Starship Combat - best rules you have seen

[Psychic Warrior]

In my Dragonstar game we rapidly came to the conculsion last week that the starship combat rules (what few there are in there), frankly, suck!

I have also looked at Traveller d20 and Star Wars d20 (both versions) and neither really work for me. I want something that can simulate damage to individual sections of the ship. Targetting specific systems maybe even having individual locations (on big ships) have 'x' number of 'hit points' and then having that area destroyed/disabled (unable to affect the ship any longer by continually blasting a destroyed engine or weapon ).

Anyone found a good system for this. It doesn't have to be d20 compatiable but my players are not going to want to learn a whole seperate system just for starship combat.

 

[VorpalBunny]

They're not the best space combat rules I've seen, but Alternity had some good rules for damaging different sections of a spaceship. Actually, every write-up for a ship in the Alternity system itemizes each compartment of a ship and its damage points. And the system isn't all that far from d20.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Blood and Space by Charles Rice is very good.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Blood and Space by Charles Rice is very good.

Is that pdf? I remember a while back a pdf about space combat but couldn't remember whta it was called. Thanks Teflon Billy (love the name btw)


Vorpalbunny - thanks! I've played alittle Alternity but don't own any books. One of my players does so I can at least take a good long look at them.

 

[Dark Psion]

Is that pdf? I remember a while back a pdf about space combat but couldn't remember whta it was called. Thanks Teflon Billy (love the name btw)

Here's a Link to Blood & Space: http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?page=pro&product_id=15

 

[The Cyber Samurai]

Vorpalbunny - thanks! I've played alittle Alternity but don't own any books. One of my players does so I can at least take a good long look at them.


SVGames is selling a bunch of Alternity pdfs for a reduced price at their online store if you wanted to save a few bucks, but get your own copy.

Steve

 

[johnnype]

I suggest you take a look at Lightning Strike from Dream Pod 9 (http://www.dp9.com/Products/DP9-322.htm). It allows for tactical fleet combat with capital ships and fighters. Complex enough to allow for everything you are looking for but fast enough to allow 20 units to a side without slowing the pace down at all.

If you want something even more detailed then check out Jovian Chronicles (1st edition, not 2nd) also from Dream Pod 9. The tactical rules are significantly more detailed to the point that combat with greater than 5 units to a side can take a few hours easy. Regardless it's fun and uses vector movement in 3 dimensional space if desidred.

I should mention that both of these sets of rules are about to go through a revision and published in the SilCORE Miniatures Rules (http://www.dp9.com/Products/DP9-919.HTM) so you might want to wait a month or two.

 

[Abulia]

Anyone found a good system for this. It doesn't have to be d20 compatiable but my players are not going to want to learn a whole seperate system just for starship combat.

The starship combat and construction rules for the Decipher Star Trek RPG, of course! But, then, I'm biased as I wrote them.

Coda is pretty D20-compatible so it wouldn't be a big stretch to convert. The Narrator's Guide includes the complete starship construction system and combat system. Ships are rated in structure and the quality of your shields determined the target number (TN) to hit the vessel. A vessel's threshold value deducts from the damage. Every ship is rated in 6 key areas, each of which have a variety of effects.

So, what's so cool about it? The entire system is non-minis based and integrated fairly seamlessly into your role-playing at the table. Characters have different responsibilities and select (and execute) several Maneuvers each turn during the battle, such as Lock On, or Hard About. The Starships hardbound supplement expands the system with even more components (several hundred), new traits and maneuvers. One of the foundations of the system was that I treat vessels essentially as characters.

Anyhow, see my web page below for some links to reviews.

 

[Turanil]

They're not the best space combat rules I've seen, but Alternity had some good rules for damaging different sections of a spaceship. Actually, every write-up for a ship in the Alternity system itemizes each compartment of a ship and its damage points. And the system isn't all that far from d20.

Okay, don't wait time to download a free Alternity PDF supplement of 128 pages about starships and starship combat. If you think it sucks, you won't have spent a buck for it anyway:
Alternity Starships PDF

Blood and Space by Charles Rice is very good.

I have it, as well as d20 StarWars, Traveller 20, and Dragonstar. IMO Blood & Space sucks...

Frankly, I also don't know where to look at to get a decent Starship combat system for d20. Maybe several of us should join our efforts to create a good one (and using some OGC stuff modified, to not reinvent the wheel).

 

[Blacksad]

Frankly, I also don't know where to look at to get a decent Starship combat system for d20. Maybe several of us should join our efforts to create a good one (and using some OGC stuff modified, to not reinvent the wheel).

me too!

Though, for the joint effort, I think that the Cosmonomicon had among its goal to produce a decent ship combat system:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23
http://barsoom.hyboria.net/Chapters1-4.pdf
edit: and maybe d20 mecha has some bases?