“We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship.”
-Darth Vader
VT-49 Decimator
Found in Fly Casual (Page 55), the VT-49 Decimator is an intimidating and powerful assault ship from Kuat Drive Yards that is sure to have a lasting impact on your games. Boasting an extremely sturdy hull and extraordinarily powerful weapons systems the VT-49 Decimator is just as much a statement of Imperial power as its larger cousin the Imperial Star Destroyer. It is utilized by the Imperial Navy as an assault ship or by Imperial Customs as a powerful cutter to police dangerous regions. The Decimator is capable of handling all but the most serious threats unsupported, and is sure to be a memorable part of any game in which it is included.
Slow and ungainly, the VT-49 is designed to simply blast any opposition out of its way. Equipped with two turret mounted quad laser cannons and a linked Concussion Missile launcher, the VT-49 can easily destroy a starfighter in a single round, or severely damage a heavier craft. In addition to putting down an impressive barrage, the Decimator can take an enormous beating. With four armour, two shields each fore and aft, 30 Hull Trauma and 20 System Strain the Decimator is quite capable of shrugging off the brunt of attacks thrown its way.
Although an iconic Imperial craft, a group of Bounty Hunting PCs might find a Decimator an effective transport, and the features that endear the VT-49 to the Imperial Navy may also be useful to operatives for the Rebel Alliance. The relative lack of customization hard points and lower encumbrance value compared to the CEC-YT series might mean a party of smugglers prefers to give this ship a pass.
As stated before, the Decimator is certainly not a subtle craft and might immediately draw the attention of Imperial authorities. The presence of a VT-49 immediately suggests links to the Empire, and can also be an interesting story feature. Perhaps the rival crew of Bounty Hunters, whom the PCs humiliated during their last job, are suddenly flying around in a brand new Decimator of their own. Have they stolen it, acquired in on the black market? Or perhaps they have ingratiated themselves with an Imperial officer, acting as his unofficial agents and have been rewarded with a new ship. While secretly working for the Empire, perhaps authorities have turned a blind eye to the enormous collateral damage this group of NPCs might cause, while holding the party to an uncompromising standard.
Aside from Bounty Hunting there are very few legitimate reasons for PCs to own such a craft, and undoubtedly Imperial authorities would prefer such valuable craft remain only in their hands. This could also be an interesting adventure hook on its own, perhaps the PCs are offered a stripped down VT-49 Decimator at a bargain price, only to find the intense scrutiny and a few pre-existing illegal modifications make the ship nearly as much trouble as it is worth.
The Decimator is an unmistakably threatening ship, and a Games Master should feel free to use the vessel in such a manner. The Decimator can be used as the hall mark of Imperial brutality, a direct expression of the Tarkin Doctrine made manifest. Such a ship is useful as much for the fear it can inspire as its actual utility. There are many ways a Decimator can be used in your games to highlight Imperial brutality.
Instead of ferrying a Storm Trooper response team to the site of a riot in a Lambda, a ruthless Imperial governor might use a VT-49 to blow away a crowd of dissidents barricades with a Concussion Missile and disgorge a team of enforcers directly into action with little regard for casualties. If you wish to show a star system as being firmly under the boot heel of the Empire, replace its customs patrol with an aggressive pair of VT-49s. With captains who consider it standard procedure to acquire missile locks while checking cargo manifests. An ambitious Imperial Navy Captain might utilize his private VT-49 to conduct snap inspections on installations under his command, those subordinates that don’t measure up may find themselves summarily executed by the Decimator’s quad laser cannons.
Of course, just because the VT-49 is a famously unsubtle craft, does not mean its operators are. Maybe a particular Decimator doesn’t solely carry concussion missiles for example. Perhaps it always carries a supply of XX-23 Thread Tracer missiles and even if the PCs escape from an engagement, they may be unwittingly leading Imperial forces back to their hidden base or refuge.
Decimators can also make fantastically characterful transports for major NPCs in your games. Perhaps your party includes a force sensitive, just beginning their journey to unlock the mysteries of the force. Without realizing they have inadvertently drawn the attention of the dreaded Inquisitors and now a mysterious black and crimson Decimator seems to dog the parties every step. The commandant of the Imperial prison the PCs are planning to liberate may always travel in his immaculate bone white painted VT-49. Perhaps the PCs will try to hijack the ship and use it to bluff their way inside the prison complex. The corrupt Imperial governor of a frontier world may have no more ships under his command than a handful of TIE Fighters and a beaten up but still combat worthy Decimator. Even if you’re just using the adversary deck to create your NPCs, giving them a unique ship might help to make them that much more interesting and memorable.
Brett Bambridge
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