Rules Question: Assault and Disengage

[Skipper]

In our game last Friday. A destroyer was assualted and it was outnumbered 5 to 1 on troops. The destroyer then retreated off the board. Which of the following is what happens next (or is it some other combination)?

1) Destroyer provides 1/4 VP and the boarding troops are considered lost.
2) Destroyer provides 1/4 VP and troops returned to owner.
3) Assault continues even after the ship leaves the play area until it is resolved?

 

[kaltorak18]

If one grappled ship is ‘pushed’ off the table by another, then
all ships involved in the grapple will be assumed to have made a
Tactical Withdrawal (see page 23).

I'm assuming you mean that the destroyer moved off the board while still grappled with other ships? If so, they all are considered to have tactically withdrawn.

 

[Skipper]

And what happens to the troops on board......this was a campaign game?

 

[kaltorak18]

Tactical Withdrawals

Any ship may choose to retreat from the battleground by simply
moving off a table edge. By doing so, the ship escapes safely but
your opponent will receive one quarter of its full Victory Points at
the end of the game (see page 57). Note that some scenarios may
have restrictions on which table edges may be exited safely. If one
of these edges is not chosen, then the ship will count as if it has
been destroyed and thus give up half its full Victory Points.

So, depending on if the edge would destroy the ship or cause it to "escape safely" would determine what would happen to the troops. I'd say if the ship were destroyed by going off the wrong edge of the board, then all the troops are lost.

As for what happens if it's a safe edge, well, I'd imagine the troops that are marked as being off the ship in the previous boarding combat round and are on the other ship would be lost and whatever remaining troops on the ships would be what remains. This would be in line with Matthew's other ruling about fighters on a captured carrier IMO. So, I vote for 1.)

Anyone else have thoughts?

 

[Skipper]

Another related question....

A) What happens to a smaller ship with some of its own troops on board that is tied to a larger ship by grapple hooks that is towed off the board when the larger ship disengages?

1) It gives up 1/4 VP and remains with the original owner
2) It counts as captured and gives up full VP
3) Other


B) What if both ships are simultaneously reduced to zero troops but neither was actually captured?

 

[kaltorak18]

A.) I'm unclear as to how this question differs from the original question. Could you please elaborate on the difference? Otherwise, it's 1.

B.) So Ship A is being assaulted by Ship B, Ship B puts all of it's troops on Ship A and during the roll everyone dies on both sides? Both ships owner's would remain the same as you need to have at least one troop on a captured ship.

The ship’s new Troops score will be the number of Troops Dice
the attacker has remaining. However, if the attacker’s ship is still
grappled, he may divide the remaining Troops Dice between
the two ships as he sees fit (either pushing more Troops into the
assault, or pulling some back). The newly captured ship must have
at least one Troop kept on board or control of it will revert back
to the defender.

 

[Skipper]

Another related question....

A) What happens to a smaller ship with some of its own troops on board that is tied to a larger ship by grapple hooks that is towed off the board when the larger ship disengages?

The smaller ship grapples the larger one, but when it is pulled off board it is still under its own control, but the larger ship pulls it off the board.

 

[kaltorak18]

The smaller ship grapples the larger one, but when it is pulled off board it is still under its own control, but the larger ship pulls it off the board.

Yep, that's the same scenario as before. Please see my first post for the rulebook quote.

 

[Skipper]

So you are saying only the destroyer provides 1/4 vp...... What about the smaller ship it pulled off the board with it?

 

[kaltorak18]

So you are saying only the destroyer provides 1/4 vp...... What about the smaller ship it pulled off the board with it?

No, all ships:

If one grappled ship is ‘pushed’ off the table by another, then all ships involved in the grapple will be assumed to have made a Tactical Withdrawal (see page 23).

The destroyer and the smaller ships, all of them, will have made tactical withdrawals.