So -

My group has moved from an EotE campaign into an AOR campaign with new characters. I anticipate (based on the adventures I have planned to run) that there may be some instances when the crew and / or allied small ships may have to joust with an Imp escort vessel. Something like a Raider class corvette, or even a Lancer. Ships that are purpose built to protect convoys and capital ships from starfighters.

I have read over the "Blanket Barrage" rules in ACRB and I TOTALLY get the cinematic feel they are going for. ie: A hail of blaster / laser fire that pilots are flying through to deliver ordinance against the enemy escort ship or the high-value ships it's protecting. And I get the Order 66 podcast recommendations and those of some others folks on these forums, about "grouping" same-type weapons systems along an entire side of a ship and treating them as a single minion group for simplicity in rolling. Totally makes sense.

BUT... I have three questions / issues and I wonder if someone is using some House Rules or tweeks. (I know what RAW says... I'm looking for some creativity)

(1) What does the Blanket Barrage escort ship DO with any extra successes that they roll on the 2-purple Blanket Barrage check? RAW, one success sets the BB in place... but extra successes do NOT (RAW) increase "base weapon damage" - therefore any nicks or direct hits from the BB against attacking ships only do half or all of the BASE damage. And the "twin" nature of the turrets on the Raider (purpose built for anti-fighter defense) don't matter either (Linked is not accounted for in Blanket Barrage). So, getting nicked (half damage) by even heavy laser cannons (6 base damage) would be shrugged off by a Y-Wing or B-Wing (3 armor rating) - some of the very snubfighters that BB is designed (narratively) to protect against.

(2) How do you account for (house rule) any shields on the snubfighters? RAW, it doesn't matter if I have a naked TIE fighter or a Y-Wing with the shields pushing full forward on the attack run. But with all the ways to reinforce or adjust shields (like we see in the movies), it seems a waste to make them useless when they are pretty important.

(3) RAW, the nicks or direct hits from the BB are based on the ATTACK roll of the snubfighter. And that kind of makes sense in an X-Wing or A-Wing where the pilot is trying to line up his shot AND keep his ship from blowing up. But what if you have a 2-seat Y-Wing or a 2-seat B-Wing with a dedicated gunner in addition to the pilot (Legends material and/or WEG's Strikeforce-Shantipole)? In those cases, the PILOT is dodging all of that fire to line up a shot for the gunner. Shouldn't the PILOT's skill, talents, and even ship maneuverability account for SOMETHING? (other than those talents that allow for changing ship damage into strain, etc) Is there a way, perhaps, to translate the BB gunnery roll into "difficult terrain", in the same mechanical fashion as if the ship were flying through an asteroid or debris field? And have the PILOT make an opposed roll - with upgraded difficulty calculated the same was as the successes / advantages of the BB gunnery roll? And let THAT roll result in nicks or direct hits... and then let the gunner roll his attack roll (upgraded because of pilot juking, etc), but without the potential for having the ship suffer damage by way of the GUNNER firing torpedoes? How would you house-rule the opposing dice pool if the PILOT had to make a piloting check to avoid damage from the Blanket Barrage?

Thanks in Advance,

GM Khyrith

36 minutes ago, Khyrith said:

(1) What does the Blanket Barrage escort ship DO with any extra successes that they roll on the 2-purple Blanket Barrage check? 

Nothing.

Blanket Barrage is mostly a way for big ships bristling with turbolasers to fend off attacking Starfighters and gunships. So you're usually talking a hit form a medium or heavy turbolaser type weapon. Extra success won't matter much vs. a Starfighter.

36 minutes ago, Khyrith said:

And the "twin" nature of the turrets on the Raider (purpose built for anti-fighter defense) don't matter either

Yep! Guess a Raider should directly engage Starfighters instead of blindly firing away, and use the Starfighter Defense special rule allowing it to count as a Sil 4 ship when firing it's laser cannons at Starfighters...

Additionally when you start applying Squadron Rules, hits are managed by-hit, not by-damage, so this interacts with that to help reduce the odds of a players squadron being wiped out in one go.

36 minutes ago, Khyrith said:

2) How do you account for (house rule) any shields on the snubfighters?

You don't. Again, the whole point of Blanket Barrage isn't to fight against Starfighters, it's just to make it so ships that normally would be at a total disadvantage against large groups of attacking fighters have a method of defense. A Sil 8 ISD attempting to directly engage Sil 3 Starfighters will miss often and pile up so much Threat that the ISD will Strain in no time.

Without Blanket Barrage the ISD really just has to hope it's TIEs and Armor can save the day. With Blanket Barrage it can hang a big "please don't attack me" sign up as well.

36 minutes ago, Khyrith said:

But with all the ways to reinforce or adjust shields (like we see in the movies)

Watch the movies again and count the times Starfighters mention shields, or better yet how many times you see a Starfighter survive a direct hit from almost any weapon. I think you'll find shields aren't as important as people tend to think. Star Trek this is not.

36 minutes ago, Khyrith said:

But what if you have a 2-seat Y-Wing or a 2-seat B-Wing with a dedicated gunner in addition to the pilot (Legends material and/or WEG's Strikeforce-Shantipole)? In those cases, the PILOT is dodging all of that fire to line up a shot for the gunner. Shouldn't the PILOT's skill,  talents, and even ship maneuverability account for SOMETHING?

Not as much as you think. See, operating a weapon system without the pilot's cooperation is nearly futile. The WO and pilot have to be inconstant coordination if they hope to hit anything. Break out the older Battlefront sometime and try operating the turret in a Y-wing while a friend flies... you're basically spraying and praying if you and he aren't also having your buddy fly in a way beneficial to you. Essentially, Gunnery Checks are just as much about lining up the shot as pulling the trigger, and the dangers inherent with doing so. Crumby gunner? The Pilots got to fly steadier to compensate. Good experienced gunner, the pilot can get a little fancier. And again, it's a game mechanic to provide big ships a defense option against fighters, not a universal method for a starship to defend itself against fighters. So if you're attacking the Star Destroyer, you have risk. If you're just fighting a TIE nearby, the barrage is just an environmental effect and nothing more.

For environmental effects see pg 77 of Stay on Target.