My question is related to this web caster rule:

(E12.13) SEQUENCE: Web casters are considered direct-fire weapons. They are declared with all other direct-fire weapons but are operated after all other direct-fire weapons in that step of the Sequence of Play (but before damage allocation). See (E12.36) for firing rates.

I have seen some players online notating the hexes the web is going to when deciding to fire the caster online. In face-to-face play, I have never seen anyone writing down hexes when writing down that they are firing the caster and other weapons. What I have seen is players laying down web chits and moving them around. Online, I have seen the same thing... webs hexes being placed and moved around but other guys have decided those hexes when they initiate fire.

What is the actual rule here? The way I read the rule, I would declare I am firing the caster, then all other direct fire would be resolved, then I would announce how many hexes, strength, and where the hexes would go after all that.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Saturday, August 24, 2024 - 06:21 pm: Edit

Jack: Per (E12.55), the strength of a cast web is announced when it is cast.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Saturday, August 24, 2024 - 08:51 pm: Edit

Thanks Jessica- I think however that the web isn't actually cast until after the dice have been rolled for all direct fire weapons. There is an announcement during fire which is "fire caster". That happens at the same time as "fire overloaded disruptor".

Then dice are rolled. Then the web is cast. Number of hexes determined, location, and strength. All after rolling dice for other weapons.

That's how I read the rule anyway.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 08:16 am: Edit

That's my read of it as well.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 10:21 am: Edit

Are narrow salvoes and non-violent combat mutually exclusive? I don't see a prohibition in the rules, but by their descriptions I would think they cannot both be used together.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 12:20 pm: Edit

Duplicate deleted

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 06:59 pm: Edit

Don't have the rulebooks in front of me, Roscoehatfield, and I've only played ONCE with the oxymoron rule, but IIRC, the only limit on using non-violent combat is that certain weapons aren't allowed to use it (Hellbores and Plasma Torpedoes come foremost to mind).

For narrow salvoes, again, I've only done a few "Thought Exercises" with them, so I don't know the rules well at all, but IIRC (and this is a BIIG "If"), some weapons can't be combined.

(Certain direct fire weapons use 2 dice to determine hit or miss where most use just one is why I'm pretty sure they can't.)

As far as any interaction between the two rules goes, I'd guess that if a ship has some heavy weapons that can't use non-violent combat, then they can't narrow salvo them with weapons that can, so a Hydran, even firing its Hellbores in "Direct Fire" mode HAVE to fire them as a separate "Narrow Salvo" from their Phasers, and if they are using non-violent combat, since the Hellbores aren't allowed to use it, the Hydrans would only be under the restrictions of non-violent combat with the narrow salvo of their phasers.

This also makes sense in that the Hellbore damage would go automatically to the DAC where the Phaser damage would go through the Non-Violent Combat chart and only a couple points would end up going to the DAC.

Again, though, I don't have the rulebooks in front of me, so this is mostly just a guess.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Friday, August 30, 2024 - 11:26 am: Edit

Jeff, thanks. This was also a late night thought exercise for me.

You are correct that some DF weapons cannot combine their use of narrow solvoes, but can fire in narrow salvoes of their own. Phasers and disruptors come to immediate mind. Their narrow salvoes would require a separate die roll.

FWIW, more thinking on the subject leads me to believe that NVC and NSs can be used together.

I'm happy to be confirmed or corrected.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Tuesday, September 03, 2024 - 02:56 pm: Edit

Can someone please tell me where to find the rule for Hydran stingers where they use 2 charges to fire them out at range 10?

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, September 03, 2024 - 04:12 pm: Edit

Good question, Jack. Sent me on quite the hunt before I found it.

Module C1, in the description for the Hydran Stinger-I class fighter (rule R9.F1) includes the following...

"The range of the fusion beam is limited to three hexes, but if two charges are used for one shot, the beam can fire to a maximum range of 10 hexes (this does not produce increased damage)."

So far, that's the only place I found it.

Hope that helps.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Tuesday, September 03, 2024 - 04:27 pm: Edit

Also note (R9.FW1) FUSION WEAPON in the Hydran Master Starship Book.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 04, 2024 - 10:52 am: Edit

Thanks guys!

By David Hanson (Glimaash) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 08:06 pm: Edit

During the modification process for Carnivon Death Bolts, can the player opt to fire the Death Bolt before the modification is finished (obviously the modification would not be active on the Death Bolt)?

By David Hanson (Glimaash) on Sunday, September 08, 2024 - 01:10 pm: Edit

Another question. A Carnivon scout attracts a Klingon ECM drone at Range 5. The Klingon want to deny the scout the drone and drops tracking on it. Will the ATG on the drone automatically kick in (since we are within 8 hexes) or can the Klingon forgo the drones ATG and let it go inert and be removed?

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Monday, September 09, 2024 - 11:11 am: Edit

? about a SP popping.
A SP has been launched on imp 8 with a release on imp 17 and if it takes 1 point of damage, the drones are released early.
The SP takes 1 point of damage from enemy phaser fire on imp 9.

Are the drones released now ?
If so, are the drones released immediately on imp 9 out of seqeuce which would be after fire or released on imp 10 in the Seeking weapon launch stage ?

If they are not released, how does the early damge release work or applied ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frank

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, September 09, 2024 - 01:50 pm: Edit

David Hanson:
You can launch the death bolt with the modification lost (standard death bolt).

An ATG drone that has its own lock on will pursue its target, so the ECM drone will pursue the scout that attracted it.


Frank Lemay:

The scatter pack cannot release as it has not met the release conditions normally irrespective of the damage. When it has been out 8 impulses that damage point will cause release, even though it was scored earlier.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Monday, September 09, 2024 - 02:45 pm: Edit

SPP,
Thanks for the quick reply !
One follow up ? re the ATG drone as it is a game David and I are currently playing.

My D6 had the ecm drone following it but did not release it to ATG guidance.
Carni scout attracts the ecm drone.

The D6 did not drop tracking immediately and the non activated ATG drone gets to R8 or something like that.
Does the ATG kick in or does the D6 have to release the ATG drone to ATG guidance ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frank

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Monday, September 09, 2024 - 10:22 pm: Edit

Say, how many drones does a starbase have to reload its Type-H drone magazines? I've been looking around and can't quite figure it out.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 07:59 am: Edit

Joseph,
See FD3.84.
Starbases have no reloads.

Cheers
Frank

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 09:02 am: Edit

Which isn't to say that the owner of said starbase couldn't buy a crudload of drones to put in the base's copious cargo holds.

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 10:21 am: Edit

Say, how many drones does a starbase have to reload it's fighters? That's probably listed for the specific hangar module?

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 11:13 am: Edit

There is that consideration Jessica ! :>)

Cheers
Frank

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 11:27 am: Edit

Starbases with fighter modules count as true carriers for all purposes, plus it has the aforementioned copious quantity of cargo.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 10:10 pm: Edit

Odd ball question: If a cargo ship is docked to a starbase, can it transfer its load of drones to the base for use in combat? If so, how many drones per turn can be moved from the ship to the base??


Garth L. Getgen

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - 12:49 am: Edit

Garth, that's covered in (G25.32) Direct Transfer, with the rate dependent upon whether the ship is docked inside the base or outside the base; the transfer is limited to a quarter of that rate by (G25.3) due to it being explosive ordinance.

Assuming we're talking about an external docking, the rate is 64 space of cargo per turn, quartered (due to it being drones) to 16 spaces per turn (which is 16 one-space drones). They would be transferred to the storage areas on the base, where they would have to remain at least for the remainder of that turn and the following turn (again, per (G25.3)) before they could then be transferred internally to the drone racks.