Federation Commander

During our gaming session tonight, Hod'Kel and malleman allocated power to their suicide shuttles at the beginning of the turn and then held the shuttles to use later.

I questioned this as I thought the rules said that power is allocated upon launch announcement. I dont have the rulebook in front of me but I think thats how its played.

Do you think it would unfairly impact the game if you could allocate power to a suicide shuttle early and then hold it for later launch?

I don't want to speak for MJW, but I checked the rules and they are pretty specific about how suicide shuttles are armed and launched. One must be armed during Launch Phase and it must be launched in that same Launch Phase.

I don't know what difference it could make. Possibly it avoids the issue of energy being used at the start of a Turn to arm a SS and it never being launched during that Turn. Would it "hold over" to another Turn? But since that can't happen, it avoids the question entirely.

Suicide shuttles must be powered at the moment of launch. (Just like, say, disruptors.) You can't build up the charge over the turn, or across turns. You declare, then charge and launch.

Note that this differs from how it is handled in Starfleet Battles. So if your friends have previously played that game, they might be confusing the rules with the other game system.

junior wrote:Note that this differs from how it is handled in Starfleet Battles. So if your friends have previously played that game, they might be confusing the rules with the other game system.

As I frequently do

wedge_hammersteel wrote:Do you think it would unfairly impact the game if you could allocate power to a suicide shuttle early and then hold it for later launch?

If it was launched later in the same turn, I'd say no. Really, the only person it hurts is the person 'holding' the shuttle because they've effectively restricted their power by the amount they dumped in the shuttle. However, if they are attempting to hold it over a turn break, then you have to put your foot down and say that's not what the rules allow.