[ACTA:SF] Confused about nebulas and compulsory movement

[billclo]

I am looking at the rules for Nebulas, and am a bit confused.

The rules say that ships in a nebula, during the end phase, make a random roll to see if they are turned, and gain a random movement. They also say this is counted as compulsory movement.

I look at the rules for compulsory movement, and those rules say:

"Such ships are always moved in the End Phase, even if they have already moved in this turn (they will not get to move in the next movement phase and everyone will know exactly where they will be for the whole of the next turn until the next End Phase)."

So I am a little confused in that it seems to say to me that once in the nebula, one cannot move normally in the movement phase because the compulsory movement caused by the nebula takes place in the End Phase, and over-rides the normal movement sequence.

Ie, you enter the nebula by normal movement, then take the compulsory nebula movement in the end phase. Subsequent normal movements are not allowed, because the compulsory movement rules state that you do not get to move in the next movement phase. Instead you get the random compulsory movement generated by the nebula.

Am I interpreting the rules correctly, Matt? If so, it makes nebulas very hazardous in that you don't have any real control as to your course and have to trust to random luck to head in the direction you want to go. You could be stuck in there forever if the random rolls don't go your way... what would make more sense to me is that you can make your normal movement and then are moved randomly in the End Phase in addition to that.

Or how would you break out of orbit from a planet then, if you can only make the compulsory movement and are not allowed to move in the normal movement phase?

 

[Boneguard]

Ie, you enter the nebula by normal movement, then take the compulsory nebula movement in the end phase. Subsequent normal movements are not allowed, because the compulsory movement rules state that you do not get to move in the next movement phase. Instead you get the random compulsory movement generated by the nebula.

Am I interpreting the rules correctly, Matt? If so, it makes nebulas very hazardous in that you don't have any real control as to your course and have to trust to random luck to head in the direction you want to go. You could be stuck in there forever if the random rolls don't go your way... what would make more sense to me is that you can make your normal movement and then are moved randomly in the End Phase in addition to that.

To my understanding, that's pretty much it. By entering a Nebula you forfeit your move as the nebulas current takes you on a joyride any which way it feels like up until the Nebula 'spits you out' through random move.

In Short: Nebula = 0 control on movement.

Or how would you break out of orbit from a planet then, if you can only make the compulsory movement and are not allowed to move in the normal movement phase?

As much as possible, you avoid those planet like the plague. Because, although a planet could -in theory- be formed in a Nebula, the nature of it -ionized gases- would make it unsuitable for life and make it really difficult to harvest it's ressources.

 

[billclo]

Ie, you enter the nebula by normal movement, then take the compulsory nebula movement in the end phase. Subsequent normal movements are not allowed, because the compulsory movement rules state that you do not get to move in the next movement phase. Instead you get the random compulsory movement generated by the nebula.

Am I interpreting the rules correctly, Matt? If so, it makes nebulas very hazardous in that you don't have any real control as to your course and have to trust to random luck to head in the direction you want to go. You could be stuck in there forever if the random rolls don't go your way... what would make more sense to me is that you can make your normal movement and then are moved randomly in the End Phase in addition to that.

To my understanding, that's pretty much it. By entering a Nebula you forfeit your move as the nebulas current takes you on a joyride any which way it feels like up until the Nebula 'spits you out' through random move.

In Short: Nebula = 0 control on movement.

Or how would you break out of orbit from a planet then, if you can only make the compulsory movement and are not allowed to move in the normal movement phase?

As much as possible, you avoid those planet like the plague. Because, although a planet could -in theory- be formed in a Nebula, the nature of it -ionized gases- would make it unsuitable for life and make it really difficult to harvest it's ressources.

What I meant was how do you break out of orbit from ANY planet, if you cannot make a normal movement because you are under the compulsory movement rules?

Boy I hope Matt says something different, else that scenario I had been thinking of will need a revision as to terrain. No way am I going to try to game that out if you have no control over your movement in a nebula and are reliant on raw luck to get you where you need to go, let alone in less than a very long time.

 

[Boneguard]

What I meant was how do you break out of orbit from ANY planet, if you cannot make a normal movement because you are under the compulsory movement rules?

Not necessarely. As you mentionned the Compulsory movement occurs at the END PHASE, so unless the player ends their movement in a planetary orbit they should be fine.

So, if they start their 1st turn on a planet, then they use their move to get out of orbit and voilà no problem.

 

[Loki1965]

You cant escape from a blackhole either

 

[billclo]

I hope Matt has a chance to come in here and comment. I still have issues with how to handle movement in a nebula. It doesn't say that the ship cannot move normally, and it does say in addition, in every End Phase you roll for the chance of a random turn and extra movement.

I would think that if you only got the random movement, there would be something in the list of restrictions in a nebula about normal movement, and there isn't.

So at this point, I am going to go with the concept of normal movement, plus the random turn and extra movement during the End Phase. The part about not being able to move until the next end phase makes no sense in the context of a nebula (though it does if you are in orbit and choose to stay in orbit).

The rules about compulsory movement and gravity wells could use some clarification, I think...