When can you drop a Tractor Beam?

Captain Nebula · Post by **Captain Nebula** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:51 pm

During what phase can you drop a Tractor Beam, other than just not paying to continue the Tractor Beam at the beginning of the Turn?

I can't seem to find this in the rules. If there's no 'official' answer, I'm going to just throw it under the "Other Functions Phase" where you activate the Tractor, and just do it during the Impulse.

The reason I'm asking is that I'm moving the ships across the board in a scenario I'm working on and I'm doing an Emergency Transporter Evacuation of a towed ship and I want to drop the towed ship after the Crew is transported off. Otherwise I'm towing an empty ship for the rest of the Turn, for no good reason.

Any ideas?

mjwest · Post by **mjwest** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:53 pm

Rule (5D5) specifically states "[t]he object is then tractored, and will for the remainder of the turn move along with the ship holding it unless ... the tractor is released in the Other Functions Step (1E2e) [losing any power] ..."

Rule (5D6) states "[t]he ship [being tractored] is then treated as an object being towed (above) except as follows ..." None of the exceptions apply to this particular issue.

Long story short, yes, you can release a tractor to a ship in the Other Functions Step (1E2e).

Captain Nebula · Post by **Captain Nebula** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 10:07 pm

Thanks! I missed it.

My book doesn't say "Other Functions Step". It just has the rule number. I might be looking at a different version.

mjwest · Post by **mjwest** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:25 am

If it is a later edition (Fifth or Sixth edition) it should clearly state this on the internal title page. I am looking at the Sixth Edition Reference Rulebook.

Captain Nebula · Post by **Captain Nebula** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:30 am

It's not there in my edition. I have the book that comes with FC: Academy.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:45 pm

Academy has a 4th, 5th, and 6th edition.