Boba Fett's Jet Pack

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

A comment and a question --

Comment: Jet Packs (or Rocket Packs) seem to be extremely rare in the Star Wars universe. Out of eight movies, covering decades of timeline, we've only seen one jet pack (two, if you count Jango's separate from Boba's). That's the one that Jango and Boba Fett use.





Question: Is there anywhere, in First Edition, that Boba Fett's jet pack is described in game terms? I haven't been able to find it. Fett's description in TESB speaks vaguely to the pack (which lends itself to the comment above) and seems to be controlled by the Repulsorlift Operation skill.

Can anyone point me to a 1E rule reference to jett/rocket packs?

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

So, I wrote the above post. Left to have lunch, do some errands, and then to a doctor's appointment for a check-up. And, all the while, in the car, I'm thinking about this.

It's amazing how roleplaying games capture our imaginations, huh?

I think I'm looking at this wrong. I think I'm looking at the First Edition game with Second Edition eyes.

In First Edition, there's no roll for movement. You just move. I think that's what happens with Boba Fett's Jetpack. Instead of moving normally, the character, using the pack, can move up in the air.

In other words, the Jetpack allows the character to move to places where the normal character cannot trod. Fett can, on his turn, move to the top of a building, or hover.




Second Edition introduces more crunchy rules for movement (it's actually introduced to 1E in the Rules Companion). 2E has a separate skill for operating jetpacks, and another skill for rocketpacks.

In 1E, the pack gives you more choices of movement. Nothing else is changed. Movement rate is the same.

In 2E, the pack is looked at as a vehicle. You drive it like you would a skyspeeder. There's a skill for it.

In 1E, it's just an accessory to armor. You don't need a skill to wear armor, and you don't need a skill to operate the jetpack, just like you don't need a skill to operate a comm.

The Sourcebooks says that the pack allows for limited flight capabilities. From what I've seen in Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones, the pack moves at the rate of human movement. So, I'd use the same rules, with human running speed as the fastest rate it can go (and cut down thrust proportionately due to extra weight).

[griff]

1E jet pack stats can be found in Cracken's Rebel Field Guide. Don't have the book with me now I'm have dinner with the in-laws. I am at the table now and my wife is very upset (just kidding). Will look up the star and rules when I get back home.
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"EXECUTE ORDER 67. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like order 67..... No, wait. Yes, yes it does. EXECUTE ORDER 68" Palpatine's last moments - robot chicken.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

Thanks griff. I always forget about that book, and I shouldn't because it's got so much great stuff in it.

That jet pack basically says that there is no skill. It's an attribute roll of Mechanical or Dexterity. Difficulty is 10+.

The pack can jump the character 100 meters horizontally or 70 meters high. It doesn't look like it hovers. Has fuel for 10 jumps. Engine has to cool after every jump, so you can't use them continuously.

[CRMcNeill]

Considering that we have stand-alone jetpacks in existence right now that can operate for several minutes at a time and provide full flight capability (not merely an extended jump), I'm willing to bet that WEG's version of a jet pack is a little behind the times.

I'd be more inclined to go with two different versions: jump packs and flight packs, each doing just what it says. A jump pack allows for a quick, straight-line jump from Point A to Point B, ala the WEG rules (and what we see Boba Fett do in ROTJ), while a flight pack allows for more sustained operation and maneuvering ability (ala Jango Fett in AOTC). We don't even need to be specific on the tech; whether it's rocket or jet or rocket/jet-assisted repulsorlifts, what matters is what it allows the character to do.
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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.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index