Hidden Ship's Boat Combat Rules

[Supplement Four]

I've been re-reading the CT skill descriptions as I haven't scanned them closely in 15+ years.

Facinating reading. I highly suggest CT GMs re-familiarize themselves with this stuff.

Under the Ship's Boat skill, there's a hidden space combat system! It's a quickie system, but a system none-the-less.

I'm having trouble reading it, though. Maybe there's a typo.

It says:

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Assume a hostile attack on a pinace (small craft) flown by a character with Ship's Boat-2. Throw 10+ for the pinnace to escape on contact and avoid the attack; DM -2 based on the skill. Throw 8+ to avoid being hit by enemy fire if the escape attempt fails; DM -2, again based on the skill. Alternate these throws until either escape succeeds or the craft is hit. If the pinnace is hit, throw 5+ for it to be crippled and boarded; 4- for the craft to be destroyed; no DMs appy to this throw for damage type.
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Looky-there. That, ladies and gents, is Space Combat System for small craft, complete with damage table.

You could easily use it for dogfights out in space.

You can combine it with the Range Band version of Book 2 space combat to settle doggfights between vessels less than 100 tons (I'd probably handle this during the Ordance Launch Phase.)

And, you could also use it for quickie fighter battles within a planet's atmosphere.

There's a lot of little uses for this neat little set of guidelines.



Question, though: Is that -2 DM the skill of the attacker? Or is that a typo, where it should be a +2 DM to help the pinnace in the example escape and made the 10+ roll?

How do you read that?

 

[atpollard]

I think that they meant is as a -2 DM to the REQUIRED roll based on the pilot's skill. So a Ship's Boat-0 would "escape contact" on a roll of 10+; a Ship's Boat-1 would "escape contact" on a roll of 8+; a Ship's Boat-2 would "escape contact" on a roll of 6+; etc.

Yes it is worded a little funny, but you have the correct idea.

 

[Supplement Four]

atpollard, that sounds like a typo, then.

Typical CT description would read: Roll 10+ to escape using a +2 DM for each skill level.

The "negative" 2 is what is throwing me off.

Then I thought...well, maybe they mean the attacker--the attacker's skill making the escape throw harder.

 

[atpollard]

I agree that is must be a typo. With a 10+ required for simple evasion, I would be very reluctant to apply additional –2 modifiers to the roll.

If you wanted to include both attacker and defender skill levels in the equation for more of a ‘dogfight’ feel (instead of a ‘run like heck’ feel), it would be simple to apply the skill levels from both craft (attacker and defender) for a net modifier of +/- 1 per difference between skill levels – but I would be tempted to reduce the evasion roll to 8+ and use 10+ for reversing positions (the attacker becomes the prey).

 

[atpollard]

I found the Ships Boat skill in Book 1, it was intended to be +2:

Referee: Ship's boat skill is used as a DM in handling throws to determine various operations and their results. The following examples should illustrate this concept. Assume a hostile attack on a pinnace (small craft) flown by a character with ship's boat-2. Throw 10+ for the pinnace to escape on contact and avoid the attack; DM +2 based on the skill. Throw 8+ to avoid being hit by enemy fire if the escape attempt fails; DM +2, again based on the skill. Alternate these throws until either escape succeeds of the craft is hit. If the pinnace is hit, throw 5+ for it to be crippled and boarded; 4- for the craft to be destroyed; no DMs apply to this throw for damage type.

 

[FlightCommanderSolitude]

I found the same text as atpollard in my Bk 1; it's a +2 DM to the escape and evade rolls for a character with Ship's Boat-2. I don't recall noticing this little system either; I like that it isn't at all "fiddly", although the odds that the game session will be over before the pizza arrives seem awfully high.

It doesn't take G into acceleration, either - assuming equal piloting skill, the chances for a Shuttle (3G) to outrun a Fighter (6G) are the same as the other way around, which seems ... dubious. Perhaps the difference in G rating could be introduced as a modifier to the escape roll, eg the Shuttle gets a DM -3 on a roll to escape the Fighter, but the Fighter would get a DM +3 on a roll to escape the Shuttle.

In any case, like most of the CT skill descriptions, this one is less a "system" and more a "rough guideline" ...

 

[Supplement Four]

Yeah, I thought of the idea of comparing skills too on the roll. I like that.

I think FCS's idea of using a modifier based on the vessel's G rating is a good idea as well.

Throw those two mods into what's already been written, and I think this is a neat, quickie little combat systems for flying craft and space vessels under 100 tons.

I mean, if I were plotting movement on a grid, using Book 2 Space Combat, I'd go ahead and plot small vessels too.

Where I think this little combat model will be handy is when using Book 2 space combat with Range Band movement.

Or, when you want to do a quick dogfight in the atmosphere of a world.

In those two instances, this is a handy little rule.




Interesting...my LBB 1 uses the +2 DM in the description.

Both my Traveller Book, and my Starter Traveller show the DM as a negative at -2 DM.

I thinking it's a typo as well...and should be a +2 DM.

 

[Icosahedron]

Looks like a definite typo there (or the writers not making their minds up?) I read the negative DM as meaning Skill 2 requires a roll of 8+ to escape, skill 1 would require 9+, etc.

 

[Supplement Four]

It seems like these might make from some useable rules when quickly dicing ground vehicle chases/fights too, eh?

 

[Supplement Four]

You know...these might also be a good set of rules to use when running High Guard combat.

They're certainly set-up to follow a similar pattern during the game round.

 

[Foxroe]

I know that this is an older thread, but I couldn't help myself...

I always thought that since small craft combat was covered sufficiently in Book 2, the verbiage in the Ship's Boat skill applied to a small craft that was evading fire from non-ship sources... bad guys giving chase in an air/raft, surface-to-air missiles, and that sort of thing.

-Fox

 

[boomslang]

I always thought that since small craft combat was covered sufficiently in Book 2, the verbiage in the Ship's Boat skill applied to a small craft that was evading fire from non-ship sources... bad guys giving chase in an air/raft, surface-to-air missiles, and that sort of thing.

This should probably be construed as a quick-and-dirty system to be used on the fly. Note that the escape/dodge rolls alternate; this specifically addresses pursuit situations, rather than proper dogfights. The nature of the mechanic suggests that relative drive sizes are not important and there is some cover to be had: terrain, structures, or other local traffic. This is not a proper deep-space combat system, it's a simple abstraction for PC getaways in atmo and close-orbit situations, methinks. Remember, as per B2, "most small craft are unarmed"...

Also, because I am kind-hearted: Roll 8+, DMs +1 if DEX 10+ and +Vacc Suit Skill, to safely "bail out" if the craft is "destroyed"...

 

[sabredog]

With a little adaptation I came up with these for my universe. They may not be the greatest, but they worked for creating tension and drama to small craft engagements. as well as gave the players some chance for a little tactical planning.

They applied only to small craft of 49 tons or less.

1) Both roll for Advantaging Position: 2d6 + Agility & Pilot/Ship’s Boat Skill
2) Advantaging pilot rolls to hit Disadvantaged craft
3) Repeat Steps 1 & 2 till someone gets shot down or Advantaging pilot disengages.

> BEFORE rolling to hit, the Advantaging player must declare if he is adding his skills into the To Hit roll or Damage roll. This gives him the choice of hitting more often (but with less chance of destroying the target in a single hit) or hitting less often but with more single damaging hits. Only the pilot's skills can be used this way, the computer just tries it’s best to hit.

> TO HIT 8+ DM's = +1 per 2 lvls of Gunnery (if separate gunner is used then 1 per level)
+1 per 2 lvls of Ship’s Boat (if separate gunner not used)
+ Computer Type (bis is counted as one level up)

- Opponent’s skill (as above)
- Opponent’s Computer Type

Damage : 2d6 -1 per 2 Lvls of Gunnery (if separate gunner is used then 1 per level)
-1 per 2 Lvls of Ships Boat (if separate gunner not used)

3 - Destroyed (no ejection)
4-6 Disabled (eject or crash land)
7-8 One weapon destroyed
9-10 Reduce Agility by 1 point
11+ No effect


To eject 9+ on 2d6 DM = ½ Ship’s Boat skill
To crash land w/out injury 10+ on 2d6 DM’s= +1 Vacc Suit
+2 Pilot Armor
+1/2 Ship’s Boat or Pilot
Injury = 2D6 for Pilot Armor
3D6 for Vacc Suit

*Pilot Armor is a gee suit/lightly armored vacc suit designed to plug into the fighter and help the pilot link to systems access and stay alive and conscious during maneuvers. It’ll also help keep him alive in case of hull breach prior to ejection in his encapsulated crash couch.