(Answered) Engine Explosions in Space

[snrdg091012]

Evening from WA,

Someone sent me an email with the following example using the Engine Explosion optional rule on p. 78.

A DropShip carrying a Mech moves into a 500 meter aerospace hex containing a fleet and then the Mech explodes it's engine destroying the entire fleet.

I replied that my interpretation is that the Exploding Engine rule is designed for use on a battlefield map sheet's 30 meter hexes and does not apply to an aerospace 500 meter hex. I then went further by determining that one aerospace 500 meter hex equals 16.6667 battlefield map sheet 30 meter hexes. Based on the details for the Engine Explosion rule there was no way that all units could be destroyed.

The person's latest email indicates that the TO Engine Explosion rule makes the destruction of the fleet example legal to do so.

Can anyone let me know if I'm understanding the rule and that the engine explosion rule does not apply to aerospace 500 meter hexes please?

Update 10/26/17 2:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time:
As usual I missed a bit of information which is that a space hex is roughly 18 km or about 600 30 meter hexes which if I am not wrong about engine explosions there is even less of a chance of a single Mech in a DropShip taking out every ship in one space hex.

[snrdg091012]

Hello all,

I'm hoping that I have not made a gaff with my question that the Engine Explosion rule found on TO p. 78 would not destroy all units within a 500 m aerospace hex or units in a roughly 18 km hex there has  been no response by someone authorized to answer the question.

 Hopefully someone will reply so that I will if I've understood the rule or provide me with the right understanding.

[Weirdo]

The rules staff is solely composed of volunteers that do this stuff in their spare time. In general, it's usually a good idea to wait 30 days or so before bumping a thread back to the top. I can at least say that yours is in the active queue right now. :)

[snrdg091012]

Hello Wierdo,

The rules staff is solely composed of volunteers that do this stuff in their spare time. In general, it's usually a good idea to wait 30 days or so before bumping a thread back to the top. I can at least say that yours is in the active queue right now. :)

Thank you for letting me know that I have once again jumped the gun on how long replies take. Somewhere in the past I probably made a similar post then got worried about not getting a reply and someone else let me know about the time delay and forgot about the time span.

Again thank you for the reminder.

[Xotl]

The engine explosion rules only apply to TW-scale games, on the standard mapboard and scale.  No space use and the like.

[snrdg091012]

Hello Xotl,

The engine explosion rules only apply to TW-scale games, on the standard mapboard and scale.  No space use and the like.

Thank you for confirming that the Engine Explosion rule applies only to the 30 meter hexes used on the standard map board and not in the 500 meter hex used by aerospace craft or the roughly 18 km used for space.

Also thank you for taking a moment from school to help me out.

[Xotl]

No problem.  This will be in next years' errata; we'll likely cover how elevations factor in at that time (since VTOLs and WiGEs are ground units).

[snrdg091012]

Hello again Xotl,

No problem.  This will be in next years' errata; we'll likely cover how elevations factor in at that time (since VTOLs and WiGEs are ground units).

Hopefully, the person who contacted me about using a Mech engine explosion to destroy an entire fleet in a space hex won't ask about VTOLs & WiGEs. Thank you for the heads up though. Have a good one.