Alliance V-Wing Fleet Escort Starfighter

[CRMcNeill]

In the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, a distinction is made between escort and attack starfighters as part of a naval battle group. Where attack fighters do just that (attack), the escort starfighters stick close to the fleet to engage and defend against the enemy's attack starfighters.

I like taking the ships of the prequels and using them to fill out the ranks of the Alliance in the Classic Era. The V-Wing is a perfect example, as it makes for an excellent escort starfighter. However, there is a little problem. IMC, because of the Alliance's reliance on hit-and-fade tactics, they require all front-line starfighters to have a minimum x2 hyperdrive. This is to facilitate rapid escape from battles in the event of ambushes or the arrival of sudden reinforcements.

Unfortunately, as per the prequels, the V-Wing is restricted to the use of hyperdrive rings for interstellar travel. The ring is fine for non-combat travel where the starfighter pilot can count on his ring not being destroyed or stolen while his ship is detached from it, but it creates a real tactical problem for a guerrilla force fighting against a much stronger opponent, in that it ties a starfighter to the point where the hyperdrive ring is sitting and waiting. If Imperial forces can get to that hyperdrive ring, the Alliance starfighter will be stuck in-system with no escape, whereas a ship with an integral hyperdrive will be able to jump out normally, from any location in the system.

As such, I allow prequels-era starfighters which would normally be dependent on hyperdrive rings to swap out their astromechs for a basic x2 hyperdrive and a 2-jump navcomputer (the only three fighters this really affects are the Delta-7, the Eta-2 and the V-Wing). My in-universe explanation is simply that improving tech and miniaturization allowed for newer hyperdrives to be installed in updated versions of the ships where they previously could not.

As such, here is my version of the V-Wing as I use it in the Classic Era:


V-Wing Fleet Defense Starfighter

The Alpha-3/h Nimbus is a hyperdrive-equipped model of the classic Clone Wars-era V-Wing Interceptor. While technical constraints kept designers from installing an integral hyperdrive into the original V-Wing, technological advancement eventually produced drives small enough to be fitted into the tiny ship. Installing the drive required the deletion of the ship's astromech socket, but the V-Wing had such short range that it rarely made full use of an astromech's capabilities in the first place.

As of the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance is by far the biggest operator of V-Wings, assigning them exclusively to fleet escort whenever possible, thus freeing up more of the longer ranged X-Wings and Y-Wings for attack missions. Plans are in the works to replace the V-Wing with a newer, purpose-built fleet escort fighter, but for now, the V-Wing continues to serve with distinction.

Craft: Kuat Systems Engineering Alpha-3/h Nimbus-Class
Type: Fleet Escort Starfighter
Scale: Starship (+6D)
Length: 7.9 meters
Skill: Starfighter Piloting: V-Wing
Crew: 1
Crew Skill:
Starship Gunnery 4D
Starfighter Piloting 5D
Starship Shields 4D
Sensors 4D
Cargo Capacity: 60 kilograms
Consumables: 1 day
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x2
Nav Computer: Limited (2 jump maximum)
Maneuverability: 4D
Space: 8 (4D)
Atmosphere: 365; 1,050 kph
Hull: 2D+2
Shields: 1D
Sensors:
Passive 20/0D
Scan 30/1D
Search 50/2D
Focus 3/3D
Weapons:
2 Double Blaster Cannon
Fire Arc: Front
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Fire Control: 4D
Range:
--Space: 1-5/10/17
--Atmosphere: 100m-500m/1km/1.7km
Rate of Fire: 2D Auto-Fire
Damage: 4D

House Rule Notes:

SHIELD & SHIELD CONTROL: 1D @ 1D
VELOCITY MODIFIER: 2D Flight

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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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