Combat is handled pretty much as normal Aerotech 2 (revised) and normal Renegade Tech rules.
Note that AT2 limits a lot of the special munitions that many weapons may use. If you go with that, then autocannon and missile launchers may only use normal munitions (no APDS or HESH ammunition for instance). Alternately, you may decide beforehand what weapons should be able to use special ammunitions in space combat - effectively only some missile loads should be limited (loads like Inferno and smoke for example).
Hit Location:
The standard Hit Location table from AT2 is used, but for the most part, ignore the critical hits from the table.
Damage Thresholds:
If the damage from a weapon attack is equal to the damage threshold of the armour location, then 1 point of internal structure damage is placed on the armour diagram as per the Optional Critical Location rule found in Renegade Tech. This effects the first internal structure square so it may not automatically cause critical damage.
Bombs and Control hits are handled as per normal AT2. Because these aren't placed on the standard armour diagram, they only take effect if they are rolled on the hit location table and a standard damage threshold roll is made.
Crew take one point of damage when a damage threshold is made on their location, the damage isn't recorded on the armour diagram.
Rolling a 12:
If a lucky hit is rolled (a natural 12 on the to-hit roll), then this scores 1 point of internal structure damage as per Damage Thresholds above.
Structural Damage:
Units in Aerospace 2 do not take SI damage. Instead, all damage is applied directly on the armour diagram. Because all components are placed on the diagram, they can be damaged as normal Renegade Tech rules.
Critical Hits:
As stated, components are not damaged from the hit location table (exception: when using the Optional Critcal Location rule, critical hits can apply), but when items are damaged on the armour diagram they are damaged as normal.
Critical Slots:
All components on the armour diagram are in critical slots, assigned when the aircraft is built. While a critical slot is usually 2 internal structure squares in size, it can only give one damage effect. For example, if an Engine critical slot is hit, but only scoring one square damage, then the engine critical is in effect (causing +2 heat per turn and reducing Safe Thrust by 2). If another square of damage was inflicted on that critical slot, there would be no additional effects because they have already taken effect.
This means that you cannot destroy a crafts Avionics totally by Nose hits because only 2 Avionic critical slots are stored there.
Bombs:
Bombs are not placed on the critical chart, they can only be destroyed by damage threshold rolls on the hit location table.
Control Rolls:
Like bombs, these only take effect from the hit location table.
Crew:
For pilots of small craft and aerospace fighters, the Crew damage is handled differently. A pilot takes 3 points of damage if one box of the Crew critical slot is crossed off. The pilot and crew are killed when the critical slot takes 2 squares of damage.
Fuel:
When a fuel box is hit, the craft loses a percentage of its remaining fuel equalling to the following formula:
-
Fuel Lost % = 100 / Total Fuel Boxes (round down)
For Example:
A Z1 Seydlitz has its fuel tank hit in combat. It has 180 remaining fuel points. With the loss of one fuel box, the craft loses 16% of it's remaining fuel, or in this case 28 points of fuel. (The Seydlitz has 6 fuel boxes on the armour diagram; 100 / 6 = 16% (rounded down), and 28 is 16% of 180 (again, rounded down).
A Thunderbolt is hit in combat and its fuel tank holed. It has only 80 points of fuel left. It now loses another 8 fuel points. (100 / 10 = 10; 10% of 80 = 8).
Small Craft of 105+ tons:
Small craft of over 100 tons have an armour diagram that is 12 columns in width. Whenever a craft of this size gets hit in combat, roll for the hit location as normal, but before determining a centre point, roll 1d6. On a 1-3, the first six columns have been hit, and on a 4-6 the second six columns have been hit. Once this has been determined, then a centre point can be fixed and damage can be done normally. Template damage can cross anywhere in the 12 column armour diagram.
Destroying a vehicle:
An aerospace vehicle (fighter, small craft or dropship) is destroyed if any damage passes through the internal structure rows and into the 'Destroyed' section. A craft can be destroyed in this way from any location.
