To make a space journey, first determine the distance of the journey in parsecs. Use the table below or use the FTL Travel Calculator.

FUEL & OPERATIONAL RANGE

The operational range of a spaceship is based on its fuel capacity; one fuel unit moves a Class I ship one parsec. A ship’s stat block notes its operational range and fuel capacity. To determine operational range, divide the fuel capacity by the ship’s class, and multiply the result by the FTL fuel efficiency value.

A fuel unit typically costs 100cr in an AL9 setting, or 10cr in an AL10 setting; the latter is usually a trivial cost, although the price may vary enormously on different planets, or in different settings, time periods, or locations.

Some vessels extend their fuel capacity by sacrificing some cargo space, or install fuel scoops capable of replenishing a ship’s fuel stores from the atmospheres of gas giants.

TRAVEL INCREMENT

The fuel entry also notes a vessel’s Travel Increment—the number of parsecs it can travel for before the crew starts getting restless. Larger, more luxurious ships have a longer Travel Increment. This increment does not prevent travel, but shipboard operations take a -1d6 penalty for each increment beyond the first. The penalty can be reset by simply giving the crew 24-hours’ rest by docking at a starbase or giving them shore leave. The Travel Increment is simply a value equal to the ship’s class times its FTL speed, divided by 5. For example, the Lokubu Kalush Class VI Liner can travel at FTL-10, so its travel increment is 12 parsecs, while a Seeker-class scout has an increment of 4 parsecs.

The vessel’s Travel Increment in parsecs cannot be less than its class, and it cannot be higher than its operational range.

ADVANCEMENT LEVEL

The actual speed of an FTL drive depends on its advancement level. The default is AL 9. For AL 10 settings, multiply the FTL factor in the ship's stat block by 10 -- so if an FTL-6 ship would do a parsec on 5.5 days at AL 9, it would do the same journey in 6 minutes AL 10.

In some settings, FTL travel occurs at vastly greater speeds than in others. These are Advancement Level 10 technology.  For such speeds, FTL-X is a more cumbersome way to refer to travel velocity. Instead, some settings use a simpler rating system where a Class 1 FTL drive is twice the speed of a Class 2 FTL drive, which is itself twice the speed of a Class 4 FTL drive.

ATTRIBUTE CHECKS

Three primary checks must be made when making a space journey. The difficuoty of the chcks is decided by the GM, but typically these checks are Routine [10] checks in friendly space, Challenging [13] checks in hostile or unexplored space, and Difficult [16] checks in dangerous space. They can be made by PCs, or by the ship's crew using the vessel's crew rating (typically a 4d6 dice pool).

Complications can be applied to these checks, as normal. Each complication reduces the dice pool by -1d6.

Engineer. A LOG check (bolstered by the engineering skill) must be made to maintain the FTL systems. A failed engineering check causes 1d6 damage to the vessel, althought it cannot reduce it below half SS.

Navigator. A LOG check (bolstered by the astrogation skill) must be made to plot the course and calculate FTL coordinates. A failed navigation check means that the fuel cost of the journey is doubled. A good navigator will plot a more efficient course, perhaps effectively completing a spice run in less than the number of parsecs expected.

Sensors. An INT check (bolstered by the computers skill) must be made to use sensors and keep an eye out for hazards. A failed sensors check means an unexpected encounter takes place. This can be with an interstellar phenomenon or with another ship. The GM should roll for or select an encounter from the Space Phenomena table in the core rulebooks.

Additionally, some secondary checks may be required under certain circumstances.

Medic. On a journey of more than one week, a LOG check (bolstered by the medicine skill) is required to monitor the crew, their physical and mental health, and their diets. A failed medical check means that 1d6 crew members are lost to illness or injury. If a 6 is rolled on this die, an infectious illness breaks out and requires a minor medical science to contain.

Security. On a ship of more than 50 crew, an INT check must be made to maintain order and spot trouble on board the ship. A failed security check can cause sloppiness, and even petty crime. This costs the ship 1d6cr x the crew complement.

Space travel is a “fail forward” system – the ship will not fail to navigate to its destination, but the checks determine the condition it arrives in. Add up all the successful checks and all the unsuccessful checks. If there are more unsuccessful checks than successful checks, when the ship arrives at its destination PCs are Fatigued, and the crew is considered one category less skilled (elite - experienced - standard - poor) until they have had 24 hours' rest for each range increment travelled.

DISTRESS CALLS

Distress calls can be made by stranded ships (those either out of fuel, or damaged). If a distress call is issued in charted space, aid arrives in 1d6 days. Aid has a cost of 1,000cr per ship class per parsec; credit will always be given in such situations. In uncharted space, aid arrives in 1d6 weeks and may be a new species.

INNER-SYSTEM TRAVEL

Distances within a solar system are measured in Astronomical Units (AU).  A SUB-L journey is resolved in exactly the same way as an FTL journey. The only difference is the units used.

The final column on the Sublight travel time table shows the effect of time dilation on sublight speeds as they approach that of light.

USING FTL DRIVES IN A STAR SYSTEM

The travel times within a star system can be drastically shortened by simply using a vessel's FTL drives. Travel at these speeds inside a crowded star system is difficult and dangerous, however.

Within a charted star system, the navigator's FTL checks take a -2d6 penalty. Within an uncharted system, the checks take a -3d6 penalty. And in a civilized, populated system, an additional -1d6 penalty is applied.

Failure on this check dumps the ship unceremoniously out of FTL as automated systems avoid a collision. This badly damages the FTL engines and the superstructure. The ship takes 2d6 damage to its SS, and the FTL engines go offline until they are repaired, which requires a Difficult [16] minor engineering science.

LANDING & DOCKING

Landing or docking ships is fairly routine task. It is only a Routine [10] AGI check, with failure meaning 1d6 damage to the ship. Some space stations may have automated docking controls, which remove even that small risk.

Attempting to dock with a moving target inflicts a -1d6 penalty, as does attempting to dock at high speed (a SPEED greater than 5).

FUEL

Both FTL and sublight travel require fuel. Fuel can be hydrogen, antimatter, or even old-style rocket fuel. As a general guideline the fuel capacity of a starship (in fuel units), unless otherwise noted in its stat block, is the cube of its ship class.

A fuel unit buys one parsec of travel per ship class. So a class IV scout, which has a fuel capacity of 64 fuel units before it needs to refuel, can travel 16 parsecs.

The cost of fuel is typically 10cr per unit in an AL10 setting, or 100cr per unit in an AL9 setting, although it can vary from place to place.

A journey within a star system costs 1 fuel unit, whatever the length of the journey (subject to the SUB-L engine's fuel efficiency rating).