While compiling “Nomad Combat Made Simple”, my reference for Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing, I ran into an interesting conundrum about the order of Combat Actions in a space combat round.
In a game where all the players go then all the GM’s NPCs go, a Sensor Operator can establish a Sensor/Weapons Lock, the Gunner can use it, and then an NPC can attempt to break it.
If PCs and enemy NPCs are interleaved arbitrarily1, however, some may object that an NPC can undo a Sensor/Weapons Lock with a Break Sensor/Weapons Lock. Thus the Sensor Operator’s action would be “wasted” before it accomplishes anything.
This may be frustrating, so in consultation with the Nomad Discord channel I have a few possible solutions.
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Just don’t do that. All PCs go, then all NPCs go. Or vice versa.
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The Sensor Operator’s turn is always followed by the Gunner’s turn, eliminating the window for an NPC to interfere.
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Borrowing from the Coriolis RPG, both sides select simultaneous written orders which they reveal at the same time. These may be pre-written on cards, one for each ship for each possible Combat Action. (Which is a lot of cards …) With limited cards to play – the rules suggests NPC ships have only 2 to 5 actions apiece2 – nobody can accuse the GM of being unfair.
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Instead of throwing 8+ to break a Lock, the enemy must win a contest with the Sensor Operator who established the lock. I.e. both Sensor Operators throw Technical and the higher total roll wins.
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Also from Coriolis, in a variation of the “skill contest” idea, when a Sensor Operator establishes a Lock they note their total roll (skill + dice). An enemy operator must beat that number to break the Lock. So, for example, if the Sensor Operator of the Endeavor rolled a total of 10 to establish his Lock, the Sensor Operator of the Nasty Business would have to roll over 10 to break it.
In Coriolis one could simply use a D6 to indicate how many successes a Lock achieved; in Nomad, one would need 3d6 to do the same. (Or a d20. Or a piece of scrap paper. That works too.)
Of the solutions above, I favor the last, in concert with the first. It’s fewer die rolls, but admittedly more to remember.
Right now, though, I don’t want to pick a solution. I’d rather see if it’s even a problem first, then make a ruling based on what solution is both fairest and simplest.
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For example, if ships have an “initiative order” like in other RPGs. Or if all Captains go, then all Engineers, then all Pilots, then all Sensor Operators, then all Gunners, then anyone who held their turn. See also “The MxN Problem”, a different problem with typical turn ordering schemes. ↩︎
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Only the “finest crews” have 5 actions. Most have two, a few three. Also the number of actions depends on the number of crew, so a one-person fighter would only get one, and even my two-person fighter would only get two. ↩︎