Space Combat

Combat Steps

Step Name Details
1 Command
Captain		 The character in command of the ship issues orders, determining how hard the crew can push themselves this turn and what advantages the commander’s leadership grants.
2 Manoeuvres
Pilot		 At the start of a round of combat, determine the range between the ships involved.

Space combat ranges fall into one of three broad bands:
- Long Range
- Medium Range
- Close Range or CQB (Close Quarters Battle)

Range determines effective weapon attacks and defences.

Ships can attempt to manoeuvre to extend or close the distance between them.
3 Electronic Warfare
Comms Officer		 Determine the effectiveness of the ship’s sensor information and any efforts to deceive enemy sensors, and therefore targeting, using electronic warfare techniques.
4 Weapon Attacks
Weapons Officer		 All ships involved in the combat select targets and make attacks with their available weapons.
5 Defensive Actions
Pilot and
Weapons Officer		 All targets of weapon attacks take defensive actions, including evasion and the use of point defence weapons.
6 Attack Damage
Engineer		 Resolve the damage of any weapon attack that successfully gets past defences in Step 5.
7 Damage Control
Engineer		 If a ship suffers losses due to damage but is not taken out, its crew can attempt to minimize the effects of the losses.

Combat Ranges

Here are the combat ranges and the tests to evade weapons at different ranges.

Range Distance Grapplers PDCs Rail Guns Torpedoes
X-close < 1km Auto-success Piloting vs 10 + attacker's sensors 15 + Piloting vs piloting + sensors Auto-miss
Close < 5km Piloting vs 10 + attacker's sensors Piloting vs 10 + attacker's sensors 10 + Piloting vs piloting + sensors Piloting vs 10 + attacker's sensors
Medium 5km - 100km Auto-miss Auto-miss Piloting vs 10 + attacker's sensors Piloting vs 12 + attacker's sensors
Long 100km - 1000km Auto-miss Auto-miss Auto-miss Cannot Evade

Commander Actions

Step 1: Command

The character in command of the ship is responsible for issuing orders and leveraging their leadership to gain advantages for the crew. A space combat round typically lasts around a minute.

Steps

  1. Decide on a course of action
  2. Give commands
  3. Roll a Command test
  4. Distribute SP if desired

Action Details
Command Test TN11 Communication (Leadership Test)
Success 1SP + Drama Die SP with doubles
Stunt Points Can be used or passed to crew who can bank or use the SP
Planning Planning
A commander may spend their turn banking SP toward a specific stunt or combo of stunts. To do so, they declare the intended stunt(s) and make a TN 13 Intelligence (Tactics) test. On success, they store 2 SP—or the drama die result if doubles are rolled—for future use.

Banked SP cannot be used in the same round and must be spent in a later round. A commander may repeat the test in later rounds to accumulate enough SP for the declared stunt(s).

Planning must target a specific stunt cost and cannot be used to simply enhance stunts like Guidance or Evasive Action.

Ship Command Stunts

SP Stunt Details
1+ Guidance +1 bonus to chosen ship combat test this round.

Choose from:
- manoeuvre test
- electronic warfare test
- evasion test
- point defence test
- damage control test
1+ Blinding Manoeuvre Reduces an opposing ship’s Sensors score by 1 (to a minimum score of –2) until the start of the next round.
2 Multi-targeting PBCs can both attack and defend this round without any penalty.
2 Down With the Ship In an act of heroism, the commander can expend their own Fortune to remove damage taken by other characters (as the result of a Collateral Loss) on board the ship.
2 Follow the Leader At close range, you tail another ship, mirroring its movements.

- +2 to evasion against all ships except the one you're following
- You gain any cover the lead ship enters
- Remain in position unless the lead ship wins an opposed Dexterity (Piloting) test
2+ On-target Increases the TN of tests to evade your ship’s weapon attacks that round by +1.
2+ Tactics Increases the TN of an opposing ship commander’s next command test by +1.
3 Perceived weakness You increase the damage of one successful weapon attack by 1d6.
3+ Evasive Action Grants a +1d6 Hull bonus to your ship that round for resisting damage from successful weapon attacks.
3 Exploitable Terrain If near exploitable terrain (e.g. asteroids, dust cloud), you identify a path offering cover. Immediately trigger either the Evasive Manoeuvre or Follow the Leader stunt.
3+ Calculation You can bank the SP you just spent for this stunt +1 and use them on a later stunt. You can also combine these SP with future SP earned.
4 Precise hit One successful weapon attacks results in an additional Loss, even if the target’s Hull completely eliminated the damage
4 Skimming A ship near a planet with an atmosphere can attempt to evade pursuit by diving into it. The pilot makes an opposed TN 17 Dexterity (Piloting) test. On success, the pursuing ship loses track of the target.

On subsequent rounds, the pursuer may attempt opposed TN 11 Intelligence (Technology) + Sensors tests to reacquire the target.
4 Too Close This stunt can be used when engaged with multiple enemies and adjacent to a ship (or station) at least one size class larger.

The pilot attempts to position the ship so that attacking it risks hitting the larger vessel. During the Manoeuvre phase, make an opposed TN 15 Dexterity (Piloting) test against the larger ship, with a –2 penalty. Reduce the TN by 1 for each additional size class difference.

- Success: +2 to evasion against all ships except the one used for cover.
- Drama Die 5–6 on a missed attack: The larger ship is hit instead.
- Both pilots fail: The ships collide—2d6 damage to the larger ship, 4d6 to the smaller.
4+ Set-up You force an enemy ship into a nearby hazard (e.g. debris, short-range weapon, asteroid).

This counts as a weapon attack dealing damage equal to half the SP spent (rounded down).

The target may evade with a TN equal to:
10 + your Intelligence + Leadership (if any) + ½ SP spent.
5 Burn Them At extremely close range (under 1 km), you can use your Epstein drive as a weapon by flipping and burning toward an enemy ship.

Make an opposed TN 19 Dexterity (Piloting) test at –2.
- Success: The enemy is caught in your drive plume, taking 6d6 damage.
- Failure: No damage is dealt, but penalties still apply.

During the manoeuvre:
- Only rear-facing weapons can fire.
- Enemies gain +2 to evasion against your attacks.
- Your ship suffers –2 to all evasion tests.
5 Weapon Online A crew member can temporarily restore a damaged or depleted weapon.

Make a TN 14 Intelligence (Engineering) or Dexterity (Gunnery) test. Success: The weapon functions for 1d3 shots, then fails permanently until full maintenance is performed at a spaceport.
6 Quick Start The crew can attempt to make a quick repair and restart the ship’s reactor.

This requires two characters to work together; one must make a TN 14 Intelligence (Technology) test and another must make a TN 14 Intelligence (Engineering) test, and they must reach a threshold of 15.
7 Misdirect You attempt to redirect an incoming torpedo toward a nearby ship by performing a close-range flip and burn.

Requires:
- An opposed Dexterity (Piloting) test against the nearby ship
- A TN 17 Intelligence (Technology) test by another crew member

Success on both: The torpedo strikes the other ship instead.

Fleet Command Stunts

SP Stunt Details
1+ Combined Fire You coordinate fire with an allied ship, increasing the likelihood that both of you hit the target. Every 1 SP you spend increases the TN of tests made to evade your ship’s attack by +1. Both captains must spend this SP
2+ Draw Fire You manage to draw fire from an enemy’s intended target. For every 2 SP spent, an attacker that was going to attack an ally attacks your ship instead
2+ Good Advice This stunt allows one commander to aid another, either by giving them a bonus to their next command test or giving them SP. Every 2 SP you spend gives an allied Commander +1 on their next test or 1 SP to spend

Pilot Actions

Step 2: Manoeuvres

Steps

  1. Select manoeuvring actions
  2. Make required rolls
  3. Spend SP if applicable

Actions Details
Change Range Automatically change by one range band
Prevent change - Opposed Dexterity (Piloting) test between the two ships to prevent change in range
- Smaller ship getting a +1 bonus per Size category smaller than the larger ship
High-G Manoeuvring - Adds a bonus from +1 to +6 to the manoeuvre test result
- Allows the ship to shift up to two range bands.

High-G effects

Requires all characters on board to perform a Constitution (Stamina) test vs TN of 8 + manoeuvre bonus:

The Juice

Manoeuvres Stunts

SP Stunt Details
1+ Blinding Manoeuvre Reduces an opposing ship’s Sensors score by 1 (to a minimum score of –2) until the start of the next round.
2 Evasive Manoeuver Until your next turn, attacks against you and your ship (if any) suffer a -2 penalty
2 Follow the Leader At close range, you tail another ship, mirroring its movements.

- +2 to evasion against all ships except the one you're following
- You gain any cover the lead ship enters
- Remain in position unless the lead ship wins an opposed Dexterity (Piloting) test
2+ Steady as She Goes Pilot can lessen the potential high-g manoeuvres damage to passengers. For every 2 SP spent the TN for the Constitution (Stamina) test is reduced by 1.
4 Blockade You manoeuvre to block an enemy’s line to its target (other than your ship).

The enemy suffers –2 to manoeuvre tests to pursue or attack that target, or the target gains +2 to evasion (pilot’s choice).
4+ Set-up You force an enemy ship into a nearby hazard (e.g. debris, short-range weapon, asteroid).

This counts as a weapon attack dealing damage equal to half the SP spent (rounded down).

The target may evade with a TN equal to:
10 + your Intelligence + Leadership (if any) + ½ SP spent.
5 Dauntless At close range, you fake a ramming manoeuvre to disrupt an enemy ship.

The enemy must make a TN 15 Dexterity (Piloting) test.
- Failure: They flinch and take no further actions this round.
- Success: If they don’t flinch, your pilot must pass a TN 17 Dexterity (Piloting) test to avoid an actual collision (regardless, your ship can still act).

Step 5A: Defensive Pilot Actions

Steps

  1. Decide on High-G Manoeuvres
  2. Perform an evasive manoeuvres for every weapon system fired at you.
  3. Torpedoes need to be evaded individually
  4. Spend SP if applicable

Action Details
Evade Torpedo Complete a Evade test for each torpedo
- Launched from Long Range -> cannot evade, only shoot down
- Launched from Medium Range -> 3d6 + Dex (Piloting) vs. TN 12 + attacking ship sensors + attack bonus
- Launched from Short Range -> 3d6 + Dex (Piloting) vs. TN 10 + attacking ship sensors + attack bonus
Evade Railgun - Long Range -> automatic success
- Medium Range -> 3d6 + Dex (Piloting) vs. TN 10 + attacking ship sensors + attack bonus
- Short Rang-> 3d6 + Dex (Piloting) vs. TN 12 + attacking ship sensors + attack bonus
Evade PDC - Long Range -> automatic success
- Medium Range -> automatic success
- Short Range -> 3d6 + Dex (Piloting) + bonus vs. TN 10 + attacking ship sensors + attack bonus
- If opponent used PDC for defence and attack -> TN 8
High-G Manoeuvring - Adds a bonus from +1 to +6 to the evasion test result

High-G effects

Requires all characters on board to perform a Constitution (Stamina) test vs TN of 8 + manoeuvre bonus:

The Juice

Defensive Pilot Stunts

SP Stunt Details
3+ Evasive Action Grants a +1d6 Hull bonus to your ship that round for resisting damage from successful weapon attacks.
7 Misdirect You attempt to redirect an incoming torpedo toward a nearby ship by performing a close-range flip and burn.

Requires:
- An opposed Dexterity (Piloting) test against the nearby ship
- A TN 17 Intelligence (Technology) test by another crew member

Success on both: The torpedo strikes the other ship instead.

Comms Officer Actions

Step 3: Electronic Warfare

Steps

  1. Perform Electronic Warfare test
  2. Make required rolls
  3. Choose how to distribute bonus
  4. Spend SP if applicable

Actions Details
EW Test Opposed Intelligence (Technology) test + Ship sensors vs TN 11

Winner gains half drama die (rounded up) bonus to apply to either:
- add to all defensive actions
- increase the Target Number (TN) to evade the winning ship's attacks

Electronic Warfare Stunts

SP Stunt Details
1+ Eat Static You adjust your ship’s active emissions in a way that makes it harder to target, adding +SP to your ship’s next electronic warfare test.
2+ Turnabout is Fair Play If a torpedo is under manual control, your sensor operator may attempt to seize control. Make an opposed Intelligence (Technology) + Sensors test against the enemy ship. Spend 2 SP per torpedo you attempt to hijack.
3 Perceived weakness You increase the damage of one successful weapon attack by 1d6.
3 Exploitable Terrain If near exploitable terrain (e.g. asteroids, dust cloud), you identify a path offering cover. Immediately trigger either the Evasive Manoeuvre or Follow the Leader stunt.
4 Hack the System While scanning, you detect a vulnerability in the enemy's systems. Make an opposed Intelligence (Technology) + Sensors test.
- Success: Disable one system (e.g. weapons, sensors, engines).
- It remains offline until the enemy makes a TN 15 Intelligence (Technology) test.

Weapons Officer Actions

Step 4: Weapon Attacks

Automatic Hits and Evasion: Ship speeds and advanced computer systems mean that, under normal circumstances, a weapon attack within its effective range will automatically hit its target. A hit is only prevented if the target ship successfully performs a defensive action, such as an evasion manoeuvre.

Steps

  1. If performing a targeted attack, roll for attack.
  2. Choose which remaining weapon systems to fire.
  3. If you have not rolled this round , roll vs TN11 to generate SP
  4. Spend SP if applicable

Actions Details
Attack Each of the ship’s weapons within range can attack an available target designated by a crew member with weapons control.
Effective Weapon Ranges - Grapplers -> up to Close
- PDCs -> up to Close
- Rail Gun -> up to Medium (short - opposed ship has to be setup)
- Torpedo -> up to Long
Torpedo time to impact - Close range -> same round as launch
- Medium range -> next round after launch
- Long range -> two rounds after launch
Targeted Attacks Characters can choose to fire a targeted weapon attack aimed at causing a particular type of loss to the target:
- Roll is a Accuracy (Gunnery) test
- Targets:
- Collateral -> TN 11 -> Hull modifier ¾
- Manoeuvrability -> TN 13 -> Hull modifier ⅓
- Sensors -> TN 15 -> Hull modifier ½
- Weapons -> TN 15 -> Hull modifier ½
- the attack cannot cause any effect greater than the intended loss
- cannot take out the target ship
- any damage in excess of the intended loss has no effect
Gunnery skill Characters can replace the ship’s sensor score with their Dexterity (Gunnery) score.

Weapon Attacks Stunts

SP Stunt Details
2 Multi-targeting PBCs can both attack and defend this round without any penalty.
2+ On-target Increases the TN of tests of your opponent to evade your ship’s weapon attacks that round by +1.
4 Precise hit One successful weapon attack results in an additional Loss, even if the target’s Hull completely eliminated the damage

Step 5B: Defensive Weapons Actions

Steps

  1. Decide which torpedoes to fire on
  2. This round accumulates SP that can be spent on weapon attacks stunts
  3. Spend SP if applicable

Action Details
Point Defence Can only be used on torpedoes.

Can roll a point defence test for each torpedo in close range
Point Defence Test 3d6 + Sensors vs TN 10 + Attacking Ship's Sensors + attack bonuses

If PBC have been used for attack in this round TN 12
Gunnery skill Characters can replace the ship’s sensor score with their Dexterity (Gunnery) score.

Engineer Actions

Step 6:Attack Damage

Steps

  1. Roll a damage score for a weapon system that hits the target
  2. Choose stunt for that weapon system (ie. SP can only be spent on the weapon that generated them)
  3. Apply the damage
  4. Apply loss condition (least amount possible)

Action Details
Attack damage roll - Grapplers -> n/a
- PDCs -> 2d6
- Rail Gun -> 3d6
- Torpedo -> 4d6
Applying damage 1. Subtract Hull Score
2. Apply loss conditions:
- 1 loss condition -> reduces damage by 1d6
- 2 loss condition -> reduces damage by 2d6
3. Any remaining damage -> ship taken out
Applying loss conditions - 1 loss condition -> 2 normal losses
- 2 loss conditions -> 4 normal losses or 1 serious loss
Losses Roll | Normal Loss | Serious Loss |
1 | Collateral | Reactor Offline
2 | Hull | Reactor Offline
3 | Manoeuvrability systems | Reactor Offline
4 | Sensor systems | Weapons Offline
5 | Weapons systems | Weapons Offline
6 | Re-roll | Weapons Offline
Manoeuvrability, sensor
and weapons systems losses		 - Each normal loss applies -1 to that system.
- Can stack up to 6 times after that, they are offline.
Collateral losses For each collateral loss one crew members suffers the overflow damage (penetrating).
Hull losses The amount of hull damage that can be applied depends on the ship’s hull score (the number of dice you roll for hull)
Reactor Offline The main drive goes offline, preventing high-g manoeuvres and imposing a –2 penalty to evasion
Weapons Offline One of the ship's weapon systems becomes non-functional

Weapon Attacks Stunts

From the weapons officer.

SP Stunt Details
1+ Penetrate Hull Your attack overcomes the ship’s resistance to damage. Spend SP equivalent to the number of hull dice.
1-3 System Damage Damages the ship’s Manouver, Sensors, or Weapons. Impose a –1 penalty per SP spent to the damaged ability (up to 3). Damage control can negate (but not remove) the penalty for rounds equal to the Drama Die result.
2 Off-Course The ship is thrown off-course, and the operator must make a TN 15 pilot test to maintain control. A new test can be made each round to regain control if it is lost
2 Scuttle Your attack destroys the target vehicle. This stunt is only available against a helpless ship
2+ Shrapnel The attack causes a damaging explosion in the ship’s interior. The all crew in a compartment suffer 1d6 damage for 2 SP or 2d6 damage for 4 SP
3+ Hull Breach You inflict significant damage to the ship, reducing its Hull rating by 1 per 3 SP spent. The loss of Hull rating lasts until repaired.
4+ Skewer Your attack is in just the right place to do serious damage inside the vehicle. One character suffers 4d6 damage for 4 SP, or for 6 SP, 6d6 damage.
5 Rupture Your attack ruptures a fuel line or power conduit, causing an internal explosion. This deals 3d6 penetrating damage to crew in a compartment. It also causes the effects of a System Damage (3 SP)

Step 6: Damage Control

Steps

  1. Choose action (one per character performing damage control)
  2. Perform damage control roll
  3. Spend SP if applicable

Action Details
Step 6: Damage Control
Damage control roll Loss off Manoeuvrability, Sensors, or Weapons can be eliminated with a damage control advanced test:
- Intelligence (Engineering) vs. TN 11
- success threshold is 5 for every loss on that system
Restore offline reactor or weapons Temporarily restore offline system
- TN 13 basic Intelligence (Engineering) test
- restores system for a number of rounds equal to the Drama Die

Damage Control Stunts

SP Stunt Details
1+ Not My Ship! The Engineer can spend Fortune to reduce damage taken by the ship just as it were part of the hull. For every SP spent on this stunt, the engineer can spend 1d6 Fortune to reduce damage
1+ Eye Patch Reduce the TN of a damage control test to repair a loss to Sensors by 1 for each SP spent
3+ Quick Fix Every 3 SP spent allows the engineer to instantly repair a single loss to Manoeuvrability, Sensors, or Weapons.
4 Patch The engineer makes a TN 17 Intelligence (Engineering) test to apply a temporary hull repair.
- Success: Restore hull equal to the engineer’s Drama Die roll.
- The patch lasts until the end of combat, after which proper maintenance is required.
5 Weapon Online A crew member can temporarily restore a damaged or depleted weapon.

Make a TN 14 Intelligence (Engineering) or Dexterity (Gunnery) test. Success: The weapon functions for 1d3 shots, then fails permanently until full maintenance is performed at a spaceport.
6 Quick Start The crew can attempt to make a quick repair and restart the ship’s reactor.

This requires two characters to work together; one must make a TN 14 Intelligence (Technology) test and another must make a TN 14 Intelligence (Engineering) test, and they must reach a threshold of 15.