CT Ship-to-Ship Combat

[NickP]

What rules are everyone using for small-scale ship-to-ship actions (i.e. one-on-one or one-on-two scale combats with all ships involved well under 1000 tons in size)?

Book 2 is the obvious choice, but none of us are particularly happy with it - it just seems messy and clunky.

Mayday just takes the Book 2 rules and simplifies them to the extent that they make even less sense.

High Guard seems to be only for Fleet Actions and Dark Nebula is on an even grander scale.

Mongoose Traveller I read too, but that doesn't seem to be so simple to covert back to CT (although it simplifies it nicely).

I haven't read either the MegaTraveller or GURPS systems yet to see how they play, although I have them.

Ideally I'm looking for something where each of the PCs is able to have a direct influence on the combat, relatively simple, but not so much that there is no place for clever tactics so that it just comes down to results of dice rolls.

So does anyone know of any good systems that clean up the space combat rules which are worth looking at?

 

[Matt123]

Most 'good' systems for small ship combat are variations on Book 2's vector system. Sometimes using hexes instead of vectors, similar concept tho. But its been a while since I played a small ship game

Look up Full Thrust, its had some good revues.

 

[far-trader]

Well, it was built for T4 but I've long figured it shouldn't be too hard to hammer it into CT:

The Role Playing Space Combat System might be what you're looking for:

http://www.bitsuk.net/Archive/GameRules/files/rpsc09.pdf

 

[Dragoner]

I've always mixed LBB2 with HG's tables, if the ships have armor or advanced weapons, I always found the vector to be an interesting concept.

 

[NickP]

Thanks for the suggestions. The Full Thrust conversion for Traveller, Power Projection, looks interesting, but it isn't available on PDF by the look of it and so I won't be able to investigate any further.

far-traders link from BITS UK looks interesting though - I've downloaded it and I'm having a read of it now.

Many thanks for the tip-off.

 

[NickP]

OK, I have read it now and it looks almost exactly what I was looking for, so thanks for the link, far-trader.

I think it needs a few tweaks here and there - missiles, for example, seem weak compared to laser and not worth the cost. But I think that this can be fixed pretty easily by just going back to Book 2 damage for lasers and missiles.

Thanks again, that really was a very useful link.

 

[far-trader]

You're welcome Nick. Let us know how it works and post any tweaks you come up if you can. I've never had a chance to use it in actual play but it was pretty much what I wanted at the time; simple, character focused, role play emphasis. Kept meaning to do my own twists on it but without a game to throw it into I haven't had much incentive.

 

[mike wightman]

I use a home brew system that's based on Starter Traveller range band movement and T20 crew tasks (something for each player to do during ship combat is really important to keep everyone involved).

 

[aramis]

I suggest, for player-scale at least, the playtest draft 3.2 rules from the MGT playtest... it needs a few touchups (set drive power required per MD letter to equal MD produced per letter), but is the best I've ever seen for players mattering.

 

[E.D.Quibell]

Thanks for the suggestions. The Full Thrust conversion for Traveller, Power Projection, looks interesting, but it isn't available on PDF by the look of it and so I won't be able to investigate any further.

far-traders link from BITS UK looks interesting though - I've downloaded it and I'm having a read of it now.

Many thanks for the tip-off.

You can get the hard copy of power projection here:

http://estore.genreconnections.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BITS1001FSW

Best regards,

Ewan

 

[NickP]

Thanks for the link to where it's possible to get a copy of Power Projection.

Unfortunately I have the misfortune to live in Egypt which doesn't have a working postal system, so the only way to bring anything into the country is with FedEx, which is hideously expensive.

So all my gaming stuff has to be on PDF only, unfortunately.

 

[aramis]

PowerProjection has a larger ship focus... it's worthless if wanting anything a PC might own...

 

[Uxi]

Battle Rider or Brilliant Lances depending how detailed you want it to be.