Starship Ops
Playtesting
Keep the ship scenes fast, cinematic, engaging. Resolve scenarios through full crew participation, or wager it all on a single roll.
Everyone To Your Stations!
First, choose a Captain. The Captain will manage a pool of command points, and select the next station to act in the turn.
Next, choose Stations. Stations may activate special moves by spending command points, or hold their action and build the command pool.
Then, Helm tests for initiative -- an opposed roll, 2D + Helm vs the opposing helms -- before the Captain calls the first station. The other ships might go first!
The Command Pool
The command pool starts when the ship's first turn in the scene begins, at 0 + 1 for every Leader rank of the Captain. It does not refresh; stations must replenish it (see Station Actions). The pool goes away when the scene is over.
Crew Stations
Every ship scene, each player chooses a station. These may be determined by highest relevant skill, but a high ability score or two can work in a pinch. Remember you must use all your abilities before you can use one of them again. Untrained starship skills are difficult: -4 to tests of self and competition (see Skills).
| Station | Skill |
|---|---|
| Captain | Leader (rank = starting command points) |
| Helm | Helm |
| Gunner | Gunnery |
| Engineer | Engineer |
| Comms/Sensors | Electronics |
| Deckhand | Mechanics; Astro/Cosmo |
Station Actions
Each station has its own set of actions. Once command points are committed to the action, the station rolls the test as appropriate and the action happens. Command points spent on the move are added to the roll if it is a test of competition, and subtracted from the roll if it is a test of self.
Any station can "hold position" in lieu of acting and add a command point to the pool. If they make a successful test of self they can add 2, but if they fail the check then no command points are added.
Captain. Chooses which station acts next, and manages the pool of command points for the crew. The captain may support one position per turn, providing 2 command points to that station by doing so, and may opt to take a Crisis instead of hits on the ship. Should one of the crew become disabled or die, the pool loses a command point -- if none are available, a -1 deficit is created. Leader skill rank is the number of starting command points; if no Leader skill, start at zero.
The other stations' actions and their command point (CP) costs:
| Action | CP |
|---|---|
| Helm | |
| Evade Incoming Fire | 2 |
| Pursue an Escaping Target | 3 |
| Escape a Pursuer | 4 |
| Gunner | |
| Target Lock | 1 |
| Fire Single Weapon | 2 |
| Fire All Weapons | 3 |
| Engineer | |
| Boost Thrusters | 2 |
| Divert Power to Another Station | 3 |
| Emergency Repair | 3 |
| Comms/Sensors | |
| OMG! H@xX!!! | 2 |
| Local Lockdown | 2 |
| Project Sensor Ghost | 2 |
| Deckhand | |
| Damage Control | 2 |
| Deal with a Crisis (requires a skill check) | 0 |
| Stand-by (adds 1 CP to the pool) | +1 |
| Any Station | |
| Hold Position (adds 1 CP; 2 on a successful test of self, 0 on a failed one) | +1 |
Ship Crises
Starships only have so many hits, and when they're gone the ship is destroyed. Hits can be repaired, but in some cases, you may want to trade a round of hits for a Crisis instead. In that case, roll 1D on the table below.
| 1D | Crisis | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crew Injury | 2D damage. Choose a crew member and narrate the circumstances of their injury. They may make a physical save for 1/2 damage. |
| 2 | Disabled System | 1D turns to fix. Roll 1D on the Disabled System table for which system. |
| 3 | Hull Breach | Fix now or take 2D hits. |
| 4 | Fuel Loss | Fix now or lose all fuel. |
| 5 | OMG! H@xXorZ | -2 command points per turn until fixed. |
| 6 | Armor Loss | Lose a point of armor until replaced. |
| Disabled System | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Weapon |
| 2 | Reactor |
| 3 | Sensors |
| 4 | Targeting |
| 5 | Comms |
| 6 | Helm |
Managing the Game Table
The Captain may not force a station to act or not act. The Captain chooses who acts next only. Sometimes when someone is given command they forget that it was a gift and it's theirs because everyone else agreed, versus them deserving it the entire time. Now, there may be in-character moments when a Captain Queeg is needed for the scene. Ensure that consent for that kind of thing is agreed upon before the action starts by everyone at the table.
Player agency is important -- it is a game after all and everyone gets to decide what their character does. But, that agency stops where it overruns that of another. Bullies are disruptive and will break your game. If tensions start to get too high, call a time out, let everyone take a breath, and then resolve it before continuing play. If it becomes an unwanted pattern, reconsider the members of your player group.