My first group went with some of the homebrew ships I statted, but after more books came out, they had goals that were sadly not reached.

My previous group LOVED the Ghtroc as a starting ship. The pilot immediately took ranks in Skilled Jockey to negate the penalties of handling, and went from there. It can take a beating (high armor and good hull), carries a sizable cargo, has decent weapons, and has plenty of bunk space. They loved a number of the other ships, but as only one player put ranks in Pilot, the group didn't like the idea of changing to two ships, especially as there were 4-7 people at the game depending on how many players were out.

For a starting ship: Space Turtle. For a ship to move up to. . .well, that's entirely based on what the group's goal is. An old campaign I ran had the group steal a Marauder Corvette with a skeleton crew that served under them, while another game had a small group of freighters based on each player's need (Firespray, YT-2400, and an HT-2200). Granted, there was only one "real" pilot, so the others were there for support (HT became a droid and explosive factory, Firespray was a fighter/bounty collector, YT was "home").

Again, it's all based on what the group needs, and needs do change.

Bag for buck, my money is on the Kappa class shuttle.

Its got two guns, loads of cargo, good armour, decent hyperdrive.

As a gm god I love the citadel aka bad dudes piracy starter kit, it really has just everything a budding space pirate needs to be a menace to freighters.

Going to have to disagree with the YT recommendation. It is a good ship, but the ILH-KK CITADEL-CLASS CIVILIAN CRUISER is by far the best all around light frieghter. It has the best armorment, hull trauma, and system strain for its class. Equal cargo hold, hard points speed, armor and handling with the other YTs. Holds more passengers than the YTs and even comes standard with a medium tractor beam.

I do agree that for the price it really hard to beat a gazonti. However, I see that as more of a tier 2 frieghter. Due do it being a Sil5, it may require a small fighter escort.

hmm,

counter to your statements: the Citadel has 16 system strain, the YT-2400 has 18, the citadel has 95 encumbrence, the YT-2400 has 140 (YT-1300 has 165), the Citadel has 4 HP, the YT-2400 has 5. However, you could strip some of the many weapons off the Citadel to give it as much or more HP than the YT-2400. if you want to dogfight, the more strain you have the better.

If you want to get in a slugfest or transport a LOT of passengers (14 citadel vs 6 for YT-2400, plus "listed crew" for both) the citadel is the better ship but if you want to move cargo or dogfight the YT-2400 is better. I'd also guess that the YT-2400 would attract less attention... I'd bet a lot of people in the star wars universe would want to find out how the citadel lands

C'mon guys, are you all crazy? Selonian coneship.

Nah, whos using rockets anymore.

I vote Hyperspace cannon!

Actually if you are being crazy the best and most powerful sil 4 ship is probably the imperial customs Frigate souped up with advanced targeting computers and bumping its speed up to 4.

That thing has 7 weapons 4 armor and a good pilot can max out its defense and negate the handling penalties. 28hp 18 strain holds 22 people and 140 cargo.

Its a bit over starting is of course restricted but man with a large 6-8 person group this may be the way to go for transport piracy dog fighting and survivability.

And what do the Imperials think of you using one of their customs frigates?

The Lambda shuttle is actually pretty awesome. It can carry more cargo than most light freighters, has 5 weapon mounts, good hyperdrive, great handling, and even passable arnor and shields. Sure it's Restricted, but they're so common that a little Deception can go a long ways.

And what do the Imperials think of you using one of their customs frigates?

A bit of cosmetic damage here and there and a tweak of the transponder and it's magically a knockoff customs ship from a rim world bought through a military surplus dealer.

And what do the Imperials think of you using one of their customs frigates?

A bit of cosmetic damage here and there and a tweak of the transponder and it's magically a knockoff customs ship from a rim world bought through a military surplus dealer.

I wonder if you can go buy a used Abrahams tank from a local military surplus dealer ?

I know you can buy old tanks from WW2 if you're lucky enough to find a seller, but something recent, modern... not so sure... even military Hummers probably have all the military pack removed when they get on sale, same has police cars that gets the police packs (speed and lights) removed.

E-9 Explorer is pretty cool give it a look

Nova courier was another ship

And what do the Imperials think of you using one of their customs frigates?

A bit of cosmetic damage here and there and a tweak of the transponder and it's magically a knockoff customs ship from a rim world bought through a military surplus dealer.

I wonder if you can go buy a used Abrahams tank from a local military surplus dealer ?

I know you can buy old tanks from WW2 if you're lucky enough to find a seller, but something recent, modern... not so sure... even military Hummers probably have all the military pack removed when they get on sale, same has police cars that gets the police packs (speed and lights) removed.

In America? Sure, but America is basically the Core Worlds. Now, if you head to a place that is more like the Outer Rim, you could probably find something that is probably 30 years old, Its not going to be comparable to modern military tech, but it isn't exactly WW2 hardware either. Also, technological development moves at a much faster pace in the real world than it does in star wars which is in a state of technological stagnation.

Aaaaaannnyyyyyywaaaaaaaayyyyyyy- My F&D Players are running in an E-9 right now, its not exactly a heavy hitter, but its a good little ship.

Space Turtle! Space Turtle! Space Turtle! Space Turtle! Space Turtle!

This is what I would try to convince a group to use, if I were the pilot.

It would be reasonable to assume there is surplus Cone Wars era military surplus to be had as you move outward from the Core Worlds. The Grand Army of the Republic wasn't that big, but the Empire appears to have decided to put new designs into service fairly quickly. A Nu-class transport seems like a good fit for a band of adventurers that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows from Imperials. Also, the Theta-class shuttle, which preceded the Lambda-class, would likely be available - and most EU materials indicate it was available to civilian buyers as well.

Still have yet to see anything here beat the Citadel Class Light Freighter.

Pound for pound, it beats anything in its class.

Also, when looking at vehicle attachments, I do not care what anyone says, at the top of your list should be the Advanced Targeting Array. Even if you do not end up getting it, one should at the very least heavily consider it. Space ships are notoriously fragile and combat can quickly become a game of rocket tag. To possibly get up to 3 upgrades when firing, is worth 10x its weight in credits.

I like the HWK-290, because the Pilot can steer it like it's a starfighter. And you can put in a lotta upgrades.

But doesn't work so great as a freighter, more like a fast agile ship for a rebel team.

Still have yet to see anything here beat the Citadel Class Light Freighter.

Pound for pound, it beats anything in its class.

Also, when looking at vehicle attachments, I do not care what anyone says, at the top of your list should be the Advanced Targeting Array. Even if you do not end up getting it, one should at the very least heavily consider it. Space ships are notoriously fragile and combat can quickly become a game of rocket tag. To possibly get up to 3 upgrades when firing, is worth 10x its weight in credits.

For fighting, the Citadel or a heavily modified HWK are tops in the freighter class.

HOWEVER, as you suggest, space combat quickly degenerates into rocket tag, so MANY parties actively try to avoid it. This aversion to combat leads many parties to consider other ships as better for their purposes than the Citadel or HWK.

If the party is not regularly involved in space combat, all the awesomesauce that is the Citadel is wasted. This is why I tend to recommend other ships before the Citadel. For an Edge party that's not blowing things up constantly, a 720, Gozanti or other ship will serve them better through versatility than a Citadel will.

What do you mean by "Rocket Tag " ?

I love my Gozanti. Got it tricked out with better engines and hyperdrive, a slave circuit and some smuggling compartments.

What do you mean by "Rocket Tag " ?

He who fires the bigger rockets faster, wins — and lives.

What do you mean by "Rocket Tag " ?

He who fires the bigger rockets faster, wins — and lives.

Ah I can imagine. Giess that is completely different in a starfighter situation, especially on the side of the Rebellion, where warheads of any kind are preciously rare.

*Note to self, make getting warheads really really hard for my group"

What do you mean by "Rocket Tag " ?

He who fires the bigger rockets faster, wins — and lives.

Ah I can imagine. Giess that is completely different in a starfighter situation, especially on the side of the Rebellion, where warheads of any kind are preciously rare.

*Note to self, make getting warheads really really hard for my group"

Keep them the same price but really stick to the rarity rules. You'll have them dining on their fingernails over whether or not to expend a hard to get missle or torpedo.

Ah I can imagine. Giess that is completely different in a starfighter situation, especially on the side of the Rebellion, where warheads of any kind are preciously rare.

Starfighters are the classic “glass cannon” playing the “Rocket Tag” game. One missile/torpedo == one starfighter.

Which is why there are so many house rules for shields/space combat lol.

Still have yet to see anything here beat the Citadel Class Light Freighter.

Pound for pound, it beats anything in its class.

Also, when looking at vehicle attachments, I do not care what anyone says, at the top of your list should be the Advanced Targeting Array. Even if you do not end up getting it, one should at the very least heavily consider it. Space ships are notoriously fragile and combat can quickly become a game of rocket tag. To possibly get up to 3 upgrades when firing, is worth 10x its weight in credits.

For fighting, the Citadel or a heavily modified HWK are tops in the freighter class.

HOWEVER, as you suggest, space combat quickly degenerates into rocket tag, so MANY parties actively try to avoid it. This aversion to combat leads many parties to consider other ships as better for their purposes than the Citadel or HWK.

If the party is not regularly involved in space combat, all the awesomesauce that is the Citadel is wasted. This is why I tend to recommend other ships before the Citadel. For an Edge party that's not blowing things up constantly, a 720, Gozanti or other ship will serve them better through versatility than a Citadel will.

Does the Citadel-class have any ability to land on a planetary surface?

That fixed vertical "wing" on the bottom would seem to indicate "no". At only 36 meters, I'd think it would otherwise be able to.