavour. They don't usually make any difference in the game. (However, see Point Defense Systems, below.)

Table: Starship range bands

Weapons rating	Range	Typical weapons
1-2	Close	Arc generator, turbolaser, railgun
3-4	Short (10 km)	Disruptor, particle cannon, plasma torpedo
5-6	Medium (50 km)	Nemesis cannon, fusion cannon, proton torpedo
7-8	Long (500 km)	Hellbore, laser cannon, photon torpedo
9+	Remote	Planetary defense battery, warp missile

If you'd prefer to emulate a setting more like Star Trek and less like Star Wars, multiply the weapon ranges by a factor of one thousand. So instead of short, medium and long ranges being 10 km, 50 km, and 500 km, they'd be 10,000 km, 50,000 km, and 500,000 km. (This doesn't actually make any difference in the game.)

Targeting Specific Systems

Before resolving whether an attack is successful, an attacker can declare that they are targeting a specific system: bridge, cargo, computer, crew quarters, defenses, engines, engineering, gravity control, environmental systems, sensors, or weapons. If the attack is successful, the attacker rolls 2d6 and consults the "Targeting starship systems" table. If the attacker's roll is within 0-2 of the desired system, that system is affected as described; otherwise, the system rolled is affected as described.

For example, if the attacker was targeting the bridge (requiring a roll of 2) and rolled a 4, they would have successfully damaged the bridge. If they rolled a 5, however, they would have damaged the starship's computer, reducing the ship's Computer rating to zero until the end of the attacker's next turn.

Targeting a specific system damages a system instead of causing damage to the ship's structural Integrity; the target's Integrity is unchanged.

Table: Targeting starship systems

2d6	System	Effect
2	Bridge	Named crew members on the bridge are struck by exploding consoles or are pinned by falling debris, and incur a penalty (-3) on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn; unnamed crew members are dead
3	Defenses	Defenses are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
4	Engineering	Any systems currently offline remain offline an additional round
5	Computer	Computer is offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
6	Crew quarters	Named crew members in their quarters are trapped until rescued; unnamed crew members are dead
7	Cargo/supplies	Cargo or supplies are destroyed; if the ship has unusual equipment, that equipment is offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
8	Gravity control	Characters without the Zero-G Combat gift incur a penalty (-3) on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn
9	Sensors	Sensors are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
10	Engines	Engines are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
11	Weapons	Weapons are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
12	Environmental systems	Characters who need to breathe incur a penalty (-3) on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn

Defenses

It's a dangerous universe. Defenses, which may be armor, energy shields, or a combination of the two, protect a starship from enemy attacks and damaging environments. If the character at the controls has the Piloting skill, the defense value (DV) of the ship is equal to the character's Agility plus the ship's Defenses rating. If the character at the controls does not have the Piloting skill, then the ship's defense value is equal to the ship's Defenses rating.

Evasive Maneuvers

During the ship's turn, the pilot may choose to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers reduces all attackers' margin of success by 3. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until the pilot takes their next turn.

A ship taking evasive maneuvers is not able to attack (the ship can fire its weapons, of course, but they won't hit anything).

Other Equipment

Camouflage Fields

Camouflage fields are an unusual defensive system based on the theory that an opponent can't destroy what they can't target. Camouflage fields do not provide any protection against direct damage. Instead, an attacker must make a successful Sensor Operation each round in order to attack a ship with an active camouflage field. If the character at the controls of the ship with the camouflage field has the Piloting skill, the difficulty value (DV) of the Sensor Operation roll is equal to the pilot's Agility plus the rating of the ship's camouflage field. If the character at the controls of the ship with the camouflage field does not have the Piloting skill, the difficulty value (DV) of the Sensor Operation roll is equal to the rating of the ship's camouflage field.

If the navigator of the other ship fails their Sensor Operation roll to detect the camouflaged ship, that ship can't target the camouflaged ship with weapons.

Camouflage fields and weapons are mutually incompatible: a starship equipped with both can only use one of them during its turn.

Point Defense Systems

Point defense systems offer additional defense against indirect weapons (any weapon with the words "missile" or "torpedo" in the name). If a ship with a point defense system is being attacked by a ship equipped with any weapon with the words "missile" or "torpedo" in the name, the defending ship gains a bonus die on its defense roll.

Integrity Enhancement Fields

Integrity enhancement fields are a special type of Engineering system which uses energy shields to reinforce the ship's structure. Normally, a ship which has lost more than half of its Integrity incurs a penalty die on any offensive or defensive action. A ship which has Integrity enhancement fields does not incur a penalty die due to lost Integrity, as long as the ship's Engineering system is online.

Tractor Beams

Tractor beams are close range gravitic weapons intended to prevent the target from moving. Tractor beams are targeted like ordinary large starship weapons. If the character using the tractor beam console has the Combat skill, their attack value (AV) is equal to the character's Reason plus the ship's Weapons rating. If the character using the tractor beam console does not have the Combat skill, then their attack value is equal to the ship's Weapons rating. The defense value (DV) is based on sturdiness and maneuverability of the target (see Defenses, above).

However, tractor beams do not inflict Integrity damage on the target. Instead, on a successful roll the Mass rating of the attacking ship is subtracted from the Engines rating of the defending ship for as long as the tractor beam is focused on the target. If the target's effective Engines rating is reduced to zero, the target ship is unable to move.