In these rules, a player character “making a task roll equal to 10 or more” would be rolling dice equal to the character’s ability rating (2 novice, 3 skilled, 4 expert, etc.) In other role-playing game systems, use a “routine” or “average” difficulty ability check.
These rules were written with a Star Trek flavor, but with a little tweaking they can be adapted to other universes (Jump Drive in Traveller, hyperdrive in Star Wars, and so forth).
SHIP ABILITIES
Crew: Number and quality of personnel aboard a ship. Useful in boarding actions.
Data Banks: A ship computer’s technical, scientific, and cultural archives. Also used to break through communications signal jamming.
Defenses: Deflector shields, hull armor, and defensive maneuvers.
Firepower: Phasers, torpedoes, other ship weaponry, and effective attack patterns.
Hull: A ship’s overall structural size and density of a ship.
Maneuver Drive: Thrusters and impulse engines for movement at sublight speeds and chases.
Sensors: Various detectors useful to navigate, cause signal jamming, or locate cloaked ships.
Warp Drive: A ship’s maximum faster-than-light speed by warp factor to pursue or escape in an interstellar chase.
SHIP COMBAT
Combat Rounds: Each combat turn lasts about 13 seconds, roughly the distance light takes to travel 4 million kilometers in space.
Dice: All rolls use six-sided dice (d6). A task roll involves rolling a number of dice equal to a ship’s current rating in that ship ability. Totals of rolls are compared against opponent’s totals, or a difficult rating (easy 1d6, hard 3d6, extreme 5d6). The highest roll wins.
Initiative Order: Roll Maneuver Drive (if at sublight speeds) or Warp Drive (if at faster-than-light speeds). Turns are resolved with higher results acting before lower results.
Ranges: Ship actions are limited by the following distances…
* Docking Range: Adjoining vessels.
* Transporter Range: Up to 40,000 km.
* Phaser Range: 40,000 to 300,000 km (one light second).
* Torpedo Range: 300,000 to 4 million km (one round at light speed).
* Short Range Sensors: Up to 3 light years of distance.
* Long Range Sensors: 3 to 10 light years of distance.
* Distant Range: Further than 10 light years away.
Determine Starting Range: All ships roll Maneuver Drive (if at sublight speeds) or Warp Drive (if at faster-than-light speeds). The ship with the highest result decides if the combat encounter begins at Transporter, Phaser, Torpedo, Short Sensor, or Long Sensor range.
At the start of each ship’s turn…
Roll For Auxiliary Power: Each player character aboard a ship makes one task roll based on any one character ability (Awareness for tactical intuition, Charisma for keeping a crew from panicking, Knowledge to exploit a design weakness, or whatever idea a player proposes). Each task roll resulting in a total of 10 or more adds one die to that ship’s Auxiliary Power dice pool for that turn. Some or all Auxiliary dice may be added to various ship’s task rolls, both those rolled during that ship’s turn or for Defenses rolls when targeted between turns. A ship’s unused Auxiliary Power dice are lost at the start of a ship’s next turn when new rolls for Auxiliary Power are made.
During a turn, a ship may attempt each of the following actions once…
* Coordinate Tactics
* Signal Jamming
* Pursue or Flee
* Cloak or Uncloak Ship
* Scan For Cloaked Targets
* Attack A Target
* Use Tractor Beams
* Use Transporters
* Attempt Boarding Actions
* Ram Another Ship
* Self Destruct The Ship
Details…
Coordinate Tactics: Each turn, a ship’s captain may make a personal ability Combat task roll versus a Hard difficulty (3 dice). (At the captain’s choice, another character aboard may attempt this task roll instead, such as a chief tactical officer.) If successful, before its next turn that captain’s ship may share Auxiliary dice with any allied ships within Torpedo range or closer. If any enemy ship is performing Signal Jamming, a ship must make a Sensors task roll equal to or greater than the enemy’s jamming result in order to give or receive Auxiliary Power dice during its turn.
Signal Jamming: A ship may make a Sensors task roll to create an opposition number that enemy ships must equal or beat in order to send subspace communications or coordinate tactics between enemy ships. If multiple ships attempt to jam signals, only the highest single Sensors result applies. To break through signal jamming, a ship must make its own Data Banks roll equal to or greater than the jamming ship’s result total. A ship that cannot break jamming cannot give or receive Auxiliary dice to or from allies.
Pursue or Flee: A ship may roll Maneuver Drive (if at sublight speeds) or Warp Drive (if at faster-than-light speeds) versus a Hard difficulty (3 dice) to increase or decrease its range one step from the area of space combat (Transporter, Phaser, Torpedo, Short Range Sensors). A ship that stays in Short Range Sensors distance for three consecutive turns escapes pursuit by enemy ships.
Cloak or Uncloak Ship: Some ships have elite stealth systems broadly called cloaking devices which put an extreme drain on a ship’s power but make it difficult – but not impossible – to be targeted during combat. Vessels with actively engaged cloaking devices during their turn may not make an attack until such a device is turned off. While cloaked, a ship adds its Firepower rating to its Defenses rating against incoming attacks. A ship remains either cloaked or uncloaked until this action is taken during a future ship’s turn. A ship may not cloak and uncloak in the past turn.
Scan For Cloaked Targets: Roll Sensors versus an Extreme difficulty (5 dice). If successful, one cloaked ship within Torpedo or less range loses the benefit of adding its Firepower to its Defense if targeted by attacks from the detecting ship before the target’s next turn. Cloaked ships at Short Range Sensor distance or further away cannot be detected.
Attack A Target: A ship may fire phasers, disruptors, and photon or quantum torpedos at a target within Phaser range (under 300,000 km). If a target is in Torpedo range (300,000 to 4 million km), only half of the attacker’s Firepower dice may be used (round down). A target at Short Sensor Range or further distance may not be attacked.
The attacker rolls Firepower versus the Defenses rating of a targeted ship, or Firepower at a -2 Hindrance to target a specific ability of the targeted ship. If the attacker’s Firepower roll total is greater than the target’s Defenses roll, the target suffers the difference in totals as damage. Each point of damage reduces 1 rating point from a ship’s abilities.
On a general hit, the target decides how to divide up multiple points of damage across Crew, Data Banks, Defenses, Firepower, Hull, Maneuver Drive, Sensors, and Warp Drive. If an attacker targeted a specific system under the -2 Hindrance, the attacker decides which system takes damage. An ability reduced to zero may not be used or further reduced, and any remaining excess damage if applies to other ship abilities. A ship that has zero in all abilities is disabled; any further damage destroys the ship.
An attacker may also split its Firepower rating to make two or more separate attacks against multiple targets during the same turn. For example, a starship with a Firepower of 7 may make one Firepower 4 attack against a first target and one Firepower 3 attack against a second target. If targeting specific ship abilities, the -2 Hindrance applies to each attack roll.
Each time a ship’s Crew rating is reduced, all player characters on board the damaged ship automatically lose 1 to 6 (one die) of Hit Points (control panels explode, decks become flooded with radiation, holes decompress areas into space). Personal armor reduces these hit point losses.
Use Tractor Beams: A ship with tractor beams may attempt to tow another vessel or object of its size class or smaller within Transporter range by rolling a Hull task versus the an Easy difficulty (1 die). Towing a vessel one size larger requires a success versus an Extreme difficulty (5 dice). Once in tow, the vessel or object moves in the same direction and speed as the towing ship. If attempting to break free, a towed ship must make a Hull task roll equal or better than a towing ship’s Hull roll result.
Use Transporters: A ship with transporters allows personnel and cargo to be teleported within Transporter range (up to 40,000 km, or less due to interference from layers of mineral deposits, ionic storms, or spacial anomalies). The number of individuals or tons of cargo that may be beamed by transporters during a single turn is equal to triple a ship’s Hull rating.
Transporters do not work through defector shields, meaning a ship with a Defenses rating of 1 or more blocks any such attempts. A ship that uses transporters during its own turn must create gaps in its shields, causing its Defenses rating to be reduced to half (round down) until the start of that ship’s next turn.
Attempt Boarding Actions: A ship with transporters or shuttlecraft may attempt to seize control of an enemy vessel within Transporter range (under 40,000 km), or Docking range if without other extended means to reach the targeted ship. The boarding ship must succeed at an attack task roll (ship’s Firepower versus target’s Defenses), and if successful, the boarding party then make a Crew task roll against the target’s Crew roll result.
If the boarding party’s result total is equal to or greater than the target’s roll, the attacker seizes control of the enemy’s ship or completes some other goal (freeing a prisoner, stealing a cargo, capturing an individual). If unsuccessful, the boarding action may be attempted again the following turn.
Ram Another Ship: A ship may intentionally collide with another ship at Transporter Range (under 40,000 km). Each ship makes a Maneuver Drive task roll. If the target is incapacitated or cannot move, success is automatic. If the attack succeeds, each ship suffers damage equal to the sum of both ship’s Hull ratings. Each side subtracts its current Defenses rating from this damage before ability ratings are reduced.
Self Destruct The Ship: A ship may trigger its warp core to breach, causing triple its Hull rating as a Firepower-based attack to all ships (ally and enemy) within Transporter Range (under 40,000 km). Andy ships at Docking range to the exploding ship suffer a -3 Hindrance to Defenses against this attack. Afterwards, the self-destructing ship is destroyed.
NON-COMBAT ACTION
Ship Repairs: Roll 1 die per hour of repairs. For each die resulting in a roll of a 6, the ship may restore 1 lost ability point. In advanced facilities (spacedock or shipyard), double the dice rolled per hour.
Sensor Scans: A Sensors task roll reveals information at these ranges within 1 to 6 minutes (1d6). If the Sensor roll is failed, a new roll may be attempted after 10 minutes.
* Transporter Range: Detects life signs, energy fields, and molecular compositions of objects in high resolution.
* Torpedo Range: Used for navigation, tactical targeting, close-proximity alert of asteroids, tracking ships, and surveying nearby planets.
* Short Range Sensors: Identifies specific ships within range.
* Long Range Sensors: Faster-than-light subspace scans for spatial anomalies, system planets and moons, fleets of ships, or beacon signals from space stations.
EXAMPLE STARSHIPS
SHUTTLECRAFT
(10-ton Small Subcraft)
A small, versatile spacecraft used by the United Federation of Planets for transport, reconnaissance, and scientific missions, often deployed from starships to ferry personnel, cargo, and equipment to planets or within star systems.
Crew 1
Data Banks 0
Defenses 0
Firepower 0
Hull 1
Maneuver Drive 1
Sensors 1
Warp Drive 0
CONSTITUTION I-CLASS STARSHIP
(190,000-ton Heavy Frigate)
The original Constitution-class starship, exemplified by the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), was a versatile and powerful Federation vessel of the 23rd century, designed for deep-space exploration, scientific discovery, and defense. (Called a heavy cruiser during its time, classed now on par with frigates.)
Crew 2
Data Banks 2
Defenses 6
Firepower 6
Hull 5
Maneuver Drive 5
Sensors 6
Warp Drive 8
Features
Transporters, Tractor Beams
GALAXY-CLASS STARSHIP
(4.5 million-ton Heavy Cruiser)
A versatile Federation explorer designed for deep-space exploration, scientific research, and diplomatic missions, famously serving as the USS Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Crew 4
Data Banks 6
Defenses 8
Firepower 8
Hull 7
Maneuver Drive 7
Sensors 7
Warp Drive 9
Features
Shuttlecraft, Transporters, Tractor Beams
KLINGON BIRD OF PREY
(30,000-ton Light Frigate)
A long-serving and highly versatile warship in the Klingon Empire, known for its cloaking device, powerful weaponry, and adaptability across various mission types, including combat, reconnaissance, and piracy, playing a central role in the Empire’s fleet for centuries.
Crew 1
Data Banks 2
Defenses 4
Firepower 5
Hull 3
Maneuver Drive 4
Sensors 4
Warp Drive 8
Features
Cloaking Device, Transporters, Tractor Beams