Thematically, the Rebel Alliance doesn't really have the resources to go around deliberately damaging its own spacecraft.

I could totally see rogue squadron pulling off something like this though. IIRC they weren't above using themselves as bait in the books.

There's a difference between using oneself as bait, and using oneself as target practice for your own squad in a firefight.

Dead mans switch typically is literally a switch you hold down, and when that's released kaboom.

Of course nothing to say it can't be hardwired to a ships reactor....

Exactly, so whats stopping you from letting go of the switch? Kamikaze away!!

Traditionally, at least in movies and TV shows, the switches are there as a deterrent to people trying to kill you. The person using the switch doesn't actually want to die, so they use mutually assured destruction to avoid it.

That's how it works in the game. The Binarye Pirate isn't getting paid enough to actually die for the cause, so he carries that Thermal Detonator as a way to convince the Imperials to ignore him. After all, he could blow up and take out prized ace Soontir Fel.

For examples of this, see Joker's grenade coat in The Dark Knight, or Dennis Hopper's character in Speed.

I understand what it is. But by God, he lets go of that switch because *I* tell him to

The little pilots in their little plastic ships might think they move and fly around of their own free will in space. They might even sometimes question why little black cardboard pieces with numbers and arrows are always placed in front of them before they execute a daring maneuver. But he will let go of that switch and blow himself up because I want him to, and thus a new house rule is born. Dead Man Switches can be used in kamikaze tactics!

If you were planning to set it off deliberately the Feedback Array might be more useful.

Then I gotta get ion tokens and use 1 forward templates and stuff....that's a lotta work

No reason the switch can't be a bomb in the Z linked to a command signal from a starviper. just saying.

I like to assume saboteur is the gunner who thinks he is really good at hitting ships systems. The kinda "watch me hit his power coupling and get a major explosion or look I can hit his stabilizer and knock it loose. He can do it nearly half the time. If only he would quit trying to cause every kind of critical damage and just specialize in consistently getting direct hits, like a bossk.

Thematically, the Rebel Alliance doesn't really have the resources to go around deliberately damaging its own spacecraft.

I could totally see rogue squadron pulling off something like this though. IIRC they weren't above using themselves as bait in the books.

There's a difference between using oneself as bait, and using oneself as target practice for your own squad in a firefight.

You can't see them intentionally diving into a cloud of TIE fighters intentionally using a home beacon on their own ship to insure a hit with their shield set full rear so the blast takes out the TIEs? 'Cause that totally sounds like a rogue squadron plan to me. Target practice is one thing, but a risky plan like that, sure.

Deadman's switch is linked to the pilots vital signs, when he dies it activates, blowing the onboard fuel or oveoading the reactor. I guess.

I would put a turncoat EPT on my scum if it benefited the squad. Turns it into a real Suicide Squad.

Try 5 z95 Pirates with Dead Mans Switch and Assault Missiles. There is room for Munitions Failsafe if you want.

Hard to set it up but would be fun to see it go off.

I mean how should sabotage work during space combat?

Jumping over, cutting a open wire and then hurry back to the ship?

I imagine it's an advisory role.

"You know Captain, if you aim at that spot just behind the left thruster, it'll cause a feedback loop that will eventually blow out his power converter."

I don't think any list built around damaging your own ships would be particularly OP or NPE inducing. If someone manually triggered DMS with friendly fire and used it to win against me, I wouldn't be pissed. I'd probably have a good laugh.

The lists that would gain from the ability to do this would be kind of wonky and weird, in other words, fun and refreshing. I don't see how it would be an NPE to lose to one.

but there won't be damaging your own ships. As one example giving a person would be using rerolls/TL or FCS to get blanks so that there will be no damage but you would still get the benefits.

The overall problem is you would open up exploits which were not intended to be in the game. Not to say that game design should not have exploits many types of exploits and combos are designed into the game but those were intentionally put in to have either tricky set ups or counters so that they don't take over the game. These unintentional exploits may give no counters or complications thus breaking the game.

Only thing that benefits significantly is Miranda and like, Dutch Vander. Every other list based around friendly fire seems like it would be fun and interesting. Nothing really game breaking. I don't think a game where you could ramp up Laetin to 3-4 evades with your own HWK primaries while sacrificing your own offensive capabilities would be bad.

So an exploit that only rebels can use. Rebels don't need any more help they got plenty with the past 2 releases. Also as mentioned below

Narratively, it would be dumb as hell. "My wingman just shot me! Oh well, let's roll with it."

But still ignore the theme your suggestion would be exploits and they would introduce unwelcomed mechanics.

As I mentioned earlier it is not impossible to damage your own ships (ruthlessness for example). Again as I suggested before if you want to try some gimmick such as a dead-mans swarm then I suggest you throw in a syndicate thug with siesmic charge to set off your headhunters and explode. The mechanics are fine as is just learn to use them.

That's how it works in the game. The Binarye Pirate isn't getting paid enough to actually die for the cause, so he carries that Thermal Detonator as a way to convince the Imperials to ignore him. After all, he could blow up and take out prized ace Soontir Fel.

I'm confused. How do you pay someone to die for the cause? Because once they're dead they can't use the money, and if you pay them in advance, they just take the money and run. What am I missing?

It's simply a matter of weighing the benefits of what allowing friendly fire and friendly Target Locking would bring to the game against a moderately more powerful Miranda.

I think that it's worth the buff to Miranda.

I'm confused. How do you pay someone to die for the cause? Because once they're dead they can't use the money, and if you pay them in advance, they just take the money and run. What am I missing?

It's star wars?

Could be mind control, or droid pilots.

Also - down and out of luck people with families or loved ones who may get some monetary benefit if they were to die in the field - that kinda thing that happened with early atlantic shipping... many sailors believed they were going to death.