Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.
Hey folks, it’s been a while. I’m all done with a bit of an adventure and am excited to get back to blogging. Thankfully, the Gamer Nation Blog is more than healthy enough to have hummed along fantastically during my absence. Kim Frandsen in particular has been putting out some great content on my usual day. Even when I’ve been too busy to write, I’ve had a few minutes to check out the awesome Finding the Path series. Thanks, Kim!
Today I return to my quest, as GM Chris refers to it, to build up a hearty collection of fan generated statblocks. It is back to The Old Republic with the Trooper’s starship, the BT-7 Thunderclap! I went back and forth on the Silhouette for the Thunderclap. This ship is pretty massive at 96 x 61 x 80 metres, but is equipped with large engines and handles like a heavy fighter in The Old Republic‘s Star Fox style rail shooter space segments. Add in the fact all weapons are forward facing and that put me over the top into picking Silhouette 4. I’ve tanked the Handling as a partial balance, however, going for a sluggish Silhouette 4 instead of an agile Silhouette 5.
If you are looking for more The Old Republic spacecraft goodness, then you can check out my stats for the X-70B Phantom-class of Imperial Agent fame.
BT-7 Thunderclap Rapid Assault Craft
A rapid assault craft designed primarily for use by Republic Special Forces, the BT-7 Thunderclap is a powerful vessel capable of simultaneously filling several roles. Powerful engines and front facing weapons allowed the Thundeclap to fly and fight as a very heavy fighter, despite its size. Designed to operate as a mobile base of operations for a small strike team, the Thunderclap was outfitted to provide command and control, medical support, a sizable cargo bay, and an armory, all within a heavily armed and armored package. These functions could support a force larger than the strike team generally assigned to a Thunderclap making the craft ideal for Republic Special Forces operating as advisors/mentors to indigenous forces. Modular structures and equipment could even be slaved to the BT-7’s computers, power plant, and comms array. This allowed the craft to serve as the core of a larger base. Some within the traditional element of the Republic military criticized the Thunderclap as a spacecraft as schizophrenic in design, taking on too many roles for a craft of its size. Specialized craft could outperform the Thunderclap in any area, but no Republic craft offered this level of versatility and survivability in one self-contained package. As a result, the Thunderclap was well-loved by the Republic Special Forces teams for which it was originally designed.
Sil 4; Speed 4; Handling -2; Def 2/-/-/2 Armor 4
Hull Trauma 35; System Strain 20
Hull Type/Class: Rapid Assault Craft/BT-7 Thunderclap.
Manufacturer: Rendili Hyperworks.
Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 1, Backup: Class 12.
Navicomputer: Yes.
Sensor Range: Short.
Crew: One pilot, one copilot, one navigator, up to four systems operators (bridge has four configurable stations with multi-function displays).
Encumbrance Capacity: 80.
Passenger Capacity: 6.
Consumables: Two months.
Price/Rarity: 310,000 credits (R) / 8
Customization Hard Points: 2.
Weapons: Triple wing-mounted heavy laser cannons (Fire Arc Forward; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Short]; Linked 2), multi-tube concussion missile launcher (Fire Arc Forward; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Short]; Blast 4, Breach 4, Guided 3, Limited Ammo 24, Linked 3, Slow-Firing 1).
Special Equipment: The following attachments are included standard and do not count towards the listed Customization Hard Points: Advanced Targeting Array (Upgrades Gunnery checks when firing the ship’s weapons by one.), Briefing Auditorium (Characters briefed in this auditorium prior to a mission remove 1 Setback due to known mission conditions from skill checks for the duration of the mission. [LbE pg. 58])
Additional Rules: Blaster deflection hull plating (Critical Hits caused by blasters or similar energy weapons are rolled at -20 on the Critical Hit chart.)
Christopher Hunt
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I feel like this is too many specials for a stock vessel. The holo-table is probably aftermarket, and I’d pick either the ATA or the hull plating but not both. (Probably the plating.)
Since the auditorium is usually a Sil 5+ attachment, I think this might should have been an agile 5 instead. Sorry…
I always appreciate constructive feedback, and that’s the sort you always leave :). No need to apologize at all.
As stated I was definitely the fence on the Silhouette, but I am pretty confident on both ATA and Hull Plating as they seem to be standard from TOR’s flavour text. The interesting thing with how these ships “handle” is that of course all the player ships in TOR handle basically the same in “Star Fox” mode, haha.
Thanks for your commentary!
HOLY COW is that thing huge! I hadn’t really processed the size relative to the Falcon, but I think this is well into Sil 5 territory on dimensions alone. Which kinda makes me question the measurements — it didn’t look that massive in TOR — but if that’s the official numbers…
I don’t see where it’s said to have a superior targeting system. The armor is talked up plenty, but I only see its weapons called out for being heavy lasers. (I looked on Wookieepedia and the TOR Holonet.)
Yeah those dimensions don’t make much sense to me. Everything is a bit wonky in game though, because of the need to accommodate the camera in a WOW-style MMO. Ship interiors are some of the most egregious offenders in that game for being too large.
The in-game codex apparently (full disclosure: from a wiki, I didn’t boot up SWTOR to check) states, “State-of-the-art tactical computers and targeting systems ensure every shot counts.” Regarding the concs, I put those in as every player ship has them for the “Star Fox” missions – your mileage may vary on how much Gameplay and Story Segregation should be in effect.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GameplayAndStorySegregation
Ah, well… I’m sure the specific ship you fly in the game DOES have all those upgrades, but that’s Havoc Squad’s private party bus.
Integral attachments kind of suggest they’re so bound to the ship they simply can’t be replaced or downgraded; I’d prefer to say the ships rolling off the line have some baseline stats, and the Republic installs a preferred set of attachments, like the holo-table, before deploying them with Special Forces. That way it doesn’t preclude fitting one out with a different loadout for other missions.
Hah, yes, the SWTOR ships are kind of crazy big. Even with the largest character models, the doorways are nearly twice as tall as you, and the rooms are just cavernous. Those ships must have 12-foot doors and 18-foot ceilings, most of ’em.
And they’re all TARDISes, too. Using running speed to measure, most of the ship models are at least 20% bigger inside than outside.
Or maybe there’s a matter compression field on the door, so you shrink as you go inside! EVER THINK OF THAT?!