Like the Zeb's timeline, the more I look at the Knight Hawks rules the more I see I can never like them.<br /><br />Let's take a look at two of the skill charts:<br /><br /><font size="1" face="TTE294C228t00" color="#ffffff"><font size="1" face="TTE294C228t00" color="#ffffff"><font size="1" face="TTE294C228t00" color="#ffffff"><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">Pilot’s </font><font size="3" color="#000000">Level</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">Ship Types Qualified to Pilot</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font></font></font></font><font face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><font face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">1 System Ships of all sizes</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">2 Starships of hull size 3 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">3 Starships of hull size 6 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">4 Starships of hull size 12 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">5 Starships of hull size 15 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">6 All starships<br /></font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font></font></font><font face="TTE294C228t00"><font face="TTE294C228t00"><font face="TTE294C228t00"><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">Engineer’s </font><font size="3" color="#000000">Level</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">Ship Qualified to Design</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font></font></font></font><font face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><font face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">1 Shuttles of all types</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">2 System ships of all types</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">3 Starships of hull size 3 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">4 Starships of hull size 6 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p align="LEFT"><font size="3" color="#000000">5 Starships of hull size 15 or smaller</font></p><font size="3" color="#000000">
</font><p><font size="3" color="#000000">6 Starships of all sizes</font></p></font></font><br />They seem innocent enough and a simple way to measure relative skill levels of PCs until you try and apply them to the rules.<br /><br />Pilot first. There is no need to become a level 6 pilot. At level 5 you can pilot basically any ship the PCs are likely to encounter. Level 16 and above hulls are just not common enough that the PCs will encounter them and the extra piloting skill roll bonus isn't worth the EP to spend on it.<br /><br />Next exactly what sense does putting the hulls in size order make? The first 2 skill levels imply a pilot can land a ship in on a planet. But how exactly is a system ship not smaller than a Hull size 3 ship. We are given no rules on system ships we have no idea what they can be. Besides the difference in system ships and star ships is jumping between stars which is an astrogation skill not a pilot skill. Maybe hull sizes make sense but levels 4-6 are just bigger volume ships that fly in EMPTY space. Really how much harder is it to dock a hull size 12 ship than a hull size 13 ship in space? Maybe but I think maybe not.<br /><br />Engineers can be summed up more simply. The chart only goes by hull size ONLY. While the chart for ships uses hull size, engine size, and type of drive; chemical, ion and atomic. But supposedly you go up one skill level and learn about three entirely different types of engines while an astrogator learns only how to get more mass through the jump. Oh and the engine size chart and hull size charts do not line up either.<br /><font size="1" face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><font size="1" face="TTE1C1D9C0t00"><br /><p align="LEFT"><font size="3">In the end if you are thinking of redoing the Knight Hawks then starting with the skills would be best.</font></p></font></font>
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