TEXT: elcome to STAR WARS Silent Death, a
  ship-to-ship combat game based on
  the Silent Death mechanics created by Iron
  Crown Enterprises and owned by Mythic
  Entertainment, Inc. The following is a con-
  densed version of the Silent Death game,
  with rules for playing out battles between
  X-Wings,TIE fighters, and other ships in
  the Rebellion era. Although this is a stand-
  alone game, feel free to use the rules, ship
  displays, and poster-sized battle mat to
  play out complex starfighter battles in the
  STAR WARS Roleplaying Game.
  To play this game, you will need a set of
  polyhedral dice.You also have permission to
  photocopy the various Ship Displays and
  Ship Tokens for home game use only.
  Enjoy these rules, grab your favorite fight-
  ers, and may the Force be with you!
  Ship Display
  Every ship in the game has its own unique
  Ship Display detailing the ship’s systems,
  cost, weapons, crew, and resilience to dam-
  age. Let’s look at the Ship Display in greater
  detail.
  BPV/TPV
  At the top of the Ship Display can be
  found the ship’s type (X-wing, Y-wing, or
  whatever) and BPV. The BPV is the ship’s
  Basic Point Value: the point cost of the
  ship without any crewmembers added.
  Inside the Ship Display is a box labeled
  TPV, or Total Point Value.The TPV is the BPV
  of the ship, plus the sum of all of the crew’s
  skill levels.TPV is used to create balanced
  forces on opposing sides of a battle.
  Crew Boxes
  Every ship requires crew. How many
  crewmembers and how skilled they are can
  be found in the Crew Boxes. All pilots and
  gunners are rated by skill levels which range
  from 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest). Each
  pilot has a Piloting skill level (Plt) and a
  Gunnery skill level (Gnr), while each gunner
  has only a Gunnery skill level.
  Each ship requires a pilot and possibly
  one or more gunners to staff it. Pilot and
  gunner skill levels are either set by a given
  scenario or purchased for a point cost when
  designing your own scenarios.
  Example: The Y-Wing has both a Pilot and
  a Gunner, as indicated in the Crew Boxes.
  Crew Skills
  A ship’s Tight Turn cost shows how well it
  can perform radical maneuvers.This is
  based on the pilot’s Piloting skill, with a
  higher skill level indicating a smaller die.
  Underneath the big hex on the Ship Display,
  you’ll see the words Tight Turn Cost and a
  blank line followed by “+3.”Find the pilot’s
  Piloting skill on the “Skill Level Table”below
  and write the pilot’s Tight Turn Cost die on
  the blank line in the Ship Display.
  The Attack Die Bonus (ADB) is an extra
  die that each weapon gets to use when fir-
  ing.The bigger the die, the larger the poten-
  tial bonus.Which die rolled is determined
  by the Gunnery Skill of the crewmember fir-
  ing that weapon. A higher Gunnery skill
  provides a bigger ADB. Find the pilot’s or
  gunner’s Gunnery skill on the “Skill Level
  Table”and write the
  ADB die in the appropri-
  ate blank on the Ship
  Display (either in the
  Pilot Weapon or Gunner
  Weapon box).
  Hitting and damaging
  with weapons is
  detailed in the Weapons
  section.The Skill Level
  Table shows which ADB
  to use based on the
  Gunnery skill level.
  The Skill Level Table below shows which
  die to use for Tight Turn Costs and ADBs.
  Drive
  A ship’s Drive is located in a box at the bot-
  tom of the Ship Display’s central hex.The
  Drive of a ship represents how much engine
  power is available.The higher the number,
  the more powerful the ship’s engine. As a
  ship gets damaged, its Drive is reduced.
  How to use a ship’s Drive is discussed
  below under Movement.
  Example: The Y-Wing’s Drive, 12, is located
  at the bottom of the central hex.
  Defensive Value
  Found in the upper left corner of the central
  hex on the Ship Display, the Defensive Value
  (DV) indicates how difficult a ship is to hit.
  The Defensive Value represents the nimble-
  ness of the ship and the strength of its hull.
  The higher the Defensive Value, the more
  difficult the ship is to hit with a weapon.
  The Defensive Value is the basic number an
  attacking ship needs to roll to hit the ship. If
  the total roll is less than the ship’s DV, the
  attack misses. Defensive Value usually only
  decreases due to Critical Hits.
  Example: The Y-Wing’s Defensive Value,
  located in the upper left corner of the cen-
  tral hex on the Y-Wing’s Ship Display, is 14.
  70
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  B Y  E R I K  A . D E W E Y
  Dogfighting Using the Silent Death Rules
  Skill Level Table
  Piloting Skill
  Tight Turn Cost
  Gunnery Skill
  ADB
  1
  1d10
  1
  1d4
  2
  1d10
  2
  1d4
  3
  1d8
  3
  1d4
  4
  1d8
  4
  1d4
  5
  1d6
  5
  1d6
  6
  1d6
  6
  1d6
  7
  1d4
  7
  1d8
  8
  1d4
  8
  1d8
  9
  1d4
  9
  1d10
  10
  1d4
  10
  1d10
  W
  
  Damage Reduction
  This is found in the upper right corner of the
  central hex on the Ship Display. Damage
  Reduction (DR) gauges how heavily
  armored or shielded a ship is. Any damage
  done to a ship is reduced by Damage
  Reduction before it is applied;thus it is pos-
  sible for a ship to be hit but sustain no dam-
  age. As a ship sustains damage greater than
  its current Damage Reduction, the Damage
  Reduction value drops.
  Example: The Y-Wing’s DR, located in the
  upper right corner of the central hex on
  the Y-Wing’s Ship Display, is 3.
  Weapons
  The weapons boxes are found scattered
  around the SHip Display. Each weapon box
  represents a separate weapon mount that
  can be used.The weapon box itself contains
  all the information needed to fire the
  weapon mount.
  The first line of a weapon box indicates
  which crew position may fire the weapon
  (either Pilot or Gunner). Only that crew-
  member can fire that weapon. If something
  happens to that crewmember, the weapon
  cannot be fired.
  The second line indicates the number and
  type of weapon. A single mount can house
  multiple barrels of the same weapon.When
  this occurs, the gunner has the option of fir-
  ing each barrel individually or linking the
  cannons together.When linked, the entire
  mount receives a bonus to-hit and damage
  depending on the number and type of
  weapons mounted. For example, twin Laser
  Cannons receive a +1 to-hit and damage.
  When firing a linked weapon, only one die
  roll is made for each link. For example, if an
  X-Wing is firing its four Laser Cannons all
  linked together, then only one roll is made
  at +3 to-hit and damage; if all four cannons
  were fired separately, four separate rolls
  would be made, each receiving no bonus to-
  hit or damage. If the X-Wing fired the can-
  nons linked two by two, then two rolls
  would be made, each with a bonus of +1 to-
  hit and damage.The decision to link a
  weapon must be made before any dice are
  rolled but can change from turn to turn.
  Also on the second line is the weapon’s
  firing arc, found in parentheses after the
  weapon name. A ship cannot fire a weapon
  at a ship outside the weapon’s designated
  firing arc.The available firing arcs
  are Front (F), Front Quarter Left
  (FQL), Front Quarter Right (FQR),
  Rear Quarter Right (RQR), Rear
  Quarter Left (RQL), Rear (R), and All
  Around (360°).These locations are
  marked around the central hex on
  each of the Ship Displays to help you
  remember which hexside is which.
  Each firing arc is a 60° cone that
  extends out of a side of the vessel’s
  hex in the direction indicated.The
  arc covers all hexes between the
  cone’s outer lines, as well as any hexes that
  the line crosses into.
  The one exception is the All Around firing
  arc (360°), which allows a weapon to fire in
  any direction. A weapon system that lists
  two or more firing arc codes can fire into
  any of the listed arcs. Pilot-mounted
  weapons only have a firing arc of Front (F).
  Example: The Y-Wing has two weapon
  sytems installed.The Pilot fires a twin Laser
  Cannon while the Gunner fires a twin Ion
  Cannon.The Gunner’s weapon has a firing
  arc of 360°.
  The third line in the weapon box is the To
  Hit indicator. Every weapon has two dice it
  rolls, plus the ADB.These three dice are
  totaled with any applicable bonuses to see
  whether the weapon hits. If the total result
  is equal to or greater than the target ship’s
  Defensive Value, a hit is scored; otherwise
  the shot misses.
  Example: A Y-Wing pilot with a Gunnery
  skill of 3 (ADB: 1d4) fires the ship’s twin
  Laser Cannon at an enemy ship. The pilot
  decides not to link the weapon, firing
  twice instead. For each attack, the pilot
  rolls 2d8 + 1d4 (ADB).
  The next line in the weapon box is the
  Damage indicator.The words (Low, Medium,
  or High) indicate which die (or dice) to
  count when determining damage.There
  can be bonuses to damage based on the
  number and type of the weapon.
  The #D# format tells a player which dice
  to roll and how many.Thus, 2D6 means roll
  two six-sided dice, and 1D8 means roll one
  eight-sided die. Occasionally, a modifier on
  the end of the formula adds to or subtracts
  from the total. For example, 3D8+4 means
  roll three eight-sided dice and add four to
  STAR WARS GAMER   71
  Silent but Deadly
  Firing Arcs
  Forward
  Rear
  Front
  Quarter
  Left
  Front
  Quarter
  Right
  Rear
  Quarter
  Left
  Rear
  Quarter
  Right
  
  the result.“Low”
  means take the
  lowest number result,“Medium”means
  take the middle result, and “High”means
  take the highest result. If the dice come up
  with doubles, add them together if the
  damage is Low and they are the low num-
  bers, same if the doubles are High and the
  damage is High. If the player rolls doubles
  with Medium, then use the High result.
  The next line indicates the range modifi-
  cations of the weapon.This is broken into
  three sections: short, medium, and long
  range.The numbers indicate how many
  hexes away the target can be and still lay in
  the indicated range. For example, a Laser
  Cannon has a range of 3/9/10; a target
  within 3 hexes is in short range; a target
  within 4 to 9 hexes is in medium range; and
  a target 10 hexes away is in long range. Any
  ship more than 10 hexes away cannot be
  targeted. If a target ship is in short range,
  the to-hit roll is modified by +1, while if the
  target ship is in long range, the to-hit roll is
  modified by –1.There is no modifier if the
  target ship is in medium range.
  Warheads
  Some Ship Displays have Proton Torpedoes
  or Concussion Missiles.These weapons are
  collectively called warheads.These are self-
  guided weapons that maneuver on the
  board and attempt to impact with targets.
  Each circle or pip indicates a single torpedo
  or missile, which is marked off every time
  one is fired.
  Players with warheads may launch one or
  more at any target at any range, as long as
  the target is in the firing ship’s front arc. All
  warhead launches are simultaneous, and all
  targets must be openly declared after
  launch decisions are made.
  Any living, undazed crewmember may
  fire a warhead.
  When you fire a warhead, place the
  appropriate warhead figure on the map in
  the firing vessel’s hex. It must face the
  same direction as the ship. During all sub-
  sequent Movement Phases, the warhead
  moves toward its designated target. A
  Proton Torpedo has a Drive of 12, and a
  Concussion Missile has a Drive of 14. A
  warhead remains on the board until it is
  either destroyed, dodged, or detonates.
  Example: The Y-Wing carries six Proton
  Torpedoes.
  Damage Track
  At the bottom of the Ship Display, below
  the ship’s Drive, is the Damage Track. Each
  type of ship has a unique Damage Track. As
  the ship takes hits, mark off boxes on its
  Damage Track, starting at the top left corner
  of the track, moving left to right.
  As hits are marked off on the Damage
  Track, a ship’s performance deteriorates.
  Special damage symbols and numbers are
  used in the Damage Track boxes to indicate
  exactly what happens.The various results
  are cumulative and take full effect as soon
  as they are inflicted. Below is a summary of
  the special damage symbols and what
  effects they represent.
  Damage Track Codes
  : Reduce the ship’s current Drive number
  to the highest unmarked boxed number
  currently on the Damage Track.
  : Reduce the ship’s Damage Reduction to
  the highest, unmarked diamond value
  currently on the Damage Track.
  w: Eliminate a weapon system of the
  defender’s choice.
  W: Eliminate a weapon system of the
  attacker’s choice.
  t: Eliminate one remaining warhead.
  *: Roll 2d6 on the ship’s Critical Hits Table.
  Apply the damage effect immediately.
  X: This is the last box on the damage track.
  If it is marked off, the ship is destroyed
  and removed from the map.
  Critical Hits Table
  On the far right of the Ship Display is the
  ship’s Critical Hits Table.Whenever an aster-
  isk (*) is marked off of the Damage Track,
  the attacker needs to roll on the Critical Hits
  Table. Any effect is applied immediately. If a
  ship has all of its crew members killed from
  critical hits, but the ship is not destroyed, it
  remains on the map.
  Below the Critical Hits Table on some of
  the Ship Displays are additional damage
  notes for certain weapons.
  Sequence of Play
  Each turn is broken down into five parts,
  called phases. The activities of each phase
  should be finished before moving on to
  the next phase.When all the phases of a
  turn are completed, a new turn begins and
  the procedure is repeated until the game
  is over. The activities performed in the var-
  ious phases are described in the following
  sections.
  1. Warhead Launch Phase
  There are two types of weapons: cannons
  and warheads. Cannons include various
  72
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  Dice
  Roll
  Result
  3D8 Low
  2, 4, 6
  2
  3D8 Medium
  2, 4, 6
  4
  3D8 High
  2, 4, 6
  6
  3d6 Low
  3, 3, 5
  6 (3 + 3)
  3d6 Medium
  3, 3, 5
  5 (becomes High)
  3d6 High
  3, 5, 5
  10 (5 + 5)
  Turn Sequence
  1.Warhead Launch Phase
  2. Movement Phase
  3.Warhead Result Phase
  4. Cannon Fire Phase
  5. Damage Control Phase
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   73
  types of Laser Cannons, Blasters, Ion
  Cannons, and other direct fire weapons,
  while warheads include Proton Torpedoes
  and Concussion Missiles.
  Most cannons can fire continuously
  throughout the game; warheads, on the
  other hand, are used up as they are fired.
  Their entries on the Ship Display should be
  marked off as they are expended.
  Players with warheads may launch one or
  more at any target at any range, as long as
  the target is in the firing ship’s front arc. All
  warhead launches are simultaneous, and
  targets must be openly declared after all
  launch decisions are made.
  Any living, undazed crew member can
  fire a warhead.
  When you fire a warhead, mark off that
  warhead’s pip on your Ship Display.Then
  write down the target right next to the pip.
  This will help you keep track of which war-
  head is going after which ship.
  Warhead Tokens
  The cut-out tokens at the end of this arti-
  cle include tokens for Proton Torpedoes
  and Concussion Missiles. Place these on
  your Ship Display so you know which war-
  heads the ship carries.
  When you fire a warhead, place that war-
  head’s token on the map in the firing ves-
  sel’s hex, facing in the same direction as
  your ship. If you are firing multiple war-
  heads, it might help to number them, so
  that you remember which is which.
  During all subsequent Movement Phases,
  a warhead moves toward its designated tar-
  get, using 12 movement points per turn if it
  is a Proton Torpedo and 14 movement points
  per turn if it is a Concussion Missile, until it
  is either destroyed, dodged, or detonates.
  A warhead moves immediately after its
  target. It pursues its target, always moving
  (hex by hex) so as to get closer to its quarry
  by the shortest path.The player who fired it
  determines the exact flight path of each
  warhead. See the Movement rules for how
  to move a warhead.
  Upon entering its target’s hex, a warhead
  ends its move and detonates.The target has
  a chance to dodge it, but if the dodge fails,
  the warhead damages its target. In either
  case, the warhead explodes and the war-
  head counter is removed at the end of the
  Warhead Results Phase.
  If, during its move, a
  ship enters the hex of a
  warhead that is tracking
  it, that warhead imme-
  diately detonates and
  resolves its damage. Do
  not wait for the
  Warhead Results Phase
  in this case.The target
  ship does not get to
  dodge.
  2. Movement Phase
  Each ship has a Drive
  number on its Ship
  Display (located at the
  bottom of the large cen-
  tral hex) that represents
  the maximum number
  of movement points the
  vessel has available to spend that turn of
  the game. As a ship takes damage, its Drive
  may be reduced. Note such changes right
  on the Ship Display.When the Drive number
  is reduced to zero, the vessel cannot move.
  Movement Order
  During the Movement Phase, all ships with
  a current Drive of zero do not count in the
  movement order.
  The movement of ships alternates
  between vessels on each side of the battle.
  To determine the order in which the ships
  move, the players roll for initiative at the
  start of each Movement Phase. Roll 1d10
  and add the Piloting skill of your best pilot
  on the map. In case of a tie, roll again.
  The player with the lowest result must
  move a ship first. Players then alternate
  moving ships until all ships have had a
  chance to move. If one side runs out of ships
  to move before the other side, the side with
  the extra vessels then completes the moves
  for all remaining ships.
  If there are uneven sides, things get a lit-
  tle more complicated. If one side has twice
  as many ships as another, it must move two
  ships at a time. If it has three times as many
  ships as another, it must move three ships
  at a time. If the number of vessels do not
  divide up evenly, the extra ships can be held
  back until their player’s last move.
  Note that the person who wins the initia-
  tive always gets to move the last ship, no
  matter what.
  Example:Player A’s highest Piloting skill is
  8,while Player B’s is 9.They both roll 1d10,
  with Player A rolling an 8 and Player B rolling
  a 5. Player A’s total is 16 and Player B’s is 14,so
  Player B must move a ship first. No matter
  how many ships each side has,Player A must
  wait until all of Player B’s ships have moved
  before moving his last ship.
  Movement
  Ships expend movement points to enter
  hexes and make turns on the map.When
  you move a ship, you can use as much of its
  Drive as you wish, from zero to the ship’s
  current Drive number. How fast the ship
  moved the pervious turn has no bearing at
  all. If available movement points are not
  spent during a Movement Phase, they are
  lost.They may not be transferred from one
  ship to another or saved from turn to turn.
  A ship must complete its entire move
  before another vessel can begin moving.
  There is no restriction on passing through
  hexes occupied by other ships, but a vessel
  cannot turn in a hex occupied by another
  ship nor end its move in a hex occupied by
  another ship.
  A ship expends 1 movement point to
  enter the hex immediately to its front, and
  it expends extra movement points to turn
  (change facing) in a hex. Ships cannot
  move backward or sideways.
  There are two types of turns:a normal
  turn and a tight turn. In either case,you can-
  not turn twice in a row (you must move for-
  
  74
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  ward between
  turns,no matter
  which type you happen to be making).
  Normal Turns
  A normal turn is a turn of one hexside in
  either direction from the ship’s present fac-
  ing, and it costs 3 movement points. If you
  want to turn more than one hexside at a
  time, you must perform a tight turn.
  If a vessel has a current Drive of less than
  3 (but greater than zero), it is allowed to
  turn one hexside as its sole action for the
  Movement Phase.This turn takes all of the
  ship’s movement to complete.
  Tight Turns
  A tight turn is any turn of more than one
  hexside at once. A tight turn costs 3 move-
  ment points plus the result of a random die
  roll, regardless of the number of hexsides
  turned.This modified random roll (called
  the Tight Turn Cost) is determined by the
  Piloting skill of the vessel’s pilot and can be
  found on the Skill Level Table.
  Example: A player with a TIE Interceptor
  wants to turn 180° to attack the X-Wing
  following him. The pilot’s Piloting skill is 5,
  so the player rolls 1d6 and adds 3 to deter-
  mine the cost of the Tight Turn. The player
  rolls a 2, for a total cost of 5. Assuming the
  TIE Interceptor has not suffered Drive loss
  due to damage, the player still has 13
  movement points remaining of the ship’s
  original 18.
  If a tight turn ends up costing more
  movement points than the ship has left this
  phase, the craft stalls, failing to execute the
  turn.The ship’s move ends immediately,
  leaving the vessel facing in the direction it
  was heading before it attempted to make
  the tight turn.
  Warhead Movement
  Whenever a ship or warhead completes it
  move, any warheads currently tracking it
  make their moves immediately before any
  other ships or warheads move. As explained
  in Warheads, they must spend their move-
  ment points to get to their targets by the
  shortest route possible.
  Every turn costs a warhead 3 movement
  points per hexside turned, but unlike ships,
  a warhead can turn an unlimited number
  times in a single hex.Warheads do not
  make Tight Turns; a 180° (or three hexside)
  turn, for example, would cost 9 movement
  points.
  3.Warhead Results Phase
  A warhead hits its target once it enters the
  target’s hex, unless the ship manages to
  dodge it.Warheads do not use the same
  Attack Dice procedure that cannons use.
  They simply explode when they get close
  enough to their targets. Still, warhead tar-
  gets can attempt to dodge during the
  Warhead Results Phase and thus avoid
  destruction.
  Dodging Warheads
  To dodge warheads, your ship must have a
  current Drive equal to or greater than 10. If
  so, roll:
  1d10 + Piloting skill – number of
  warheads detonating – 10
  The result of this roll is the number of war-
  heads the pilot dodges. If only some war-
  heads are dodged, Concussion Missiles are
  always dodged first.
  Example: A ship is targeted by two
  Concussion Missiles. During the Movement
  Phase, both warheads enter the ship’s hex.
  During the Warhead Results Phase, the pilot
  attempts to dodge the warheads.The player
  rolls 1d10, adds her pilot’s Piloting skill of 7,
  and subtracts the number of warheads
  attacking, which is 2. If the player rolls a 1,
  the modified result is 1 + 7 – 2 – 10 = –4. All
  the warheads hit. If the player rolls a 8, the
  modified result is 8 + 7 – 2 – 10 = 3, so up to
  three warheads are dodged.
  Warhead Hits
  When a ship fails to dodge a warhead,it is
  hit. Now it is time to check for damage. A
  Proton Torpedo does 3d12 damage,while a
  Concussion Missile does 1d12. All warhead
  attacks occur in the Warhead Results Phase
  and are considered simultaneous. If a target
  is hit by more than one warhead during a
  single Warhead Results Phase,resolve the
  damage as one combined attack.
  Example: A player rolls poorly and fails to
  dodge two Concussion Missiles tracking her
  ship.The two Concussion Missiles hit, each
  doing 1d12 points of damage. Her opponent
  rolls 2d12 and totals them, getting a 5 and 11.
  The total damage comes to 16. Smack!
  Damage
  Just because a ship is hit does not necessar-
  ily mean that it is damaged. Most ships have
  sheilds in addition to some sort of ablative
  armor to protect them against attacks.To
  reflect this,each ship has a Damage
  Reduction value.This appears in the upper
  right corner of the Ship Display’s central hex.
  Once the base amount of damage from
  an attack is determined, subtract the tar-
  get’s current Damage Reduction. Mark the
  remaining number of hits off of the target’s
  Damage Track. Note that due to Damage
  Reduction, some hits will actually fail to
  cause any damage.
  Example: A Proton Torpedo hits a TIE
  Fighter for 15 damage.The ship has a
  Damage Reduction of 1, so it “only”takes
  14 damage.
  Destroyed Ships
  When a ship is destroyed, remove it from
  the battle mat, as it no longer has any
  effect on the game. If a ship is not
  destroyed but all of its crew members have
  been killed, it should be left on the board.
  It can still prevent other ships from stop-
  ping or turning in its hex.
  Jamming Warheads
  To reflect the use of electronic countermea-
  sures, all vessels are capable of jamming
  warheads that are presently tracking them.
  At the end of the Warhead Results Phase—
  after all warhead detonations are
  resolved—each ship that currently has at
  least one warhead tracking it can attempt
  to prematurely detonate (“jam”) one of
  those warheads.
  To jam a warhead, the player selects a
  warhead tracking his or her ship and
  declares the jamming attempt. The player
  Standard Turn
  Tight Turn
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   75
  rolls 1d10; if the result is within the ship’s
  Jammer Range (as noted in the bottom
  right corner of the Ship Display), the war-
  head is jammed and immediately removed
  from the board. A ship can only jam a war-
  head that is tracking it, not a warhead that
  is tracking another craft. Jammed war-
  heads never do damage to any ship.
  Example: A player whose A-Wing is
  tracked by two Concussion Missiles chooses
  one of them to jam and rolls 1d10.The A-
  Wing’s Jammer Range is 1–2. John rolls a 3,
  so the Concussion Missile is not removed.
  4. Cannon Fire Phase
  All cannon weapon systems have various
  parameters that affect their range, damage
  potential, and targeting ability as noted on
  the Weapon box of every Ship Display. In the
  Weapon box on the Ship Display, each
  weapon mount is also given one or more
  firing arcs through which it can attack.The
  target of a weapon system must lie within
  that weapon system’s range and firing
  arc(s) in order to be attacked. Otherwise, the
  weapon cannot reach it.
  Each pilot and gunner can fire their
  assigned weapon system(s) every Cannon
  Fire Phase. Any crew members that
  launched a warhead during the Warhead
  Launch Phase can still fire a cannon weapon
  during this phase.
  Range Increments
  Each cannon has a Short, Medium, and
  Long Range increment. A target must lie
  within one of these range increments to
  be targeted. Attacks at Short Range have a
  +1 bonus to hit, and attacks at Long Range
  suffer a –1 penalty to hit.
  Intervening ships or warheads do not
  block shots from an attacker to a target.
  Attack Dice
  If a target is within a weapon system’s fir-
  ing arc and range, it can be attacked and
  damaged by the weapon.
  Attack dice are a unique form of combat
  resolution. One roll of the attack dice deter-
  mines whether or not a target is hit and,if
  so,how much damage the attack deals.To
  figure out whether an attack hits its target,
  add up the thrown dice. If the sum is equal
  to or greater than the target’s Defensive
  Value, then the attack hits.The weapon type
  used on the attack determines which of the
  attack dice are read for damage.
  The total attack dice roll for a cannon
  weapon system incorporates the Base
  Attack Dice listed for the weapon type on
  the Weapon Table and the Gunnery Attack
  Die Bonus (ADB) listed on the Skill Level
  Table. Other modifiers might apply as well.
  Example: An X-Wing and a TIE Fighter are
  in a dogfight.The X-Wing fires its quad
  Laser Cannons (all linked together) at the TIE
  Fighter.The Laser Cannons have a Base
  Attack Die of 2d8+3.The X-Wing’s Pilot has a
  Gunnery skill of 6, which has an ADB of 1d6,
  so the X-Wing rolls 2d8+1d6+3.The dice are
  thrown and come up 7, 4, and 4, for a total of
  18 (including the +3 bonus).The TIE Fighter’s
  Defensive Value is a 14.The X-Wing’s total is
  greater than or equal to the TIE Fighter’s
  Defensive Value, so the X-Wing’s quad Laser
  Cannons hit.
  Multiple Gun Weapon Systems
  Some cannon weapon systems contain more
  than one gun (for example, the Y-Wing’s
  twin Laser Cannons).When this occurs, the
  gunner has the option of firing each barrel
  individually or linking the cannons together.
  When linked, the entire mount receives a
  bonus to-hit and damage depending on the
  number and type of weapons mounted.
  When the cannons are fired unlinked,dice
  are thrown for each individual cannon
  attack. Linked cannons tend to hit more
  often,but sometimes do not deal as much
  damage as when they are fired individually.
  When firing a linked weapon,only one die
  roll is made for each link. For example,if an
  X-Wing is firing its four Laser Cannons all
  linked together, then only one roll is made at
  +3 to-hit and damage,whereas if all four
  cannons were fired separately, then four
  separate rolls would be made,each receiving
  no bonus to-hit or damage. If the X-Wing
  fired the cannons linked two by two, then
  two rolls would be made,each with a bonus
  of +1 to-hit and damage.The decision to link
  weapons must be made before any dice are
  rolled,but can change from turn to turn. All
  possible weapon link options are listed on
  the Ship Display in the weapon box.
  When eliminating a weapons system,
  you must remove the entire mount at once.
  It is impossible to simply eliminate a single
  cannon from a multiple weapon mount.
  Firing Order
  The order in which ships fire their cannons
  depends on the Gunnery skill of the various
  pilots and gunners firing them. Gunners
  with Gunnery skill 10 fire first. Gunners with
  Gunnery skill 9 fire next and so on until
  finally the gunners with Gunnery skill 1 fire.
  If opposing gunners have the same Gunnery
  skill, they resolve their fire simultaneously.
  After all eligible gunners have fired,pilots
  then trigger their weapons. Pilots resolve
  their fire in sequential order just as gunners
  do,based upon their Gunnery skill,moving
  from highest to lowest. No pilot can fire
  until all gunners have had a chance to fire.
  Note that attacks are resolved sequen-
  tially,with all damage from one attack tak-
  ing effect before the next vessel’s weapon
  system is fired.The only exception to this is
  when gunners or pilots with the same
  Gunnery value have their attacks resolved at
  the same time. Damage is then resolved
  simultaneously.
  Damaging the Target
  Each weapon type on the Weapon Table
  has an entry in the Damage column;
  either Low, Medium, High, or All. This
  entry indicates how to read attack dice
  that have hit their target to determine
  the base amount of damage done. The
  entries are defined as follows:
  Low: Damage equals the lowest number
  rolled. In case of ties, add all the low
  numbers together. If all three dice are
  the same, total them.
  Medium: Damage equals the middle
  number rolled. In case of ties (in which
  case there is no middle number), add
  the high numbers together. If all three
  dice are the same, total them.
  High: Damage equals the highest num-
  ber rolled. In case of ties, add all the
  high numbers together. If all three
  dice are the same, total them.
  All: Damage equals the total of all dice.
  When rolling multiple dice, this is the
  default method if no other is listed.
  
  76
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  Ion Cannons
  Ion Cannons are used to disable a ship
  rather than destroy it. They are slower to
  fire and not as accurate as Laser Cannons,
  but they can leave a valuable target float-
  ing in space rather than being blown to
  dust. An Ion Cannon does Medium dam-
  age, but the result is halved (round up).
  After subtracting Damage Reduction, the
  remaining damage marks only Drive and
  Weapon hits on the Damage Track. The X
  box in the damage track—the one signify-
  ing the destruction of the ship—is never
  marked from Ion Cannon fire. Damage
  from an Ion Cannon can be repaired nor-
  mally using Damage Control.
  Attacks Against Warheads
  A warhead can be attacked by other weapon
  systems, including other warheads.The
  Defensive Value of a warhead is 10, its
  Damage Reduction is 0, and it is destroyed
  when it takes 1 point of damage.
  Warheads attempting to dodge other
  warheads have a Piloting skill of 5 for pur-
  poses of dodging.
  5. Damage Control Phase
  Ships in the Star Wars universe all have sys-
  tems dedicated to repairing a ship during
  combat so that it can return to its base.
  These range from the automated repair sys-
  tems of a TIE Fighter to a full-fledged
  astromech in the X-Wing and Y-Wing.
  To attempt damage control, a player rolls
  1d10. If the roll falls into the ship’s Damage
  Control spread (as shown in the bottom
  right corner of its Ship Display), it gets back
  a number of boxes equal to your roll.
  Successful damage control restores the
  last boxes marked off on the vessel’s
  Damage Track. If these boxes contain spe-
  cial damage symbols, the effects of those
  hits are negated. The two exceptions to
  this are critical hits and lost warheads.
  When warheads are lost, they cannot be
  recovered. Critical hits are so severe as to
  be simply irreparable.
  Example: A Y-Wing has a Damage Control
  spread of 1–4. During the Damage Control
  Phase, the player attempts to repair his Y-
  Wing. He rolls 1d10 and gets a 3. He then can
  erase the marks off of the previous 3 boxes
  that were marked. If he had rolled higher
  than a 4, no boxes would be repaired.
  Optional Rules
  The following sections detail rules that can
  be added to the game as players see fit.
  They are each entirely optional.
  The incorporation of certain optional
  rules might better balance the play of sce-
  narios that seem to constantly favor one
  side over another.They also allow the game
  to be tailored to the players’own tastes.The
  more options used, the more complicated
  the game becomes. Keep this in mind when
  deciding which rules to use in your game.
  Before starting a scenario, players should
  agree among themselves which, if any,
  optional rules are going to be in effect.
  Time Limit
  Players are encouraged to enforce a time
  limit of 30 seconds for the movement of
  each ship. If at the end of 30 seconds a
  player has not completed a ship’s move,
  that ship must stop in the hex it’s currently
  in and retain its current facing.
  If the move would be an illegal one, the
  ship is returned to the hex and facing it had
  before it began its move.
  Drive 0 Turns
  Players can allow a ship with a Drive num-
  ber reduced to zero to change facing by one
  hexside per turn.This would represent the
  action of positioning thrusters used by
  ships during docking maneuvers. Allowing
  this option provides crippled ships with a
  minimal tactical option. Any Drive 0 turns
  must be performed at the beginning of the
  Movement Phase, before initiative is rolled.
  Note that ships with a Drive of zero still do
  not count as being able to take part in the
  movement order.
  Destroyed Ship Debris
  When a ship is destroyed, replace it with a
  marker signifying a debris field. Any ship or
  warhead that enters the hex sustains a 3D6
  Low attack.
  Sideslips
  A sideslip is a move that places a ship or
  warhead into its front left or front right
  hex, instead of the hex directly ahead. A
  sideslip costs 2 movement points to per-
  form. Forward movement, sideslips and
  turns can be combined in any desired
  manner, except that a ship cannot make 2
  sideslips in a row.
  Asteroids
  Battles within the depths of an asteroid
  field can be challenging and exciting.The
  following rules detail how to distribute
  asteroids on the playing surface, what hap-
  pens when an asteroid and a ship collide,
  and how asteroids affect attacks.
  When asteroids are used in a scenario,
  one player should take the number of aster-
  oid miniatures stated in the scenario (or 20,
  if it is unspecified) and, with eyes closed,
  sprinkle them over the playing surface from
  a height of about three feet. Place the aster-
  oids in the hexes they most fully land in,
  one per hex maximum. Alternatively, each
  player can take an even number of asteroids
  and take turns placing one on the map.
  Once the game begins, asteroids drift by,
  moving one hex per turn in a direction ran-
  domized at the beginning of the scenario;
  roll 1d6 to determine the direction in which
  all asteroids will drift throughout the game.
  Asteroids drift all at once, at the end of
  every turn. If, due to this drifting action, an
  asteroid drifts off the edge of the playing
  Sideslip
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   77
  surface, it reenters on the side of the map
  directly opposite.
  If a ship, during its Movement Phase,
  enters a hex with an asteroid, that ship
  immediately takes 10D12 points of damage.
  If a ship and an asteroid drift into each
  other, the ship takes 5d12 points of damage.
  Asteroid collisions immediately destroy
  launched warheads.
  Asteroids directly between an attacker
  and a target block cannon fire.To determine
  if the fire is blocked, draw an imaginary line
  from the center of the firer’s hex to the cen-
  ter of the target’s hex. If the line passes
  through any part of a hex containing an
  asteroid, the attack cannot be made. A fir-
  ing line that runs along the edge of a hex
  occupied by an asteroid is not blocked
  unless there are such edges on both sides of
  the line. If the firing line is blocked, the firer
  is free to select another target.
  Scenarios
  The following are three scenarios to help
  get players started.They are arranged in
  ascending order of difficulty.
  1. Patrolling the Depths of Space
  Location: Near the Dantooine System
  Background: Two Rebel A-Wings are flying
  a patrol around an abandoned Rebel
  base when three Imperial TIE Fighters
  jump them.
  Rebels (66 points):
  A-Wing A 
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 8)
  A-Wing B 
  Pilot (Plt 9, Gnr 5)
  Imperials (70 points):
  TIE Fighter A 
  Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 6)
  TIE Fighter B 
  Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 5)
  TIE Fighter C 
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 8)
  Setup: Divide the map in half.The Rebels
  place their ships first on one half of the
  map, on the edge, while the Imperials do
  the same on their half of the map.
  Victory Conditions: The Rebels can with-
  draw at any time, although this gives an
  Imperial victory. Otherwise, the side with
  the last ship left wins.
  2.The Liberation of Syruss
  Location: The Syruss System
  Background: A Rebel strike force is launched
  against an Imperial station.The Empire
  scrambles all of its available fighters to
  counter the attack.
  Rebels (181 points):
  Y-Wing
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 7)
  Gunner (Gnr 6)
  X-Wing A
  Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 5)
  X-Wing B
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 8)
  Imperials (185 points):
  TIE Fighter A
  Pilot (Plt 9, Gnr 5)
  TIE Fighter B
  Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 10)
  TIE Fighter C
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 7)
  TIE Fighter D
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 8)
  TIE Bomber A
  Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 4)
  TIE Bomber B
  Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6)
  Setup: The Rebels set up on one edge of the
  map; the Imperials can place their ships
  anywhere on their half of the map.The
  Imperials place their ships first.
  Victory Conditions: The Rebels win if the
  Y-Wing can exit the map on the
  Imperial side. The Empire wins if they
  destroy the Y-Wing.
  3. Dark Lord of the Sith
  Location: The Dantooine System
  Background: Darth Vader decides to take
  matters into his own hands and crush a
  Rebel outpost.
  Imperials (332 points):
  Vader’s TIE Adv.
  Pilot (Plt 10, Gnr 10)
  TIE Interceptor A
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 6)
  TIE Interceptor B
  Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 9)
  TIE Interceptor C
  Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 7)
  TIE Interceptor D
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 4)
  TIE Bomber A
  Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 5)
  TIE Bomber B
  Pilot (Plt 3, Gnr 5)
  TIE Fighter A
  Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 8)
  TIE Fighter B
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 4)
  TIE Fighter C
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 9)
  TIE Fighter D
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 6)
  Rebels (332 points):
  X-Wing A
  Pilot (Plt 9, Gnr 10)
  X-Wing B
  Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 7)
  Y-Wing A
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 6)
  Gunner (Gnr 8)
  A-Wing A
  Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 7)
  A-Wing B
  Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 7)
  B-Wing 
  Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 9)
  Setup: The Rebels set up anywhere on one
  half of the map; the Imperials can place
  their ships on their half of the map in
  the first three hex rows.The Rebels place
  their ships first.
  Victory Conditions: The Imperials win if
  they destroy every opponent; likewise
  the Rebels win if they destroy or rout the
  Imperials. Incidentally, if for some reason
  Vader’s TIE Advanced ship is destroyed,
  assume that Darth Vader ejected and
  successfully escapes capture by the
  Rebels. After all, he is the Dark Lord of
  the Sith!
  It’s Called Silent Death 
  for a Reason
  As you’ll learn after playing one or two
  games of Silent Death, combat is dangerous.
  The scale is such that a starship the heroes
  spent all their credits on could be space dust
  in the blink of an eye.While Silent Death
  isn’t meant to be an alternative to the star-
  ship combat system in the STAR WARS
  Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, you can
  adapt your heroes to fly in Silent Death. Here
  are some guidelines for doing so.
  Piloting and Gunnery Skills
  To convert your hero’s d20 statistics to Silent
  Death statistics, you first need to know two
  things: the hero’s Pilot skill and ranged
  attack bonus (as defined in the STAR WARS
  Roleplaying Game).
  An RPG hero’s Piloting skill is:
  Pilot skill bonus (including Dexterity and
  miscellaneous modifiers)/2 – 1
  An RPG hero’s Gunnery skill is:
  Ranged attack bonus 
  (including Dexterity and 
  miscellaneous modifiers)/2
  
  78
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  Piloting and Gunnery skills in Silent Death
  cannot be less than 1 or higher than 10.
  An RPG pilot without the Starship Dodge
  feat suffers an additional –2 penalty when
  dodging warheads aboard a starfighter (see
  the Warhead Results Phase). A similar
  penalty applies to pilots who fly YT-1300
  transports and similar ships without the
  Starship Dodge (space transports) feat.
  An RPG pilot or gunner without the
  Starship Operation (starfighter) feat suffers
  a –2 penalty to-hit with cannon weapons
  aboard a starfighter A similar penalty
  applies to pilots and gunners who attempt
  to fire cannons on YT-1300 transports and
  similar ships without the Starship
  Operation (space transports) feat.
  Injury and Death
  Crew members in Silent Death are not as
  important as heroes in the STAR WARS
  Roleplaying Game.When a ship is destroyed
  in Silent Death, its crew members are lost as
  well. Before placing your beloved roleplay-
  ing game heroes at such risk, consider the
  following changes:
  Critical Hits
  A pilot or gunner who is instantly “killed”by
  a critical hit is instead reduced to zero
  wound points.The hero must succeed at a
  Fortitude saving throw (DC 10) or die. Use
  the rules on page 131 of the Core Rulebook
  to determine whether the hero stablizes or
  continues dying.
  When a ship suffers a reactor hit due to a
  critical hit, it is destroyed. Allow the crew
  members aboard the ship a chance to eject
  safely. If a hero succeeds at a Reflex saving
  throw (DC 20), she ejects in the nick of time,
  loses all vitality points, and is fatigued (see
  page 131 of the Core Rulebook). Otherwise,
  assume that the hero is killed in the blast.
  Starship Destroyed
  When a starship is destroyed by crossing
  out the last box of its damage track, it is not
  necessarily gone.Typically it breaks up in a
  way that doesn’t prevent other ships from
  passing through the hex it once occupied. If
  the heroes onboard are not wearing protec-
  tive suits, they die. If they are, there is a
  chance they’ll be injured.
  Crossing out the last box of a starship’s
  damage track deals 3D8 points of wound
  damage to the ship’s crew members. All
  heroes (even unconcious or stunned ones)
  attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) to
  apply the damage to vitality instead. If the
  attempt fails by more than 10, the hero’s
  suit ruptures, leaving the character dead in
  1d10 rounds due to exposure to vacuum.
  YT-1300 Transport
  Below is a Silent Death Ship Display for that
  ever-popular hunk o’junk, the YT-1300
  transport. It’s not nearly as durable as the
  Millennium Falcon, so don’t be surprised if
  it doesn’t fare quite so well against TIE
  Fighters from the Death Star!
  Silent Death Online
  By Douglas E.Wilson
  I’d heard that Silent Death was a starship
  combat game. I even knew that STAR WARS
  Gamer was working on a STAR WARS vari-
  ant of the board game for this issue. So,
  being an AOL user, I hit the keyword
  (“Silent Death”) and plunged into the
  Silent Death universe, encountering some
  of the familiar factions from the board
  game universe—all hell-bent on colo-
  nization and control.
  To my surprise, I discovered that even
  though the game is all about space com-
  bat, it also has many elements of a role-
  playing game. One must pay one’s dues
  to get bigger ships and a better reputa-
  tion.To some degree,“newbies”or lower
  ability characters merely get in the way.
  Initially, you feel like you’re leading row-
  boats against battleships. I was annihi-
  lated so many times that the “Big Gun”of
  the Hibernia Freehold kept accusing
  enemy dreadnoughts of killing his babies.
  I wish they had a beginner’s sector
  where you could fight lesser ships before
  moving into the big time, but fortunately
  for me, I found a tactic that worked. I
  took my little craft in behind a screen of
  more powerful Hibernia Freehold ships.
  While the enemies confronted more for-
  midable vessels, I managed to sneak in
  with my mini-cannon and vaporize por-
  tions of the enemy’s space stations. I
  might never be Luke Skywalker, but I’ve
  had enough fun to encourage other AOL
  users to hit the keyword and get ready to
  face Silent Death online! (By the time this
  issue hits the newsstands, anyone should
  be able to play “Silent Death”online using
  www.ea.com.—Ed.)
  Fighting Irish:The fleet of the Hibernia Freehold repels
  forces from the Houses Tokugawa and Red Star.
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   79
  
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  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   81
  
  82
  VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
  
  STAR WARS GAMER   83
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Silent Death/Star Wars - Silent Death.pdf