Tractor beams

By Ophion, in Star Wars: Armada

So all the talk appears to be based on dealing with tractor beams via keeping a Nav token in reserve...

Just thinking, wouldn't simply keeping waiting and expending the nav token in your activation be better?

Reasons being

- if facing multiple tractor beams, the best they can do is drag you back to speed 1. Why not just let them do their worst and then Nav the next turn? It would be a bit pointless expending your Nav command on the first tractor beam and then being hit by the second...

- Keeping it to your activation lets you retain the option - you don't have to commit to your speed in their activation, which introduces more uncertainty in their manoeuvring.....

- Nav token itself can be very powerful when used to activate Nav teams or Engine Techs.

This is before we even consider token and order dial manipulation via officers...

Anything I'm missing? Why would you burn the Nav token in their activation?

Only reasons I can think of are where you've got another source of a token (such as Tarkin, Ray Antilles or Tantive IV). In those cases then you might be happy to spend the token on the first tractor beam so you're getting the token back next turn.

Or I guess if they've got multiple tractor beams, and you're trying to draw them into spending them all against the same ship rather than spreading them out.

Ability to generate tokens from sources other than the dial (e.g. Tarkin)

Risk of "Comms noise" damage card dropping you to speed zero before your next activation

You have upgrade cards that only work when at certain speeds (e.g. Admiral Montferrat)

You have an ability that triggers on "spending" a token, spending the token at that point may be beneficial (e.g. Wulff Yularen)

The trick is that in any case, they've effectively prevented your from using that token to accelerate. Especially nasty against nimble ships like Corvettes who try to dodge the main arcs of ships ;)

You use that Tractor Beam not to make it easier for you to shoot, but to make it easier to shoot with other units, and overall keep the speed of fast ships down ;)

i can see using the token if they can only bring one to bear on you

Good lord... I hadn't realized that Wulff hard-countered tractor beams. :/

****, the ONE thing I was excited about using them for as a Rebel...

So, have 2 Tractor Beams, he only has one Wulff...

Wulff exhausts, depending on when you tractor it can still be very effective.

So, have 2 Tractor Beams, he only has one Wulff...

To be fair, "throw more points at it!" overcomes any obstacle, not just this one ;)

So, have 2 Tractor Beams, he only has one Wulff...

To be fair, "throw more points at it!" overcomes any obstacle, not just this one ;)

1) When your Problem is a Nail, your Solution is a Hammer.

2) When all you have is a Hammer, all Problems are Nails.

So, have 2 Tractor Beams, he only has one Wulff...

To be fair, "throw more points at it!" overcomes any obstacle, not just this one ;)

So, have 2 Tractor Beams, he only has one Wulff...

To be fair, "throw more points at it!" overcomes any obstacle, not just this one ;)

1) When your Problem is a Nail, your Solution is a Hammer.

2) When all you have is a Hammer, all Problems are Nails.

3) When a Hammer does not solve your Problem, you need a bigger Hammer.

Wulff exhausts, depending on when you tractor it can still be very effective.

Remember that the power of tractor beam is not in slowing you down, it's in forcing you to do something you would not normally do (such as taking a nav command instead of con fire)

there's that new officer doohickey what only works at speed 3

be glad to spend a nav token to keep that **** active rather than spending it on my activation