5D6b Linked Ships (Tractor Beams)

[kboruff]

I'm having a reading comprehension problem with the following statements:

Only the ship which put more energy into movement actually moves. Reduce its Baseline Speed by one level;

This makes sense to me. Whether tractored or tractoring, the ship with the most movement points controls movement.

Further, baseline speed reduced by one level (24 --> 16, 16 --> 8, etc)

However, the following part is killing me. I do not understand it.

two if the ship being towed is twice (or more) the movement cost of the towing ship.

This rule only applies to a tractored ship and not a tractoring ship?

If this is true and the tractored ship has at least twice the amount of movement points as the tractoring ship, that tractored ship will control movement but at 2 levels below it's speed level (24 --> 8, 16 --> 0, 8 --> 0).

Before asking any more questions, I'd like to verify that I'm correct on this. I've read this part numerous times.

Thanks.

[Mike]

You are referencing rule (5D6b). I checked my Revision 6 rules and it is just as you quote.

To put examples to the question...

#1: If a ship with a move cost of 0.5 tractors a ship with a move cost of 1.0 and if the tractoring ship (0.5) puts more energy into movement, then the tractoring ship (0.5) controls movement and its baseline speed is reduced 2 levels.

#2: If a ship with a move cost of 1.0 tractors a ship with a move cost of 0.5 and if the tractored ship (0.5) puts more energy into movement, then the tractored ship (0.5) controls movement and its baseline speed is reduced only 1 level.

I'll bet this was intended to work both ways, but no one envisioned a smaller ship maintaining a successful tractor on a larger ship and spending more energy to control movement, too.

[kboruff]

I totally understand now. Thanks!

For the following statement:


two if the ship being towed is twice (or more) the movement cost of the towing ship.

I was interpreting movement cost as movement points expended but your examples make it all clear.

[mjwest]

It is intended to be both ways. In the offending sentence, towed is not meant to reflect who established the tractor or not, but is meant to reflect who is controlling movement or not.

So, if a ship with a move cost of 0.5 is in a tractor with a ship with a move cost of 1.0, and the smaller ship is controlling movement, then its base speed is reduced two levels no matter which ship actually established the tractor.

That is what is intended.

[Mike]

So once again I got it wrong!

You'd think after 37 years of writing and following directions I would know how to read the rules for a dad-blasted game.

[kboruff]

It is intended to be both ways. In the offending sentence, towed is not meant to reflect who established the tractor or not, but is meant to reflect who is controlling movement or not.

So, if a ship with a move cost of 0.5 is in a tractor with a ship with a move cost of 1.0, and the smaller ship is controlling movement, then its base speed is reduced two levels no matter which ship actually established the tractor.

That is what is intended.

I understand and after re-reading this rule, it makes perfect sense now.

A few more questions:

(The period while tractored does not affect its Turn Mode count.)

So the tractored ship's turn mode count remains as it was before being tractored even while being moved around during tractoring?

For example: if a tractored ship needed to go 2 more hexes before turning, based on its current speed before being tractored, then if it then becomes untractored, resuming at its original speed, does it still have to go 2 more hexes before turning?

The cost of acceleration or deceleration is the combined total for the two ships.

If I'm running a Fed CA tractoring a Klingon D7, and in control of movement, I have to expend 2 movement points to accelerate during an impulse?