Starships and Lifepods

From: Bo Whitten <lorgryt_at_...>
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:40:32 -0000

>
> Absolutely. In my Space Opera game, the properties of jump engines are
> pretty well laid out. When making the world, the players and I sat
> around and decided what we wanted the travel system to work like, where
> the choke points were dramatically, and what effect that had on the
> world. This way we were all on the same page. Same with weaponry and
> whether or not there were aliens. None of those things are "statted
> out" in terms of HQ abilities. A Jump 1 engine can jump around 4
> light-years. That's just what it does. "Awesome Jump Engine 10W" is used
> for when it is dramatically appropriate, or being pushed, or otherwise
> worth considering in a contest. It still jumps 4 light years.
>
> LC

I ran across this and it got me wondering... How does combat between very large and small things work... To use familiar turf I will use a Star Wars example: between the Falcon and a Star Destroyer.

Before the content starts with answering my noob question let me first say I get "How every you want" and "what drives the story". I still have some simulationist in me and am thinking about the differences between them.

In D6 version of the game (I have it but never played it) they use "Scale" to show the larger firepower vs. the fast maneuverability. This looks like a prime use of Masteries, but that seems to be a straight application of cancellation.

The problem I have is simply this: The guns on the big ship are killer to such a small craft; the maneuverability of the small ship is probably high enough that hitting it is very hard for the big guns, but if they do hit the small craft is dust. How do you suggest a credible solution to this and still keep things moving quickly? (I am pretty well convinced it is just "is that believable in this situation", but I am still wondering if there is something else that might be done.)

Thanks.