Ok, some ground rules for space combat here.
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SHIPS
Ships have the following stats:
Thrust: A general measure of speed
Performance: A general measure of handling
Payload: A ship's ability to destroy large targets (e.g. with torpedoes)
Armour: In two ratings, one for Pilots and one for Aces.
Turrets: Relevant for freighters and the like
Special: Any special rules
In starship situations, Named Characters are called Aces, and Mooks are called Pilots.
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STARFIGHTS
Starfights are when you are trying to blow the crap out of each other.
Each turn, an Ace must declare which of the following actions he is taking:
DOGFIGHT- Attack a random target on the enemy side. Dogfighting never targets Aces unless there are more Aces than Pilots- all these Pilots just get in the way!
HUNT- Attack a specific target. This makes yourself easier to hit, and it also means you lose your immunity to Dogfights. If two pilots Hunt each other, it becomes a Duel... which we shall deal with if it comes.
EVADE- Get the hell out of the way. You cna change to an Evade once all other actions have been declared, but it is not as good this way.
BOMB RUN- Make an attack on a large ship. This involves patience, nerve and targetting. Bomb Runs make you easier to bit and also make you lose your immunity to Dogfights
ESCORT- Cover any ship you choose. You get to attack any ship that attacks your charge. Escorting does not make you easier to hit, but it does remove your immunity to Dogfights.
Pilots always Dogfight by default unless inappropriate (e.g. Bomb Runs). A person in authority can get the attention of a few pilots in his local area to force them to take another action.
ESCAPE- Get out of Dodge! Can leads to c chase.
All actions in Starship combat take the same amount of time, so Initaitve really just gives people the drop.
All Combat rolls are made on Pilot. Your stats give you bonuses in various areas- for example, Thrust is very handy for Escapes. Don';t forget your Pilot Schticks!
If a Pilot is hit, he is destroyed if the Outcome is twice his armour rating or more. If the Outcome is less than that, the Pilot's armour rating is reduced by one.
If an Ace is hit, his armour rating is reduced by the Outcome. The ship is going down at zero.
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CHASES
These are different.
In Chases, we are only interesed in one value- Pep. Pep is equal to the combination of your Thrust and Performance. The person ahead in the Chase gets a bonus to his starting Pep according to how far he is ahead!
Each turn you can try and do two things:
1. Gain Pep. Do this by putitng the foot down, taking short cuts, re-routing power... whatever...
2. Cause enemy to lose pep. Do this by performing insane stunts through asteroids, or twisty manoeuvres to confound a foe. Or, if your Pep scores are close and you are appropriately equipped, shooting at him!
Anyone chasing reduced to zero pep has been lost and is out the chase.
If the person being chased goes down to zero pep, he can flee no longer and it becomes a fight.
Ok, those of you with the 'Ship' merit, could you quickly get to me an answer to these two questions:
1. Size- Light Fighter, Fighter, Small Trader, Large trader (where large trader is Mellenium Falcon size, and is the class below Freighter which is the big bulk stuff)
2. Bonus attribute- Merit ships are a cut above the rest. Choose if you want a bonus of Thrust, Manoeuvrability, Armour, Turrets or Payload.
Ok, stats here then:
LAST LAUGH
Thrust: 1
Performance: 2
Armour: 60
Turrets: 2
Special: Clear target. Is never immune from attacks due to presence of friendly Mooks.
Note- if those stats look low, don't worry; Large traders are basically where everyhting else calibreates up from. Larger vessels cannot fight using these rules.
Sorry, Kall, dunno your ship's name.
Thrust: 2
Performance: 3
Armour: 40
And Cass' fighter...
Thrust: 10
Performance: 11
Armour: 25
TIE FIGHTERS
Thrust: 10
Performance: 11
Armour: 2/15
Special: Hard to hit; -2 to all attack rolls against a TIE.
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Everyone ready? Btw, it is Pilot or Heavy Weapons to fire a turret.