Ships travel via Hyperspace Jump. Ships can enter and move in Hyperspace using their FTL Drive, however, to leave Hyperspace requires a gravity well projection into Hyperspace – a large planet or star. Ships can travel from any point in space to a gravity well within their range. If they miss the gravity well they don’t emerge from Hyperspace. See Ship Operations – Hyperspace Jumps for more information.
Speed
Spending more money on a ship’s FTL Engine increases maximum FTL speed. Speed can be increased to a maximum of FTL-4.
- FTL-2 is 2x cost.
- FTL-3 is 4x cost.
- FTL-4 is 8x cost.
In order to get that performance out of the ship it is necessary to supply it more power – one extra GURPS Power Point (GPP) per engine per extra FTL (or part thereof).
- FTL-1 is 1LY / 8 Jobs = 1LY per 5/6 of a Cycle
- FTL-2 is 2LY / 8 Jobs = 1LY / 4 Jobs = 1LY per 5/12 of a Cycle
- FTL-3 is 3LY / 8 Jobs = 1LY / 2 Jobs, 6 Tasks, 6 Moments, 60 Seconds = 1LY per 3/8 of a Cycle
- FTL-4 is 4LY / 8 Jobs = 1LY / 2 Jobs = 1LY per 5/24 of a Cycle
Fractional speeds and drives are possible (up to 4.0). Speed must be chosen at the start of the jump and cannot be altered once committed.
Travel time in Cycles can be calculated with the following formula: Distance / (FTL Speed * 1.2)
Range
More FTL Engine modules increase range. The first engine gives 12.1 LY, additional engines have reduced efficiency.
Ranges are as follows:
| FTL Engines | LY |
| 1xFTL | 12.100 |
| 2xFTL | 20.167 |
| 3xFTL | 25.544 |
| 4xFTL | 29.130 |
| 5xFTL | 31.520 |
| 6xFTL | 33.113 |
It is possible to mix and match different FTL speed modules, but the ship is limited to the lowest speed of all modules in use.
For example, a ship with 2xFTL-2 + 1xFTL-1; in this case, the ship could travel at FTL-2 on a jump up to 20.2 LY, but only at FTL-1 for jumps between 20.2 LY and 25.5 LY.
Construction
FTL Engine modules must be fitted to the Centre Hull Surface of the ship. Thus the maximum possible range is 33.1 LY.