Time Taken: One round to several minutes.
Tactics represents a character's skill in deploying military forces and maneuvering them to his best advantage. It may be rolled to gain general knowledge of how to best stage certain military operations: blockading a planet with a fleet, invading an enemy installation, assaulting a fixed turbolaser battery.
This skill may also be used to determine the best response to an opponent's move in battle: what to do if the enemy entraps your ships in a pincer movement, how to proceed in the assault should reinforcements arrive, what to do if a unit becomes trapped behind enemy lines.
Although tactics rolls might reveal how to best handle military situations, the final outcome of a battle hinges on other skill rolls - command for the leader, and the combat rolls of both forces.
Tactics difficulties should be based on various factors in a battle: how many units are involved, the setting, and the difference in training and equipment between units.
When rolling this skill, characters are often seeking ways to deal with military situations. The better the result, the more hints a gamemaster should give to help the character win the battle. Hints can take the form of reminders about different moves the enemy can make, suggestions on how to maneuver the character's forces, or (for especially good rolls) risky and unanticipated moves which could throw the enemy off guard.