Fighter Group

Fighters are small, fast craft typically launched by carriers to attack enemy ships at range. After launch they move about the battlefield to pursue targets and make attack runs. A fighter group is represented by six individual craft in these rules, but this can represent any number of individual craft depending on what background you’re using. For instance Battlestar Galactica’s complement of 150 fighter craft are reasonably represented by two or three fighter groups—one each for Blue Squadron, Red Squadron, and Silver Spar Squadron.

Symbols:

Each fighter rolls for damage much like a Class-1 battery, but the roll represents a comprehensive load-out, defense systems, and maneuver power that must be replenished after a time with additional fuel, munitions, and repairs to presumably damaged or worn-out systems. For example the Rebel fleet sent out several wings of fighters against the Death Star, but during battle they expended supplies of proton torpedoes and several craft lost their deflector shields, droid computers, and even flight controls.

During their movement phase, a fighter group can move up to 12″ in any direction—usually to pursue targets.

If a fighter group ends up within 3″ of a ship, the fighters may make an attack run on the ship. To do so, the group is moved toward the target ship (usually making base-to-base contact with it). Before they can complete the attack, the defending ship and any area defense systems protecting the ship may fire their point defense systems at the attacking group.

Once PDS fire is resolved, any remaining fighters may complete the attack run. Roll one D6 for every fighter remaining in the group and deal beam dice damage to the target. Screens effect each die result just as with batteries. Each fighter group may make up to three attack runs, after which they must return to a friendly fighter group hangar bay to re-supply.

Fighter groups can also engage each other in combat. This is done in much the same way: base-to-base contact, rolling as if each fighter were an active PDS. Rules are in-development for designating fighters as defending or screening a ship in which case they can add their fire to point defense rolls against attacking fighters.

Aces

Important characters in a squadron can be represented by a “fighter ace”. The ace in a fighter group adds an extra die to attack rolls, so a full-strength group would roll 7D and a group with three fighters left would roll 4D. The ace of a group is assumed to survive until the last fighter is shot down.

The ace of a group can make a “needle” strike in lieu of rolling its two attack dice. If this option is taken, the ace rolls one D6 (separately from the rest of the group, which will only roll up to 5D since the ace is busy) and attacks a single system on the same target ship exactly as a needle system would operate.

The ace can target an enemy “ace” if the group is engaged in combat with another fighter group with an ace. Again it rolls one D6 and the rest of the group only up to 5D. If it hits, the enemy fighter group loses its ace. TODO: Should this roll score a successful kill on a 4-6 or a 5-6?

Turkeys

A “turkey” group represents inexperienced, unlucky, poor-quality pilots, or inferior fighter craft. Sometimes turkeys can be used to balance the advantage of having aces. In some cases they can be used to represent the inferiority of the “bad guys”. For instance, a squadron of Viper pilots have a distinct edge over scores of enemy Raiders. The rules for turkeys are in-development and may include rolling worse against opposing fighter groups, rolling for a tendency to abort attack runs after defensive fire resolves, etc..

Specialized Fighter Groups

Rules are in-development for specialized types of fighter groups. These are: Fast Fighters, Heavy Fighters, Interceptors, Attack Fighters, Long-range Fighters, and Torpedo Fighters.

Notes

Fighter groups should be considered somewhat optional. There are sci-fi franchises that don’t use fighter-size craft at all, and some gamemakers would rather emphasize ship-to-ship combat without the distraction.

Ship Design Navigation Table
Basic Design	Faster Than Light Drive • Fighter Group • Main Battery • Normal Space Drive • Point Defense System • Screen Generator •
Advanced Design	Drone System • Needle System • Submunitions • Torpedo System
Experimental Design	Advanced Battery • Advanced Drive • Advanced Fire Control • Advanced FTL • Megabattery • Railgun System •