Some days, things go so bad that a captain realises that they should never have got out of bed. Some days, things get so desperate that the only course of action left for a ships captain is to ram the remains of their ship right down the throats of the enemy.
This is a last resort though, for it usually means the destruction of the ramming ship as well as their targets, along with all remaining crew aboard those ships.
But it does happen from time to time, and the cry of "Ramming Speed!" has been heard over the comm lines more than once.
Note: For purposes of these ramming rules, a capital ship is any ship that is not a fighter or shuttle.
Before a ram can be commenced, a Ram Roll must be made. This may only be made once per ram attempt. If it fails, then that pilot/craft will not ram the intended target at all, ever again for the duration of that battle.
| Ramming Race | Score to ram |
|---|---|
| Cylons: | 1-2 |
| Colonials: | 1-2 |
-1 if the Captain is a Legendary Captain
There are no other modifiers to the roll. While it might be argued that crew quality could play a part, I would argue that Poor crews are no less brave than Outstanding crews.
For a craft to ram another, the rammer and target must be in the same hex. All ramming happens at the time of the two units entering the hex, much like seeking weapons. A ship can only attempt to ram another once per impulse.
Note that in the following, the term fighter also includes all shuttles and small craft.
It can not be stressed enough, but Ramming is a last ditch resort only! The only controlling factor these rules give is the roll above, but there should be some good reason for a craft to ram another. Colonial Warriors do not sell their lives in that fashion save through desperation, and to Cylons, needless ramming is wasteful. Use with caution!
A fighter has to succeed in a DFR for a ram to succeed. If it does, both the ramming fighter and the target fighter are destroyed. If it fails, then the target ship may open fire on the rammer as normal.
Because it would be very rare for a whole flight to ram another whole flight, all fighters ramming should be done individually, not by flights.
A fighter is very manoeuvrable and even when crippled can fly around a large craft. As such, a capital ship has no chance of avoiding a collision if the fighter wills it.
Damage scored is allocated by rolling a 1d6 on the following table:
| Die Roll | Damage to Target |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2x current hits of the fighter |
| 2 | 1.5x current hits of the fighter |
| 3 | 1.5x current hits of the fighter |
| 4 | 1x current hits of the fighter |
| 5 | 1x current hits of the fighter |
| 6 | No damage scored, craft shot down before it hits |
Modifiers:
+1 If Poor Crew
-1 If Outstanding crew or Legendary Ace
-1 If craft is currently using Turbos to ram
All damage is applied using the standard DAC.
For example, a standard undamaged Viper is ramming a Cylon Tanker. It hits and rolls a 2 on the above table. The damage scored is 5 points (3x1.5 = 4.5 or 5, rounded up).
A craft filled with Solenite explosives (as well as it is normal complement of weapons) would have an additional damage bonus of 1x current hits of the fighter.
Sometimes it is possible for a ship to ram a fighter, but this is very rare. For this to happen, the capital ship must be travelling faster than the fighter is capable of travelling. Secondly, if this is the case, the ship must roll 1d6 and score higher than the DFR of the fighter that is attempting to ram.
If this occurs, then the fighter is instantly destroyed and the ship itself takes 1x current hits of the fighter.
If a ship attempts to ram another ship, then they must manoeuvre their vessel into a ramming position. Obviously, the other ship is trying to avoid this, so it is not always as easy as it could be.
The ramming ship must roll 1d6 and to succeed in their ram, they must roll the size class or greater of the opposing vessel.
Modifiers to this role include the following:
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Is the to-hit roll is successful, then both ships take damage equalling
(Explosive ratings of both ships) x (Speeds of ships / 10)
Work out the speeds of the ships as follows:
| Rammer attacking Target hexside | Speeds |
|---|---|
| 1,2,6 | Add both ships speeds together |
| 3,4,5 | Subtract target speed from ramming speed |
Note that the speeds of the ships /10 will always have a minumum value of 1.
This ramming damage will not effect any other ships in the same hex, unless one of the ships should explode. In this case, the other ship will take standard explosion damage in addition to the ramming damage.
For example, a Battlestar (speed 20) ramming a Baseship (at speed 6) in a head on collision (target hexside of 1) would inflict 210 points of damage on both ships. ([30 + 40] x ([20+6]/10 = 3 [rounded]) = 210).
If the Baseship rammed the Battlestar in it is rear (hexside 4), then the damage would be 70 points. ([30 + 40] x ([6-20]/10 = 1 [minimum value]) = 70)