Death Probe Turn Mode?
Moderators: mjwest, Albiegamer
Death Probe Turn Mode?
So the Death probe from Tholian attack doesn't do energy allocation and just selects a baseline speed without having to worry about how much energy it costs. The card for it unfortunately doesn't list a turn mode for speed 32, it just goes up to 24 and stops. We played it as the same as speed 24, but I wanted to ask just to be sure.
Well normally to get to speed 32 a ship would have to be going at baseline speed 24 and pay for acceleration at the start of each impulse. If you're doing this, the turn mode stays the same as it does at baseline speed 24. I haven't got Tholian Attack and so don't have the Death Probe card to look at, but I presume it has an option to have a "baseline speed" of 32 rather than setting 24 and then accelerating each impulse? Anyway, since ships usually keep the same turn mode at effective speed 32 (i.e. 24+1 for all 8 impulses) and at baseline speed 24, I would have said that unless the Death Probe states (in rules or on ship card) the turn mode probably remains the same as it was for baseline speed 24.
Edit: Argument rendered obsolete by Mike's proper answer posted below.
Yeah, the Death Probe "does not use the Energy System" but gets its movement and weapons "for free".
To me, this means that you set a baseline speed as normal [but don't pay for it of course] and then you can accelerate and decelerate at will [also free].
For the Death Probe, the scenario says that you can set a baseline speed of 8, 16 or 24 or 32.
I think that speed 32 is a misprint. There's no such thing as a baseline speed of 32, and the ship card bears this out. I'd say that the ship card is correct, then.
Given that the movement energy is free, why not say that you can select any baseline speed just like a ship, and then use your free accel/decel; set speed 24 and then use accel to make speed 32, using the speed 24 turn mode. Note also that there is no 'Stopped' or 'speed zero' choice; something I think is also a misprint.
Incidentally, this means that the only reason why you might not set speed 24 for the Death Probe every turn is because of the turn mode. There is no other reason not to, because if you decide you don't want to go that fast, you just cancel a scheduled move every time you feel like staying put. It's free, after all. And because you can cancel as much movement as you like for free, the idea of turning in the hex without moving [normally an expensive way of turning in terms of energy cost] becomes very attractive, making the turn mode largely irrelevant anyway.
Yeah, the Death Probe "does not use the Energy System" but gets its movement and weapons "for free".
To me, this means that you set a baseline speed as normal [but don't pay for it of course] and then you can accelerate and decelerate at will [also free].
For the Death Probe, the scenario says that you can set a baseline speed of 8, 16 or 24 or 32.
I think that speed 32 is a misprint. There's no such thing as a baseline speed of 32, and the ship card bears this out. I'd say that the ship card is correct, then.
Given that the movement energy is free, why not say that you can select any baseline speed just like a ship, and then use your free accel/decel; set speed 24 and then use accel to make speed 32, using the speed 24 turn mode. Note also that there is no 'Stopped' or 'speed zero' choice; something I think is also a misprint.
Incidentally, this means that the only reason why you might not set speed 24 for the Death Probe every turn is because of the turn mode. There is no other reason not to, because if you decide you don't want to go that fast, you just cancel a scheduled move every time you feel like staying put. It's free, after all. And because you can cancel as much movement as you like for free, the idea of turning in the hex without moving [normally an expensive way of turning in terms of energy cost] becomes very attractive, making the turn mode largely irrelevant anyway.
Last edited by Kang on Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Also, why would you want to set "baseline speed 32" if you could do 24 and then accelerate and decelerate for free? I suppose you would secure the initiative even over an opponent moving at baseline speed 24, but I think it moving at baseline speed 24 and then getting free acceleration/deceleration is more reasonable, especially if it doesn't have baseline speed 32 on the ship card. You're probably right that you should be able to set baseline speed 0 or stopped, as well.
The ship card for the Death Probe says that it cannot accelerate or decelerate. It may only run at its chosen base speed. It also may not use Evasive Maneuvers.
You are right: it should have a turn mode listed for speed 32, which would logically be 5. However, given that it isn't there, and given the other restrictions it has, just use the 4 for speed 24.
You are right: it should have a turn mode listed for speed 32, which would logically be 5. However, given that it isn't there, and given the other restrictions it has, just use the 4 for speed 24.
Federation Commander Answer Guy
Ah fair enough, I didn't realise it says it can't accelerate or decelerate (like I said, I haven't got the ship card). So if you can't change speed there is a reason why you wouldn't necessarily want to go tanking along at speed 32 all the time if you can't cancel movement and use it to reduce your turn radius.
I did a couple of tries with the Juggernaught vs Death Probe. In my view, the Death Probe just cruises at speed 32. While it may be true that it has a wide turn radius, it is also true that it gets two HET per turn.
(And, for what it's worth, that was how it kept killing the Juggie. Those two HETs meant that it would always get to line up a near point blank shot on the Juggie's armor-less rear arc. The shield would get totally overwhelmed, and the Juggie would lose power and, subsequently, die after another couple of volleys. Not a pleasant picture. For the Juggie, anyway.)
(And, for what it's worth, that was how it kept killing the Juggie. Those two HETs meant that it would always get to line up a near point blank shot on the Juggie's armor-less rear arc. The shield would get totally overwhelmed, and the Juggie would lose power and, subsequently, die after another couple of volleys. Not a pleasant picture. For the Juggie, anyway.)
Federation Commander Answer Guy
Yep, he's right. I too didn't have the ship card with me, but oddly enough did have the Tholian Attack rulebook with me [I'm at work].Davec_24 wrote:Ah fair enough, I didn't realise it says it can't accelerate or decelerate (like I said, I haven't got the ship card). So if you can't change speed there is a reason why you wouldn't necessarily want to go tanking along at speed 32 all the time if you can't cancel movement and use it to reduce your turn radius.
Right, so you took the rulebook to work but not all the ship cards too? You should really take the entire game, then you can play if you get really bored while your experiment is on the stirrer... do you have a sign up saying "No Federation Commander in COSHH Regulated Areas"? I'm sure the management could knock one up for you if not. 
