Pilot Ejection Table - For those who want some risk in their game!

Captain Breton

Captain Breton
:) I recall there was this mech-game on Xbox (-humongous Controller!-) Steel Batallion that had a system pretty much like that.
Your mech could die, and if you didn't get out? You'd have to start all over again.

If you did get out ,you would get a new chance in a new (though I don't know if it was as good as the one you lost) Vertical Tank / VT
 

xDreadnoughtx

X
Bag of die long gone. Last paper RPG played.... space master....around 1993 I reckon. Still have all the guides and occasionally have a retrospective laugh at the 66 entries. Sold my original 70's D&D stuff for a good amount 2 months ago. Mint.

Good luck, and I know this will work for some, but when/if iron man mode is introduced and extra commander slot available, and no bug/glitch death is possible, I will start a true 0 or 1 character up. I really don't want a self imposed system and randomised outcomes of this type are not for me.

Cheers
 

Jordan Cobalt

Jordan Cobalt
I love it, I definitely have to bookmark this for my next cmdr.

One thing to add would be a negative modifier for death by life support failure. Your suit and escape pod probably use the same life support oxygen, if you use it up, that doesn't bode well for your rescue chances.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
Jordan Cobalt said:
I love it, I definitely have to bookmark this for my next cmdr.

One thing to add would be a negative modifier for death by life support failure. Your suit and escape pod probably use the same life support oxygen, if you use it up, that doesn't bode well for your rescue chances.
Click to expand...

I've added Life Support in now and modified the other tables and examples to take it into account. The way I see it, the best Life Support would only give a slight advantage on the table, and the lower ones would actually hurt your chances (makes sense, NOBODY thinks 5 minutes of oxygen is enough, good indicator of overall quality). An extra incentive to upgrade that LS system ASAP ;)

I don't see a need to add a negative for death by running out of oxygen, though. That's a separate feature of the overall life support system package. The way I see it, you don't actually use oxygen once ejected, you're in a kind of "stasis" - unconscious with no vital signs but preserved and able to be resuscitated.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
I think the chart has reached an ideal level of complexity now, but by all means feel free to suggest anything you think might be missing, either in terms of categories or .

Also, if you think the numbers need to be tweaked for any reason, let me know.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
I'm thinking regarding Location of Crash that "Within 10LY of Capital System (Sol, Alioth, Achenar) +1" would be better than "Inside Capital System (Sol, Alioth, Achenar) +1"

Three planets out of all the central faction worlds is a bit on the sparse side, and you'd figure they'd have heavier safety presence in the systems immediately surrounding the capitals anyway.

I'd say "one jump" but that's a highly subjective term as ships can be anywhere from 4 to 40LY depending on their kit.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
Unless anyone has further suggestions I'm just cleaning up the page and adding some Elite concept pictures to make it pretty ;) Remember to share the link with anyone talking about IronMan in case this might be something they'd like to try out :)
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
I received a good suggestion regarding Discovery Scanners, and the fact that having one might also be a factor to taken into account, so I added this bit to the main entry:

DISCOVERY SCANNER (within unpopulated systems only)
Exploring and surveying can be a dangerous thing, and no amount of life support or stasis fields will help if you're never found. That's why Discovery Scanners are designed to emit an SOS "pulse" during an ejection sequence, alerting Search and Rescue as to the system the accident happened. This pulse effectively fries the scanner (not that you needed it anymore anyway). Obviously the further out you are, the less likely a rescue is going to happen, but explorers all alone in the deep dark no doubt appreciate the extra bit of hope. In populated systems, however, this pulse provides no extra benefit (given the number of other ships also sending out distress signals).
Basic Discovery Scanner +1
Intermediate Discovery Scanner +2
Advanced Discovery Scanner +3
(Don't forget the modifiers for unpopulated systems under Location of Crash)
 
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mossfoot

mossfoot
Updated intro. Further tweaks, such as being in a Resource Extraction Site into account (+2 if other miners present), crashing into an asteroid or old debris (+0), and adding a degree of range outside of populated space (25+ LY from populated systems -2). More cleanup of text.

By the way, if anyone wants to turn this into some kind of web-based resource, where people can click the various drop-down menus to input their situation and press "Eject!" as a button and be given a result (thus removing the need for a d20 altogether) let me know.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
A request for those of you who have said you'd use this table next time you eject, maybe you could post your results here, so we can see what happens with other pilots, share the highs and lows that come of it?

Me, I just used it this past week. Was in a skirmish at a Low Intensity Conflict Zone (+2) with Class B Life Support (+2) in a populated system between planets (+1), but in an independent system (-1).

Not that it mattered, 'cause I rolled a Natural 20. Hoody Hoo! (gamers might recognize that cry from Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine) ;)
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
Midgardsormr said:
Ha! I was going to make a SpaceMaster reference, myself. Maybe convert the table to percentiles and add an amusing critical table like ICE used to do.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the ICE critical tables were cute, but you don't want to make it TOO complicated. At a certain point it just gets intimidating. ;)
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
I think the single most depressing thing I've come across in this thread is the number of references of people "digging up" their old dice. So many messages where I can't help but picture dice and books gathering dust in a closet, alone and unloved... Daymn, I'd have thought there'd be SOME current roleplayers in the Elite forums! I still sling dice every couple weeks ;)
 

Midgardsormr

M
Alas, I don't get to play often, but even so I'm only three steps away from my Traveller book and I have a box of d6's within arm's reach. I'm trying to badger my boss into letting me run a game in the conference room after hours, though.
 
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