Mongoose Traveller (2017) - Starship Combat example

 

Starship combat - at the heart of Traveller...

I did a mini-playtest on the 2nd edition of Mongoose Traveller's starship combat engine when writing up my review in 2017. It worked well except it showed how broken the new dogfighting rules are. I didn't post it at the time, so here it is.

I’m assuming a total DM of +2 on all rolls from skill and characteristic mods

Example 1 Type S Scout vs Type T Patrol Corvette

1. Game starts at Very Long. Crew assumed to be adequate to fill Pilot / Gunner / Engineer / Sensor Operator for the Type S. Type T has no issues. 

1. Initiative Type S 2D+2 skill + 2 Thrust gives 4+2+2 = 8

2. Initiative Type T. Captain makes a Naval Tactics roll (9+2 for effect 3) so +3 to Initiative. Roll 6 +2 skill + 4 Thrust +3 Tactics effect = 15
   Type T has the initiative

3. Type T burns all 4 thrust to close, Type S burns 4 thrust to move away. Net burn will mean 2 thrust per turn overhaul by Type T. Will be in laser range in 13 turns.

4. Fires missile salvo of 6 missiles turn 1 at the Type S (three turns to impact).

5. Action phase - Type T attempts sensor lock (9+2=11 success so boon to attack dice). No mods from sensor suite.

6. Action - Type S tries to use EW to knock out missiles. (2+2=4). Fails. No mods from sensor suite.

2. Turn 2 - repeat of manoeuvre step - to close further action - culmulative closing is now 4 out of 25  - Type T launches missiles (6). Type S attempts EW roll 6+2 = 8 so fails as -2 effect.

3. Turn 3 - Type S uses a point of thrust for to help gunner in defence (roll 4+2 gives effect -2 giving the opposite effect wanted and a DM of -2 to point defence) and a point of thrust to evasive manoeuvres which gives a -2 DM on the attack roll. Type T holds fire this turn. Type S attempts EW. (3+2 = 5 so fails). Type S fires double beam laser in point defence. (9+2 skill -2 failed assist +2 triple turret = 11 so effect 3, and salvo loses 3 missiles from the 6). Missile attacks (9(*) + 3 missiles + 1 Smart trait -2 evasive manoeuvre = 11 = 3 effect) and hits with effect 3 and 4D damage = 13 damage - 4 armour = 9 damage x effect of damage roll = 27 damage. Hull is reduced to 13 points.No critical from attack roll, but 27 points of damage is 70% rounded up of hull giving 7 severity 1 hits. Crit 1 = Armour Sev 1 reducing armour to 3. Crit 2 = Hull doing another 5 points of damage = 8 hull remaining, Crit 3 = M-Drive giving -1 DM to pilot rolls. Crit 4 = Fuel - ship is losing 5 tones of fuel per hour, Crit 5 = Cargo - 10% of cargo is damaged, Crit 6 is sensors which now have a -2 DM. Crit 7 = Crew = Gunner takes 4 damage. Panic ensues, the captain orders a jump in the action step. Astrogation roll of 10 is successful. Engineering roll of 8 is not enough to jump safely and will arrive 3 days late and 300 diameters further out. The thing is, if engineering don’t fix the leak, the ship will run out of power in jump which is not good thing... 

4. Let’s assume for a minute that they didn’t jump. Turn 4 - Type S spends a point of thrust to run (making the total distance covered 5 out of 25) and another point to take evasive manoeuvres. Type S attempts to do EW. (Roll 10+2 = 12 so effect 2 - salvo reduced to 4 missiles). Type S fires in point defence - (Roll 10 + 2 skill + 2 triple turret = 14 so effect 6 which destroys the remaining missiles). I assume that the gunners will have been reloading the turrets in the break in firing, and as there are two of them it means both will be completed in Turn 3 ready to use again in turn 4 or 5).

*6 + 3 + 3 as boon dice rolled so 9 as best result.

Example 2 - Light fighter vs Type S

Encounter starts as close range.

Roll is 10 + 2 +2 = 14 for the Type S. Fighter is 11 + 2 + 6 = 19 for Light fighter

Type S rolls to aid gunners in task chain - 9 + 2 = Effect 3 so +1 DM for gunner

Type S burns for evasive manoeuvres so single -2 DM

Dogfighting - Type S - rolls 10 + 2 - 6 = 6 so effect -2. Fighter rolls 8 + 2 = 10 + 6 = 16 thrust so effect +8. Fighter is sitting on the tail of the Type S going Pew-Pew with pulse lasers. Gets a +2DM to hit, and the Type S gets a -2DM

Fighter fires pulse lasers - single fixed mount. Rolls 7 + 2 skill + 2 dog fight -2 evasive +2 for pulse laser = 11 so hit with effect 3. Damage is 2D = 7 + effect = 10 - 4 armour = 6 damage. Hull reduced to 34. 2 Severity 1 criticals. Armour reduced by 1 to 3. Weapons suffering bane.

Ship fires double beam laser turret. Roll 2D = 9 +2 skill +1 pilot help -2 DM dogfighting - 6 >100dT + 4 beam laser = 16-8 = 8 which is just a hit. Roll 5 (1D damage) +1 for extra weapon = 6 -2 for armour = 4 damage to hull. Fighter is destroyed as all hull gone! 

6 August 2017