Swoop racing is a high-speed spectator sport, with the vehicles involved often reaching speeds of 600 kilometers per hour.
Swoop racing is always a popular sport both on professional and amateur levels. It became more popular then ever when it became the Empire-sanctioned replacement of podracing.
Although extremely dangerous, those who have opted to race these extreme machines have found it to be a very lucrative occupation indeed.
In 7 ABY, Galactic Swoop Racing becomes a popular sport amongst the business crowd and off-duty military personnel. Businesses begin to invest in the sport, including TAJ Enterprises, StarShield, TCF Corporation and McTavish Enterprises. Eventually governments began investing, notably the Galactic Empire and the Corporate Sector Authority.
The Galactic Swoop League is a corporation established to manage the races, and to lend legitimacy to the sport. Using the previously mentioned investments, the GSL began construction of several large tracks across the galaxy. The GSL breaks the sport down into four categories; G1, G2, G3 and G4, based on the rider's own skill and the swoop itself, along with any upgrades or modifications made to it. Prize money, and the difficulty, increases as the grade goes up.
Rules[]
Swoop races in the official GSL circuit are done in GSL-sponsored and authorized tracks. Each track is broken down into six "sections" - each section has several paths a racer may take to reach the finish line. Some are more hazardous than others, but provide short-cuts - if the racer is able to make it through the difficult path.
The three important elements of swoop racing are the character's Swoop Operation skill, the swoop's Maneuverability code, and the swoop's speed rating.
There are four speed levels a swoop may go at. Cautious, Cruising (or normal), High and All-out. For a detailed description of each speed rating, read this. Each section will have a difficulty rating posted - the swoop racer must +check his Swoop Operation skill combined with the swoop's Maneuverability code to see if they beat the section's difficulty rating. The difficulty rating is modified by your speed - Cruising, the difficulty remains the same. For example, if you go at High speed, the difficulty rating increases one level if the base difficulty is Difficult or higher. Further information found in the previous link.
A swoop racer may increase or decrease his speed one level per section - so if you start the race at all-out, you can only bring it down to High in one round. This naturally counts as a separate action and will incur multiple action penalties. You must announce your speed change in your pose.
To begin a race, each racer does a Perception check to determine the starting order. They roll Perception each round to determine pose order for each of the six rounds. In the pose, the player must announce which path they will be taking and what speed (and if they are changing speed). They then must +check/modify2 Swoop Operation/(manuverability code here). If you beat or tie the difficulty, you succeed and pass through the section. You move as many units as your speed rating (modified by your speed setting) plus how much you beat the difficulty by plus any bonuses you incur (bonuses are rewarded for taking the harder difficulties). So, for instance: the difficulty is 25. You roll a 35 for your Swoop Operation/maneuverability. Your swoop's speed is 175, but you traveled at high speed - 300. You took the harder difficulty and it states it gives a bonus of +20. You beat the difficulty by 10. So your total for that round is 330.
If you miss the difficulty, you suffer a mishap - explained here. It could lead to a serious collision that can seriously harm you! Be careful! The winner is determined at the end - whoever has the highest amount of points at the end of the race. Good luck out there!