Starship Combat Question

[Stilleon]

This deals with te rules for vesel combat on pages 159 to 160 of T20 Handook. For Pilot/Driver actions I have a few questions:

1. Starship pilots don't use adjust speed maneuver because (according to p155) relative speed applies to vehicle and personal combat only. (TRUE OR FALSE)

2. Adjust Range Maneuver: The pilot who wins the contest may elect to increase, decrease or maintain the distance between vehicles. BY how much can they change? Is it one range increment (i.e. Long to Medium or Long to Extra Long)?

Thank you

 

[Stilleon]

Thatls for all the great responses... NOT!

 

[Stilleon]

Thanks for all the great responses... NOT!

 

[far-trader]

<edited>

Try not to take it the wrong way Stilleon. Its just that your questions are on a subject that more than a few of us have asked about before.

Maybe your questions got missed by someone who could help. Or maybe no one feels confident in their answer. Or who knows. Anyway, a polite bump might have garnered more help than a snub, however justified you feel. Just my opinion.

For what its worth, I'm too busy at this moment but will have a look later and see if I can help you.

 

[Spyder_GS]

Stilleon,

Ultimately, the GM decides. You have to use what works for you. Personally I would use a speed modification. It makes sense and even computers can miss.

The adjust range maneuver has been used in my game and we use the one range increment.

To be honest, there are a lot of things about the space combat that I don't like and as soon as I find one that works as well as I think it should, I'll be switching to that. I'll let you know if I find any.

As to the five day lag in a response, my apologies, while I tend to check the boards daily, I don't check everything and probably missed your post. I am certain many others in the forum have done the same, while many of those that read and didn't respond probably have not approached space combat.

Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[Flynn]

From what I infer from the way T20 reads to me, the answer to the second question is one range band, up or down, not a specific distance.

I believe that the "Adjust Speed" maneuver is not addressed as such, but rather disguised under the "Adjust Range" maneuver, so perhaps that answers the first question. Still, either way, I don't use the relative speed table in Space Combat, because the modifiers reach ridiculous levels at the speeds that starships cover interplanetary space. Instead, I just use range modifiers and go on.

Just some thoughts,
Flynn

 

[far-trader]

I think Spyder covered it pretty well. The way I read it I'd disagree with him on the first, it seems pretty clear that "Adjust Speed" is for vehicles and "Adjust Range" is for vessels. But like he said to each their own.

As for the amount to adjust range by I think the intention was to make it by space combat range increments, just for simplicity.

Like Spyder I'll probably use something else, either an adapted version of "The Role-Playing Space Combat System"* or some set of house rule modded 20 Advanced Combat.

* Put out as a free for use download (pdf available here*) for T4. Copyright 1996 by Joseph E. Walsh. Collaboration by Eris Reddoch, Guy "Wildstar" Garnett (who did the great QSDS, also a download there), and Allen Shock.

* Curses, the link is 404 now

Anybody have BITS current webby handy?

 

[mike wightman]

Try here

for a link to BITS, and look in the Archive for the Role Playing Space Combat System.

 

[Stilleon]

I appreciate all the help on the matter.

I can see that there is a little debate on the matter. I definatly want to keep this an abstract combat and will try and make it work. I guess the major downfall for me is that the vessel's acceleration doesn't really factor in. It seems that a 1-G ship has an equal chance of outrunning another 1-G ship or a 3-G ship?

I'll check out the BITS article for some ideas. Thanks everyone.

 

[Stilleon]

Originally posted by far-trader:
<edited>

Try not to take it the wrong way Stilleon. Its just that your questions are on a subject that more than a few of us have asked about before.

I am sorry, I was unaware of the previous discussions as I just bought the book last week. But I see my bump, polite or short tempered as it was, helped a lot. Thank you.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Stilleon:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by far-trader:
<edited>

Try not to take it the wrong way Stilleon. Its just that your questions are on a subject that more than a few of us have asked about before.

I am sorry, I was unaware of the previous discussions as I just bought the book last week. But I see my bump, polite or short tempered as it was, helped a lot. Thank you. </font>[/QUOTE]You're welcome, and as you say it did get some notice

If only it had had a smiley after that NOT I'd have been laughing.

No need to apologize for not knowing, there is a lot to wade through on these boards (some worth it some less so ). The search function is quite handy and quick if you stick to one forum at a time. The trick is of course to set the right search parameter, the simpler the better of course, usually. Its also like most things, if the right person sees it at the right moment, bang, you have your answer

And a belated unofficial official welcome aboard

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Stilleon:

It seems that a 1-G ship has an equal chance of outrunning another 1-G ship or a 3-G ship?

Yeah, on the face of it at least. I'm not sure if the Pilot skill checks allow the use of the maneuver drive rating, agility, and/or computer as mods, but it would be an easy house rule to adopt and let the better ship have an edge. That's probably how I'd do it for quick play. Hmm, and perhaps Command and Tactics too if applicable.

 

[Flynn]

The modifiers on the Adjust Range skill check are listed on pg 160, and include a bonus for having a higher acceleration. Personally, I'd let each side just add their current acceleration in Gs to the dieroll, and the difference will come out in the wash, so to speak.

Hope that helps,
Flynn

 

[Stilleon]

Thanks Flynn... I missed that modifier chart. But yoursuggestion of addng the accel to the die roll seems the most elegant in simplicity.

 

[woodle]

Stilleon, On the range issue i also use the range chart on the GM screens. They provide a random rolled distance if players want an exact distance from one ship to another.