Limited number of Hyperspace Jumps

[Dredwulf60]

I never understood the reasoning behind WEG limiting the number of Hyperspace jumps for small ships based on the Navigation computer.

ie. X-Wing limited to 2 jumps.


The X-wing can only travel to two locations? Because it can't astrogate any more?

Is this a byproduct of 1970s era computing where they thought that a small computer couldn't hold the navigational data for the whole galaxy?

How do you decide which courses to pre-program into your limited nav computer?

In my SWU there is no limits to astrogation and all ships capable of hyperspace travel have a basic navigation computer capable of plotting a course anywhere in the galaxy at various difficulties. A better nav computer just makes the astrogation attempt easier.

Do others use the hard limits for number of jumps, or have you your own ideas about astrogation and nav computerS?

[CRMcNeill]

I view it in combination with the X-Wing's relative lack of endurance (its Consumables rating is only 5 days). It has better range than ships like the TIE (which don't have hyperdrives anyway), but it's still limited relative to space transports and the like. As such, the "10-jump" limit for an Astromech is more of an abridged navcomputer, in that it holds detailed information about the immediate area of operation, but only basic information about other routes further away.

So, if a fighter is operating in one area of space, its base provides it with updated navigation data, and if it transfers to another area, the data in its navcomputer is replaced with nav data appropriate to its new area of operation. "Base" can be anything from a full-up navigation mainframe down to the nav computer of the light freighter hauling around the unit's support personnel and equipment.

This is going to be somewhat limiting to the player who wants to be able to jaunt around the galaxy in his X-Wing unsupported, but that was never particularly realistic. IMO, a better ship for a Brash Pilot who wants to live like that will be some sort of high performance scout ship like the Incom Sleuth or the HWK-290.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[thedemonapostle]

another way to look at is these are military fighters. thus operational security (opsec). the limited hyperspace coordinates could be looked at as intentional to prevent information about where the fighter has been and where its going from falling into enemy hands.
_________________
Aim low, shoot high
I'm a pirate, need I say more?

d6holocron.com: Thedemonapostle

Thedemonapostle Star Wars Crossovers

[Raven Redstar]

Force Sensitive characters like Luke are able to get around it by using the instinctive astrogation powers. Since they don't actually use their nav-computer to calculate their course, they use the Force to feel their way to the right destination.
_________________
RR
________________________________________________________________

[CRMcNeill]

[Dredwulf60]

Yes, all good replies.

I understand limited range fighters concept. But that is handled by the game mechanics for consumables.

The X number of hyperjumps seems to be very unwieldy and arbitrary.

Like having a fantasy dragon. It breathes fire....but can only do so 3 times a day.

Lame. I understand the game mechanics of it...but you really have to turn yourself into knots to try to explain 'why' and have it make any sense.

So later they developed a system in D&D where a dragon could do its fire any number of times per day but there was a recharge period in between.

I think the WEG mechanics for 2 hyperjumps on a nav computer (for example) can be done better.

Since people still actually use this; how do you decide as a player what jumps to program into your X-wing?

Say you are on Hoth and want to go to Dagobah, and plan to head to Tatooine after so you program that into the X-wing....but then while on Dagobah you decide you want to go to Bespin because of an emergency situation. Are you now screwed?

(Assuming you aren't using some Jedi power...you are just Wedge Antilles.)

[CRMcNeill]

Well, since the X-Wing has a 10-jump limit, no, you're still good. And Luke is very much a special case for two reasons; one, his Force sensitivity opens up powers like Instinctive Astrogation and Hibernation Trance that greatly expand the limits of where he can go in an X-Wing, and two, considering he knew in advance about the Dagobah system (which isn't really all that far from Hoth/Bespin on a galactic scale), he had probably looked up the course data and had it programmed into Artoo prior to the Battle of Hoth.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Dredwulf60]

[CRMcNeill]

Well, that's sort of the point, isn't it? A hyperdrive allows a fighter to deploy across interstellar distances without a carrier, but that doesn't mean you can just hop around the galaxy with it, and that's not that realistic in the first place. I can think of at least two options, but both involve the A-Wings deploying with support ships - either Y-Wing Longprobes to provide navigation support (since the Longprobe carries a full navcomp) or the YT-1300 that's a part of every Rebel Fighter Wing, possibly serving as both navigation and in-flight refueling support.

And it's not like most characters are going to have access to A-Wings in the first place, unless you're running a Rebel Alliance Fighter campaign. Or even X-Wings, for that matter.

As I said above, the proper vehicle for a fighter pilot who wants to jaunt around the galaxy in his own ship is going to end up being a high-performance scout like a Sleuth or a HWK-290, not a single seat fighter. Ships like that can hold their own in a fight, but also have a full navcomp and onboard living facilities.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

[Dredwulf60]

[RyanDarkstar]

Unless the fighter was a reconnaissance craft, I would only allow a PC a hyperspace calculation if the astromech was out of commission and there were no other ships or ports in the area to download data to the navicomputer. And it would be at least a Very Difficult astrogation roll, modified by the PC's familiarity with the coordinates, an initial Difficult+ planetary systems roll.

But this would be for survival situations only. As much as I liked zipping around the Galaxy in my starfighter in Star Wars Galaxies, I prefer keeping starfighters limited to short ranges, galactically speaking, from a base or carrier, like X-wing Alliance or Jedi Academy - pop into a system, take care of the situation, and then hyper home.
_________________
Currently playing D&D 5E and painting an unholy amount of miniatures.

[garhkal]

[Dredwulf60]

[Dredwulf60]