derekticus wrote:
Game 23043, turn 15; Befford and America are both due to drift. Befford attempts to move forward, striking America (actual move, 0 hexes). Text window states "America is drifting" and "Befford has collided with America". Neither ship drifts, even though BOTH ships are due to drift.
Collisions should NOT neutralize drift, as drift is a separate rule, like gravity, and drift is determined and occurs after all other movement is complete.
The rule that states "All movement ceases upon a collision" refers only to PLOTTED moves.
Drift is "gravity" for these ships.
I didn't find anything in the rules that says it refers to non-drifting plotted moves only.
Rule V.C.4 says:
Once a collision has occurred and the position of the collided ships have been determined, all movement ends for the ships involved, even if their logs have been plotted for further movement. Log notations must be changed to correspond with the actual move.
Notice that drifting is
included in the log, as
Rule V.B.4 says:
For each turn a ship is to drift, a "D" is written in the move column.
Finally, albeit drifting is scheduled last in the movement phase, it isn't a separate phase.
Rule V.C.3 says:
Ships will drift into a new hex on the last move of the phase.
According to these rules, nothing is wrong with the interpretation that colliding stops drifting.
However, I'm open to adopt the other interpretation ("collision shouldn't stop drifting") if there is enough support for it in the community.
I know that you have played in the "WS&IM World Championship" - did they use the "collision doesn't drifting" interpretation there?
The issue is the drift rule itself. It states simply something to the effect of: "if a ship's bow hex does not change for 2 consequent turns, then the ship will drift." There is no "unless there is a collision" clause. In my mind this rule supercedes (sp?) the "a collision ends movement" rule, as that is only for PLOTTED moves. "D" for drift is only written into the log (it is not plotted by the player during the movement writing phase of the turn) as or after the ship actually drifts. This occurs at this time only because a player cannot necessarily predict if a ship will drift, as drift can be blocked by a non-drifting ship occupying the drift hex(es).
My reason for playing this way is because I have always played this way, and it is how it is interpreted at the World Boardgaming Championships. Further, it makes no logical sense for ships of equal class, all of which are not physically moving, to drift at different rates simply because some of them are playing at bumper cars.
