Why?
The question anyone who has ever played Silent Death has asked. This TPAC medium fighter introduced in the original game core rules that was lifted and shifted – along with the standard model redesign that occurred – when SD:TNG came out.
The big question was always why would Imperial Transtar build a fighter with only one battery of forward-facing Blatguns but requiring a crew of two to operate it? A pilot with their own gunnery skill and capability to operate the Blatguns as well as a gunner who can control the same guns, where both may not fire in the same turn? Even the notes in the core rules state that for best results give the gunner a high gunnery skill and the pilot a low gunnery skill.
The fighter itself is a formidable tool if used in the right scenario. Extremely fast and armed with high yield weaponry, it can run rings around heavy MPAC fighters and Gunships, staying well out of the range and speed restrictions of most weapons and dealing steady damage. Two Teal Hawks at a slightly higher combined cost than a single Sorenson III could do a far better job that the maligned, albeit with reason, Sorenson III.
The counter argument is a slightly cheaper and slower Hell Bender, while slower, could be more useful and not require the extra crew member.
At face value the only minor advantage this dual crewmember setup would provide is in terms of the rule where gunners shoot fist. A multi fighter coordinated battle could use this advantage well. Flying directly toward an enemy ship in the pilots forward firing arc could deal severe damage before the pilot could return fire, assuming they have a weapon capable of hitting the fast Teal Hawk at the range Blatguns allow attack from.
Large battles where the Teal Hawks job is to take out damaged opponents are a different matter, but if that is the plan use a Sorenson III as it gets two shots a turn. The nature of the game is often one of smaller battles where every ship must be able to deliver from the start, making it a difficult expense to justify a ship that hangs out on the periphery doing little to nothing in the first turns.
Ignoring the lobsided original game rules (um cheap Nighthawk anyone?), one would need to spend around 8 to 10 points on the gunner. Even with a single point spent on the pilot’s gunnery skill (as recommended in the rules) it is still a waste when every point may count.
Back to the question of why. What were the designers thinking? I have some ideas based on some probable scenarios:
- Training. While loose campaign rules came out as the game developed, the concept of keeping a roster of crew with their skills and what ships and weapons they are rated on, is possibly something many Silent Death players may have considered. One could go as far as to say within certain houses a pilot needs to be able to fly first and gunnery comes later. Thus, team a decent pilot up with a good gunner and use the Teal Hawk as a combat ready training model, where a successful mission, even if the pilot does not get a chance to shoot, could lead to a natural increase in pilots gunnery skill due to observation and training. The converse of this could be the pilot is teaching the gunner how to fly and fire. Where the pilot gives instruction on flying, lining up and firing vs a gunner simply watching for an enemy to come into their firing arc.
- Scouting. This could require house rules as the Scout Class was alluded to but never properly defined or differentiated from a standard fighter. But consider the Teal Hawk as a craft that can do serious distance, where the Pilot is heavily involved in scouting activities and does not have the time to operate weaponry if a combat scenario comes up, unless absolutely necessitated by the gunner becoming incapacitated. Or where the gunner is the main scout crew member and only provides back up gunnery where absolutely necessary. Universal Night Watch even mentions the Teal Hawk NW was repurposed as a scout.
I thought I would have more ideas. Both of mine speak to a house rules or campaign style game.
The Teal Hawk has seen refits over time:
- Teal Hawk II (Operation Dry Dock) – This refit not only adds three extra Mk10 torps in the rack, but increases the fighter’s defensive value to 15, making it extremely difficult to hit. At an extra 4 BPV this would usually be a better investment than the base model.
- Teal Hawk III (Kashmere Commonwealth) – The so-called smugglers mod. They dropped the torp rack and gunner to make way for a cargo bay. As fast and defensible as the original but 3 BPV cheaper, less the minimum 1 for the additional crew member. Who needs torps anyway when you are fast enough to run rings around slower ships and pling away at them. Come against a schwarm of Microraptors, Pit Vipers, Darts or even Delta II’s and you will be in big trouble. The 1 or 4 torps of the base or Mk II version wont help much in such a melee either.
- Teal Hawk EX (More than Valor) – Near twice the price of a Teal Hawk III and the Mk III it has dropped the gunner. It however mounts the torp rack of the Mk II (instead of a cargo bay), has replaced the Blatguns with an Ion Ram and used the space saved by turfing the additional (superfluous) crew member to mount 6 Pulse Lazers. It has the same defensive value as the original and Mk III. Note it also has an additional decoy and better Point Defence system (1-6) than other Teal Hawk versions. With a minimum 7 points damage from the Pulse Lazers, small fast fighters must rightly fear it. Moderately slower fighters need to respect the Ion Ram. If a player can somehow slip this variant in amongst other Teal Hawks, short of really bad movement decisions or pure bad luck, it will cut battle turning swathe through the ranks of the opposition before they comprehend what they are facing.
- Teal Hawk NW (Universal Night Watch) – A standard Teal Hawk fitted with a DLT Mk10 torp. Decoys and Point Defence are removed in favour of the Defensive Value being bumped up to 17 – making it near impossible to hit. While designed to take on Grubs, this could be a lethal fighter in any battle, especially if mixed in with other Teal Hawks. “Why do I keep missing that one?”
I began drafting this article on a whim, thinking of the Teal Hawk and how it barely gets any play time in my experience. Having now completed this article, I may be a convert. Next game I am going to try running a few Teal Hawks. If you are up for a bit of a campaign, mixing it up with low key role paying or storytelling, imagine the mission to nick the Teal Hawk EX, or its plans from the Data Sphere. That could make for a remarkable story or mini campaign by itself.
Small parting comment. The Teal Hawk is one of the plastic models available in the Wings of Death box, if one can get obtain one of those these days. For a picture of a really nicely painted Teal Hawk among other fighters, check out gimgamgoo.com.
