Rules & Lore

Ship Operation

Keep the ship scenes fast, cinematic, engaging. Resolve scenarios through full crew participation, or wage it all on a single roll.

Everyone To Your Stations!

The crew chooses the Captain for the scene, then Helm rolls for initiative (1D + Helm). The Captain selects the next station to act. Stations may activate special moves by spending command points, or hold action and build the command pool.

Crew Stations

Every ship scene, each player chooses a station. These may be determined by highest relevant skill, but a high ability appropriate to the station can work, too.

  • Captain Leader skill equals starting command points.
  • Helm Helm skill required, high AGI preferred.
  • Gunner Gunnery skill preferred, high INT and AGI helpful.
  • Engineer Engineer skill required. High EDU preferred.
  • Comms/Sensors Electronics skill preferred. High EDU and INT helpful.
  • Deckhand Mechanics skill preferred, Astro/Cosmo nearly invaluable.

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.

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 Engines (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 (0, req. skill check), Stand-by (+1 command point to the pool)

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.

  1. Crew Injury -- 2D. 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. 1-2. Weapon 3. Sensors 4. Targeting 5. Comms 6. Helm
  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.