Traveller Tuesday: Streamlining Space Combat

This blog post does not add additional tonnage to your Space Combat rules, but it does increase their cost by 10%.

After having two space combat sessions in Traveller nearly back to back, I've noticed that things don't flow quite as smoothly as they should. While the Order of Events in the core book makes perfect sense from a layout perspective, in practice things get a little odd -- especially when it comes to damage.

Here, then, is my own work-in-progress system to help make space combat a little less confusing for the harried GM.  For completeness' sake, I shall list the entire order of events; changes to rules as written are indicated through italics. While the outline is longer than the original, this should help prevent the GM having to frantically thumb through the section, looking for what happens when.

Hopefully.


Order of Events

1. Setup
1. Determine range between ships
2. Determine crew positions
3. Determine initiative
1. Commanders make Tactics (naval) check
2. Effect is added to ship initiative score
4. Determine number of reactions based on initiative
2. Maneuver Phase
1. Burn initiative for bonus reactions? Y/N
2. Pilots allocate thrust to movement or maneuvering
3. Position of ships is changed based on thrust
4. Pilot make skill rolls for maneuver actions
1. Dock with another vessel
2. Help line up a shot
3. Perform evasive maneuvers
• Spend thrust as a reaction
• Each point of thrust spent allows Pilot check.
• Each successful check gives -2 DM to attacks against that ship.
• These DMs stack until end of turn.
3. Combat Phase
1. In order of initiative, ships can take actions. Reactions are performed by ship being fired upon.
2. Fire turret weapons (each turret uses a single Gunnery (Turret) roll)
• Reaction: Launch Sand? Y/N
• May only be used as a reaction if Sensors are functional
• If not, sand is launched along with turret weapons
• Sand cloud disperses at end of turn
3. Launch Missiles (if from a turret with mixed weaponry, uses the above roll)
• Reaction: Point Defense? Y/N
• Can only be used in the turn they will impact
• 1 hit = missile destroyed 
• Gunner may keep shooting at missiles until one is missed
• Each point defense roll after the first suffers cumulative -1 DM
4. Attempt boarding action
• Reaction: Point Defense vs. Boarders? Y/N
• Use Quick Resolution of Boarding Actions (p. 148) if desired
5. Repeat until all ships have taken all actions.
6. Resolve damage
1. All energy weapons from one turret count as one incoming block of damage.
2. See if missiles hit (table, p.149)
3. Resolve all missile hits separately.
4. Determine damage to ship.
5. Resolve crew hits from radiation
4. Ship Action Phase
• In order of initiative ships may take actions:
• Increase initiative through Leadership (Captain)
• Repair damaged systems (Damage Control)
• Switch computer programs (Computer/Sensor/Comm)
• Establish sensor lock (Sensor)
• Determine type of missiles inbound (Sensor)
• Perform electronic warfare (Comms)
• Communicate with other ships [including hostile] (Comms)
• Check to see if electronic warfare prevents this
• If so, comms operator must defeat jamming through opposed roll
• Launch/retrieve small craft (Pilot[Small Craft])
• Perform Jump (Engineer [Jump Drive])
• Only one action per crew member each phase
5. Next turn - go to Maneuver Phase, above