Phantom notwithstanding (sort of!), I actually do trust FFG to be good at balancing things, if Tractor Beams are ever implemented I doubt they'd be as broken as people presume.

mm yes lets talk about broken things C3PO anyone ?

I trust FFG, I do not trust players. To many good games have gone to crap because players whinned, cried, sacrificed a wookie to the empire and god knows what else to get what they want. They jump in glee because they now have their "I win button" witch only in their dark twisted minds they could come up with while wearing their Darth Vader Onesies PJ's. couple months or weeks later the game becomes like a ghost town or the company starts putting out a ton more garbage to try and fix what they started. I have been down that road enough times and while I am not saying anyone here is wearing a Star Wars Onesie while thinking evil thoughts. I do see a lot of good intentions but you know what they say about the Road paved with good intentions.

Didn't Fel use his tractor beam to steer his missiles or something like that??

I think your thinking of stele. Excluding F.T.E. he only flew the TIE/LN and the TIE Interceptor. Even during major events like the 181st vs rogue clash, Fel chose the Interceptor. He could have flown a Defender after quiting Rogue squadron but I've never red those books and it wasn't mentioned in any source book. Though it doesn't mention it I believe based on his history with sticking with LN or Interceptor that he used his Interceptor to kill the red star 1. As good as he is you'd think he would have a defender if he wanted one. Or I should say as skilled as he is the empire would have had him trained and flying a interceptor unless he turned that shift down.

Beam weapons in general ought to be a thing. In addition to tractor beam as I posted above, here's a copypaste:

"Spend a TL during activation" could actually be the general mechanic for beam weapons, with jamming beam like so:

"At the end of the activation phase, if you have a target lock on an enemy ship within [range], you may spend it to remove a blue target lock token from that ship."

Jamming beam would be the low-cost upgrade(2-3), tractor beam mid-cost(4-5), and some sort of damage-beam at high-cost(6, maaaybe 7). Are there starship-scale concussion-beam weapons? I know the LAAT/i has some sort of mini-Death Star beams.

Regardless of fluff, an effect like this could work for the high-cost beam (might be better doing more damage minus the action-loss since that overlaps tractor to some extent. could do it with dice like proxy mine):

"At the start of the activation phase, if you have a target lock on an enemy ship within [range], you may spend it to cause that ship to suffer 1 damage and skip its Perform Action step."

Note that the card text can be shortened by a Beam Weapon reference card, so the upgrade cards would just have a header and the effect, and range could have its own box like secondary weapons (though if they have their own header they wouldn't technically count as secondaries).

So far the only ships with this slot would be the Aggressor, Defender, and maybe Firespray (this /should/ have been the Slave I title). Only one of those ships can mount FCS, and at this stage the Aggressor would need a title to replace a cannon slot, so you'd trade consistent beams for linked abilities.

Vessery would be excellent.

Unfortunately it's too late for anything like this to be implemented neatly.

To add to your list the Avenger should get these as well when it comes out. That said the other two craft that are playable right now that can use beam equipment, one is very limited, is the TIE Interceptor and the other was Y-Wings.

The Y-Wings I saw in the first Rogue squadron omnibus had tractor beams, though theirs would most likely only be used for special missions in this game.

As for Interceptors it was Avenger Squadron that had majorly decked out Interceptors. X-Wing addon story mission pack. The interceptor have the same exact reactor, most the time. if Avenger squadron ever gets more love in this game the beam ability is one thing they should get, besides interceptor minis with double white bars on the collection pannels.

I also think any interceptor with the rgi title upgrade should get beams as well.

Stress and ion.

Tractor Beam

Cannon

Large Ship only

Action: Move target enemy ship inside your firing arc at range 1-2 backwards using the 1 bank or straight manuever template. Then youu receive 1 stress token.

Cost: 5

Phantom notwithstanding (sort of!), I actually do trust FFG to be good at balancing things, if Tractor Beams are ever implemented I doubt they'd be as broken as people presume.

Right: they'll be implemented if and only if the professional designers can find a version that isn't broken. We've had two releases now that according to canon ought to have had tractor beams, but don't in the game.

Phantom notwithstanding (sort of!), I actually do trust FFG to be good at balancing things, if Tractor Beams are ever implemented I doubt they'd be as broken as people presume.

Right: they'll be implemented if and only if the professional designers can find a version that isn't broken. We've had two releases now that according to canon ought to have had tractor beams, but don't in the game.

Four ships.

Didn't Fel use his tractor beam to steer his missiles or something like that??

I think your thinking of stele. Excluding F.T.E. he only flew the TIE/LN and the TIE Interceptor. Even during major events like the 181st vs rogue clash, Fel chose the Interceptor. He could have flown a Defender after quiting Rogue squadron but I've never red those books and it wasn't mentioned in any source book. Though it doesn't mention it I believe based on his history with sticking with LN or Interceptor that he used his Interceptor to kill the red star 1. As good as he is you'd think he would have a defender if he wanted one. Or I should say as skilled as he is the empire would have had him trained and flying a interceptor unless he turned that shift down.

Beam weapons in general ought to be a thing. In addition to tractor beam as I posted above, here's a copypaste:

"Spend a TL during activation" could actually be the general mechanic for beam weapons, with jamming beam like so:

"At the end of the activation phase, if you have a target lock on an enemy ship within [range], you may spend it to remove a blue target lock token from that ship."

Jamming beam would be the low-cost upgrade(2-3), tractor beam mid-cost(4-5), and some sort of damage-beam at high-cost(6, maaaybe 7). Are there starship-scale concussion-beam weapons? I know the LAAT/i has some sort of mini-Death Star beams.

Regardless of fluff, an effect like this could work for the high-cost beam (might be better doing more damage minus the action-loss since that overlaps tractor to some extent. could do it with dice like proxy mine):

"At the start of the activation phase, if you have a target lock on an enemy ship within [range], you may spend it to cause that ship to suffer 1 damage and skip its Perform Action step."

Note that the card text can be shortened by a Beam Weapon reference card, so the upgrade cards would just have a header and the effect, and range could have its own box like secondary weapons (though if they have their own header they wouldn't technically count as secondaries).

So far the only ships with this slot would be the Aggressor, Defender, and maybe Firespray (this /should/ have been the Slave I title). Only one of those ships can mount FCS, and at this stage the Aggressor would need a title to replace a cannon slot, so you'd trade consistent beams for linked abilities.

Vessery would be excellent.

Unfortunately it's too late for anything like this to be implemented neatly.

To add to your list the Avenger should get these as well when it comes out. That said the other two craft that are playable right now that can use beam equipment, one is very limited, is the TIE Interceptor and the other was Y-Wings.

The Y-Wings I saw in the first Rogue squadron omnibus had tractor beams, though theirs would most likely only be used for special missions in this game.

As for Interceptors it was Avenger Squadron that had majorly decked out Interceptors. X-Wing addon story mission pack. The interceptor have the same exact reactor, most the time. if Avenger squadron ever gets more love in this game the beam ability is one thing they should get, besides interceptor minis with double white bars on the collection pannels.

I also think any interceptor with the rgi title upgrade should get beams as well.

Ugh, why do people keep thinking the Avenger will somehow make it in when it's just an uglier Advanced?

Ugh, why do people keep thinking the Avenger will somehow make it in when it's just an uglier Advanced?

If you get your game breaking Tractor Beam people shouldbe allowed the Avenger.

Ugh, why do people keep thinking the Avenger will somehow make it in when it's just an uglier Advanced?

If you get your game breaking Tractor Beam people shouldbe allowed the Avenger.

It's not "my" Tractor Beam, are you even reading these posts?

Ugh, why do people keep thinking the Avenger will somehow make it in when it's just an uglier Advanced?

Your opinion on a ships aesthetics are not grounds for removing it from possible inclusion into the game.

I'm sorry you feel that way, but an intentional direct upgrade when they've already just fixed the Advanced is beyond silly.

That is a better argument, but I still think it is possible to include the TIE Avenger without stepping on the toes of the Advance.

Ugh, why do people keep thinking the Avenger will somehow make it in when it's just an uglier Advanced?

If you get your game breaking Tractor Beam people shouldbe allowed the Avenger.

It's not "my" Tractor Beam, are you even reading these posts?

Yes I'm reading them about 90% of them anyway. Your Post number one you so owen this baby

It depends on what the rules are - as noted, FFG clearly haven't been happy with it to date.

I'd probably focus on using it as a 'slingshot' - i.e. as a manouvring aid for the firer, rather than as a paralysing weapon for the target (as noted, that treads on the toes of ion weapons).

At which point....the world's your oyster.

My head says you could essentially use the tractor beam to put an effect similar to engine upgrade, adrenaline rush, or R2 astromech in a cannon slot instead, in the same way experimental interface essentially takes push the limit out of an elite pilot talent slot and into a modification slot.

Such that "if you have a ship* in your firing arc at [range X] when you reveal your manouvre, you may [hoon around like a demented fruitbat on amphetamines]"

What might be ideal is if it's something that triggers if the target is in arc both before and after your manouvre - i.e. giving you a free action, or an extra manouvre, or something, if you've kept it in arc. This would be nice as it would particularly benefit the defender, because of its generally-considered-overcosted-at-the-moment white koiogran turn.

It could also be a way of giving non-scum fighters access to the segnor's loop manouvre.

* or better yet an asteroid, in hindsight!

i think a far better use of a tractor beam upgrade would be to allow you to move asteroids around in place of an attack, perhaps up to range 1 in any direction? would be hilarious.

Oh man, I had a game once where we rolled hits or misses for each asteroid at the end of activation.

Any hits were moved up to range 1 by alternating players (initiative).

Doing it at the end of activation means we had to plan for a range 1 bubble with every move just in case.

I don't think my opponent has played X-wing since =[