TTRPG-a-Week - Week 6

I wanted to make a system where each player controls several people. Increasing the scale of what the players can do.

Coordinated Flight RPG System

Each player controls a ship of their own. The party of players is a small flotilla of ships that work together to solve problems. The players can start with a Shuttle Craft as well, though it will have to be stored in someone’s ship. The different “classes” of ships have different abilities and equipment. Each ship has several departments for their crew. The more crew you have in a dept the more dice you roll. Each ship has a max crew capacity, which therefore limits their stats. When you upgrade a dept, you can give a crew member a special ability, or even hire more crew members. When you take damage, crew members might be killed. You roll randomly.

Adventures are on a larger scale, as the players each have ships that can fly around. But it is also possible to send security crew onto another ship to fight, repair crew onto another ship, or even have a fighter craft you can launch with your crew.

The captain of a ship represents the player in the game world. It doesn’t add to any department. Also isn’t included in the max crew capacity.

Making a Dice Roll

When you want to do something, you create a pool of D6 dice based on the crew members you have inside that department. Rolling a 5 or 6 is a success. Rolling multiple successes in a single roll might give extra results in some situations. More dice equals better odds of success.
1d6 33%
2d6 55%
3d6 70%
4d6 80%
5d6 87%
6d6 91%

Crew Member Stress

If you roll a 1 during a roll, a crew member in that department becomes “Stressed”. They no longer add their bonus to future rolls, until they get a chance to rest. This could represent a physical injury or mental exhaustion.

Departments

Each ship gets 1 for each department plus bonuses from the crew in that department. A crew member adds +1 by default but might get better as they are improved.

Engineering

Hull strength
Technology
Repairs
Construction
Power

Science

Sensors
Targeting
Knowledge
Research
Medical

Security

Boarding
Weapons
Shields
Mining lasers

Navigation

Steering
Charting
Engines
Communication

Hull Points and Shields

A shuttle craft has 3 max hull points and usually doesn’t have any shields.
An average ship has 9 hull points and 4 shields.

Repairing damage to the hull takes time and can only be done during downtime.
Shields recover between encounters, as the shields recharge over time.

Reaching Zero Hull Points

A ship that reaches zero hull points is destroyed. Anyone on board dies and nearby ships might be damaged by the explosion.

Downtime

Players can trade goods with NPCs, swap crew members, hire a new crew member, repair hull damage, or repair system damage.
If doing downtime at a safe location, like a space station or planet, all crew members recover their stress.

System damage

If an attack gets 2 or more successes and deals damage to their hull, the attack also deals an extra effect. Roll 1D8:

Weapon damage. A weapon can no longer be used.
Engines crippled. The ship only floats.
Sensors dish destroyed. Range is limited to short and have to do a roll each time.
Shield emitter damaged. Won’t recharge until fixed.
Cargo bay damage. Something in the bay gets destroyed.
Crew death. A crew member dies.
Power grid issues. Each roll gets -1.
Communications blackout. The ship can no longer send or receive communications.

Weapons

Each ship weapon has a damage amount, a max range, and an ammo rating. It could also have other properties, like piercing shields.
If a weapon attack roll results in two or more 1s, the weapon becomes damaged.
Basic Laser, 1 damage, short range, 6 ammo, mining laser.
Torpedo, 3 damage, medium range, 2 ammo, average movement speed.
Heavy Laser, 2 damage, short range, 3 ammo.
Ship mine, 3 damage, short range, 1 ammo, dropped in place.
Ship Missile, 3 damage, long range, 1 ammo

Ship Upgrades

Each class of ship starts with a specific ship upgrade. More upgrades can be added to a ship later on, as you “level up” your ship.

Shuttle clamp. A shuttle craft can dock on the outside of the ship. Only takes 1 cargo slot instead of 3.
Enhanced targeting. Weapon range bonus.
Enhanced hull. Max hull gains +3.
Med bay. Built-in medical bay, doesn’t take up a cargo slot.
Stealth field. Undetectable if shields and engines are off.
Enhanced speed. Movement speed bonus.
Enhanced system. One department gets +1 to that department before crew bonuses.
Enlarged Cargo Bay. Has +1 cargo slot.
Enhanced Shields. Max Shields gains +2.

Crew Upgrades

You can choose or roll 1D6:

Ed. An educated crew member gets +1 bonus to their department.
Cr. A cross-trained crew member can be switched back and forth to a second department (but can only switch during downtime).
Sp. A specialized crew member gets +1 bonus to a specific sub-skill in their department. Such as a Science crew member getting +1 to Medical checks.
Sp. Same as above
Vt. A veteran crew member still contributes their bonus when stressed. They are seasoned and made of tougher stuff.
Mi. A mission specialist allows you to always add the basic 1D6 during an away mission, even if you don’t have a member of that specific department on the mission.

Ranges

Weapon Ranges

Short range - 2 ships that are close together, across a space station, or from the surface of a moon to a ship that is landing. This is as far as hand held weapons and small communicators can reach.
Medium range - from one side of a planet to another. Or from orbit to the surface of a planet. This is as far as portable specialized communicators can reach.
Long range - from one planet to another. Ship based communicators can reach this far, but it can take time for a message to arrive.

Speeds

Slow Speed - Travel from a space station to a nearby moon in 30 minutes. Travel to another planet in a month.
Medium Speed - Travel from a space station to a nearby moon in 5 minutes. Travel to another planet in a week.
Fast Speed - Travel to another planet in days.

Fuel Distance

Short Distance - around a space station or taking off from a moon. Smaller torpedoes are limited to this.
Medium Distance - around a planet or travelling to and from a moon. Shuttle craft are limited to this.
Long Distance - from one planet to another. Most Ships are limited to this.
Very Long Distance - travel between several planets without refueling. Ships with extra fuel storage are limited to this.

Floating

Ships can turn off their engines and use their existing momentum to carry them towards their destination. This is great for if they lose fuel somehow or can’t go to their intended destination. But the trip will take much longer (in some cases, much longer), so you will have to have food supplies for longer trips.

Away Missions

They can involve crew members leaving on a shuttle craft, boarding an enemy ship, entering a space station, or even exploring a planet’s surface.
The scale of actions performed outside the ship is much lower. A Science member can try to help someone using their medical knowledge, but unless they have access to the right equipment (such as a med bay), the best result they can get is to stabilize the patient. Normal hand weapons cannot harm a ship, but they can still kill or disable a person.

Making rolls outside the ship

As long as at least one member of the relevant department is present, they still get the basic 1D6 + dice from the crew members of that department. Other members from other departments can usually help, but only add +1d6 per two crew members helping.

Crew vs Crew Combat

When members of your crew are on foot and fighting enemies, they have a human scale battle. Each Security department crew member still adds to the roll, but other crew members with adequate weapons can also help.
A successful attack kills or disables one enemy crew member.

Standard Gear

Each crew member can be sent with basic gear. Such as a hand laser, a small communicator, and a handheld scanner. Extra equipment (if your ship has any) can also be brought, but only 1 piece of extra equipment per three crew members.

Extra Equipment

Such as seismic sensors, anti-ship weapons, a medium range communicator, and a temporary shelter.

Ship Classes

Fighter

Hull Points: 9
Shields: 6
Max Crew: 6
Ship Upgrade: Enhanced Shields.
Cargo Slots: 3
Weapons:
Basic Laser, 1 damage, short range, 6 ammo, mining laser.
Torpedo, 3 damage, medium range, 2 ammo, medium speed.

Archer

Hull Points: 8
Shields: 4
Max Crew: 6
Ship Upgrade: Enhanced targeting. Weapon range bonus.
Cargo Slots: 3
Weapons:
Basic Laser, 1 damage, medium range, 6 ammo, mining laser.
Torpedo, 3 damage, medium range, 2 ammo, fast speed.

Mule

Hull Points: 8
Shields: 4
Max Crew: 6
Ship Upgrade: Shuttle clamp. Enlarged Cargo Bay.
Cargo Slots: 4
Weapons:
Basic Laser, 1 damage, short range, 6 ammo, mining laser.

Enemies

Fighter craft. HP: 4. Fast speed.
Eng: 1, Sec: 2, Sci: 1, Nav: 1.
Weapon: lasers, 2 damage, short range, 5 ammo.

Enemy ship. HP: 7, Shields: 1. Crew: 6
Eng: 2, Sec: 3, Sci: 2, Nav: 3.
Weapon: lasers, 2 damage, short range 5 ammo.

Enemy patrol. Crew: 3
Eng: 1, Sec: 2
Gear: hand lasers, small communicator.

Click HERE for part 2!