The talk in the Gunboat thread got me thinking about a tractor beam.

Tractor Beam

System Slot

3 points

ACTION: Place a tractor token on an enemy ship that is inside your firing arc at Range 1-3.

Game Note:

Tractor Token: - The next time this ship reveals a maneuver, treat that maneuver as a straight maneuver of the chosen speed. The ship may not perform a barrel roll or banked boost action. Then remove the tractor token.

I've thought about this before. I was thinking of a one use card that reduced a targets agility to zero.

I was going more for a card that fit in to the feel of how the tractor beams worked in Tie Fighter (whereby it locked them onto a straight course)

I was keeping it different from ion weapons. But why not have it do both?

How about if a ship locks onto another ship with a Tractor Beam it can not do red maneuvers, all white maneuvers are red, all green maneuvers are white, only works at range 1-2 if you make it to range 3 the lock is broken

what do you think

I was thinking that a tractor beam would prevent boost and barrel roll actions. If it also prevented red maneuvers that would work too. Range 1-2. Not sure if it should cost and action or not?

Tractor beam: [Action] Range 1-2

3 attack dice. For each hit and crit remove 1 agility from targetted unit.

Alternatively for each hit assign a stress token.

Alternatively. Any hard turn becomes red. Any turn over 2 becomes red.

Tractor beam: requires target lock

Cannon slot.

Range 1

Target recieves red tractor beam token and you recieve a blue tractor beam token.

While you have a red tractor beam token:

Reduce ship agility by two.

If you do a maneuver that does not match that of the ship with the blue tractor beam token, recieve two stress tokens and remove the tractor beam token.

While your (the targeting) ship has a blue tractor beam token, you may not use this secondary weapon.

Cannon 5 PTs

Any, Cannon Upgrade

Tractor Beam

Attack 1 small ship only gain PS+5 for this attack . Range 1-2. If hit, it suffers no damage. Place a Tractor token on the target and attacker.

Tractor Beams: Some Ships may add a Tractor Beam Cannon with the following Rules: Attack 1 ship same size base or smaller within range 1-2. If the target it hit, it suffers no damage, and both the target and attacker must subtract 1 from their agility for the rest of the turn. Target gains a Tractor token (use an Ion Token). If the attacker is destroyed, or does an action besides Target Lock or Focus. Both the Target ship and Attacking ship regain agility and target removes it's Tractor (Ion token) Immediately.

This is what we used in a campaign game at the store. It works well IMO. Helps other ships on your team target this ship, but since it's a cannon you cannot target the ship, and must remain a target yourself to lower the defense on the other ship.

How about lets you consider the target ship one range increment closer than it actually is? Ships out of range are Range 3, Range 3 become Range 2, Range 2 becomes Range 1, and you are considered touching any ship at Range 1 and therefore cannot attack each other.

are we thinking of tractor beams only applying to large or epic (presumably Imperial ships)?

Just from a fluff consideration, I wonder if only something the size of a small moon is capable of producing the necessary energy to generate a tractor beam.

This would be an upgrade with huge power requirements. So I would limit it to Epic scale and Large ships only.

How about if a ship locks onto another ship with a Tractor Beam it can not do red maneuvers, all white maneuvers are red, all green maneuvers are white, only works at range 1-2 if you make it to range 3 the lock is broken

what do you think

I like the change of maneuver color. But make the range reflect it's power.

Epic ship effect on small fighter 4 Attack die 1 hit needed (Large ships 1 less)

Range 5: NO EFFECT

Range 4 Red=Nil, Green=White White=Red.

Range 3:green are red.

Range 2: your ship moves 1 towards the ship using the tractor beam.

Range 1: your ship moves 2 towards the ship using the tractor beam.

And Large ships equipped 3 Attack die 1 hit needed (Large ships 1 less)

Range 3 Red=Nil, Green=White White=Red.

Range 2:green are red

Range 1: your ship moves 1 towards the ship using the tractor beam.

I was thinking that a tractor beam would prevent boost and barrel roll actions. If it also prevented red maneuvers that would work too. Range 1-2. Not sure if it should cost and action or not?

Those with boost or barrel roll can use those to shake off tractor beam. (Can do there movement as normal as long as they perform those actions)

Cannon 5 PTs

Any, Cannon Upgrade

Tractor Beam

Attack 1 small ship only gain PS+5 for this attack . Range 1-2. If hit, it suffers no damage. Place a Tractor token on the target and attacker.

Tractor Beams: Some Ships may add a Tractor Beam Cannon with the following Rules: Attack 1 ship same size base or smaller within range 1-2. If the target it hit, it suffers no damage, and both the target and attacker must subtract 1 from their agility for the rest of the turn. Target gains a Tractor token (use an Ion Token). If the attacker is destroyed, or does an action besides Target Lock or Focus. Both the Target ship and Attacking ship regain agility and target removes it's Tractor (Ion token) Immediately.

This is what we used in a campaign game at the store. It works well IMO. Helps other ships on your team target this ship, but since it's a cannon you cannot target the ship, and must remain a target yourself to lower the defense on the other ship.

Epic scale

Range 5:No effect

Range 4:No effect

Range 3:Reduce attacking ships actions by 1

Range 2:Reduce attacking ships actions by 1 Reduce defending ships agility by 1

Range 1:Reduce attacking ships actions by 2 Reduce defending ships agility and actions by 2

Large ship scale

Range 3:No effect

Range 2:No effect

Range 1:Reduce attacking ships agility by 1 Reduce defending ships agility by 1

Actions are including auto effects such as crew effects and R2 units As all attention is diverted to this task.

are we thinking of tractor beams only applying to large or epic (presumably Imperial ships)?

Just from a fluff consideration, I wonder if only something the size of a small moon is capable of producing the necessary energy to generate a tractor beam.

Actually capital ships used tractor beams to help with their docking bays, and Tie Defenders, Missile Boats and Assault Gunboats all could be retrofitted tractor beams. What the did was prevented any ship caught in them from steering, so they could only fly in a straight line.