Federation Commander

[paulgenna]

I got the following web question from one of our players:

Rule states that to lay a strand of web must be in same hex as another ship or valid web anchor.

First question web caster can fire a web into 1 hex with amount of power as listed when fired thus having a 1 hex web.

My first question can a single ship lay a 1 hex web using an anchor Buoys to anchor the web in a single hex. thus, having a single hex web laid by 1 ship. Use in asteroid maps to block open areas.

If 1 hex web ok. Can 2 ships work together move the following way to lay a web and still move 24 +1.

Other question can shuttles and anchor bouys be launched by a ship going speed 24 or is shuttle destroyed on launch.

Ok at end of turn 1 ship 1 and ship 2 are 4 hexes apart. On the end of turn 1 in shuttle launch phase ship 2 launches an anchor shuttle buoys in shuttle launch phase of turn 1. This anchor buoys is 4 hexes away from ship 1. On turn 2 Ship 1 moving 24 +1 moves 4 hexes to stop on the anchor buoys previously dropped by ship 2 in previous turn. At the other function phase of turn 2 ship 1 places a single web on anchor buoy or if in asteroid an asteroid hex. Then leaves hex on turn 3 movement leaving a 1 hex web.

Key question are single web hexes allowed to be put in place other than by web caster as above.

[mjwest]

Let's start with some points to consider:
- Web segments require two anchors, even if the segment is only one hex.
- If using asteroids, each asteroid hex effectively has an infinite number of anchors. If using web buoys, you need two.
- The web anchors must be in a web hex. So if using anchors in adjacent hexes, the web must be in both hexes. (There is an exception when laying web, but it is temporary so I'll ignore it here.)
- If using cast web, it can be free standing or cast between two anchors, which could be asteroids.
- If laying web, it costs six points of power to lay a hex of web. This results in a web with a strength of zero.
- I see nothing to prevent you from reinforcing the web while laying it. This means you need seven points of power to lay a single web hex with a strength of one.
- It costs six points of power to launch a web buoy.

To your questions ...

1) You say "cast". Yes, you can cast a single hex web that is either free standing or anchored. If anchored, two anchors are needed in that hex. If free standing, it lasts for 4 impulses. If anchored, it dissipates as normal for layer web. Note that cast web is the most efficient way to put web on the map by a lot.

If you meant "lay", then a ship has to have two anchors in that hex to be able to lay the web and then leave. It only needs one to lay the hex of web, but the web will collapse if there isn't a second anchor when the ship leaves the hex.

2) Given the above, you could theoretically do what you want with the two speeding ships, but there are a couple complications. First, moving 24+1 requires a lot of power and it takes a lot more power to lay and reinforce that web hex. And if you want the web to stop movement, not just block fire, that is even more power required. Second, you need two anchors, and your plan only provides one. You'll have to figure that out.

In that last point, it is possible for that second ship to enter the hex with the web buoy, lay the hex, reinforce the hex, then drop a second web buoy. But that takes a tremendous amount of power from that second ship, and it won't have that while moving 24+1.

So, the short answer is "yes in theory", but you still probably can't do what you are trying to do.
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Federation Commander Answer Guy