Bases do not generally have free reloads available for their type-D or type-H drone racks. Drone bombardment ships have free reloads for their type-D drone racks in their cargo storage and this is generally spelled out (e.g., 200 spaces in cargo storage, 50 per cargo box).
Any unit that has drones can use any drone (except type-H drones and plasma drones) for any system that can use drones. Thus a ship with fighters, PFs, drone racks, and a multi-role shuttle has storage for drones for all four, and could (with in limits, e.g. type-VI drones for the scatter pack and fighters could not be used for the drone racks (unless they were type-G) or PFs (unless the PFs had type-G drone racks or ADD racks). So a base with a type-D drone rack could use drones in the fighter storage to reload the drone rack, or drones from the PF stockpile, or drones for the MRS. Beyond those, there are no "free drones" on the base to reload the drone rack, but you can always spend commander's option points (BEFORE the scenario begins) to buy spare drones and load those in the rack, and of course you could transfer drones under (G25.0) from other ship to the base for that purpose DURING the scenario, barring special scenario rules you cannot say "I transferred all the drones on my bombardment ship to my base before the scenario began."

In re the Andro question, I honestly think it is legal, but want to get an answer from SVC, but SVC has not been in good condition of late to ask him.

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Friday, October 08, 2021 - 04:24 pm: Edit

Thanks for the response. I didn't think there were spare drones available so I had purchased additional drones before the scenario to use as possible reloads or for a scatter pack.

After the scenario, it occurred to me that I might have been able to use drones from the hanger bay module, but I wasn't sure how integrated it was with the base itself. It sounds like I could have also tapped it as a source of additional drones.

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Friday, October 08, 2021 - 08:38 pm: Edit

Commander's Options question - do dummy T-Bombs cost the same as real T-Bombs. Looking through Annex 6 in G3 I don't see a dummy transporter bomb entry, or would this be covered under dummy weapons?

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Friday, October 08, 2021 - 09:12 pm: Edit

Each t-bomb purchase includes a dummy. I don't think dummies can be purchased as a stand-alone item.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Friday, October 08, 2021 - 11:59 pm: Edit

T-bombs, (M3.224), (M2.92)

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Saturday, October 09, 2021 - 05:08 pm: Edit

Neither of those rules state that they are purchased as a package. In (M3.224) - "Dummy T-bombs come only as part of the Commander’s Options (S3.2)" and "Dummy T-bombs come ONLY with T-bombs purchased as part of Commander’s Options."

I don't see where it states when you purchase a T-Bomb you get a real t-bomb and a dummy.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Saturday, October 09, 2021 - 05:22 pm: Edit

Ken Kazinski:

In Annex #6 there is no purchase price for a dummy T-bomb. You purchase a T-bomb, and a Dummy T-Bomb comes with it. There is no other way to acquire one. You can choose not to take the dummy, but if you purchase a T-bomb you get no rebate because you did not take the dummy. There is way to convert the T-bomb into a dummy (so as to get a rebate on the cost). There is no way to get a dummy without buying a T-bomb.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Saturday, October 09, 2021 - 06:10 pm: Edit

Ken,

" and "Dummy T-bombs come ONLY with T-bombs purchased as part of Commander’s Options."

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 10:05 am: Edit

I wish there were dummy T bombs in minefield packages. Makes clearing the field even harder and getting a map so much less clearcut.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 10:15 am: Edit

Wasn't there a tactic discussed (long ago) about just transporting trash sic into space....
Faking the use of a TB.....

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 11:50 am: Edit

There is an equivalent for minefields. See M2.9 (Dummy Mines), specifically M2.912 which allows dummy mines to be inserted into a minefield. Since they cost the same as regular mines, in most instances you'd be better off going with the regular mines. The most likely use would be to create a safe channel for friendly ships (which can also be done with command mines).

By Jeff Conrad (Ledlogic) on Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 11:57 pm: Edit

Is there a way to us a combination of G7.35 negative tractor beam and rotation-pulling G7.74 I. A negative sense, to either have a ship push itself away from a base or the base push the ship away from itself?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, October 11, 2021 - 10:25 am: Edit

Mark Hoyle:

Before the revision which is currently in use, there were no "formal" dummy T-bombs and every ship had, in effect, an unlimited stock of dummy T-bombs by simply "beaming some trash into a space." This was formally outlawed in (M3.224), patly because some people were crowding the maps by beaming out numbers of them.

Jeff Conrad:

Yes, specifically allowed by (G7.7) which says "Tractor rotations can move the object closer or farther away, as well as to either side." It is not, however, negative tractor, but simply a function of the tractor beam, a single tractor beam cannot simultaneously provide tractor and negative tractor, and a ship can only have one (1) tractor link to a given target at a time.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Monday, October 11, 2021 - 05:12 pm: Edit

Additionally, rotation will also depend on tractor status, and the size of units, (G7.713), (G7.715), (G7.717).

(G7.718) Bases with positional stabilizers (G29.0) cannot be rotated; ships treat them as a "larger size class" (G7.713).

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Monday, October 11, 2021 - 07:45 pm: Edit

If multiple Andromedan ships are traveling together in the same hex at the same speed, and some of those ships direct friendly fire at the mauler, how do you determine which bank of panels is hit? I am thinking that the rules for creating a column of friendly ships (and thus which ship is in front of which) would apply: P3.233. This would allow the Andromedans to determine which ships are in front of or behind the mauler and thus whether the front or rear panels are hit. Is this correct? I've read D3.42 and D3.43, and neither really allows for the possibility that friendly ships might cooperate to achieve the desired positions (unless using D3.43C3 to allow the target ship to select the shield that was hit).

By Jeff Conrad (Ledlogic) on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 12:06 am: Edit

If you have a young space dragon (SM7.0) in a cargo of a large freighter (R1.6), what will happen if the large freighter explodes? Do you apply the catastrophic damage explosion (D21.0) strength to the beasty or does it, "cease to be"?

By Kenneth Humpherys (Pmthecat) on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 10:54 am: Edit

Can you fit a young space dragon in a cargo hold?

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 01:55 pm: Edit

Maybe they were transporting an egg and it hatched...

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 03:01 pm: Edit

Since it's gonna take a special scenario rule to get the space dragon into the cargo hold, it's probably going to take a special scenario rule to cover what happens after that.

In other words, that is outside the scope of the rules. Do what make sense to you and your group.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 04:57 pm: Edit

Space Dragons are size class 2-3 in the Scenario (SM7.0) where they were introduced. If you go to the Branthodons, they have some (about 7) dragon ships listed as size class 4. Baby Dragonships are size class 5.

Freighters are size class 4, and a PF stored ready for flight is listed as 250 cargo points, or 20% of a cargo pod. I cannot see any larger dragonship being carried as cargo (that is to say I cannot see a cargo Hauler Hauling a Cargo ship, or a police ship or frigate, in its internal bay).

As to what would happen if the freighter exploded with it aboard, I strongly suspect it would already (if it were actually aboard) already be dead, as the freighter requires that its cargo boxes be destroyed before hand, and thus you have to resolve the damage to the Dragon as the cargo boxes nominally holding it are destroyed by internal damage to the freighter.


John Williams:

There are rules to determine which ship is where in the hex (usually for determining firing directions). See (D3.4) and apply the principles.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - 03:10 pm: Edit

Additional comments: Note that I used the space for a PF ready for flight because you cannot disassemble the space dragon for ease of transport. Also note that I just used the ready for flight and was not taking into account that a living creature might take offense to being "confined" to such a small space (not really a problem I imagine for the Branthodon regime since they lobotomize their dragon ships), but something for you to consider.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - 05:30 pm: Edit

---

Quote:

you cannot disassemble the space dragon for ease of transport

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By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - 07:22 pm: Edit

I would be more worried about Mama Dragon coming to rescue baby dragon from evil Kidnappers.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Thursday, October 14, 2021 - 09:02 am: Edit

Question re lending EW to fighters.

Here is the situation.
Hydran LB has 3 St 1g fighters and HR with 6 ST 1g on board.
5 of the HR St 1g are crippled.
LB tractors 3 of the HR St 1g into her bays while the HR tractors 2 HR original ST 1g into her bays.

Next turn, the LB has 2 St 1gs crippled and they are promptly tractored into the HR bays since there is no more room aboard the LB for fighters.
At this point, the LB has 3 HR St1g and the HR has 2 LB St 1g plus 2 HR original St 1g for repairs.

The LB now lends her lone original St 1g 4 ECM.
There is still 1 HR St 1g on map but it gets no EW from the HR.

That same turn, after repairing only 2 damage points to un-cripple the fighters, both the LB and HR launch these slightly repaired fighters to deal with incoming ESGs.
They have 2 repairs done [reducing 6 damage to 4] but no time to reload any fusion charges, only a phaser G available.

Question is this, do the St 1g launched from the LB [originally from HR] now receive the lent 4 ECM from the LB ?
If so, this would allow 4 ST 1g to receive the lent EW while the LB only has 3 original fighters.

We are playing it as if they could not and the 2 original ST 1g of the LB now on the HR will receive the lent Ew when the HR launches them.

Is this correct/proper play ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frank

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, October 14, 2021 - 11:15 am: Edit

Frank Lemay:

You are required to essentially PLAN the transfer of the fighters to form squadrons. A Stinger-1g from a Lancer (as an example) can land on a Lord Bishop to be reared and repaired, but if it is not also transferred to the Lord Bishop's squadron, it is not part of that squadron and cannot benefit. By the same token, the Lancer could land a Stinger-H for repairs, but could NOT incorporate it into its sqauadron because the Lander does not operate Stinger-H fighters normally. See (J4.46), and specifically (J4.465).

Note specifically that. it requires an entire game turn (not 32 consecutive impulses, but a "Turn") to change the fighter's software to a new squadron which must be spent in a bay of the ship which is the base of the squadron the fighter is joining, so fighters that land and take off during a single given turn are simply not eligible to join a squadron.