Space Travel in Stars Without Number
For interstellar transit (pp.110-111), a ship can travel up to a number of hexes equal to its drive rating each time it drills.
• Travel time in metadimensional space is 6 days per hex, divided by spike drive rating.
• Can "trim the course" to add +1 to the drive rating for purposes of travel time only (not hex range of drive).
To spike drill safely, a ship with a spike drive requires the following (pp.110-111):
1. Position in the "gravitic transition zone" of a star or black hole, where its gravity is present, but at its weakest.
• With mods, can try to drill from elsewhere at great risk to the ship, and possibly the departure point (p.109).
2. Fuel – Need 1 load per full travel distance of drive (one load = 1 hex with drive-1, 2 hexes with drive-2, etc.).
• A ship carries 1 load of fuel, +1 load per Fuel Bunker fitting. Can refuel at starport or refinery.
• A ship with a Fuel Scoop fitting can refuel from a star or gas giant.
3. Time – 30 minutes to enter metaspace safely, can be rushed to 15 minutes (1 space combat round) at greater risk.
4. A course record ("rutter") reporting metamensional currents/energetic weather en route, as recent as possible.
• Commonly-traveled routes are freely available; frequent trade routes are usually only a few days old.
• Can try to travel without one (to find a new trade route or lost system for example) at extreme risk.
5. A pilot who can react to the random changes and perils of metadimensional space.
• Requires a "sentient-grade" intellect (human-level or advanced AI) to deal with random metaspace changes/dangers.
• Most ships require 3 crew members to cover all bridge watches, but only 1 needs to be a trained pilot.
• A lone pilot can use drugs (like the artifact Wideawake Serum, p.89) to stay alert for up to a week at a time.
The ship's navigator makes an INT/Pilot skill check vs. a difficulty of 7, modified per the "Spike Drills" table below.
• If the final difficulty is 6 or less, the trip is so safe and simple that the ship succeeds automatically.
• If the roll fails, roll 3d6 on the "Spike Drill Mishap" table below.
Space Travel in Stars Without Number
Within a system (p.111), each place of interest and its satellite areas are considered one "region" of the system.
• Examples of regions: A planet and its moons; a pirate lair in an astroid belt; a space station; a distress beacon;
a ship detected deep in the system; a fortified system arrival zone; the transition zone at the rim of the system.
Base travel time within a single region is 6 hours. Base travel time between two regions in a system is 48 hours.
• Can be faster at the GM's discretion.
• Actual travel time = base travel time divided by the ship's effective drive rating (no skill check is usually required).
• Can "trim the course" to add +1 to the effective drive rating for travel time calculation (INT/Pilot check, difficulty 9).
• Failure on a roll to trim the course results in travel actually taking twice as long as usual.
Sensors and Detection (p.112)
It's hard to spot a ship in deep space, but once a ship's energy signature is identified, it's easier to track. This position-
al fix is called a detection lock . A ship that's been locked by an observer can be tracked at any distance in the system.
• Fixing a lock on a target requires the observer to be in the same region of space, and to spot it on their sensors.
• The observer makes an opposed INT/Program skill check against the ship’s comms officer (see modifiers below).
• If the observer wins, they get a detection lock on the ship, and can continue to track it anywhere in the system.
• If the observer loses or ties, they remain oblivious to the ship's presence and can try again in 24 hours.
• The active sensors used to form a detection lock can be detected by the target; they know they’ve been made.
• If the observing ship uses passive sensors, the lock is undetectable, but it’s more difficult to obtain.
The larger the ship, the better the sensors it
will have, but the easier it is to spot it in space.
Minor outposts would reflect small deep-
space habs or listening posts, while major
space stations would include most military
stations and other significant fortifications.
When rolling for observation, only roll once for any given group, outpost, or planet, using the best modifiers available.
• Thus, a battle squadron including a cruiser and 3 frigates uses the skill bonus and +2 modifier for the cruiser's crew.
• A separate pirate ship in the same region would roll as well, because they’re a separate force in the region.
To break a lock, the ship must leave the region, and then the observer and ship repeat their opposed skill check.
• If the observer wins, they continue to track the ship, while a tie or loss means the ship slips the lock.
• Observers in the new region can try to pick up the ship immediately and then once every 24 hours.
Pursuit and Escape (p.112)
A pursuer must be in the same region of space and must have a detection lock. Of course, if the pursued lacks a
detection lock on the pursuer, they’ll have no idea that they’re being chased.
• Both ships make opposed INT/Pilot skill checks, each adding their spike drive rating to the roll.
• If the pursuer wins or ties, they force an engagement and the ships are moved into combat range.
• If the pursued ship wins, it gets six hours of distance, modified by any difference in spike drive ratings.
(Thus a drive-1 ship being chased by a drive-2 ship would have three hours, for example.)
• Pursued ship's pilot can try to speed things up by trimming the course.
Instead of following, the pursuer can head to a different region if it thinks it knows where the ship is running. If they
can keep detection lock when pursued ship crosses the sub-stellar border, they can end up close on their prey’s heels.
