Gain the advantage. Ongoing effects limit?
Gain the advantage. A decent action, depending on how it's played, with some of the most common interpretations being that it allows you to safely tail an enemy. ("I can't shake him!")
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What I ask today, is exactly how long it lasts as well as the resulting 'dominance struggle'
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**Ongoing effects**
GTA says that it 'allows you to ignore penalties from your own EM and ignore benefits from the opponents until the end of following round' it then follows after that statement with firing zones with the statement 'in addition'
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*I see two possible ways that can be taken, for this first question. Marked with P1 and P2 for ease of answering.*
P1: The effects of ignoring EM lasts only until the end of the next round, and would need to be 'refreshed' but keeping your 'desired position' lasts until the advantage is lost. More on that later.
P2: Both effects are lost at the end of the following round, if GTA duration is considered to only last a set time.
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**Difficulty increases:**
The opponent can attempt to cancel out the advantage. This is easy enough, if they succeed, they've turned the tables, and are now the one with all the bonuses.
GTA states that difficulty increases by one step for each time advantage has been gained.
In the case of say, an a-wing going at max speed, most things will instantly be making a 5 difficulty check to turn that around. That's simple enough. One increase because you've already GTA
If the A-wing wished to turn it around again, they would be looking at a 3 difficulty check, also simple, two increases as there have been two GTA instances in this dogfight.
What next?
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*I see 3 possibilities. Marked with P1-3a for ease of answering.*
P1a. After the a-wing has regained the advantage, it is now an impossible check. Requiring DM permission and a destiny point to even attempt.
P2a. The difficulty 'caps' at 5.
P3a. The difficulty starts being upgraded into challenge dice where appropriate.
I'm leaning towards P1a, to better simulate 'there are just some situations you can't win', with P3a being it with extra steps.
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**When does it end?**
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This seems to fall within a little bit of a grey zone and be caught between narrative and mechanics.
It seems to me, that once someone has gained the advantage, unless they're properly shaken, they should not simply arbitrarily 'lose' their target. It seems to me the intended result is that Once the advantage has been acquired, that you have your target in your sights until they are destroyed, turn the tables, or escape, such as via an opposed piloting check to simply 'shake you' as opposed to try to turn the dogfight around.
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*Either way, I put forth two main possibilities, marked with P1/2b for ease of answering and offering insight.*
P1b. At the risk of possible mechanical 'traps' but thematic consistency. The secondary effects of gaining the advantage persist until an opponent has gained the advantage, or until they have broken away from the fight, meaning successfully left close range without being tailed.
P2b. At the expense of thematic consistency, but for possible mechanical benefit, after a proceeding round, the current 'advantage holder' is forced to 'lose' the advantage, and must reacquire it.
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Personal interpretation.
It seems to me that GTA should function as thus.
Upon gaining the advantage, the attacker ignores the penalties of their own EM as well as the benefits of their opponents. This thematically represents turning the dogfight into your favor at a decisive moment. Until the opponent manages to turn the tables themselves, or breaks away via a piloting check, or sufficiently faster speed, they are effectively right where the attacker wants them. However, this decisive moment has come and gone, and so if they want to continue to keep the EM ignoring aspects, they must find ways to 'renew' the advantage, at increasing difficulty, to better represent the dogfight getting increasingly tight and frenetic.
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What are the thoughts of others here, particularly in regards to 'When does it end'?