Jump Drive Power

[allanimal]

I would like to get a ruling on, and propose a minor edit to Core Rule Book, p.144, paragraph 2 "Jump Drive", last sentence. Currently it reads:

Note that this power requirement is only needed when the ship actually makes a jump – at all other times, the jump drive remains inert.


Based on the thread here, there are at least two interpretations of this.

One camp reads this to mean that power is only required when the jump bubble is formed and the ship enters jump space. During the ~1week in jump, the jump drive does not require power.
The other reading is that the jump drive requires power to form the bubble and enter jump space, as well as for the duration of the ~1 week in jump space.

Can we get a ruling on this? based on which way it goes, I propose a simple edit:

If the Jump drive needs power only to start the jump process, and not during the ~1 week in jump space, I propose the following:
Note that this power requirement is only needed when the ship actually initiates a jump – at all other times, including the week spent in jump space, the jump drive remains inert.
[emphasis showing the changed words, and not intended to be in the rulebook]

OR

If the Jump drive needs power to both start the jump process and during the ~1 week in jump space:
Note that this power requirement is only needed when the ship actually makes a jump, including the week spent in jump space – at all other times, the jump drive remains inert.
[again, emphasis showing the changed words, and not intended to be in the rulebook]

 

[Wizard]

My bets are on the "initiates a jump" option. Either way I agree with allanimal that there needs to be a slight edit to clarify what "makes a jump" really means.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Does the game play different for each choice?

 

[phavoc]

If the Jump drive needs power only to start the jump process, and not during the ~1 week in jump space, I propose the following:
Note that this power requirement is only needed when the ship actually initiates a jump – at all other times, including the week spent in jump space, the jump drive remains inert.
[emphasis showing the changed words, and not intended to be in the rulebook]

It's definitely not the latter explanation. If you want the first one, you can simply state "Jump drives only require power when initiating and entering jump space." The rest is redundant (though still correct)

 

[allanimal]

If the Jump drive needs power only to start the jump process, and not during the ~1 week in jump space, I propose the following:
Note that this power requirement is only needed when the ship actually initiates a jump – at all other times, including the week spent in jump space, the jump drive remains inert.
[emphasis showing the changed words, and not intended to be in the rulebook]

It's definitely not the latter explanation. If you want the first one, you can simply state "Jump drives only require power when initiating and entering jump space." The rest is redundant (though still correct)

I think it is much more clear to explicitly state whether or not the jump drive is powered during the week in jump. So, yes, slightly redundant, but makes it absolutely certain when the jump drive needs power, and when it doesn't.

 

[Meeko100]

Does the game play different for each choice?

A bit. Kinda determines how much power a ship should be fit with so it functions. Jump Dimming may be a thing, but jump dimming for a whole week is a bit odd. So the clarification would help people designing their own ships in the future to decide what is reasonable for the amount of power needed.

 

[Condottiere]

The Solomani don't jump dim, because their starships always had enough juice.