Whenever a player encounters a SSD I make them roll a fear check. Any imperial presence should, for the most part require a fear check. This helps the players understand the danger of making the Empire a potential enemy and the level of nuisance they represent to the Galaxy.

Whenever a player encounters a SSD I make them roll a fear check. Any imperial presence should, for the most part require a fear check. This helps the players understand the danger of making the Empire a potential enemy and the level of nuisance they represent to the Galaxy.

So, that would be a Hard ( ♦︎♦︎♦︎ ) or Daunting ( ♦︎♦︎♦︎♦︎ ) check, with two or three difficulty upgrades?

Whenever a player encounters a SSD I make them roll a fear check. Any imperial presence should, for the most part require a fear check. This helps the players understand the danger of making the Empire a potential enemy and the level of nuisance they represent to the Galaxy.

So, that would be a Hard ( ♦︎♦︎♦︎ ) or Daunting ( ♦︎♦︎♦︎♦︎ ) check, with two or three difficulty upgrades?

It all depends on the situation. If it a SSD, and it is the first time the players have encountered the imperials, they are surprised at the appearance of the SSD suddenly appearing out of hyper space and they suspect they have something the imperials want..I would make it a hard or maybe daunting check, but for every time after that I would make it an average check. I don't like requesting daunting or higher fear checks unless it is something truly unique the players are experiencing.

the only way i've let star destroyers ever lose in a space battle in my game was when the players showed up with equivalent or better firepower. They have an ISD? The players have 10 Dreadnaughts? The players are probably going to win that fight. The players have their custom yt-2000 that is decked out to the 9's with all the upgrades and a VSD shows up? Hope they are at medium range at the start because it gets uglier the closer the VSD gets. I like the fear checks, but I never used them personally.

For my games when an ISD is present I take GM discretion thusly:

Rule 0: My ISDs are not intended to by fought by the player's one light freighter. I only stat the speed and weapons.....my players aren't packing a turbolaser so they aren't going to scratch its hull anyway. Think Agents from the Matrix.....when you see one, run!

Rule 1: Fear is my ally, I've played up the ISD abilities such that the possibility of seeing a massive white triangle silhouette will cause my players to plan entry on the other side of the planet, from the exact opposite side of a system if possible.

Rule 2: Near misses are still partial hits from the turbo laser battery...edge of the radius. I've also rained turbolaser fire down from orbit at compromised planetary bases.

Rule 3: ISDs are set pieces or space obstacles in my games...this keeps their impacts as imposing presences to my players.

Rule 4: Large space battles are kept abstract being, again, dangerous space obstacles to be avoided, evaded, or blockade-run through,

To make Star Destoyers intimidating just make the party feel helpless against them. Everytime they've appeared in my campaign they've swept aside everything in their way; the party have had to hide or run which is how it should be for an Edge of the Empire campaign. ISD's are suposed to be a rare sight on the Outer Rim and one of them showing up should be a massive obsticle to the party. They have batteries of turbolasers, squadrons of TIE fighters, hundreds of Stormtroopers and dozens of AT-AT's/AT-ST's. One of these arriving in orbit should give any party kittens.

Kittens?!? We’re getting kittens?!? That is so AWESOME ! I LOVE kittens!!!

How do you make them intimidating? Just have them roll gunnery checks and/or launch fighters. Your players will either run, sneak by or die.