Attackers and defenders

[Arch Lector Petrovski]

Hi, this is probably a question that's either spelt out in large bold flourescent print in the book or has been answered close to a thousand times before but my brain has gone AWOL at the moment and left me to sit in a corner with a tired and confused look on my face. In a campaign when one player (A - for lack of a better idea) moves to take a strategic target and another player (Q - just because Q always gets left out) decides to intercept who is the attack and defender. Say for example in a blockade mission, would A be the attacker because he was moving into the system or would Q be the attacker because he was intercepting, and thereby attacking, A's fleet?

 

[Ryueokami]

As far as I interpret it, the Attacker is always the one who nominated the attack (or in other words, the one whose turn it is to choose a target). So in this case A

 

[Harry Lonsdale]

We've been playing it that whoever gets there first is the defender. So in your example, A would be the defender if anyone chose to intercept her.

 

[Greg Smith]

Ryueokami is right, the person who nominated the strategic target is the attacker, its on page 81.

 

[Arch Lector Petrovski]

Thanks, both for the response and the good timing as ever.

 

[Lordpappanqui]

We've been playing it that whoever gets there first is the defender. So in your example, A would be the defender if anyone chose to intercept her.

Then this assumes that whomever (whichever side) gets to a designated zone/area is therein controller/owner of that zone/area. [if I am reading your words correctly]

Wouldn't this imply that ownership is assumed to be an 'automatic' action, whenver a neutral zone/area is being contested by two sides??

Merely curious here.

 

[Harry Lonsdale]

We've been playing it that whoever gets there first is the defender. So in your example, A would be the defender if anyone chose to intercept her.

Then this assumes that whomever (whichever side) gets to a designated zone/area is therein controller/owner of that zone/area. [if I am reading your words correctly]

Wouldn't this imply that ownership is assumed to be an 'automatic' action, whenver a neutral zone/area is being contested by two sides??

Merely curious here.

Yes it does (though no RR are earned for claiming it until the battle is decided). We were looking at it as two fleets showing up at the same time and place, and needing to determine (for the game mechanic) which was defending. It was logical to make the first arrival the defender, since the rules didn't seem clear on the point. (We're also doing blind initiative and target selection, so we're already not really using the rules as written).

Of course after rereading the rules (thanks Greg!) they do make sense, and while we're doing it a little backwards I don't think it makes a big difference over the course of the campaign.

 

[jimmor]

There is at least one case when it makes real difference - when there are Vree in play with abduction 'other duty'. We faced such combination in second turn of our first campaign. There were three options:
a) Vree could use abduction while being intercepted
b) Vree could use abduction while intercepting
c) Vree were not able to use abduction in fight for neutral target.

We voted for c) and made it home rule. However I am not sure to what extend the voting has been influenced by the fact that there was only a single Vree player against four othres...