I plan to run a dogfight with both sides in a Lambda shuttle. Reading the Starships and Vehicles chapter it looks... complicated. First off, whats the use of Gain the Advantage? Seems useless when you could just shoot the enemy. Second, can a pilot shot two different weapon systems at once? Third, are players other than the pilot unable to shot forward-mounted weapons? Fourth, how do you in general simulate the action of dogfighting, such as trying to stay behing an opponent?

Its not that hard, but it is a little different then other systems tend to handle things. Try it a few times and you'll catch on.

1) GtA allows you to select the zone your shots land (normally the target gets to choose) and ignore the penalties from Evasive Action. It has its uses (say attacking a target with angled defectors and taking evasive action) but its certainly not an action you should take all the time.

2)normally no. There's talents and such that can allow it, but typically only 1 attack action per turn.

3) Sure, why not? Weapon controls are rarely defined,and the vehicle combat system is very dynamic, so its easy to make it work.

4) various methods, but generally you're not supposed to try and track detailed position and facings like that. Like other activities you're supposed to start with broad strokes and use the dice results to fill in details.

to add on to Ghost's

4) This is also how a successful Gain the Advantage is described, getting in tight behind the target so the evading maneuvers don't effect the shooting and you can hit less shielded areas.

It doesn't prevent them from shooting back at you with their forward weapons, or you hitting their unshielded forward fire arc(if that's the one that's unshielded of course).

If you're starting its safer to not try and assign detailed positions like that, except in relation to Sil 5+ craft. Once he's got some experience, then maybe, but for starting it'll just confuse him.

Ah yes, good point. Ignore my previous post.

On that note, I'll bring up again that in Starfighter combat in particular it's very good to think of the round as a minute long, with all kinds of movement and shooting going on during that minute. Star Fighting doesn't model where the starfighters are relative to each other any more than the grapple rules dictate who's on top.

+1 for comparing the vehicle combat system to the brawling system, very good analogy.