So here is a question concerning a rarely used card, Ketu Onyo (crew):

"At the start of the End Phase, you may choose 1 enemy ship at range 0-2 in your firing arc. If you do, that ship does not remove its tractor tokens."

So let me see, considering the new rules reference change, we have:

- A ship is tRactoRed while it has equal to or greater than a specific number of tractor tokens, according to its size

- The first time a ship becomes tractored each round, the player whose effect applied the tractor token may choose one of the following effects:

So if I maintain a tractor token on a small ship, that small ship can no longer be tractored on an obstacle and the only upside is the lowered defense pool, correct? Is there anything that I'm missing?

Correct.

Ketsu's ability only maintains the defence penalty on small ships (unless they remove the token during the following round, and it's re-applied, in which case, it just became tractored for the first time that round).

Ketsu's ability is mostly intended to allow single, small numbers of tokens from e.g. Quads and the Shadow Caster title to tractor medium and large ships over multiple rounds.

It's not very good.

7 minutes ago, dotswarlock said:

So here is a question concerning a rarely used card, Ketu Onyo (crew):

"At the start of the End Phase, you may choose 1 enemy ship at range 0-2 in your firing arc. If you do, that ship does not remove its tractor tokens."

So let me see, considering the new rules reference change, we have:

- A ship is tRactoRed while it has equal to or greater than a specific number of tractor tokens, according to its size

- The first time a ship becomes tractored each round, the player whose effect applied the tractor token may choose one of the following effects:

So if I maintain a tractor token on a small ship, that small ship can no longer be tractored on an obstacle and the only upside is the lowered defense pool, correct? Is there anything that I'm missing?

Also allows stacking the tokens over multiple rounds so that med and large bases can be affected. With the adjustment to when the defense debuff is applied, only when the ship is tractored, this is important if you want to get that -1 green on a med or large target and have a limited ability to apply tractor tokens.

Rules Reference 1.0.5, page 19 (emphasis added): "The first time a ship becomes tractored each round the player whose effect applied the tractor token may choose one of the following effects …"

The way I see it, you'd have to resolve the tractor condition on the A-Wing at the start of the next Planning Phase.

1. Beginning of End Phase: , Ketsu Crew chooses an A-Wing in her carrier's firing arc.
2. Round Ends, A-Wing still has the tractor token
3. Next round starts
4. Start of Planning Phase: The A-Wing is tractored for the first time this round , so you resolve the tractor condition (boost/barrel roll).

@thespaceinvader is also correct (of course!): this is helpful for tractoring medium and large-based ships.

5 minutes ago, Opsmason said:

Rules Reference 1.0.5, page 19 (emphasis added): "The first time a ship becomes tractored each round the player whose effect applied the tractor token may choose one of the following effects …"

The way I see it, you'd have to resolve the tractor condition on the A-Wing at the start of the next Planning Phase.

1. Beginning of End Phase: , Ketsu Crew chooses an A-Wing in her carrier's firing arc.
2. Round Ends, A-Wing still has the tractor token
3. Next round starts
4. Start of Planning Phase: The A-Wing is tractored for the first time this round , so you resolve the tractor condition (boost/barrel roll).

@thespaceinvader is also correct (of course!): this is helpful for tractoring medium and large-based ships.

I noticed that to. The wording is interesting. Either it is processed the way you outline, or the ship doesn't count as tractored in the new round until it gains another token (at least (x)). The second is unlikely, but I get the itchy feeling that the first is a unintended buff.

.

6 minutes ago, Hiemfire said:

I noticed that to. The wording is interesting. Either it is processed the way you outline, or the ship doesn't count as tractored in the new round until it gains another token (at least (x)). The second is unlikely, but I get the itchy feeling that the first is a unintended buff.

It remains tractored into the start of the new round. But it doesn't become tractored at the start of the round.

1 minute ago, Quarrel said:

False. A ship is eligible to be moved only when it becomes tractored -- that is, changes from "not enough tokens" to "enough tokens". Beginning a round with tractor tokens already on you is not "becoming tractored" regardless of how many there are. If Ketsu or any other effect maintains tractor tokens on a tractored ship into the next round, that ship cannot be tractor-moved at all unless it somehow loses tokens mid-round and then gains more.

(2.0 has always worked this way, BTW. The recent rules change limited tractor-moving to the first instance of becoming fully tractored rather than each instance.)

This is what I said, you might want to read more closely before you tell me I'm wrong. The tractored condition is what causes the defence penalty, which is retained. Becoming tractored for the first time in the round it what causes the repositioning, and a ship can become tractored for the first time in the round, even if it started the round tractored, as long as it removed the token(s) in between.

While I agree with the "just good to move bigger ships over several turns" Playing Devil's Advocate and some coming out of the rafters:

Are we sure that "Each round" doesn't imply that a small base ship with a token left over getting an additional "new" token next round would get moved?

A Nantex giving up its tractor token for Ensnare but then getting tractored again by a squadmate's activation using Ensnare wouldn't get moved again would it? It specifically says "first time" not "each time."

{First time a ship becomes tractored each round} as opposed to "when a ship becomes tractored" or "when a ship gains a tractor token."

Even with a squad of Nantex you can only move each ship once per turn even if it gives up its tractor. 4-Lom tractor beam with Ketsu though could apply a token each engagement phase and move the small ship each engagement phase. Piling up and piling up tractor tokens but the small ship only ever suffers a single -1 agility penalty.

15 minutes ago, Opsmason said:

Start of Planning Phase: The A-Wing is tractored for the first time this round , so you resolve the tractor condition (boost/barrel roll).

That's a very interesting reading. Not sure I disagree with it.

21 minutes ago, Opsmason said:

The way I see it, you'd have to resolve the tractor condition on the A-Wing at the start of the next Planning Phase.

1. Beginning of End Phase: , Ketsu Crew chooses an A-Wing in her carrier's firing arc.
2. Round Ends, A-Wing still has the tractor token
3. Next round starts
4. Start of Planning Phase: The A-Wing is tractored for the first time this round , so you resolve the tractor condition (boost/barrel roll).

It doesn't become tractored then. Only going from "not enough tokens" to "enough tokens" triggers tractor movement.

Welp, there goes hoping for a shadow buff... Keyword is "becomes" as @thespaceinvader and @Quarrel both point out and I forgot.

9 minutes ago, Quarrel said:

It doesn't become tractored then. Only going from "not enough tokens" to "enough tokens" triggers tractor movement.

I think the point is that an already tractored ship can become tractored each round .

The other angle to look at it is a Nantex shifts its token with Ensnare after typical shenanigans. It is not now tractored but if a buddy shifts it a token with its own Ensnare or an enemy gives it a tractor token it has already been tractored for the first time this round. Does that ship get moved again?

6 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

I think the point is that an already tractored ship can become tractored each round .

You cannot become what you already are.

4 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

I think the point is that an already tractored ship can become tractored each round .

The other angle to look at it is a Nantex shifts its token with Ensnare after typical shenanigans. It is not now tractored but if a buddy shifts it a token with its own Ensnare or an enemy gives it a tractor token it has already been tractored for the first time this round. Does that ship get moved?

No, because the tractor rules specifically say that it doesn't.

From the Rules Reference: "A ship is TRACTORED while it has equal to or greater than a specific number of tractor tokens, according to its size: a small ship requires at least one tractor token, a medium ship requires at least two tractor tokens, and a large ship require at least three tractor tokens."

37 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

I think the point is that an already tractored ship can become tractored each round .

The other angle to look at it is a Nantex shifts its token with Ensnare after typical shenanigans. It is not now tractored but if a buddy shifts it a token with its own Ensnare or an enemy gives it a tractor token it has already been tractored for the first time this round. Does that ship get moved again?

A ship moves after becoming tractored, if it is the first time that it became tractored that round. Consider the following series of situations, between a Lancer Pursuit Craft with Ketsu Crew and Shadow Caster Title, versus a Nantex with Ensnare:

1. Nantex ends round with a tractor token, and Ketsu keeps the token there.
   1. Next round, Nantex uses Ensnare to push token onto Ketsu (no relevant effect)
   2. Later that round, Lancer attacks & hits, so Shadow Caster applies a new tractor token
   3. Because it's the first time the Nantex has become Tractored this round, Lancer player gets to reposition the Nantex.
2. Nantex ends the round without a tractor token.
   1. Next round, Nantex uses Ensnare to gain a tractor token. Because it's the first time the Nantex has become tractored this round, Nantex player may reposition their own ship.
   2. Nantex later pushes token onto Ketsu (no relevant effect)
   3. Later that round, Lancer attacks & hits, so Shadow Caster applies a new tractor token
   4. Because it is not the first time the Nantex has become Tractored this round, Lancer player does not get to reposition the Nantex.
3. Nantex ends round with a tractor token, and Ketsu keeps the token there.
   1. Nantex is too far away to use Ensnare, so it keeps its tractor token.
   2. Later that round, Lancer attacks & hits, so Shadow Caster applies an additional tractor token
   3. Because the Nantex was already Tractored, it never became Tractored this round, so the Lancer player does not get to reposition the Nantex.

5 minutes ago, Hiemfire said:

From the Rules Reference: "A ship is TRACTORED while it has equal to or greater than a specific number of tractor tokens, according to its size: a small ship requires at least one tractor token, a medium ship requires at least two tractor tokens, and a large ship require at least three tractor tokens."

Yup! Tractored has three main features:

1. When you have enough tokens (as explained above), you are currently labeled in-game as being Tractored , which sometimes triggers certain game effects (see Gravitic Deflectors)
2. When you have enough tokens, you roll 1 less defense die when defending.
3. When you BECOME Tractored for the FIRST TIME in a turn, the player who applied the relevant tractor token can throw you around like a rag doll.

Ketsu Crew made a lot more sense when tractor beam could reduce agility by more than one, as is it's practically a sore that prevents FFG from giving tractor the full Ion treatment without invalidating her...