Would this help starship combat run more smoothly?


General Discussion


I've noticed in my games that the floating computer bonus(es) usually either get under-utilised (because everyone's too polite to ask to use it) or players spend about a minute each turn discussing who needs it.

And I've also noticed some complaints that the captain/engineer/science officer role can get a little boring.

I think it would help gameplay go quicker to have the allocation of the bonus be in the hands of a single player, specifically either the captain, engineer or science officer. This broadens their role and keeps them interested because their task outside of their turn becomes to keep an eye on the overall flow of combat (which they probably should be doing anyway so that when their phase comes about they already have an idea of which of their actions would most benefit the ship).

I would suggest that in general it should be put in the hands of the most experienced non-pilot/gunner who is willing to take responsibility for it, but in the event that all of them are familiar with the rules, it should default to the captain to reflect his in-character role of keeping the ship together and coordinating the crew. If the captain's not up to it for any reason, then let it default to the science officer since he's the guy working the computer the most. If it falls to the engineer, let him freely grumble about how he has to keep an eye on both the software and hardware on the ship on his own. For best results, encourage the player to make an in-character quip about his allocation as well.

This should not be a hard-and-fast rule, but I propose it as a loose convention. I'd be much obliged if other GMs and players tried implementing this in their games and gave feedback on whether it had a positive impact on the flow of starship combat.


Pathfinder Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I’ve always given it to the captain. When there is no captain, then it goes to Science Officer.

As for tracking it, one of the better ideas I’ve seen is poker chips with two different colors on them. Have one color (such as green) represent it is still available and the other color (such as red) indicate it has been used. It makes it obvious to everyone at the table when they are still available.


Speaking as a GM here: In the games I've run, both at home with regular players and at conventions with strangers, it feels like the players tend to put the bonuses on weapons and piloting most often. It seems like they only allocate to the other roles when certain specific needs arise, like scanning or restoring shields. Allocating to the pilot and weapons may be the safest bet when unsure where to distribute the bonuses for maximum benefit.

As far as tracking the bonuses, I've been handing out index cards with the bonus written on it, though, I may switch to something more durable, such as a poker chip.


We haven't seen that in our group. We mesh perfectly in space combat. The bonuses go to whoever needs it the most in the current situation. This is usually the Pilot, as they have the most savage DCs.

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