Interaction seems close to cut and dry but has a tiny bit of grey. The question is, does a shuttle with tractor beam and tactician have the power to shoot a ship at range 3 with the beam, barrel roll them into range 2, then apply a stress via tactician?

I want to say yes since tactician triggers after the attack, but it's a little unclear due to tactician's wording.

Thoughts?

I would say you have the right of it. Tactician triggers after the attack, and Tractor Beam Tokens are assigned during the Deal Damage step of an attack.

I would think the Tactician would check both arc and range after the attack, and the Tractor Beam Token assignment and any forced movement should happen before the attack ends. So I'm with you.

Nasty, I love it.

That's a good question. The stress happens after the attack but the trigger is performing an attack on a ship that's at range 2. It could be argued that if the ship doesn't start out at range 2, it's not a proper target for Tactician.

That's the problem when you get a whole new mechanic... Always before the defender's position doesn't and in fact could not change due to an attack, but now it can.

I could see it going either way but my first thought is, that if the ship isn't already at range 2, then where it ends up after the attack doesn't matter.

The "little bit of grey" comes from the change in ship position: Does it re-define range for effects derived from the same attack?

If this is "Yes", then the tactical tractor-man definitely combos.

I would think the Tactician would check both arc and range after the attack

That would depend on, if the range requirement of Tactician is a separate event from the normal range check when performing an attack.

If you argue that it is, then yeah I could see how it would work.

Subquery: if you for some reason tractorboost someone out of your arc does tactician trigger?

The answer here is likely the inverse of the answer to my primary query, but this is an interesting conundrum.

Tactician relies on the range of the attack, so no you can not tractor beam a ship into Range 2, and then apply stress from tactician.

You can however tractor beam a ship out of Range 2 and still deal out stress.

Same goes for the in arc check. The original position counts, not the end position.

That's a good question. The stress happens after the attack but the trigger is performing an attack on a ship that's at range 2. It could be argued that if the ship doesn't start out at range 2, it's not a proper target for Tactician.

That's the problem when you get a whole new mechanic... Always before the defender's position doesn't and in fact could not change due to an attack, but now it can.

I could see it going either way but my first thought is, that if the ship isn't already at range 2, then where it ends up after the attack doesn't matter.

My gut feeling goes along the same line of thought, but that's all it is; a gut feeling with nothing to back it up.

Man, it must be a real pain to anticipate everything back on FFG's end with every new wave

Tactician says "After you perform an attack against a ship inside your firing arc at Range 2, that ship receives 1 stress token."

Since attack, arc, and range are all together, the original attack must be against a ship in arc that is at range 2 for Tactician to trigger. It's a single binary conditional clause and there is no separate range measurement for Tactician.

If it had said "After you perform an attack against a ship, if that ship is inside your firing arc and at Range 2 it receives 1 stress token," then it would be possible for a tractor beam to pull the ship into range for Tactician. This is because the range 2 of tactician is divorced from the attack.

But you did perform an attack at the ship, and it is now inside your arc at range 2, after the attack has resolved.

Well yes, now it is, but you did not perform an attack against a ship at range 2, you performed an attack against a ship at range 3. Regardless of anything that happens afterward, you only check range for an attack once at the beginning.

Likewise, you can use Tactician against a ship even if you used tractor beam to move it outside your arc because it was in arc when you initiated the attack (assuming range 2 of course).

But you did perform an attack at the ship, and it is now inside your arc at range 2, after the attack has resolved.

The movement is a result of the attack, the attack was still "performed" at the starting position range.

I think the pivotal point here is whether the range 2 in arc description is referring to the attack or the ship. Under one reading you have in fact performed an attack against a ship which is in arc and range 2. The attack was in arc and range 3 though.

Await an FAQ. The rules as written do not yet cover this issue

No they don't but I expect Tactician won't trigger.

Was mulling it over and I'm still of the mind that Tactician triggers when you attack a ship at range 2, since the ship was not at range 2 when you attacked it, the trigger event doesn't happen.

I think we generally agree how it works. I personally don't see any grey area here though: I think the rules cover it fully.

The only time range is measured for an attack is during step 1 of the attack. If that range measurement is range 2, Tactician can trigger.

Await an FAQ. The rules as written do not yet cover this issue

Actually the rules are quite clear. You perform at attack with tractor beam, measure range and arc. Deal a token and move the defender. Then you check if the conditions for Tactician were met.

Was the attack performed at Range 2 and was the ship inside your firing arc. Just like if you had tactician and a regular attack. You don't check range and arc a second time.

You don't check range and arc a second time.

That's not actually clear, just assumed and until now irrelevant.

You don't check range and arc a second time.

That's not actually clear, just assumed and until now irrelevant.

FAQ page 5, Measure range:

No they don't but I expect Tactician won't trigger.

Really? Because I am going to be surprised if they rule that it doesn't. The "common sense" expectation by people who don't read and analyse the rules like we do is no doubt going to be that it works, and FFG generally want the game to play the way people "expect" it to.

My opinion is the range of the attack determines the trigger, so before a forced barrel roll. I think comma placement is very important here. It comes after the range portion so the range is tied to the attack performed. If not, the card would say, after you perform an attack on a ship, if that ship is at range 2, assign a stress token to it.

My opinion is the range of the attack determines the trigger, so before a forced barrel roll. I think comma placement is very important here. It comes after the range portion so the range is tied to the attack performed. If not, the card would say, after you perform an attack on a ship, if that ship is at range 2, assign a stress token to it.

Agree.

You don't check range and arc a second time.

That's not actually clear, just assumed and until now irrelevant.

FAQ page 5, Measure range:

"Players may only measure range and/or use the range ruler to determine whether a ship is inside or outside of a firing arc at the following times:

(...)

When a player declares a ship’s ability that requires another ship (or ships) to be at a certain range, the player trying to resolve the ability can measure range from their ship to any valid ships before resolving the ability."

I'm not sure "when" tactician triggers, but if it were to trigger later then the rules cover measuring range. Just because we did not measure the range "pre-tractor beam" does not mean that we can't now. The issue of when the ability triggers, however, is still unresolved.

No it is not. The card quite clearly states that it triggers 'After you perform an attack against a ship inside your firing arc at Range 2'

This could not be more clear.