Greetings, all!
Reading and comparing the rules of another system to GURPS, I recalled a campaign-that-didn't-start where one PC was a CAG ('Commander of Air Group', actually a fighter squadron leader). Just to be clear, I'm talking about fighters comparable to SW X-Wings and TIE Fighters, BSG Vipers, and Ur-Quan Autonomous Fighters.
Now, I noticed that the problem is that it's often not worth spending a Multitasking penalty (even if we allow fighters to multitask at -2) to do anything covered by a Command task:
- Squadron Leadership: a Command task that gives +1 to Tactics. Meh. The one rolling tactics is the CAG in the first place, and taking a Multitasking penalty to get +1 to Tactics is silly.
- Leadership Task (assuming we house-rule to allow a leader to affect the squadron): +1 to Spacer skill on a MoS of 5+, really?
- Motivate Crewman (assuming house-rule...): +1 or -1 to skill of ONE subordinate depending on roll?
- Space Tactics (assuming...): this is probably what people have CAGs for, but the +1 to Dodge (on a success) is of dubious utility if you take -4 (or -2) to Piloting when doing it (no matter whether you succeed or fail). The good thing is it affects the whole group (assuming...), and a free level of Deceptive Attack might be nice (while attacking a single target, that is).
- Heroic Speech: this is typically performed by by the captain on the carrier, IMO.
Also, it is not clear what a CAG can do to meaningfully increase the usefulness of subordinates. It seems that even for a half-dozen fighters, there's more sense in having pilots with 1 higher level of Piloting and/
OR weapon skill than to have a CAG with Tactics/Leadership 15.
Anyone got thoughts on the issue?
Thanks in advance!