Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.
Ohhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyy. I must admit, I did not know about this gem until a bout of Wookieepedia exploration. This thing is a complete piece of junk. I don’t know what it is. Whether it’s the super old school art, a need to put out some counterweight to all the high powered content I have been releasing lately, or just the idea of having something even less advanced than the Z-95, but I am absolutely stricken by the C-73 Tracker. I know we already have the Delta 6 in Force and Destiny for all your extremely low budget starfighter needs, but I figure it can’t hurt to have another option. Mostly I think the C-73 has a more junky look to it, perfect for exceptionally poverty stricken groups to pair with the equally junky G-9 Rigger.
But seriously, this is the kind of thing Space Canada would have. Sure it takes like 20 hours of maintenance to 1 hour of spaceflight, but it all somehow works out to being cheaper to just keep this thing. Like, this is the kind of craft where your PCs should be like, “Wait, they are flying what? Man, that’s good for them. I’ll comm them to congratulate their mechanics.” Just a word of warning. I’m almost certain if you put a PC in one of these babies, then that PC is going to die. PCs everywhere, that is not a challenge…. unless it is.
So here it is, the humble old man of the X-Wing family. I bet he has a few stories to tell, though. So I want to dare some PCs out there to hop in a C-73, take it for a spin, and let me know how it goes. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
C-73 Tracker Starfighter
Well past its prime, the C-73 Tracker starfighter makes the venerable Z-95 Headhunter look brand new. The Tracker holds the distinction of being the final product from the Sublight Products Corporation, known to modern starfighter aficionados as Subpro, before jointly developing the Z-95 with Incom. If the Z-95 is the father of the X-Wing, then the C-73 is the grandfather. Once a popular starfighter at a reasonable price point, there are many thousands of Trackers in museums and junkyards throughout the galaxy. Finding a C-73 in active use is not impossible, but generally is only possible in the absolute fringes of space.
Due to technical commonalities with the Z-95 Headhunter, repair parts for this aging craft are actually quite easy to acquire. It is even possible to retrofit the Tracker with a hyperdrive, as is popular with many Z-95 enthusiasts, but this upgrade is exceptionally rare to see. This type of upgrade is more commonly completed by private owners, but most in the market for a personal starfighter can scrounge the extra credits to spring for the superior Headhunter. Indeed, by far the most common operators of the C-73 are fringe system defense fleets, who mostly see after market attachments to the Tracker as a waste of money. Why add a hyperdrive or missiles when that nearly doubles the cost of the craft?
Cheaper per unit than even the TIE Fighter, several cash strapped planetary defense forces instead rely on numerous squadrons of disposable Trackers supplemented by a few higher end vessels, such as Skipyray Blastboats, to provide more advanced capabilities. About a squadron of C-73 Trackers has found service in the Rebel Alliance as a starfighter trainer. Owing to common controls to the Z-95 and X-Wing, the C-73 allows rookie pilots to get real flight hours while freeing up X-Wings for frontline duty.
Sil 3; Speed 4; Handling +0; Def 1/-/-/0 Armor 2
Hull Trauma 8; System Strain 7
Hull Type/Class: Starfighter/Tracker.
Manufacturer: Subpro Corporation.
Hyperdrive: None.
Navicomputer: None.
Sensor Range: Close.
Crew: One pilot.
Encumbrance Capacity: 6.
Passenger Capacity: 0.
Consumables: One day.
Price/Rarity: 32,500 credits / 3
Customization Hard Points: 2.
Weapons: Wing tip-mounted light laser cannons (Fire Arc Forward; Damage 5; Critical 3; Range [Close]; Linked 1).
Christopher Hunt
Latest posts by Christopher Hunt (see all)
- Command School – Deterrence and Compellence - July 11, 2019
