Message to Spacers 8

Crusader-class Corvette

By Patrick Stutzman

he Crusader-class corvette is a vessel designed for the purpose of engaging smaller support craft, such as starfighters and bombers. Considered by many to be armed with too many weapons for a ship of its size, many warlords and military leaders desired to obtain several of them to supplement their battle fleets in their bids for power.

Certainly, one of the most well-known features of the Crusader-class is the high amount of weapon systems installed throughout the ship. The laser cannons are spread out over the hull of the ship to provide an even field of fire against any fighters that dare challenge the corvette. In addition, the starship also has a highly-advanced point-defense laser system to endow the ship with an even greater defense grid at close range. The point-defense system has not only been used against some of the galaxy's most agile fighters, but it has also successfully targeted and destroyed incoming missiles. Anyone targeting missiles and torpedoes with the point-defense laser cannon receives a +1 equipment bonus to attack.

The corvette also has the advantage of being one of the fastest, if not the fastest, ships of its size at the time it was designed. Equipped with innovative sublight drive systems that push the limits of drive capabilities for a ship of its size, the Crusader-class vessel can move ahead of other capital ships to directly engage starfighter squadrons and reduce their numbers before they reach the rest of the fleet. In many ways, the ship's raw speed has also helped it perform other duties for its owners, such as reconnaissance duties and border patrol.

In addition, the ship also takes advantage of a new automated computer system that integrates many of the ship's systems together through its computer network, making monitoring and maintaining the ship possible with fewer crew requirements.

Such advantages do not have their drawbacks, however. Taxing the ship's power plant by moving at maximum speed and firing all of their weapons at the same time has been known to cause power failures throughout the ship, sometimes with disastrous results. Other times, attempting extreme maneuvers while flying at or near maximum speed have created weaknesses in the ship's hull over time, especially near the aft of the ship. Also, heavy damage to the ship's computer system has been known to cause problems with the ship's damage control system, and false damage reports have resulted from such damage sometimes.

Tactical Fire: The Crusader-class corvette works very well as a support craft for space fleets and provides excellent cover against starfighters and smaller craft, lending valuable assistance to nearby capital ships. As a standard action, a Crusader-class corvette can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all adjacent squares. All allied starships within that area receive a +1 bonus to all attack rolls against ships of Gargantuan size or smaller.

History

Originally designed several years after the end of the Clone Wars, the Crusader-class corvette was first offered to the Galactic Empire as a short-range corvette specializing in planetary defense and system patrols. Though the representatives of Mandal Hypernautics gave an excellent presentation, the Empire decided to buy a small amount of the ships to see if they liked their performance. Although the two ships they tested performed admirably, the Empire ultimately refused to form a contract with the company and assigned the two they had bought to patrol duty at the Maw Installation.

Distraught by the loss of the contract, the lead designer named Danar Len chose to mothball the design and leave the company, despite the encouragement of the rest of the team for him to have faith in their work. After Len left, the company offered the ship design to the Mandalorians, who accepted the ship without a second thought, and production quickly began. After seeing the ship's production bloom, Mandal Hypernautics began selling the ship to planetary and small interstellar governments as a short-range defense vessel with a great degree of success.

Several years later, Mandal Hypernautics was approached by an individual named Tyber Zann looking for several ship designs to add to his growing fleet. While perusing what the company had to offer, the Crusader-class corvette was one of many that caught his eye. Despite hearing that the ship had been used by the Mandalorians, he offered to pay a sizable sum to put it into production for his own fleet and with updated systems to take advantage of recent technological developments. The design team gathered together again, upgraded the systems for the ship and submitted the revamped design. The new version of the ship received much praise from Zann and the executives of Mandal Hypernautics, and production began immediately.

Many years after Zann's fleet fell, the Crusader-class corvette would gain galaxy-wide notice again, when Admiral Daala emerged from the Maw installation and initiated her series of attacks on the New Republic. She included the two corvettes originally assigned by the Empire in her fleet. Her success with the ships proves to the Imperial Remnant that the ships are highly effective as anti-starfighter support vessels, and they renegotiate with Mandal Hypernautics to purchase a fair number of the corvettes for use in their own fleet.

Crusader-class Corvettes in the Galaxy

During the Dark Times, the Crusader-class corvette can be most commonly seen in use by the Mandalorians as they conducted their own missions throughout the galaxy. However, the ship appears more and more frequently patrolling the space around independent systems and neutral space stations.

As the Rebellion transforms into the New Republic, the ship gains the attention of some of the Imperial warlords, but they have a hard time procuring the ships, as the Mandalorians are highly reluctant to part with them without a fight.

With the Imperial Remnant incorporating the corvettes into their fleet, the Crusader-class ships become highly visible within Imperial space as patrol ships near prominent planets and support ships within the Imperial fleet.

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About the Author

Patrick Stutzman is a freelance game designer whose credits include Threats of the Galaxy and the upcoming The Clone Wars Campaign Guide for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition. He also maintains his Web site, Star Wars: The Forgotten Tales, and works on SWRPGNetwork under the name of Jan Tolbara. Currently, he lives in Kansas City with his wife, two children, and an annoying Force spirit that follows him wherever he goes. If you have any tips on how to get rid of this spirit, let him know.