Ending Combat

An enemy crew might have objectives other than simply annihilating the PCs. They might plan to board the starship once it’s wrecked and steal loot or take prisoners—or worse, devour the crew or convert survivors to their side. If starship combat ends because a player starship is wrecked and enemies begin boarding, or vice versa, the GM should switch the scene to a regular combat encounter.

A player starship crew might have objectives beyond the destruction of their enemies as well. If the player starship crew’s objective is to defeat an enemy, travel through a hostile zone, or take some other action resulting in a direct confrontation with a starship or hazard, tactical starship combat is likely to end only when the crew defeats the enemy or their starship gets wrecked. If the crew’s objectives change during combat, the GM should shift the scene to match their new goals. For example, if the crew decides to flee from an ambush after taking heavy damage and try to hide among a wandering oma pod, the GM might decide to switch to a cinematic starship scene to simulate the chase or end the encounter by briefly narrating the result of the players’ choices, then move on.