Tractor Beams and obstructions

By RogueCommander, in Star Wars: Armada Rules Questions

Couldn't find an answer in search.

Are tractor beams affected by ships or obstacles? I was slowed down through a ship and an asteroid.

Secondly, do obstructions double up? If I was also being shot at through 2 obstructions, does that mean two dice have to be dropped, or is it always just one?

Obstructions do not block tractor beams, you do not need line of sight to use tractor beams, the enemy ship just needs to be in range.

Obstructions do not double up. You are either obstructed or not obstructed.

Rules reference guide p8

"If an attack is obstructed by one or more ships or obstacles, the attacker must choose and remove one die from the his attack pool before he rolls dice during the "roll attack dice" step."

This is one of the downsides of Cracken, in that you no longer get any benefit from hiding behind obstacles as attacks are obstructed anyway.

Thanks!

We got into a discussion of what is physically 'logical', but strictly speaking, the game doesn't really consistently follow physics : )

Yes, Line of Sight is only traced for attacks ... measurement for attacks is also measured cardboard to cardboard ...

Furthermore, because tractor beams are not an attack, they are a distance effect, its measured from plastic to plastic, effectively... So you get a smidge more range out of a tractor beam than you do a Turbolaser :D

Thanks!

We got into a discussion of what is physically 'logical', but strictly speaking, the game doesn't really consistently follow physics : )

Well you need three generators to manipulate gravitational fields so its not inconceivable to act on a localised volume of space rather than a "beam" with range and strength determined by attenuation of the signal.

Otherwise you would just get bombarded by any space debris, as the space debris weighs considerably less than a ship, using tractors which would be extremely stupid.

But this is Star Wars and physics doesnt make sense.

Thanks!

We got into a discussion of what is physically 'logical', but strictly speaking, the game doesn't really consistently follow physics : )

Well its star wars and the Tractor beam could be a narrow focus beam that slows them down or even a wide area beam. We dont know how slow those rocks begin to spin ^_~