Barrage only seems to be helpful at Long and Extreme range. This means it's likely to be pretty useless in starship combat for almost any vessel the PCs can get, right? Is this intentional?

Also, why is the Bodyguard so good at long/extreme with Barrage while the Mercenary Soldier is an up close guy with Point Blank? Seems a bit off to me.

I believe that talents that are useful in vehicle combat are called out as such in the description, otherwise the talents are only good for personal scale combat.

The bodyguard doesn't really have much in the way of offensive capability compared to the other specializations. Makes me think it is intended to be where Hired Guns and others go to get beefier, rather than more deadly.

Still, it is ironic that the best way that a straight up Bodyguard can fend off foes from their charge is to...sprint or thrust to long / extreme range :-)

I was looking at a Hired Gun (Bodyguard/Marauder) to represent the Brock Sampson character one of my players is planning.

I've just checked the book and the description for barrage specifically says 'non-vehicle/starship' weapon, so it can't be used with vehicle weapons.

OK. That's what happens when I just look at the Talent Tree pdfs that are floating around.

Barrage makes sure that your bodyguard can mow down your enemy LONG before you have to worry about him reaching your charge!

The Merc Soldier, on the other hand, likes to watch the fear in his enemy's eyes when he shoots them to death.

Barrage makes sure that your bodyguard can mow down your enemy LONG before you have to worry about him reaching your charge!

The Merc Soldier, on the other hand, likes to watch the fear in his enemy's eyes when he shoots them to death.

Just seems odd to me that the Merc is more "up close with a pistol" and the Bodyguard is more "at range with heavy weapons" in this game.

Well, don't think of it so much as "up close with a pistol." Point blank works for ranged heavy AND ranged light. You can roll on up with a light repeater or a scattergun and blast the hell out of them.

Think of him as an assault specialist .

I believe that talents that are useful in vehicle combat are called out as such in the description, otherwise the talents are only good for personal scale combat.

What is your source for this? Because I would like to take Sniper Shot and use it to extend our starship's turret range and I see nothing preventing that.

While on the topic of starship combat, I can't seem to find the skill relationship to operating ship weapons, so I don't know how to build a dice pool. There do not appear to be any skills specific to operating starship weaponry, does it just fall under the piloting skill or it's related attribute?

Gunnery i think.

Gunnery i think.

There will be a loud slapping of palm to face once I return to my book...

Gunnery i think.

There will be a loud slapping of palm to face once I return to my book...

Just try not to damage the book.

I believe that talents that are useful in vehicle combat are called out as such in the description, otherwise the talents are only good for personal scale combat.

What is your source for this? Because I would like to take Sniper Shot and use it to extend our starship's turret range and I see nothing preventing that.

Sniper Shot (P 143) only specifies "non-thrown ranged attack" while Barrage (132) allows for "Ranged Heavy or Gunnery non- starship/vehicle attack. More appropriately, I do not think there is a "list" of the abilities, so much as that each ability will specify within itself what actions/skills/equipment it is usable for.

Gunnery i think.

There will be a loud slapping of palm to face once I return to my book...

P. 120 and 154 both address Gunnery and its use.

I believe that talents that are useful in vehicle combat are called out as such in the description, otherwise the talents are only good for personal scale combat.

What is your source for this? Because I would like to take Sniper Shot and use it to extend our starship's turret range and I see nothing preventing that.

The Starship talents are called out thing was mentioned in one of the order 66 podcasts by Sam Stewart from FFG, I can't remember the episode off the top of my head but it is the tale of two Sams ( I think it was episode 6?)

As for Sniper Shot: The full text for Sniper shot states - 'this is in addition to the increased difficulty of the shot due to longer range' - as starship combat difficulty is not based on range but on silhouette then this can't really apply.

I have found that most Talents are worded to include exceptions or exemptions or triggers for use but some do have to be read very carefully and have all aspects taken into consideration when trying to implement them. Interpretation of talents came up quite often as part of the beta testing. As these questions come up it might be an idea to contact FFG directly via the "ask rules question option" and then repost back and update the brilliant Errata and Clarification thread.

Apologies if this sounds a bit preachy as its really not meant to be but my typing Fu seems to have left me this evening.

As for Sniper Shot: The full text for Sniper shot states - 'this is in addition to the increased difficulty of the shot due to longer range' - as starship combat difficulty is not based on range but on silhouette then this can't really apply.

I completely agree with this interpretation, but I am also very confused (not at your statement, but at the book).

If starship combat ignores range bands, then why do the Medium Laser cannons on a YT-1300 list Range: Close?

Edit: to further complicate matters, the Advanced Targeting computer attachment lists 1 Innate Talent [sniper Shot] as a mod... Oh the humanity.

Perhaps, the intention behind the range band statement was that the difficulty was based more on relative size, but that weapons are still limited by their range, (close, short etc.)

Example: YT-1300 is in dogfight with 4 TIE fighters. Both parties ships are stock. The Tie's deploy at Short range to the YT. the YT is currently at Speed 4 The TIE's are at Speed 5.

Initiative is divided as such:

PC

TIE (2 of them group a)

PC

PC

TIE (2 of them group b)

PC

Under normal circumstances the PC's could try to escape, but given the TIE's speed this probably wouldn't work. The lasers on the YT can't reach the TIE'S yet, so the PC's would be forced to move first, either fleeing or charging in. However if the first slot went to a character who had access to the Sniper Shot Talent, he could upgrade the range band of his weapon by one (in this case close to short) by increasing the difficulty one, so Daunting instead of Hard. As there are no penalties for range no further increase is added to this check.

Starship weapons do have range limits but this is not used to calculate difficulty only to determine how far a weapon can reasonably shoot.

And if you can add Sniper Shot as a mod then it kinda invalidates my whole argument and opens up talents such as Dodge being used I. Starship combat when it probably shouldn't be.

It would be supremely useful if FFG could provide a list of which talents could be used in/on vehicles and starships.

Suggest you add this to the list of dev questions for the upcoming Order 66 podcast.

Suggest you add this to the list of dev questions for the upcoming Order 66 podcast.

I have just asked FFG a rules question about having a list of vehicle/starship friendly talents but I will add it to the Podcast Question list but over on the D20 boards.

Ok, scratch everything I said (typed), many of the talents have been clarified since the beta and now either specifically call out skills or triggers and/or state non-vehicle or starship weapon to denote that they cannot be used in starship combat, so it seems that if none of this is in the description then the talent can be used.

So it looks like Sniper Shot is fair game for vehicle/starship combat, so have fun with it. I know my players will. :-)