[ACTA:SF] Question about Transporter use

[billclo]

I'm trying to work up a convention game, and am running into an issue that I wanted to ask about.

The game involves transporting troops to the surface in a base, capturing personnel/materials, and beaming back to their ships. After they return, another ship wants to fire on the facility during the same turn to destroy it (assuming the Marines succeed in their mission).

My question is this: when does the transport Marines Special Action occur? End of movement? During the Attack Phase as each ship is activated it beams Marines down and back?

And does another ship firing on the base after all ships have used the Transport Marines special action affect the Marines, or are they considered beamed back to their ships prior to the ship firing on the base?

I know, I could hand-wavium something for the game, but I wanted to see what the official line is first.

 

[JohnDW]

I would resolve a ships transports the same time it resolves its attacks.

I would also consider them beamed back aboard their ship (if they make it back) at the same time as they transport down. Unless of course you want to have something special in the scenario where they will take a turn or more of searching around to do the stuff they're trying to do.

They would be relying on the surprise of beaming in, quickly grabbing whoever or whatever they are after, and beaming right out again.

Are you thinking of using a modified table for the transported marines effect?

 

[billclo]

I was simply going to have each Marine make a die roll and on a 1 they found what they were after. I may or may not make them take a turn to gather up what they came for, etc...hmm. That might make the scenario a little more hazardous for the ships transporting.

 

[JohnDW]

If you only need one marine to find the 'item', then if none of the transported marines roll a 1 to find it, maybe instead of beaming back they stay to look more, and roll again next turn. But maybe they'd beam out again, wait for any bombardment to happen, and beam down next turn to look some more.

 

[Iain McGhee]

That's come up before, Transport Marines is resolved at the end of the performing ship's movement phase. So any marines beam back before the Attack Phase in normal circumstances.

Re. your roll to search idea: if you want to make it a little trickier perhaps you could try having them roll to search in the End Phase (all the miscellaneous stuff is generally resolved then), with a ship having to use Transport Marines next turn to pick them up when one point/unit's successful ?

Depending how hard you want to make it they could possibly take hits from bombardment or enemy boarders while they search (using B5/NA boarding rules for contested ships/stations i.e. roll D6 per marine, kills on 5+, simultaneous).

 

[JohnDW]

From what I read of the rule, it just says the ship you teleport to has to be within 2" at the end of your move, not that it happens then. But I could be convinced otherwise if I heard the reasoning.

 

[Iain McGhee]

It's a Special Action. Unless it says otherwise, they are resolved in the movement phase when they are declared.

http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=49839

 

[JohnDW]

Ahaa, well that makes more sense now that I think about it. Thanks!