I would recommend the PC's have a co-pilot for that chase, it lets them get away with a faster speed. Making sure someone is doing the Plot Course and someone else co-piloting every turn will make things much easier

R-Series droids in Starfighters sockets can Pilot.

Astromech pc's should always be able to pilot if the player wants it to. Flavouring it otherwise or making it situational can of course be fun too.

Speed is very important in Dangerous Terrain, where it often sets the difficulty of the check.

That's pretty much the only time I pay attention to speed - when trying to dodge around things. If you want to not smash into that fruit stand and guys carrying a plate glass window, you bet your bippy that relative speed is important.

But otherwise If it's just 3 very fast fighters against really slow ships in a furball, I'll handwave it saying that the faster ship can pace the slower one. Even if going flat out, the TIES can keep up with the pokey old transport as much as they want.

Doesn't speed factor into what actions a pilot can take? Some can only be used if the ship is going a certain speed. I don't have the book in front of me, but I seem to remember something like that.

Speed in space encounters mostly come into play when using Gain the Advantage, and in chases/movement. The Speed requirements for certain actions, such as Gain the Advantage, are requirements that applies to the ship's maximum speed, not the speed it's currently maintaining.

Hello forum,

quick question regarding the following statement, which reminded me of an "Spending Advantage" option in the rules I never quite understood:

The ship always suffers 2 strain if 2 Pilot Only maneuvers are done in a round, no matter what.

The advantage of downgrading an action to a second maneuver is so that the PILOT doesn't also suffer 2 strain for the second maneuver.

Some rare ships allow for 2 pilots. On those ships each pilot can perform a single Pilot Only maneuver in a single round and suffer no strain. The ship itself will still suffer 2 strain.

Now, on page 236 EotE-CRB the Table 7-5: Spending A and T in Starship and Vehicle Combat states that for 3 Advanteges on a Pilot's roll you can get one free Pilot Only maneuver (provided max. number is not reached). In that case, does the ship still suffer System Strain?

If Yes, what is the advantage over the case of 2 Advantages, which give you a free maneuver?

If No, does the pilot suffer strain, if he already performed a maneuver or does neither he nor the ship suffer strain? What if he already performed 2 normal maneuvers (not Pilot Only), would he still be allowed to perform the Pilot Only maneuver on 3 advantages, since the table only states that the max number of Pilot Only maneuvers must be regarded?

Cheers,

GM Fred

No free maneuvers are free they do not inflict any system or pilot strain, but this use of advantage does not allow the ship or the pilot to take a 3rd manuver. Very few things let you take a third manuver and they specifically state that they do.

No free maneuvers are free they do not inflict any system or pilot strain, but this use of advantage does not allow the ship or the pilot to take a 3rd manuver. Very few things let you take a third manuver and they specifically state that they do.

It states in all 3 CRB books that when a ship undergoes 2 pilot only maneuvers in a round that it suffers an additional 2 system strain. It also lists a situation (two pilots each taking a pilot-only maneuver on some theoretical ship that allows two pilots) where the pilots don't suffer strain but the ship still does.

Therefore, it implies to me that spending the advantage gives the pilot a second maneuver without suffering strain, but the ship still suffers strain. Nothing contradicts that, nothing in text definitively states otherwise. But you can also suggest that calling it "free" implies that it is free to both the pilot and the ship. Frankly, I think it's ambiguous and deserves a developer answer as to what their intent was.

In addition, there is nothing that explains why you'd spend 2 advantage for a free maneuver or 3 advantage for a free pilot only maneuver, since a pilot only maneuver is still a maneuver. That definitely needs explanation.

Here are some possibilities as I see it...

1. It's a typo. Although if it is, it's repeated through all 3 CRBs, so I doubt this. But I guess it's possible.
2. The free maneuver from spending 2 advantage excludes pilot only maneuvers. You need 3 if it's a pilot only maneuver.
3. You can perform an extra free maneuver from spending 2 advantage, but if you're doing a pilot only maneuver the ship still suffers strain. Spending 3 advantage allows the ship to also avoid suffering strain.

I've always thought that having the chance to get a free maneuver from spending 2 advantage was redundant. So let's say you use your normal free maneuver, and make an attack action. You roll 2 successes and 2 advantage. You decide you want to take another maneuver. You can spend 2 advantage to get a free maneuver. Or you can suffer 2 strain to get a free maneuver, then spend 2 advantage to heal that 2 strain. There's really no difference that I see. Except maybe in the rare situation where you only had 1 strain left in your pool, you can't suffer the 2 strain for a second maneuver to heal afterward. Anyway, that's a bit of a tangent.

I suspect (and would use but it's never actually come up) your 3rd possibility.

Thanks for your reply,

*snip*

Here are some possibilities as I see it...

1. It's a typo. Although if it is, it's repeated through all 3 CRBs, so I doubt this. But I guess it's possible.
2. The free maneuver from spending 2 advantage excludes pilot only maneuvers. You need 3 if it's a pilot only maneuver.
3. You can perform an extra free maneuver from spending 2 advantage, but if you're doing a pilot only maneuver the ship still suffers strain. Spending 3 advantage allows the ship to also avoid suffering strain.

I've always thought that having the chance to get a free maneuver from spending 2 advantage was redundant. So let's say you use your normal free maneuver, and make an attack action. You roll 2 successes and 2 advantage. You decide you want to take another maneuver. You can spend 2 advantage to get a free maneuver. Or you can suffer 2 strain to get a free maneuver, then spend 2 advantage to heal that 2 strain. There's really no difference that I see. Except maybe in the rare situation where you only had 1 strain left in your pool, you can't suffer the 2 strain for a second maneuver to heal afterward. Anyway, that's a bit of a tangent.

I agree that it somehow contradicts the firm statement that the ship always suffers system strain no matter how many pilots, but I decided I will go with option 3, since it's an extra advantage compared to the 2 you usually need for a maneuver or to heal 2 strain.

This option might be quite powerful though, since for an extra advantage it allows you to avoid 2 System Strain, which normally can't even be reduced through those advantages. But hopefully it will allow my pilot to shine on a good check and allow for things like accelerating and fly/drive in one turn without killing low System Strain vehicles like swoops.

Anyway, thanks for your input on this

Fred

Sorry and I should have clarified that 3 advantage for a free pilot only manuver does not cause system strain to you or the ship. The 2 advantage free manuver just doesn't cause strain to you. Keep in mind narritively a good pilot with a good roll is going to be able to pull off manuvers in a ship that other pilots just can't. Put wedge in an x wing and random shlub in an x wing and wedge should be able to fly circles around the shlub. The lesser pilot is going to burn out his x wing trying to keep up. Its one way to show how a difference in skill really affects a dog fight.