What do you think the mechanics for detecting and calculating a jump signature?

Should it require special equipment? Perhaps a specific astrogation computer or sensor modification to detect and calculate jump signature locations? I do not know much about it in lore.

Perhaps just a sensor action:

Sensor Officer [action]

Detect Jump Signature:

Sensors active and ship detected (not necessarily scanned), target in sensor range

Computers (daunting) to read signature

success: detect signature and gain basic sector info

2x advantage gain system

3x advantage gain planet

triumph: gain exact coords

2 triumph: exact coords and decrease travel time or calc time by 10%

fail: jump sig not obtained

1 x threat: wrong planet

2 x threat: wrong system

3 x threat: wrong sector

1 x despair: thinks the signature was correctly obtained, but it is completely wrong

2 x despair: signature is wrong and has detected the incorrect ship

bd: ship scanned

decrease difficulty by 1: hyperspace tracking beacon is installed on target ship

increase difficulty by one if target has stealth or ECM systems active

Perhaps, we then need an action to help make it harder for someone to detect your jump signature? Any ideas?

Nice, I agree it should be formidable difficulty. Not sure what "UU" stands for, is that successes? I think increased successes might pinpoint the location more accurately, and advantages, rather than triumphs, could be spent shaving time off getting there.

Honestly I think you are over thinking it. To me, as a GM, this issue is clearly story driven so it comes down to does the story require them to track or have their signature tracked? Yes then you succeed.

There is not much that bothers me more and ruins the story like a skill check for a plot device to keep the story going. Example: the players need to find the bad guys secret journal to find out where he went.

GM " you search the bad guys lair. Make a search roll" Players " We fail." GM "ok, time goes by roll again."

There is a great piece on when not to roll by Skill Monkey.

Honestly I think you are over thinking it. To me, as a GM, this issue is clearly story driven so it comes down to does the story require them to track or have their signature tracked? Yes then you succeed.

There is not much that bothers me more and ruins the story like a skill check for a plot device to keep the story going. Example: the players need to find the bad guys secret journal to find out where he went.

GM " you search the bad guys lair. Make a search roll" Players " We fail." GM "ok, time goes by roll again."

There is a great piece on when not to roll by Skill Monkey.

You're projecting, and I'm not sure what it has to do with the OP. I mean, I agree with your statement in principle, but there might be a time where tracking a jump signature is one of several ways to move the story forward, and might, if successful, make an interesting narrative. What could possibly be wrong with that?

I pull mechanics out of my hat all the time, it's an appealing aspect of this game that we can wing it where there aren't specific rules, and everybody can be on board with the way it plays out. It's also nice to be able to pull out a prefab without having to invent it on the spot. Finally, it you're always "doing what the story demands", that seems kind of railroady or deus ex.

"The Imperials tracked your jump signature and..."

"Hey, I didn't know we could do that. How does it work?"

Well, that's why you've got cintingencies planned/planted. Isn't it?

I'd make it a daunting to formidable computers, but perhaps only a hard to daunting astrogation, with setback dice added for distance to target, i.e. If it's within passive sensor or active sensor range, beyond that would, per my take on sensors (see elsewhere), add upgrades and/or difficulty increase and/or setback dice. Also add setback dice if target system is not already in the navcomputer archives.

Knowledge outer rim or core worlds could also perhaps be used, or provide some synergy bonus type of thing, but that is GM discretion. A boost die or something.

EDIT: Doh! Whafrog beat me to it on the story thingy...

Player success gives more info and a quicker direct route. Player failure maybe makes it take longer but they will eventually get where they need to (perhaps with new time constraints since it took longer).

I prefer the players and the dice having some role in the story, especially certain plot points. Nothing better than seeing the dice go against you and then pulling it off anyway by going off the path. To me it's less fun if more is narratively fiat'd by the GM.

I wrote formidable, but meant daunting for the computers check.

@Jegergryte: I have it so that they have to be within active sensor range and the ship is detected.

@WhaFrog: What he said!

@Kshatriya: What he said!

Nice, I agree it should be formidable difficulty. Not sure what "UU" stands for, is that successes? I think increased successes might pinpoint the location more accurately, and advantages, rather than triumphs, could be spent shaving time off getting there.

Howz 'bout this for a slight change:

Sensor Officer [action]

Detect Jump Signature:

Sensors active and ship detected (not necessarily scanned), target in sensor range

Computers (daunting * * * *) to read signature

success: detect signature and gain basic sector info

+2 success gain system

+3 success gain planet

+4 success with medium range

2 advantage 1 bd to astrogation check to go to jump location

3 advantage 2 bd to astrogation check to go to jump location

triumph: gain exact coords

2 triumph: exact coords and +2 bd to astrogation check

fail: jump sig not obtained

1 x threat: wrong planet

2 x threat: wrong system

3 x threat: wrong sector

1 x despair: thinks the signature is correct, but it is completely wrong

2 x despair: thinks the signature is correct, but it is completely wrong, and has detected the incorrect ship

bd: ship scanned

decrease difficulty by 1: hyperspace tracking beacon is installed on target ship

upgrade difficulty by one each if target has stealth or ECM systems active

Thanks for the feeback and thoughts everyone!

To me, tracking jump signatures is a Star Trek thing...

In the Empire Strickes Back, Darth Vader's Death Squadron couldn't track the Millenium Falcon's jump signature... I mean they have the very best of the best in crew and technology... They calculated every know destination along their last known trajectory, which had them split the whole fleet to search for them...

In the old WEG Empire sourcebook, they added some kind of hyperspace sensor net that could detect ships in hyperspace and thus calculate their trajectory. Unfortunately, the sensor net had to be installed beforehand so it could not be used on the go.

If I had to use a similar approach to move my game forward... id go with an underworld or outer rim check to have the players get in the head of their target and thing where they could try to hide or run... they could after that try to see if that destination could be viable with their last trajectory, maybe with an astrogation check...

Again, I do believe that you can't track ships jumping into hyperspace.

I hope this helps.

The initial burst of Cronau radiation from jumps exists in Realspace, but the radiation trail (the route they take) exists in Hyperspace.

From Realspace they can if they are successful at their sensors (Computers check), figure out their direction of initial travel.

Then I would have them make a difficult Astrogation check to estimate target destinations along that vector (which is actually more of an ever widening cone). Bonuses for knowledge skill ranks of the region in question, relevant Talents, etc.

Followed by a sensors (Computers) check once in Hyperspace to verify route.

It wouldn't just be one sensors check in Realspace, it would be a process... the basis for an adventure of it's own as they periodically stop back in Realspace to confirm if they're still on the right trail... and all kinds of things (i.e. adventures) can happen in those stops along the way.

Incidentally, this is why the Empire doesn't just track down Rebel Alliance hideouts across the galaxy and eliminate them. It's incredibly hard and time consuming to attempt.

I'm on the same page as JP and Liloki, A sensors check can give you a heading and then a knowledge check of some type to identify likely stops along that route. My group usually makes a short random direction jump when we are running before jumping home to keep from being tracked back to our hideout.

What do you think the mechanics for detecting and calculating a jump signature?

Should it require special equipment? Perhaps a specific astrogation computer or sensor modification to detect and calculate jump signature locations? I do not know much about it in lore.

Perhaps just a sensor action:

Sensor Officer [action]

Detect Jump Signature:

Sensors active and ship detected (not necessarily scanned), target in sensor range

Computers (daunting) to read signature

success: detect signature and gain basic sector info

2x advantage gain system

3x advantage gain planet

triumph: gain exact coords

2 triumph: exact coords and decrease travel time or calc time by 10%

fail: jump sig not obtained

1 x threat: wrong planet

2 x threat: wrong system

3 x threat: wrong sector

1 x despair: thinks the signature was correctly obtained, but it is completely wrong

2 x despair: signature is wrong and has detected the incorrect ship

bd: ship scanned

decrease difficulty by 1: hyperspace tracking beacon is installed on target ship

increase difficulty by one if target has stealth or ECM systems active

Perhaps, we then need an action to help make it harder for someone to detect your jump signature? Any ideas?

I'd probably go with Astrogation rather than Computers. They both relate to the task but Astrogation is a more specific skill so deserves more love.

The only thing that makes me frown is that the profession I see making most use of this? Bounty Hunter. Does BH get either skill? Nope.

Route calculation from memory back in the older systems 'could' be done by ships that managed to get a decent lock on the sublight motion and direction before it drops into hyperspace.

However, that didn't give you any distance that the ship may have travelled, but hyperspace travel is a straight line affair, so you'd need to factor in probabilities on maps of 'best guess' where the ship might be going. Hence the invention of trip-tracers that would be attached to a ship so that when it flew through the holonet 'ley lines' running through the galaxy it would yell out where it was.

The other way I know is by tracing a direction the 'hyperdust' that is a lot of agitated particles produced by the engine as it goes squirting away, they do dissipate fairly quickly though and if someones let off a lot of other energy weapons it might be fairly hard to find.

As an olde D6-era pirate from a time long ago:

Plot micro-jump

By the time they've figured that out

Recalculate and plot 2nd jump... possibly a 3rd if I've stolen something nice and shiny they might want back!

As an olde D6-era pirate from a time long ago:

Plot micro-jump

By the time they've figured that out

Recalculate and plot 2nd jump... possibly a 3rd if I've stolen something nice and shiny they might want back!

We do this a lot.

To me, tracking jump signatures is a Star Trek thing...

In the Empire Strickes Back, Darth Vader's Death Squadron couldn't track the Millenium Falcon's jump signature... I mean they have the very best of the best in crew and technology... They calculated every know destination along their last known trajectory, which had them split the whole fleet to search for them...

In the old WEG Empire sourcebook, they added some kind of hyperspace sensor net that could detect ships in hyperspace and thus calculate their trajectory. Unfortunately, the sensor net had to be installed beforehand so it could not be used on the go.

If I had to use a similar approach to move my game forward... id go with an underworld or outer rim check to have the players get in the head of their target and thing where they could try to hide or run... they could after that try to see if that destination could be viable with their last trajectory, maybe with an astrogation check...

Again, I do believe that you can't track ships jumping into hyperspace.

I hope this helps.

On the money.

The EU doesn't really have anything that allows tracking this way. But you could take their exit point and relative direction then compare it to known points along that vector. I'd allow an astrogation check as well as underworld or outer rim.

In the Empire Strickes Back, Darth Vader's Death Squadron couldn't track the Millenium Falcon's jump signature... I mean they have the very best of the best in crew and technology... They calculated every know destination along their last known trajectory, which had them split the whole fleet to search for them...

Good point, still I think these mechanics could work for the "last known trajectory" method.

Ok, good info.

I guess I will drop my base idea overall, but I do like the advice you are giving for making it more fit to the lore.

Thanks all!

This came up in my D6 campaign enough times that I whipped up some houserules for it. Basically, they go as follows:

1. The ship must be within sensor range when it jumps.

2. The pursuer can make an Astrogation check (I'd make it at least Hard, possibly with some setback dice as well) to determine the fleeing ship's precise jump vector.

3. The pursuer then makes a Knowledge (Outer Rim) or (Core Worlds) as appropriate to determine what planets lie along that vector and which one(s) would make likely destinations.

Needless to say this gives the jumping ship a clear advantage, since all it has to do to disappear is make a second jump from whatever system it arrives in before the pursuers arrive to pick it up on their sensors. But this is pretty much in keeping with the general lore, in my opinion. Otherwise the Empire would have tracked Rebel ships to their bases all the time.

3. The pursuer then makes a Knowledge (Outer Rim) or (Core Worlds) as appropriate to determine what planets lie along that vector and which one(s) would make likely destinations.

I would think this would be an Astrogation or Computers check instead, since presumably a nav computer will be able to show all the possible destinations; or show how there couldn't possibly be a distant destination for that jump because of something in the way, so it had to have been a short jump. Knowledge might give an assist in this, even Underworld if say a known pirate base lay along a certain route.

Honestly I think you are over thinking it. To me, as a GM, this issue is clearly story driven so it comes down to does the story require them to track or have their signature tracked? Yes then you succeed.

There is not much that bothers me more and ruins the story like a skill check for a plot device to keep the story going. Example: the players need to find the bad guys secret journal to find out where he went.

GM " you search the bad guys lair. Make a search roll" Players " We fail." GM "ok, time goes by roll again."

There is a great piece on when not to roll by Skill Monkey.

I think there's a place for this kind of play, but what the OP describes, it can be useful too. For instance, if they do track the enemy, they can get to the location and confront them. OR

If they do NOT track the enemy, then some alternate encounter occurs and the story can branch off for a bit. Gives the player some choice, but still keep the "story" on track with what you have planned. If the only negative outcome of this scenario was that more time passes until the characters get around to getting it right, then yeah, it would be boring. But there are interesting ways to implement success and failure of this kind of thing. OR, you can "auto story" it too. All depends on what you have planned as a GM.

Suns of Fortune has added equipment, and I think rules..AFB...will have to confirm that later.

What do you think the mechanics for detecting and calculating a jump signature?

Should it require special equipment? Perhaps a specific astrogation computer or sensor modification to detect and calculate jump signature locations? I do not know much about it in lore.

Perhaps just a sensor action:

Sensor Officer [action]

Detect Jump Signature:

Sensors active and ship detected (not necessarily scanned), target in sensor range

Computers (daunting) to read signature

success: detect signature and gain basic sector info

2x advantage gain system

3x advantage gain planet

triumph: gain exact coords

2 triumph: exact coords and decrease travel time or calc time by 10%

fail: jump sig not obtained

1 x threat: wrong planet

2 x threat: wrong system

3 x threat: wrong sector

1 x despair: thinks the signature was correctly obtained, but it is completely wrong

2 x despair: signature is wrong and has detected the incorrect ship

bd: ship scanned

decrease difficulty by 1: hyperspace tracking beacon is installed on target ship

increase difficulty by one if target has stealth or ECM systems active

Perhaps, we then need an action to help make it harder for someone to detect your jump signature? Any ideas?

I'd probably go with Astrogation rather than Computers. They both relate to the task but Astrogation is a more specific skill so deserves more love.

The only thing that makes me frown is that the profession I see making most use of this? Bounty Hunter. Does BH get either skill? Nope.

Despite what some sources would have you believe, a good bounty hunter shouldn't work alone. Having specialists along that get a share of the payout makes far more sense than one hunter trying to do it all himself.

Despite what some sources would have you believe, a good bounty hunter shouldn't work alone. Having specialists along that get a share of the payout makes far more sense than one hunter trying to do it all himself.

But will Pash buy Astrogation? Will he fu-

Honestly I think you are over thinking it. To me, as a GM, this issue is clearly story driven so it comes down to does the story require them to track or have their signature tracked? Yes then you succeed.

I imagine the opposite would be true, too?

Personally, I'd hate it if that's how it worked. If I come up with a cool idea, I'd like it judged on some merit other than whether or not I moved the train down the appropriate tracks. If the adventure assumes I will learn some fact or get my hands on some thingie to advance the plot, I shouldn't succeed on whatever I try because it does the job. Plus, once I do succeed at something, I might want to try it again! I'd hate, hate, HATE hearing, "Oh, that worked last time because I wanted it to.. now I don't."

I get that the game is narrative but the 'it succeeds if you need it to' approach sounds way too Choose Your Own Adventure to me.