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I wish to GM a game using the Spacedock rules but I don't exactly know where to start (especially for everything that includes the players). If anyone can give me some basic tips I'd appreciate a lot.
I'd also like to know what you use for the "ship sheets". I made a complete sheet for the ships in WebRPG format (check WebRPG Online for more information on the software).
iI am running a campaign where I use the Spacedock rules exclusively. One player runs the Ops officer who is soon to fill the recently vacated First Officers position. Others run tactical, specialized sciences and Engineering. This allows them all something to do in any situation. Ops stays busy getting power to systems and handling communications for the ship. Tactical is responsible for watching the spaceways for potential threats as well as maitaining signal security. The sciences character is usually doping off somewhere until things get serious then they try to assist engineering and tactical with his varied science and systems skills. The Engineering officer is a specialist in structural and spaceframe engineering so she always has something to do in combat or on those away missions where they find those really interesting drifting hulks that belong to some bygone/more advanced/old earth/new alien race that is the foil for this weeks episode.
As for what I use for the ship sheets, I created my own in MS Word that I reuse when I make new ships by changing the entries as I go. I suppose I could e-mail one to ya if you wanted.
Thanks a lot for the information !
I thought and thought about how someone could contro everything and also came to the conclusion that the ship's main functions need to be assigned to different players. As you said, it does keep everyone occupied and it will probably just make everything simplier for everyone and speed up the game.
About the sheets for the ships, I'd be happy to take a look at yours, everything can help !
Btw, how can I send a private message to you so I can give you my email adress ?
The thing to note about Spacedock is that it is presented as a reference book so that you can easily find the bits you need in a hurry.
That's why it begins with ship construction, but if you're just going to use the rules I would actually suggest you skip that for a while until you get a good grasp on using Spacedock rules. After all, Steve already made Spacedock versions of most ships you might want in the Ship Recognition Manuals, and since they're all free for download you might as well get them.
So just skip Chapters 1 (ship classifications) and 2 (starship construction) and go straight to Chapter 3 on Starship Combat - that's the chapter you want to begin with.
You want want to note the comments on initiative on p.82, but else you can go on to the 'Character Roles in Starship Combat' bit on p.84 which is fairly important in describing what crewmembers do on a starship during battles.
Power allocation is the thing to keep most track of (p.94) except for combat itself. The conn/pilot should note the maneuver tables on p.103-107 and pay attention to the differences between attack and defense maneuvers. For use of weapons and damage, the Hit Location tables on p.112-117 are the most significant. Damage done is in SU (Structure Units) as listed in Chapter 2 (Starship construction). Also pay attention to shields - it's pretty easy to forget the importance of Shield Threshold and so.
Beyond that it depends on the Narrator. For example, I use the Starship Tactics skill to determine initiative very much like the rules say when I'm the narrator. My own narrator, however, likes to use the Command skill instead, whereas I just allow the command skill to slight influence the Test results of the bridge crewmembers in general (unlike Starship Tactics which influences only the Test result of the tactical officer)...
Anything else I shouldlook for as GM ?