Some people in our community have noticed that in the lastest FAQ this paragraph is missing:

Q: Can two ships be considered touching if
neither ship overlapped the other ship
during this round?
A: No.

Does this mean that this is no longer true?

The absence of this aclarartion has brought again the question of whether it is possible to have two ships in contact without overlap....

No, it's still true. I feel like they sometimes remove things to make space for newer, more pressing issues. The rulebook already makes it clear that overlapping is the only way you can be considered to be "touching" another ship. They probably felt that it was no longer needed in the FAQ since it's pretty well established at this point.

From my understanding, "touching" is a game term that only applies to two ships in contact after having overlapped. If you are in contact with another ship base due to a maneuver but did not overlap, you might be what the dictionary definition of "touching" is, but not the game definition. You're just really really close.

From my understanding, "touching" is a game term that only applies to two ships in contact after having overlapped. If you are in contact with another ship base due to a maneuver but did not overlap, you might be what the dictionary definition of "touching" is, but not the game definition. You're just really really close.

This. There is one and only one way to enter the "touching" state. To avoid confusion, however, I'm going to call it [greeblezork] instead of "touching".

If Ship A executes a maneuver that would cause its base to physically overlap Ship B's base, then you move Ship A back along its template until you find a spot it can land in, and you place Ship A in a position where it is touching Ship B. The two ships are now considered [greeblezork], and as a result neither one can attack the other. The two ships then remain [greeblezork] until their bases are no longer touching--meaning either A or B executes a maneuver or performs an action that results in the ships' bases breaking contact.

You can only become [greeblezork] as a result of overlapping while attempting to execute a maneuver, however. It's not common, but if you manage to end up in a position where you're touching another ship without overlapping, you aren't [greeblezork], and your ship (and the ship you're touching) behave normally.

Strictly speaking, no, that isn't true.

FFG has since clarified that the overlap does not need to have occurred "during this round" as that old FAQ entry indicated. If a ship overlaps the falcon from the side, they are touching. If the falcon then tries to move straight forward but overlaps a different ship and does not manage to clear the first ship then they are still touching, and that can continue from turn to turn until one of them manages to actually break contact.

In short, touching requires one of the two ships to have overlapped the other, but it doesn't end at the end of the round, they remain touching (in the game sense) until one of them moves away.

*snip*

I was confused by your response at first, since I thought you were replying to Vorpal Sword (who explicitly agrees with what you said).

I now see you were responding directly to OP.

Strictly speaking it is possible to be 'touching' without first overlapping in the round BUT it requires you to have already been touching previously. The only way to enter a 'touching' state is to overlap. It is possible to maintain that state with a STOP maneuver and, as per the latest FAQ, if what ever maneuver is planned results in no actual movement (ie blocked back to where you started).

It is possible to maintain that state with a STOP maneuver and, as per the latest FAQ, if what ever maneuver is planned results in no actual movement (ie blocked back to where you started).

Edit. ****, I can already see more problems with that definition.

It is possible to maintain that state with a STOP maneuver and, as per the latest FAQ, if what ever maneuver is planned results in no actual movement (ie blocked back to where you started).

I believe even if the ship moves, as long as it doesn't break contact, the touching state remains. You have to overlap to be touching in the first place, but once you are you stay touching until physical contact is broken, even if one ship moves a little bit.

Edit. ****, I can already see more problems with that definition.

Moving breaks contact.

I'm sure you know how the pre-FAQ discussion went. It was clear that a STOP maneuver could maintain touching but there was a lot of debate about what happened if any other maneuver eventually resulted in no movement at all. The recent FAQ cleared that question up otherwise I'd have said the only way to maintain 'touching' is with that Stop maneuver.

Moving doesn't break the touching state.

Moving AWAY breaks the touching state.

Moving doesn't break the touching state.

Moving AWAY breaks the touching state.

It was you, klutz, wasn't it, that did those awesome graphics illustrating this situation? Maybe we need to dust some of those off?

Moving doesn't break the touching state.

Moving AWAY breaks the touching state.

Which is what I was trying to say, thanks.

It was you, klutz, wasn't it, that did those awesome graphics illustrating this situation? Maybe we need to dust some of those off?

Yes, that was me.

It doesn't really go into detail about when the touching state is broken with images though.

It simply states:

Ships that are touching remain touching until either ship moves away (so that the bases are no longer physically adjacent).

It doesn't really go into detail about when the touching state is broken with images though.

No, but in these kinds of discussions it is much easier having some images to point to without having to try and describe a geometric arrangement over and over again.

I do recall some of those earlier diagrams. I guess the only thing about some of them that some of them may need to be reinterpreted based on the current ruling.