I'm having a very hard time wrapping my head around the starship's Speed rating. I understand that it may take one to two maneuvers to get to a desired location based on the speed of your ship, and the distance of the object, but what if the other object is also moving?

Obviously if both ships are moving at Speed 1 in the same direction, the trailing ship would never catch up as long as both ships continue to fly at that speed. So, how do I know how many maneuvers it would take if the two (or more) ships are flying at different speeds?

I'm sure this is general Speed rules here, but I'm having trouble with the entire concept.

Well in combat use the normal speed/maneuver rules.

Outside of combat ( or if it makes more sense in general) use the chase rules.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand the normal speed rules. For example, if one ship is at Speed 2, and the trailing ship at 2, how many turns would it take for it to catch up to the Speed 2 ship? The rules say that these two Speeds are essentially the same.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand the normal speed rules. For example, if one ship is at Speed 2, and the trailing ship at 2, how many turns would it take for it to catch up to the Speed 2 ship? The rules say that these two Speeds are essentially the same.

You are gonna have a lot of people say do whatever works for you, or do whatever fits the narrative, etc. I'm curious to see the answers myself. I still need to give the rules a thorough read-through as it was something I felt I didn't grasp either when I was finished reading.

The pilot skill test could be use in this situation to determine which pilot is using the speed value of there ship to there advantage. Even if the ship is the same make and model it not guaranteed that preform and mechanical upkeep are the same.

A good chase should not happen in a vacuum (if you'll excuse the pun). No Chase Scene in Star Wars isn't without environmental affects, whether it be sprawling cityscape, a dense forest, or a chaotic asteroid field. In these scenes, speed is both your greatest advantage, and your biggest detriment.

But if are going to put two ships in a white room and compare speeds to see how one ship can catch up to another, I would say that ship speeds are like silhouette sizes. Even if a ship is traveling at the the same speed rating, that doesn't mean they are going "the same speed" so you can still roll opposed piloting checks or whatever chase resolving mechanic you wish and narrate from there.

Another viable answer is that the trailing ship would NEVER catch up to the leading ship when going the same speed. I'll reiterate my first paragraph and say that is why it is important to put your chase scenes in interesting environments.

tl;dr: Rowdyoctopus is right. Do whatever works for you. There's no right or wrong answer, it's just what you think your players will enjoy the most.

Keep in mind that speed is very abstract. Being both acceleration and speed combined, a ship that can go from stop to full in a short time might have the same speed rating as a ship that takes a while to get going but once going goes faster.

That said, in combat it's a matter of initiative. The first acting ship will move closer before the other ship can act to move away. This makes sense as combat will consist of both ships trying to out maneuver the other to get the best shots without exposing themselves to the other's.

Out of combat, or even combat moving in relatively the same direction, use chase rules. Even if ships are the same speed or the chased is faster, pilot checks being failed can represent the pilot over-stressing their ship, not really understanding how to get the most power, or other hiccups which result in the slower ship gaining on the other.

More often than not, in empty space, once out of firing range I just have the faster ship get away. Then the party detects a hyperspace jump, track it, and pursue from there with the hopes that they get there first.


As others have stated though, there's no perfect answer. It's mainly just going to be whatever fits your narrative at the time. Some ships you may allow to be caught and others you'll say get away without contest, just give a good story to fit each scenario and you'll do fine.

I'm having a very hard time wrapping my head around the starship's Speed rating.

You're not alone, it's Beef #1 I have with the combat system, followed closely by the "Fly" maneuver, without which you can't go anywhere.

The secret, as others have suggested, is chases. So far I've treated most space combats as short chases with terrain, and the rules work really well for that. Set a time limit or a goal (5 rounds to get the hyperspace coordinates, or you need to clear the junk field) and then the rules make more sense. Review the chase rules on page 241.

I do wish they'd release more tactical dog-fighting rules, something that merges well with X-Wing or something.