Capital Ship Crew Listings and Lightsabers Vs. Melee Weapons

[TarlSS]

Is there any concrete reference in 2nd Edition to the much debated theory that a lightsaber parrying a melee weapon cuts it in half?
I'd say that's a little extreme, because frankly just making a called shot against the weapons should be sufficient for the power of lightsabers cutting through things. I mean those people fighitng against lightsabers wouldn't be using normal attack styles when they're fully aware that the blade cuts through anything.

Second, I can't make heads or tails of the crew listing on weapons for capital ships. For example on Star Destroyers,
Tractor Beam Projectors are 6 Front, 2 Left, 2 Right
Crew: 1(2) ,4(2), 10(6)

What the heck does that mean? If the number in parenthesis are those who can coordinate, what does that mean? Does it take ten shots at +2d6 each, 4 at +2, and one at +2?

Same thing for turbolaser batteries

20 Front, 20 Left, 20 Right
Crew: 1(20), 2(40)

Or does it mean you need one NPC Crewman to equal 20 combined actions ( a gunnery officer or something) and then 2 to equal 40?

[Orgaloth]

I don't know about the lightsaber, but I can help with the other

[KageRyu]

[Soniv]

[TarlSS]

I can't find the page where it details lightsaber parrying with that particular rule in either R&E or Standard? Could you show it to me? It's like I have to batter my players over with a book.

Also, I imagine Ray Shields and Force-pikes deflect lightsabers like they do in EP3. So A Jedi-hunting Bounty hunter could probably run around with a shield and sword with similiar effects.

[KageRyu]

[TarlSS]

Well, I'm not sure if they were Force Pikes as described in WEG so far, but they certainly parried lightsabers. Gungan energy shields can also parry lightsabers and blaster bolts, ironically enough. (Bad gungans.)

Other than that first edition statement, I can't find a reference to lightsabers cutting melee weapons automatically as a parry. I looked in 2nd R&E, 2nd plain, Star Wars Sourcebook, Tales of the Jedi, Dark Empire Sourcebook, or Jedi Academy. I'm reasonably sure they omitted it for game balance. Bill Slavicsek, the only design man on Star Wars RPG throughout it's entire development cycle, seems to show the trend. In 2nd Edition the rule is omitted, and in D20 the whole issue as resolved as not happening altoghether. I think requiring a called shot to sever the weapon (Not that difficult anyway) should be quite sufficient in proving lightsaber superiority as it were.

[Boomer]

Some of the write-ups that involve The Great Jedi Purge when Palpatine had much of the galaxy rallied against the "Jedi Traitors" that wounded him involve a lot of creativity on the part of Jedi Hunters, most of whom were Mandalorians with a full arsenal of over-powered weapons and the kind of fanatical devotion that can only come from a history where who you are hunting are the ones you blame for the loss of your planet, your culture, and everything in life you know you deserve.

When facing someone with a Light-Saber, first, back off. If they know what you they doing, conventional off-the-shelf methods will not work.
If they have no idea how to use a Light-Saber... they will kill themselves just fine.

Ok, phase two young my young hunter, you tossed a stun grenade at this guy and he deftly hacked it without killing himself. He is a Jedi. Your Vibro-Blade isn;t good enough and he will block every-blaster shot.
You are wearing MandalMetal armor, no one can produce it and you must take good care of it. Walk up to him, he claims he can hack at you and you say try it, look at him rave dance with his glow stick, you are fine. Now, take your fist and beat the living crap out of him.

Chapter Two: So you have no MandalMetal

YOU IDIOT!
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[KageRyu]

A lightsaber cutting through a melee weapon is a common sense thing. If it can cut through blast doors, AT-STs, etc, then a melee weapon blocking it should take damage. If it was omittied from 2nd, which I find dubious, I doubt it was for game balance in any way. Also, Bill Slavicsek was not the only design man on the development of the Star Wars RPG, despite propaganda to the contrary. Just take a gander at the various credits in various different books. However, if you must have a specific rule in second edition to support damaging weapons, how about the specific rule that mentions damaging weapons? If a lightsaber blade hit's a melee weapon, be it via parry or attack, roll the blades damage, and the resistance for the object as mentioned in that rule. Further, if someone wielding a lightsaber misses the base difficulty by 10 and rolls damage against himself, it is only reasonable to apply the same concept to someone attacking a lightsaber wielder...i.e., if the lightsaber wielder parries, and the attacker misses his new difficulty by 10 he should absolutely take damage, as he has contacted the blade.

The very fact that d20 prohibits lightsabers from damaging on a parry just shows how flawed the system is, as it throws common sense right out the window.
_________________
"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra

[Argamoth]

A parry might not be an attempt to block an attack, it could be an counter attack, making it a foolish descision to carry on with the origional attack.

[KageRyu]

[Boomer]

KageRyu is right. It makes no sense for a lightsaber to damage absolutely everything under all circumstances, EXCEPT a weapon it parries. Why is it capable of cutting all things BUT the wooden club you swung at the Jedi?

The Jedi also has to be careful about cutting himself. That is the balancing factor which they omit in D20 in favor of the possibility that everyone can kill themselves evenly.

No, a Jedi is using a weapon that cannot even be wielded like a normal Melee weapon, it is a diffrent skill. Anyone picks up a Lightsaber and swings badly, they usually kill themselves.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

[Soniv]

Personally, as I use it, parry is, quite simply, using a weapon to block another weapon. If someone wanted to duck out of the way, they would use Dodge, as anyone could duck out of the way, weapon or no.

Now, you do make a good point about using parry in other ways besides actually striking the weapon itself. Here's how I would work it, with the +10 penalty you just assigned already having taken action:

Melee Parry Roll > LS Roll: Melee Parry successfully moves lightsaber out of range, places LS user in compromising position. +10 to Melee Combat roll next round.

Melee Parry Roll = LS Roll: Melee Parry moves lightsaber out of range, preventing the attack, but gives no advantage to either party.

Melee Parry Roll < LS Roll: Lightsaber manages to damage weapon; roll LS damage against weapon's body code.

Melee Parry Roll + 5 < LS Roll: Lightsaber manages to make contact with the attacker's hand; roll LS damage against opponent's strength. Damage of Incapacitated or higher slices the hand off, and gives opponent a wound.

Melee Parry Roll + 10 < LS Roll: Melee Parry is unsuccessful, roll damage normally.

This could be similarily used with brawling parries, except the +5 result becomes the +10 result, and the simple fail becomes the +5 result, as there is no weapon to buffer a brawler. One could also use it for lightsaber battles, assuming the attack and parry are established, and of course without the +10 penalty.

[Tahlorn]

Minus the idea posted directly above, I see the following facts said here:

A lightsabre can not be parried by a weapon
A lightsabre can not be parried with brawling
A lightsabre can only be stopped by a lightsabre or equiptment which is not allowed by GMS

And from the book:
Dodge can only be used against range attacks.

So, do you just stand there and take the lightsabre, or try to delay it by losing all your weapons? I say you dodge. I know that dodge is meant for ranged attacks, but hey, you have to have SOME way of keeping alive against a lightsabre.

Also, if you have to throw up a waepon as defense against a lightsabre, and miss by just a bit (say by 5 or so) then the weapon is dead, but it's body stength is treated as armour.

My two cents.

~T