I hear you about the tapioca. We are on what, 7th version of the rules draft? I just hope that we somehow do good enough job here that we won't ever have to deal with correcting skidding rules again.
Let's see if I can explain better what I meant in edit 2. To make it easier I'll underline the issues that could use clarification in the rules text.
Let's assume a 'Mech falls in hex X, skids through a clear, empty hex Y, and runs into an obstacle in hex Z. How much damage does it take? The way I see it, it depends on what the obstacle is:
A. If it is a hill or a DropShip, the skid ends in hex Y, and the 'Mech first takes fall and 1-hex skid damage, and then collision damage as described in Levels or DropShip sections.
B. If it is a three or more levels drop, then the 'Mech suffers fall and I believe 1-hex skid damage, and then another fall damage as described in Accidental Falls from Above section on p. 63 TW. The skid ens in hex Z.
By the way, the rules are not entirely clear if the unit should suffer skidding damage for entering hex Z in this case. I assume not, because the way I imagine it the unit falls into that hex, not slides along the ground there. You may want to clarify it in the section mentioned above.
C. If the obstacle is a Building the 'Mech enters hex Z first, takes fall and 2-hex skid damage, then collision damage with a building, and if the building collapses the 'Mech suffers damage because of it as well, and a skid may continue leading to further damage down the line.
D. If the obstacle is a unit other than a DropShip or large Vehicle, then the rules say to first resolve damage from initial fall and the skid so far, and then check if the collision occurs. Since during charge attacks to-hit rolls happen before any displacement I assume this initial damage to the skidding 'Mech is for fall and 1-hex skid, because at that point the skidding unit is still in hex Y, not Z, though it would be nice if the rules clarified that, since the collision may "feel" like it happens in hex Z. After that:
- if the unintentional charge misses or destroys the target unit while suffering the collision damage itself, the skid continues as normal,
- if the intentional charge hits and fails to destroy the target and the unit, and no displacement may happen afterwards (for example due to Prohibited Terrain behind the target unit - see Location after Attack section on p. 148 TW), skidding 'Mech suffers the collision damage, and stays in hex Y suffering no more skidding damage,
- if the intentional charge hits and fails to destroy the target and the unit, and both the skidding 'Mech and its target are displaced 1 hex, the 'Mech obviously suffers collision damage, but does it suffer skidding damage for being displaced from hex Y to hex Z? On one hand I think it shouldn't because I believe post-charge displacement is not the same as a skid as far as the rules are concerned, and because there are situations when a prone 'Mech can be displaced (most of them completely unrelated to skids), and the 'Mechs don't suffer skidding damage in these situations. On the other hand the post-charge displacement certainly looks a lot like a pre-colision skid, so the players may be inclined to treat it as a 1-hex continuation of the skid, and resolve the damage...
To sum it up, if my interpretation of the rules is correct I think you should:
1. at the beginning of the Other Units section make it clear that before checking if the collision occurred a skidding unit doesn't suffer skidding damage for entering the hex with the target of unintentional charge, because at that point it hasn't entered this hex yet,
2. make it clear in or around the "Otherwise, adjust both units’ positions on the map as for a successful charge, and the skid ends" sentence in Other Units section that the post-charge displacement doesn't cause any skidding damage.
3. in Accidental Falls From Above section on p. 63, you should make it clear if the hex containing 3+ level drop into which a skidding 'Mechs falls counts for calculating skidding damage or not. (I believe it shouldn't, but I'm less certain about this then the other points).
Perhaps a well phrased clarification in point 2. may even make the one I suggest in point 1. unnecessary?
Edit: In case it wasn't clear, the thing in points D, 1 and 2 is what I meant to point out in Edit 2 of my previous post. The issue in points B and 3 is new.
Aside from that I've taken a look at Sideslipping rules, and unfortunately noticed a couple disparities between these rules and the skidding rules that may need to be addressed:
I. According to the rules of Buildings, DropShips, Large Support Vehicles and Levels section on p. 68 a sideslipping unit "[...]automatically charges the unit or building hex[...]". I think that this sentence should clarify that to calculate charge damage should count only hexes traveled by the charging unit before the start of the sideslip (analogically to how the damage is calculated for unintentional charges during a regular skid).
II. According to Buildings, DropShips, Large Support Vehicles and Levels section on pp. 67-68 all four of these kinds of obstacles cause an automatic crash (without a to-hit roll). This may mean that if a skidding unit runs into a Large Support Vehicle (LSV), the collision is also automatic (though unlike collisions with the other kinds of obstacles mentioned in this section, I believe it could still cause post-charge displacement, and he damage to the attacker would be calculated using target's tonnage as normal). On the other hand regular attacks (including intentional charges) against Large Support Vehicles just get a -2 to-hit modifier, and Accidental Falls From Above get a -3 to-hit modifier to hit a Large Support Vehicle, so perhaps such collisions shouldn't be automatic? The rules seem to be all over the place when it comes to charges, collisions, and such with LSVs, so I don't know which, if any, of them should be changed, though... below are a few thoughts about possible consequences that are either potentially unwanted or may need clarifications in the rules.
IIa. If collisions with Large Support Vehicles during skids and/or sideslips are automatic, then what if it is an LSV that is skidding/sideslipping? Would it automatically hit any other units along the path of the skid?
IIb. If collisions with Large Support Vehicles during skids and/or sideslips aren't automatic, and after missing an unintentional charge a skidding unit would end its skid in LSV's hex the LSV would get displaced as per normal rules on p. 151, right? What if it can't be displaced due to prohibited terrain for example? Does the skidding unit return to the hex it came from, but if it is a 'Mech it still suffers skidding damage for entering a hex with the LSV?
Finally I've noticed a minor typo in the fourth paragraph of the draft - one space too many before "For the purposes of calculating attack direction,[...]" sentence.