Federation Commander

Under (4G6) a drone is removed after 3 turns of flight. I can't find an equivalent rule for Suicide Shuttles. Do SS have a limited "life" on the board?

We've never played suicide shuttles with a life span, so I'd sat "NO". In fact, if playing on a fixed map, we usually launch one suicide shuttle early in th game, just to have a free "box" on the ship card to accept a random shuttle hit. It may take several turns, but some times that early SS actually hits / destroys its target.

IIRC, the reasoning for the short (3 turn) lifespan of a drone is explained as being due to the small container (the drone casing) that's required to house the fuel and the warhead. Shuttles do not suffer from this liability.

We've done the "lingering SS" as well - but in prepping for today's tourney, I was rechecking my assumptions.

There is no limit to how long a suicide shuttle can be on the map. As long as the launching ship controls it, it will remain an everpresent (though possibly distant) threat.

Can sucicide shuttles do evasive manuvers?

mjwest wrote:There is no limit to how long a suicide shuttle can be on the map. As long as the launching ship controls it, it will remain an everpresent (though possibly distant) threat.

....but of course never more distant than 25 hexes from its controlling ship, or it loses tracking.

pinecone wrote:Can sucicide shuttles do evasive manuvers?

Put simply - no

Kang is correct.

It is important to remember that suicide shuttles are under the restrictions of both Shuttles (5H) and Seeking Weapons (4F). Rule (4F3c) specifically forbids seeking weapons from using evasive maneuvers.

Likewise, suicide shuttles may not perform a high energy turn either, as that is specifically forbidden in (5H4).

As another example, suicide shuttles may never decelerate, but must move at speed 8 at all times, because rule (4F3a) says that seeking weapons cannot change speed.

Suicide shuttles must operate under the "worst of both worlds" of shuttlecraft and seeking weapons.