TACHYON

SQUADRON

CLARK VALENTINE
 JOIN THE ACE PILOTS OF THE TACHYON SQUADRON.

ENLIST TODAY!
The universe is in trouble. Take your stand
against the overreaching arms of the Dominion of
Unity. Stand up against piracy and lawlessness.
Ensure that all members of the Draconis system
enjoy peace and prosperity. Join the Tachyon
Squadron arm of the Draconis Volunteer Group!
Engage in interstellar combat; steer your ship
among the stars, and join your fellow fighter
pilots in a quest for danger, glory, and victory.
Tachyon Squadron is a Fate Core supplement that
blends space opera and military sci-fi. The game
requires Fate Core to play. This book includes:
➤ A highly structured starfighter combat
engagement system, with a focus on phased
combat and maneuvering for advantage
➤ Instructions on creating fighter pilot characters
in Fate, including pilot interactions and
vices to blow off steam between battles
➤ Personal and gear stunts, which provide FOR USE WITH
a streamlined mechanic for sci-fi
necessities like energy blasters, hand FATE CORE
scanners, and deflector screens CHARACTERS LIVE AT THE
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➤ A sample mission: The Pirates of the Kepler Valley

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ROLL THE DICE.
TELL YOUR TALE.
FATE!
EMBRACE YOUR

RYAN MIKE
BRIAN JEREMY OLSON
LEONARD KELLER MACKLIN
BALSERA ENGARD

• $25.00 US
978-1-61317-029-8
EHP0001 • ISBN cial
• @EvilHatOffi
www.evilhat.com
HatProductions
facebook.com/Evil

EHP0042 • ISBN 978-1-61317-155-4 • $25.00 US

www.evilhat.com • @EvilHatOfficial
facebook.com/EvilHatProductions
TACHYON
SQUADRON
Writing Clark Valentine

System Development & Additional Writing Mike Olson

Art Direction Brian Patterson Artwork Brett Barkley

Layout & Graphic Design Fred Hicks

Editing Amanda Valentine Indexing Rita Tatum

Proofreading Karen Twelves

Line Development Leonard Balsera

Business Development Chris Hanrahan

Marketing Carrie Harris

Project Management Sean Nittner and Sophie Lagacé

Product Development Fred Hicks and Chris Hanrahan

 An Evil Hat Productions Publication
www.evilhat.com • feedback@evilhat.com
@EvilHatOfficial on Twitter
facebook.com/EvilHatProductions

Tachyon Squadron
Copyright ©2018 Evil Hat Productions, LLC and Clark Valentine.
All rights reserved.

First published in 2018 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.

10125 Colesville Rd #318, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
Evil Hat Productions and the Evil Hat and Fate logos
are trademarks owned by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior express permission of the publisher.

That said, if you’re doing it for personal use, knock yourself out.
That’s not only allowed, we encourage you to do it.

For those working at a copy shop and not at all sure if this means
the person standing at your counter can
make copies of this thing, they can.
This is “express permission.” Carry on.

This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful,

terrible, impossible, glorious things. All the characters and
events portrayed in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to
real people, hot-shot pilots, stars of battle, dogfighting action,
or top guns is purely coincidental, but kinda hilarious.

Goose! GOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5
Playtesters · · · · · · 5

TACHYON SQUADRON 7
The World of Tachyon Squadron 7 Space Opera & Military Sci-Fi 8

CREATING A PILOT 11
Character Concept · · · 11 Miscellaneous: Stress,
Aspects · · · · · · 15 Personal Details, and
Skills · · · · · · · 18 Incidentals · · · · · 20
Stunts · · · · · · · 19

SKILLS 23
Spacefaring Skills · · · 24 Social Skills · · · · · 28
Action Skills · · · · · 26

STUNTS 31
Personal Stunts · · · · 31 Adjusting Refresh · · · 34
Gear Stunts · · · · · 33

ENGAGEMENTS 35
The Phases of Engagements 36 Fighter Screens · · · · 60
Shields and Damage · · · 44 Personal Damage and Getting
Bugging Out · · · · · 47 Taken Out · · · · · 64
The Maneuver Chart · · · 48 Modular Equipment · · · 65
Actions · · · · · · · 49 Engagement Example · · 68
The Opposition: Flights & Fighter Pilot Terminology · 77
Swarms · · · · · · 53 The Dicta Boelcke · · · 82
Big Ships and Large Targets 54

THE GALAXY 83
A Quick History Lesson · · 83 The Draconis System · · 85
Galactic Society · · · · 85 Draconis System Details · 87

COMBAT PILOTS AT WAR 97

The Routine · · · · · 97 Off Duty · · · · · · 100
Missions · · · · · · 98 Life in Tachyon Squadron · 105

3
 GMING TACHYON SQUADRON 107
Issues and Themes · · · 107 We Band of Siblings · · 117
Engagements · · · · 111 Running Campaigns · · 118
Out-of-Cockpit Encounters 115

SHIPS TO FLY AND PEOPLE TO MEET 121

The Ships of Tachyon Civilian Ships · · · · 126
Squadron · · · · · 122 Hostile Ships · · · · 127
Draconis Military and Designing New Ships · · 138
Government Ships · · 125 People of Interest · · · 140

EXAMPLE PLAYER CHARACTERS 147

Jiaohua “Nok” Kristensen · 147 Amelie “Gunner” Tsang · 153
Seraphim “Nails” Dakano · 149 Lien “Squid” Krishnamurthy 155
Ibrahim “Auger” Harahab · 151 Trinidad “Thermic” Moreno 157

THE PIRATES OF THE KEPLER VALLEY 159

Scene 1: Defense of the Scene 2: Blockade · · · 162
Neptune Conveyor · · 160 Scene 3: Rescue Mission · 162
Scene 1.5: Decompression,
Repair, etc. · · · · 161

DEFENSE OF ARCOSOLARI KALAMOS 165

Campaign Setup · · · 165 Decompression, Repair, and
The Arco · · · · · · 166 Hartley · · · · · · 170
Ambush · · · · · · 169 The Battle of Arcosolari
Kalamos · · · · · 172

INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCES 173

Books · · · · · · · 173 Games · · · · · · 174
Movies and Television · · 173 Video Games · · · · 174

4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A long list of people are owed thanks here. I’ll start with every sin-
gle person on the credits page—Evil Hat’s development, editing, and
production staff are top-notch: Mike, Lenny, Amanda, Sean especially.
This game has been in my head for at least a decade—thank you for
the chance to make it, Fred.
Thanks for the push, Lenny.
Many thanks to Glen Larson (Battlestar Galactica) and George Lucas
(Star Wars), who filled my childhood imagination with fighters streaking
through the stars. Many Cylon Raiders and TIE Fighters met their doom
at the hands of my friends and me in my childhood backyard.
Countless thanks to the people who built, ferried, repaired, supplied,
and flew Spitfires, Mustangs, Warhawks, Hurricanes, Avengers, Hellcats,
Yakolevs, and innumerable others to rid the world of one generation of
fascists. May we not need to do so again.
Many thanks to the dozens of folks who playtested this game through
three calendar years. Their efforts toward getting this book published
have been essential, and they are deeply appreciated.
Finally, thank you to my family, Amanda, Mary Rose, and Thad, for
putting up with my endless hours in front of the keyboard while writing
this. Your support and patience have been gifts that I am so grateful for.

PLAYTESTERS
Developmental playtesting occurred at U-Con in November of 2015,
at Origins Game Fair in June of 2016 and 2017, at DexCon in July of
2016, and in Clark Valentine’s home game groups throughout 2016.
Playtesters are:
Josh “Slapshot” Albritton Jamie “Hurricane” Lackey
Tiernan “Rorke” Ashford Paul “Doorknob” Marcinkevage
Leonard “Nails” Balsera Michael “Hotdog” Pace
Tracy “Scarecrow” Barnett Jon “First Blood” Proesel
Chris “Muskrat” Bekofske Justo “Firefly” Reyes
Bob “Neutron” Bersch Sarah “Poacher” Richardson
Don “Offside” Bisdorf Tori “Ao” Rivers
John “Doozy” Britch Tim “Riccochet” Rodriguez
Brendan “Deadstick” Conway Michael “Bookhouse” Schwartz
Michael “Zero” Donovan Paul “Flatline” Stefko
Bill “Ladykiller” Eastman Andrea “Salazar” Tapia
Morgan “Merlin” Ellis Ron “Wizard” Tapia
Rich “Double Dip” Flynn Jeremy “Böôger” Tidwell
Mary Lynn “Slingshot” Gregory Ruth “Banshee” Tillman
Evan “Jamboree” Griggs Amanda “Copper” Valentine
Mengu “Fancy” Gungor
Blair “Spotlight” Hoplight
Matt “Fang” Weber
Alex “Snowball” Young
5
 THE STAR PILOT’S PRAYER
“Heavenly Lord, guide my vessel with Your mighty hand as I take
to the stars. Let Your wisdom grant me steady assurance, and
bring me, my vessel, and my passengers safely home. Amen.”

THE STAR PILOT’S PRAYER THAT

STAR PILOTS ACTUALLY SAY
6 screw
“Dear Lord, please don’t let me fuck up.”
TACHYON SQUADRON
Fighter pilots.
For hundreds of years, the profession has held a certain mystique.
In the long ago past of Earth, it was born of fabric and wooden aircraft,
gasoline and lead and sheer guts. Now it’s expressed in carbon fiber and
ceramisteel alloys, quantum hydrogen and laser blasters, but the sheer
guts hasn’t changed a bit. Fighter pilots are still fighter pilots, risking
everything to chase after adventure and danger and glory and victory.
You are a fighter pilot.

THE WORLD OF TACHYON SQUADRON

You carry on the tradition first established by the goggles and leather
helmet clad fliers of old, but instead of rickety flying contraptions you’re
in sleek spacecraft soaring among the stars. The player characters are
fighter pilots who, as pilots of Tachyon Squadron (part of the Draconis
Volunteer Group), fight to maintain the independence of the upstart
Draconis system against the overwhelming might of two interstellar
empires: the Stellar Republic and the Dominion of Unity. There is inter-
stellar war against superior forces. There is piracy and lawlessness. There
are limited resources and shoestring budgets. There are rival squadrons
trying to steal your glory. There is the grinding stress of combat and
pilots who do what they have to do to get by, day by day. And there is
the terrifying thrill of deadly combat in the cold vacuum of space.

FATE CORE
Tachyon Squadron is a roleplaying game built on the Fate Core
system by Evil Hat Productions. To play it, you need a copy of the
Fate Core rules and a few sets of Fudge/Fate dice or a Deck of
Fate—these are available from Evil Hat (www.evilhat.com). You
also need some pens and paper, a few friends (3-5 people total
is the sweet spot), and about two or three hours.

7
 SPACE OPERA & MILITARY SCI-FI
Tachyon Squadron

Tachyon Squadron is firmly planted in space opera with a side order

of military sci-fi. The stories it produces are fundamentally adventure
stories, thrilling tales of daring space pilots risking everything. But there’s
a human element to it, too—nobody emerges from war unchanged. The
pilots’ personalities, and the relationships among them as squadron
mates and as friends, will both affect and be affected by the action.
Fans of any sort of science fiction know that a genre label doesn’t tell
you all you need to know about some of the basic setting assumptions,
the available technologies that the characters take for granted, and
the amount of real “science” in our science fiction. Let’s talk about
that for a moment.

TECHNOLOGY
Technology is unrecognizably advanced in some ways, and not much
better than early 21st century Earth in others. We occasionally spin
some notional “science” to explain the high technology—but don’t
mistake that for any sort of assertion that real physics works that way.

Communication: Electronic communication via text, sound, and holovid

(holographic video) is widespread and inexpensive; most people carry
personal comms/computing devices that support communication like
this. Communication across planets and into orbit is nearly instanta-
neous and happens in real time. From planet to planet within a system,
lag due to the speed of light makes real-time communication infeasible,
so asynchronous text and holovid messages are used. Communication
from one star system to another can take many days to transmit via
FTL repeater ships; this is akin to transoceanic letter delivery back on
18th century Earth.

Medicine: Medical technology is highly advanced but not miraculous.

Infectious disease is rarely dangerous. Injuries that take months to heal
on 21st century Earth are treated in days or even hours. Artificial limbs,
eyes, ears, and internal organs are common, but not all patients are a
good match for these devices. Cybernetics is not practiced except as
adaptive devices to aid those living with disabilities.

Star Maps: Despite borrowing a few names of real stars, no effort is

made to replicate any sort of star map a real world astronomer would
recognize.

8
 Starfighter Movement: The starfighter combat in Tachyon Squadron

Tachyon Squadron
is inspired by fighter combat from the WWII and Korean War era.
Starfighters move like Spitfires and Sabres even in the vacuum of
space; conservation of momentum is right out the window. That said,
some pilots have learned to cheat and briefly point their ship (and its
guns) in a direction that it shouldn’t—but the G-forces and cognitive
load involved prevent it from being a common maneuver.

Military Structure and Technology: Space-borne military forces

are based on 20th century blue water navies. Fleets are dominated by
capital ships—cruisers and destroyers and frigates with great big guns
and missiles and torpedoes. The biggest are the carriers, deploying
squadrons of fearsome starfighters. Installations aboard space stations
and on planetary and asteroid surfaces provide defensive strongpoints.

Faster Than Light (FTL): FTL travel is common. Chandrasekhar drives,

also called hyperdrives—devices that makes FTL travel possible—are
tremendously expensive and bulky, but with a good navigator it’s not
especially dangerous. Generally small ships like starfighters aren’t
equipped with hyperdrives but military capital ships almost always are,
as are many civilian cargo and passenger transports. Direct FTL commu-
nication, on the other hand, has not yet been invented. Communications
from system to system are handled by repeater ships, which gather
and store communication bound for a particular system, jump to that
system, and re-transmit it.

Artificial Gravity: Almost all spaceships and space stations have

artificial gravity. In reality this would have all sorts of staggering impli-
cations, which we conveniently ignore in Tachyon Squadron.

Energy Weapons, Exotic Fuels, etc.: Tachyon Squadron gleefully

assumes laser blasters, quantum hydrogen drives, and other fantasy
technology are all highly effective. Ships’ engines are a bit like today’s
jet engines—you don’t want to stand behind them, but neither do they
turn everything for miles into radioactive glass.

Aliens: The assumption of the setting is that humans are the only
intelligent, sapient starfaring species. Animals and plants of non-ter-
restrial origin are common, but none of it is intelligent.

Sapient AIs and Robots: There are some robots and AIs, but they are
definitely tools, and aren’t advanced enough to be considered living
entities in themselves. There is no substitute, in this fictional world,
for the judgment and cleverness of a human pilot, so autonomous or
AI-piloted fighters are not effective weapons.
9
Tachyon Squadron

TACHYON SQUADRON FOR FATE CORE VETERANS

If you’ve never played a Fate Core game before, welcome!
Make sure you grab a copy of Fate Core System from Evil Hat
Productions, which contains the basic rules to play this game. If
you have played Fate Core-based roleplaying games before, most
of this will be familiar to you. In any case, there are some differ-
ences between pure Fate Core games and Tachyon Squadron
(each difference is discussed in detail in the appropriate chapter):
∂∂ Rather than a stress track with boxes worth different stress
amounts, stress in Tachyon Squadron works like hit points.
Ships’ shields work the same way.
∂∂ Stress does not recover at the end of a scene; you must take
deliberate action to relieve stress.
∂∂ Character aspects include relationships with other pilots and
a description of a vice that lets you blow off steam.
∂∂ Stunts are divided among personal and gear stunts. Stunts
that represent gear and equipment a) do not count against
your fate point refresh, and b) maximize dice rather than
grant a static bonus.
∂∂ Starfighter combat is governed by a system called the
engagement.
∂∂The skill list is different than the default skill list presented
in Fate Core System.
10
CREATING A PILOT
Characters in Tachyon Squadron are created largely in the same way
as in Fate Core. You come up with your character concept and aspects,
choose a name and invent a bit of an until-now story, choose skills
and stunts, and you’re ready to take to the skies. There are a couple of
differences to the standard Fate Core system though, so read carefully.

CHARACTER CREATION: THE 30-SECOND VERSION

1∂ Character Concept: Name, look, background, callsign
2∂ Aspects: High concept, decompression, relationships, other
3∂ Skills: One at Great (+4), two at Good (+3), three at Fair (+2),
four at Average (+1)
4∂ Stunts: Two personal stunts and one gear stunt, refresh 3
5∂ Miscellaneous: Stress, personal details, incidentals, star-
fighter, etc.

CHARACTER CONCEPT
Come up with a basic idea for the type of fighter pilot you’d like to play.
All sorts of people feel the irresistible draw to fly. Most of these people
take up travel as a hobby—frequent passengers on commercial aircraft
and spacecraft. For a few hours or days they experience the thrill of using
laws of physics to thumb their noses at other laws of physics. Some of
the more adventurous take up skydiving, spacewalking, or become pilots
themselves. But a tiny few aren’t satisfied unless they’re going half the
speed of light while getting shot at. These are combat starfighter pilots.
That’s you.
Tachyon Squadron is not about maintenance techs, squadron chap-
lains, or meddling locals. Your character is a fighter pilot.

11
 INDOMITABLE CONFIDENCE AND
Creating a Pilot

INSTINCTIVE AGGRESSION
Fighter pilots come from all walks of life, but they have a few things in
common. All of them, every single one, is driven, confident, and daring.
Space combat is a merciless filter, quickly and ruthlessly eliminating
the timid and the hesitant. Those without a suitable killer instinct wash
out early in training, if they’re lucky. If they’re not so lucky, the enemy
makes short work of them, distributing their atoms across a million
cubic kilometers of some lonely asteroid belt somewhere. Of course,
that’s not to say that they’re all loud and boisterous—you’ll find plenty
of variation and pilots who are quiet and orderly and analytical, same
as among any other group of people.
But as a rule starfighter pilots are confident and aggressive. They want
to attack. They want to fight. They want to win. Some of them live long
enough to temper that killer instinct with some wisdom, wisdom that
good leaders use to keep the foolhardy young hotshots alive and mostly
out of trouble. But until then, starfighter pilots tend to be aggressive,
bold, and sometimes reckless.

12
COLLABORATION

Creating a Pilot
Don’t create characters in isolation—discuss your ideas with the GM
and the other players. What mix of personalities and backgrounds do
you think would be fun? Generate and talk about some ideas for how
your pilots will interact. Examples include:
∂∂ My character is a defector from the Dominion trying to redeem
herself by fighting for an idealistic cause.
∂∂ My character is a glory hound who wants to rack up kills and make
a name for himself.
∂∂ My character is a war-weary veteran of the Republic who doesn’t
know how to do anything else.

NAMES
Give your pilot a look and a name. People in Tachyon Squadron come
from all races, in all shapes and sizes and genders, and from all of the
old nations from Earth and beyond. Names that mix and match cultural
and linguistic origins are at least as common as monocultural names,
especially among characters from the Stellar Republic.

EXAMPLE NAMES
Thess Ayson Rich Hopkins Jin Olsen
Teresa Baili Vasilis Ignacio Kira O’Neill
Amy Bettelheim Noriko Ishimura Arataki Petrovna
Prapun Birasiri Young Su Kang Baqar al-Rashid
Carlos Cabral Emma Lansey Mapiya Reed
Ranga Caputo Abril Liakos Muna al-Shirazi
Pankaj Chatterjee- Riku Matsumoto Julia Shockey
Collins Malick Mbaye Jacob Singh
Piotr Drame Tapha Mendes Angelique
Laszlo Feher Priyanka Motiwala Wedderburn
Olga Fomenkovna Russ Murata Hitoshi Yegorov
Ruth Greenstone Christina Navarro Lin Yuang
Dieyna Gueye Paulo Ndiaye Khady Zander
Michiko Gutierrez Nabil O’Connor Liping Zhao

13
 CALLSIGNS
Creating a Pilot

Every pilot has a callsign, a nickname bestowed upon them by their

comrades, usually to memorialize some truly remarkable foul-up the
pilot was involved in, blamed for, or standing near. To compose this
aspect, choose your callsign: Thor, Muskrat, Copper, etc. The player
sitting to your left then tells the story of how you earned it. This might
suggest some weak spot you have in your skill set, or a particular kind
of trouble that seems to find you. Or maybe it’s just dumb luck.
Your callsign is how you’re referred to over the radio while on mis-
sions—so no two pilots in the entire Draconis Volunteer Group should
have the same callsign. Some pilots go by their callsign even outside
the cockpit—it’s pretty common to hear pilots calling each other by their
callsigns at the bar or even in the mission briefing room.
Callsigns can change as your pilot’s career progresses. If something
really monumental happens and it seems appropriate to update your
callsign, go ahead and do that.

EXAMPLE CALLSIGNS
Amp Gaucho/a Nails Rust
Badger Grumpy Nix Sandbag
Beagle Hailstone Nosey Scarecrow
Beaker Hipshot Notch Scooter
Blinker Hood Offside Sensei
Bookie Hurricane Ogre Sinker
Cactus Juno Outlaw Slapshot
Chatty Kilo Outline Smokey
Copper Knuckles Ozone Spider
Curveball Lab Rat Pancake Sunburn
Dallas Lockout Pappy Thor
Deadstick Lumpy Patch Thumper
Dizzy Lunchbox Poacher Tricky
Dutch Mama Poet Troll
Flake Merlin Rabbit Tulsa
Flameout Meteor Rascal Vodka
Flatline Mojo Robo Yammer
Gadget Muskrat Rudy Yukon

14
 ASPECTS

Creating a Pilot
Aspects in Tachyon Squadron
are very much as they are in Fate
Core. The big differences are that
Fate Core’s trouble aspect is replaced
here by decompression, and two of
Tachyon Squadron’s aspects are
relationships.

HIGH CONCEPT: WHO

ARE YOU AND WHY
ARE YOU HERE?
This aspect represents your high
concept, the answer to the question
“What’s your deal?” Keep in mind that
every player character is a trained
starfighter pilot in Tachyon Squadron.
No maintenance technicians, no
ground-side intelligence analysts—
you’re all combat pilots. But are you
a retired Republic Navy pilot looking
for one last grasp at glory? A defector
from the Dominion tired of fighting
for the wrong side? A crop duster
from some fringe colony hoping to
see the galaxy? An idealist on leave
from the Republic Navy fighting for
the welfare of the brave people of
Draconis? Each player in turn takes a
moment to describe their character’s
tale—how did you learn to fly, how
much combat experience do you have
(if any!), and what made you decide
to volunteer for this group? Write an
aspect like Combat-Haunted Veteran
Looking for Redemption or Hotshot
Kid Here for the Adventure.

15
 ASPECT 2: DECOMPRESSION
Creating a Pilot

For the decompression aspect, we’re specifically talking about the

psychological sort of decompression. Starfighter pilots live under tre-
mendous strain and stress every day they’re on duty. They have to find
a way to blow off steam—but there are healthy and unhealthy ways
to do that. This aspect specifies both your preferred healthy and your
most common unhealthy way to deal with the strain of your chosen
profession, separated by a slash.
The healthy side describes how you’d deal with stress and strain if
you were practicing good self-care and valuing your mental health. Do
you regularly visit a counselor or psychologist? Do you have strong
religious or philosophical beliefs that give you peace of mind? Do you
have a partner who loves and supports you through thick and thin?
The unhealthy side is a reflection of what happens when your judgment
fails and you indulge your inner demons. Do you drink heavily? Do you
let your temper get the best of you and get into fights? Do you have a
history of unhealthy sexual encounters or romantic train wrecks? Do
you have addiction problems you can’t quite shake?
A pilot with Excellent Therapist/Hitting the Bottle might have a good
relationship with a competent psychologist who helps her keep a lid on
her drinking problem. A pilot with Good Mates Are Everything/Barroom
Hero likes spending time with his friends, but can’t seem to keep clear
of bar brawls.

THE DARK SIDE OF DECOMPRESSION

Unhealthy ways of blowing off steam can go to some very dark
places. If your game group has a player wrestling with a real world
substance abuse problem, mental health issue, or the like, this
part of the game might hit very close to home. Be sensitive to
other players who might have a personal vulnerability. If someone
seems uncomfortable with your choice of decompression aspect,
don’t be a jerk by making them defend their discomfort—just
pick something else.

16
 Creating a Pilot
ASPECTS 3 AND 4: RELATIONSHIPS
Each of these aspects defines a relationship you have with another
player character. To define the first one, consider the aspects you
already have and those of the player sitting to your left. Do they suggest
a particular relationship between the two pilots? Some suggestions
include: Is there a debt—of money, a favor, your life? Is there romantic
interest—and is it requited? Is there mistrust in one’s ability as a pilot?
Are you intense rivals for victory count? Write an aspect to reflect that
relationship from your perspective—and the other pilot writes an aspect
to describe it from theirs.
As you proceed around the table, the player to your right will do the
same thing with you, allowing you to fill in your second relationship aspect.

ASPECT 5: FREEFORM
The fifth aspect slot is for whatever sort of aspect you want to put
in it. Think about something that makes your character unique and
interesting, and add it here. Are you a Deadeye Shot with a Blaster? Or
a Cardsharp? Or were you Born in the Cockpit? Do you have a Family
Back Home? Do you have a unique relationship with your ship—maybe
you’ve made some Special Modifications? You may leave this aspect
blank and fill it in during play if you wish. 17
 SKILLS
Creating a Pilot

Once you’ve chosen aspects, assign skill ratings. Make sure you
read over the detailed description of each skill in the Skills chapter
(page 23) before you rate them. Just like in Fate Core, skill ratings
form a pyramid with Great (+4) as the apex:
∂∂ One Great (+4) skill
∂∂Two Good (+3) skills
∂∂Three Fair (+2) skills
∂∂ Four Average (+1) skills
∂∂The rest are at Mediocre (+0)
Each skill in Tachyon Squadron is discussed in detail in the Skills
chapter (page 23).

ARCHETYPES
If you’re having trouble assigning skills, this list
might give you some inspiration. These skill arrays
are incomplete—fill in the rest as you see fit.
∂∂The Athlete: Pilot +4, Gunnery +3,
Athletics +3, Fight +2, Sneak +2
∂∂The Inquisitive: Pilot +4, Technology +3,
Investigate +3, Empathy +2, Sneak +2
∂∂The Joker: Pilot +4, Tactics +3, Rapport +3,
Sneak +2, Provoke +2
∂∂The Natural: Pilot +4, Gunnery +3,
Notice +3, Provoke +2, Rapport +2
∂∂The Brain: Tactics +4, Technology +3,
Investigate +3, Discipline +2, Provoke +2
∂∂The Swashbuckler: Gunnery +4, Pilot +3,
Athletics +3, Fight +2, Rapport +2
∂∂The Technician: Technology +4, Tactics +3,
Investigate +3, Notice +2, Shoot +2
∂∂The Veteran: Tactics +4, Pilot +3,
Discipline +3, Empathy +2, Provoke +2
∂∂The Warrior: Gunnery +4, Tactics +3,
Athletics +3, Shoot +2, Discipline +2

18
 Unassigned Skills: When you create your character, it’s perfectly fine

Creating a Pilot
to leave some of your Fair (+2) and Average (+1) skills unassigned. You
can fill them in later as play progresses and you learn what skills are
necessary and interesting in your game.
Skills are divided into three categories: spacefaring skills, action skills,
and social skills. Assign one of each of the four ratings, +1 to +4, to
the four spacefaring skills. This leaves a Good (+3) apex pyramid to
distribute among the action and social skills. So how do you distribute
those ratings? Talk about the focus of the game with the other players
and GM—do you anticipate a lot of social interaction and conflict? Expect
plenty of action outside the cockpit? Making sure you all know what to
expect prevents the “Whaddya mean nobody has Rapport?” problem.

SPACEFARING SKILLS: WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

A complete description of all skills is in the next chapter, but an
understanding of the spacefaring skills is crucial to playing the game.
∂∂ Gunnery: Gunnery is your primary attack skill, at least in starfighter
combat. A high Gunnery rating means you’re very good at putting
fire on a target.
∂∂ Pilot: Pilot is your primary defensive skill. A good Pilot rating makes
you harder to hit in starfighter engagements.
∂∂Tactics: Tactics puts you in position to make attacks and keeps you
away from enemies who want to attack you. With a high Tactics
rating, you’ll find yourself with more options and more potential
targets in starfighter combat, and it’s harder for enemies to get in
position to attack you.
∂∂Technology: Technology is used for two things in starfighter combat.
It’s used to detect and hide from enemy ships, which means a high
Technology rating puts you in position to sneak up on and ambush
the enemy. Second, it’s used to make emergency repairs in combat,
so a high rating helps your chances of surviving an engagement.

STUNTS
Once you’ve assigned skill ratings, choose three stunts—two personal
stunts and one item of gear. Your first two personal stunts are free, but
each thereafter costs a point of refresh. Your refresh, which begins at
three, is only affected by personal stunts—gear stunts are free, from
the perspective of refresh cost. We discuss stunts in a lot of detail in
the Stunts chapter (page 31).

19
 MISCELLANEOUS: STRESS,
Creating a Pilot

PERSONAL DETAILS,
AND INCIDENTALS
Finally, it’s time to wrap up the last details.

STRESS
You start with five boxes for stress, unless you have a stunt that
grants you extra. This stress works like hit points in numerous other
roleplaying games—you can absorb up to 5 shifts of stress before you
can absorb no more.
Lenny’s character, Nails, is in a blaster fight on the surface of the
planet Asami. He takes one 3-shift hit, which Nails decides to absorb
as stress. The following round, Nails takes another 3-shift hit. He
decides to take one more stress—giving him a total of four—then
he accepts a mild consequence to mitigate the two remaining shifts
of damage and stay in the fight.

GEAR AND PERSONAL POSSESSIONS

Pilots are issued a flight suit and helmet, a blaster sidearm, and an
ID card identifying them as a member of Tachyon Squadron. You can
declare that your pilot has any other personal items you think they might
own. None of these things are mechanically important unless you have
an aspect or stunt to represent the importance of that gear. Think about
any important personal possessions your pilot might have—a photo of
your ex, a lucky charm, an artist’s electronic canvas, etc.—and, if it’s
important enough to be an element in the story, consider making one
of your aspects about this item.

NOSE ART
Every pilot is assigned a starfighter: an SF-46D Blackfish, a
venerable multirole starfighter that’s highly popular with its
crews. To further personalize and individualize their ships, some
crews paint nose art on the hull—a cartoon character, pinup art,
a stylized slogan, the starfighter’s nickname, or the like. Not all
pilots bother, but some take great pride in their art.

20
Creating a Pilot

21
 PERSONAL DETAILS
Creating a Pilot

Think about some personal details of your character, things that will
inform their personality and actions. Do they keep a neat or cluttered
apartment? Do they have a family? A spouse? Children who depend on
them? A sweetheart back home? Do they cope with a mental or physical
disability? Write a few words describing your character’s appearance,
what they typically wear, that sort of thing.

DISABILITY IN TACHYON SQUADRON

The highly advanced—from 21st century Earth’s perspective—
state of medical technology in Tachyon Squadron may have a
dramatic affect on disability, but eliminating it is by no means one
of those effects. Disability is no barrier to service in the Draconis
Volunteer Group. Adaptive devices like advanced prosthetics,
ocular implants, and hover chairs are common and they aid in
overcoming challenges presented by a lot of physical disabilities.
Starfighter controls can be configured to fit almost any user.
With technology like this, it’s tempting to allow the disability to
be erased. Resist that temptation. Prosthetics and hover chairs
and configurable controls make the world accessible, but they
don’t make the challenges of the disability go away, and not all
disabled people would want to use the latest and greatest adaptive
tech anyway. This is especially true for characters with mental
disabilities (PTSD might be especially common among characters
who are war veterans). Some adaptive tech could help—changing
displays in the cockpit to organize data in a way that’s easier for
you to digest, for instance—but no technology exists that can
rewire the brain, and even if it did no ethical physician would
do it. So the character has to adapt and cope as best they can.
If you wish to represent a disability mechanically, do so through
an aspect, or perhaps through an invokable stunt. Don’t reduce
skill ratings—a person who needs a hover chair to get around
needn’t be less athletic than anyone else, but the context of their
athleticism is different. Also, ensure you’re portraying a disabled
character well—if you don’t share the disability of your character,
make sure you do some homework and read some first-person
accounts from folks who do. And able-bodied folks should never,
ever, play a disability for laughs.
The Fate Accessibility Toolkit from Evil Hat Productions is an
invaluable resource for playing a disabled character.
22
SKILLS
Tachyon Squadron uses a slightly different skill list than Fate Core.
Skills are divided into three categories: spacefaring, action, and social.

SKILL LISTS
SPACEFARING SKILLS
∂∂ Gunnery: Shooting your starfighter’s guns.
∂∂ Pilot: Flying a ship, avoiding attacks made against the ship
you’re flying.
∂∂Tactics: Fighting with a ship—putting yourself in position
to attack, analyzing enemy tactics, formulating a plan, etc.
∂∂Technology: Fixing damage, angling your shields, detecting
your enemies before they detect you.

ACTION SKILLS
∂∂ Athletics: Running, jumping, dodging blaster fire.
∂∂ Fight: Striking, grappling, knives, etc.
∂∂ Notice: Perceiving via your body’s senses.
∂∂ Shoot: Using blaster pistols and rifles.
∂∂ Sneak: Moving undetected, staying hidden.
SOCIAL SKILLS
∂∂ Discipline: Keeping your cool, removing stress.
∂∂ Empathy: Being aware of others’ emotions and intentions.
∂∂ Investigate: Tracking down information.
∂∂ Provoke: Evoking a negative emotion in others.
∂∂ Rapport: Evoking a positive emotion in others, getting along
with people.

23
 SPACEFARING SKILLS
Skills

The four spacefaring skills are Gunnery, Pilot, Tactics, and Technology.

GUNNERY
This skill represents your marksmanship using mounted guns and laser
blasters, such as a starfighter’s guns or weapons mounted on a capital
ship or space station. Pilots with high Gunnery might be naturally good
shots, or they might spend countless hours practicing on the gunnery
range during training.
Note: Gunnery is for mounted or emplacement weapons only.
Competence with handheld weapons is represented by the Shoot skill;
missile weapons state in their description what skill you use to attack
with them.
aaAttack: Use Gunnery to make attack actions during starfighter
engagements using your ship’s guns.
ccCreate Advantage: Use your ship’s guns to generate situation
aspects like Suppressive Fire.
ooOvercome: Use your ship’s guns to blast obstacles out of the way.
ddDefend: Some ships (usually capital ships and space stations)
allow gunners to use this skill in defend actions.

PILOT
Pilot measures your ability to fly any sort of spacecraft or aircraft.
Driving a ground speeder or cycle falls under Pilot as well. It’s a vital
skill for pilots in Tachyon Squadron, being the primary skill you use to
avoid getting blown to bits in space combat. Someone with a high Pilot
skill might be a young phenom with great instincts or a wily veteran who,
no matter what situation she’s in, has been there before.
aaAttack: Pilot isn’t typically used to attack, unless you’ve decided to
set your throttle to “ramming speed.” A poster hung prominently
in the squadron ready room officially discourages this tactic.
ccCreate Advantage: Fancy flying can create situation aspects
like Barrel Roll or Leaf on the Wind in starfighter engagements.
ooOvercome: Push an enemy fighter to a disadvantageous position in
an engagement. Land a critically damaged ship on an alien planet.
ddDefend: Pilot is the main skill used to defend against Gunnery
attacks in starfighter engagements.

24
TACTICS

Skills
Every pilot in the squadron is expected to understand starfighter
tactics. This skill represents your grasp of not just how to shoot and
how to fly, but how to fight with a starfighter—how to seize the advan-
tage to put your enemy in your weapons’ sights. Someone with a high
Tactics skill might have spent long hours studying theory and case
studies of hundreds of fighter engagements, or might be a veteran
who’s survived years of combat and has learned the hard way what
works and what doesn’t.
aaAttack: Tactics isn’t typically used to attack.
ccCreate Advantage: Create aspects like Come Out of the Sun or
Split-S to help yourself and your comrades in an engagement.
ooOvercome: The Tactics skill is used to perform overcome actions
in the vital maneuver phase of starfighter engagements. It’s
used to shake someone off your tail or stay on your target’s tail.
ddDefend: Tactics is not used to defend.
TECHNOLOGY
The Technology skill measures your familiarity with computers and
machinery, especially aboard your starfighter. Your ability to detect
enemy ships and repair damage to your own is governed by Technology.
The skill can be used with any technological devices, not just aboard
spacecraft. Someone with a high Technology rating might be a trained
scientist or engineer, or maybe an experienced tinkerer.
aaAttack: Lock a missile onto a target and fire.
ccCreate Advantage: Create aspects like Angled Deflector Shields
or Rig for Silent Running.
ooOvercome: Detect enemy ships at long range—the first phase of
starfighter engagements. Perform emergency repairs.
ddDefend: Technology isn’t usually used to defend.

25
 ACTION SKILLS
Skills

The five action skills are Athletics, Fight, Notice, Shoot, and Sneak.

ATHLETICS
This skill summarizes a wide array of physical attributes: physical
strength, agility, quickness, and toughness chief among them. A person
with high Athletics is likely to be very physically fit and might be an avid
participant in at least one sport—team handball is extremely popular
among the crews and staff of the Draconis Volunteer Group.
aaAttack: Use a thrown weapon, swing from a rope onto your target.
ccCreate Advantage: Leap up to the high ground, sprint through
the crossfire.
ooOvercome: Race through a burning engine room, climb a rope,
swim away from the wreck of your fighter.
ddDefend: Avoid gunfire. Resist the physical abuse of punching out.
FIGHT
Use Fight to rate your skill in hand-to-hand combat: fisticuffs, wres-
tling, close combat with non-ranged weapons. Someone with high Fight
might hold a high rank in a formal martial art, be a big, intimidating
brawler, or study swordsmanship or fencing.
aaAttack: Throw a series of punches and kicks. Slash at your oppo-
nent with a knife.
ccCreate Advantage: Kick a knife out of your opponent’s hand
(Disarmed).
ooOvercome: Throw your opponent through a doorway.
ddDefend: Parry a sword thrust. Block a combination of punches.
NOTICE
Notice rates your perceptiveness and the sharpness of your senses.
People with a high Notice skill can spot movement from a long distance,
or have the highly trained ear of a musician.
aaAttack: Notice isn’t an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Notice is best used to discover aspects on
targets, like Weak Point or Favors Left Turns.
ooOvercome: Spot someone trying to remain hidden.
ddDefend: Notice isn’t a defense skill.

26
 Skills
SHOOT
Shoot measures your skill at firing handheld laser blasters, whether
pistols or rifles. It does not cover spaceship guns; that’s the Gunnery
skill. People with a high Shoot skill take extra practice time at the range,
or perhaps grew up hunting and shooting for sport.
aaAttack: Attack a target with a hand-held laser blaster.
ccCreate Advantage: Lay down Suppressive Fire.
ooOvercome: Destroy the lock on a door.
ddDefend: Shoot is not a defense skill.
SNEAK
Sneak is the skill that rates your ability to move and hide without being
detected. People with a high Sneak skill know how to move deliberately
and quietly, or they might be physically small to aid in hiding.
aaAttack: Sneak is not an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Create situation aspects like Quiet as a Mouse
or One With the Shadows.
ooOvercome: Avoid leaving tracks, sneak past a passive security
system.
ddDefend: Stay hidden while someone is actively looking for you. 27
Skills

SOCIAL SKILLS
The five social skills are Discipline, Empathy, Investigate, Provoke,
and Rapport.

DISCIPLINE
Discipline reflects your ability to remain cool under pressure, to put
panic aside and rely on training, and to prevent your emotions from
overruling your better judgment. It’s also used to recover from stress.
People with good Discipline are frequently known as “unflappable” and
are often good leaders.
aaAttack: Discipline is not an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Create situation aspects like Steeled for the
Fight or Cooler Heads Prevail.
ooOvercome: Eliminate fear-generating situation aspects. Remove
stress. Determine the best course of action in the chaos of combat.
ddDefend: Resist efforts to Provoke you.

WHERE’S DECEIVE?
You might notice that we don’t have a Deceive skill. In Tachyon
Squadron, lying and being deceptive is baked into Provoke and
Rapport and, to a lesser extent, Sneak. If you’re trying to be
deceptive, you’re also doing something else—negotiating, trying
to charm someone, yelling at them, etc.—so roll on that skill.
If you want to be especially good (or especially bad) at doing

28 that while lying, take a stunt or an aspect to represent that.

 Skills
EMPATHY
Empathy is the skill you use to make yourself aware of others’ emo-
tions, intentions, or honesty. It’s the social analogue of Notice. People
good at Empathy have good “emotional intelligence”; they’re able to
read nonverbal cues and subtle signs of people’s true intentions.
aaAttack: Empathy is not an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Empathy works well for discovering aspects
on others, like Terrified of Failure or Wary of Outsiders.
ooOvercome: Empathy isn’t typically used to overcome obstacles.
ddDefend: Use Empathy to notice if someone is trying to deceive
or manipulate you.

INVESTIGATE
Notice is the skill you use to pick out minor details; Investigate is the
skill you use to dig up information and put facts together. An Investigate
roll typically represents minutes to hours of work, rather than a single
moment. Good Investigators are often trained in law enforcement
techniques, but sometimes they’re academics or journalists.
aaAttack: Investigate isn’t an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Use Investigate to discover situation aspects
or aspects on other characters, such as In Massive Debt or Former
Dominion Intelligence Agent.
ooOvercome: Learn the owner of a cargo ship based on its reg-
istration number, find security camera footage from a certain
location and date.
ddDefend: Investigate isn’t a defense skill. 29
 PROVOKE
Skills

Provoke is used when you want to evoke a specific emotion in someone,

almost always negative. You’re trying to get them angry, or afraid, or
ashamed. People with high rankings in Provoke are sometimes… Well,
sometimes they’re jerks. Or at least they’re good at being jerks when
they have to be.
aaAttack: You can attack with Provoke if you really go for the throat,
shaming or terrifying someone into irrelevance in the scene—and
your target has to be in a position to care about what you say.
Consequences, of course, need to reflect the narrative—you can’t
kill someone by yelling at them.
ccCreate Advantage: Create aspects reflecting the emotional states
you provoke, like Furious or Guilt-Ridden.
ooOvercome: Goad someone into taking a swing at you. Intimidate
a guard into letting you pass.
ddDefend: Provoke is not a defensive skill.
RAPPORT
Rapport is the skill you use when you want to get along with people.
Provoke is about negative emotion, while Rapport is about engendering
positive emotion. Negotiation, persuasion, and making connections are
all part of Rapport.
aaAttack: Rapport is not an attack skill.
ccCreate Advantage: Create aspects like Trusted or Helpful.
ooOvercome: Get information from a talkative tavern buddy.
Negotiate a reduction in price for that precision missile. Start
a rumor.
ddDefend: Rapport can be used to douse rumormongering or
defend against Provoke-based attempts to turn the mood of a
room against you.

30
STUNTS
Stunts in Tachyon Squadron come in two distinct varieties: personal
stunts, which represent unique talents, quirks, or tricks a character
knows, and gear stunts, which represent gear or equipment a character
has. Personal stunts reduce your refresh; gear stunts do not.

PERSONAL STUNTS
Much like stunts in Fate Core, personal stunts change how skills work
for you. They grant a bonus under particular circumstances, allow using
one skill in place of another, or give you a unique talent you can use a
limited number of times. The rules for creating these stunts outlined on
page 88 in Fate Core System are all applicable in Tachyon Squadron.

31
 EXAMPLE PERSONAL STUNTS
Stunts

∂∂ Cool Under Fire: You may use Discipline, rather than Athletics, to
defend against ranged attacks made in a firefight.
∂∂ One Shot One Kill: Gain +2 to Gunnery attacks made in a starfighter
the first time you attack a given target in an engagement.
∂∂ Instinctive Flier: You may use your Pilot skill rather than Tactics in
the maneuver phase of engagements.
∂∂Jury Rigger: Gain +2 to Technology overcome rolls to repair a space­
ship while not at a repair facility.
∂∂ Gunslinger: Gain +2 to Shoot attacks made with a blaster the first
time you attack a target in a conflict.
∂∂ Gossip: Once per session, you may ask the GM for a bit of helpful
information that you heard through the grapevine.
∂∂ Called Shot: During a Shoot attack, spend a fate point and declare
a specific condition you wish to place on the target. If your attack
succeeds, you place that condition as a situation aspect with two
free invokes on the target in addition to hitting them for damage.
∂∂Tough as Nails: You gain an extra mild consequence slot.
∂∂ Okay, Fine!: You can use Provoke with a +2 bonus instead of Empathy
to learn a target’s aspects, by bullying and browbeating them into
revealing one to you.
∂∂ Good Hunting: You gain +2 to attempts to create an advantage using
Rapport by inspiring fellow pilots and squadron mates; if successful,
you gain an extra free invoke on the aspect you create.
∂∂ Danger Sense: You gain +2 to any attempt to detect ambushes,
people concealing violent intent, etc.—in or out of a starfighter.
∂∂ Lie Detector: You gain +2 to Empathy-based attempts to discern
dishonesty in others.
∂∂ Always a Way Out: You gain +2 to Technology overcome actions
when attempting to escape from a location.
∂∂ Pugachev’s Cobra: Once per game session, in an engagement, you
may use the on their tail action against someone who is on your
tail—switch places with them on the maneuver chart.

32
GEAR STUNTS

Stunts
Gear stunts represent advantages given to you by equipment that you
have access to. You don’t need a stunt to represent gear—if you have a
blaster, you can use the Shoot skill even without a stunt. But you don’t
get any particular advantage to your use of that skill unless you have a
stunt to represent your blaster.
Gear stunts differ from personal stunts in two important ways. First,
gear stunts don’t reduce your refresh—you’re free to gather as much
gear as you can reasonably justify. Second, gear doesn’t provide a static
skill bonus—instead, it lets you maximize dice.

MAXIMIZING AND MINIMIZING DICE

Many gear stunts give you the ability to maximize one or more dice
in your 4dF roll rather than give you a static bonus. To maximize a die,
turn one of the dice to +after you roll.
Important Caveat: You can’t maximize more than two dice on any
single action, even if you have more than two “maximize one die” effects.
Go ahead and acquire as much gear as you can borrow, beg, or steal,
because gear stunts don’t reduce your refresh—but you can’t maxi-
mize more than two dice on any action, so the impact of gear is limited.
A player rolls 4dF for an Investigate skill check, getting +-00
for a Mediocre (+0) result. Her character has a stunt called High
Performance Datapad, which allows her to maximize one die. She
chooses the die showing - and turns it to a +, for a final Fair (+2)
result of ++00.

In some circumstances—such as if your starfighter is damaged in

combat—you might have to minimize one or more dice. To minimize a
die, your opponent turns one of your dice to - after you roll. You can’t
be required to minimize more than two dice on the same roll.
If different effects cause you to maximize and minimize dice on the
same roll, they cancel each other out one-for-one. For example, if
various effects call for you to maximize two dice and minimize one on
the same roll, just maximize one—one of the maximizations and the
minimization cancel each other.

33
 STUNTS WITH ASPECTS
Stunts

Sometimes a stunt has an aspect associated with it—for instance,

the Blaster Carbine’s Bulky or the Monofilament Blade’s Dangerous to
Its Wielder. Treat these as situation aspects in effect when the gear is
being used—they can be compelled or invoked like any other situation
aspect. Aspects that describe gear provide an interesting way to create
a more powerful stunt that has some drawback associated with it.

EXAMPLE GEAR STUNTS

∂∂ Heavy Blaster Pistol: Gain Weapon:1 on successful Shoot attacks.
∂∂ Blaster Carbine: Maximize one die on Shoot attacks. A carbine is
Bulky.
∂∂ High Performance Datapad: Maximize one die on all Investigate
overcome or create advantage actions.
∂∂ Hand Scanner: Maximize one die on Technology overcome or create
advantage actions when repairing or modifying items immediately
near you.
∂∂ Augmented Spec: Wearable eyepiece that lets you maximize one
die on Notice actions.
∂∂ Stimpack: Once per session, recover from a mild consequence as
a free action.
∂∂ Monofilament Blade: Gain Weapon:2 on successful Fight attacks,
but the blade is Dangerous to Its Wielder.
∂∂ Personal Deflector Screen: Screen that filters some energy out of
high energy attacks. Gain Armor:1 vs. damage from blasters, slug
throwers, explosives, etc. Can’t be used with another personal screen.
∂∂ Personal Concealment Screen: Screen that partially scatters out-
going light. Maximize one die on all Stealth actions. Can’t be used
with another personal screen.

ADJUSTING REFRESH
Player characters start with a refresh of 3, which is reduced by per-
sonal stunts. The first two personal stunts a character chooses are
free, and don’t affect refresh. Each personal stunt after that reduces
refresh by 1—you can’t take so many personal stunts that your refresh
is reduced below 1.
Gear stunts never count against refresh, but you can never maximize
(or minimize) more than two dice on a single roll, which limits how much
34 impact gear can have.
ENGAGEMENTS
An engagement is a highly structured form of Fate conflict used to
resolve space battles involving starfighters. The heart of it is in the
maneuver and action phases, where every vessel in the combat works
to gain advantage—an abstract concept representing optimal posi-
tion, velocity, and several other factors—and may attack targets with
advantage equal to or less than they have.

ENGAGEMENTS: THE 30-SECOND VERSION

The engagement consists of four phases.
1∂ Detection: Determine whether any ships are undetected
going into combat.
2∂ Maneuver: Establish which pilots have advantage over
others, enabling them to attack. If you want to concede
or attempt to disengage, this is the time.
3∂ Action: Make attacks, create advantages, and perform all
sorts of other actions.
4∂ End of Round: Degrade your maneuver chart position (slide
your ship down one slot). Return to the maneuver phase.
Repeat the cycle of maneuver-action-end until one side
is destroyed or disengages.

35
 THE PHASES OF ENGAGEMENTS
Engagements

The basic engagement represents two groups of starfighters engaging,

maneuvering, shooting at one another, maybe some being destroyed
or damaged, and eventually disengaging. The phases for playing this
out go like this: detection, maneuver, action, end of round. You repeat
maneuver, action, and end of round until one side is destroyed or one
or both sides run.

DETECTION PHASE
Because the two groups of starfighters are still millions of kilometers
apart and far beyond visual range, the highly advanced sensors that each
fighter is equipped with have a chance to detect the drive plumes and
other electromagnetic emissions of enemy fighters. When ships are
detected, the type of each ship and how many flights they’re arranged
into are revealed.
At the end of this phase, we’ll know whether one side has any ships
that the other doesn’t know about. Here’s how to do it:
Everyone on the players’ side performs an overcome action with the
Technology skill. Make a note of the best and worst results to establish
a range. Meanwhile, the GM makes a single overcome roll with their
best Technology-equipped vessel. Now, we compare the results to see
if any ships are undetected.
∂∂ If the GM’s roll beats the PCs’ highest roll, one of the GM’s ships (or
flights of ships, if they’re organized into flights) is undetected. If
the GM succeeds with style, all of her ships are undetected. That’s
very bad news for the PCs.
∂∂ If the GM’s roll is between the PCs’ highest and lowest rolls (inclu-
sive—ties count for this middle section), no ships are undetected.
∂∂ If the GM’s roll is lower than the lowest PCs’ roll, one of the PCs’
ships is undetected. If the lowest PC succeeds with style, all of
their ships are.
The side with the undetected ships chooses which ships are undetected.
Large ships—such as freighters, military capital ships, big passenger
liners, etc.—emit titanic quantities of broadband radiation and light up
like small stars on any halfway modern sensor suite. These ships can
never be undetected. Similarly, space stations are impossible to miss
(but hidden installations on planet surfaces or asteroids might not be).

36
 Engagements
DETECTION PHASE IN A NUTSHELL
Every pilot and the GM make overcome actions with Technology.
Look at where the GM’s result falls in the range of player results:
∂∂ GM beats highest player: One GM ship (or flight) is undetected
(w/ style = all GM’s ships)
∂∂ GM between highest and lowest player (including ties):
Nobody undetected
∂∂ Lowest player beats GM: One PC-piloted ship is undetected
(w/ style = all PC-piloted ships)
Some stunts and ship equipment change this—the text of the
stunt or equipment gives you those details.

A flight of three starfighters is on a long-range patrol: Nails (played

by Lenny), Nok (played by Amanda), and Gunner (played by Carrie).
Mike is the GM. Mike asks for detection rolls from all the players,
while he rolls for his ships, four Dominion DF-112 Goblin starfight-
ers arranged into two flights (flights are groups of multiple ships
that act as one).

Nails (Lenny): [0+0+ (+2), Technology skill +1] “I got a Good

result, +3.”

Gunner (Carrie): [0000 (+0), Technology skill +3] “I also got +3.”

Nok (Amanda): [-+-- (-2), Technology skill +4] “Ugh. +2.”

GM (Mike): [+000 (+1), Technology skill +1] “And +2 for me.

Nails and Gunner are your best and Nok is your worst. I tie Nok, so
nobody is undetected. OK, so your ships pick up two flights of two
DF-112 Goblins. It’s engagement time!” 37
 MANEUVER PHASE
Engagements

Once detection is resolved, MANEUVER PHASE

the ships swarm toward one
IN A NUTSHELL
another and engage in a swirl- In the engagement’s first
ing, chaotic dogfight. Surviving maneuver phase, make an
a dogfight depends on main- overcome action with the
taining tactical superiority over Tactics skill. Place your star-
your enemies—not letting them fighter’s marker on that value
bring their guns to bear on you on the maneuver chart. Some
while putting yourself in posi- stunts and actions change
tion to fire at your opponents. this—the text of the stunt or
In the maneuver phase, each action gives you those details.
pilot determines their relative
level of advantage compared to
the other ships in the fight. This advantage is tracked on the maneuver
chart. At the end of this phase, you’ll know where to place your ship on
that chart.
MANEUVER CHART
Grab a large sheet of paper, a dry erase board, or something similar
that you can lay flat on the table. Create a chart that looks like the one
on the opposite page.
Get some markers to represent spaceships—sci fi wargame minia-
tures, small toy spaceships, tiny models built from LEGO® bricks—some
sort of individually identifiable tokens you can place on the rows. Use
a single marker to represent an enemy flight.
FIRST MANEUVER PHASE
If this is the first maneuver phase of the engagement, place a marker
representing your ship on the maneuver chart like this (the GM does
this for their ships too):
∂∂ If you are not undetected, perform an overcome action with Tactics.
Place the marker representing your ship on that number (or lower, if
you wish). If you roll exceptionally high or low, expand the chart as
necessary, keeping Undetected at the top and Special at the bottom.
∂∂ If you are undetected, place your ship in the Undetected section.
∂∂ If your ship is a capital ship, a cargo ship, passenger liner, or any
other sort of big ship, place it in Special.
∂∂ Each enemy ship controlled by the GM performs this action as well.

38
 Engagements
MANEUVER CHART

UNDETECTED

+9

+8

+7

+6

+5

+4

+3

+2

+1

–1

–2

–3

SPECIAL
39
 GM: “Okay, everyone make maneuver phase rolls.”
Engagements

Nok: [+0++ (+3), Tactics skill +2] “Nice. +5!”

Gunner: [00-+ (+0), Tactics skill +4] “I have +4.”

Nails: [00-0 (-1), Tactics skill +4] “+3.”

GM: “My Goblins get +1 and +4. OK, everyone place your ships.”

Nok places their marker on +5, Gunner on +4. and Nails on +3. The
GM places one marker on +1 and another on +4.

MANEUVER CHART

UNDETECTED

+9

+8

+7

+6

+5 Nok

+4 Gunner Goblin 2

+3 Nails

+2

+1 Goblin 1

–1

–2

–3
40
SPECIAL
 Engagements
SECOND OR LATER MANEUVER PHASE
If this is the second or later maneuver phase of the engagement,
place a marker representing your ship on the maneuver chart like this
(the GM does this for their ships too):
∂∂ If you were on someone’s tail (page 50) and no longer are (the
target was destroyed, the target shook you off, or you chose to break
off), perform an overcome action with Tactics as if it were the first
maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you shook someone off your tail last phase, perform an overcome
action with Tactics as if it were the first maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you are currently in the Undetected slot of the maneuver chart,
perform an overcome action with Tactics as if it were the first
maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you were in Special last turn because you were switching zones,
perform an overcome action with Tactics as if it were the first
maneuver phase but in the new zone.
∂∂ If you choose to bug out (page 47), place your ship in Special.
∂∂ If you choose to switch zones (page 52), place your ship in Special.
∂∂ Otherwise, stay where you are on the maneuver chart based on the
end of round phase of the previous round.
Some actions let you manipulate your and other ships’ positions on
the chart, but we get to that later. For now, this is all you need.

41
 ACTION PHASE
ACTION PHASE
Engagements

Action is the third phase of the

IN A NUTSHELL
engagement. This is the phase
when you make attacks, create The pilot of the ship highest
advantages, make emergency on the maneuver chart who
repairs, and any number of other hasn’t yet gone this round
actions. goes next. On your turn, take
two actions from the list of
Who goes first? Who goes
available actions: Step 1 and
next?: The turn always passes to
Step 2. Play then passes to
the pilot of the ship highest on the
the next highest ship on the
maneuver chart who hasn’t gone
maneuver chart who hasn’t
yet. Ships on the same maneuver
yet gone this round. Once all
rank go “simultaneously,” which
ships take a turn in the action
means they take their actions
phase, the phase is complete.
but the effects aren’t applied
until they both complete those
actions—for instance, two ships on the same rank could conceivably
destroy each other. If a GM’s ship and a player’s ship go simultaneously,
the GM should declare what she’s doing first.

What happens when it’s my turn?: Your turn happens in two steps:
Step 1 and Step 2. There are a variety of actions; some must be per-
formed during Step 1, some during Step 2, and some require both steps.
We talk about all of those options in detail in “Actions” (page 49).

Who can I attack?: You can attack any target at your level or lower
on the maneuver chart. Targets above you have the drop on you and
can attack you.
Attacks are generally performed by making an attack action with the
Gunnery skill, opposed by your target’s defense action using the Pilot
skill. See the description of the action you’re taking for more details.
GM: “Let’s go to the action phase. Nok, you’re first.”

Nok: “I’m going to get on Goblin 2’s tail. Attacking with Gunnery…”
[+--- (-2), Gunnery skill +2] “…Uh, zero. Wow. Oh, wait, I get
a +2 bonus for being on their tail, so that’s +2 total.”

GM: [+-+0 (+1), Pilot skill +2] “My defense is +3, so you miss!
Gunfire goes streaking around the ship but none of it connects.
Next up are Goblin 2 and Gunner, who go simultaneously. I’ll declare
first—Goblin 2 will try to shake Nok off its tail.”

42 At this point, Gunner and Goblin 2 go, then Nails, then Goblin 1. A
detailed example follows (page 68).
END OF ROUND PHASE END OF ROUND

Engagements
Once every ship has taken their IN A NUTSHELL
actions, the cycle repeats. Every ship’s position on the
∂∂ Degrade all ships. This maneuver chart degrades
means that all ships move (moves down one slot) unless
down one slot on the maneu- an action, stunt, etc. says
ver chart (shown below). they should not. Return to
Some actions you can take the maneuver phase.
in the action phase, such as
tactical refocus, allow you to skip degrading.
∂∂ Ships that declared they were bugging out (page  47) in the
MANEUVER CHART
maneuver phase escape and leave play, if they survived. Ships that
were switching zones (page 52) move to their desired zone.
UNDETECTED
∂∂ Cycle back to the maneuver phase and continue until one side is
destroyed, bugs out, or concedes.
+9

+8

+7

+6

+5
DEGRADE

+4 Nok
DEGRADE DEGRADE

+3 Gunner Goblin 2
DEGRADE

+2 Nails

+1
DEGRADE

0 Goblin 1

–1

–2

–3
43
SPECIAL
 SHIELDS AND DAMAGE
Engagements

Starfighters hit by weapons fire, and potentially other space hazards,

take hits (computed in the usual Fate method, equal to the difference
between attack vs. defense rolls plus the attacker’s Weapon rating).
Hits must be absorbed, which you can do in two ways: your shields can
be weakened and you can accept damage.

SHIELDS
Shields are invisible fields that protect ships from laser blasts, solar
radiation, shrapnel, meteorites, and a host of other space hazards. When
powerful weapons strike the shields, they sometimes momentarily glow
a translucent blue. Most spacecraft in Tachyon Squadron are equipped
with shields, even if they’re not designed as combat ships—they’re
dead useful to have.
Shields are given a strength rating, typically 1 through 3 but some are
stronger. The rating of the shields is how many shifts of hits, in total, it
can absorb before it’s exhausted. So if you start with strength 3 shields,
get hit by a 2-shift blast, then take 1 more shift in the next round, your
shields are exhausted.

DAMAGE
If your shields are drained,
and you either have hits
remaining from the attack
that drained your shields
or a new attack, your star-
fighter sustains damage.
Each instance of damage
mitigates up to two shifts.
For each instance of
damage, roll a single fate
die and check off the next
box in the appropriate col-
umn. Penalties listed are
cumulative. Some slots also
hit you with an aspect that
your opponents can invoke
(and get one free invoke,
just like consequences).
DAMAGE IN A NUTSHELL
Damage must be mitigated in
one of two ways: Draining shields
and taking instances of damage.
Shields work exactly like stress—
they can typically absorb up to 3
shifts of damage, depending on
their strength rating.
Damage remaining after shields
are drained causes instances of
damage. Each instance miti-
gates two shifts of damage. For
each instance, roll a single dF
and mark off the next box on the
corresponding list on your ship’s
damage chart. For each round your
ship takes at least one instance of
damage, your pilot also sustains
one shift of damage.

44
 Engagements
DAMAGE CHART FOR THE SF-46 D BLACKFISH
+COMPUTER SYSTEM DAMAGE
[2]Minimize 1 die on Technology actions
[2]Minimize 1 die on Gunnery actions
[2]Sensors and targeting systems offline: Minimize 1 die
on Technology and Gunnery actions, Shots in the Dark
[]Flash fire! Punch out!
0PROPULSION SYSTEM DAMAGE
[2]Minimize 1 die on Tactics actions
[2]Minimize 1 die on Pilot actions
[2]Critical damage to drives: Minimize 1 die on Tactics
and Pilot actions, Drives Ready to Give Out
[]Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!
-CRITICAL SYSTEMS DAMAGE
[2]Life Support Damaged
[2]Cockpit hit, pilot sustains damage equal to the amount
the ship sustained in this hit
[]Structural disintegration! Punch out!

Damage and Personal Stress: Each round that your ship sustains
an instance of damage, your character suffers one shift of damage to
themselves—most players will choose to take stress, if they can, rather
than take a consequence. Space combat is not for the faint of heart.

Victories: Each time you destroy an enemy ship (swarms don’t count),
make a note of your victory! When you get back to base the crew chief
will paint a silhouette on your ship’s hull in celebration. 45
 SIMPLE DAMAGE
Engagements

To make the GM’s life easier, some enemy ships have two ways to
track damage: regular damage and simple damage.
Regular damage is what we were just talking about. It’s recommended
to use that system to track damage for elite or veteran enemies, recur-
ring bad guys, and the like.
Simple damage simply tracks how many shifts of damage the ship
has absorbed. It’s listed like this:
( [1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1]
That means that the ship can absorb a total of 7 shifts of damage.
Mark off a box, starting on the left, for each shift of damage the ship
suffers. When the last box is marked off, the ship is destroyed. The stress
track set off by parentheses like this ( [1][1][1]) represents shields—when
that’s gone, the ship’s shields are down.

PUNCHING OUT
Being in a ship that is destroyed is hazardous to your health. If you
happen to be in that unfortunate situation, your squadron commander
will be writing a sad letter home for you—you’re dead, space cowboy.
Luckily for you, every modern starfighter is equipped with an AES—
Automated Ejection System—which throws you clear of the fiery destruc-
tion of your starfighter. This is called punching out. If your ship is
destroyed, spend a fate point (nobody else can spend it for you) to
invoke your ship’s AES. This is not a gentle process—it activates pow-
erful explosives to launch your seat through your disintegrating canopy,
accelerating you at about 20 Gs. It’s a real kick in the butt. When you
punch out, your seat attacks you—your character, not your ship. If
you’re punching out because of damage that has destroyed your ship,
the attack has a bonus of +5. Use your Discipline or Athletics to defend
against that attack. It’s very common for pilots to suffer injuries of some
sort when ejecting. You can also punch out manually before your ship is
destroyed—on your action phase, or in the maneuver phase, possibly as
part of a concession. If you do it manually you have a chance to brace
yourself, so you only need to defend against an attack at +3 and you
don’t need to spend a fate point.
If you survive punching out, your flight suit provides limited life support
for up to 30 hours—your helmet’s face shield snaps shut to seal the
suit against the vacuum of space, and a rescue beacon automatically
begins transmitting on a recognized emergency frequency. So once
you’re ejected, the chances of rescue are slightly better than completely
terrible. Don’t worry, even the Dominion considers shooting ejected
46 pilots a war crime. Usually. If they get caught.
BUGGING OUT

Engagements
If a fight turns against you, you might want to push the throttle to the
stops and get the hell out of there. If you’re in over your head, there’s no
shame in turning tail. Tacticians call it “disengaging,” but pilots call it
“bugging out.” You must declare that you’re bugging out in the maneuver
phase. Once you decide not to bug out in a maneuver phase, you can’t
revisit that decision until the next maneuver phase begins. Concession
can’t save you in the thick of the fight, so choose wisely.
There are two ways to bug out.
∂∂ Concession: Declare your intention to do this at the start of a maneu-
ver phase, and negotiate the concession according to the typical
concessions rules—accepting some significant negative outcome
for yourself (and any fate points to which you’d be entitled—see
Fate Core System, page 167). Perhaps you arrive back home with
a full stress track and carrying a mild consequence. Perhaps your
fighter is destroyed and you narrate being picked up by a rescue
ship. Perhaps two ships from your side want to bug out on the same
round—and the GM demands that one pilot be captured if the other
is to return home safely (everyone getting the fate points owed to
them, of course, with perhaps an extra for the captured flier).
∂∂ Run the Gauntlet: Declare your intention to bug out at the start of
the maneuver phase, and place your ship in the Special slot of the
maneuver chart. Anyone anywhere on the maneuver chart can attack
you. If you survive the round, you successfully bug out.

47
 THE MANEUVER CHART
Engagements

There are any number of ways to make a maneuver chart. A wet erase
miniatures battle mat or a dry erase board are ideal, because you can
erase and add slots if you need them. Absent that, butcher paper or
gaming paper work well too. A range of +8 to -2 is good to start with.
If a ship degrades below -2, add slots as necessary; do the same for
ships that manage to exceed +8.

THE UNDETECTED SECTION

This section represents ships that have managed to avoid detection
at the start of the engagement. These ships have the opportunity to
attack largely without fear of immediate counterattack—ambush, in
other words. They are by definition above all other ships in the engage-
ment, and thus may attack anyone and cannot be attacked by anyone.
Once the first round is over, undetected ships are noticed. If they’re
still in the Undetected section at the start of the second round, they
must roll Tactics to place themselves on the chart.

THE SPECIAL SECTION

The Special section represents ships that aren’t actively engaged
in combat maneuvering, such as ships that are trying to disengage or
unarmed ships such as cargo vessels and shuttles. It also serves as the
home for capital ships and space stations, which can attack—we talk
about that in “Big Ships and Large Targets” on page 54.

48
ACTIONS

Engagements
Pilots get two different actions—Step 1 and Step 2—in the action
phase of engagements. A wide variety of actions are available.

ACTIONS IN THE ACTION PHASE

(AND THE STEPS THEY CAN BE TAKEN ON)
ATTACK ACTIONS
∂∂ Desperate attack (full phase)
∂∂ Large target strike (full phase)
∂∂ On their tail (full phase)
∂∂ Snap shot (Step 1)
NON-ATTACK ACTIONS
∂∂ Create an advantage (Step 1 or Step 2)
∂∂ Overcome (Step 1 or Step 2)
∂∂ Push (Step 2)
∂∂ Repair (Step 1 or Step 2)
∂∂ Rescue (full phase)
∂∂ Shake off a tail (full phase)
∂∂ Switch zones (Step 2)
∂∂Tactical refocus (Step 2)
∂∂Thin out the swarm (Step 1 or Step 2)

49
 ATTACK ACTIONS
Engagements

Desperate Attack (full phase): You can’t take this action if someone
is on your tail. Spend a fate point to climb two slots on the maneuver
chart, then attack a ship at or below your new slot. If you take this action,
you acquire the aspect Easy Target with a free invoke; you keep that
aspect until it’s eliminated with an overcome action.

Large Target Strike (full phase): Attack a large target, such as a

capital ship, a space station or asteroid installation, a planet-based
installation, or similar. See “Big Ships and Large Targets” on page 54
for full details on how this works.

On Their Tail (full phase): To get on another starfighter’s tail, slide your
ship down the maneuver chart to position yourself in the slot directly
above your target, and declare that you are on their tail. (Also use this
action to remain on their tail if you used this action in the previous
round against the same target.) As part of this action, make an attack
against your target with a +2 bonus to your attack roll. Each round you
remain on this target’s tail, this bonus increases by one.
If your target does something to change their position on the maneuver
chart—a tactical refocus action, for example—you may move your ship
on the maneuver chart to stay one slot above theirs. If your target is
destroyed or shakes you off, or they move on the maneuver chart and
you choose not to follow them, in the next maneuver phase you must
roll Tactics as if it were the first round to determine your new position
on the maneuver chart.

Snap Shot (Step 1): Make an attack against a ship at your level or
below on the maneuver chart. Most attacks are made with guns—an
attack roll using the Gunnery skill vs. a defend action using Pilot from
the target—but some other weapons can be used if their descriptions
allow it. Attacks made against targets on the same level of the maneuver
chart are resolved simultaneously, meaning both attacks are resolved
before damage to the other is accounted for. Yes, this could result in
two ships destroying each other.

50
NON-ATTACK ACTIONS

Engagements
Create an Advantage (Step 1 or 2): You may attempt to create an
advantage or overcome an obstacle in the standard Fate Core man-
ner. Creating advantages works exactly the same way as described in
Fate Core, and is a good way to mechanically represent aerial combat
maneuvers like Wingover (a very rapid turn), Barrel Roll to improve
attack and tactical positioning, a Split-S to improve defense, etc.

Overcome (Step 1 or 2): You can use the overcome action to eliminate
existing situation aspects, as described in Fate Core.

Push (Step 2): You may attempt to push an enemy ship at your position
or lower on the maneuver chart to a lower slot on the maneuver chart.
Make a Pilot overcome roll, opposed by the target’s Pilot overcome roll.
If you succeed, the target drops down the maneuver chart a number of
slots you choose, up to your margin of success. As usual, success with
style generates a boost, and a tie doesn’t move them but gets you a
boost. If the target of your push is on someone’s tail and you succeed,
you break them off their quarry. If the target of your push has some-
one on their tail and you succeed, their pursuer may go with them to
stay on their tail, or may stay where they are and break tailing, at the
pursuer’s option.

Repair (Step 2): You can undo some of the damage caused to your
ship by using the repair action in the action phase. Choose a damage
category or shields and make a Technology overcome roll vs. a target
of +2; success means the worst checked damage instance is cleared
or you regain +2 to shield strength.

Rescue (full phase): If a pilot—enemy or friendly—has ejected into

space, you can rescue/capture them with this action. Move your ship
down two slots on the maneuver chart, and your comrade is rescued
or enemy pilot captured. All ships currently in service with Tachyon
Squadron are equipped to safely pick up at least one character this
way. If the person you’re attempting to pick up has some means of
propulsion (a spacesuit equipped with maneuver jets, perhaps) and
for some reason they don’t want to be rescued, opposed Pilot rolls are
necessary to get them. You can also use this action to pick up objects
of roughly the size of a person or smaller drifting in space.

51
 Shake Off a Tail (full phase): If someone is on your tail, you can
Engagements

attempt to shake them off. Make a Tactics overcome roll opposed by

your attacker’s Tactics overcome roll—if you succeed, the tail is broken.
If you fail, they’re still on your tail. If you tie, choose: they’re still on your
tail but you gain a boost, or you succeed at a cost. If you shake your
attacker, both you and your attacker reposition yourselves in the next
maneuver phase by rolling Tactics, the same as the procedure for the
maneuver phase in the first round.

Switch Zones (Step 2): In a multizone fight, such as with a fighter

screen (page 60), use this action to switch zones. You may only
take this action if you are in the Special slot on the maneuver chart. If
someone is on your tail, they have the option to stay on your tail and
follow you to the next zone, appearing in the slot above yours after you
roll in the next maneuver phase, or they may stay in the first zone and
roll for their own position in the next maneuver phase, at their option.

Tactical Refocus (Step 2): This action allows you to make a Tactics
overcome roll to determine your position as if it were the first maneuver
phase. Move your ship to that position (or to any position lower than
that) immediately, and you do not degrade in the next end of round
phase. You might choose to voluntarily lower your own position if, for
example, you have someone on your tail and you want to lead them to
a poor tactical position.

Thin Out the Swarm (Step 1 or 2 but not both): Make an overcome
action using Gunnery (or another skill, if you use a modular weapon)
against the Pilot defense of the ships making up the swarm—more about
swarms in the next section. If you succeed, you eliminate one swarm
aspect—typically you choose one with multiple free invokes remaining.
This action is simply an application of the overcome action in Fate Core,
so its results are treated the same way. Failure can be interpreted as
success at a severe cost, success with style gets you a boost, etc.

52
 Engagements
THE OPPOSITION: FLIGHTS & SWARMS
Cinematic starfighter dogfights often feature dozens of fighters
flashing across the screen with rainbows of blaster fire gunning every
which way. Tracking each of these fighters individually would be a book-
keeping headache—this is a game about awesome fighter pilots, not
accounting. We manage this problem in two different ways.

FLIGHTS
A flight is a group of starfighters—usually two, sometimes four—that
act together as a single entity. A flight increases its weapon damage
by 1 on successful attacks for each fighter after the first (so a flight
of four fighters with a base of Weapon:0 would have Weapon:3 on
successful attacks).
Attacks made against a flight affect one member of the flight first,
until that member is destroyed. Damage from a single attack left over
after one member is destroyed does not carry over to the next member,
unless the attacking weapon’s description says otherwise.

THE SWARM
What about the hordes of enemy fighters that fill the backdrop in
cinematic starfighter battles? In Tachyon Squadron, we call this the
swarm, and we represent them with a collection of aspects with free
invokes that the GM can use to make her attacks with more dangerous
enemies even more dangerous. To cut down on this advantage the GM
has, pilots can thin out the swarm, an action described on page 52. 53
 BIG SHIPS AND LARGE TARGETS
Engagements

Some starfighter battles involve attacking a large target like a space

station, a planetary or asteroid base, or a capital ship (a cargo hauler,
a frigate, a cruiser, a carrier, etc.—something big and lumbering that
might as well be stationary compared to a fast and nimble starfighter).

ATTACKING LARGE TARGETS

Large targets typically have a variety of smaller systems that can be
individually targeted by starfighters. When a starfighter pilot attacks a
large ship, they have to specify what system they’re targeting—propulsion,
weapons, bridge, payload, shield generators, the hull, etc. Damaging and
destroying different systems on the capital ship has different effects,
much like damage to a starfighter. Destroy enough of the systems,
and the target is considered “out of action,” even if it’s not destroyed.
Large targets are placed in the Special section of the maneuver chart
in the maneuver phase of engagements. They can’t maneuver quickly
enough to avoid being attacked by starfighters if the fighter pilot is
determined to do so, so they have to rely on other means to protect
themselves. Starfighters must choose one of two modes of attack vs.
large targets, and face different defenses in each situation: long range
and short range. In either case, most large targets—capital ships, space
stations, ground installations—have active defenses, meaning they
defend themselves by shooting back. Pilots whose attack rolls fail take
damage. So don’t miss.

Long-Range Attacks: The first way a starfighter can attack a large

target is from long range. At long range, the fighter’s weapons must
penetrate the heavy shields that capital ships typically employ. These
shields aren’t usually like starfighters’ shields—they don’t degrade
unless they’re hit by the big weapons other capital ships bring to bear
(which this game does not cover). Instead, they act like armor—and
strong armor it is. Additionally, some systems on the ship cannot be
targeted from long range. For example, gun emplacements are often
so well protected they can’t be destroyed from a distance—pilots have
to get much closer to knock them out.

Short-Range Attacks: The alternative to long-range attacks is for a

fighter pilot to approach very close to the capital ship, below its shields,
and skim the surface to attack the targeted system. Typically defenses
are much deadlier close in, where point defense blasters, relativistic
scatterguns, and other devious systems designed to shred attacking
fighters make their last stand. The advantage is that starfighters can
54 attack any vulnerable system at this range, and their weapons don’t have
to penetrate the powerful shields that extend a farther distance away.
BEING ATTACKED BY LARGE TARGETS

Engagements
Many ships and stations are equipped with offensive cannons and
missile launchers—the ship’s stat block tells you how many and what
their stats are. While the ship is always placed on the Special slot of the
maneuver chart, the offensive cannon targeting systems work exactly
like starfighters—the gunner aboard the ship rolls Tactics for the first
round. They can then make an attack against targets at or lower than
their level, or they may perform the tactical refocus action. They can’t
do any more advanced actions—no getting on anyone’s tail, no pushing,
no creating advantages, etc. Just make one attack each round as the
snap shot action, or refocus.

CAN BIG SHIPS BUG OUT?

Can a big capital ship or a lumbering cargo hauler bug
out? The answer is yes, but… Obviously a sleek starfighter
will always be able to catch up with a slower battle cruiser,
but that doesn’t mean that fighters chasing a capital ship
can take out its guns and then have all the time they want
to pound the daylights out of it risk-free until it explodes.
The GM may impose some sensible narrative limitations
on the action. Starfighters have limited fuel and the guns
will run out of energy eventually, even if we don’t track either
in Tachyon Squadron. The GM might decide that a particular
ship can’t just vanish into space, but limit the PCs to some
number of rounds of attacks before they must break off
and head for home. At that point, consider a concession
rather than playing out those rounds: the ship is damaged
but all the PCs make it home safely, for instance.

LARGE TARGETS AND REPAIRS

At the end of each action phase, each large target can attempt to
repair a single instance of damage.

55
 +9
EXTENDED EXAMPLE: BIG SHIP BATTLE
Engagements

+8
[Gunner, Nok, and Nails are back, this time in a fight with an une-
scorted Dominion frigate Purity. Nok and Nails are on maneuver
+7
slots +5 and +4, the frigate’s gun emplacements are on +2 and +1,
and Gunner is on +1.]
+6

+5 Nok

+4 Nails

+3

“Purity”
+2 Gun Battery 2

+1 Gunner “Purity”
Gun Battery 1

–1

–2

–3
Dominion
SPECIAL Frigate“Purity”

GM: “Okay Nok, you’re up first. How do you attack the frigate?”

Nok: “Hm… Let’s focus on the propulsion system, see if we can

render her dead in the water. I’ll start with a snap shot.”

GM: “You can’t take a snap shot at a large target; a large target
strike is a full phase action.”

Nok: “Oh, right. Well, then, that’s what I’ll do. I have a Vulcan’s
Hammer; I’ll try that from long range because shields are only half
as effective against it. It says I use Technology as my attack skill.
What’s the code for a missile launch? Tav-Two!” [+--0 (-1),
Technology skill +4] “Then it says I maximize one die, so that makes
my dice ++-0 for +1 and a total result of +5.”
56
GM: “The frigate sends up a torrent of fire against you.” [+--- (-2),

Engagements
Long-range defense skill +1] “Wow, that’s a -1.”

Nok: “A 6-shift hit—I mean, a 10-shift hit! The missile says it has
Weapon:4.”

GM: “Let’s see how much of that gets through the armor. It says the
heavy shields provide Armor:5, but 1 more for the propulsion section,
so that’s Armor:6 for shields. But the Vulcan’s Hammer missile says
shields are only half as effective against it, so that’s down to Armor:3. 10
minus 3 is 7 shifts of damage to propulsion. Each instance mitigates 2
shifts…that’s four instances of damage. Yikes. According to the damage
chart, According to the damage chart, I’m now minimizing two dice on
Tactics rolls for gun emplacements, all Technology rolls for repair are
minimizing one die, and she’s dead in the water. That…was not good
for the bad guys.”

Nok: “Victory dance!”

Nails: [Lenny fist bumps Amanda] “If we hit the propulsion section again
she’s done for, and I’d like to see about capturing this puppy. Let’s take
out the guns at short range. I’ll go in guns blazing.” [0000 (+0),
Gunnery skill +3] “All blanks? That’s dull. A total of +3.”

GM: [+0-+ +1, Defense skill +3] “That’s +4. With my Weapon rating,
that gives me a 3-shift hit on you.”

Nails: “Wait, what? You’re defending, how do you get a hit on me? Oh wait,
the target ship has active defense, so I take damage on a miss. Got it.”

GM: “Exactly. You skim the frigate’s surface, about to target one of the
gun emplacements, and gunfire erupts around you, driving you off.”

Nails: “Well, jeez. 3 shifts, that takes my shields down. Can I have one
dogfight where I don’t end up getting almost killed?”

GM: “The bad guys are up next. Their #2 gun emplacement is on +2.
They’ll shoot at Gunner, who still presents a threat.” I minimize 2 dice
because of the damage you caused. [+++0 becomes +--0,
Gunnery skill +4] “That’s +3!”

Gunner: [00-+ (+0), Pilot skill +2] “+2. Dang.”

GM: “That’s a 1-shift hit, with Weapon:2, for 3 shifts.”

Gunner: “Looks like my shields are offline too. This jerk might be dead
in the water but he still packs a punch. Okay, my go.” 57
Engagements

GM: “Well, you and gun emplacement #1 go simultaneously. But if

you want to do your actions first, go for it.

Gunner: “I wanna take out that gun turret. I have an unguided rocket
swarm. Short range, let’s do this. It says here I use my Pilot skill to
attack, and maximize one die if attacking a large target.” [+++0
(+3), Pilot skill +2] “Maximizing that blank die to +, that’s +6!”

GM: “Short-range defense! Pew pew pew!” [--+0 (-1), defense

skill +3] “A whopping +2. You got me! 4-shift margin of success,
plus Weapon:6 (Six? Who wrote these rules?) is a 10-shift hit. Ouch.
Short-range armor is only 1, so that’s 9 shifts, or 5 instances of
damage… That gun emplacement is dead. It is so dead. But! Your
action was simultaneous with its action, so it still gets a shot. And
it shoots at you—but it still minimizes two. [0++0 becomes
0--0 (-2), Gunnery skill +4] “That’s +2.”

Gunner: [+-++ (+2), Pilot skill +2] “I got +4. No dice for you.”

GM: “OK, it’s the end of the round. The frigate is going to try to
repair something. Maybe get its engines back up…” [0-0+
(+0), Technology skill +2] “That’s +2.”

Nok: “Not so fast, minimize that plus because of the damage to

your propulsion section.”

GM: “That makes the dice 0-0-, or -2, so the total is zero. I
needed +2, so that’s not enough. Rats. OK, round is over, let’s set up
for the next one. Nobody did a refocus, so everyone degrade one slot.”

Nails: “How does the surviving gun emplacement work?”

GM: “It degrades just like you guys do. I could have done a tactical
refocus for the gun instead of taking a shot, but I didn’t, so it works
just like everyone else.
58
 +7

+6

Engagements
+5
DEGRADE

+4 Nok
DEGRADE

+3 Nails

+2
DEGRADE
“Purity” “Purity”
+1 Gun Battery 2
KABOOM
G.B. 1
DEGRADE

0 Gunner

–1

–2

–3
Dominion
SPECIAL Frigate“Purity”

[After the end of round phase]

GM: “So here’s what I’m thinking. You can’t just sit here plinking at
this guy all day long. I’m thinking you might have two more rounds
to put this ship’s guns out of action before you need to head back
to refuel. Does that make sense?”

Nok: “What happens if we miss that deadline?”

GM: “You’ll run out of gas and end up floating through space. You’re
almost at what pilots call bingo, for whatever weird reason pilots
assign silly names to things. It’s the minimum fuel level necessary
to get you back to base. But if you head back now, this guy will have
time to get his engines back online. If you use your last two rounds
to take its bridge out, or its last gun turret, a shuttle full of Marines
might be able to get here to board and capture her. Sound good?”

Nails: “The moral of the story is unescorted capital ships are sitting
ducks.”

[Play continues] 59
 FIGHTER SCREENS
Engagements

If starfighters are attempting to defend a space station, a large ship or

a convoy of large ships, a point in space (such as a jump point), etc. they
can set up a fighter screen—a patrol set off thousands of kilometers
from the target they’re protecting, so attackers have to penetrate the
screen to attack the target. Here’s how they work in an engagement.

OUTSIDE INSIDE
UNDETECTED UNDETECTED

+9 +9

+8 +8

+7 +7

+6 +6

+5 +5

+4 +4

+3 +3

+2 +2

+1 +1

0 0

–1 –1

–2 –2

–3 –3

SPECIAL SPECIAL

60
 There are two separate zones in which independent encounters occur:

Engagements
outside the fighter screen, and inside it. The attackers fight the fighter
screen as usual in the outside zone. But if any attacker wants to attempt
to penetrate inside the screen—presumably where the target they’re
trying to get to is—they must place themselves in the Special slot of the
maneuver chart and take the switch zones action on their round. They
then begin the next round’s maneuver phase by making a Tactics roll
for the new zone as usual. You cannot attack targets in another zone.

EXTENDED EXAMPLE: PIERCE THE SCREEN

[Nails, Gunner, and Nok are trying to get past a screen of Dominion
starfighters to attack a space station. The three are currently all in
the outside zone; Nails is in slot +5, Gunner and Nok have decided
to penetrate the screen right away and put themselves in Special.
Pairs of Dominion Gator fighters are in +4 and +3.]

OUTSIDE INSIDE
UNDETECTED UNDETECTED

+9 +9

+8 +8

+7 +7

+6 +6

+5 Nails +5

+4 Gators 1 +4

+3 Gators 2 +3

+2 +2
Station Gun
+1 Battery +1

0 0

–1 –1

–2 –2

–3 –3

SPECIAL Gunner Nok

Enemy Space
Station SPECIAL 61
Engagements
Nails: “Think my best bet is to take a snap shot at one of these
flights of Gators, then create an advantage to help you two.” [Nails
attacks and destroys one of the first pair of Gators. For his Step 2,
he creates Running Interference with a free invoke.]

GM: OK, it’s the Gators’ turn. [One Gator flight (currently missing one
member, destroyed by Nails) and then the other get on Nok’s and
Gunner’s tails. Nok avoids the attack thanks to Running Interference,
and Gunner’s shields are hit for two.]

OUTSIDE INSIDE
UNDETECTED UNDETECTED

+9 +9

+8 +8

+7 +7

+6 +6

Station Gun
+5 Nails Battery +5

+4 +4

+3 TACTICAL +3
REFOCUS

+2 +2

+1 +1

0 0

–1 –1

–2 –2

–3 Gators 1 Gators 2 –3
GETS ON THE TAIL OF GETS ON THE TAIL OF
Enemy Space
SPECIAL Nok Gunner Station SPECIAL

62
 Engagements
[Nok and Gunner both attempt to create advantages for their Step
1 actions, and use switch zones for their Step 2 actions. In the next
round’s maneuver phase, they each roll Tactics to place themselves
on the inside zone’s maneuver chart.]

OUTSIDE INSIDE
UNDETECTED UNDETECTED

Gators 1 Gators 2
+9 +9
STILL ON THE TAIL OF STILL ON THE TAIL OF

+8 Nok Gunner +8
MUST ROLL FOR POSITION IN
THE NEXT MANEUVER PHASE
+7 +7

+6 +6

Station Gun
+5 Battery +5
DEGRADE

+4 Nails +4

+3 +3

+2 +2
SWITCH ZONES

+1 +1

0 0

–1 –1

–2 –2

–3 –3

Enemy Space
SPECIAL Station SPECIAL
63
 PERSONAL DAMAGE
Engagements

AND GETTING TAKEN OUT

A bunch of different things can cause damage to your character, not
all of them direct attacks.
∂∂ Mental Attacks: Someone attacking you with Provoke can cause
damage depending on the circumstances and your relationship
with them—you need to care what they have to say, have a reason
to be afraid of them, etc.
∂∂ Physical Damage: Being hit by attacks in a fight can cause damage.
∂∂ Damage in Engagements: Space combat is terrifying. For each
instance of damage your ship takes, you suffer 1 shift of damage.
And, of course, if you happen to be aboard a ship when it’s destroyed
and you can’t eject, that’s that.
∂∂ Missing a Night’s Sleep: Sleep deprivation is poison. You automat-
ically suffer 2 shifts of damage for the first night of sleep you miss,
4 for the second consecutive night, 6 for the third consecutive night,
etc. You can’t recover from stress if you’ve missed the previous
night’s sleep. Whether a partial night’s sleep counts is up to the GM.
∂∂ Death and Loss: Witnessing the death or severe injury of a comrade
is very traumatic. The first time you witness this, suffer 4 shifts of
damage. Each time thereafter, suffer one fewer, until you’re suffi-
ciently jaded that it causes zero stress. The GM may compel your
relationship aspects to increase this stress as appropriate.

GETTING TAKEN OUT

If you get taken out, the GM decides your fate. If it’s from a psycho-
logical source, perhaps you turn in your wings. You’ve lost the edge,
hotshot. Held on too tight. If it’s physical, well, combat pilots don’t all
survive the war, do they? Might be time to create a new pilot PC. Or
maybe it’s some other obstacle short of losing the character—GM and
player discuss what makes the most sense for the narrative you’ve
been creating together.

64
MODULAR EQUIPMENT

Engagements
The squadron has been assigned a number of equipment modules
that can boost the PCs’ ships’ capabilities. The modules are limited in
number, so they should be used carefully. Your GM will tell you which
ones, and how many of each, are available—possibly providing cards
you can put into the appropriate boxes on your ship’s sheet. Some are
consumable, meaning you use it once and it’s gone.
Equipment that grants attacks can be used in attack actions like snap
shot, on their tail, etc. in place of your starfighter’s guns. The listed
action skill tells you what skill to make your attack with.

G-18B “VORTEX” AREA ATTACK MISSILE

∂∂Antimatter warhead attacks up to four ships on the same slot of
the maneuver chart. If you use a Vortex in the thin out the swarm
action, success eliminates two aspects, not just one. This weapon
is not effective against large targets.
∂∂Consumable
∂∂Action Skill: Technology, maximize one die
∂∂ Special: Weapon:2 on successful attack
∂∂This weapon occupies one modular equipment bay.
G-16 “VULCAN’S HAMMER” PRECISION MISSILE
∂∂ Quantum gamma warhead attacks a single target.
∂∂Consumable
∂∂Action Skill: Technology, maximize one die
∂∂ Special: Weapon:4 on successful attack
∂∂ Special: Shields are only half as effective against this weapon’s
attacks
∂∂This weapon occupies one modular equipment bay.
MARK 24 UNGUIDED ROCKET SWARM
∂∂A dozen rockets with high explosive warheads make a single attack
against a single target.
∂∂Consumable
∂∂Action Skill: Pilot, maximize one die if attacking a large target
∂∂ Special: Weapon:6 on successful attack
∂∂This weapon occupies one modular equipment bay.
65
 PLANE-SENKO INERTIAL SUPPRESSION UNIT TYPE 7
Engagements

∂∂Temporarily reduces your starfighter’s momentum, allowing you to

change direction quickly.
∂∂ Maximize one die in defend actions to avoid weapon attacks in
engagements.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.
PLANE-SENKO THRUST VECTORING SYSTEM TYPE 19
∂∂ Increases starfighter maneuverability by coordinating thrust vec-
toring from engine output.
∂∂ Maximize one die in overcome actions when using the push action
in engagements.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.
ALDERSON 5M SHIELD BOOSTER
∂∂ Recharges shield generators faster.
∂∂At the start of your attack phase, increase your shield rating by 1,
up to your allowable maximum.
∂∂This module occupies two modular equipment bays.
GENEVA INDUSTRIES B6 “HAYMAKER”
PARTICLE ACCELERATOR
∂∂Axial weapon that directs relativistic protons at targets.
∂∂Add 1 to your ship’s Weapon rating for attacks made with Gunnery.
∂∂This module occupies two modular equipment bays.
ECLIPTIC SYSTEMS COUNTERFORCE
ADAPTIVE COMPUTATION NODE V.9.2
∂∂A computer that learns enemy tactics and begins anticipating them.
∂∂ In the second maneuver phase of an engagement, maximize one
die in your overcome action to determine your placement. In the
third and subsequent rounds, maximize two dice.
∂∂This module is most useful for pilots who like to take the tactical
refocus action, but will also be used when you need to re-establish
your maneuver position after being on someone’s tail.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.

66
WHISPERTECH D-30 EMISSIONS

Engagements
REDIRECTION SYSTEM
∂∂This system temporarily redirects most electromagnetic emissions
from the starfighter, casting an illusory image several dozen meters
to one side, which fools an attacker’s targeting computer.
∂∂ Once per game session, declare that a successful attack against
you in fact missed—it hit your illusory decoy instead.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.
HIGH PERFORMANCE OPTICS HC-91
“HAWKEYE” SENSOR BOOSTER
∂∂ Maximize two dice in detection actions at the start of the encounter.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.
ECLIPTIC SYSTEMS RESILIENCE
ENHANCEMENT NODE V.4.0
∂∂Automatically identifies damage and recommends work-arounds.
∂∂ Maximize one die when attempting the repair action in an engagement.
∂∂This module occupies one modular equipment bay.

DESIGNING YOUR OWN MODULAR EQUIPMENT

GMs and players are encouraged to invent their own equipment
modules. Player-invented modules can provide a fun secondary
plot focusing on a Technology-oriented pilot, as that pilot draws
up plans, gathers material, tests prototypes, etc. Things to keep
in mind as you design equipment modules:
∂∂ Equipment modules work very much like gear stunts. They
maximize dice, rather than grant straight bonuses; otherwise,
the powers and abilities they grant look very much like stunts.
∂∂A powerful module can be balanced by requiring more than
one equipment bay, by limiting uses per encounter, by mak-
ing it consumable, or by having it apply a disadvantageous
aspect to the ship that carries it (Bulky Cargo, Delicate and
Explosive, or similar).
∂∂ Consider narrative-focused modules for particular missions:
running a blockade to deliver a Cargo Module full of supplies
to trapped ground troops, using a Rescue Module to assist
the survivors of a space wreck, etc.
67
 ENGAGEMENT EXAMPLE
Engagements

A flight of three starfighters is on a long-range patrol: Nails

(played by Lenny), Nok (played by Amanda), and Gunner (played by
p.36∂ Carrie). Mike is the GM. Mike asks for detection rolls from all the
players while he rolls for his ships, which are led by two pairs of
DF-112 Goblin starfighters. The GM has established that he’s using
p.46∂ simple damage for the Goblins.

Nails (Lenny): [0--+ (-1), Technology skill +1] “Zero.”

Nok (Amanda): [--00 (-2), Technology skill +4] “I got +2.”

Gunner (Carrie): [0--- (-3), Technology skill +3] “Zero. Rotten

luck.”

GM (Mike): [0++0 (+2), Technology skill +1] “+3 for me. Nok
is your best at +2, which I beat, so one of my ships stays unde-
tected. Haha!”

Nails: “Really? ‘Haha?’”

GM: “I’m the GM, I’m allowed one goofy laugh. It’s in the rules. OK, so
your ships pick up on a flight of two DF-112 Goblins and a swarm
p.35∂ of six DF-107 Gators. It’s engagement time!”

Nok: “There’s probably another pair of Goblins out there somewhere.

Keep your eyes open, everyone.”

p.38∂ GM: “Okay, everyone make maneuver phase rolls.”

Nok: [+0+0 (+2), Tactics skill +2] “I got +4!”

Gunner: [+00- (+0), Tactics skill +4] “+4 for me too.”

Nails: [---0 (-3), Tactics skill +4] “Oh, for… +1. I got +1.”

GM: “My Goblin gets…” [00-0 (-1), Tactics skill +3] “…+2.”

Gunner: “Where are the Gators?”

p.53∂ GM: “They’re part of the swarm.

[Mike places three index cards on the table, marked Flight 1, Flight 2,
and Flight 3, each with two free invokes.

p.38∂ GM: OK, everyone place your ships on the maneuver chart.”

68 Everyone places their ships.

 Engagements
UNDETECTED Goblins 1

+9

+8

+7

+6

+5

+4 Nok Gunner

+3

+2 Goblins 2

+1 Nails

–1

–2

–3

SPECIAL

69
Engagements
p.48∂ GM: “Everyone good? You were right, there’s one undetected Goblin
p.42∂
flight. I’ll place it on the Undetected section. Let’s go to the action
phase. That Goblin on Undetected goes first, because it’s highest
on the maneuver chart. I could move down to slot 5 to get on
p.50∂ Gunner’s tail, but I think I’ll make a snap shot against Nok for my
p.24∂ first action. That’s a Gunnery attack…” [++0- (+1), Gunnery
skill +4] “That’s +5.”

Nok: “I have a stunt that lets me roll Technology instead of Pilot to

defend in engagements, so that’s...” [--00 (-2), Technology
skill +4] “+2. Ouch.”

GM: “A 3-shift hit! Wait, a 5-shift hit, because Goblins have Weapon:1
on Gunnery attacks, and there are two of them in the flight.”

Nok: “Well, my shields drain, which absorbs 3 shifts. That leaves 2

shifts, so I guess I take one instance of damage. [ 0] I got a blank.
p.45∂ According to the Blackfish damage chart that means I have com-
puter system damage—” [Amanda marks the appropriate slot on
p.33∂ her sheet] “—and I have to minimize a die on Technology actions.
Does that mean every time I roll Technology? Even when I’m rolling
it instead of Pilot?”

GM: “Yes, that’s what it means. The systems you rely on to make
Technology effective where you’d usually use Pilot aren’t working
as well. Also, you take a shift of damage yourself, Nok, because of
the ship taking an instance of damage.”

p.20∂ Nok: “I’ll just take a point of stress.”

p.51∂ GM: “OK, for my Step 2 action I’ll try to push Nok below my other
Goblin. That’s my Pilot against yours. I get…” [00-0 (-1), Pilot
skill +2] “…+1.”

Nok: [+++- (+2), Pilot skill +1] “+3. Nothing doing, Mike, I’m
not going anywhere.”

GM: “OK, Gunner and Nok, you’re on +4, you’re next.”

Gunner: “I’ll go first, if you don’t mind, Nok. First I want to thin out
p.52∂
the swarm. That’s a Gunnery overcome action for me.” [+00-
(+0), Gunnery skill +3] “That’s +3.”

70
 Engagements
GM: “The swarm is made up of Gators, which have a Pilot skill of +1
by default…” [-0+0 (+0), Pilot skill +1] “+1. You take one of the
aspects out! Say, Flight 3? It doesn’t matter, they’re all the same.”

Gunner: “Sounds good.” [Mike removes the aspect Flight 3 from

UNDETECTED
the table] “I get two victories from that, right?” Goblins 1

GM: “Well,
+9 no, the swarm doesn’t count for victories.” ∑p.45

Gunner: “Dang. OK, for Step 2 of my turn, I want to push the Goblin
+8[++00 (+2), Pilot skill +2] “That’s +4.”
on +2.”

GM: “Goblins
+7 have a Pilot of +2, so…” [-0+- (-1), Pilot +2] “…+1.”

Gunner: “So I can push you down 3! Down you go, to -1.”
+6

+5

+4 Gunner

+3
NOK MOVES
+2 ONTO THEIR TAIL

+1 Nails
PUSHED
BY GUNNER

0 Nok

–1 Goblins 2

–2

GM: “So –3the current state of things is a Goblin flight on Undetected—

I’ll need to roll Tactics to place him next round—Gunner and Nok on
+4, Nails on +1, and a flight ofSPECIAL
two Goblins on -1. OK, Nok, you’re up.”

Nok: “I want to get on that Goblin’s tail.” [Nok slides her ship down ∑p.50
to 0, which is directly above her Goblin target.] “I make a Gunnery
attack…” [++00 (+2), Gunnery skill +2, +2 bonus for getting
on their tail] “That’s +6.”

71
Engagements
GM: [-0+0 (+0), Pilot skill +2] “Uh… +2. Look, I’m invoking the
swarm, Flight 1, once for free, which gives me +4. A Gator gets in
the way of your shot, making it less effective.”

Nok: “Fine, I’ll drop a fate point on Former Test Pilot Out for a
Righteous Cause, giving me +8 total. With my guns’ Weapon:1,
p.66∂ that’s a 5-shift hit. Oh, wait, I’m carrying a particle accelerator in
an equipment bay—that makes it Weapon:2. That’s 6 shifts.”

p.46∂ GM: “Ouch. OK, we’re using simple damage for these guys, so I’ll
mark off six boxes… One box left. Ouch, as I said. Its shields are
gone and it’s trailing smoke. Nails, you’re up.”

Nails: “Awesome. First I’ll take a snap shot at that Goblin that Nok
just lit up.”

Nok: “Don’t you steal my kill.”

Nails: “Just softening himUNDETECTED

up for you.” [--00Goblins 1
(-2), Gunnery
skill +3, +2 for a stunt giving Nails a bonus the first time he attacks
+9 “+3.”
a target]

GM: [-+++ (+2), Pilot skill +2] “I got +4. Swing and a miss.”
+8
p.52∂ Nails: “Eh, that’s OK. Step 2, I want to do a tactical refocus. I’m way
down+7here, and who knows where that undetected guy will end up.”
[++-0 (+1), Tactics skill +4] “+5. I’ll take it.” [Lenny moves
+6 marker to the +5 slot]
his ship

+5 Nails

+4 Gunner

TACTICAL
+3 REFOCUS

+2

+1

0 Nok

–1 Goblins 2

72 –2

–3
 Engagements
GM: “OK, highest ranked ship that hasn’t gone yet is this Goblin flight
who Nok is chasing. He’s going to try to shake off the tail. That’s ∑p.52
my Tactics vs. yours, Nok.” [00-0 (-1), Tactics skill +3] “+2.”

Nok: [+-0+ (+1), Tactics skill +3] “+4. You can’t get rid of
me that easily.”

GM: “Dang. OK, end of the round. Everyone degrade your maneuver ∑p.43
position.”

Nails: “I don’t have to, because I used the tactical refocus action!”

GM: “True. I’ll roll Tactics for that undetected flight of Goblins in the
next maneuver phase, which happens right now.” [+0++ (+3),
Tactics skill +3] “+6! So he’s right above Nails, and he goes first.”

Nails: “Great.”

UNDETECTED

+9

MANEUVERS IN AND
+8 GETS ON NAILS’S TAIL

+7

+6 Goblins 1

TACTICAL REFOCUS
+5 Nails PREVENTS DEGRADE

+4
DEGRADES

+3 Gunner

+2

+1

0
STAYS ON TAIL

–1 Nok

–2
DEGRADES

Goblins 2
73
Engagements
GM: “And he’s going to get on your tail, Nails.” [++00 (+2),
Gunnery skill +4, +2 bonus for being on tail] “+8!”

Nails: “Uh oh.” [-+0- (-1), Pilot skill +2] “Uh… That’s +1. Wow.
7 shifts. And I’m all out of fate points right now.”

p.53∂ GM: “9 shifts. Goblins have Weapon:1, and it’s a flight of two, so
Weapon:2.”

Nails: “Right, nine. Shields gone, six left, that’s three instances of
damage.” [--0] “One hit on the propulsion system, I’m mini-
mizing one die on Tactics. Two hits on critical systems… Oh crud. I
now have Life Support Damage as an aspect, and the cockpit was
hit. So I personally sustain 9 shifts of damage. Wow.”

GM: “Hate to tell you Lenny, but that’s 10 shifts. You take 1 more,
because your ship took an instance of damage.”

Nails: “Wow. Well then. I guess I blow my whole stress track, and
still have 5 shifts to burn. That’s a serious consequence. Let’s say…
Internal Bleeding?”

GM: “Works for me. Your turn, by the way.”

Nails: “Is ‘bleed a lot’ a Step 1 action, or full phase? I need to get
away from this guy. I’m going to shake a tail.” [++-0 (+1),
Tactics skill +4] “+5!”

GM: “Hang on, that’s a Tactics roll, so flip one of those +to -
because of the damage you took. You’re at +3. Now I roll.” [+0-0
(+0), Tactics skill +3] “That’s +3. I’ll take the free invoke on your
Internal Bleeding, and that’s +5. I’m still on your tail.”

Nails: “Uh oh. That action takes both steps, so I’m done.”

Gunner: “I’m on +3, so I’m next. Nails is in real trouble, but I can’t
attack the guy on his tail because I’m below him. Hm. OK, for Step
1, I want to create an advantage to help Nails. I’ll barrel roll and
spray gunfire at the ship on your tail.”

GM: “Sounds like Gunnery, or maybe Pilot?”

Gunner: “I think Gunnery.” [+000 (+1), Gunner skill +3] “+4.”

GM: “That does it! You create the aspect Covering Fire with a free
invoke. What’s for Step 2?”
74
 Engagements
Gunner: “Tactical refocus. I have to get above this guy on Nails.”
[+++- (+2), Tactics skill +4] “+6…I’ll drop a fate point on
Professional Military Pilot to bring that to +8.”

GM: “Do it.”

[Gunner moves her ship toUNDETECTED

the +8 slot on the maneuver chart]

+9

+8 Gunner

+7

+6 Goblins 1
TACTICAL REFOCUS

+5 Nails

+4

+3

+2

+1

–1 Nok

–2 Goblins 2

–3

Nok: “I’m staying on this guy’s tail. He’s going down.” [-0++
SPECIAL
(+1), Gunnery skill +2, +3 bonus for second round on a tail] “+6.”

GM: [-+0- (-1), Pilot skill +2] “That’s +1. Oh, wait, I need to
minimize two dice. So, -4 on the dice, that’s -2 total. 8 shifts of
damage.”

Nok: “10 shifts, with my Weapon rating and equipment.”

75
Engagements

GM: “Well, you sure killed the hell out of that guy, he only had one
stress left. One gone, and one ship left in Goblin Flight 2.”

p.45∂ Nok: “Woohoo! Painting a silhouette on my ship when we get home.”

Nails: “After you visit me in sick bay, right?”

GM: “Hey, I have one more ship to go. Goblin Flight 2 still has one
ship left. I’m going to try to get away from Nok.” [0--- (-3),
Tactics skill +3] “Oh, that’s awful. Total of zero.”

Nok: [+00- (+0), Tactics skill +3] “+3. On you like glue.”

GM: “Hm, you’ll get a hefty bonus against him next turn. OK, round
over, starting a new round. So, I propose that we part ways.”

p.47∂ Gunner: “You’re not going to concede, are you? Bugging out?”

Nails: “If he wants to, let him!”

GM: “Yeah, I’m conceding. I propose you let this Goblin go, and in
return I don’t blow Nails out of the sky, which I’m kind of set up to do.”

Nails: “Done!”

Nok: “I guess. I’d like a shot at that Goblin, but we can’t risk losing
Nails.”

Gunner: “It’s fine, I suppose. I wanted that kill.”

GM: “So both sides split off and run. Engagement over! Nok, you
p.101∂ gain a victory, and Nails, you’d better review the recovery rules.”
p.103∂

76
FIGHTER PILOT TERMINOLOGY

Engagements
Part of playing a fighter pilot is talking like one. Here are some terms
you can use to make your in-game dialogue feel a bit more authentic.
∂∂ Ace: A pilot credited with at least five victories.
∂∂ Auger in: Crash in a spectacular manner, usually digging a big hole
when you do.
∂∂ Bandit: A hostile starfighter you are authorized to attack.
∂∂ Bearing: A contact’s direction relative to your own flight vector.
∂∂ Bingo: The minimum amount of fuel necessary to return to base.
“I’m at bingo, I gotta bug out.”
∂∂ Bogey: A starfighter that you’ve detected whose identity and inten-
tions are unclear.
∂∂ Bug out: Synonym for the more academic term to disengage. A pilot
will almost always refer to it as bugging out instead, unless they’re
some kind of Poindexter. Don’t ever call it running away.
∂∂ Civvie: A civilian ship.
∂∂ Contact: Any ship that you have detected. “Contact, bearing one
three by two niner mark seven, range twelve million klicks…”
∂∂ Dogfight: Close-range combat between starfighters.
∂∂ Firing solution: This describes the situation when a missile has locked
on target and the fighter carrying the missile is positioned so that
the missile can hit that target. At this point a hit isn’t guaranteed,
but the target’s in trouble.
∂∂ Flight vector: A spacecraft’s speed and direction of travel.
∂∂ Friendly: A confirmed non-hostile contact. Could be a civilian ship,
or a friendly warship or starfighter.
∂∂ Guns: Radio announcement that you’re firing your ship’s blaster
cannons. Most veteran pilots don’t bother with this unless a friendly
is near the target. “Engaging Bandit-4, guns guns guns.”
∂∂ Hostile: A confirmed unfriendly ship. Generally synonymous with
target.
∂∂ Klick: A kilometer. A megaklick is one million kilometers.
∂∂ Lead: In a two-fighter flight, the lead is the offensive component—
the pilot whose job it is to find firing solutions and target enemies.

77
 ∂∂ Lock on: When a missile’s sensors have detected a target and are
Engagements

fully focused on it, ignoring other targets and electromagnetic clutter

in space, it’s said to be locked on. This is necessary but not sufficient
to hit the target; it might be out of range or too fast to catch. Wait
until you have a firing solution to actually launch the missile.
∂∂ Multirole fighter: A starfighter capable of both dogfighting and
strike missions. The Blackfish is considered a multirole fighter.
∂∂ Overshoot: When an attacker isn’t able to manage their energy
package effectively and ends up in front of their target, they’re said
to have overshot the defender. This usually leads to a reversal of
roles, as the enemy is now in a position to attack.
∂∂ Pitch: Rotation around the horizontal, wing-to-wing axis, relative to
the pilot. Orienting along this axis is called pitching up and pitching
down, or nosing up and nosing down. A full pitch rotation is a loop.
∂∂ Position: There are three basic ways, or positions, in which one fighter
can meet another. A fighter in an offensive position sees their target
first and is able to use that to their advantage. A fighter in a defensive
position is the “target” referred to in the previous sentence—they
don’t see their attacker until it’s too late. Two fighters in a neutral
position are aware of each other, but neither one has an advantage
or an immediate firing solution. In game terms, position is handled
in the detection phase of combat.
∂∂ Roll: Rotation around the axis running from the fighter’s nose to tail.
∂∂ SCM: Space Combat Maneuvering. Technical term for dogfighting.
∂∂ Six: Synonymous with tail. To be on your enemy’s six is to be directly
behind them and able to attack (think of a clock face with the fighter
at the center pointed at the 12); you want to avoid having an enemy
on your six. “I’ve got your six” means “I’m watching your back.”
∂∂ Space superiority fighter: A starfighter designed as a dogfighter.
∂∂ Strike fighter: A starfighter whose primary mission is attacking
stationary targets or ships larger than itself, usually with heavy
munitions like bombs and missiles. Sometimes called a light bomber
or fighter bomber or attack fighter.
∂∂Tav: Radio announcement that you’re launching non-gunnery weap-
ons. Tav-One is unguided rockets, Tav-Two is guided missiles with
precision warheads (Vulcan’s Hammer, for example), Tav-Three is
a guided missile with area warhead (such as a Vortex), Tav-Four is
any other weapons release other than guns. The origin of the word
78 tav is a matter of much debate.
∂∂ Victory: A pilot is awarded a victory when she destroys an enemy

Engagements
ship. Half victories can be awarded for shared victories, if two pilots
both cause significant damage to the target.
∂∂ Wingman: The counterpart to the lead, the wingman is the defensive
component of a two-fighter element, whose role is to stick by the
lead and keep enemies off their tail.
∂∂Yaw: Rotation around the vertical axis, relative to the pilot. Most
maneuvers involving yawing also involve some degree of roll such
that the resulting G-force pushes the pilot into their seat, reducing
the strain on the inertial dampeners by redirecting all that energy
down, rather than to one side. This combination of yawing and
rolling is called banking.

JARGON AND GAME MECHANICS

Actually treating dogfighting in Tachyon Squadron with realistic
detail would result in excruciatingly slow game play not especially
in the spirit of Fate. Rather, the intention is that you use this
brief primer to make your dogfights sound more like dogfights,
and thus maybe make them feel more authentic. It’s a tool to
add some specificity and flavor, if that’s what your group is into.
For example, on your turn you might create an advantage to put
a Barrel Roll Attack aspect into play and then push an enemy
fighter into a lower slot on the maneuver chart. In the fiction,
the enemy tried to break away from you, but then you pulled a
partial roll and loop, putting you on their six and ready to attack.
Also, try using your hands to represent you and your target
when you describe the action. Seriously, it helps!

79
 WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT?
Engagements

If you really want to go for the authenticity, pilots wouldn’t speak the
names of letters over the radio—they would use this (archaic, but still in
use) phonetic alphabet to ensure that misheard speech doesn’t garble
messages. For example, a DF-107 Gator starfighter would be described
as a “Delta Foxtrot Won Zeero Seven” by a pilot using strict formal radio
protocol. That pilot might encounter some razzing at the bar later, but
nobody’s going to misunderstand them. The origins of many of these
words have been lost for centuries.
A: Alpha J: Juno S: Sierra 1: Won
B: Bravo K: Kilo T: Tango 2: Too
C: Charlie L: Lima U: Uniform 3: Tree
D: Delta M: Mike V: Victor 4: Fower
E: Echo N: November W: Whiskey 5: Fife
F: Foxtrot O: Oscar X: X-Ray 6: Six
G: Gabbo P: Papa Y: Yankee 7: Seven
H: Hotel Q: Quebec Z: Zulu 8: Ate
I: India R: Romeo 0: Zeero 9: Niner

MANEUVERS
∂∂ Barrel roll: A basic maneuver in which the fighter dissipates energy
by making a completely longitudinal rotation (that is, wing over wing)
while moving laterally to port or starboard. A barrel roll attack is
this maneuver plus a 180-degree loop, a tactic commonly used to
counter a break.
∂∂ Break: The most basic defensive maneuver, a break is simply turning
90 degrees away from a pursuing attacker. This decreases the defend-
er’s exposure to attack and could cause the attacker to overshoot.
∂∂ Combat spread: A maneuver in which two fighters put distance
between each other such that the lead is presented as an easier
target to lure an enemy in, at which point the wingman will be in
position to attack.
∂∂ Defensive split: The lead and wingman simultaneously break in
opposite directions, forcing the enemy to follow one of them and
providing an opportunity to circle around and maneuver behind
the enemy.
∂∂ Guns-D: Guns defense, more colloquially known as jinking or guns-D,
is a defender’s last resort. It’s basically just weaving back and forth
or up and down in an attempt to spoil the attacker’s aim.
80
 Engagements
∂∂ Immelmann turn: The pilot noses up into a half-loop, usually while
executing a half-roll, to make a 180-degree change of direction.
It’s mainly used to disengage by abruptly changing flight vector.
See also split-S.
∂∂Jinking: Making frequent erratic turns, often as part of guns-D
maneuvering.
∂∂ Sandwich: The lead and wingman fly side-by-side but with significant
distance between them—a klick or more. When one of them picks up
an attacker on their tail, both fighters break in the same direction,
thus “sandwiching” the attacker between them and exposing the
enemy fighter to attack.
∂∂ Split-S: The inverse of an Immelmann—a half-roll followed by a
descending half-loop. Like the Immelmann, the split-S is typically
used to disengage.
∂∂Thach weave: A maneuver in which the two fighters (or pairs of
fighters) turn away from each other for some distance, turn back
toward each other until they cross flightpaths, continue on away
from each other, then weave back toward each other to resume
formation or again cross paths. Viewed from above, the fighters
appear to outline a figure-8. An enemy pursuing one of the fighters
or fighter pairs is invariably left vulnerable to the other.
∂∂ Whifferdill: Any bonkers or foolhardy maneuver that doesn’t already
have a name often gets called a whifferdill. “Hey Nails, nice whifferdill
out there. What’re you tryin’ to do, getcherself killed?”
∂∂ Wingover: An energy-management maneuver for when there isn’t
time for a split-S or Immelmann, a wingover consists of a flat (that
is, without a roll) 180-degree turn combined with a quarter-loop.
Used defensively, this should result in an attacker overshoot. 81
 THE DICTA BOELCKE
Engagements

Oswald Boelcke was a World War I German flying ace and is commonly
considered “the Father of Air Fighting Tactics.” Perhaps you’ve heard of
Manfred von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron? Boelcke taught him how
to fly. He was also the first person in history to formalize the study of
air combat into a list that’s come to be known as the Dicta Boelcke.
Although originally conceived far from the Draconis System, the Dicta
Boelcke are still surprisingly applicable to space combat maneuvering
(though you may have to squint a bit for a few of them).
1∂ Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep
the sun behind you. Avoid attacking before you’re sure you have
the advantage.
2∂ Always continue with an attack you’ve begun. Breaking off an
attack early means ceding the advantage to your opponent.
3∂ Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent
is squarely in your sights. Don’t expend ammo unless you and
your targeting computer think it’s a sure thing.
4∂ You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent and
never let yourself be deceived by ruses. Don’t assume you know
where your enemy is or what they’ll do next.
5∂ In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent
from behind. Because they don’t usually have guns pointed at
you back there! But also, it’s harder to hit a target moving across
your arc of fire than it is to hit one you’re following.
6∂ If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his
attack, but fly to meet it. For our purposes, the phrase “dives
on” here is just another way of saying “attacks.” Your instincts
may tell you to flee, but turning to face your attacker is better
than giving them your tail.
7∂ When over enemy lines, always remember your own line of
retreat. Be mindful of where you are in relation to the rest of
the squadron and how to get back to them. Don’t let the combat
disorient you.
8∂ In principle, it is better to attack in groups of four or six. If
fights break up into a series of single combats, pay attention
that several comrades would not go after one opponent. You
may be good alone, but you’re better as part of a formation. If
you’re outnumbered, don’t make it worse by ganging up on a
82 single enemy.
THE GALAXY
It’s centuries after humanity’s first hesitant steps into the stars,
and the Draconis system is one of hundreds of star systems that have
been settled. But now Draconis is under attack, and it’s up to Tachyon
Squadron and the rest of the Draconis Volunteer Group to hold the line.

A QUICK HISTORY LESSON

Hundreds of years ago, the first primitive hyperdrives were invented
and humanity fluttered from the nest. Despite some disastrous early
setbacks, we found our wings and spread throughout the galaxy. Now,
dozens of politically independent entities exist throughout settled
space. The two most powerful, by far, are the Stellar Republic and the
Dominion of Unity. The Republic (home to the Sol system and Earth) is
flawed, but at least nominally stands for liberal democratic values, the
rule of law, and democratic institutions. The Dominion is an aggressively
militaristic and expansionist surveillance state governed by a dynastic
ruling family with a personality cult built around them that borders on
religious. Both states rule over many dozens of star systems.
Eleven years ago open war—now known as the Great Galactic War,
or just the War—sparked between them. Fleets of starships clashed,
littering star systems with burned-out hulks. Titanic armies struggled
for control of planet surfaces and asteroid mines and space stations.
Fire. Blood. Death.
Billions perished.

83
 Ten years later, the clashing fleets had reached a terrible stalemate,
The Galaxy

grinding one another down in a bloody war of attrition. Both sides were
exhausted. An armistice agreement was signed, and people across
settled space celebrated the peace that followed, the peace that now
exists between the two rival superpowers. But it’s a tense peace. Intense
ideological, political, and economic differences remain. Overlapping
territory claims are unresolved. War could easily break out again, war
that few people want.
Which is why it was so alarming to leaders in both the Dominion and
the Republic when, only a year after The War ended, the government
of the border system of Draconis declared its independence from the
Dominion of Unity. The Dominion vowed to fight to regain authority
over the strategically important system. The Republic considered its
options carefully and decided to recognize Draconis’s independence,
but refused to take the step the Dominion warned would be seen as an
act of war—providing direct military aid.
But the Republic didn’t want to leave Draconis on its own. The Republic
Intelligence Service and the Draconis government concocted a way to
get military aid to Draconis without the Stellar Republic being seen as
directly responsible for providing it. Three squadrons’ worth of older
starfighters were decommissioned from the Republic Navy and sold
to salvage companies. These ships passed through several holding
companies and front corporations, arriving after a few weeks of paper
shuffling in the ownership of Draconis Defense Holdings, Inc., which
immediately turned ownership over to the fledgling Draconis Navy.
Getting ships was the easy part. Getting people to fly them? A bit
harder. Behind the scenes, the Republic’s Navy and Intelligence Service
worked with the Draconis Navy to recruit volunteers—pilots from the
Republic that would fly for Draconis and buy time for them to train
their own forces.
Soon, advertisements began to appear around the Republic and smaller,
unaffiliated states: Starfighter pilots wanted! Good pay, good benefits,
plenty of action! Advancement opportunities! Adventure! Excitement!
Hundreds of pilots applied. Any active duty Republic Navy pilot who
applied was granted indefinite leave. Many civilian pilots applied and
were accepted as well. Even a handful of defecting Dominion pilots,
disillusioned and tired of fighting for tyranny, were brought aboard.
And so, the ships and crews of the Draconis Volunteer Group—Tachyon,
Graviton, and Axion Squadrons—were assembled.

84
GALACTIC SOCIETY

The Galaxy
For the most part, galactic society would be recognizable to people
in an industrialized country today.
Money and Scarcity: The world of Tachyon Squadron is not a
post-scarcity society. The official currency in the Stellar Republic is the
credit, which is widely accepted across settled space, including Draconis.
Electronic commerce is common, as is cash money that’s nearly impos-
sible to counterfeit. People still need to work for a living, food must be
grown, products manufactured, resources mined, etc. Poverty remains
a problem without an immediate solution. Economic policy, tax policy,
and support for the poor varies across systems and governments. The
government of Draconis is a popularly elected parliamentary democracy,
but it is new and its institutions are still gaining strength.
Social Issues: Populations across the Stellar Republic are both racially
diverse and tolerant; the people of the Dominion of Unity tend to be per-
sonally tolerant even if its government is not. Romantic partnerships of
widely varying configurations and arrangements are generally accepted.
While many people hold religious beliefs, it’s considered gauche for a
politician to use religion as an electoral lever or cite it as motivation
for any particular policy.

THE DRACONIS SYSTEM

Draconis (formally 26 Draconis) is a trinary star system 46 light-years
distant from humanity’s homeland in the Sol system. It has five major
planets, two of which are habitable without life support. Known jump
points exist to four nearby star systems, two in the Stellar Republic
(Luyten and Gamma Corvus), and two in the Dominion of Unity (Callisto
2119 and Beta Atria, but these points are no longer actively mapped).
Other uncharted jump points might exist—information on their locations
would be extremely valuable. The Draconis Navigation Bureau—the
agency charged with mapping these things—consists of a half-dozen
overworked and underpaid astrophysicists, so that’s the best they can
muster for the moment.
Millions of people live here, whether on planetary surfaces or in one
of the many space stations scattered through the system. Freedom
from the Dominion has apparently inspired the entrepreneurial spirit—
hundreds of small companies providing goods and services of all sorts
have sprung up in the past two years. Mining and refining are by far the
major industries, but a nascent high technology manufacturing sector
is growing rapidly.
85
 GETTING AROUND DRACONIS
The Galaxy

Transportation throughout the Draconis system is provided by private

firms that operate shuttles, passenger ships, and cargo service. Ships
are classified by their size and capability, and generally fall into types
like this:
∂∂ Atmospheric Capable: Flying through planets’ lower atmospheres and
landing on planet surfaces is exclusively the domain of small ships.
Shuttles carry people and cargo from planetside to orbit—sometimes
docking at a space station, sometimes directly meeting up with a
system ship or a starship to transfer their payload. Starfighters and
small private vessels can easily perform atmospheric and landing
operations. Shuttle service between Draconis Station and the planet
surface is frequent, reliable, and inexpensive.
∂∂ System Ships: System ships are bigger spacecraft that haul people
and cargo across the system. They aren’t hyperdrive equipped, which
keeps their construction and maintenance costs down, and saves
on needing a licensed hyperspace navigator on the crew.
∂∂ Starships: Starships have Chandrasekhar drives—also known as
hyperdrives—and can travel from one system to another. The expense,
power demands, and sheer bulk of hyperdrive equipment means
only large cargo or passenger ships or big warships can utilize it.

HOW DOES HYPERSPACE WORK?

In Tachyon Squadron, hyperdrives are necessary to get from
one star system to another. Using a captured singularity, a minia-
ture almost-black-hole (thus “Chandrasekhar drives,” named for
astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar), they bore open
a wormhole in space-time leading directly to the destination
point. The distance and direction of this wormhole is governed
not only by the hyperdrive’s settings but by the local gravitational
topography—meaning, to jump from System A to System B, you
need to get to the right point in System A, with the right velocity
and direction, before you jump. These “jump points” drift and
move because sources of gravity—planets, stars, moons, etc.—
are constantly moving around. Most settled star systems have
a Navigation Bureau whose job is to maintain accurate maps of
jump points into and out of the system, but even with accurate
maps you still need a trained navigator to plot your jump correctly.

86
DRACONIS SYSTEM DETAILS

The Galaxy
Draconis is a trinary system with five planets and numerous space
stations.

OBJECT TYPE NOTES

Alpha Draconis Primary star F9 class
Beta Draconis Companion star K3 class
Gamma Draconis Companion star M1 class red dwarf
Draconis Planet Earthlike rock/seawater surface
Asami Planet Frigid rock/ice surface
Takahashi Planet Tidally locked, scorched surface
Kalamos Planet Gas giant
Othonoi Planet Gas giant
Kripka Cluster Asteroid belt Mineral rich

STATION LOCATION PRIMARY PURPOSE

Draconis Station Planet Draconis Residential,
Commercial, Military
Iringa Fields Planet Draconis Agricultural
Draconis Hull Yards Planet Draconis Industrial
Asami Processing Station Asami Ore Processing
Outpost Diyi Kalamos’s upper Gas Extraction
atmosphere
Arcosolari Kalamos Kalamos Residential
Habitat Othonoi Prime Othonoi Residential,
Agricultural
Paczynski Station Mutual orbit center Science
of Alpha and Beta
Draconis

87
The Galaxy

PLANET DRACONIS
If you were to drop a resident of Day: Normal length
Earth onto Draconis, the only thing that Gravity: Normal
would give them a hint they weren’t still Climate: Variable
at home would be the slightly different (Earthlike—no life
smell of a planet hosting human pol- support needed)
lution for two hundred years instead Geography: Earthlike
of two hundred thousand years. Even (distinct continents
the local flora and fauna are similar surrounded by salty
to Earth’s. Well over five million peo- oceans, wide variety
ple live in and around the main city of landforms)
of Prime Landing, which is located Population: Over one
in a wide temperate valley along a hundred million
large freshwater lake. Many square
kilometers of the planet are devoted
to agriculture, making the planet self-sufficient for food. A small but
growing high-technology manufacturing industry exists on the planet,
which would be an important target for any attacker.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Draconis: Wide
Open Spaces; Bright Lights, Big City

Things to do on Draconis: DVG pilots don’t get leave often, but when
they get a few days off, favorite pastimes include spending a couple
days basking on a beach in the planet’s resort towns, hitting the ski
slopes, or partaking in Prime Landing’s night life.
In the event of a Dominion attack on the planet, Tachyon Squadron
will have to defend the new factories springing up outside of Prime
88 Landing or escort shuttles to and from the planet surface.
PLANET ASAMI

The Galaxy
The planet Asami is a frozen waste- Day: 61 hours
land, with endless ice plains swept by Gravity: Normal
permanent blizzard conditions. The light Climate: Frigid,
of Beta Draconis, an orange dwarf star, stormy, breathable
provides little warmth even in the height atmosphere
of “summer”—and the other two stars Geography: Ice-
of the Draconis trinary, even mighty covered plains, a
Alpha Draconis, are too distant to be few mountains
more than bright points in the night sky. Population: A few
The air is breathable but equipment to thousand in mining
guard against the cold is essential. Most settlements
people on Asami are miners working
in one of the half-dozen or so mining
settlements that have pierced the snow and ice and accessed the
planet’s vast mineral wealth. The mines are operated by rival companies
Cherenkov Ventures and Deep Space Minerals Inc., but unlicensed wildcat
operations pop up from time to time. The only non-mining settlement is
Mosilli Outpost, a science station staffed by between 10-20 scientists.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Asami: Dim and
Dreary, Cold Without Mercy, Mineral Wealth Goes to the Strong

Things to do on Asami: Asami is ripe for infiltration by the Dominion.

It’s a big planet with very little human settlement, and millions of square
kilometers to hide military activity. The same goes for criminals, pirates,
or separatists, and it’s likely that Tachyon Squadron will be called upon
to drive away pirates, bandits, or other hostiles at some point.

89
 PLANET TAKAHASHI
The Galaxy

Takahashi is an airless, tidally locked Day: Tidal locked

world close to Alpha Draconis. It would (permanent day,
be unremarkable but for a mine run permanent night)
by Cherenkov Ventures located on Gravity: Light gravity
the night side; the ships shuttling Climate: No
supplies, workers, and ore to and from atmosphere,
the mine must carry heavy shielding scorched by Alpha
against solar radiation. Draconis
These situation aspects are suit- Geography: Rugged
able for scenes on Takahashi: Tidal mountains, deep
Locked, Light Gravity, No Atmosphere, crevasses
Rugged Mountains, Deep Crevasses, Population: <100
Scorching Sun

Things to do on Takahashi: In the event of piracy or Dominion raids, the

DVG will have to defend the mine and traffic to and from it. Additionally,
Cherenkov Ventures’ operations on Takahashi are operating well outside
the company’s legal charter and have extensive organized crime links.

KRIPKA ASTEROID CLUSTER

(ASTEROID BELT) Prominent Asteroids:
The Kripka Asteroid Cluster is a Lopez, Medupe,
giant region dense with asteroids Shoujing
and other debris. The entire region Population: Thousands,
is exceedingly rich in valuable miner- scattered across
als, so a great number of tiny mining dozens of mining
outposts and operations have sprung outposts
up, most run by Deep Space Minerals
Inc. and Cherenkov Ventures, whose intense rivalry sometimes breaks
out into violence. Unlicensed wildcat operations add another variable
to an already explosive situation. The cluster is the perfect environment
for hiding Dominion or pirate outposts.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes in the Kripka Asteroid
Cluster: Radio Interference, Dangerous Navigation

Things to do in the Kripka Asteroid Cluster: The region is lawless and

requires regular patrols. It’s an ideal location for enemies to establish
bases, which will require strike missions to destroy.

90
 The Galaxy
DRACONIS STATION
(SPACE STATION) Location: In orbit of the
Draconis Station is the heart of planet Draconis
activity in the system. The system Purpose: Residence,
government is centered here—the government, commerce,
governor and elected System transportation hub,
Council legislature have their main military base
offices here, as does the Draconis Population: Twenty
Navy and the Customs Service. thousand, with
Many companies have their main thousands of visitors/
system offices on Draconis Station, travelers daily
and thousands of people live here
full-time. It’s a fully functional city in space, with extensive residential
and retail-level commercial and entertainment facilities, including
shopping, restaurants, cinema, sports and recreation venues. A bar
called the Spacer’s Rest is the unofficial hangout for Tachyon Squadron
pilots and crews; other squadrons in the DVG have their own favored
watering holes. 91
The Galaxy

It’s the transportation hub of the system. The vast majority of inter-
stellar travel originates or terminates at Draconis Station, and facilities
exist for up to twenty large ships to be docked at the same time. Bays for
many dozen planetary shuttles and system shuttles allow thousands to
come and go daily. The headquarters of the DVG is assigned to Draconis
Station, so squadrons of starfighters call the station home—and it is
the permanent home base for Tachyon Squadron.
Not that the station is a rose garden from end to end, of course. It’s
big enough to have its share of social ills. The station law enforcement
is known to favor peace over justice. Organized crime and corruption are
firmly entrenched in certain segments of industry and population—the
customs service is notoriously corrupt, which is why the governor some-
times asks DVG personnel to fill in, hoping their outsider’s perspective
will help wash out local politics and unlawful arrangements.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Draconis Station:
Bustling Corridors, A Little of Everything

Things to do on Draconis Station: While stationed at Draconis Station,

pilots will fly all sorts of missions—space lane patrols, anti-piracy escort
duty, station defense, and search and rescue are all common. There are
always at least two starfighters of the DVG in space near the station and
another two on alert, ready to take off at a moment’s notice.
Outside the cockpit, there are other missions pilots will have to fulfill.
Pilots are often asked to assist with cargo inspection and customs
enforcement. They have been used as backup station law enforce-
ment, especially against existential threats to the government such as
Dominion spies and organized crime figures. Piracy in the system is a
major problem, and there are known links between pirate bands and
the criminal element on Draconis Station and elsewhere.
In their leisure time, many Tachyon Squadron pilots hang out at the
Spacer’s Rest. Recreational facilities include all the sorts of things you’d
expect in a bustling town: theaters and live music, bars, restaurants,
92 sports (both participatory and spectator), shopping, etc.
IRINGA FIELDS

The Galaxy
(SPACE STATION) Location: In orbit of
Iringa is a small agricultural space the planet Draconis
station a short shuttle hop from Purpose: Agriculture
Draconis Station. Three small domed and food production
pods grow a variety of hydroponic Population: Almost
crops mostly consumed by the resi- one hundred
dents of Draconis Station. Iringa was
the first station built upon settling the system over two hundred years
ago—it is in dire need of serious renovation or even replacement.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Iringa Fields:
Showing Its Age

Things to do on Iringa Fields: In the past, Iringa would have been a

prime target of anyone seeking to damage Draconis Station’s food supply,
but with Habitat Othonoi Prime taking over much of the space-based
food production it’s not quite the inviting target it once was. Still, its
loss due to enemy action or sheer mechanical breakdown would be a
significant short-term problem, so Tachyon Squadron will need to pay
a visit sooner or later.

DRACONIS HULL YARDS

(SPACE STATION) Location: In orbit of
A trio of close-proximity stations the planet Draconis
totaling about half the size of Draconis Purpose: Ship
Station, the Draconis Hull Yards are construction and
a shipbuilding facility in orbit of the repair
planet Draconis, operated by Polaris Population: Almost
Spacefaring Inc. The Yards produce five hundred
system ships, and there are rumors
that they might begin producing starfighter space frames here. Several
hundred construction engineers and technicians live here for month-
long shifts, along with a few dozen military and security personnel.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Draconis Hull Yards:
Heavy Industry, Dangerous Machinery

Things to do at the Hull Yards: Defending the Draconis Hull Yards is

a major strategic goal of the DVG, so Tachyon Squadron pilots will be
ordered to defend the station at any cost in the event of attack. Any
sign of infiltration and sabotage must be investigated.

93
 ASAMI PROCESSING
The Galaxy

STATION (APS) Location: In orbit of the

A space station in orbit of the planet Asami
planet Asami, APS is entirely devoted Purpose: Ore processing
to ore processing from the mines on Population: 300
the surface. Docking services are for
ore shuttles and cargo ships only; unless you declare an emergency
or make other prior arrangements, expect your docking requests to
be denied. The government of Draconis owns the station and leases
processing time and equipment to companies like Deep Space Minerals
Inc. and Cherenkov Ventures. Given its military significance, the station
has recently had an antiship torpedo battery installed, staffed by a tiny
crew of freshly trained Draconis Navy personnel.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on APS: Dangerous
Equipment Everywhere, Don’t Disrupt the Production Schedule

Things to do on APS: This station represents a major part of the gov-

ernment’s income and industrial production, making it a prime—and
militarily legal, under the laws of armed conflict—target. (Not that the
Dominion of Unity cares a great deal about the laws of armed conflict.)
Defense of APS is a high priority for Tachyon Squadron, and indeed the
entire Volunteer Group and fledgling Draconis Navy.

OUTPOST DIYI
(FLOATING PLATFORM) Location: Kalamos
The gas giant Kalamos is domi- Purpose: Gas extraction
nated by wide bands of rust-colored Population: 200
and white cloud banks, which provide
the home of Kalamos Outpost Diyi.
Over two hundred people live and work aboard this floating gas extraction
platform that wanders the upper atmosphere. Operated by Lantian
Mandarin Chemicals Inc., the outpost gathers and refines a variety
of valuable gasses; shuttles fly the refined gas into orbit, where they
transfer it to tankers. The outpost hovers at an altitude where workers
require supplemental oxygen but not pressure suits.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on Outpost Diyi: Very
Long Days, Highly Variable Winds, Thin Oxygen

Things to do at Outpost Diyi: Investigation of infiltration or espionage

aboard Outpost Diyi is vital to system security.

94
ARCOSOLARI KALAMOS

The Galaxy
(SPACE STATION) Location: In orbit of the
A residential station orbiting planet Kalamos
Kalamos, “The Arco” was originally Purpose: Residential,
designed as a retreat for people technical
preferring to live in space but not Population: 5000
in the bustling Draconis Station. It’s
become a hub of loyalist politics, with many of the residents wanting
Draconis to return to Dominion rule.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on the Arco: Cramped
Corridors, Political Tinderbox

Things to do on Arcosolari Kalamos: The political situation aboard the

Arco is potentially explosive, and there’s a chance that the station could
house fifth columnists who will be a vector for Dominion infiltration or
outright invasion. This is an issue that will need to be addressed very soon.

95
 HABITAT OTHONOI PRIME
The Galaxy

(SPACE STATION) Location: In orbit of the

A complex of space stations orbit- planet Othonoi
ing the gas giant Othonoi, “The Hab,” Purpose: Agriculture
as it’s called, is home to three thou- Population: 3000
sand full-time residents, and hosts
the largest orbiting agricultural installation in the system. The five
independent sections are connected by flexible tubing that delivers
electrical power, communications, and electric zip shuttles between
the sections. Dozens of square kilometers of hydroponic fields grow
all sorts of crops. Two scoop shuttles occasionally harvest hydrogen
and oxygen from Othonoi’s upper atmosphere to provide water for the
crops. The food produced on the Hab can easily feed the space-borne
population of the Draconis system; only farms on the surface of Draconis
itself produce more.
These situation aspects are suitable for scenes on the Hab: Amber
Waves of Hydroponically Grown Grain

Things to do on Habitat Othonoi Prime: The Hab is a top defensive

priority of the Draconis Volunteer Group, so Tachyon Squadron would
be ordered to defend it at all costs against a direct attack or sabotage.

PACZYNSKI STATION
(SPACE STATION) Location: At the point of
Paczynski is a scientific survey mutual orbit of Alpha
station very nearly at the center and Beta Draconis
of the mutual orbit point of Alpha Purpose: Science and
Draconis and Beta Draconis. It’s research
crewed by two dozen scientists and Population: 25
technicians at any given time.

Things to do on Paczynski Station: Paczynski is vulnerable to takeover

by any unsavory characters who might want it—a turn of events that
Tachyon Squadron would want to disrupt.

96
COMBAT PILOTS AT WAR
War quickly brings into very sharp focus exactly what’s important
and what isn’t. For pilots, they immediately face severe limitations on
material resources and, perhaps more importantly, time.

THE ROUTINE
Most days tend to settle into a fairly standard routine. When their
duty shift starts, pilots attend a briefing first thing to learn about new
threat assessments and missions for the day. They fly a mission and,
time allowing, spend a few hours on ready alert in case additional ships
need to be scrambled.
Once the duty shift is over, pilots can pursue whatever activities they
wish. Usually sleep figures prominently in this, but recreation, doing
extra maintenance, and such is important too.

97
Combat Pilots at War

MISSIONS
The pilots’ primary job is, of course, to fly their starfighters. All DVG
pilots are assigned an SF-46 D “Blackfish” multirole starfighter—it’s
a tough ship that fought with distinction for the Republic in the Great
Galactic War, and rarely lets its crews down. There are faster starfighters
out there, there are starfighters that look sexier and carry bigger guns,
but the Blackfish is a good, solid bird. Fly it with pride and confidence.
Attention GMs: Guidelines for running these various missions can be
found in “Constructing Engagements” on page 112.
∂∂ Combat Patrol: Many missions are simple defensive patrols. Defended
bases, such as Draconis Station, ensure there are always at least
a pair of fighters in the sky at any given time, with another pair on
alert ready to scramble. Similar are space lane patrols, which can
last for many hours—fighters cruise the common travel routes of
commercial and civilian ship traffic, discouraging piracy, intercepting
surprise Dominion raids, and rendering assistance when requested.
∂∂ Search and Rescue: When another ship gets into trouble, starfighters
of Tachyon Squadron are often the best positioned to lend a hand.
Disabled pleasure yachts, marooned pilots who ejected from doomed
starfighters, a cargo ship fighting a major engine fire, or any of a
thousand other possible disasters. Get your sensors fired up and
keep an eye out for ambushes. Your SF-46D Blackfish starfighter
contains a rescue chamber capable of holding a single person.

98
 Combat Pilots at War
∂∂ Interception: A group of enemy ships has been detected, and your
mission is to disrupt their mission. Wipe them out, scatter them,
send ‘em home with their tails between their legs—anything you
can do to ensure they can’t carry out their mission, whatever it is.
∂∂ Strike: There’s your target—maybe it’s an enemy capital ship, or a
space station, or an asteroid base. Whatever it is, they’re not paying
you to bring home unspent munitions. Take it out.
∂∂ Fighter Sweep: Your flight is assigned a region of space. Engage
and destroy enemy starfighters in this region.
∂∂ Escort: The job of an escort mission is to ensure that a particular
ship (or ships) reaches their destination intact. This may involve
elements of the other missions—patrols, interceptions, sweeps, etc.
∂∂ Customs Inspection: DVG pilots are sometimes asked to perform
inspections of freighter starship cargo contents. Generally this only
happens when the freighter is carrying material that is pertinent to
the pilots’ areas of expertise: ship parts, munitions and weapons,
etc. If any contraband is found, the pilots should hold the crew until
proper authorities arrive to take over.
∂∂ Informal Investigations: Several organizations and movements in
the system might attempt to infiltrate various facilities around the
system, to the detriment of the DVG’s mission in Draconis. These
include various pirate organizations, organized crime, loyalist or
separatist radicals, and Dominion spies. Pilots of Tachyon Squadron,
and their DVG sister squadrons, may sometimes take investigations
on themselves if the governmental authorities seem incapable or
unwilling. 99
Combat Pilots at War

OFF DUTY
Once you’re off duty, your time is yours—spend it wisely.
Usually there’s only time to perform two of these activities before
you need to be back in the briefing room for the next duty shift. Time,
material, and money are resources to keep an eye on here.
Things that cost time:
∂∂ Recover from stress: Decompress
∂∂ Recover from stress: Raise hell
∂∂ Fix your ship
∂∂ Go shopping
∂∂ Nose around
∂∂ Visit the doctor
∂∂ Sleep
∂∂ Other
Other activities, such as buying Axion Squadron’s techs a few cases
of beer so they’ll fix your ship, meeting with the Skipper to request a
few days’ leave, and such don’t cost time—but might cost you some
money or other resources or put you under some debt. The GM can make
these judgment calls, or players can make suggestions—this might be
a good opportunity to compel a troublesome character aspect or two.

100
 Combat Pilots at War
RECOVER FROM STRESS THROUGH DISCIPLINE
(ALWAYS DO THIS!)
The first thing to do after a mission—not just a mission, but any scene
where you take on stress—is attempt to dispel that stress. Make an overcome
roll with Discipline vs. a difficulty equal to the amount of stress you have. The
difficulty maxes out at 5, even if your stress track is longer because of a stunt.
∂∂ If you fail: Keep your stress, or get rid of it at some serious cost.
∂∂ If you tie: Lose half your stress (round down), or you succeed at some
mild cost.
∂∂ If you succeed: Remove all your stress.
∂∂ If you succeed with style: Remove all your stress, and take a boost for
use in the next scene that reflects your exceptionally chill and unflap-
pable mental state.
This attempt costs you no time at all.

RECOVER FROM STRESS THROUGH DECOMPRESSION

Mental tension builds as waves of fear and immense stress wash over
pilots. Between missions, it is essential that pilots rest and recover. Blowing
off steam in a healthy way is essential.
As discussed in “Aspect 2: Decompression” (page 16), stress doesn’t
automatically go away. If you can’t clear stress using Discipline, an option is
to spend a fate point and describe how you use your healthy decompression
aspect to get back to mental and emotional equilibrium, then clear your stress.

RECOVER FROM STRESS BY RAISING HELL

It seems that blowing off steam in an unhealthy way works too. Accept
a fate point, describe how you’re engaging in the vice defined by your
decompression aspect, watch your stress melt away, and describe how it
gets you into trouble. 101
 FIX YOUR SHIP
Combat Pilots at War

Tachyon Squadron’s maintenance staff are skilled and resourceful

technicians; they’re able to repair up to 6 instances of damage between
duty shifts. (Restoring shields is five minutes of work, tops, and doesn’t
count.) No need to roll for it, they do their work and they’re done. They
do this without pilots needing to spend any time on it.
Keep in mind that 6 instances is a grand total—so if you took 4
instances and your buddy took 3, there’s one thing they aren’t going
to be able to get to. That’s when pilots might need to take some action.
Convincing another squadron’s technical staff to work on your bird
might be doable, but you’ll definitely owe them a favor. Usually this sort
of arrangement is a quick conversation, and also doesn’t count as one
of the two activities a pilot undertakes after hours unless extenuating
circumstances come up.
If you can’t get someone else to do it, you might have to do it yourself.
This requires time and skill—make an overcome action with Technology,
and if your result is Fair (+2) or better you succeed in permanently
repairing one instance of damage. That’s if you can fix it at all—Tachyon
Squadron is on a shoestring budget and the right replacement parts
aren’t always available. Can you scrape together the funds to buy a
high pressure bypass valve from the civilian maintenance pool? Where
are you going to find twenty gallons of neutrino absorption fluid at this
time of night? This is how fixing your ship turns into a shopping trip.

GO SHOPPING
We don’t mean picking up some groceries. This activity is when you
try to obtain really hard-to-find items, usually through less-than-of-
ficial channels. The squadron is out of Vortex missiles, but you heard
a rumor that the mob boss on Draconis Station knows where to get a
few. You arrange to meet a guy to import that sweet blaster carbine
you’ve had your eye on.

NOSE AROUND
The pilots of Tachyon Squadron might need to get curious sometimes,
even if—maybe especially if—you haven’t been officially ordered to. Why
do flights of Dominion ships always seem to know where your patrols
are going? Who’s that guy who keeps snapping furtive pics of you in the
corridors? And what’s the deal with Graviton Squadron always getting
first dibs on resupply? Go forth and investigate.

102
 Combat Pilots at War
VISIT THE DOCTOR
Combat isn’t safe. Injuries happen. Even if you can still fly with that
mild or moderate consequence, it’s a bad idea. Stop in at the clinic and
get it checked out.
Recovering from consequences follows the rules as outlined in Fate
Core System (page 164). Medical facilities typically have a +4 bonus
to overcome actions justifying recovery from physical and mental
consequences. Characters may attempt to create advantages to help
with these rolls as usual. Draconis Station sickbay and major surface
settlements such as the city of Prime Landing all have a Full Trauma
Center, a situation aspect you can invoke in the usual ways.

SLEEP
Don’t neglect sleep. Pilots have to be mentally sharp, and the brain
fog that results from skipping sleep might get you killed. If you skip a
night’s sleep, you gain 2 shifts of damage in the morning that you can’t
recover from until you sleep. The second consecutive night you miss
sleep, it’s 4, the third it’s 6, and so on until you absolutely MUST sleep.

OTHER
Players can describe their pilots doing any other sort of activity—
cooking a nice meal, playing video games, working out, spending time
with a significant other, etc.—that doesn’t have strong mechanical or
even story implications, but requires significant time. Don’t discount the
importance of these moments in adding to your pilot’s characterization
and enriching their liveliness as characters.
103
Combat Pilots at War

Gunner, Nails, and Nok all got shot up something fierce in their last
engagement, and have some stress to recover from.

Nok has 2 points of stress on her stress track. She makes an over-
come action with the Discipline skill: [+0-+ (+1), Discipline
skill +2.] Nok gets Good (+3), which is greater than the Fair (+2)
she needed to recover from the 2 points of stress.

Gunner is carrying 4 points of stress. She tries a Discipline overcome

action, but fails. She now has two options: live with it, or decompress.
She opts to decompress. Carrie looks at the character sheet and
sees that Gunner’s decompression aspect is My Therapist Fixes
Me Right Up/ You Thought I Loved You?. Carrie has a stack of fate
points to spend and doesn’t really care to play through a romantic
misunderstanding right now, so she spends a fate point. “I think I
spend my next couple of evenings talking to my therapist,” she says.

Nails got hit hard, and his stress track is totally full (5 points)—which
means he needs a Superb (+5) result or better with a Discipline
overcome action. Lenny rolls the dice, and it’s not even close. So,
he has some options: live with it, decompress, or raise hell. Nails’s
decompression aspect is Pool Shark/Heavy Drinker. Lenny looks at
the single fate point token sitting in front of him; he doesn’t want to
spend that, so he opts to raise some hell. “So, what if I show up at
my next duty shift hung over?” The GM responds, “How about you
sleep through the briefing while hung over and show up to fly with
no idea what’s going on?” and holds up a fate point token. Lenny
104 takes the token. “I am in sooo much trouble…”
 Combat Pilots at War
LIFE IN TACHYON SQUADRON
While assigned to Draconis Station (home base to all three squadrons
of the Draconis Volunteer Group), pilots have accommodations other
warriors might consider downright luxurious.
Each pilot has a private apartment aboard the station, paid for by
the government as part of their compensation. Medical care, physical
and mental, is free for DVG pilots and staff. Draconis Station is a major
commercial and transportation hub, and there are always things going
on and things to do when off duty—entertainment of all sorts, restau-
rants and bars, sports (both participatory and spectator), inexpensive
shuttle service to and from the planet’s surface and its luxury resorts
for when a pilot can manage to get leave for a few days.
Pilots are paid reasonably well—in Republic credits, which merchants
aboard the station are eager to accept—and they earn bonuses for
confirmed victories over enemy ships.
Living is considerably more austere when assigned away from Draconis
Station on temporary deployments or on long-range missions. Pilots
may need to spend two or three days in the cockpits of their fighters
on extremely long-range patrols. Accommodations aboard far-flung
stations or fighter tender ships are spartan at best, downright dan-
gerous at worst.

105
 MONEY AND COMMERCE
Combat Pilots at War

Tachyon Squadron pilots are paid monthly in Republic credits (the

official currency of the Draconis System). Housing, basic food, basic gear,
and medical care are free for squadron personnel. In Tachyon Squadron,
we assume that the monthly pay covers routine living expenses plus
putting some away in savings. If you want to buy something extra, you’ll
need to find the money for it. If you come into a bit of money, you rep-
resent it with an aspect like Windfall, Bonus, etc. Invoke it to purchase
a bit of gear, to pay off a debt, bribe the squadron quartermaster, or
to represent some other way you drop a non-trivial quantity of dough.
Once you invoke it, it’s gone. You can build up invokes on this aspect
like you can any other. Similarly, if you find you owe some money, you
might wind up with Debt—this won’t go away until you discharge the
debt somehow.
How do pilots make a little scratch when they need it? A Bonus is paid
(with one free invoke) when you score your 5th, 10th, 20th, etc. victory.
Those with the skill can make a bit of money playing cards or hustling
billiards at the Spacer’s Rest or some other watering hole. More than
one pilot in military history has had a lucrative side business dealing in
smuggled or stolen goods. The DVG’s leadership would look very unkindly
on anything illegal, of course.

MILITARY NICETIES
Pilots in Tachyon Squadron are not technically military personnel.
You are, legally, civilian contractors (the less charitable might call you a
“mercenary,” but that’s considered highly impolite) and are not subject
to military discipline. There’s no saluting and uniform inspections and
many of the other things a military pilot might be used to. That said,
the chain of command is still a thing. You’re expected to obey orders in
combat and if you have a problem you take it up through your squad-
ron commander, rather than going straight to the DVG commander or
Draconis political leadership. Also, local law enforcement won’t hesitate
to bust you for getting out of line, and your squadron commander sure
won’t be happy about it. The support of the Draconis people is vital to
the DVG’s mission. Don’t mess that up.

106
GMING TACHYON
SQUADRON
To run a good game of Tachyon Squadron, you need to think about
the game’s issues and themes, applications of new rules (such as the
engagement), and constructing scenes. Lucky for you, this chapter
covers all those things.

ISSUES AND THEMES

Throwing a handful of starfighters at the PCs isn’t terribly difficult using
the mechanics already discussed, but getting them all hanging together
as a coherent story works best when using issues and story questions
discussed in Fate Core System (page 22 for issues, page 232 for story
questions). To get you started, we provide some examples of both here.
Additionally, there are some overarching themes that act a bit like
Fate Core issues but don’t get resolved the same way issues do. These
themes are always there—sometimes one or another comes to the fore,
but none of them ever really go away.

107
 CURRENT ISSUE: DISUNITY AND SEPARATISM
GMing Tachyon Squadron

Not every resident of the Draconis system is happy with the current
political situation. Some people—the loyalists—never wanted to break
away from the Dominion, and some of them have taken up arms. Some
radicals want to separate themselves completely from any government.
Both groups implement terrorism as a favorite tactic, and the loyalists
often cooperate with Dominion forces, operating militias and small
flights of obsolete starfighters.
The example campaign arc, “Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos”
(page 165), assumes this issue and several story questions are relevant.
Loyalists on Arcosolari Kalamos Resent Tachyon Squadron Personnel
This aspect assumes that the PCs rotate to a temporary assignment
as station garrison. Some story questions that would be relevant include:
∂∂ How will the PCs confront the loyalists?
∂∂ Can the PCs stay in Lopez’s good graces?
∂∂ Can the PCs convince Price to take action against the loyalists?
∂∂ Can the PCs find the source of the unsanctioned transmissions?
∂∂ Can the PCs root out the loyalist mole?
∂∂ Do the PCs aggravate or alleviate political tension with their actions?
∂∂ Can the PCs prevent intel from going out to the Dominion?
∂∂ Can the PCs prevent the Dominion attack on the station?
IMPENDING ISSUE: PIRACY AND LAWLESSNESS
Some troublemakers aren’t at all political and are just out to make
a buck. Bands of heavily armed pirates scrape out a living in the far
reaches of the system, preying on nonmilitary shipping. They fence the
stolen goods, they sell or use stolen ships, and they ransom kidnapped
crew and passengers.
You’re not even completely safe within established settlements. Petty
crime happens across Draconis, just like every other system, but the
real danger is organized crime. Well-organized criminal organizations
entrenched themselves here during the waning days of Dominion influ-
ence in the system, when the rule of law began to collapse. Now, criminal
gangs engage in all sorts of smuggling—often bringing in illicit arms and
selling them to pirates, separatists, and loyalists. Criminal gangs aren’t
likely to send starfighters after you, like pirates and loyalists might, but
they can bribe local officials, influence public opinion against the DVG,
and cause all sorts of trouble for pilots aboard station and planetside.
Pirates Are Raiding Shipping and Taking Hostages
This issue is addressed in the example campaign arc “The Pirates of
108 the Kepler Valley” (page 159).
FUTURE ISSUE: ORGANIZED CRIME

GMing Tachyon Squadron

Organized crime is both a problem and a solution. They buy off pol-
iticians and cops, they smuggle illicit and dangerous goods, they do
business with really unsavory people that the Draconis government wants
to put in jail at best. But before you just go arrest them all, remember
that they’re the most reliable source for guided missiles when supply
shipments don’t come in from the Republic. And they have incriminating
info that might bring down the government.

FUTURE ISSUE: MISTRUST AND

POLITICAL INSTABILITY
What happens when the Draconis government might want the DVG out?
Most Draconis residents are glad to be free of the Dominion, but not all
of them are happy that the DVG is in system. “Mercenaries,” they’ll say.
They point to the trouble DVG pilots cause. They mistrust warriors with,
as they see it, no stake in the war’s outcome, who are here to collect
a paycheck, gain some glory for themselves, raise hell, and leave. The
fact that DVG pilots are generally paid better than the recruits in the
fledgling Draconis Navy doesn’t help matters much. Mistrustful locals
aren’t likely to attack anyone, but they can make life a real headache
for off-duty pilots.

CONSISTENT THEME: UNDERFUNDED,

UNDEREQUIPPED, AND UNDERSTAFFED
Officially, the Stellar Republic only supports the Draconis govern-
ment—and the DVG—with feel-good rhetoric, not with material support.
In practice, they send munitions when they can, but it has to go through
enough front organizations to maintain plausible deniability.
That means the DVG, including Tachyon Squadron, is constantly short
of parts and materials necessary to fight the war. Consider the situa-
tion aspect Shoestring Budget to be in effect whenever pilots need to
resupply and repair. It funnels valuable fate points to the players and
encourages them to come up with creative solutions.

CONSISTENT THEME: THE GRIND

War grinds you down. Mission after mission after mission, with little
to no break in between, pushes the pilots to the edge of their endurance.

109
GMing Tachyon Squadron

CONSISTENT THEME: DOMINION COUNTERATTACKS

The whole point of the Draconis Volunteer Group is to preserve the
independence of Draconis from the Dominion of Unity, so it’s no surprise
that Dominion forces are frequent opposition. The Dominion sends
fighter sweeps to engage DVG starfighters. They attempt to establish
forward bases on far-flung asteroids and remote planets. They harass
civilian shipping and perform economic denial strikes. Their intelligence
operatives infiltrate settlements and stations throughout the system.
They may even mount a direct assault on Draconis Station or settlements
on the surface of Draconis itself.
No matter what issue is currently facing the pilots of Tachyon Squadron,
the Dominion of Unity is their primary and deadliest foe. Everything—
everything—happens against a backdrop of impending or currently
occurring Dominion attacks.

CONSISTENT THEME: RIVALRIES

The DVG is composed of three starfighter squadrons. The PCs are
assigned to Tachyon Squadron. Two others—Graviton Squadron and
Axion Squadron—also fight for Draconis, but of course a healthy rivalry
among the three has developed. Most of the time this rivalry is friendly,
confined to taunts and snide comments and some elaborate practical
jokes. But lately there’s a rumor that Axion Squadron will soon receive an
upgrade to their fighters—a newer model, the SF-48A Mako starfighter.
Since that rumor started, a bit of real animosity has crept into things.
Crews from other squadrons aren’t terribly welcome in other squadron’s
favorite hangout bars. Fights have broken out. Thefts of materials and
110 munitions have occurred.
 GMing Tachyon Squadron
ENGAGEMENTS
The engagement is the heart of Tachyon Squadron games. Here’s
how to get swirling clouds of starfighters spinning in their deadly dance.

COMPONENTS OF THE OPPOSITION

Enemy fleets are built from several components:
∂∂ Starfighters: These represent real threats to the PC pilots. They often
come in flights of two or four, and sometimes include an enemy ace.
∂∂The Swarm: The swarm is represented by a stack of aspects with
free invokes the GM can use to make her attacks more dangerous.
∂∂ Strike Element: One or more flights of strike fighters, usually in
flights of two, that can fire at enemy starfighters.
∂∂ Capital Ships: One or more large ships—destroyers, cruisers, etc.—
that directly threaten enemy starfighters.
∂∂The Payload: Ships that are targets for enemy action. Maybe this
is a cargo ship, an assault shuttle carrying infantry, or some other
resource to be protected.

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 CONSTRUCTING ENGAGEMENTS
GMing Tachyon Squadron

Building up enemy forces is the first step in running a good engage-

ment. Consider the type of mission you want and how difficult you want
the mission to be, and use that to build the opposition fleet. Stats for all
listed ships can be found in Ships to Fly and People to Meet (page 121).
In any description, the letter N represents the number of PC pilots in
the engagement. In every case, the suggested opposition composition
is just a suggestion.
To adjust the difficulty, adjust the size of the swarm (or eliminate it
entirely), or add additional ships. Add an enemy ace or two—named and
recognizable—to make it memorable and difficult. Change Goblins to
Gators for an easier time.
COMBAT PATROL, FIGHTER SWEEP
A combat patrol is a defensive mission, with pilots patrolling an area
(the space nearby a space station or planet, a heavily traveled space
lane, etc.) and defending it from attack. A fighter sweep is the flipside
of this mission, when fighters are sent to attack a combat patrol.
∂∂ Composition
∂∂ Starfighters: N/2 flights of 2 Goblins (round up)
∂∂ Swarm: 2 * N
∂∂ Strike element: 1 flight of 2 Gorgons, optional (add 2 starfighters
if no strike element)
∂∂ Difficulty
∂∂ Easy mode: The starfighter section is Gators
∂∂ Hard mode: N flights of Goblins
∂∂ Really hard mode: N flights of Goblins with 1 or 2 enemy aces
The GM wants Nails, Gunner, and Nok to fly a hard fighter sweep.
The enemy lineup would consist of:

∂∂ 3 flights of 2 DF-112 Goblins (because 3 player character pilots)

∂∂ A swarm of 6, arranged into 3 aspects each with 2 invokes:
Hammer Squadron A, Hammer Squadron B, Hammer Squadron C
(total of 6 invokes, because that’s 2 times 3 player character
pilots)

∂∂ 1 flight of 2 DA-108 Gorgons (could eliminate this and add

another flight of Goblins)

Because no enemy pilots are elite, all the Goblins and Gorgons will
use simple damage. Still, this will be a tough fight.
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INTERCEPTION

GMing Tachyon Squadron

This mission involves intercepting an enemy strike force with the
goal of eliminating its strike element before it can attack its target.
Remember that the strike element here shouldn’t use its consumable
munitions against the intercepting fighters—it’s supposed to use them
against whatever its target is.
∂∂ Composition
∂∂ Starfighters: N/2 flights of 2 Goblins
∂∂ Swarm: 2 * N
∂∂ Strike element: 2 flights of 2 Gorgons armed with fusion warheads
∂∂ Difficulty
∂∂ Easy mode: The starfighter section is Gators
∂∂ Hard mode: N flights of Goblins with 1 or 2 enemy aces
∂∂ Really hard mode: N flights of Goblins with 1 or 2 enemy aces, a
frigate capital ship
STRIKE
The PC pilots are to strike at a large target, like a capital ship or
installation, ideally destroying it.
∂∂ Composition
∂∂ Starfighters: N/2 flights of 2 Goblins
∂∂ Swarm: 2 * N
∂∂ Capital Ship: 1 frigate
∂∂ Difficulty
∂∂ Easy mode: The starfighter section is Gators
∂∂ Hard mode: N flights of 2 Goblins, swarm of 3 * N, or capital ship
is a destroyer
∂∂ Really hard mode: Capital ship is a battlecruiser or installation
ESCORT
The inversion of a strike or interception.
∂∂ Composition
∂∂ Starfighters: N/2 flights of 2 Goblins
∂∂ Strike element: 2 flights of 2 Gorgons
∂∂ Swarm: 3 * N
∂∂ Payload: 1 cargo ship (friendly)
∂∂ Difficulty
∂∂ Easy mode: Swarm of 2 * N
∂∂ Hard mode: N flights of 2 Goblins, 1 or 2 enemy aces
∂∂ Really hard mode: N flights of 2 Goblins, 1 or 2 enemy aces, and
1 frigate
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 HOW TO USE THE SWARM
GMing Tachyon Squadron

The swarm is represented by a set of aspects with free invokes.

The aspects represent flights of fighters—label them with a
squadron name and a flight letter (Dominion squadron nicknames
are typically swaggering, overwrought Sturm und Drang stuff).
The strength of the swarm is how many total invokes it gets, with
two invokes being placed on each aspect.
For example, if a Dominion fleet gets a swarm of strength 8,
that’s four aspects with two free invokes each. The GM labels
the aspects:
∂∂ Devil’s Teeth Squadron A Invokes: [][]
∂∂ Devil’s Teeth Squadron B Invokes: [][]
∂∂ Iron Fist Squadron A Invokes: [][]
∂∂ Iron Fist Squadron B Invokes: [][]
The GM may use the free invokes on any action except defend
actions, and may use no more than two on any one action. Once
the free invokes are used, the aspect remains, but as with any
other situation aspect it requires a fate point to invoke.

TACTICS
Opposition ships are extremely aggressive. They go for quick kills,
focusing on particular individuals if they can. Use swarm aspects to get
on the tail of your target, and hammer them until they’re gone. Hit as
hard as you can. Don’t hold back, don’t pull your punches.

CONCESSIONS
Once there is no reasonable hope for the enemy to achieve their battle
objectives, think hard about running. This is especially true if there is
an enemy ace present—if at all possible, keep them alive as a foil and
rival to the PCs. A typical concession might be to allow the PCs to take
out remaining non-ace enemy ships but have the rest escape. If the
PCs won’t accept any concession at all, drive hard to destroy at least
one more ship—then start pushing on the desperation and scarcity
themes. They can’t afford to lose ships.

RECURRING VILLAINS
Recurring villains, especially enemy aces, make for memorable games.
The Dominion broadcasts propaganda into the system and plays up the
exploits of its top pilots—make sure the PCs hear about that. Give the
114 ace a nickname, make sure the PCs can identify their ship in combat.
OUT-OF-COCKPIT ENCOUNTERS

GMing Tachyon Squadron

There’s plenty of things to do aboard the station. Typically PCs can
perform two time-consuming actions between missions—see “Off
Duty” on page 100. Here are a few from that list that have particular
potential for out-of-cockpit encounters:
∂∂ Go shopping
∂∂ Nose around
∂∂ Raise hell
Additionally, the Customs Inspection mission is a great opportunity
to get pilots out of the cockpit and into the fire. In general, construct
these scenes according to the guidelines in Scenes, Sessions, and
Scenarios on page 225 of Fate Core System. Here are some ideas to
get you started.
GO SHOPPING
Maybe the PC is interested in a military grade high-pressure bypass
pump, or a not-entirely-legal AI sight for her blaster carbine. Whatever
the case, consider where they might get it. What aspects do they have
that suggest contacts with “interesting” people? What motivations
would those people have? How can you spin that to make life interesting
for the PC and their comrades?
NOSE AROUND
Maybe the station security chief is riding the squadron’s ass. He’s giving
pilots a hard time when they’re out and about off duty, he’s demanding
space safety inspections of station infrastructure accessible only from
the pilots’ private quarters, he instigates jurisdictional confrontations
when they’re on duty. What’s his deal? Is he being paid by a Dominion
source to make life difficult? Is it just a turf war with people he considers
outsiders? Is he just kind of a jerk? Better investigate.
RAISE HELL
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when you take confident, aggres-
sive young people and put a few drinks in them, sometimes things get
rowdy. Pilots love to party. Most pilots drink—some drink a lot. Many
pilots sleep around. More than a few pilots have ended their night with
sore knuckles, a black eye, and an appointment to answer some uncom-
fortable questions from law enforcement. A willingness to engage in—no,
a craving for—risky behavior is an essential part of being a good fighter
pilot. This craving does not always express itself in healthy ways. The
pilots of Tachyon Squadron are no exception.
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GMing Tachyon Squadron

Most hell raisin’ will occur when pilots are decompressing, trying to
get rid of their stress. Push hard on decompression actions. Make them
get into trouble to earn the fate point and empty their stress track. Here
are some ways to do that:
∂∂The Law: The cops on Draconis Station are not starry-eyed civilians
easily impressed by tales of derring-do; if anything, they’re eager
to take those swaggering fighter pilots down a notch. A night in the
brig won’t impress the squadron commander much, and if he thinks
a pilot is jeopardizing the DVG’s reputation with the locals and the
government, a pilot might find himself assigned to some not-fun duty.
∂∂Terrible Relationships: If a pilot starts breaking hearts across the
system, some serious jealousy and revenge might start happening.
This could go anywhere from “the locals start to resent the squadron,”
as discussed before, to humorous farces where a pilot recruits her
buddies to help her make sure her various partners never meet.
∂∂ Gambling and Debts: There are lots of places to play poker and
billiards, and where people are playing cards and shooting pool,
they’re drinking and gambling. Drinking doesn’t always lead to the
best gambling decisions, and a night of celebrating could lead to a
significant debt owed to some unsavory people.
∂∂ Darker: Groups that want to explore substance abuse and serious
depression, anxiety, and PTSD can easily find that sort of theme in
a war story like this. Just make sure you know what you’re doing
(again, take a look at Fate Accessibility Toolkit for mental illness)
and that players are on board.

TAKING STRESS IN DECOMPRESSION SCENES

If a PC takes some stress in a bar fight during their hell-raisin’
decompression action, the stress goes away at the end of that
scene. They paid in narrative trouble for an empty stress track;
don’t steal it from them.
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BETWEEN MISSIONS

GMing Tachyon Squadron

Time is the most important resource the PC pilots have. Make that
time extremely valuable—they can only engage in two time-consuming
activities between each mission, including sleep. So if they really want
to do two things, they will consider pulling an all-nighter once in a while.
You can use some judgment about what qualifies as time-consuming,
but don’t be wishy-washy about it. Push the players hard on this. Force
difficult choices—stay up all night to fix your ship, or get some sleep
and go into battle with a faulty targeting computer? Carry the tension of
yesterday’s battle with you into today’s mission, or go drinking—relieving
your stress and earning a fate point, but getting you into potentially
serious trouble?

FEEDBACK INTO ENGAGEMENTS

When pilots interact with each other outside the cockpit, what they
do can have ramifications in the cockpit. Many pilots have relationship
aspects with each other that can be changed by significant events, if
the players both agree the nature of their relationship has changed.
Even pilots that don’t have relationship aspects between each other can,
through their actions, create temporary ones: annoyance, disruption
of trust, etc. Nobody needs to attempt to create an aspect with the
create advantage action or generate consequences for each other. If, in
your opinion as GM, the PCs have acted in ways that justify temporary
aspects describing their attitudes toward each other, just create that
aspect. Then compel it in the subsequent scenes and engagement.
Make it matter, and force the PCs to reckon with it.

WE BAND OF SIBLINGS
(With apologies to the Bard, there are more than just brothers here.)
War forges relationships that change in unpredictable ways. The sib-
ling relationship is often a good analogy—they love each other intensely
but fight and squabble and rage against each other incessantly. When
one PC gets into trouble with the law—drunk and fighting with locals
again—how do his friends react? Do they bail him out of the drunk tank?
Cover for him with the squadron XO? Or do they let him face the music?
PCs have two aspects that point directly at other members of the
squadron. Push hard on those. Compel them mercilessly. Pressure the
players to question and challenge their relationships. Encourage them
to modify relationship aspects when appropriate—minor milestones
(see Fate Core System, page 256) are a great way to do this.
117
 RUNNING CAMPAIGNS
GMing Tachyon Squadron

Tachyon Squadron campaigns are made up of campaign arcs. Each

campaign arc deals with a single issue, and a single Dominion opera-
tional objective. Operational objectives are determined by the Dominion’s
overall strategy.

RUNNING A CAMPAIGN: THE 30-SECOND VERSION

Here are the fundamental steps of constructing a Tachyon
Squadron campaign:
1∂ Choose a Dominion strategy and operational objectives.
2∂ Choose a current issue that pairs well with the next logical
Dominion operational objective.
3∂ Run game sessions until that issue is resolved or becomes
obsolete.
4∂ Go back to step 2, repeat until the campaign comes to a
logical conclusion.

CONSTRUCTING A DOMINION STRATEGY

Dominion military officers don’t even do the laundry without a detailed
plan. They certainly have a grand strategy for retaking Draconis. As you
develop it, keep in mind that the Dominion is war-weary and casual-
ty-weary. They don’t want to lose large numbers of troops or material,
and certainly don’t want open war with the Republic again. So they’ll try
to be smart about this—they won’t just flood the system with dozens
of titanic battlecruisers and lay waste to everything.
The Dominion will engage in a finite number (from one to four, depend-
ing on how long you want the campaign to continue) of distinct major
offensives before they give up. Choose a strategic objective for each
offensive. Examples include:
∂∂ Destroy the political center of Draconis
∂∂ Destroy the economy of Draconis
∂∂ Destroy the industry of Draconis
∂∂ Destroy the political cohesion of Draconis
Once you have a strategic objective, choose three to five operational
objectives that support it.
118
 GMing Tachyon Squadron
Each of these operational objectives gives you ideas for a scenario, as
discussed in Fate Core System, page 226. For instance, establishing a
forward base might require destruction of nosy miners who stumble upon
the Dominion’s activities, so Tachyon Squadron would be dispatched to
investigate, leading to some daring rescues and engagements against
Dominion starfighters.
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR DESTROYING THE
POLITICAL CENTER OF DRACONIS
This is a strike right at the heart of the system. To do this, the Dominion
will need to:
∂∂ Establish a forward operating base in the Kripka Asteroid Cluster
∂∂ Lure the DVG away from Draconis with a diversion
∂∂Attack and destroy Draconis Station
∂∂ Bombard the city of Prime Landing
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR DESTROYING THE ECONOMY OF DRACONIS
This involves making large-scale economic activity (especially trans-
portation) impossible.
∂∂ Espionage and assassination operations against the Navigation
Bureau, to prevent mapping of hyperspace jump points
∂∂ Dominion starfighter raids and attacks against commercial shipping
in the neighborhood of Draconis Station
∂∂ Use of covert agents and local loyalists for harassment of DVG
personnel aboard Draconis Station
119
 OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR DESTROYING THE INDUSTRY OF DRACONIS
GMing Tachyon Squadron

If the Dominion can destroy Draconis’s growing industrial sector, they

might convince them to lay down their arms.
∂∂ Establish a forward base on the planet Asami
∂∂ Strike and capture or destroy the Asami Processing Station
∂∂ Strike and capture or destroy Outpost Diyi
∂∂ Strike and destroy the Draconis Hull Yards
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR SUPPORTING THE LOYALISTS
The Dominion might be able to get loyalist militias to do a large portion
of their fighting for them.
∂∂ Support the loyalists aboard Arcosolari Kalamos
∂∂ Support the loyalists aboard Habitat Othonoi Prime
∂∂ Capture Arcosolari Kalamos intact, use for a forward base
∂∂ Capture Habitat Othonoi Prime intact, use for a forward base
∂∂ Smuggle arms and troops aboard Draconis Station to create and
win an uprising of loyalist forces

WHAT’S NEXT?
Once you have your strategic objective and operational objectives,
when you think about “What will the Dominion do next?” this is your
blueprint. Put yourself in the position of a Dominion admiral, think about
your objectives, and decide what makes sense. Let the PCs’ victories
constrain your next moves, but likewise mercilessly exploit their setbacks.
The objective is to have a rational strategy that the players are able
to suss out and actively work against. Maybe they learn it from put-
ting together bits of information they get from questioning captured
Dominion pilots. Maybe they look at the pattern of attacks, raids, and
known espionage and see a pattern. However they do it, they should
have a chance to figure out what’s going on.

WHO WINS?
It’s tempting to establish firm victory conditions up front, but this is
not a wargame. The end goal is a compelling story. Tachyon Squadron
is a Fate game, and the PCs can usually succeed in Fate games—the
heart of the matter is what cost they’re willing to pay, and how the
characters change as they progress through the war.

120
SHIPS TO FLY AND
PEOPLE TO MEET
Let’s look at the ships—starfighters, cargo ships, shuttles, etc.—that
the Tachyon Squadron pilots will fly and fight against, and the people
they’ll interact with while they do it. Some ship descriptions contain
aspects; treat them as situation aspects relevant to those ships when
applicable.

SF-46 Blackfish
Multirole Starfighter
SF-46 “D” MODEL BLOCK 60 FACT SHEET
Manufactured at Sirius IV Astronautics Yards by Polaris Spacefaring, Inc.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT
»» Dual fire-linked axial High Precision Optics (HPO) LF-28R 200
MW repeating multispectrum laser cannons
»» Quad Plane-Senko P-60 reactionless drives, each rated at 2.3
million kilogram-meters per second
»» HPO Hawkeye-C sensor array, firmware version 12.4.1
»» Ecliptic Systems type 18 avionics and systems computer, firm-
ware version 19.1.1
»» Alderson Industries type IV defense screen

ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF DVG MODEL BLACKFISH

»» Two fully powered Type 12-P Equipment Bays: Allows equipping
the Blackfish with Type 1203 equipment modules to customize
it for the mission.
»» Mission-capable docking ring and airlock: Pilot may enter and
exit the ship during missions without a pressurized landing bay.
»» Inertial suppression units keep the pilot intact while the ship
undertakes radical maneuvering.
»» The Blackfish is not equipped with a Chandrasekhar drive, and thus
is not hyperspace capable.

AZOULAY
Space Industries
WARFIGHTER FOCUSED • INNOVATION DRIVEN
121
 THE SHIPS OF TACHYON SQUADRON
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Tachyon Squadron is assigned 22 combat crew, all starfighter pilots.

There are 40 repair, maintenance, and technical personnel. Axion and
Graviton Squadrons have similar personnel. Each squadron has been
assigned 25 starfighters (22 operational and 3 backup) and a tender
system ship.

SF-46D BLACKFISH
The Blackfish is a multirole starfighter, equally adept at dogfighting
enemy starfighters as it is in strike missions against enemy capital ships
and surface targets. It’s a venerable old bird, and even the D model has
since been surpassed by other ships. Even so, it’s still a potent com-
batant; all 3 squadrons of the DVG have 25 Blackfish. The Blackfish has
been highly popular with its Republic Navy crews for years.

122
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
SF-46 BLACKFISH MULTIROLE STARFIGHTER
ASPECTS
Old But Reliable
STUNTS
Well Armed: Gain Weapon:1 to Gunnery attacks
Automated Ejection System: Page 46
NOTES
Modular equipment bays: 2
Maximum shield rating: 3
DAMAGE
+ Computer System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Technology actions
[2] Minimize 1 die on Gunnery actions
[2] Sensors and targeting systems offline: Minimize 1 die
on Technology and Gunnery actions, Shots in the Dark
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0 Propulsion System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Tactics actions
[2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot actions
[2] Critical damage to drives: Minimize 1 die on Tactics
and Pilot actions, Drives Ready to Give Out
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!
- Critical Systems Damage
[2] Life Support Damaged
[2] Cockpit hit, pilot sustains damage equal to the
amount the ship sustained in this hit
[] Structural disintegration! Punch out!

123
 C-14 ATLAS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

The Atlas is the military version of a venerable cargo system ship that’s
been converted to be a starfighter tender. It accompanies Blackfish on
long-range missions, allowing the combat ships to refuel and rearm
without returning to base. It is unarmed and not terribly fast, so star-
fighter crews are urged to protect the Atlas as if their lives depended
on it—because they probably do. Tachyon Squadron has one Atlas.

C-14 ATLAS
NOTES
Defense: The Atlas defends at 0 and always goes in the
Special slot in an engagement.
Maximum shield strength: 5
Repair bonus: +3
DAMAGE
+0 Hull Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Fire: Atlas takes 1 instance of damage at the end of
its round until this is repaired
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Fire: Atlas takes 2 instances of damage at the end of
its round until this is repaired
[] Structural Integrity Failure: The ship is coming apart,
crew abandon ship
- Propulsion System Damage
[2][2][2] No mechanical effect
[] Catastrophic explosion: Ship lost

124
DRACONIS MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT

Ships to Fly and People to Meet

SHIPS
The Draconis Navy, as new as it is, has very little in the way of combat
capability, but they’re not completely without vessels.

SF-30 Trainers: Fifteen unarmed trainer starfighters—very old SF-30A

Sparks—are based at a spaceport on the planet Draconis. These ships
will be used by trainee fighter pilots once their classroom training is
complete. Use the stats for the Gator fighter (page 127) if you ever
need stats for this.

Cargo and Utility Ships: The Navy has three system freighters and
a dozen cargo shuttles suitable for ferrying cargo and troops around
the system. Use stats for the C-14 Atlas (page 124) if you ever need
stats for a ship like this.

Destroyer DNS Lion: The Draconis Navy purchased a decommissioned

cargo starship and upgraded it with weapons and defensive systems,
armor, and improved propulsion. It’s currently doing short-range cruises
to shake out the ship and train the crew. It should be operational in a
month or two.

Patrol ships DNS Jaguar, Leopard: These system ships are being
converted from cargo system ships at the Hull Yards. They’ll be a bit
smaller and more lightly armed but faster than the Lion, functionally
serving as frigates but without hyperdrive systems. Recruiting and
training crews for these ships is underway; Tachyon Squadron pilots
might see them engaging in training and shakedown missions.

SR-14 Mariano Survey Ships: The government of Draconis acquired

five SR-14 survey ships. Crewed by a pilot and two technicians, Marianos
are very fast and are used in search and rescue operations, as well as
hyperspace cartography to keep the hyperspace jump points plotted
as planets and asteroids move around the system.

125
 CIVILIAN SHIPS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Civilian ships vastly outnumber military ships in the Draconis system.

Passenger starliners arrive several times per week, bringing passengers
from the nearby Republic systems of Theten and Gamma Corvus. Cargo
system ships arrive at and depart from Draconis Station many times
daily, laden with refined ore and gas and other materials, and transfer
them to cargo starships. Mining ships work the asteroids. Private vessels
zip to and from the surface and around the various stations.
For large civilian cargo and passenger liners, use the stats for the
Atlas (page 124) and adjust to your needs.

CIVILIAN YACHT OR PERSONAL SPACECRAFT

ASPECTS
Unarmed Personal Spacecraft
SKILLS
Average (+1): Pilot, Technology
NOTES
Tactics: Ship should be placed in Special, assume
a value of 0 for other purposes
Shields: 1
DAMAGE
+ Computer System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Technology rolls
[] Flash fire! Ship destroyed.
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2]Minimize 1 die on Pilot rolls
[] Catastrophic explosion! Ship destroyed.

126
HOSTILE SHIPS

Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Draconis is a system at war—the Dominion has promised to retake
the system and assert their authority. These are ships that Tachyon
Squadron can expect to face in combat.

DOMINION STARFIGHTERS
The Dominion has two operational classes of starfighters, the DF-107
(Republic designation “Gator”) and DF-112 (Republic designation
“Goblin”). Gators are not terribly dangerous alone, but in large numbers
can create problems. The Goblin is a more formidable foe, and is flown
by elite and veteran Dominion pilots.

DOMINION DF-107 GATOR

ASPECTS
Dangerous in Groups
SKILLS
Good (+3): Gunnery
Fair (+2): Tactics
Average (+1): Pilot
Mediocre (+0): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 0
Shields: 2
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION [1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2]Minimize 1 die on Technology
and Gunnery rolls
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot and
Tactics rolls
[] Catastrophic explosion!
Punch out!

127
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

DF-112 GOBLIN
ASPECTS
Modern High Performance Fighter
SKILLS
Great (+4): Gunnery
Good (+3): Tactics
Fair (+2): Pilot
Average (+1): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 1
Shields: 3
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION ( [1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery rolls for each
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot and Tactics rolls for each
[2] Severe Damage
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!

128
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
ACE-PILOTED GOBLIN
ASPECTS
Modern High Performance Fighter
SKILLS
Superb (+5): Gunnery
Great (+4): Tactics
Good (+3): Pilot
Fair (+2): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 2
Shields: 3
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION ( [1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery rolls for each
[2] Severe Damage
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot and Tactics rolls for each
[2][2] Severe Damage, free invoke for each
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!

129
 DOMINION STRIKE AND SCOUTSHIPS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Tachyon Squadron pilots need to be very careful of DA-108 (Republic

designation “Gorgon”)—they are long range, heavily armed, and very
robust strike ships. Fast and quiet scoutships, DS-104 (Republic desig-
nation “Ghost”) stand almost no chance of being caught unless they’re
ambushed. If the pilots manage to corner one, it’s trivial to defeat it;
no stats are necessary.

DA-108 GORGON
ASPECTS
Armed to the Teeth
SKILLS
Great (+4): Gunnery
Fair (+2): Pilot, Tactics
Average (+1): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 2
Armor: 2
Shields: 4
Turret: 1/engagement, may attack any target in the engage-
ment regardless of maneuver chart position
Missiles or Fusion Warhead, not both:
∂∂ Missiles: 2/engagement, may launch missiles to attack a
single target at +6 with Weapon:4
∂∂ Fusion Warhead: 1/engagement, may release a fusion
warhead that attacks a single large target at +4 with
Weapon:8
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION ( [1][1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery rolls for
each
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot and Tactics rolls for each
[2][2] Severe Damage, free invoke for each
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!
130
ASSAULT TRANSPORTS

Ships to Fly and People to Meet

The Dominion makes extensive use of transport shuttles that carry
heavily armed Spaceborne Infantry. They carry docking rings that can
bore through station and starship hulls, creating a sealed entrance for
boarding actions.

DA-99T ASSAULT TRANSPORT

ASPECTS
25 Spaceborne Infantry
NOTES
Tactics: Assault transports like the DA-99T go in the Special
section of the maneuver chart
Defense: The DA-99 defends at 2 and always goes in the
Special slot in an engagement
Maximum Shield Strength: 3
Repair Bonus: +3
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION ( [1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+0 Hull Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Fire: DA-99 takes 1 instance of damage at the end of
its round until this is repaired
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Cosmetic Damage
[2] Fire: DA-99 takes 2 instances of damage at the end of
its round until this is repaired
[] Structural Integrity Failure: The ship is coming apart,
crew abandon ship
- Propulsion System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Defense
[2] Minimize 2 dice on Defense
[2] Critical Damage to Drives: Minimize 2 dice on
Defense, Drives Ready to Give Out
[] Catastrophic explosion! Ship lost.

131
 DOMINION LARGE SHIPS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Frigates, destroyers, and cruisers are all potential adversaries—a

cruiser with escorts would pose a very dangerous challenge to Draconis
Station itself. A carrier is necessary for starfighters to appear in the sys-
tem, and a fighter tender would be useful for missions across the system
once they are there. See “Big Ships and Large Targets” (page 54) to
review how large targets such as capital ships work.

DOMINION FRIGATE
ASPECTS
Capital Ship
SKILLS
Great (+4): Gunnery
Good (+3): Tactics, Technology
NOTES
Example Names: Certainty, Purpose, Courage, Steadfast, etc.
Destruction: A frigate is considered “destroyed” when the pro-
pulsion is “dead in the water” and the bridge is out of action.
Two Gun Emplacements: Each rated Weapon:1
Long-Range Active Defense: +1
Long Range Shields: Armor:5
Short-Range Active Defense: +3 (Weapon:2)
Short-Range Shields: Armor:1

132
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
VULNERABLE SYSTEMS
Gun Emplacement (this ship has 2, each independently targe-
table), Targetable from short range only
[2] Minimize 1 die on Gunnery attacks
[2] Minimize 2 dice on Gunnery attacks
[] Gun emplacement out of action
Antiship Weapons (a frigate is armed with torpedoes and
other powerful weapons used to target enemy capital ships
and space stations—these don’t shoot at fighters, but can
be high priority targets regardless)
[2] Damage
[2] Damage
[] Out of action
Propulsion (Add 1 to Armor)
[2] Minimize 1 die on Tactics rolls for all gun emplacements
[2] Minimize 1 die on Tactics rolls for all gun emplacements,
Minimize 1 die on Technology rolls
[2] Minimize 2 dice on Tactics rolls for all gun emplace-
ments, Minimize 1 die on Technology rolls
[2] Ship dead in the water
[2] Fuel fire: If fire not repaired by end of the round, ship is
destroyed
[] Catastrophic explosion! Ship destroyed
Bridge (Add 1 to active defense, targetable from short range
only)
[2] Minimize 1 die on Gunnery rolls for all gun
emplacements
[2] Minimize 1 die on Gunnery rolls for all gun emplace-
ments, Minimize 1 die on Defense rolls
[2] Minimize 2 dice on Gunnery rolls for all gun emplace-
ments, Minimize 1 die on Defense rolls
[] Bridge out of action: Minimize 2 dice on Gunnery rolls
for all gun emplacements, Minimize 2 dice on Defense
rolls
Long-Range Shield Generator (targetable from short range
only)
[2] Long-range shield rating -2
[2] Long-range shield rating -3
[] Long-range shields offline
133
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

DOMINION DESTROYER
ASPECTS
Capital Ship
SKILLS
Great (+4): Gunnery
Good (+3): Tactics
Fair (+2): Technology
NOTES
Example Names: Glory, Victory, Dominance, Invincible, etc.
Destruction: A destroyer is considered “destroyed” when the
propulsion is “dead in the water” and the bridge is out of
action.
Three Gun Emplacements: Each rated Weapon:1
Long-Range Active Defense: +1
Long-Range Shields: Armor:5
Short-Range Active Defense: +3 (Weapon:2)
Short-Range Shields: Armor:1
VULNERABLE SYSTEMS
As Dominion Frigate, but with a third gun emplacement and
no antiship weapons.

134
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
DOMINION BATTLECRUISER
ASPECTS
Capital Ship
SKILLS
Great (+4): Gunnery, Tactics
Good (+3): Technology
NOTES
Example Names: Triumph, Ascendance, Adulation,
Exaltation, etc.
Destruction: A battlecruiser is considered “destroyed” when
the bridge and propulsion systems are offline, or the
bridge and both antiship emplacements are offline.
Four Gun Emplacements: Each rated Weapon:1
Long-Range Active Defense: +2
Long-Range Shields: Armor:6
Short-Range Active Defense: +3 (Weapon:2)
Short-Range Shields: Armor:2
VULNERABLE SYSTEMS
As Dominion Frigate, but four gun emplacements and two
antiship weapons emplacements.

135
 LOYALIST AND PIRATE WARSHIPS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

DF-107 Gators were produced by the tens of thousands, and unli-

censed manufacture still continues in some places—even in the Stellar
Republic, unarmed Gators have found their way into private ownership
as sport vehicles. It’s no surprise, then, that loyalist militias and pirate
gangs use old DF-107 variants as the backbone of their cobbled-
together fleets of starfighters, bolstered by corvettes mostly built from
modified DA-99 frames. The Dominion is almost certainly providing
loyalists supplies and intelligence, and who knows where pirate gangs
are getting their materials.

IRREGULAR FORCES DF-107 GATOR

ASPECTS
Dangerous in Groups
SKILLS
Good (+3): Gunnery
Fair (+2): Tactics
Average (+1): Pilot
Mediocre (+0): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 0
Shields: 1
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION [1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery rolls
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on to Pilot and Tactics rolls
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!

136
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
DA-99 CORVETTE
ASPECTS
Pirate Corvette
SKILLS
Good (+3): Gunnery
Fair (+2): Pilot, Tactics
Average (+1): Technology
NOTES
Weapon: 1
Armor: 1
Shields: 5
Turret: 1/engagement, may attack any target in the engage-
ment regardless of maneuver chart position
SIMPLE DAMAGE OPTION ( [1][1][1][1][1]) [1][1][1][1][1][1]

DETAILED DAMAGE OPTION

+ Computer System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery rolls for
each (max 2 dice)
[2] Severe Damage
[] Flash fire! Ship destroyed
0- Propulsion System Damage
[2][2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot, Tactics for each (max 2
dice)
[2][2] Severe Damage, free invoke for each
[] Catastrophic explosion! Ship destroyed

137
 DESIGNING NEW SHIPS
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

The GM might want to introduce new ships to the campaign—here

are guidelines for doing that.

STANDARD QUALITY STARFIGHTERS

A standard starfighter, roughly the equivalent in quality to the Blackfish
or a Dominion Goblin, would have the following qualities:
∂∂Aspect: Modern High Performance Fighter
∂∂+4, +3, +2, and +1 bonuses in the four spacefaring skills (PC pilots
use their own skill rankings)
∂∂ Strength 3 shields
∂∂ Guns of Weapon:1
∂∂Two damage tracks of two slots each for NPC-piloted ships. Each
damage track penalizes two spacefaring skills with die minimization.
Remember that you can’t minimize more than two dice per roll.
∂∂ For PC-piloted ships, use the Blackfish’s damage track and give
them two equipment bays.

Ace Pilots: Any NPC starfighter can be flown by a high quality pilot.
To reflect this, add +1 to each skill, add one slot to each damage track,
and grant them a stunt or an equipment module. Extremely dangerous
enemies can have +2 added to one of their skills.

LOW AND HIGH QUALITY STARFIGHTERS

To build a lower quality starfighter, start with the standard. Reduce
each skill by -1; PC pilots in a low quality starfighter suffer a -1 penalty
to each skill and they don’t get modular equipment. Set weapons rating
to zero and shields to 1. Keep damage tracks the same.
Higher quality ships are new ships that haven’t seen action yet, at
least not in this theater of operations. The SF-48A Mako is an example
of this—it’s the newest frontline starfighter for the Stellar Republic.
To design a high quality ship, start with the standard quality ship. Add
+1 to two skills (PC pilots gain a +1 bonus to their own skill rankings
in those skills). Give the ship the aspect Bleeding Edge Technology or
something similar. Choose one of the following:
∂∂ Design a stunt or equipment module the ship always grants
∂∂Add +1 to the Weapon rating
∂∂ Give the ship Armor:1
∂∂Add a third modular equipment bay (PC ships only)
138
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
LOW QUALITY STARFIGHTERS AND THE SWARM
Aren’t low quality ships just part of the swarm? Much of the
time, yes. But if it makes sense for the opposition to be made up
entirely of low quality ships, have some of them represented by
individual stat blocks and the rest as the swarm—this gives the
PCs enemies to focus on without needing the big guns in every
engagement. It also gives the GM a way of signaling escalation
in the war—the appearance of better ships.

OTHER SHIPS
There are plenty of non-starfighter ships that the PCs might encounter.
Here’s where the GM needs to get a bit creative—there are no hard-and-
fast rules, but here are some guidelines:
∂∂ Strike Ships: Compared to starfighters, strike ships are slow, heavily
armed, and tough. As such they likely have lower Pilot ratings but
good Gunnery and Technology ratings, with a higher Weapon rat-
ing for Gunnery attacks. They often have lots of missiles or other
consumable weapons systems intended to strike at large targets.
∂∂ Cargo and Passenger Ships: Being larger than starfighters, many of
these ships have decent shields and armor. Almost all are unarmed,
but a few merchant cargo ships carry a gun battery for defense.
∂∂ Private Yachts, Shuttles, and Scoutships: These ships range from
starfighter size to a bit larger. All are generally unarmed. Yachts share
starfighters’ maneuverability (Pilot) and sensors (Technology) but
not its speed or guns (low Tactics, no Gunnery at all). Scoutships
are very fast and maneuverable (high Pilot, Tactics, and Technology)
but are unarmed. Shuttles are slow and lumbering but very tough
(high shields and armor). 139
 PEOPLE OF INTEREST
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Here are some NPCs that Tachyon Squadron pilots might meet.

VIJAY “SKIPPER” KARAN,

TACHYON SQUADRON COMMANDER
The Skipper is a veteran of the Great Galactic War, racking up dozens
of victories and making quite a name for himself. He was aggressively
recruited for the job with the Draconis Volunteer Group, and given
command of Tachyon Squadron. He’s a big, loud, swaggering man, who
leads like he flies—from instinct rather than extensive study or training.
It’s hard to argue with the results.

SAKIKO “MAGNET” MARUYAMA,

TACHYON SQUADRON EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The squadron XO (Executive Officer—second in command), Magnet
is the polar opposite of the Skipper. While she is also a Great Galactic
War veteran with vast combat experience, her expertise is in optimal
tactics driven by relentless training, simulation, and study. She was
gravely injured at the Second Battle of Tauri Beta, and lost her legs from
mid-thigh. She now uses a hoverchair for mobility and all-hand controls
in her Blackfish, with no discernible reduction in her effectiveness as a
combat pilot and a leader.

JAMES DUBOIS,
HEAD OF DRACONIS STATION SECURITY
Dubois is extremely young for the post he currently holds. He began
his career only eight years ago, as a patrol officer in the city of Prime
Landing, and was one of the first law enforcement officers to sign a loy-
alty pledge to the new government
JAMES DUBOIS when it declared its independence
from the Dominion. This guaran-
ASPECTS teed a good job in the new regime—
High Concept: Security Chief but while he does a good job with
Other Aspects: Green But most day-to-day tasks running a
Enthusiastic; Knows What large security service (40 officers
He Doesn’t Know and staff), his inexperience often
RELEVANT SKILLS shows—he sometimes focuses on
Great (+4): Investigate the wrong things (such as bust-
Good (+3): Athletics, Shoot ing partying fighter pilots), and he
Fair (+2): Discipline, has trouble confronting corruption,
Empathy, Fight, Rapport organized crime, and espionage.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1] He’s learning quickly, but whether
140 quickly enough remains to be seen.
 Ships to Fly and People to Meet
VIJAY “SKIPPER” KARAN
ASPECTS
High Concept:
Commander of Tachyon Squadron
Other Aspects:
Big, Loud, and Swaggering;
Veteran Who’s Seen It All
RELEVANT SKILLS
Superb (+5): Pilot
Great (+4): Gunnery, Rapport
Good (+3): Empathy
Fair (+2): Discipline, Provoke,
Shoot
Average (+1): Athletics
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1]

SAKIKO “MAGNET” MARUYAMA

ASPECTS
High Concept: Squadron XO
Other Aspects: Know the Enemy,
Defeat the Enemy; You Think
My Hoverchair Will Stop Me?
RELEVANT SKILLS
Superb (+5): Tactics
Great (+4): Discipline, Pilot
Good (+3): Gunnery, Shoot
Fair (+2): Athletics, Empathy,
Investigate
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

141
 KISHA “ADMIRAL” HARRIS,
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

OVERALL COMMANDER OF THE

DRACONIS VOLUNTEER GROUP
Another former Republic Navy officer, Admiral Harris commanded
the entire fighter force, eight squadrons’ worth, of the Republic Navy’s
3rd Fleet. She retired as soon as hostilities ceased and was recruited
to build the Draconis Volunteer Group from the ground up. She’s a bit
aloof, with her head in Draconis politics (to ensure continued support
and funding of the squadrons) as much as in military strategy. Despite
the official lack of ranks in DVG, everyone calls Harris “Admiral.”

PENG XIN, GOVERNOR OF DRACONIS STATION

Xin was a well known dissident resident of Draconis Station when it
was under Dominion control, and she worked tirelessly to pressure the
system government (including several arrests and episodes of direct
action) to secede from the tyrannical empire. She was elected governor
of Draconis Station in a landslide election soon after independence. She
doesn’t like that the DVG is present, but accepts them as a necessary
evil—for now.

QUINCY FILMON, SUPPLY OFFICER OF THE DVG

Filmon, formerly a captain in the Republic Navy, was a logistics offi-
cer during the Great Galactic War. He now serves as the DVG’s supply
officer, and reports directly to “Admiral” Harris. He jealously guards his
little fiefdom and has no patience for pilots or technicians who obtain
hardware or supplies outside of his procurement process. Once items
or materials are procured, however, he’s looser about how it’s assigned
to the three squadrons—rumors abound that he has a price in currency,
booze, or favors.

ELIZABETH “CAP” SOKOLOVA,

AXION SQUADRON COMMANDER
Cap, another Republic Navy veteran, commands Axion Squadron with
businesslike efficiency, wasting no effort on bluster or swagger. She is
also one of the leading Republic aces from the Great Galactic War and
a ruthless warrior in a starfighter. She does not tolerate personnel from
other squadrons interfering with her people or her mission.

142

KISHA “ADMIRAL” HARRIS
ASPECTS
High Concept:
That’s “Admiral” to You
Other Aspects: Seen It All;
The Political Is Tactical
RELEVANT SKILLS:
Great (+4): Rapport
Good (+3): Discipline,
Investigate
Fair (+2): Empathy,
Provoke
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
ELIZABETH “CAP” SOKOLOVA
ASPECTS
I Protect Mine; In Combat,
Efficiency Is Life
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great(+4): Tactics
Good (+3): Discipline,
Gunnery
Fair (+2): Pilot, Provoke
Average (+1): Technology
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
Ships to Fly and People to Meet
PENG XIN
ASPECTS
High Concept: Governor of
Draconis Station
Other Aspects: Skeptical of
the Draconis Volunteer
Group; Hates the Dominion
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great (+4): Rapport
Good (+3): Empathy,
Provoke
Fair (+2): Discipline,
Investigate, Sneak
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
QUINCY FILMON
ASPECTS
We Can Help Each Other Out
RELEVANT SKILLS
Good (+3): Investigate
Fair (+2): Notice,
Technology
Average (+1): Empathy,
Rapport
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
143
 CURT “TOAD” SHAFFER,
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

CURRENT LEADING ACE OF THE DVG

Toad is a pilot in Axion Squadron who’s been in system and fighting
for three months—and already has 15 victories to his credit, leading all
DVG pilots. He’s a former test pilot for Azoulay Space Industries, and it’s
rumored that his connections might get Axion Squadron upgraded to
a newer model of starfighter—the SF-48A Mako. He has a reputation
of being a real jerk.

ANO “FOSSIL” BENYAMINA,

GRAVITON SQUADRON COMMANDER
Being a starfighter pilot is typically a young person’s game. At age 55,
Fossil is by far the oldest pilot in the DVG, and was already a respected
instructor pilot in the Republic Navy before the Great Galactic War even
started. Fossil’s command style is more instructive than the other
commanders’, and they are being recruited to join the Draconis Navy
in that capacity once that force can stand on its own.

JOE FREEMAN,
SMUGGLING/CORRUPTION KING 
OF DRACONIS STATION
Freeman has made a vast fortune smuggling all sorts of goods, from
illegal weapons to illicit luxury items. He opposed the secession of
Draconis, but now that it’s independent he’d like it to stay that way—
stability and predictability are best for his business, moreso than any
particular policies. His exploits are not widely known, and even when
someone has noticed him he’s managed to worm out of it through bribery,
blackmail, or assassination. He has incriminating information on almost
anyone who might oppose him—and he thinks very little of the duo of
Governor Xin and Security Chief Dubois. You might be tempted to try
to take Freeman down, but if you ever need a crate of Vortex missiles,
he might know how to get ‘em.

FLORENCE “FLO” BARNES,

PROPRIETOR OF THE SPACER’S REST
Flo runs Tachyon Squadron’s unofficial officer’s club, the Spacer’s
Rest, the best place on Draconis Station to get a drink, play some cards,
or shoot some pool. If you’re in Tachyon Squadron. (Those jerks from
Axion or Graviton Squadrons better be here by invitation—they have
their own hangouts.) Flo has run the Spacer’s Rest for over 30 years
now and knows just about everyone on the station. You really don’t
want to be on her bad side.
144

CURT “TOAD” SHAFFER
ASPECTS
Natural Pilot; I’m the Best,
Just Ask Me
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great (+4): Pilot
Good (+3): Gunnery, Provoke
Fair (+2): Athletics
Average (+1): Notice,
Sneak
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
JOE FREEMAN
ASPECTS
I Could Be a Deadly Enemy;
I Could Be a Useful Ally; I
Have Dirt on Everyone
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great (+4): Rapport
Good (+3): Empathy, Provoke
Fair (+2): Discipline,
Investigate, Sneak
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
Ships to Fly and People to Meet
ANO “FOSSIL” BENYAMINA
ASPECTS
Pass on What I Have
Learned; Seen It All
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great (+4): Pilot
Good (+3): Rapport, Tactics
Fair (+2): Discipline,
Empathy
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
FLORENCE “FLO” BARNES
ASPECTS
Nobody Tells Me What to
Do in My Place; I Know
Everyone; Buy a Drink or
Get Out
RELEVANT SKILLS
Great (+4): Rapport
Good (+3): Empathy, Provoke
Fair (+2): Athletics, Fight,
Investigate
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
145
 TOUGH GUY (AVERAGE NAMELESS NPC)
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

Use this for any sort of bar brawl opponent, intimidating tough, etc.

PIRATE OR LOYALIST WARRIOR (FAIR NAMELESS NPC)

Use this to represent any pirates or other largely untrained fighter type.

SECURITY OFFICER (FAIR NAMELESS NPC)

Use this for law enforcement or security officers.

MARINE (GOOD NAMELESS NPC)

Use this for Draconis Marines or Dominion Spaceborne Infantry—dis-
ciplined and professional troops.

TOUGH GUY SECURITY OFFICER

ASPECTS ASPECTS
Tough Guy Respect My Authority
RELEVANT SKILLS RELEVANT SKILLS
Average (+1): Fight Fair (+2): Fight
STRESS TRACK Average (+1): Notice, Shoot
None (Any hit takes them out) STRESS TRACK [1]

WARRIOR MARINE
ASPECTS Well Trained Professionals
You Think You’re Tough, RELEVANT SKILLS
Navy? Good (+3): Shoot
RELEVANT SKILLS Fair (+2): Fight
Fair (+2): Shoot Average (+1): Athletics,
Average (+1): Fight, Notice Discipline

EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT
Heavy Blaster (Optional): Blaster Carbine: Weapon:1
Weapon:1 STRESS TRACK [1][1]
STRESS TRACK [1]

146
EXAMPLE PLAYER
CHARACTERS
JIAOHUA “NOK” KRISTENSEN
Nok was born on Sirius II. A trans woman, she was raised as a boy until
the age of 14. She excelled at sports, especially long distance running,
and joined Republic Navy’s starfighter corps three years before the
outbreak of the Great Galactic War. She fought with the 92nd Tactical
Starfighter Squadron in the Kapteyn and Aldermin campaigns for several
years before leaving the service to fly as a test pilot for Azoulay Space
Industries (where she met—and was extremely ticked off by—“Toad”
Shaffer, now of Axion Squadron). Nok joined the DVG to get back in the
fight for a just cause, rather than for a corporation’s benefit.
∂∂ Look: Nok has a light complexion and straight black hair that she
wears just below the ear. She is tall and lanky, a classic runner’s
build, with lean muscle filling out her slender frame. She looks much
younger than her 35 years.
∂∂ Personal: Nok works out regularly, and is frequently seen running
through the corridors of Draconis Station, referring to it as her
“daily 5k meditation.” She’s also known to play a little poker at the
Spacer’s Rest, an activity for which her enthusiasm unfortunately
outstrips her skill and budget by considerable margins. She has no
spouse or serious partner at the moment, but her squadron mates
observe that flirting with good-looking men is an integral part of
her enjoyment of poker.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Nails” Dakono: “At her
induction physical, it took the doc five minutes to find a measurable
pulse. ‘Thought for a minute we were going to have to N.O.K. you,’
he said, referring to alerting Next Of Kin. So, ‘Nok.’”

147
Ships to Fly and People to Meet

JIAOHUA “NOK” KRISTENSEN

ASPECTS
High Concept: Former Test Pilot Out for a Righteous Cause
Decompression: I Run, Therefore I Am/Can’t Pass Up a Card Game
Relationship: Nails Is a Reliable Workout Buddy
Relationship: Thermic’s Playing at Something
Other Aspects: The Squadron’s Conscience
SKILLS
Great (+4): Technology
Good (+3): Athletics, Tactics
Fair (+2): Discipline, Gunnery, Notice
Average (+1): Empathy, Fight, Pilot, Shoot
STUNTS
Technical Pilot (Technology): Nok uses Technology rather
than Pilot to defend against attacks in starfighter
engagements.
Endurance: Nok’s stress track is 9 boxes, rather than 5.
Hand Scanner (Technology): Maximize one die on
Technology overcome or create advantage actions when
repairing.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

148
SERAPHIM “NAILS” DAKANO

Example Player Characters

Nails was born and raised on Ursalis Delta, the capital planet of
the Dominion of Unity, and spent much of his youth as an aerospace
enthusiast and amateur pilot. He was conscripted into the Dominion
Spaceborne Infantry (elite light infantry, similar to the Republic’s Marine
Corps) and saw action several times in the Great Galactic War. With his
background in aviation, his request to transfer to the Starfighter Corps
was accepted and he served with several Dominion squadrons. He
had never liked the Dominion’s politics, and he reached the end of his
willingness to be part of it about a year before the war ended. He and a
few squadron mates stole a ship and ran, receiving political asylum in
a neutral system. He jumped at the chance to join the DVG to remove
the boot heel of tyranny from one system, at least.
∂∂ Look: Nails is of medium height and the sort of lean that comes
from an abundance of dense, well-built muscle. He goes for a
clean-shaven face and head, in keeping with the habits he picked
up in the infantry (as is the blaster carbine he habitually carries in
place of his standard issue sidearm). His skin tone is a deep brown,
almost black.
∂∂ Disability: Nails was born entirely deaf in his right ear and mostly
deaf in his left. He is not a good candidate for artificial cochleae, so
he wears augmented reality glasses that project visual representa-
tions of sound (including speech-to-text) into his line of sight. He
knows a variety of common sign languages, and he can read lips
and speak quite fluently.
∂∂ Personal: Now 29 years of age, Nails has had several boyfriends in
the past, but has never contemplated settling down with anyone in
particular. He enjoys billiards and is quite good at it, except when
he combines it with drinking—he tries to keep a lid on it, but his
squadron mates know Nails has a drinking problem that can come
out when he’s under extreme strain.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Auger” Harahab: “So his
first day with the squadron, he comes back from some meeting
saying he traded a case of actuator flux to Graviton Squadron for a
keg of Jovian Pale Ale. He opens the container and—you knew this
was coming—it’s full of rusted carpentry nails, not beer. Thinking
about it, if it actually did have beer in it, his callsign would probably be
‘Beerman’ or something, so this was probably a good thing for him.”

149
Example Player Characters

SERAPHIM “NAILS” DAKANO

ASPECTS
High Concept:
Former Dominion Spaceborne Infantry Out for Redemption
Decompression: Pool Shark/Heavy Drinker
Relationship: Nok Is a Stand-Up Lady
Relationship: Auger Is Going to Get Somebody Killed
Other Aspects: Augmented Reality Glasses for Hearing
SKILLS
Great (+4): Tactics
Good (+3): Gunnery, Shoot
Fair (+2): Athletics, Fight, Pilot
Average (+1): Discipline, Provoke, Sneak, Technology
STUNTS
One Shot One Kill (Gunnery): Gain +2 to Gunnery attacks
made in a starfighter the first time you attack a given
target in an engagement.
Tough as Nails: Nails gets an extra mild consequence slot.
Blaster Carbine (Shoot): Maximize one die on Shoot attacks.
The carbine is Bulky.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

150
IBRAHIM “AUGER” HARAHAB

Example Player Characters

Auger grew up on Mars, in the settlement of New Padang. He built flit
boards for fun, racing them against other youths in highly illegal can-
yon races that led to more than one fatal crash. After flit boards came
aero spinners, then suborbital jumpers. The war ended just before he
submitted his application to join the Republic Navy starfighter corps, so
when the opportunity to join the DVG came up he signed up immediately.
His wealth of natural talent impressed the squadron leadership, who
took him on despite his lack of combat experience.
∂∂ Look: Auger is of medium height and slight build. He has dark hair
and medium brown skin. He wears his hair very short and is clean-
shaven—not that he could grow much of a beard if he wanted to.
He’s young, only 22 years old, and walks with a confident young
man’s swagger.
∂∂ Personal: Auger is Muslim, but not especially devout. Asexual and
aromantic, he’s never bothered with dating but does enjoy being
flirtatious with the rest of the squadron while socializing off duty.
He has an extensive collection of high quality hologames, mostly
fighting simulators—his quarters are a popular spot to hang out
when pilots are looking for a place a bit more chill than the bars.
That said, when he does go out to have a good time with the others,
he can be baited into fights more easily than is strictly healthy, and
has the broken noses and arrest record to prove it.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Gunner” Tsang: “Second
day here, he was qualifying on the Blackfish and he flew like a bat
out of hell straight toward this moon, and we all thought he was
gonna auger in—bore a deep hole, y’know? Then the next day he
did exactly the same thing. ‘Auger.’”

151
Example Player Characters

IBRAHIM “AUGER” HARAHAB

ASPECTS
High Concept: Young Hotshot Out to Prove Himself
Decompression: First Person Unwinding/You Want a Piece of Me?
Relationship: We Can’t Lose With Nails Around!
Relationship: Gunner Knows Everything About This
Other Aspects: How Does Such a Nice Kid Get Under Everyone’s
Skin?
SKILLS
Great (+4): Pilot
Good (+3): Rapport, Technology
Fair (+2): Fight, Gunnery, Provoke
Average (+1): Athletics, Empathy, Sneak, Tactics
STUNTS
Instinctive Pilot (Pilot): May use Pilot in the maneuver
phase rather than Tactics.
Jury Rigger (Technology): Gain +2 to Technology overcome
rolls to make repairs outside repair facilities.
Stimpack: Once per session, clear a mild consequence as a
free action.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

152
AMELIE “GUNNER” TSANG

Example Player Characters

Gunner is the daughter of a captain, the granddaughter of an admiral,
and the great-granddaughter of a career non-commissioned officer.
Military life runs in her blood, and she grew up on military bases and
space stations across settled space. She attended the Academy and was
assigned to a starfighter squadron (the 77th Marine Strike Squadron)
two years before the war ended, during which she saw heavy fighting.
Civilian life was not something she had any experience with, so rather
than be mustered out with the drawdown in forces, she joined the DVG.
∂∂ Look: Gunner is 25 years old, tall and statuesque, with a solid build—
she is not a slight or delicate woman. She has very light skin and
flaming red hair that she usually wears in a bun. She carries a heavy
blaster in a conspicuous holster on her left side.
∂∂ Personal: Gunner is somewhat emotionally detached from others.
This combines with her romantic successes to make her a bit of a
heartbreaker, with quite a few young men mistaking a night spent
together with long-term commitment. This can lead to some occa-
sional awkward social interactions. She regularly visits a therapist to
help her keep combat stress in check; she makes no secret of this
and advocates every pilot in the squadron do the same.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Squid” Krishnamurthy:
“She carries that big honkin’ blaster, doesn’t she? ‘Gunner’ is kind
of on the nose. And remember that time it accidentally discharged
during the mission briefing and blew a big hole in the bulkhead next
to the intel guy?”

153
Example Player Characters

AMELIE “GUNNER” TSANG

ASPECTS
High Concept:
Professional Military Pilot Just Doing Her Job
Decompression: My Therapist Fixes Me Right Up/You Thought
I Loved You?
Relationship: Auger Has Potential if He Lives Long Enough
Relationship: Squid Is a Cautionary Tale
Other Aspects: Don’t Steal My Kill
SKILLS
Great (+4): Tactics
Good (+3): Gunnery, Shoot
Fair (+2): Pilot, Provoke, Rapport
Average (+1): Athletics, Discipline, Notice, Technology
STUNTS
Hard to Kill (Pilot): Gain +2 to Pilot defend actions to avoid
Gunnery attacks in engagements.
Gunslinger (Shoot): Gain +2 to Shoot attacks made with a
blaster the first time you attack a target in a conflict.
Heavy Blaster (Shoot): Gain Weapon:1 on successful Shoot
attacks.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

154
LIEN “SQUID” KRISHNAMURTHY

Example Player Characters

Squid grew up in the city of Bogdanov on Tau Ceti IV, raised by recent
settlers from Earth. On TC4 she learned to fly dozens of types of aircraft
and spacecraft before the age of 18. She joined the Republic Navy as
a fighter pilot several years before the Great Galactic War even began.
During the conflict she was credited with over 80 victories in 5 years,
putting her easily into the top 10 Republic aces—even while surviving
ejecting in heavy combat three times, once with an injury that required
the implantation of a mechanical replacement heart pump. She was
transferred from combat duty to be an instructor pilot at the Navy’s elite
flight school, where she taught for three years before she wrangled a
reassignment back to a combat squadron. She was directly recruited
by the DVG’s commander, “Admiral” Harris, to join the group and provide
a veteran’s steady leadership.
∂∂ Look: Squid is a small, slight woman in her late 30s, with dark skin
and short black hair. She almost always wears Republic Navy fatigues
when not in a flight suit—years of habit not worth undoing. She
frequently looks tired, and not just a veteran’s weariness.
∂∂ Personal: Squid is almost always the first to help out a young pilot
having trouble with…well, anything, really, from a flight maneuver to
navigating opaque military bureaucracy. She used to have a partner,
a man she lived with for a few months after the war, but it didn’t work
out. Squid has a lot of trouble sleeping, and wrestles with anxiety
and stress that’s built up over many years of war. She is Hindu and
takes that very seriously; performing puja at the small shrine in her
quarters is part of her everyday battle to find peace and comfort.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Thermic” Moreno: “She
had to punch out over the ocean this one time. Right over the ocean,
so she went swimming. And when they fished her out of the drink
there was this weird tentacle fish attached to her boot, so ‘Squid.’”

155
Example Player Characters

LIEN “SQUID” KRISHNAMURTHY

ASPECTS
High Concept: Grizzled Veteran Back for One Last Job
Decompression: Devout Hindu/Anxiety and Insomnia
Relationship: Gunner Comes Through in a Pinch
Relationship: Save Us from Young Officers Like Thermic
Other Aspects: I’ve Got Your Six
SKILLS
Great (+4): Pilot
Good (+3): Discipline, Tactics
Fair (+2): Gunnery, Notice, Shoot
Average (+1): Empathy, Investigate, Rapport, Technology
STUNTS
Wily Hunter (Tactics): Gain +2 to Tactics overcome actions
staying on someone’s tail, or shaking off a tail.
Cool Under Fire (Discipline): Use Discipline, not Athletics, to
defend against Shoot attacks.
Augmented Spec (Notice): Maximize one die on Notice
actions.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

156
TRINIDAD “THERMIC” MORENO

Example Player Characters

Thermic grew up in Panama, on Earth, and graduated from the Academy
two years before the war ended. They fought as a starfighter pilot until the
war’s end, then transferred to the Navy’s intelligence service. They were
granted indefinite leave to join the DVG, so Thermic still technically has
their commission in the Republic Navy. However, they were ordered—in
secret—to deliver regular reports back to Navy intelligence, specifically
about the progress of training of the Draconis military forces and the
relationship between the DVG and the local populace. Nobody in the
Draconis Volunteer Group is aware of these orders.
∂∂ Look: Thermic is in their mid-20s and has the olive brown skin and
dark hair common among Panamanians. They look like a person who
takes the trappings of the military life very seriously, with closely
cropped hair and ramrod posture. They’re of medium height with an
athletic build. Thermic only wears casual clothing when exercising,
otherwise they are almost always in a crisply ironed shirt and slacks.
∂∂ Personal: Thermic took the name “Trinidad” and nongendered pro-
nouns in their early teens after having been raised as a girl. Thermic’s
family was accepting of their transition but they were rejected by
their best friend, which was the first time Thermic can remember
their depression manifesting. Ever since, chronic major depression
has been a part of Thermic’s life, and the realities of war make it all
the stronger. While at the Academy, they fell madly in love with and
married Ana Walker, a civilian Academy employee. Ana accompa-
nied Thermic to Draconis—they share an apartment on Draconis
Station. Ana is Thermic’s strength and refuge; their relationship is
often playfully described as “nauseatingly sweet” by the other pilots.
∂∂ Callsign, as related by squadron mate “Nok” Kristensen: “Thermic
slagged an engine when they ignored a temperature warning, then
overrode the auto-shutdown. Triggered the fire suppression sys-
tem in the docking bay, for Maude’s sake. Crew chief was not happy,
started yelling at them about ‘Might as well have set off a thermic
grenade in there.’”

157
 TRINIDAD “THERMIC” MORENO
Example Player Characters

ASPECTS
High Concept: Ambitious Republic Officer Here to Keep Tabs
on the Squadron
Decompression: Loving Spouse/Chronic Depression
Relationship: I Want Squid’s Respect, Desperately
Relationship: Nok Spent Too Much Time in Civilian Life
Other Aspects: I Know the Rules and How to Break Them
SKILLS
Great (+4): Tactics
Good (+3): Gunnery, Investigate
Fair (+2): Athletics, Pilot, Provoke
Average (+1): Notice, Rapport, Sneak, Technology
STUNTS
Canonical Maneuvers (Tactics): May use Tactics rather than
Pilot to defend against attacks from enemy gunnery.
I’m Not Buying It (Investigate): May use Investigate rather
than Empathy to detect deception in investigative work.
High Performance Datapad (Investigate): May maximize
one die in all Investigate overcome or create advantage
actions.
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]

CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
REFRESH: 3

158
THE PIRATES OF THE
KEPLER VALLEY
This campaign arc focuses on smashing a group of pirates preying
on civilian shipping and holding hostages. It’s suitable for a first cam-
paign. Use “Piracy and Lawlessness” (page 108) as the current issue
for this campaign arc.
A band of pirates based on the planet Asami have been attacking
civilian shipping and taking both prisoners and cargo. They use the
equipment and prisoners for illegal mining on Asami, then fence the ore.
To defeat the pirates and rescue the prisoners, the PCs have to find the
pirates, figure out a way to track them back to their base, and destroy
or capture the pirates while rescuing the prisoners.
If this is the beginning of your campaign, assume it’s early in the war,
where the Dominion hasn’t brought the whole of their power to bear yet.
The PC pilots have access to the listed equipment—to obtain additional
equipment, the pilots will need to make their own arrangements.
∂∂ 2 Vulcan’s Hammer missiles
∂∂ 2 Vortex missiles
∂∂4 Unguided Rocket Volleys (6 if more than 4 PCs)
∂∂1 Inertial Suppression Unit
∂∂ 2 Shield Boosters
∂∂1 Haymaker Particle Accelerator (2 if more than 4 PCs)
∂∂1 Hawkeye Sensor Booster
∂∂1 Adaptive Computation Node (2 if more than 4 PCs)
∂∂1 replacement Blackfish fighter (2 if more than 4 PCs)
If this arc happens after the campaign has already been going,
announce that some supplies have arrived—another handful of consum-
able munitions, another bit of modular equipment or two, a replacement
Blackfish if necessary.

159
 SCENE 1: DEFENSE OF THE
The Pirates of the Kepler Valley

NEPTUNE CONVEYOR
The scene opens with the PCs in their starfighters, on their way to
investigate reports of a non-communicative ship adrift well off the
established space lanes. They’re four hours into the mission when
they receive an emergency radio transmission from the other direc-
tion: “Mayday, mayday, this is cargo starship Neptune Conveyor, we
are under attack, request assistance from any able spacecraft in the
vicinity—” The coordinates accompanying the transmission are only
minutes away from the PCs.
Pirates from the base in Asami’s Kepler Valley are attacking the
Neptune Conveyor, a cargo starship that jumped into the system six
hours previously. Gator starfighters will try to blast out its propulsion
systems, then a corvette will bring a boarding party to steal its cargo. They
plan to murder the crew if they attempt to interfere with the boarders.
Assuming the pilots fly to the rescue, conduct an engagement using
these ships, assuming N player character fighter pilots:
∂∂ Enemy Ships:
∂∂ Enemy Starfighters: N/2 flights of 2 Gators
∂∂ Swarm of N, in N/2 (round up) pairs
∂∂ Objective: The pirate fighters focus entirely on the Tachyon
Squadron fighters, planning to resume their attack the Neptune
Conveyor if they win.
∂∂ Draconis Ships:
∂∂The Neptune Conveyor: Use stats for C-14 Atlas (page 124)
∂∂ Each PC flies their SF-46D Blackfish
∂∂ Objective: Defend the Neptune Conveyor.
Make sure each pilot chooses their modular equipment before the
mission begins.

WRINKLE 1: DISTANT SHIPS

At the beginning of the engagement, any PC pilot that succeeds with
style in the detection phase also detects a group of very far-off signals,
the engine signature of a D-99 corvette and two Gators fleeing at maxi-
mum thrust. If any of the PCs want to go chase them instead of defending
the Neptune Conveyor, run a parallel engagement to represent that.

160
 The Pirates of the Kepler Valley
WRINKLE 2: THE NORTH STAR
If the PCs are able to continue their original mission after they defend
the Neptune Conveyor, they can go investigate the drifting ship. They
find a passenger starship called North Star, which vanished without a
trace two months ago only hours after it jumped into the system from
the nearby Republic system of Gamma Corvus. The North Star is sporting
significant damage—its engines are destroyed and terrible scorch marks
dot the hull, clear signs of having sustained gunfire from enemy ships. The
air lock shows evidence that someone forced their way in. There are no
life signs on the ship—sensors don’t even pick up the presence of bodies,
and there is no sign of the passengers and crew. The ship is abandoned.

SCENE 1.5: DECOMPRESSION, REPAIR, ETC.

After the PCs return from their mission, have everyone who took stress
make Discipline overcome rolls to try to dispel it. Then, they have time
to perform two time-consuming actions before the next day’s mission:
sleep, raise some hell, fix their ship, etc.—see “Between Missions” on
page 117. 161
 SCENE 2: BLOCKADE
The Pirates of the Kepler Valley

The following day, the squadron commander has a new mission for
the PCs: Tachyon Squadron is striking back at the pirates. A scoutship
has traced them back to the planet Asami, and they’ve dispatched a
major raiding force that the squadron is going to intercept. The PCs
represent the backstop—if the pirates try to escape back to their Asami
base, the PCs are supposed to destroy them.
The PCs take up positions in orbit of the planet Asami. They hear radio
chatter from a vicious dogfight, then squadron command orders them
to look sharp—fleeing enemy vessels inbound.
This engagement occupies two zones: Orbit and Asami’s Atmosphere.
All ships start in orbit. Pirate vessels may escape the atmosphere for
safety in their landing bay.
∂∂ Enemy Ships:
∂∂ Enemy Starfighters: N flights of 2 Gators each, another N flights
of 2 Gators each
∂∂ No swarm
∂∂ Objective: One of those two collections of N flights attacks the
PCs. All other pirate vessels attempt to escape first to the atmo-
sphere, then escape the battle. Pirates who penetrate through
both the orbit and atmosphere zones escape to the docking bay
of their base in the Kepler Valley of the planet Asami. PC pilots
who pursue see them vanish into a huge landing bay, but the bay
closes before they can join them.
∂∂ Draconis Ships:
∂∂ Each PC flies their SF-46D Blackfish
∂∂ Objective: Destroy as many pirate vessels as possible.

SCENE 3: RESCUE MISSION

Immediately after the blockade battle finishes, the PCs receive a
radio transmission from the surface of Asami. A frightened man with
a scraggly beard and dirty, torn clothing appears on the view screen.
“Hello? Anyone receiving this message, I’m a passenger of the North
Star, we were taken hostage, and they’re rigging explosives all around
the mine, we need help—” A bright flash, the sounds of blaster fire, and
the transmission ends. The transmission came from the suspected
pirate base on the surface.
Will the PCs wait for orders? Fly to the rescue? Of course they’ll fly
to the rescue.

162 The surface of Asami is Dim and Dreary, and the pilots will be greeted
by Cold Without Mercy.
 The Pirates of the Kepler Valley
TACTICS AND OBJECTIVES
The pirate installation is divided into two levels, each with a number of
rooms and chambers. The pirates are holding a number of hostages—30
to be exact—and the PCs probably want to rescue the hostages before
the pirates flee the base in the shuttle and activate the explosives. The
pirates are trying to escape. The opposition mentioned in each room
isn’t static—pirates will move around the base, trying to trap the PCs
and slip past them to escape in the shuttle.
∂∂ Anti-Spacecraft Guns: Any Tachyon Squadron starfighters attempt-
ing to directly approach the installation are attacked by a pair of
gun batteries with Good (+3) Gunnery and Weapon:2. The PCs can
avoid the guns by landing farther away and approaching overland,
but they must brave the elements to accomplish that.

UPPER LEVEL
The upper level contains 10 pirates (use the warrior NPC stats on
page 146). Some are readying the shuttle for departure.
∂∂ Entrance 1, Landing Bay: Cavernous Chamber containing a cargo
shuttle, a handful of old Gator starfighters, four frantic technicians.
∂∂ Entrance 2, Back Door: Hidden Among Boulders a few hundred meters
from the landing bay door. Opening the lock requires a Great (+4)
Technology overcome action. The door, about three meters wide,
slides open to reveal an entryway housing two utility vehicles. An
elevator connects this entrance with the Main Mine Shaft below.
163
 ∂∂ Ore Processing Plant: Huge Chamber containing an ore smelter,
The Pirates of the Kepler Valley

rock crusher, and other mineral processing equipment. The room

is Uncomfortably Hot and bathed in a Bright Orange Glow from the
smelter. Machinery is everywhere. If the PCs look, they might notice
the Explosive Charges. Five hostages are tied up in this room.
∂∂Top Level Corridor: This long, Brightly Lit corridor connects every
chamber on this level, and could become a Choke Point if it’s defended
by determined opposition. At the far end of the corridor, a freight
elevator leads to the Ore Distribution chamber below.
∂∂ Defense Systems Control Room: Computer Systems dominate this
room, targeting systems for the automated anti-spacecraft guns.
If the PCs wish to fly the cargo ship out of the landing bay, they’ll
need to disable these systems.
∂∂ General Systems Control Room: Computer Systems also dominate
this room—the controls for the installations communication, life
support, and industrial control systems. The body of the man who
sent the message the PCs intercepted is here, blaster wounds
obvious. Disabling the communications systems can ensure that
the pirates can’t remotely detonate the explosive charges.
∂∂ Ore Elevator Tube: This long, wide tunnel uses an Archimedes Screw
to lift raw ore from the Ore Distribution chamber far below into
the processing plant. Characters can crawl down the screw with
a Good (+3) Athletics overcome action. It is Pitch Dark in the tube.

LOWER LEVEL
Another 10 pirates begin the scenario on this level, but might orga-
nize a counterattack to the upper level, trying to reach the shuttle, at
the GM’s option.
∂∂ Ore Distribution: This is a huge, Dimly Lit chamber with Piles of Ore
scattered around, and several Robotic Front End Loaders parked
here and there. Twenty hostages are tied up here. If the PCs look
they might notice the Explosive Charges.
∂∂ Main Mine Shaft: This long, Dimly Lit and Cramped corridor runs
hundreds of meters from the Ore Distribution point, branching out
into secondary shafts. Numerous Secondary Shafts split off from
the main shaft. Five more hostages are tied in the main shaft, near
an Explosive Charge. A freight elevator connects the far end of the
main shaft to the back door on the surface.

164
DEFENSE OF
ARCOSOLARI KALAMOS
Arcosolari Kalamos is a residential space station with five thousand
residents in orbit of the planet Kalamos, about 30 hours’ travel from
Draconis Station. In this scenario, elements of Tachyon Squadron—the
PCs and a handful of maintenance technicians—have been assigned to
“the Arco,” as the locals call it, for a month’s deployment.
Given its remote distance from Draconis Station, the DVG routinely
deploys fighters to bolster the station’s defenses. The Arco is home to
the single largest concentration of open Dominion loyalist sentiment in
the system, and a few loyalists have turned into fifth columnists, watch-
ing for DVG patrols and radioing a secret Dominion listening post in the
nearby Kripka Asteroid Cluster. The PCs will have to defend themselves
against an ambush, root out the spies, and defend the Arco against a
determined strike from a Dominion task force—or pre-emptively attack
the strike force themselves.

CAMPAIGN SETUP
If this is the beginning of your campaign, assume that it’s early in the
war and the Dominion hasn’t been observed returning to the system yet.
The PC pilots have access to the listed equipment—to obtain additional
equipment, the pilots will need to make their own arrangements.
∂∂4 Vulcan’s Hammer missiles
∂∂ 2 Vortex missiles
∂∂4 Unguided Rocket Volleys (6 if more than 4 PCs)
∂∂ 2 Inertial Suppression Units
∂∂ 2 Shield Boosters
∂∂1 Haymaker Particle Accelerator (2 if more than 4 PCs)
∂∂1 Hawkeye Sensor Booster
∂∂1 Adaptive Computation Node (2 if more than 4 PCs)
A spare Blackfish can be delivered if necessary, but it might delay a
mission.

165
 THE ARCO
Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos

A small space station, the Arco is more crowded than it’s designed
for. A planned expansion didn’t happen before the system government
declared independence, and the new government doesn’t have the
money to fund new construction. This has led to some discontent, and
the Arco was already a hotbed of loyalist politics for a variety of histor-
ical reasons. Problems of crowding and political radicalism keep the
station police very busy. Given that the station is a Political Tinderbox,
it is illegal for private citizens to carry blasters on the Arco. The PCs can,
but Commander Lopez sure doesn’t like it.
Tachyon Squadron pilots are assigned dormitory-style apartments near
the docking bay. They’re considerably more cramped than their quarters
at Draconis Station, and pilots are required to share apartments, two per.
You can use “Disunity and Separatism” (page 108) as the current
issue for this campaign arc.

PEOPLE IN THE ARCO

Here are some people you might run into on the Arco.
STATION GOVERNOR EMERSON PRICE
EMERSON PRICE The elderly Price is the Station Governor.
He doesn’t do a lot of governing (Hands Off
SKILLS
Approach), preferring to leave day-to-day
Great (+4): Rapport
details to his staff (especially Commander
Fair (+2): Empathy
Lopez). He won’t hear of any wrongdoing
Average (+1): Provoke
that his nephew James Hartley has done
STRESS TRACK [1] (Hopelessly Loyal to Hartley), and will order
He immediately con- him released from the brig anytime he’s taken
cedes if threatened there, for any reason.
with physical violence.
SECURITY COMMANDER ANNA LOPEZ
The Overworked and Frazzled Commander
Lopez leads a force of eight full-time and six part-time security officers.
She is aggressively apolitical and has no love for either loyalist radicals
or DVG pilots. She wants Peace, Not Justice.
JAMES HARTLEY
Hartley is a controller at the docking bay and a Dominion Loyalist. He’s
secretly in contact with the Dominion with a contraband encrypted
radio, warning Dominion forces about activities of DVG pilots. Arco
techs can detect the outgoing transmissions but not their destination
or their content. Hartley is the station Governor’s Nephew. He Loathes

166 Commander Lopez. He makes no secret of his politics, but it’s not illegal
to be a loyalist.
 Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos
JAMES HARTLEY ANNA LOPEZ
ASPECTS SKILLS
Dominion Loyalist Great (+4): Discipline
SKILLS Good (+3): Fight, Provoke,
Good (+3): Fight, Provoke, Shoot
Rapport, Shoot Fair (+2): Empathy, Notice
Fair (+2): Discipline, EQUIPMENT
Empathy, Notice Heavy Blaster: Weapon:1
EQUIPMENT STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1]
Heavy Blaster: Weapon:1 CONSEQUENCES
STRESS TRACK [1][1][1][1][1] Mild (2):
CONSEQUENCES Moderate (4):
Mild (2): Severe (6):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
167
 LOCATIONS IN THE ARCO
Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos

Here are some places the PCs might go on the Arco.

∂∂ Price’s Office: A receptionist’s desk area leads to Price’s workspace,
a small office suite. It has the look of an office whose occupant
does more napping and watching of holovids than work, and the
furnishings and decor have a cheap, veener-ish quality to them.
Cramped and Disorganized
∂∂ Corridors: Getting around the Arco is mostly done by walking—get-
ting from one side of the station to the other is about a 1km walk,
mostly through largely featureless aluminum corridors. Lighting is
bright white/blue LED lighting, which lends an air of anxiety to life on
the station. Corridors have almost no cover except at intersections,
unless you can find an open door. You Can Run But You Can’t Hide
∂∂The Strange Quark: The Quark is the most popular bar on the Arco
and is usually Loud and Crowded. It’s frequented by some loyalist
toughs Itching for a Fight who won’t take kindly to the pilots of
Tachyon Squadron showing up.
∂∂The Park: A two acre Oasis of Life, with strange bluish-purple leaves
flourishing under the Dim Red Light cast by the nearby red dwarf
Gamma Draconis.
∂∂The Brig: Hopefully the pilots won’t find themselves here, but you
never know. The Arco’s police force is Overworked and Understaffed,
so the brig is limited to use as holding cells and for very short term
sentences. Long-term prisoners sentenced to jail terms are generally
transferred to Draconis.
∂∂James Hartley’s Apartment: If the PCs go to Hartley’s Cramped
apartment, it has three rooms: kitchen, living area, bedroom. All are
Cluttered and Messy, but behind a false panel in a back cabinet in
the kitchen is a radio. Hartley keeps an illegal heavy blaster behind
a similar false panel behind his bed.
∂∂The Docking Bay: This is a Cavernous pressurized bay that can accept
many Parked Shuttles, Starfighters, and Other Small Ships. Large
bulk carriers are loaded and unloaded with cargo tugs that move
Shipping Containers full of materials of all kinds, and a rarely used
passenger embarkment corridor can dock with large passenger
liners. A Control Office has a large windowed view of the entire
bay, with plenty of communications gear and control systems for
the various machines and systems in the bay. Access to the bay is
restricted to dockworkers and authorized passengers. Some of the
168 dockworkers are ardent Dominion loyalists.
AMBUSH

Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos

The campaign opens with the PCs on a long patrol mission, halfway
to the Kripka Asteroid Cluster, about a five hour cruise from the Arco.
They’re set upon by a squadron of Dominion fighters. It’s not hard for
the PC pilots to determine that these are short-range fighters, so
there must be a carrier or base in this part of the Draconis system
somewhere. Run this as a standard engagement with one zone; to
flee combat requires a concession or nobody declaring they’d pursue.
Dominion fighters carry the markings of the Death Riders squadron—a
red skeletal horse and rider.
∂∂ Enemy Ships:
∂∂ Enemy Starfighters: N flights of two Goblins each. One of these
flights is piloted by elite pilots.
∂∂The Swarm: 2N
∂∂ Objective: The Dominion fighters attempt to destroy every Tachyon
Squadron ship they can. They try to flee when reduced to half
their (non-swarm) number.
∂∂ Draconis Ships:
∂∂ Each PC flies their SF-46D Blackfish
∂∂ Objective: Survival

169
 DECOMPRESSION, REPAIR,
Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos

AND HARTLEY
As usual, allow PCs time for two actions between missions (page 117)
before their next duty shift.
∂∂ Decompression: Chances are at least some of the pilots will need
to dump some stress. Unwinding via alcohol or gambling will likely
involve visiting the Arco’s best bar, the Strange Quark. Unless they
take great pains to disguise themselves as locals, a bunch of loyalist
toughs try to rough them up, give them a hard time, and provoke a
fight. Any violence draws the police led by Commander Lopez, who
arrests those she thinks were taking part in any fighting. James
Harley sits in the corner of the bar during all of this, holding court
with his fellow loyalists, and yells some taunts at any PCs getting
arrested. Give the players a good idea that Lopez and Hartley hate
each other.
PCs who’ve gotten arrested can get un-arrested in several ways.
They could talk their way out with some really inspired Rapport.
They could post bail, which might require going into some debt
with someone. The other PCs could stage a jailbreak, but this will
not go down well at all with the squadron commander—then again,
the squadron commander is back on Draconis Station hundreds of
millions of kilometers away.
∂∂ Repairs: Pilots that have ships to repair can let the squadron’s techs
do the repairs, but time might require they fix things themselves. If
any do, let the pilot in the docking bay with the best Notice see that
one of the dockworkers is surreptitiously snapping photos of their
Blackfish ship as they’re doing repairs. What action the PC takes is
up to their player, of course, but the dockworker is a loyalist whose
goal is to turn the photos over to James Hartley, who will send them
to his Dominion contacts via his encrypted radio.

THE CRUX OF IT
Hartley is using his position as a boss in the Docking Bay control
room to collect data on ships’ comings and goings to and from the
Arco and passing that info along to his Dominion contacts using an
encrypted radio he’s hidden in his apartment. Radio technicians from
the Arco occasionally detect these transmissions but can’t pin down
their location or destination and can’t decrypt the message.

170
 Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos
Make sure the PCs have some reason to suspect Hartley is up to no
good. If necessary, give them another mission, such as an emergency
combat patrol where they scramble to defend a cargo ship being
attacked—one where the timing of the Dominion attack is uncanny, it’s
as if they know exactly where and when to find the ships they target.
If the PCs figure it out, they could go in any of several directions:
∂∂ Cut Off Transmissions: They do something to prevent Hartley from
filing any additional reports. In this case, the Dominion launches an
assault on the Arco, hoping to land Spaceborne Infantry aboard and
take control of the station.
∂∂ Send Fake Transmissions: They do something to get Hartley to send
incorrect information to the Dominion. In this case, the Dominion
waits to launch an attack until reinforcements arrive, or can be
duped into launching one while the PCs lie in ambush somewhere.
In either case, proceed to the Battle of Acrosolari Kalamos.

171
 THE BATTLE OF
Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos

ARCOSOLARI KALAMOS
Depending on how the PCs set things up and what they do about
James Hartley’s espionage, this battle could be a desperate defense of
the Arco, a pre-emptive attack against Dominion forces, or anything in
between. The Dominion has a strike force hidden in the Kripka Asteroid
Cluster, and their ambition is to capture the Arco to use it as an initial
staging point for retaking control of the entire Draconis System. Start
with an Interception mission (page 113), with the following additions:
∂∂ Dominion Forces:
∂∂ Additional Strike Element: Dominion Frigate Glory (stats on
page 132)
∂∂ Payload: 1x DA-99T Assault Transport carrying 25 Spaceborne
Infantry
∂∂ In the distance lurks the Dominion Fighter Tender Courage (use
stats of C-14 Atlas on page 124)—this ship tries to avoid combat
but could be ambushed with good intelligence.
Modify the order of battle as you see fit, taking into account anything
the PCs do to distract, feint, or impede the Dominion before the battle—
granting bonuses to detection rolls for clever feints, etc.
∂∂ Draconis Forces:
∂∂ Each PC flies their SF-46D Blackfish
∂∂The Arco has one gun emplacement with stats identical to the
Glory’s gun emplacements, if the battle occurs near the station.

172
INSPIRATION

Inspiration and Influences
AND INFLUENCES
BOOKS
Baa Baa Black Sheep by Gregory Boyington, (C) 1958 Wilson Press
Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain by Len Deighton, (C)
1977 Alfred A. Knopf Inc.
Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito, (C) 1957
Ballantine Books
Yeager by Chuck Yeager with Leo Janos, (C) 1985 Random House
Publishing Group

MOVIES AND TELEVISION

Angels One Five (1952)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
The Dam Busters (1955)
The Battle of Britain (1969)
Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
Black Sheep Squadron (1976)
Midway (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Battlestar Galactica (1978, 2004)
Outland (1981)
Robotech (1985)
Top Gun (1986)
Iron Eagle (1986)
Piece of Cake (1988)
Memphis Belle (1990)
Flight of the Intruder (1991)
Babylon 5 (1994)
Space: Above and Beyond (1995)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Red Tails (2012)
The Eternal Zero (2013)
Dunkirk (2017)
173
 GAMES
Inspiration and Influences

Flight Leader (board game, 1986) by Gary C. Morgan, published by

Avalon Hill
Knights of the Air (board game, 1987) by Mike Uhl, published by Avalon Hill
Luftwaffe (board game, 1971) by Lou Zocchi, published by Avalon Hill
Rolling Thunder (board game, 1979) by Steve Weiss, published by
Commando Wargames
Star Frontiers (Roleplaying Game, 1982), by Douglas Niles, published
by TSR (especially the wonderful SFKH-0: “Warriors of White Light”
and SFKH-1 “Dramune Run,” both by Douglas Niles)

VIDEO GAMES
Falcon (especially 1991’s seminal Falcon 3.0), 1987-1994 by Spectrum
Holobyte
Star Wars: X-Wing, 1993-present by LucasArts and Disney Interactive
Studios (also the amazing TIE Fighter from the same publisher)
Wing Commander, 1990-2007 by Origin Systems and Electronic Arts

While it was not a direct inspiration, if you like Tachyon Squadron

you’ll probably love Steve and Cait Bergeron’s tabletop RPG Warbirds,
published by Outrider Studios (www.outriderstudios.com)—a great
roleplaying game about air combat from folks who really know their stuff.

174
INDEX
Action phase, 35, 42, 49, 180, 181
examples of, 56-59, 61-63,
70-76
Action skills, 23, 26-27
distributing in character
creation, 19
with equipment, 65
Actions, 49-52, 180, 181
examples in play, 42, 56-59,
61-63, 70-76
Advantage, 35, 38, 82, 180
Archetypes, 18
Arcosolari Kalamos (the Arco,
space station), 95
campaign, 108, 165-72
loyalists, 95, 108, 136, 166-68,
170
Athletics, 23, 26
Attack
actions, 49-50, 181
large targets, 54-55
with specific skills, 24-30 Death/loss, 64, 179
Axion Squadron, 84, 100, 110, 122
Big ships, 54-55
example of battle, 56-59
Blackfish (multirole starfighter),
121, 122-23, 183-84
damage chart for, 45
Boelcke, Oswald, 82
Bonus for victories, 106
Bug out, 41, 43, 47, 77, 180
large targets and, 55
Callsign, 13-14
Campaign arcs, 118-20
Character creation, 11-22
aspects, 10, 15-17
concept, 11-13
examples of, 147-58
gear, 20
personal details, 20-22
skills, 18-19
stress, 20
stunts, 19
Combat patrol, 98, 112
Commerce, 85, 106
Concession, 47, 55, 114, 180
example, 76
Create advantage
non-attack actions, 51
with specific skills, 24-30
Customs inspection, 99
Damage, 44
bugging out and, 47
chart for the SF-46 Blackfish,
45, 123
engagements and, 64, 179
examples of, 57-58, 70, 72, 74-75
flights and, 53
large targets and, 54
personal, 45, 64, 103, 179
punching out and, 46
repairing, 51, 55, 102, 181
simple, 46
Debt, 17, 100, 106, 116, 170
Deceive, 28
Decompression aspects, 16
examples, 104, 170
raising hell and, 116
stress recovery and, 101, 179
Defend
with specific skills, 24-30
Defense of Arcosolari Kalamos
(campaign), 108, 165-72
Degrade, 43, 180
examples of, 58, 73
Desperate attack, 50, 181
Detection phase, 35, 36-37, 180
examples of, 37, 68
Dice, 7
maximizing/minimizing, 33, 138
equipment and, 67
examples of, 56-58, 70, 75
gear and, 34
Disability, 22
Discipline, 23, 28
stress recovery and, 101, 179 175
 Doctor visits, 103
Index
Dominion of Unity, 7, 83-85
counterattacks by, 110
disunity and, 108
ships of, 127-37
constructing strategies for,
118-20
Draconis Volunteer Group, 7,
83-84, 109, 110
distrust of, 109
off-duty, 88, 91-92, 105-06,
115-17
ships of, 122-24
typical missions of, 98-99
Empathy, 23, 29
End of round, 35, 43, 180
examples of, 58, 73
Engagement(s), 10, 35-43, 180
extended example of, 68-76
impact of relationship aspects
on, 117
Equipment (modular), 65-67
designing, 67
Escort mission, 99, 113
Fate Accessibility Toolkit, 22, 116
Fate Core System, 7, 10
actions and, 51-52, 181
bugging out and, 47
creating stunts in, 31
issues and story questions in, 107
milestones in, 117
recovering from consequences
in, 103
scenarios in, 119
scenes in, 115
Fight, 23, 26
Fighter screen, 60-63
Fighter sweep, 99, 112
Flights, 53
in engagements, 111-14
Gambling, 116, 170
Gear, 20
stunts, 33-34
Graviton Squadron, 84, 102, 110,
176 122
Great Galactic War, 83-84
Gunnery, 19, 23, 24
Hyperspace, 86
Informal investigations, 99
Interception, 99, 113
Investigate, 23, 29
Issue(s), 107-109, 118
Jargon, 77-81
game mechanics and, 79
Large targets, 54-55
Large Target Strike, 50, 181
example, 56
Law enforcement and
decompression, 116
Living conditions, 105
Maneuver(s), 35-36, 38-41, 180
terminology for, 80-81
Maneuver chart, 38-41, 43, 48
blank, 182
Mental attacks, 64, 179
Modular equipment, 65-67
designing, 67
Money, 85, 106
Names, 13-14
Non-attack actions, 49, 51-52, 181
Non-player character (NPC)
examples, 140-46
Nose around, 102, 115
Nose art, 20
Notice, 23, 36
On their tail, 41, 50, 181
examples, 42, 62-63, 71, 74-75
non-attack actions and, 51-52
Tactics and, 25, 114
Operational objective
(gamemaster), 118-20
Opposition fleets, 111-114
Organized crime, 90, 92, 99, 108,
109
Overcome Shields, 10, 44, 46

Index
non-attack action, 51 example, 57
with specific skills, 24-30 on large ships, 54
restoring, 51, 102
Payload, 54, 86, 111 Ships
Personal stunts, 31-32 designing new, 138-39
Physical damage, 64, 179 examples of, 124-37
example, 74 in Draconis, 86
Pilot 19, 24, 42 opposition in engagements, 111
examples 58, 70-72, 74 repairing in combat, 51
Pirate(s), 108, 146 repairing while off duty, 102
ships, 136 Shoot, 23, 27
Pirates of the Kepler Valley, The vs. Gunnery, 24
(campaign), 108, 159-64 Shopping, 102, 115
Player character examples, 147-58 Skills, 11, 18-19, 23-30
Political instability, 109 lists, 23, 179
Provoke, 23, 28, 30, 64, 179 unassigned, 19
Punching out, 46 Sleep, 64, 103, 179
Push, 51, 181 Snap Shot, 50, 181
example, 70-71 examples, 62, 70, 72
large targets and, 55
Raise hell, 101, 115-16 Sneak, 23, 27
Rapport, 23, 28, 30, 170 Spacer’s Rest, The, 91, 92, 106, 144
Recurring villains, 114 Stellar Republic, 7, 83-85
Red Baron, 82 Strategic objective, 118
Relationship Stress, 10, 20
aspects, 17, 117 concession and, 47
terrible, 116 damage and, 45
Repair death/loss and, 64, 179
action, 51, 55, 181 decompression scenes and, 116
example, 58 Discipline and, 28
off duty activity, 102 examples, 20, 70, 74
Technology and, 19, 25, 57 Stress recovery, 101, 179
Rescue, 51, 181 by decompression, 101
after punching out, 46, 47 by raising hell, 101, 116
in The Pirates of the Kepler example of, 104
Valley, 159-60, 162-63 missing sleep and, 64, 179
mission, 98, 119 with discipline, 101
Rivalries, 7, 17, 110, 114 Strike, 99, 113
Run the gauntlet, 47 Stunts, 10, 11, 19, 31-34
refresh and, 10, 19, 33, 34
Search and rescue mission, 98 Swarm, 53
SF-46D Blackfish, see Blackfish in engagements, 111-13
Shake off a tail, 41, 51, 52, 180, 181 thinning out, 52, 181
examples, 73, 74 using, 114
Tactics and, 25 victories and, 45
when to use, 139
177
 Switch zones, 41, 43, 52, 61, 180, Technology, 8-9
Index

181 skill, 19, 23, 25

example, 63
Tactical refocus, 52, 181
degrading and, 43
examples, 72-73, 75
large targets and, 55
on their tail and, 50
Tactics, 114
skill, 19, 23, 25
Taken out, 64
concessions and, 114
Terminology, 77-79
Thin out the swarm, 52, 53, 181
example, 70-71
Undetected, 35-37, 38, 41, 48
von Richtofen, Manfred, 82
Victory, 45, 79
ace pilot and, 77
bonuses from, 105-06
examples, 71, 76
Villains, recurring, 114

178
QUICK REFERENCE
SKILL LISTS
SPACEFARING SKILLS ACTION SKILLS SOCIAL SKILLS
Gunnery Athletics Discipline
Pilot Fight Empathy
Tactics Notice Investigate
Technology Shoot Provoke
Sneak Rapport

PERSONAL DAMAGE
Many things can cause damage to your character, not all of them direct attacks.
∂∂ Mental Attacks: Someone attacking you with Provoke can cause damage
depending on the circumstances and your relationship with them—you need
to care about what they have to say, have a reason to be afraid of them, etc.
∂∂ Physical Damage: Being hit by attacks in a fight can cause damage.
∂∂ Damage in Engagements: Space combat is terrifying. For each instance of
damage your ship takes, you suffer 1 shift of damage. If you happen to be
aboard a ship when it’s destroyed and you can’t eject, that’s that.
∂∂ Missing a Night’s Sleep: Automatically suffer 2 shifts of damage for the first
night of sleep you miss, 4 for the second consecutive night, 6 for the third
consecutive night, etc. You can’t recover from stress if you’ve missed the
previous night’s sleep.
∂∂ Death and Loss: The first time you witness the death or severe injury of a
comrade, suffer 4 shifts of damage. Each time thereafter, suffer 1 fewer, until
you’re sufficiently jaded that it causes zero stress. The GM may compel your
relationship aspects to increase this stress as appropriate.

RECOVERING FROM STRESS

The first thing to do after any scene where you take on stress is attempt to dispel
that stress. Make an overcome roll with Discipline vs. a difficulty equal to the
amount of stress you have. The difficulty maxes out at 5, even if your stress track
is longer because of a stunt. This attempt costs you no time at all.
∂∂ If you fail: Keep your stress, or get rid of it at some serious cost.
∂∂ If you tie: Lose half your stress (round down), or you succeed at some mild cost.
∂∂ If you succeed: Remove all your stress.
∂∂ If you succeed with style: Remove all your stress, and take a boost for use
in the next scene that reflects your exceptionally chill and unflappable
mental state.
If you can’t clear stress using Discipline, an option is to spend a fate point and
describe how you use your healthy decompression aspect to get back to mental
and emotional equilibrium, then clear your stress.
Blowing off steam in an unhealthy way works too. Accept a fate point, describe
how you’re engaging in the vice defined by your decompression aspect, watch
your stress melt away, and describe how it gets you into trouble. 179
ENGAGEMENTS
An engagement consists of four phases: Detection, Maneuver, Action, and End of Round.

DETECTION PHASE
Determine whether any ships are undetected going into combat.
Every pilot and the GM roll overcome actions with Technology. Look at where the GM’s
result falls in the range of player results.
∂∂ GM beats highest player: 1 GM ship (or flight) is undetected (w/ style = all GM’s ships)
∂∂ GM between highest and lowest player (including ties): Nobody undetected
∂∂ Lowest player beats GM: 1 PC-piloted ship is undetected (w/ style = all PC-piloted ships)

MANEUVER PHASE
Establish which pilots have advantage over others, enabling them to attack. If you want
to concede or attempt to disengage, this is the time.
If this is the first maneuver phase of the engagement, place a marker representing your
ship on the maneuver chart like so (the GM does this for their ships too):
∂∂ If you are undetected, place your ship in the Undetected section.
∂∂ If your ship is a capital ship, a cargo ship, passenger liner, or any other sort of big
ship, place it in Special.
∂∂ Otherwise, perform an overcome action with Tactics. Place the marker representing
your ship on that number (or lower, if you wish).
If this is the second or later maneuver phase of the engagement, place a marker rep-
resenting your ship on the maneuver chart like so (the GM does this for their ships too):
∂∂ If you were on someone’s tail and no longer are (the target was destroyed, the target
shook you off, or you chose to break off), perform an overcome action with Tactics
as if it were the first maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you shook someone off your tail last phase, perform an overcome action with Tactics
as if it were the first maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you are currently in the Undetected slot of the maneuver chart, perform an overcome
action with Tactics as if it were the first maneuver phase.
∂∂ If you were in Special last turn because you were switching zones, perform an over-
come action with Tactics as if it were the first maneuver phase but in the new zone.
∂∂ If you choose to bug out, place your ship in Special.
∂∂ If you choose to switch zones, place your ship in Special.
∂∂ Otherwise, stay where you are on the maneuver chart based on the end of round
phase of the previous round.

ACTION PHASE
Make attacks, create advantages, and perform all sorts of other actions.
The pilot of the ship highest on the maneuver chart who hasn’t yet gone this round goes
next. On your turn, take two actions from the list of available actions: Step 1 and Step 2 (see
next page). Play then passes to the next highest ship on the maneuver chart that hasn’t
yet gone this round. Once all ships take a turn in the action phase, the phase is complete.

END OF ROUND
Degrade your maneuver chart position (slide your ship down one slot) unless an action,
stunt, etc. says you should not. Then, return to the maneuver phase. Repeat the cycle of
maneuver-action-end until one side is destroyed or disengages.
ACTIONS IN THE ACTION PHASE
For all actions, attack with Gunnery and defend with Pilot unless you use a stunt or modular
equipment that specifies otherwise.

ATTACK ACTIONS
∂∂ Desperate attack (full phase): Spend a fate point to climb two slots on the maneuver
chart, then attack a ship at or below your new slot. Acquire Easy Target.
∂∂ Large target strike (full phase): Attack a large target.
∂∂ On their tail (full phase): Position yourself in the slot directly above your target on
the maneuver chart. Attack your target with a +2 bonus to your attack roll, increasing
by +1 each round.
∂∂ Snap shot (Step 1): Attack a ship at your level or below on the maneuver chart.

NON-ATTACK ACTIONS
∂∂ Create an advantage or overcome (Step 1 or Step 2): As standard Fate Core actions.
∂∂ Push (Step 2): Overcome action, Pilot vs. Pilot. If aggressor wins, they push defender
down the maneuver chart.
∂∂ Repair (Step 2): Overcome action with Technology vs. Fair (+2) to clear one damage
instance.
∂∂ Rescue (full phase): Pick up a stranded pilot.
∂∂ Shake off a tail (full phase): Overcome action, Tactics vs. Tactics. If successful, both
reposition in next maneuver phase.
∂∂ Switch zones (Step 2): If in Special maneuver slot, switch to a new zone.
∂∂ Tactical refocus (Step 2): Overcome action with Tactics. Position your ship at or
below result on maneuver chart. Do not degrade.
∂∂ Thin out the swarm (Step 1 or Step 2): Overcome action with Gunnery (or another
skill if specified) vs. Pilot of defending ships. Eliminate swarm aspect(s) if successful.
 MANEUVER CHART
UNDETECTED

+9

+8

+7

+6

+5

+4

+3

+2

+1

–1

–2

–3

SPECIAL
SF-46 D “BLACKFISH” STARFIGHTER PILOT
STANDARD FEATURES SYSTEM DAMAGE
Aspect: old But reliABle Roll 1dF to mitigate 2 shifts and SHIELDS [1][1][1]
Well Armed: Gain Weapon:1 to Gunnery attacks. check off a box in the appropriate
Automated Ejection System: See page 46. section below.
+ Computer System Damage
ENGAGEMENT BONUSES
[2] Minimize 1 die on Technology actions
[]DETECTION []MANEUVER [2] Minimize 1 die on Gunnery actions
[2] Sensors and targeting systems offline:
[]DEFEND []ATTACK Minimize 1 die on Technology and Gunnery actions,
shots in the dArk
[] Flash fire! Punch out!
EQUIPMENT BAY 1 EQUIPMENT BAY 2
0 Propulsion System Damage
[2] Minimize 1 die on Tactics actions
[2] Minimize 1 die on Pilot actions
[2] Critical damage to drives:
Minimize 1 die on Tactics and Pilot actions,
drives reAdy to give out
[] Catastrophic explosion! Punch out!
- Critical Systems Damage
[2] liFe support dAmAged
[2] Cockpit hit, pilot sustains damage equal to the
amount the ship sustained in this hit
[] Structural disintegration! Punch out!
TACHYON SQUADRON NAME CALLSIGN PLAYER
ASPECTS SPACEFARING SKILLS
HIGH CONCEPT
DECOMPRESSION
[]GUNNERY []TACTICS
POSITIVE
[]PILOT []TECHNOLOGY
NEGATIVE
PHYSICAL SKILLS
RELATIONSHIP
RELATIONSHIP
[]ATHLETICS []SHOOT
ADDITIONAL ASPECT []FIGHT []SNEAK
STUNTS GEAR or PERSONAL []NOTICE
SOCIAL SKILLS
[]DISCIPLINE []PROVOKE
[]EMPATHY []RAPPORT
[]INVESTIGATE
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
MILD (-2)
STRESS [1][1][1][1][1]
MODERATE (-4)
SEVERE (-6)