For my upcoming EotE game, I'm putting in a large pirate group, the Red Claws. The Red Claws are a significant presence in the sector of space I've created for my game, and are one part of an axis that to some degree, keeps the Hutts at bay in the area. They will be alternatively enemies, allies and roadblocks for the PCs, and are large enough to have their own backwater planet. That being said, I want to do a couple different things with the fleet. First, I thought it would be neat if they used modified bulk freighters as improvised carriers for starfighters, and was wondering if anyone had any idea outside of just GM handwave to build that within the game. I'd also like to incorporate "Uglies", the starfighters that show up in some of the expanded universe novels that are hodge-podge creations slapping parts of different ships together. Has anyone ever built them, or will I be doing it myself (and likely putting them up here)?

On a related note, I'm quite excited about the Red Claws and some of the different factions I'm building for the game. They in particular should prove interesting, as they are currently led by a 15 year-old force-sensitive Cathar, the son of the previous leader, and his mother.

You could build uglies. I would just re-skin existing fighters, maybe bumping speed, handling, or defense ±1.

The adventure from the Core Rulebook has stats for a Z-Tie, a Z-95 body with TIE solar panels.

For uglies you should find LibrariaNPC's Starfighter Creation Thread.

For the freighters/transport ships, in terms of the ones with decent arms load-outs other than being able to carry fighters, there is the Star Galleon Armed Transport, the Gozanti-Class Armed Transport, and the YZ-775 Medium Transport.

If all you want to do is carry fighters, then look at the Temple-class Heavy Freighter. There are a number of Silhouette 5 freighters/transports, but I think the Temple-class would be better.

The YZ-775 is such a piece of crap in this system. It's one of the worst Sil 5 vessels of its type.

I've always been a fan of exposing the hold of an Action to space. Put some big doors on the thing and you have a classic craptacular modified carrier. Silhouette capacity is up to the GM, but with 10,000 encumbrance converted to carrying fighters, it should be able to hold a good number. The best part is it's exactly the kind of thing pirates and the like would use. Cheap, huge, good parts availability, and so common people wouldn't look too closely at it.

I've always been a fan of exposing the hold of an Action to space. Put some big doors on the thing and you have a classic craptacular modified carrier. Silhouette capacity is up to the GM, but with 10,000 encumbrance converted to carrying fighters, it should be able to hold a good number. The best part is it's exactly the kind of thing pirates and the like would use. Cheap, huge, good parts availability, and so common people wouldn't look too closely at it.

The problem with a converted Action VI is not space, but floor space. Sure, 10k encumbrance is all well and good, but you can't just stack Y-wings on top of each other—they need someplace to actually land. But that's where the Retrofitted Hanger Bay comes into play! At a paltry 2HP, you can throw two of 'em on an Action VI for some impressive carrier capabilities!

-EF

I've always been a fan of exposing the hold of an Action to space. Put some big doors on the thing and you have a classic craptacular modified carrier. Silhouette capacity is up to the GM, but with 10,000 encumbrance converted to carrying fighters, it should be able to hold a good number. The best part is it's exactly the kind of thing pirates and the like would use. Cheap, huge, good parts availability, and so common people wouldn't look too closely at it.

The problem with a converted Action VI is not space, but floor space. Sure, 10k encumbrance is all well and good, but you can't just stack Y-wings on top of each other—they need someplace to actually land. But that's where the Retrofitted Hanger Bay comes into play! At a paltry 2HP, you can throw two of 'em on an Action VI for some impressive carrier capabilities!

-EF

I was thinking more along the line of hanging the fighters in a line facing down along the spine of the ship. Docking again would be a royal PITA, but the entire cargo hold would be open to space and act as a launch bay.

I've always been a fan of exposing the hold of an Action to space. Put some big doors on the thing and you have a classic craptacular modified carrier. Silhouette capacity is up to the GM, but with 10,000 encumbrance converted to carrying fighters, it should be able to hold a good number. The best part is it's exactly the kind of thing pirates and the like would use. Cheap, huge, good parts availability, and so common people wouldn't look too closely at it.

The problem with a converted Action VI is not space, but floor space. Sure, 10k encumbrance is all well and good, but you can't just stack Y-wings on top of each other—they need someplace to actually land. But that's where the Retrofitted Hanger Bay comes into play! At a paltry 2HP, you can throw two of 'em on an Action VI for some impressive carrier capabilities!

-EF

Do they need someplace to land? There's no reason that the gravity has to be on in that section of the ship during spaceflight, and suspended racks are not that unthinkable.

I've always been a fan of exposing the hold of an Action to space. Put some big doors on the thing and you have a classic craptacular modified carrier. Silhouette capacity is up to the GM, but with 10,000 encumbrance converted to carrying fighters, it should be able to hold a good number. The best part is it's exactly the kind of thing pirates and the like would use. Cheap, huge, good parts availability, and so common people wouldn't look too closely at it.

The problem with a converted Action VI is not space, but floor space. Sure, 10k encumbrance is all well and good, but you can't just stack Y-wings on top of each other—they need someplace to actually land. But that's where the Retrofitted Hanger Bay comes into play! At a paltry 2HP, you can throw two of 'em on an Action VI for some impressive carrier capabilities!

-EF

Do they need someplace to land? There's no reason that the gravity has to be on in that section of the ship during spaceflight, and suspended racks are not that unthinkable.

With no gravity, they run the risk of colliding with each other when in motion. Just because there is no gravity doesn't mean they don't feel inertia.

-EF

Small tractor beams for launching and landing was good enough for TIEs.

Maybe a couple of valet parking attendants for insurance liability issues.

Some excellent responses. I'll look up these ships and see what they look like, because choosing things because they look cool never did anyone wrong. The Red Claws have their own particular reason to go after Imperial shipping in particular, and as I recall, Star Galleons are specifically a ship used by the Imps. And thanks for mentioning the Z-Ties. While the Red Claws are pretty powerful, I want a lot of their ships to be on the lower end of Capital, if that. So more DP-20s and Marauders than Nebula-Bs. So that when the Imperials show up to smash them, and the PCs have to dodge between two fighting forces, you know who'll win even if things get interesting in the meantime.

Nebulon-Bs are on the low end of capital IMO. 300 meters compared to 900 for a Victory, 1,200 for an MC80, and 1,600 for an ISD. Even the Dreadaughts are double their length with Gladiators being two thirds longer then them.

Of the 7 subclasses of capital ship listed in the EU/Legends ship classification system in use during the GCW they are midsized representatives of the second smallest class. My favorite subclass definitely but not one for big ships

For uglies you should find LibrariaNPC's Starfighter Creation Thread.

I vanish for a blacksmithing class and you guys are talking about me behind my back :-p

Anyway, I wrote a short Treatise on Uglies about a year ago for my Starfighter Creation Thread, as well as a few of the Uglies.

That said, you have a large number of options for pirate fleets, but before you go into the options, you need to decide what they do and how many are there. For example, if they are known to be ruthless and kill everyone, heavy armament always works and they can just take whatever is floating. If they are known to board, lots of ion weapons and ships for boarding work. Build the reputation first, then choose your ships.

Always remember the size of the crew as well. It takes hundreds to properly crew a single war-based capital ship, but a few dozen to handle larger freighters.

As for the options, again, there are plenty.

To give an example, this is what I'm doing for my own campaign:

Eeba Dolston is the self proclaimed "Pirate Queen." She almost came out of nowhere with a major heist and has been building a fleet of mercenaries that have been a thorn in the side of the Empire in certain parts of the Outer Rim. She began with a handful of old Cloakshape Fighters, a pair of Y-Wings, an almost derelict CR90 Corvette, and a few followers in freighters. Over the past year, she has had her flagship completely redone, expanded her fighters, and acquired another four capital ships: 2 Gozanti Cruisers, a DP20 Gunship, and, most recently, a Starbolt Assault Carrier. Rumor has it she's also acquired a pair of Marauder Corvettes from the Corporate Sector, but this rumor hasn't been confirmed or denied.

Her targets are normally large Imperial ships, but she does take odd targets here and there if the pay is high enough. The fleet's normal standard order of procedure is to ambush ships directly out of hyperspace (even if it means causing it with an asteroid), disable their systems, and use the freighters (which are normally loaded with mercenaries) as boarding vehicles.

So far, she's captured no less than three Imperial ships for her fleet, made off with millions of credits in cargo somehow, and is still at large.

(In reality, she's hired by Destab to create problems, so she gets morsels of information as targets, and the proper support is "somehow" elsewhere; the Empire purposely strikes back to keep her from getting too strong).

And there you have it. This whole thing started as a "Huh, that'd be a fun idea," and my group keeps seeing her and, instead of hunting her down or asking about her to hunt her down, they just let her go. That'll make things rather fun.

For those on a budget, an HT-2200 kitted out with a Retrofitted Hanger Bay would make a decent base of operations. Lots of hard points for upgrades, inexpensive framework and small crew.

For fighters, again, if on a budget, take a look at the HH-87 Starhopper. It's got solid armor, a few hard points, and is really inexpensive. It also has a hyperdrive so once the trap is sprung, the HT-2200 can carry the loot while the fighters fly out under their own power.

For an even nastier punch, consider a Quasar carrier. That's a pirate's dream. Huge fighter capacity, relatively inexpensive cost and enough HP to make it rather hard to find.

For uglies you should find LibrariaNPC's Starfighter Creation Thread.

I vanish for a blacksmithing class and you guys are talking about me behind my back :-p

Anyway, I wrote a short Treatise on Uglies about a year ago for my Starfighter Creation Thread, as well as a few of the Uglies.

That said, you have a large number of options for pirate fleets, but before you go into the options, you need to decide what they do and how many are there. For example, if they are known to be ruthless and kill everyone, heavy armament always works and they can just take whatever is floating. If they are known to board, lots of ion weapons and ships for boarding work. Build the reputation first, then choose your ships.

Always remember the size of the crew as well. It takes hundreds to properly crew a single war-based capital ship, but a few dozen to handle larger freighters.

As for the options, again, there are plenty.

To give an example, this is what I'm doing for my own campaign:

Eeba Dolston is the self proclaimed "Pirate Queen." She almost came out of nowhere with a major heist and has been building a fleet of mercenaries that have been a thorn in the side of the Empire in certain parts of the Outer Rim. She began with a handful of old Cloakshape Fighters, a pair of Y-Wings, an almost derelict CR90 Corvette, and a few followers in freighters. Over the past year, she has had her flagship completely redone, expanded her fighters, and acquired another four capital ships: 2 Gozanti Cruisers, a DP20 Gunship, and, most recently, a Starbolt Assault Carrier. Rumor has it she's also acquired a pair of Marauder Corvettes from the Corporate Sector, but this rumor hasn't been confirmed or denied.

Her targets are normally large Imperial ships, but she does take odd targets here and there if the pay is high enough. The fleet's normal standard order of procedure is to ambush ships directly out of hyperspace (even if it means causing it with an asteroid), disable their systems, and use the freighters (which are normally loaded with mercenaries) as boarding vehicles.

So far, she's captured no less than three Imperial ships for her fleet, made off with millions of credits in cargo somehow, and is still at large.

(In reality, she's hired by Destab to create problems, so she gets morsels of information as targets, and the proper support is "somehow" elsewhere; the Empire purposely strikes back to keep her from getting too strong).

And there you have it. This whole thing started as a "Huh, that'd be a fun idea," and my group keeps seeing her and, instead of hunting her down or asking about her to hunt her down, they just let her go. That'll make things rather fun.

My fleet started out in a similar fashion. The Red Claws are led by a Cathar who is the son of the former leader, the first Red Claw, and his mother, who is a former Jedi listed as dead shortly before the war ended. She and the first Red Claw had a whole thing going, before she hid out with him. Their reputation is pretty good among a number of people, mainly due to their swashbuckling character and their occasional Robin Hood antics. So they are likely to use threats and then ion weapons to avoid most unnecessary bloodshed. That said, they are pirates and they've sent plenty of people who just wanted to keep their cargo to their ancestors. Their main advantage, based on all those pirate stories with hidden islands and hard-to-reach bays is a planet, perched on the edge of a vast nebula that is very difficult to reach by hyperspace, and requires multiple jumps. From there, they are able to maintain ships, rest, recuperate and so on. They will likely serve roles as both villains and allies. So...lots of flash, hyperspace-capable vehicles and probably some fast ships, to play hit-and-run. With some larger ships to back things up as muscle. Hmm.

Also, thanks for that starship link! It'll be very useful.

For those on a budget, an HT-2200 kitted out with a Retrofitted Hanger Bay would make a decent base of operations. Lots of hard points for upgrades, inexpensive framework and small crew.

For fighters, again, if on a budget, take a look at the HH-87 Starhopper. It's got solid armor, a few hard points, and is really inexpensive. It also has a hyperdrive so once the trap is sprung, the HT-2200 can carry the loot while the fighters fly out under their own power.

For an even nastier punch, consider a Quasar carrier. That's a pirate's dream. Huge fighter capacity, relatively inexpensive cost and enough HP to make it rather hard to find.

The best "fighter" for the cost isn't a fighter at all--it's the HWK-290 modified with weapons.

For those on a budget, an HT-2200 kitted out with a Retrofitted Hanger Bay would make a decent base of operations. Lots of hard points for upgrades, inexpensive framework and small crew.

For fighters, again, if on a budget, take a look at the HH-87 Starhopper. It's got solid armor, a few hard points, and is really inexpensive. It also has a hyperdrive so once the trap is sprung, the HT-2200 can carry the loot while the fighters fly out under their own power.

For an even nastier punch, consider a Quasar carrier. That's a pirate's dream. Huge fighter capacity, relatively inexpensive cost and enough HP to make it rather hard to find.

The best "fighter" for the cost isn't a fighter at all--it's the HWK-290 modified with weapons.

A HWK is 70k out of the gate. 40% more than the Skyhopper. Plus you need to add a weapon (another 3+k). The HWK is rarity 7 while the Skyhopper is rarity 4 and while the HWK has higher HT, the Skyhopper has twice the armor and a crew of one. For cheap pirates, I think an expendible, tough, inexpensive, common fighter beats a modified freighter, no matter how awesome it can be made by pouring funds they don't have into it.

I've done a couple of player pirate/privateer fleets. The biggest was two frigates, one clone wars, and one pre clone wars and a old frigate size battlecruiser (The ship design was more then 45 years old when we were using it.) plus 36 fighters of various models, a dozen captured or purchased customs, patrol, and light escort ships, and a few armed freighters. We eventually spilt the fleet into 3 fleets each led by one of the capital ships with the other craft divided fairly evenly among them. (In setting the group divided due to the difficulty of finding targets worth sending all of the fleet at. Out of setting several players were going to be out of town for a few months for various reasons and this was a way to let them rejoin easily when they came back. When they get back just come up with a reason to shift the ship they were in back to the player group or reunite the fleet when everyone was back.)