So. I got the book and some stuff still seems unclear to me.

A pilot check difficulty is number diff. dice equal to higher of speed and 1/2 silhouette, upgraded by the lower of the two. Great, no problem.

Now does this apply to the chase mechanic too? I'd think not, that means that faster ships will have a hard time escaping slower ships right? If a YT and a Tie is both going all out the YT would by these rules roll 1 purple and 2 challenge dice: speed 3 + silhouette/2 = 2, so three dice with two upgrades. Whereas the Tie would be speed 5 + silhouette/2 (round up) = 2, so five dice with 2 upgrades. I mean you could argue for this in some cases sure, but I think its pretty harsh.

Also, shouldn't the difficulty of the two - for simplicity - be the same? I see four potential solutions; pick the higher difficulty for both, OR the lower difficulty for both, OR make an "average" difficulty that both rolls against. The fourth solution is to use table 7-8 and apply those dice as difficulty dice instead.

I mean, what do you guys think?

And about chases on foot: if using athletics - and going by the pilot rules - considering most characters will be silhouette 1 and have a speed of 1, would you have them roll a challenge die +potential setback dice to terrain?

The faster you go, the more difficult it will be to control your vehicle. keep in mind these checks will be adjusted by the handling of the vehicle too. In your example, the stock YT-1300 (?) has a handling of -1 so will have its difficulty check further adjusted with 1 setback die, whereas the Tie pilot's check will be enhanced by 3 boost dice. He can drop his speed but by keeping his speed up he will close the gap much faster if successful.

True. I'm of two minds, I'll consider further after testing.

But what is your take on the athletics chase check?

My understanding was that it applied in the Chase rules as well. After all, the faster you're going, the harder it is to control your vehicle.

I think the example you gave, of a YT-1300 and a TIE fighter, is born out in during the asteroid field sequence in ESB. Though the Falcon is a bigger ship, Han has less trouble avoiding the asteroids than the pursuing TIEs since he's not going quite so fast and has a few extra seconds to adjust his course, where the TIEs are roaring through at top speed... and getting plastered when an asteroid suddenly shifts into their path.

As for an on-foot chase sequence, a single Challenge die and then setback dice as appropriate sounds about right, as most chase sequences are a lot more complicated than a simple foot race.

But what is your take on the athletics chase check?

As stated, the difficulty would be set by the GM (in most cases I would say an average difficulty) and will be the same for both participants. Adjust by Table 7.8 as needed.

Does it specify whether it is referring to current speed or max speed? I agree with the others that a faster ship might be harder to control, but if a TIE fighter was relatively matching the speed of the the YT, it should have an easier time with its smaller size.

Also, I guess this all depends on the nature of the chase. A YT chasing a TIE fighter in open space is much different than a speeder chase in the crowded lanes of Coruscant. If it's a straight sprint, with no obstacles, the TIE fighter would leave the YT in the dust (if it isn't blown apart, first).

@Farsox: its current speed, not top speed.

@all: average difficulty or 1 challenge die? average makes somewhat sense, but 1 challenge die seems appropriate, chases are confusing affairs, so that potential Despair is a good thing.

@all: average difficulty or 1 challenge die? average makes somewhat sense, but 1 challenge die seems appropriate, chases are confusing affairs, so that potential Despair is a good thing.

Since difficulty is determined by the GM in a footrace, either or a combination or something altogether different is acceptable.

Honestly, this game is about making such things simple. If you are in an open space area, in a straight line race, then you aren't really piloting. That doesn't require a check. Just compare speeds. The faster ship is going to close or increase the gap by X range bands for every 1-2 points of speed it has ahead. Not everything necesssarily requires a check. A drag race between the Falcon and a TIE fighter is one of those things, IMO.

The sidebar for chases actually states that in open space/air/terrain, a chase is simply a competitive check. If the pursuer gets more successes than the pursued, they gain distance in terms of range bands. Even in the open, vehicles and people can still juke and zig-zag (like in many sports).

Agreed.

I realise now why I was wondering about the difficulty - because it says that in an open clear space its a simple check, which means no difficulty dice. Hence the option of using table 7-8 as a guideline for difficulties, rather than setback dice, should work well. No?