The Tactics Skill

1.3.5: The Tactics Skill

Tactics skills are second in importance only to command. A good captain has knowledge of fleet, capital ship, starfighter, and ground assault tactics. While ground assault tactics are not covered here, they remain a skill that the best captains possess.

Tactics is used to anticipate and deceive the enemy as well as set up appropriate formations of starfighters and capital ships, which can give bonuses to tactics and initiative rolls in squadron and wing play. Two basic actions take place in the tactics phase: anticipation and deception.

Note that tactics is not reduced by the number of actions a captain is taking, it simply requires the existence of an action to use. A captain commanding 3 bridge officers with a command of 4D can still roll his tactics skill at the full die code by spending his last action.

  • Anticipation: A ship's captain can modify his place in the turn sequence by making a contested tactics: Capital Ships roll versus the nearest enemy vessel ahead or behind him in the order of action. The winning captain may choose to switch places with the losing captain. This proceeds from the ship that would go last to the ship that would go first.

For example, ships A, B, and C are fighting ships 1, 2, and 3. The turn order, after initiative and action declaration is A,1,3,C,B,2. Ship 3 can switch places with either ships A or C by making a contested tactics: Capital Ships roll.

  • Deception: Possibly the most useful action for skilled captains or commanders, a deception action allows a captain to redeclare his ship's actions after hearing what his opponent has declared. This requires a Difficult }tactics: Capital Ships roll. Actions are redeclared in order of ascending tactics rolls.

Formations and other tactical uses will be discussed in the Squadrons and Fighter Wing sections.

To Capital Ship Combat?.
To The Command Skill.
To Shielding.