Hey all,

I have a party with a YT-1300 that has a Psuedo Cloaking Device (Special Modifications pg. 66). This has lead to a few attempts to sneak on to planets, or past blockades, or board space stations undetected, etc.

The problem is that neither the players, nor I (the GM) really understand how detecting a starship should work in the first place. The only real reference to detecting ships seems to be on pg. 227 of the EotE Core Rule book in the Shipyard Standard Systems Call Out box, specifically the information on Sensors. This indicates that an Easy Computers check (corrected from Surveillance Check) is needed to detect something in active mode (at one extra range band, but in only one firing arc) and no check is needed in passive mode (automatic detection at base range).

This raises a few questions.

1. Is detection automatic on passive sensors once within base sensor range? If so the psuedo-cloaking device isn't helpful here.
2. Or does the psuedo-cloaking device increase the difficulty from automatic to Average?
3. Does this mean that when a vessel is actively scanning one firing arc that all other arcs are totally blind? (you could fly right up and land on it from any of the other three arcs that it isn't searching with no chance of failure)
4. What skill might a pilot use to oppose the Sensor Computer Check? (we've been using Stealth combined with Cunning instead of Agility)
5. Most smaller craft have sensors that only extend to Close or Short range. Close range is weapons range for most of them. Does this mean that the ship can't detect another craft (regardless of size) until it is in firing range?
6. If so how do fighter patrols know where to go to find their targets (barring someone else telling them where to go)?
7. Does a ship's transponder announce itself upon entering a system and if so at what range?
8. What if the transponder has been masked (Fly Casual pg. 75).

There are more, but I think you get the idea.

Essentially I'm looking for advice, even house rules for how people have run encounters to sneak a ship past observers (mechanical advice).

I'm also very interested in ways that have included cool ideas by the players and that mirror the movie experience (narrative advice).

The top example being in Empire Strikes Back when Han lands the Falcon on the surface of a Star Destroyer and vanishes from their sensors. How would you simulate something like that in game?

I'm also interested in any example encounters you may have that I can tweak to use with my player group, the cooler the better!

Thanks everyone!

Finarin

The rules for sensors throughout the supplements or core books are sometimes lacking and sometimes contradictory. This solves the problems for me, but may be much more then what you are looking for?:

Vehicle Ops: Signals Intel

Sensors are a little weird, as there's base line rules, but often to work properly the gm will have to do a little more, or something else entirely. Also the rules leave a lot of details out that aren't easy to notice if you're looking for hard rules.

So questions...

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

This raises a few questions.

1. Is detection automatic on passive sensors once within base sensor range? If so the psuedo-cloaking device isn't helpful here.

I say you're correct. My sensors include a visual scanning component, which the pseudo cloak doesn't protect against.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. Does this mean that when a vessel is actively scanning one firing arc that all other arcs are totally blind? (you could fly right up and land on it from any of the other three arcs that it isn't searching with no chance of failure)

That's how I run it. This provides opportunities for the players, and tactical situations and options.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. Does this mean that when a vessel is actively scanning one firing arc that all other arcs are totally blind? (you could fly right up and land on it from any of the other three arcs that it isn't searching with no chance of failure)

Yep! Don't go out alone or the boogie man will get you! Seriously though, that's partly why I follow the old info suggesting flight groups are 4 craft.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. What skill might a pilot use to oppose the Sensor Computer Check? (we've been using Stealth combined with Cunning instead of Agility)

That's an option. Or just regular Piloting, or Stealth.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. Most smaller craft have sensors that only extend to Close or Short range. Close range is weapons range for most of them. Does this mean that the ship can't detect another craft (regardless of size) until it is in firing range?

That's one way of looking at it, but look back at the core book entry. It doesn't actually say that. Passive and active sensor modes grant specific effects, but no where does it actually say that's the automatic max for everything. So there is a ton of room for a gm to maneuver.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. If so how do fighter patrols know where to go to find their targets (barring someone else telling them where to go)?

See, room to maneuver.

Passive and active sensor modes provide a range for certain things like performing detailed scans, but basic navigation and detection has to extend further at least to a certain extent. Otherwise Space combat and chases don't really work.

1 hour ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. Does a ship's transponder announce itself upon entering a system and if so at what range?

Technically a transponder would be a continuous broadcast as long as the engines are running. (Fly casual pg 75) That's the point.

Using room to maneuver you could make this extreme range, broadcasting ship make and model, alignment, and name to everyone possible.

Yes this would mean going full stealth means shutting off your transponder and being fair game the moment you get detected.

Since it's tied to the engines how you do this exactly will require some work on the GMs side. A hard mechanics check would probably work.

Pairing with the Whisperthrust engine is probably the book solution. Since it doesn't replace your engine it's probably the whole deal that it's a secondary system that in addition to being a baffeled drive also comes without a transponder.

2 hours ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

1. What if the transponder has been masked (Fly Casual pg. 75).

Masking is just a scrambler. It doesn't require you to run silent or anything, it just makes your transponder broadcast garbage. So you won't get ided.

2 hours ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

Essentially I'm looking for advice, even house rules for how people have run encounters to sneak a ship past observers (mechanical advice).

I'm also very interested in ways that have included cool ideas by the players and that mirror the movie experience (narrative advice).

The top example being in Empire Strikes Back when Han lands the Falcon on the surface of a Star Destroyer and vanishes from their sensors. How would you simulate something like that in game?

Look at other films and such. Submarine movies for example. Running a stealth ship is not easy, and will require you to lay that out for the players and provide encounters to match. While psuedo cloak helps, it's not a sure thing, so just like real stealth aircraft still plan routes around known radar coverage, the players should not bet the farm on a single attachment.

So like the players need to lay out a route that avoids obvious patrol routes, maneuver through an asteroid field, lay out a diversion to pull patrols away, chase down that probe droid that they nearly collided with, shadow a heavy freighter as a mask. You can make a whole adventure out of avoiding detection.

As for Han... They buzzed the bridge, docked, and killed the engines.

Personally, the way I run it to make it simple is that if you have a cloaking device it doesn't hide your ship just your signal so while it's active if another ship or station isn't actively searching for you you won't be detected, but someone could always look out a window and see you. If they are actively searching for cloaked ships then the penalty is applied.