The errata sheet for Module Y1 (The Early Years) mentions "a reduced SOP listing only those things used in the Early Years" that was left out of the module because there wasn't enough space.

Is that included in Module YG3 (Early Years Annexes)? If not, was it published elsewhere?

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Tuesday, July 04, 2023 - 10:28 am: Edit

With the discussion about Buzz-Saw webs vs Wedding cake. In the other thread. Two things have come to my thought's rules wise.

1. A web 4 hexes long anchored by asteroids at each end. (Running Dir, A-D) A second web running from the D asteroid 4 hexes long (Running Dir, E-C.) Ending at another asteroid. This connects the two webs. I am believing that they then act as 1 web for reinforcement and degradation. If this is not the case the Buzz-Saw is a very bad plan.

2. If a Web breaker is used on a section of said web. Is it considered one web are two separate sections? Could web breakers take down a section of the web? My feelings is no but I have been wrong before.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Tuesday, July 04, 2023 - 05:14 pm: Edit

Vandar:

Note the following from(G10.1333):

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Quote:

For example, a hexagonal web with asteroids in each of the six corners is not a globular web but is, instead, a connected group of six linear webs. Because they are connected, they are treated as a single entity for the distribution of strength points.

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By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - 09:18 pm: Edit

Looking for confirmation on something. Let us say that 1 ship is sitting on the spline between two shields of another ship. That ship is trying to shoot a down shield but needs the other guy to move first next impulse in order to get that down shield. He then executes a speed change that would cause the other guy to move first. Question is - is the speed change this impulse for next impulse used to determine shield facing next impulse? I think the answer is "no" as the speed change isn't effective until next impulse and that this impulses' current speeds are used to determine shield facing. Can someone please confirm?

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - 11:19 pm: Edit

This appears to be a case for D3.41(B).

If on current impulse you change speed, and then on Impulse +1 you end up on the shield corner, your THEN current speed is relevant. That would appear to have the target ship move first and you can consider shield hit based on if the target ship HAD moved one additional hex directly forward (D3.43(A)). You would be able to shoot on Impulse +1 on the down shield your looking to hit.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Thursday, July 27, 2023 - 11:28 am: Edit

Jeff,
Not quite.
A little further down in D3.41, see the note under D.
Indicates future speed changes have no effect until they take effect.
So shield determination is based on the ship's current speed at the time of fire, not an announcement of a faster/slower speed.

Cheers
Frank

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Thursday, July 27, 2023 - 11:54 am: Edit

Thanks Frank - that is what I thought.

By C. Cox (Theletterc) on Wednesday, August 02, 2023 - 02:10 pm: Edit

One quick question about drone reload storage: How should I be interpreting the line "Extra drones purchased under (S3.2) can be added to this type of storage in excess of its capacity (but do not increase its capacity)" in rule FD.442?

When (if ever) is the capacity limit binding? Is there just no upper limit on reload storage when commander's option purchases are allowed?

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Wednesday, August 02, 2023 - 06:55 pm: Edit

Don't forget that besides the 'drone reload storage', there is also general cargo storage where those extra drones could be stored until moved into the reload storage as capacity becomes available.

By Mike Kenyon (Scottishenginee) on Friday, August 04, 2023 - 12:39 pm: Edit

RE: Drone Storage.

You're still bound by percentages and with speed increases, it eats through COs pretty fast.

I think the wording is intended to indicate that in something like a campaign where you got COs, that buying extra drones as a CO one battle doesn't permanently increase the drone storage go-forward.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Sunday, August 06, 2023 - 11:00 am: Edit

Mike: You're missing (S3.221): Drone speed upgrade charges are not included within the limit on Commander’s Options (they are paid for separately or included in the victory conditions of a fixed scenario), unless they are limited or restricted availability.

By C. Cox (Theletterc) on Sunday, August 06, 2023 - 05:57 pm: Edit

Mike's last sentence, I think, matches my thought on this. Scenarios with CO mean that the cap on drone reload storage is effectively ignored for that scenario. Or to put it another way, the cap is only binding across scenarios (i.e., a campaign). Does that sound right?

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Sunday, August 06, 2023 - 07:34 pm: Edit

Depends on how one looks at it, carriers have a drone limit (for those carriers with drone/plasma-D/K fighters), drone racks have a limit, MRS shuttles have a limit (20 spaces?), plus there is 'general cargo' for additional drones (which also has an undefined limit [as this could be any unused space on the ship]).

As drones are moved from their storage to launching platforms (fighter/ready rack, drone rack, MRS, scatter-pack, etc) any drones in general storage can then be moved into whatever space has opened up ... or drones in one storage could be moved into another when needed (mainly fighter/MRS storage to rack storage but ...)

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Monday, August 07, 2023 - 01:11 am: Edit

FD2.442 Lays this out, but I see your confusion, here's my take. You have the spaces in the rack and spaces in Reload Storage or a ready access locker if you prefer (not on the SSD, destroyed with the last excess damage box) that holds precisely the reloads indicated on the SSD tracker for double or triple reloads as appropriate. At the start of the scenario the reloads are expected to be identical to what's loaded in the rack (FD2.451). Once you start reloading drones, if you are using any of the special drones you must start keeping detailed records as to what is in Reload Storage or General Storage.

Any other drones onboard are moved from general storage to these ready-lockers as space is made available from reload operations, and if you are maintaining specific records, you may choose which drones are drawn from storage and placed in the ready lockers.

If the ship has a fighter stockpile, there is another ready access locker for the fighter's drone's Ready Racks, and this stockpile is destroyed with the last Shuttlebay box in that bay (FD2.443).

The ship may draw drones from the Fighter stockpile to load its own Fighter Ready Racks or from ship's drone reload storage (FD2.4432). Neither Fighter Ready Racks, nor Ship's Drone Racks can be reloaded directly from storage, although storage drones are automatically loaded into vacant spaces in either ready locker.

While you can buy extra drones, you can not increase the size of the ready lockers, that's the TL,DR: meaning of the phrase your asking about.

So, say you have a Klingon D5K with the Y175 refit, that's two B racks with double reloads. Each of the B's have six spaces of drones on the rack and 12 spaces of drones in the ready ammo lockers. If one rack is loaded with: one Type-IIIF-ECM, one Type-IVF-MW, a Type IF-Probe, and a Type-IF in each launcher, you would have only TWO Type-IF standard drones in the Reload Storage for that rack, limiting your options to reload with after launching your ECM drone. This is the limitation that cannot be enhanced with Commander's Options. (Note, I did not do the math on availability, just made the example illustrative.)

If the Klingon Commander purchased 12 extra Type IF drones as Commander's options, these extra 12 drones would not be part of the ready lockers for either B rack. They are 'loose' drones and could be used for various things, including WS-III scatter packs ready on Turn 1. The D5K does not have reserve storage noted, nor any CARGO boxes, so any 'super-inventory' drones would simply be stored 'in the last Excess Damage box'.

Some ships with drones and CARGO boxes may have a dedicated reserve associated with those CARGO boxes, the D6D has four CARGO boxes on the SSD and carries 200 spaces of extra drones in those boxes which are lost with the CARGO box they are stored in.

Hope that helps.

By C. Cox (Theletterc) on Monday, August 07, 2023 - 05:13 pm: Edit

Hi Jeff, thanks for the thoughtful response. Your example with the D5 is very helpful.

A couple remaining question:

1. Can these "loose" drones then be used to reload the B racks?
2. If yes, would they have to be moved into reload storage once there is room in reload storage before using them to reload the B rack?

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Monday, August 07, 2023 - 05:58 pm: Edit

I would say yes. You would load them into the drone storage rack as space permits. Now would You have to assign crew to do that or not?

I think that the drone storage area has some kind of lift or something to move them big heavy drones to the rack. Moving them loose drones may be more of a problem. not sure game wise not much of a drone user.

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Monday, August 07, 2023 - 07:17 pm: Edit

@C.Cox: Yes and Yes.

@Gregory: You have the first part correct, the second part is not. The movement of 'loose' drones from General to Ready storage is considered automatic as space opens up (FD2.442). This is true even if the drones in General storage are from dedicated CARGO boxes.

The movement of 'loose' drones from General to Ready storage is not tracked at all, aside from a mathematical tally of any remaining super-inventory, unless the ship has dedicated drone storage (like the D6D) in which case any super-inventory drones purchased as Commander's Options are in excess of the stockpile, both tallies need to monitored in case any of the CARGO boxes takes damage. In either case, your Chiefs below decks sort out those details for you. Remember the cardinal unwritten rule of any Navy, 'Never piss off the Chiefs'.

The 'In the weeds' part is that a Single Crew Unit (which has bodies equal to TWO Deck Crews -- Even the Kzinti Weightlifting Team) moves TWO spaces of drones per 32 impulses, the same work that TWO Deck Crews can manage. Unlike Deck Crews the Drone Rack Reload rules require a full turn starting from EA thru EoT, to accomplish this where Fighters being reloaded from Ready Racks or Ready Racks being reloaded from Ready Storage just need 32 work/impulses per space of drone.

I put it that way because you can double-up Deck Crews to speed up operations, and when your managing a Kongo Line of fighters launching, pickling off their drones, recovering, and reloading, the exact impulse the fighter lands or departs starts the timer on when the operations are complete. As you can see, it gets to be more of a carefully timed dance than an exercise in tactical brilliance.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Tuesday, August 08, 2023 - 02:10 pm: Edit

Tholian Pinwheel.

on turn 3 the pinwheel decides to undock During EA. can the ships then move on turn3? Of course, max speed of 10 and must move forward as all sideslips and turn mode is 0. Or is it announced on turn3 and they can plot movement on turn4?

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Tuesday, August 08, 2023 - 03:07 pm: Edit

If a base station in orbit was cought in a web? Would it then stop orbiting?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Wednesday, August 09, 2023 - 03:36 pm: Edit

Gary S Flusche;

See (P8.24). The effect of web is to stop the orbit at that point until either the unit is destroyed (by Tholian weapons presumably) or the web dissolves. In the latter case the unit resumes its orbit. The rule affects all orbital movement, so the Tholians can create windows to approach a planet with massive defenses, but it is not necessarily a free ride for them.

The intention to undock is made in the Speed Determination Phase (2) after all players announce their speed for the coming turn. Your ships cannot got faster than one (1) I the turn of undocking.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Wednesday, August 09, 2023 - 05:01 pm: Edit

thank you, Steve P., The undocking thing was what I was wondering about. So, any kind of movement would be done the turn after.

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Thursday, August 10, 2023 - 08:47 am: Edit

But pinwheels do not use the docking rules. C14.31 says pinwheels dissolve, or form, at the pinwheel step of the energy allocation phase.

Annex 2 says pin wheels dissolve, then EA is done for the component ships. I see no reason they couldn't then allocate for speed 10 that turn.

Docking/unlocking is announced in step 2, speed determination phase, unlock in step 5 initial activity phase, or dock in step 7 final activity phase, all after energy allocation.

Different processes.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, August 10, 2023 - 02:32 pm: Edit

Rule (C14.33) says the ships can begin moving on the NEXT TURN. It does not say they can begin moving on the same turn as separation. Is there something that says they can? I am quite willing to admit that my reading is wrong, but right now it says what it says to me.

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Thursday, August 10, 2023 - 02:58 pm: Edit

Ah, so next turn it is. I didn't see the added restriction in C14.33, I was only looking at the sequence of play that naturally prevents movement on the turn of undocking, but not for ships leaving a pinwheel. C14.33 adds that restriction separate from the SOP.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, August 10, 2023 - 03:55 pm: Edit

Nick Blank:

No problem, you are keeping me honest.