Just wondering,

Apart from Admiral Montferrat, is there any reason to spend a nav token to prevent the speed change from a tractor beam at the time it happens, instead of just saving it and using it to accelerate back up when you activate the ship?

I've been running various permutations in my head and it seems like the end result is the same no matter what, just that spending it when the beams trigger telegraphs the intent to your opponent and limits options later when the ship next activates.

Been wondering if I missed something.

There's bound to be some... I've got a feeling its probably best to be able to spend it in the situation where you're likely to be hit by TWO, if you don't want to drop so much acceleration, which you can't get back in one go. Maybe. Id on't lknow.

Personally, I target ships without Nav Tokens when I can... Or if they're a Command 1 Ship, make them waste the token regardless, since they wer eprobably saving it for something special.

Future Proofing in case future cards make speed relevant outside your turn, I imagine.

The card is worded poorly and so there's room for uncertainty regarding the Navigate token. You can read it as "defender chooses to either pitch a Navigate token or lose one speed" or you can read it as "if the ship has a Navigate token it is lost. If this did not happen, the ship loses one speed." I'm more partial to the second interpretation (as it makes more sense - as you stated, otherwise the defender generally would never choose to spend the token to prevent the effect) but I can't claim to have the clear intention of FFG behind me on that one. I'm sure it will be FAQed sooner or later.

Future Proofing in case future cards make speed relevant outside your turn, I imagine.

Absent this, I think the OP's instincts are correct. There's absolutely no reason to spend the token immediately, as a tractor cannot reduce speed below 1 (which is what would really hurt, as you'd be unable to use defense tokens).

Even where multiple tractors are involved, there are definitely situations where you would want to save the token for your activation:

• If you are going at speed 2, the opponent has another tractor beam in reserve, and you have a nav token but no nav command, you want to wait. If you spend the token, your speed stays at speed 2, but the second tractor will pull you down to speed 1, where you will stay (no token + no dial). If you wait, you drop to speed 1, but the second tractor can't be used on you to any effect. If the ship with the second tractor goes before you activate, you simply activate and spend the token to go back to speed 2 (no change); if you go before the ship with the second tractor activates, you still spend the token and go back to speed 2; if that second tractor beam ship uses it on you, you drop back to speed 1, but you've already gotten the movement at speed 2 for that round, and won't have to worry about speed 1 until the following round (assuming you were still in tractor beam range after moving speed 2).
• If you are moving at speed 3 and the opponent has another tractor beam in reserve, and you have a nav token but no nav command, the situation is more complicated. Whether you spend the token or keep it, the end result is that you'll be going speed 2 when you activate, so spending the token now or later is a wash.
• Unless you are moving at speed 3 and the opponent has another tractor beam in reserve, and you have a nav token but no nav command, and you have engine techs. Then you want to hold the token. First tractor drops you from speed 3 to 2: hold the token. Second tractor drops you from speed 2 to 1: again, hold the token. When you activate, spend the token to bump up to speed 2; then, because you resolve a navigate command token, use engine techs to get a functional speed 3, even though your dial is at speed 2. If you spend the token before your activation, no enginge techs, so you're going speed 2 instead of a functional speed 3.

Bottom-line, there's no situation I can think of where it would be a net-plus to spend the token immediately (since it can't drop you to speed 0), and there are situations where it's clearly a net plus to hold the token for your activation. In light of this, Snip's suggestion makes a lot of sense if the intent of the card is to punish opponents (which had never occurred to me before, but seems perfectly plausible given the absence of the word "either" between "must" and "discard").

Edit: There actually are some excellent reasons to spend a token immediately, as stated in several posts below. Mostly involving upgrades that give/take command tokens. Just goes to show there are very few absolute rules in Armada.

If Tarkin is your admiral it would make sense to spend the token immediately if your ship had already activated that turn.

If Tarkin is your admiral it would make sense to spend the token immediately if your ship had already activated that turn.

Only if your planning to give out more nav tokens next round. But yeah, that is one case.

If Tarkin is your admiral it would make sense to spend the token immediately if your ship had already activated that turn.

Only if your planning to give out more nav tokens next round. But yeah, that is one case.

Or if you are already at your max allowed tokens.

If Tarkin is your admiral it would make sense to spend the token immediately if your ship had already activated that turn.

Only if your planning to give out more nav tokens next round. But yeah, that is one case.

Or if you are already at your max allowed tokens.

Both good points.

If you have that speed change crit you might rather drop the token to maintain your speed, rather than change it during your activation and suffer a damage.

It's entirely reasonable for you to want to spend the token to free up space for another token you plan to bank on your turn, doesn't have to be from Tarkin. It would also protect it from a follow up attack with Ion Cannon Batteries, or the crit that strips your command tokens.

Or if you might have to discard the nav token later. For example NW ions.

Anyone had any success with tractor beams?

I tried a single copy on an ISD. MEH. big MEH.

Anyone had any success with tractor beams?

I tried a single copy on an ISD. MEH. big MEH.

I'm not sure a single tractor beam's enough. If you're using them you want 2+. My last couple of games were against Corvette Spam and a pair of VSDs with beams were great at trapping them in my front arcs. With 2 of them on the go you're talking about the ability to drop from speed 3 to 1, to slow down two ships and force them to choose which one to activate to escape, etc.

The toughest part is remembering to use them!

Man I wish I had enough points for that. =/

Anyone had any success with tractor beams?

I tried a single copy on an ISD. MEH. big MEH.

I've used them quite a bit on either an MC80 or AF2 to hold back a charging Demolisher. If you are able to hit it more than once, chances are that they will have to burn through any tokens or stacked commands and also not be able to trigger engine techs later in the game (assuming they have them).

Anyone had any success with tractor beams?

I tried a single copy on an ISD. MEH. big MEH.

I agree with Akhrin that it seems like the kind of thing you'd want on 2+ ships to really get some mileage out of. I've used a single Tractor Beam with some success on an ISD-I. It helps you slow down your prey (usually medium to large ships going speed 2ish) so you can keep blasting away at it in short range. Worked all right.

You can use tractor beam to ruin the fun of rebel conga lines. Just double - tractor the front ship, and the others all smack into each other.

. . . I feel confused.

The card says you must spend the Nav token or lower your speed.

This reads to me as "if you can't spend the token lower your speed" not "you get a choice".

. . . I feel confused.

The card says you must spend the Nav token or lower your speed.

This reads to me as "if you can't spend the token lower your speed" not "you get a choice".

The exact wording is... "That ship must spend a 'Nav' token or reduce its speed by 1 to a minimum of 1."

So you must do A or do B. I don't see anything grammatically that says you must do A, and if that is impossible then B must happen instead. So I would interpret it as when you are hit with a Tractor Beam, you choose option A or option B.

. . . I feel confused.

The card says you must spend the Nav token or lower your speed.

This reads to me as "if you can't spend the token lower your speed" not "you get a choice".

The exact wording is... "That ship must spend a 'Nav' token or reduce its speed by 1 to a minimum of 1."

So you must do A or do B. I don't see anything grammatically that says you must do A, and if that is impossible then B must happen instead. So I would interpret it as when you are hit with a Tractor Beam, you choose option A or option B.

This is correct.

Agreed. It does not say:

That ship must spend a Navigate token. If it cannot, it must reduce its speed by 1 to a minimum of 1.

The ability says that A must happen or B must happen, but does not establish a preference order between the two outcomes, whether explicitly or implicitly.

One instance where you would spend the nav token is if you were at speed 3 while having Admiral Montferrat. Allows you to keep that bonus.

Regardless of interpretation, the only reason to spend / not spend the token is if you have an upgrade that provides / uses a Mac token.

Givers: Tarkin, that admiral, Raymus.

Users: Engine techs, other less popular cards like extra click guy.

Speed depended: previously mentioned guy

nevermind I can't read.