The rules for Starship start on page 61 of the core rulebook.
The rules are very simple. They're a version of ground combat (it is played in combat rounds, and actions are played out in segments). And, they work best with a very descriptive GM who knows how to excite players with excellent Star Wars narrative.
1. Like ground combat, the combat round starts with the GM describing the scene to the players.
2. Also like ground combat, players react and describe what they want to do in the round. This is the Piloting segment.
3. Range between two ships is determined by rolling dice in the Speed segment.
4. The rest of the combat is played out in Fire Segments where the characters' actions are rolled.
RANGE: Is either Short, Medium, or Long. These range categories are arbitrary and have no actual distance associated with them (so they scale very easily, from starfighters to Star Destroyers!).
Pilots in a starfighter combat are either trying to increase range to get away from an enemy, or to close range in order to better damage or maybe board a target. The GM determines the opening range for the combat.
Starfighter Example:
(Piloting Segment)
GM: The Millennium Falcon has just exited hyperspace in an un-charted asteroid field. "As you clear the debris, there's a blip on your scanner! Beep-beep-beep!"
Player 1/Han: "Chewy, focus sensors."
Player 2/Chewbacca: "Rrraaaoowwwwllll...." He tightens the beam, gets a lock, then shifts the display over to where Han can see it.
Han: "Oh, great. It's a TIE fighter.
Player 3/Luke: "Uh? A TIE.....?"
Han: "It's a single person fighter. No hyperdrive. Twin Ion Engine propulsion. Very quick, and very dangerous in large numbers. This one though seems to be the only one around. Probably on deep system patrol. It sees us. It's heading for that small moon."
Player 4/Ben: "That's no moon. It's a space station."
Han: "Hold on. I think I can get him before he gets there."
GM: "The ship immediately flips on its side and arcs toward the fighter. The fighter, in reaction, starts to twirl, rotating in a zig-zag-hard-to-hit defensive pattern."
NOTE 1: Notice how sensors are used in 1E. No dice rolls unless the GM specifically calls for one (Starship Piloting is the skill used for any sensors roll when needed). Sensors are a narrative tool for the GM in 1E. If the GM wants to have a pilot roll Starship Piloting to see if he can punch through some interference and grab a better reading with the ship's sensors, then, of course, he can do that. But, normally, targets are either detected, or they're not. And, sensor information is described to the players as color when the GM narrates the scene.
For information on Sensors, see page 9 of the Sourcebook.
NOTE 2: The D6 Star Wars game is about experiencing thrilling stories in the Star Wars universe. It's not about rolling dice and figuring out game rules. The GM should be very comfortable with the rules, but as I've shown here, keep your combats exciting through narrative. Tell a **** good story!
(Speed Segment)
We start at Medium range, as the TIE zips around an asteroid into clear space. The Falcon follows. Obviously, the TIE is trying to increase range, and the Falcon is trying to close range on the fighter.
This is called the Speed Segment because we roll the ship's Speed Code to determine range.
Falcon has Speed 4D. Roll = 9.
TIE has Speed 5D. Roll = 11.
The TIE Fighter won that toss, so we start the round with range increased by one category. We started at Medium Range, and now the TIE if zipping out into clear space, pulling away from the Falcon. Range is Long.
Speed Segment Options.
If both ships want to close range, then automatically start the combat round at one range closer. No dice roll needed. The two ships cannot close any closer than Short Range.
If both ships are trying to run from each other, then start the combat at one range category farther apart. No dice roll needed. If a ship is at greater than Long Range from the other, then the combat ceases. Go back to roleplaying in rounds. The combat is over.
As you can see, the Speed Segment is based on the capability of the vessel--the ship's Speed Code. Pilots can, but are not required, to enhance this roll by using their Starship Piloting skill. Using the skill means rolling it and adding the result to the Speed Code throw. This counts as a skill use, though, and any other actions taken by the pilot during the round are subject to the multiple action rule.
So, instead of rolling just the Falcon's Speed Code above, Han could have also rolled his Starship Piloting 3D+1 skill and added that result. Let's say Han rolled a 19. He adds this to the 9 he rolled above to get a total of 28 for the Speed Segment.
If Starship Piloting is going to be used for this option, then the player needs to consider any other actions the pilot may take in the combat because the multiple action penalty must be applied to this Starship Piloting roll.
A pilot can also do nothing, and this may be forced on the character because of ionized controls. See page 62 of the rulebook.
Fire Segment One.
We're at Long Range, given the results of the Speed Segment. Now, we fire weapons.
Weapons can only be fired if they heave a gunner.
To fire a weapon, roll the weapon's Fire Control Code and the gunner's Starship Gunnery skill.
Luke crawls into into one of the Falcon's turrets to operate the quad lasers. Fire Control is 3D. Luke's Starship Gunnery skill is 4D+1. Difficulty for Long range is 20.
1. Roll any Evasion attempts.
2. Roll any Shield attempts.
3. Roll attacker's Gunnery attack.
Fire Segment One Options.
Evasion - this is a reaction skill, used as Dodge is used in ground combat. Like Dodge, Evasion is applied to each enemy attacker in that one fire segment.
To evade, a defender rolls his ship's Maneuver Code and adds that to a Starship Piloting roll. Remember penalties for the multiple action rule on Starship Piloting.
The TIE pilot did not use his Starship Piloting of 2D in the Speed Segment, and he doesn't plan on firing at the Falcon (since the TIE is running from the Falcon). So, the TIE pilot rolls 2D for his skill plus another 2D for his TIE's maneuver code. He gets a total of 8. This increased the Falcon fire difficulty to 28. Note how you will want to roll this before the enemy makes his attack roll.
Angle a Deflector Shield - this is also a reaction skill. Unlike Evasion, Shield rolls are only applied to a single attack. Shield rolls are subject to the multiple action rule. It is easier to angle a deflector shield when the enemy is farther away.
If the Shield roll is successful, then the ship's Shield code is added to the ship's Hull code when damage is determined (thus, shields act as armor for the ship).
SPACE COMBAT PLAYS LIKE THIS...
1. Piloting Segment. GM describes the scene and notes opening Range.
2. Pilots indicate whether they are trying to close distance or increase range from target, and they indicate whether they will enhance the Speed Segment with maneuvers. Gunners declare how many shots will be taken and what weapon they will use.
3. Speed Segment , where pilots roll the ship's Speed Code. Optionally, pilots can roll their Starship Piloting skill to enhance the ship's Speed total. The winning toss determines the new Range for this combat round.
4. Fire Segment One , where gunners use Starship Gunnery to attack targets.
4a. - Evasion. Optionally, defenders can use Evasion to increase the difficulty for gunners to hit the ship. This is a reaction roll. Roll Starship Piloting and add total to Range Difficulty for gunners firing at the ship for the entire segment.
4b. - Shields. Optionally, defenders can angle deflector shields. This is a reaction roll. Roll Starship Shields vs. a target number based on range. If successful, the ship's Shield code is added to the ship's Hull code when damage is rolled.
4c. - Gunnery. Gunners fire their weapons. Use Starship Gunnery skill + Weapon's Fire Control code vs. target number based on Range.
4d. - Damage. Roll Damage as necessary.
5. Fire Segment Two: And so on.
A HELPING HAND
You can see how a single pilot in a starfighter can get overwhelmed with multiple action penalties. Co-pilots and/or gunners go a long way to help take some of the burden off the pilot. Don't forget about droids, especially when it comes to starship repair.
An X-Wing can be considered a two-person craft if the astromech has the right skills to help the pilot.
Edited by player3412539