Making the most out of your Hull hits

[Supplement Four]

I use Book 2 space combat (modified a tad, of course), as it's one of the best (imo) role-playing-centered space combat systems ever designed for Traveller. Book 2 space combat can be played strictly from the "inside" of a ship during the entire encounter.

And, that's exactly what my group did tonight. We played the entire session watching the characters make their desperate run through the asteroid belt as they tried to outrun their attackers.

I spread the deckplans out on the gaming table, used markers to show crewmen positions, and described the action to the players as the entire encounter took place.

I focussed the group on the ship, and we role-played what was happening inside the ship (I kept track of relative ship positions using the Range Band method from Starter Traveller). We'd roleplay damage control. I'd describe the creaks and groans the ship made as the pilot oriented the ship in different positions to acquire a targeting solution.

One character was injured, and we spent time roleplaying out the ship's medic dashing through the bowls of the vessel, crashbag in hand, as he rendered medical aid to the downed individual.

The cargo hold was hit during the fight, and we roleplayed the crew as they (A) tried to find the leak, and then (b) struggled to weld some patch plates over the appropriate area.

It was funny because the plates they used were from a secton of the port corridor where ship's electrician had pulled the floor sections in order to re-wire a conduit (the ship's Computer had been hit, and that's what I came up with for the acutal damage to the computer).

After about 45 minutes (in-game time), a crew of characters, led by the engineer, finally got the ship's single pulse laser working again. The ship's medic had patched up the gunner.

On the bridge, I described what type of energy readings the navigator got from his sensor scans of the enemy ship (trailing some 620,000 km behind the character's vessel), and the player would have to interpret what I would describe.

Needless to say, we had an exceptional Traveller game session tonight.

When I was dropped off, after the game, I started thinking about Hull hits. What did tonight, when a Hull hit occurred, I'd wing it by picking a section of the ship, and, on a whim, I'd say it was despressured...or I'd describe an explosion...one time the pilot actually saw a piece of antenna fly off past the bridge ports, but he checked all systems and didn't find any system performing less than it shoud have (that was kinda funny in the game).

Everytime the ship's hull was hit, though, it took me a moment to first fiture which section of the ship had been hit, and once I knew that, I had to decide what the damage was like.

So, tonight, once I got home, I took a hard look at the ship's deck plans (we use the GURPS Far Trader deckplans) and made a little chart.

This is a D66 chart, and I've weighted the bigger sections to appear on the chart more often than the smaller sections.

What I will do now, next time, when we pick up in the next game session where we left off (the fight isn't over yet!), I'm going to roll on this D66 Hull chart everytime a Hull hit is indicated on the Book 2 starship combat damage charts.

This will be an aid for me quickly locate where the ship was hit, and I can then take that ball and run with it during the game.

I'm posting this here because I thought some of you other GMs out there might be interested in doing something similar with your games. And, if you've got a TYPE A2 in your game, you can even copy this chart as-is (without having to create one for different vessel).

 

[Supplement Four]

I use Book 2 space combat (modified a tad, of course), as it's one of the best (imo) role-playing-centered space combat systems ever designed for Traveller. Book 2 space combat can be played strictly from the "inside" of a ship during the entire encounter.

And, that's exactly what my group did tonight. We played the entire session watching the characters make their desperate run through the asteroid belt as they tried to outrun their attackers.

I spread the deckplans out on the gaming table, used markers to show crewmen positions, and described the action to the players as the entire encounter took place.

I focussed the group on the ship, and we role-played what was happening inside the ship (I kept track of relative ship positions using the Range Band method from Starter Traveller). We'd roleplay damage control. I'd describe the creaks and groans the ship made as the pilot oriented the ship in different positions to acquire a targeting solution.

One character was injured, and we spent time roleplaying out the ship's medic dashing through the bowls of the vessel, crashbag in hand, as he rendered medical aid to the downed individual.

The cargo hold was hit during the fight, and we roleplayed the crew as they (A) tried to find the leak, and then (b) struggled to weld some patch plates over the appropriate area.

It was funny because the plates they used were from a secton of the port corridor where ship's electrician had pulled the floor sections in order to re-wire a conduit (the ship's Computer had been hit, and that's what I came up with for the acutal damage to the computer).

After about 45 minutes (in-game time), a crew of characters, led by the engineer, finally got the ship's single pulse laser working again. The ship's medic had patched up the gunner.

On the bridge, I described what type of energy readings the navigator got from his sensor scans of the enemy ship (trailing some 620,000 km behind the character's vessel), and the player would have to interpret what I would describe.

Needless to say, we had an exceptional Traveller game session tonight.

When I was dropped off, after the game, I started thinking about Hull hits. What did tonight, when a Hull hit occurred, I'd wing it by picking a section of the ship, and, on a whim, I'd say it was despressured...or I'd describe an explosion...one time the pilot actually saw a piece of antenna fly off past the bridge ports, but he checked all systems and didn't find any system performing less than it shoud have (that was kinda funny in the game).

Everytime the ship's hull was hit, though, it took me a moment to first fiture which section of the ship had been hit, and once I knew that, I had to decide what the damage was like.

So, tonight, once I got home, I took a hard look at the ship's deck plans (we use the GURPS Far Trader deckplans) and made a little chart.

This is a D66 chart, and I've weighted the bigger sections to appear on the chart more often than the smaller sections.

What I will do now, next time, when we pick up in the next game session where we left off (the fight isn't over yet!), I'm going to roll on this D66 Hull chart everytime a Hull hit is indicated on the Book 2 starship combat damage charts.

This will be an aid for me quickly locate where the ship was hit, and I can then take that ball and run with it during the game.

I'm posting this here because I thought some of you other GMs out there might be interested in doing something similar with your games. And, if you've got a TYPE A2 in your game, you can even copy this chart as-is (without having to create one for different vessel).

 

[Supplement Four]

Hull Hit Chart for the Type A2 Far Trader ADROIT PURSUIT


The locations in parentheses correspond to the locations on the GURPS Far Trader deck plans.

Also, each location can be depressurized (due to a hull hit) without neighboring locations being effected.


</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">D66
---
11 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
12 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
13 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
14 Boat Bay (5)
15 Boat Bay (5)
16 Fuel Tank Lock (10)
21 Dorsal Engineering (11)
22 Dorsal Engineering (11)
23 Dorsal Engineering (11)
24 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
25 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
26 Port Airlock (4)
31 Ship's Locker (6)
32 Bow Cargo Ramp (7)
33 Crew Common Area (8-10)
34 Crew Common Area (8-10)
35 Bridge (11)
36 Bridge (11)
41 Port Turret (12)
42 Starboard Storage (13)
43 Starboard Airlock (14)
44 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
45 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
46 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
51 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
52 Port Corridor (18)
53 Starboard Corridor (19)
54 Drop Tubes (20)
55 Low Berths (21)
56 Port Fuel Processing (22)
61 Port Fuel Processing (22)
62 Starboard Fuel Procesing (23)
63 Starboard Fuel Processing (23)
64 Ventral Engineering (24)
65 Ventral Engineering (24)
66 Ventral Engineering (24)</pre>[/QUOTE]

 

[Supplement Four]

Hull Hit Chart for the Type A2 Far Trader ADROIT PURSUIT


The locations in parentheses correspond to the locations on the GURPS Far Trader deck plans.

Also, each location can be depressurized (due to a hull hit) without neighboring locations being effected.


</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">D66
---
11 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
12 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
13 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
14 Boat Bay (5)
15 Boat Bay (5)
16 Fuel Tank Lock (10)
21 Dorsal Engineering (11)
22 Dorsal Engineering (11)
23 Dorsal Engineering (11)
24 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
25 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
26 Port Airlock (4)
31 Ship's Locker (6)
32 Bow Cargo Ramp (7)
33 Crew Common Area (8-10)
34 Crew Common Area (8-10)
35 Bridge (11)
36 Bridge (11)
41 Port Turret (12)
42 Starboard Storage (13)
43 Starboard Airlock (14)
44 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
45 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
46 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
51 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
52 Port Corridor (18)
53 Starboard Corridor (19)
54 Drop Tubes (20)
55 Low Berths (21)
56 Port Fuel Processing (22)
61 Port Fuel Processing (22)
62 Starboard Fuel Procesing (23)
63 Starboard Fuel Processing (23)
64 Ventral Engineering (24)
65 Ventral Engineering (24)
66 Ventral Engineering (24)</pre>[/QUOTE]

 

[Hal]

That was more or less the design philosphy behind TRAVELLER: THE NEW ERA in their combat system as well as ship design system. You had to allocate all of the systems locations based on where in the ship they were based on tonnage allocated. Would probably work for your system.

 

[Hal]

That was more or less the design philosphy behind TRAVELLER: THE NEW ERA in their combat system as well as ship design system. You had to allocate all of the systems locations based on where in the ship they were based on tonnage allocated. Would probably work for your system.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Hal:
That was more or less the design philosphy behind TRAVELLER: THE NEW ERA in their combat system as well as ship design system. You had to allocate all of the systems locations based on where in the ship they were based on tonnage allocated. Would probably work for your system.

Yeah, that's one of the (few) things I liked about TNE. They do have some cool starship hit location systems.

What I'm doing here is just turning those "Hull" hits into something tangible (from the Book 2 damage chart).

When a Hull hit occurs, I'll roll on this chart to find a specific part of the ship that was hit. That hit may depressurize the area (not always 100% likely) and may/may not damage systems/stuff in the area.

For example, last night, the Port Airlock was hit. Depressurization wasn't a problem since it was a lock (and nobody was in it), but I did say the outer hatch lock was no longer usable--it having sustained damage from the hit.

Is it fix-able? Sure.

See, but this all lends itself to role playing. Since I'm focused on the "inside" of the ship during the fight, that hit describes what damage the ship sustained. If I wasn't roleplaying on the inside of the ship, with the characters, as they scatter around trying to fix things and such (if I were just pushing counters around a hex board instead--which I sometimes do) I wouldn't worry with the Hull hits. I'd play 'em just as written in Book 2.

But, in focussing on the inside of the ship this way, different situations come up that cause problems for the PCs.

Like when the computer was hit. In a standard Book 2 combat scenario, with counters on a hex map or such, I'd simply let the PCs fix the computer with the 9+ repair roll and move on.

But, last night, being focussed on the inside of the ship, when the computer was hit, I described how the screens on sensors and control panels started blinking--twitching--every so often. We spent the round (space combat rounds are over 15 minutes, so there's a lot of time inside a ship between shots from the enemy vessel) watching the PCs diagnose the problem.

They finally found a junction box had blown fuses and meshed wires--and that junction box was located in the floor access of the port corridor.

To that corridor they rushed, flipped up the deck plates, used their electronics tools, and re-routed the junction--wiring it direction without the breakers this time.

That's the stuff we "assume" happens when we're playing the 9+ repair roll and Book 2 space combat on a hex map.

I basically combined the space combat with the roleplaying on the inside of the ship.

What would have been really interesting (but didn't happen last night) is if the Crew Lounge, just aft of the Bridge, had been hit and depressurized and damaged some grav plates. The guy (with the Electronics skill) was on the bridge when the hit occurred. So, he would have had to cross the zero-G vacuum plane of the crew lounge first, moving through that wrecked room, in order to get to the port corridor where the computer junction box was.

The PCs have to diagnose and come up with ways to fix the hits.

Notice that I didn't include the major areas (like the hold, or the M-Drive) on the Hull chart above. I didn't because those are given attention on the Book 2 damage chart.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Hal:
That was more or less the design philosphy behind TRAVELLER: THE NEW ERA in their combat system as well as ship design system. You had to allocate all of the systems locations based on where in the ship they were based on tonnage allocated. Would probably work for your system.

Yeah, that's one of the (few) things I liked about TNE. They do have some cool starship hit location systems.

What I'm doing here is just turning those "Hull" hits into something tangible (from the Book 2 damage chart).

When a Hull hit occurs, I'll roll on this chart to find a specific part of the ship that was hit. That hit may depressurize the area (not always 100% likely) and may/may not damage systems/stuff in the area.

For example, last night, the Port Airlock was hit. Depressurization wasn't a problem since it was a lock (and nobody was in it), but I did say the outer hatch lock was no longer usable--it having sustained damage from the hit.

Is it fix-able? Sure.

See, but this all lends itself to role playing. Since I'm focused on the "inside" of the ship during the fight, that hit describes what damage the ship sustained. If I wasn't roleplaying on the inside of the ship, with the characters, as they scatter around trying to fix things and such (if I were just pushing counters around a hex board instead--which I sometimes do) I wouldn't worry with the Hull hits. I'd play 'em just as written in Book 2.

But, in focussing on the inside of the ship this way, different situations come up that cause problems for the PCs.

Like when the computer was hit. In a standard Book 2 combat scenario, with counters on a hex map or such, I'd simply let the PCs fix the computer with the 9+ repair roll and move on.

But, last night, being focussed on the inside of the ship, when the computer was hit, I described how the screens on sensors and control panels started blinking--twitching--every so often. We spent the round (space combat rounds are over 15 minutes, so there's a lot of time inside a ship between shots from the enemy vessel) watching the PCs diagnose the problem.

They finally found a junction box had blown fuses and meshed wires--and that junction box was located in the floor access of the port corridor.

To that corridor they rushed, flipped up the deck plates, used their electronics tools, and re-routed the junction--wiring it direction without the breakers this time.

That's the stuff we "assume" happens when we're playing the 9+ repair roll and Book 2 space combat on a hex map.

I basically combined the space combat with the roleplaying on the inside of the ship.

What would have been really interesting (but didn't happen last night) is if the Crew Lounge, just aft of the Bridge, had been hit and depressurized and damaged some grav plates. The guy (with the Electronics skill) was on the bridge when the hit occurred. So, he would have had to cross the zero-G vacuum plane of the crew lounge first, moving through that wrecked room, in order to get to the port corridor where the computer junction box was.

The PCs have to diagnose and come up with ways to fix the hits.

Notice that I didn't include the major areas (like the hold, or the M-Drive) on the Hull chart above. I didn't because those are given attention on the Book 2 damage chart.

 

[Hal]

If you want to be um, sadistic? Have one of the lesser computers hit. Imagine how someone would feel if their hard drive were to suddenly die on their computer at home - and then multiply that by a factor of 10. The ship and its environs is after all, HOME to the pc's. If they don't make backups of their computer drives - imagine all that lost material

 

[Plankowner]

You mentioned that a grav plate hit would make the area null gee. I'm not sure that would happen.

IF the ship was under acceleration or Auto/Evade or Maneuver/Evade-x, then instead of Zero-Gee, that area would feel the full effects of the acceleration/evasion. That might make for an even more exciting time. The pilot would have to coordinate his maneuvers with the player moving across the damaged floor plate, so that someone didn't get flattened against the ceiling during a maneuver to avoid the incoming missile.

Just a thought...

 

[Hal]

If you want to be um, sadistic? Have one of the lesser computers hit. Imagine how someone would feel if their hard drive were to suddenly die on their computer at home - and then multiply that by a factor of 10. The ship and its environs is after all, HOME to the pc's. If they don't make backups of their computer drives - imagine all that lost material

 

[Plankowner]

You mentioned that a grav plate hit would make the area null gee. I'm not sure that would happen.

IF the ship was under acceleration or Auto/Evade or Maneuver/Evade-x, then instead of Zero-Gee, that area would feel the full effects of the acceleration/evasion. That might make for an even more exciting time. The pilot would have to coordinate his maneuvers with the player moving across the damaged floor plate, so that someone didn't get flattened against the ceiling during a maneuver to avoid the incoming missile.

Just a thought...

 

[Supplement Four]

Descriptive Damage


Here are some thoughts GMs may find useful in their games. This is meant as a "creative launching point" for GMs to add some spice to their sessions.

Instead of just saying, "Yeah, your maneuver drive drops a letter code on that hit," or, "No bother--it's just another hull hit--you're ship's depressurized already," consider being more descriptive about what is actually happening to the ship.

A GM can tax the players' credits and set up whole side adventures as the PCs set down on a TL 4 world with a Class C starport, going in search of "a new thruster plate cowling" or "fuel pump specific to a particular make (and TL) of unit".

Have some fun with this.


=================================================
(Damage Results from Book 2 Space Combat)


2: Powerplant
Besides the usual effect described in Book 2, consider that the power distribution node has been damaged (Maybe this is why the PP just dropped a letter code). Maybe the battery backups are destroyed and need to be replaced. Maybe the local computer control system is down.


3: Maneuver Drive
The thruster plates could have taken a direct hit. Maybe the T-Plate cowling is damaged, which is causing the drive to perform at less than optimal level. The local thruster plate control could have been damaged, which will have an effect on the ship's attitude control (which may prevent or hinder the ship's pilot from orienting the ship for an optimal firing solution at the enemy). And, if the ship's single gyroscope is out of whack, the vessel will not be able to alter course--it will remain on a straight-line course until the gyroscope is fixed (the ship has to flip around, bow over stern, in order to apply thrust to "slow the ship down", and this is not possible with the gyroscope out).


4: Jump Drive
If the jump governor is damaged, a ship normally capable of either a J-1 or J-2 jump might be "stuck" at only being able to perform a J-2. The ship's jump drive has it's own, dedicated powerplant, seperate from the ship's main powerplant. If this is damaged, the J-Drive will not function. A starship stores energy inside an energy sink, which is then used, almost instantly, when the ship enters jump. Most modern starships use Zuchai Crystals for their energy sink, and if these are damaged, the ship cannot jump.


5: Fuel
When a fuel hit is obtain, typically about 10 tons of fuel are lost, vented out into space. Internally, the ship's automatic damage control system adjusts the fuel tank's baffles, automatically sealing the rupture, preventing more fuel from escaping. A GM could have fun with a inoperative baffle, requiring a character to suit up in a Vacc Suit and actually enter the fuel tank (usually through the fuel lock in engineering) to fix the baffle--all the while the ship is venting precious fuel out into space.

Of course, a character having to go out onto the hull to patch a hole in the tank from the exterior of the vessel--while the ship is engaged in space combat--could be a lot of fun too.


6-7: Hull
Create a chart for your vessel, as I have done above (second post in this thread) for a Type A2 Far Trader. Whenever a Hull result occurs on the damage table, roll on this chart to figure which area of the ship was acutally hit.

Note that not all Hull hits have to depressurize the compartment. Depressurization certainly occurs in most cases (maybe causing an obstacle for charcters inside the ship to have to "move around" in order to get to a different section of the ship), and many times equipment and objects inside that location are destroyed. But, also consider that many other types of damage can occur as well. Maybe it's a very small, pin-hole leak, that is very hard to track down. If there are viewports in the room, a GM could scare the PCs with a "crack" that is visible in the port.

If an airlock was hit, consider that the airlock is no longer functional--or that the outer hatch is stuck closed (or even open).

Heck, maybe there's a big hole, the size of a watermelon, blown in the side of the hull (describe how, when a character passes by, he can see all the way out into space).

Look at the room location and be creative with what the damage is. For example, a roll of 56, 61, 62, or 63 on my chart above indicates a hull hit either the ship's port or starboard fuel processing stations. A hit here could mean simple depressurization, or could it also mean: (1) that fuel purification plant is damaged/destroyed; (2) the external fuel scoop on the hull is damaged (so scooping operations are not possible until the scoop is repaired); (3) the fuel pump is damaged (causing the PCs to buy refined fuel until they get the pump fixed); (4) the fuel intake cock is damaged/destroyed (which must be repaired before the ship is able to "refuel" at a starport). Even the fuel procesing waste vents, on the exterior of the ship, could have been damaged--something that will make fuel processing dangerous and cost the PCs in credits for repairs later at a starport.

Miscellaneous systems can be damaged with a Hull hit as well.

When a ship's gyroscope is out, it relies on back up attitude control thrusters. This system could be damaged. The reactor dump vent could be damaged, and if this is not fixed, it could get very hot, very quickly, inside the ship.

If the inertial compensators are damaged, then the crew will need to strap into acceleration couches (and ships with high M-Drives will be hampered in making max-G veloctiy changes).

Life Support is another system that can be damaged from a Hull hit. Think about screwing with the ship's lights, temperature, humidity, atmosphere mix...even the sonics (everytime an alarm goes off, the crew can barely hear and communication is minimal in that room!).

Life Support could also mean that some of the ship's food stores were damaged (do they have enough to eat for a week if they jump?). Maybe the fresh water tank is blasted, or leaking (or even: there's fresh water in the tank, but the piping to the staterooms is damaged, so we can get the water out!).

You could also have fun with a hit to waste storage tank--think about the mess that would make.

And, let's not forget the ship's gravitics. Make that system non-operational, and the PCs will have a very serious problem on their hands (especially if most of them don't have Vacc Suit skill have have to make that 10+ Zero-G roll to maintain control).

Externally, Hull hits can do all sorts of damage to the ship. If the jump grid is damaged enough, the ship will not be able to form a jump field bubble (making it impossible for the ship to transmit into J-Space). The ship's landing gear can be damaged, making dirtside visits tricky.

Also, a Hull hit that knocks out the ship's sensor system (maybe/maybe not it's just a dish!) or communications system (maybe/maybe not it's just an antenna!) can mean serious trouble for the PCs.

If you decide the ship's sensors have been damaged due to the Hull hit, you can knock out the entire system (making targeting with the ship's weapons impossible) or just a part of it (pick a damaged sensor system: Longwave and/or Shortwave Radio (used for broadband emergency hails! Also used for RADAR!); Microwave Radio (used for tightbeam communications, tightbeam laser targeting, and MADAR); IR Sensors (heat sensors); Visible Light receivers (that blind computer-enhanced imagery if damaged); and several other types of sensors (like Ultraviolet, X-Ray, and Gamma sensors).

Ships that are fitted with neutrino sensors or densitometers can have these systems damaged/destroyed.

And, let's not forget, the ship's transponder being damaged may lead to some interesting role-playing situations later.

The point here is: A Hull hit can be so much more entertaining in the game than a "usual depressurization and let's move on". It can lead to some interesting roleplaying, whether it's serious (Oh my! The gravity is out, and nobody can make the Zero-G roll in order to operate the ship!) to the not-so-serious but interesting (Oh my! The waste storage tank, which is located in the ceiling over the passenger common area, has been damaged. Here's your mop and bucket.).

Turn a Hull hit into the "push" of your adventure, if you need to. Or, just turn a Hull hit into an interesting problem the PCs will have to overcome.


8: Hold
I won't write a lot about the hold as the Book 2 damage description covers most possibilities. But, a Hold hit is just like an internal Hull hit. Mine the description above for ideas.


9: Computer
The "computer" on a starship is actually an assembly of a multitude of "networked" computers--from the computer used in presurizing the airlock, to the computer that monitors fuel flow into the powerplant, to the simple computer that automatically opens/closes interior hatches when crew members approach, to the computer that correlates the data input from the sensors, etc.

Pick a system on the ship, and there is a computer attached to it.

When the computer damage result is scored on the Book 2 damage tables, this means that there is a problem somewhere in the network, affecting the entire network (providing the "operation" roll mentioned in Book 2).

Besides the obvious things that can go wrong when the ship's computer network is damaged, also consider things like this: The bridge computer's storage drive has been damaged, and the ship just lost the Gunner Interact program (or pick a major program). The internal security system is damaged, and the entire ship is "locked down" (PCs will have to cut their way through the bulkheads to get to specific parts of the ship.). The fire control system thinks there's a fire in engineering, around the powerplant, and halon gas is being jetting into the compartment--those inside have only moments to get out if not already in a vacc suit.

And, maybe it's just something small--like the doppler scanners on the hatches only work sometimes--and PCs tend to walk right into a closed hatch.

Or maybe the holodynamic panels on the bridge have reverted from their user's custom configuration to the panel's default configuration--making it just a tad harder for panel users (the ship's pilot or navigator, for example) to find the controls they need.


10-11: Turret
Besides the weapon becoming non-functinal, the gunner's station could become depressurized. Or, the gunnery controls could become inoperative.

The acutal weapon mount of the weapon might have been damaged--requiring someone to go onto the hull of the ship to assess damage and possibly fix it.

And, maybe the computer link from the navigator's sensor plot to the turret's targeting computer is severed.


12: Critical
System go boom. Play hardball with the PCs.

 

[Supplement Four]

Descriptive Damage


Here are some thoughts GMs may find useful in their games. This is meant as a "creative launching point" for GMs to add some spice to their sessions.

Instead of just saying, "Yeah, your maneuver drive drops a letter code on that hit," or, "No bother--it's just another hull hit--you're ship's depressurized already," consider being more descriptive about what is actually happening to the ship.

A GM can tax the players' credits and set up whole side adventures as the PCs set down on a TL 4 world with a Class C starport, going in search of "a new thruster plate cowling" or "fuel pump specific to a particular make (and TL) of unit".

Have some fun with this.


=================================================
(Damage Results from Book 2 Space Combat)


2: Powerplant
Besides the usual effect described in Book 2, consider that the power distribution node has been damaged (Maybe this is why the PP just dropped a letter code). Maybe the battery backups are destroyed and need to be replaced. Maybe the local computer control system is down.


3: Maneuver Drive
The thruster plates could have taken a direct hit. Maybe the T-Plate cowling is damaged, which is causing the drive to perform at less than optimal level. The local thruster plate control could have been damaged, which will have an effect on the ship's attitude control (which may prevent or hinder the ship's pilot from orienting the ship for an optimal firing solution at the enemy). And, if the ship's single gyroscope is out of whack, the vessel will not be able to alter course--it will remain on a straight-line course until the gyroscope is fixed (the ship has to flip around, bow over stern, in order to apply thrust to "slow the ship down", and this is not possible with the gyroscope out).


4: Jump Drive
If the jump governor is damaged, a ship normally capable of either a J-1 or J-2 jump might be "stuck" at only being able to perform a J-2. The ship's jump drive has it's own, dedicated powerplant, seperate from the ship's main powerplant. If this is damaged, the J-Drive will not function. A starship stores energy inside an energy sink, which is then used, almost instantly, when the ship enters jump. Most modern starships use Zuchai Crystals for their energy sink, and if these are damaged, the ship cannot jump.


5: Fuel
When a fuel hit is obtain, typically about 10 tons of fuel are lost, vented out into space. Internally, the ship's automatic damage control system adjusts the fuel tank's baffles, automatically sealing the rupture, preventing more fuel from escaping. A GM could have fun with a inoperative baffle, requiring a character to suit up in a Vacc Suit and actually enter the fuel tank (usually through the fuel lock in engineering) to fix the baffle--all the while the ship is venting precious fuel out into space.

Of course, a character having to go out onto the hull to patch a hole in the tank from the exterior of the vessel--while the ship is engaged in space combat--could be a lot of fun too.


6-7: Hull
Create a chart for your vessel, as I have done above (second post in this thread) for a Type A2 Far Trader. Whenever a Hull result occurs on the damage table, roll on this chart to figure which area of the ship was acutally hit.

Note that not all Hull hits have to depressurize the compartment. Depressurization certainly occurs in most cases (maybe causing an obstacle for charcters inside the ship to have to "move around" in order to get to a different section of the ship), and many times equipment and objects inside that location are destroyed. But, also consider that many other types of damage can occur as well. Maybe it's a very small, pin-hole leak, that is very hard to track down. If there are viewports in the room, a GM could scare the PCs with a "crack" that is visible in the port.

If an airlock was hit, consider that the airlock is no longer functional--or that the outer hatch is stuck closed (or even open).

Heck, maybe there's a big hole, the size of a watermelon, blown in the side of the hull (describe how, when a character passes by, he can see all the way out into space).

Look at the room location and be creative with what the damage is. For example, a roll of 56, 61, 62, or 63 on my chart above indicates a hull hit either the ship's port or starboard fuel processing stations. A hit here could mean simple depressurization, or could it also mean: (1) that fuel purification plant is damaged/destroyed; (2) the external fuel scoop on the hull is damaged (so scooping operations are not possible until the scoop is repaired); (3) the fuel pump is damaged (causing the PCs to buy refined fuel until they get the pump fixed); (4) the fuel intake cock is damaged/destroyed (which must be repaired before the ship is able to "refuel" at a starport). Even the fuel procesing waste vents, on the exterior of the ship, could have been damaged--something that will make fuel processing dangerous and cost the PCs in credits for repairs later at a starport.

Miscellaneous systems can be damaged with a Hull hit as well.

When a ship's gyroscope is out, it relies on back up attitude control thrusters. This system could be damaged. The reactor dump vent could be damaged, and if this is not fixed, it could get very hot, very quickly, inside the ship.

If the inertial compensators are damaged, then the crew will need to strap into acceleration couches (and ships with high M-Drives will be hampered in making max-G veloctiy changes).

Life Support is another system that can be damaged from a Hull hit. Think about screwing with the ship's lights, temperature, humidity, atmosphere mix...even the sonics (everytime an alarm goes off, the crew can barely hear and communication is minimal in that room!).

Life Support could also mean that some of the ship's food stores were damaged (do they have enough to eat for a week if they jump?). Maybe the fresh water tank is blasted, or leaking (or even: there's fresh water in the tank, but the piping to the staterooms is damaged, so we can get the water out!).

You could also have fun with a hit to waste storage tank--think about the mess that would make.

And, let's not forget the ship's gravitics. Make that system non-operational, and the PCs will have a very serious problem on their hands (especially if most of them don't have Vacc Suit skill have have to make that 10+ Zero-G roll to maintain control).

Externally, Hull hits can do all sorts of damage to the ship. If the jump grid is damaged enough, the ship will not be able to form a jump field bubble (making it impossible for the ship to transmit into J-Space). The ship's landing gear can be damaged, making dirtside visits tricky.

Also, a Hull hit that knocks out the ship's sensor system (maybe/maybe not it's just a dish!) or communications system (maybe/maybe not it's just an antenna!) can mean serious trouble for the PCs.

If you decide the ship's sensors have been damaged due to the Hull hit, you can knock out the entire system (making targeting with the ship's weapons impossible) or just a part of it (pick a damaged sensor system: Longwave and/or Shortwave Radio (used for broadband emergency hails! Also used for RADAR!); Microwave Radio (used for tightbeam communications, tightbeam laser targeting, and MADAR); IR Sensors (heat sensors); Visible Light receivers (that blind computer-enhanced imagery if damaged); and several other types of sensors (like Ultraviolet, X-Ray, and Gamma sensors).

Ships that are fitted with neutrino sensors or densitometers can have these systems damaged/destroyed.

And, let's not forget, the ship's transponder being damaged may lead to some interesting role-playing situations later.

The point here is: A Hull hit can be so much more entertaining in the game than a "usual depressurization and let's move on". It can lead to some interesting roleplaying, whether it's serious (Oh my! The gravity is out, and nobody can make the Zero-G roll in order to operate the ship!) to the not-so-serious but interesting (Oh my! The waste storage tank, which is located in the ceiling over the passenger common area, has been damaged. Here's your mop and bucket.).

Turn a Hull hit into the "push" of your adventure, if you need to. Or, just turn a Hull hit into an interesting problem the PCs will have to overcome.


8: Hold
I won't write a lot about the hold as the Book 2 damage description covers most possibilities. But, a Hold hit is just like an internal Hull hit. Mine the description above for ideas.


9: Computer
The "computer" on a starship is actually an assembly of a multitude of "networked" computers--from the computer used in presurizing the airlock, to the computer that monitors fuel flow into the powerplant, to the simple computer that automatically opens/closes interior hatches when crew members approach, to the computer that correlates the data input from the sensors, etc.

Pick a system on the ship, and there is a computer attached to it.

When the computer damage result is scored on the Book 2 damage tables, this means that there is a problem somewhere in the network, affecting the entire network (providing the "operation" roll mentioned in Book 2).

Besides the obvious things that can go wrong when the ship's computer network is damaged, also consider things like this: The bridge computer's storage drive has been damaged, and the ship just lost the Gunner Interact program (or pick a major program). The internal security system is damaged, and the entire ship is "locked down" (PCs will have to cut their way through the bulkheads to get to specific parts of the ship.). The fire control system thinks there's a fire in engineering, around the powerplant, and halon gas is being jetting into the compartment--those inside have only moments to get out if not already in a vacc suit.

And, maybe it's just something small--like the doppler scanners on the hatches only work sometimes--and PCs tend to walk right into a closed hatch.

Or maybe the holodynamic panels on the bridge have reverted from their user's custom configuration to the panel's default configuration--making it just a tad harder for panel users (the ship's pilot or navigator, for example) to find the controls they need.


10-11: Turret
Besides the weapon becoming non-functinal, the gunner's station could become depressurized. Or, the gunnery controls could become inoperative.

The acutal weapon mount of the weapon might have been damaged--requiring someone to go onto the hull of the ship to assess damage and possibly fix it.

And, maybe the computer link from the navigator's sensor plot to the turret's targeting computer is severed.


12: Critical
System go boom. Play hardball with the PCs.