tholian web

[Meteo Ascension]

...The Tholian activates the web spinner, and spends it's following movements laying web strands, taking a certain number of passes to complete a hex's worth of web strands. At least that's how I handle it.

[Romulas]

IMO they would be unable to fire any other weapons, They use the web to capture disabled ships and IMO this would be a labor/power intensive activity on the two ships involved in the process. Indestructible? NO. If anything they would be vulnerable to attack for other ships as normal depending on how much power is drained away from the shields and engines for movement around the target.

The following IS NOT OF MY DESIGN. I do not know who wrote it.

Web Generator Rules
One or all vessels may fire a beam to immobilize the target vessel. The beam does no damage. The beam is not accumulative. The target vessel may fire only energy weapons but only at half power. The number of ships determines how long it will take to spin the web (See Web Spinning Process chart). The target vessel can escape before the web is done. The vessel’s captain has to roll the dice to see if they escape. (See Web Spinning Process chart). Once the web is done the target vessel cannot get out and cannot fire its weapons. The ship can move at one hex per turn.

Once the web is spun, the captain has a choice of either crushing the trapped ship or towing the trapped ship out of the area. One or all of the vessels that helped in spinning the web may tow the vessel trapped in the web. When towing, all vessels must travel at thruster speeds. Once the web is constricted the vessel inside is automatically destroyed.

WEB SPINNING PROCESS
Number Number of Die Roll
Of Times around For
Ships Target Vessel Escaping
2 5 1 – 6
3 5 1 – 6
4 4 1 – 5
5 4 1 – 5
6 3 1 – 4
7 3 1 – 4
8 2 1 – 3
9 2 1 – 3
10 1 1 – 2

The amount of times the vessel must go
around the Target vessel to spin the
web. Spinning has to be done at
thruster speeds only.
Once the web spinning process has
started, the captain of the trapped vessel
rolls one D6 to see if he can escape.
The number of times depends on the
die role. After every time around
subtract one from the die roll. Example:
If 4 vessels are spinning the web, then it
will take 4 turns around the ship. The
captain of the trapped ship has to roll a
1 – 5. On the next turn he has to roll a
1 – 4. Etc. Once the web is done then
the trapped ship cannot escape.

[Gorn]

I belted this homebrew out, then edited it somewhat over the past week:

Tholian Web: Instead of firing, one ship can generate a web that surrounds an adjacent ship (taking the one firing phase to complete). The webbed ship cannot move, or fire weapons for a set number of phases, as shown per individual ship control panel. The Tholian vessel can fire through their own web starting the next firing phase OR tow the webbed ship. It cannot reach warp speed alone unless the webbed vessel is half/less than the mass of the Tholian. Two or more Tholians may generate a web at linear rates. It takes two Tholians 3 phases to generate it; three take 2 phases - during which the targeted ship might waltz right out of the center, making it a pointless exercise for the Tholians! If there are 4 Tholians, it can be generated in one phase. The web has a power and duration equal to the strongest ship generating it. Two or more ships may constrict the web, IF the target ship is equal mass or less. The web closes at a rate equal to its duration AFTER the initial duration. It removes all shields on the second to last turn and 1/3 of the target’s remaining superstructure. The next turn utterly destroys the craft entirely (web absorbing any explosive dmg). There is no escape for the targeted craft; only a counter tractor beam from the outside can free it. The liberating ship must check vs Sci officer Sensors operation (to determine the correct frequency of tractor beam). Sensors must be operational to do this, and any previous lock is lost. The Tholians may elect to drag the captured ship off instead, taking one turn at sublight to configure their warp fields to drag the webbed ship into warp. They may not change 2 speeds while dragging a webbed vessel, and their speed is limited by a reasonable amount, depending on ship mass. Victory conditions in terms of the amount of travel the Tholians must undertake to reach their space should be determined by the gamemaster beforehand.

[Gorn]

Well that one wasn't very large - seemed just large enough to cover a Constitution class, and acted more like a force field than anything...

[krebizfan]

The first edition basic set rules (FASA 2001A page 122) which made web take 3 hours divided by the number of Tholians to create suggested to me that the web was not intended to capture or harass starships but to keep anything from entering or exiting crazy space. No ship will be any danger from web unless so completely battered that the ship should have surrendered anyway.

The quick creation of walls between Tholian ships as seen in the later concepts only works if the opponent is not willing to destroy the Tholian vessels and destroy the web.

[Gorn]

In ENT it's treated like only a special force field, which is really what it is - although it must have some kind of physical basis since it detaches from the ships making it.

I have to agree entirely with the depiction on ENT, and I think a little rationalizing can make it not in conflict with TOS: there were only 2 ships there, so they had to weave exhaustively, whereas several ships can do it alot quicker.

But like someone had wisely said, there are so many house rules that it's almost impossible to set one standard everyone will agree with. And that DOES limit the game's popularity severely.

I simply will not play a game where any number of weapons can be fired at any time. I keep waiting for slightlysilly to allow for one weapon/target per phase. Looks like it's abandonware now.