I'm a little fuzzy on the disengage rules.

1) If there are no ships within 20VU's, does the crew still need to make the opposed test, or is it simply not opposed?

2) Does the ship still move, or does it come to a halt?

3) Is it the same as silent running, where any other craft can use active augury to find it, and doesn't this render the entire exercise pointless?

Thaddux said:

I don't have my book with me and it's been a while since we've played and used this action, but here goes:

1. If there are no ships within 20 VU then I would assume the test does not need to be made UNLESS ship comes within augur range. The whole point opf the disengage option is to 'disappear' and give the other guy nothing to shoot at. If they can't detect you (because you're out of range) then you are already 'disengaged' assuming you don't re-enter augur range.
2. I would assume if you go "all quiet" the ship would list but you need to switch the engines off so: no moving. For game purposes, it would stay within it's same VU square.
3. Disengaging is kind of a huge risk. Yes: you try to 'dissappear' from the augur, but it's not quite the same as silent running. Silent running is just that: the ship is still "functioning" normally but you're trying to be quiet. Disengaing is like shutting down all of the power on the ship so as to become a hole in space. So yeah: if the enemy finds you, you're basically toast…

 How does any of this change if any of the starships have weapons with ranges exceeding 20 VU (such as Hecutor-pattern Plasma Batteries or any ordnance)? Surely the sensors extend to the limit of the weaponry, right?

HappyDaze said:

The way I inferred it, the sensors pick up any large objects, large heat sources, radio waves, etc, at ranges far beyond 20 VU's.  At 20 VU's or closer, is where the augurs are most effective, and the closer you get you can pick up more information on the target.  Like that hidden ship on silent running.  So, if a ship is not Silent Running, you would detect it way out in space like 40 VU's out or so.  Hence why ships don't crash into asteroids, moons, planets, etc, if the ship travels 10+ VU's a turn.  It detected them way before the 20 VU range.  Of course smaller objects, like mines, debre, small particles, etc, are harder to detect.  Rules for mines and discovering them are in BFK I think.