‘Faster Than Light: Nomad’ Space Combat Example

Posted: 2024-07-23
Last Modified: 2024-10-21
Word Count: 412
Tags: ftl-nomad rpg

This is a totally made-up example of space combat in the RPG Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing to illustrate “Space Combat Made Simple”. The scenario is loosely based on “Lurian Space Patrol” in Faster Than Light: Nomad Quickstart Rules. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The player characters have answered a distress call from the Vebos Research Station around the gas giant Mari. Suddenly, they see three fighters coming straight for them:

REFEREE: What do you do?

SCOTT: The engines canna take it, Cap’n!

MICHAELA: Stop it.

SCOTT: Sorry.

MICHAELA: You just wanted to play the engineer because your name’s Scott.

SCOTT: Guilty as charged.

REFEREE: Focus! The fighters are coming straight for you! Roll Position!

FRED: Right.

FRED rolls a 4 and adds that to his character’s Vehicles score to get 7. The REFEREE rolls a 1, 3, and 4 for the three fighters.

REFEREE: You got a 7, the fighters got 5, 4, and 2. You have Position.

FRED: Huh.

DAPHNE: Not very good, are they? Can I smoke ’em yet?

REFEREE: Not yet. Michaela? Your orders?

MICHAELA: Captain Olivia, if you please.

REFEREE: “Olivia”, then? Your orders?

MICHAELA: I’m going to be a Magnificent Bastardo!

FRED: Bastarda.

MICHAELA: What?

REFEREE: Fine. Roll it. 2 Disadvantage.

MICHAELA rolls four dice, keeps the two worst which is still a 6, which with her Vehicles skill makes 8.

MICHAELA: Yes! I mean, uh, most satisfactory.

REFEREE: The fighters can’t act this turn. At all.

SCOTT: I’m overcharging the weapons.

REFEREE: That’s +1D to your Guns score … if you hit.

FRED: Attack vector.

FRED rolls snake eyes, which only gives him a 5 on his Vehicles throw.

REFEREE: Whoops! You really messed up your attack vector. No Advantage for you.

FRED: Oh.

DAPHNE: All up to me then!

DAPHNE rolls a 5 … but with her Combat that makes 8!

DAPHNE: Yes!

MICHAELA: A hit! A palpable hit!

FRED: Palpable? Ew.

REFEREE: Roll damage.

On six dice DAPHNE rolls a 21, which overwhelms one fighter’s 14/17 armor. The GM rolls 5 on the Critical Hit table: Knocked Out.

REFEREE: The fighter’s lights go off and it drifts along its former attack vector.

DAPHNE gets a high five.

REFEREE: That’s everyone, right?

MICHAELA, SCOTT, FRED, and DAPHNE nod.

REFEREE: Right! On to round two!

MICHAELA: Status report, Mr. Cruz!

FRED: Same as last round?

REFEREE: Roll for Position.

And so it goes …