Tractor Beam Task Power requirement?

Hi!

Is there a Power requirement for using the Tractor Beam Task?

I’m sure I’ve seen an official answer to this, but I can’t find it!

Off the top of my head, I’m not sure there needs to be, as it’s not something you’d generally allow in combat (immobilising another vessel could be quite an effective move but we don’t see it much in the shows). If you do, I’d recommend 1 Power per size class of the tractored vessel (maximum of beam Strength) to actually immobilise/tow it - this would be it for the duration of the scene (reflecting the ongoing power consumption). The target vessel could expend 1 Power to break this with its own tractor beam, and you could then rule that the two ships could compete at how much extra they want to spend.

I’m sure someone else will turn up to correct me, but hopefully this will help!

No, it does not have a Power Requirement. As with every ship Task, you can optionally spend Power and increase the Complication Range to gain Momentum on the Task, if successful.

It’s also worth noting that “use up some power” is a good Complication for any task involving the ship - representing that whatever you’ve done has strained the systems and drained more power than you expected. 1-2 Power for a Complication in this regard can often seem like a small penalty, but power loss can add up fast…

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