Fleets

The original game's picture for fleets

Fleets are groups of capital ships, together with the fighter squadrons, troops and personnel aboard them, that travel and fight together in Star Wars: Rebellion.

Composition

A fleet must contain at least one capital ship. Fighter squadrons and troops can belong to a fleet only if one of its capital ships has room for them, and each capital ship's encyclopedia entry gives its carrying capacity. Any number of characters and Special forces may travel with a fleet. The manual describes players drawing fleets together from these parts and recombining them as the opponent moves or as they expand. Fleets can be used to hold a system, take one, fight an opposing fleet in space, or carry troops.

Fleet window

A system with a fleet in orbit shows a Fleet icon in its upper right corner, and double-clicking the icon opens the Fleet window. Several fleets can orbit one system at once. The window's left column lists the fleets; a fleet can be opened to show its individual ships. The right column describes whichever fleet or ship is selected, using four tabs for capital ships, fighter squadrons, troops and personnel. A newly built capital ship starts a new fleet of its own in orbit (see Building ships).

Rearranging fleets

Ships or troops are moved between fleets by dragging them in an open Fleet window, and a fleet left with no ships is disbanded automatically. The Create Fleet command on a ship's menu forms a new fleet from that ship, or from several ships selected together with the CTRL key. The manual notes that a fleet meant to take a neutral system needs ships able to bombard defenses and enough troops for a garrison, but not fighters or extra offensive troops, since neutral systems have no defending fleets or troops. A fleet aimed at an opponent's system needs heavier armament.

Transports and exploration

Troop-carrying ships can bring troops to an unpopulated system. Once the fleet is in orbit, troops chosen in the Troop tab are moved onto the system by dragging them or by the right-click Move command. They form a garrison, the system's name takes the player's color, and facilities can then be built. An uninhabited system has no garrison requirement, but at least one trooper regiment is needed to control it.

A fleet cannot be sent on a Reconnaissance mission, but a fleet arriving at an unexplored system reveals the same information as a Recon mission, except for characters, Special Forces and current manufacturing. Unlike a Recon mission, the fleet stays at the system until moved, and a transport in it can claim the system at once. The manual warns that a small transport fleet may meet a stronger opposing fleet if the opponent controls the system. Personnel can be stationed on a fleet, so a probe droid or similar unit can operate from it.

Command personnel

Characters improve fleets they command. A character is placed on a fleet by right-clicking the character and choosing a rank from the Command menu. According to the manual, admirals raise a fleet's overall performance in battle, commanders make its fighters more effective in the tactical game, and generals improve its troops in a planetary assault. See Command ranks.

Fleet commands

Right-clicking a Fleet icon opens the Fleet menu.

• Move sends the fleet to a chosen system, and it enters hyperspace immediately. A fleet or ship in hyperspace cannot receive orders, and its icon in the Fleet window shows a blue engine glow. A ship moved onto a fleet in another sector counts as a member at once but remains in hyperspace for several days.
• Confirmed Move opens a window giving the transit time in days; a checkmark confirms the move and an X cancels it.
• Planetary Bombardment becomes available once the fleet orbits an enemy or neutral system. Defensive batteries fire back at the ships, but the ion cannon KDY-150 does no physical damage and instead drains energy from the attacker so that it cannot bombard. Each ship's Bombardment Modifier is combined and set against the strength of any planetary shield, and only firepower that gets through reaches troops and facilities on the ground. The sub-menu offers Target Military Facilities (destroys shields and batteries, with possible collateral damage), Target Civilian Facilities (destroys civilian facilities like construction yards and refineries, at a cost to loyalty) and General Bombardment (indiscriminate). Destroy System is available only to the Empire with the Death Star in the fleet.
• Planetary Assault lands the fleet's troops; see Planetary assault.
• Rename and Encyclopedia change the fleet's name (defaults are Fleet 1, Fleet 2 and so on) and open its entry.

Fleet encounters and locating fleets

When one fleet meets another in orbit around a system, the two engage in battle (see Tactical game). A fleet in orbit over an enemy or neutral system also sets up a Planetary blockade.

Besides the Fleet icons in the Sector window, fleets can be found through the Fleets sub-menu of the Galactic Information Display (Idle Fleets and Fleets En Route, shown as star icons sized by fleet count), or with the Fleet Finder, which lists all, Alliance or Imperial fleets and opens the chosen fleet's window. A Ship Finder in the same dialog works the same way for single ships.