They're 3 cost defensive pingers who can stay out of harm's way with 3 health and can't shoot down a Sleuth Scout without committing to a combat they can't commit to.

I am really confused as to how cross purposes these guys are. Anti-speeder tech?

They're rather resilient, so use them for 1 or 2 fights until they go down to 1 damage capacity, then annoy with them from out of battle.

In a Sleuth scenario, you can defend with a cheap unit with tactics. Strike with the Trandoshans to destroy the Scout and then use your tactic icon against an out of battle enemy unit. You need to win the edge tho'.

Just to clarify, you can't strike from outside an engagement with these guys if you didn't declare any defenders... right?

Can't really see why not. However, if you have both TST in play and the opponent is attacking with only one unit, you shouldn't get to strike with both your trandoshans due to the rulebook's wording on page 31. Says the player who won the edge (LS if you didn't declare defenders, and thus, didn't get to participate in the edge battle) strikes first, then the defender, and the cycle repeats IF THERE ARE READY PARTICIPATING UNITS LEFT. Since LS sent only one attackers and the trandoshans aren't participating, there are no more ready units to keep the strike cycle going.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I would think that same line of reasoning would apply even to just the one. Since the one TST is not considered participating, then the engagement ends. But I have also read somewhere that if you did declare some other defender, that after striking with him, you would still be able to strike with units like TST before finishing up the engagement.

I would think that same line of reasoning would apply even to just the one. Since the one TST is not considered participating, then the engagement ends. But I have also read somewhere that if you did declare some other defender, that after striking with him, you would still be able to strike with units like TST before finishing up the engagement.

Majestaat is correct and the entire interaction with units like this and others (winguard, chewie w/ bowcaster, etc) is covered in the rules thread, but i have highlighted the pertinent stuff i think.

When resolving strikes/ending an engagement, these steps apply:
1) (Framework) The player who won the edge battle resolves 1 strike, if able.
2) Player Action window
3) (Framework) The player who lost the edge battle resolves 1 strike, if able.
4) Player Action window
5) Check to: "Repeat if any participating units are still ready."
-If yes, return to step 1, above
-if no, proceed to step 6, below
6) (Framework) Check for surviving units and reward unopposed
7) (Framework) Engagement ends

so if you declare no defenders you would still have a single oppertunity to strike with something outside the engagement if you have that capability. If you have 2 trandoshan security teams, your out of luck unless you have declared a different unit as a defender at which point you could strike with TST, still having your ready participating unit, then again with your second TST, still having a ready participating unit, and then lastly, strike with your actual defender. Anyways, hope this helps.

Just to be sure, does step 5 apply separately or equally to both players?
An example to clarify:
LS attacks with 2 units. DS defends with none but has two ready TST in play. LS wins edge and strikes with one unit, while DS strikes with one TST. Now then... since there's still a ready LS unit attacking, does that enable both players to get a second round of strikes or is it limited to LS only?

Yeah this really kind of confuses me. The framework instructions above seem to indicate that you can only strike with both if there is an alternating LS unit that strikes. But that seems a bit arbitrary, since striking with ready units is never dependent on "taking turns" in an engagement. If I attack with 5 units and my opponent defends with 1, I WILL be striking with all 5 regardless of whether the opponent has as many units as me. Can someone reference the thread pertaining to this so I can follow up there?

Just to be sure, does step 5 apply separately or equally to both players?
An example to clarify:
LS attacks with 2 units. DS defends with none but has two ready TST in play. LS wins edge and strikes with one unit, while DS strikes with one TST. Now then... since there's still a ready LS unit attacking, does that enable both players to get a second round of strikes or is it limited to LS only?

thats correct. At step 5 you check for any remaining ready units, if there is any, both side still have a chance to make a strike. this continues till there are no more ready participating units, then you go to step 6.

Yeah this really kind of confuses me.

Its really not that complicated. Litteraly, if you follow the steps it works just fine.

The framework instructions above seem to indicate that you can only strike with both if there is an alternating LS unit that strikes. But that seems a bit arbitrary, since striking with ready units is never dependent on "taking turns" in an engagement.

thats incorrect. the framework does not indicate that. you could strike with both if LS had no defending units and you had a single attacker, AS LONG AS you struck with both TSTs PRIOR to the lone attacking unit focuses to strike. say you had vader attacking. no LS defenders, you autowin edge and strike with vader first, LS then has a chance to strike with a unit IF ABLE, now your onto step 5 and check for any remaining ready units. there are none, so no TSTs get to strike. however, had you struck with your first TST, then you move to step 5, make your check, vader is still a ready participating unit, you strike with your next TST, move to step 5, again check for ready units, and vader is still there, so now he gets to swing. You just need to make sure units like CCWG, chewie w/ bowcaster, and TST all get their strikes in before your check that finds no more remaining ready participating units.

If I attack with 5 units and my opponent defends with 1, I WILL be striking with all 5 regardless of whether the opponent has as many units as me.

not sure what this has to do with this discussion. thats a regular engagement, its when you have units that can strike into, and out of engagament without actually participating in it.

Can someone reference the thread pertaining to this so I can follow up there?

its in the rules thread, that was the framework nate french emailed to someone explaining how these types of units work. there wasn't much discussion though because its pretty straight forward. follow steps, complete engagement.

if you want to come up with some specific scenarios that are messing you up, feel free, we'll work though them and get you straightened out

I presume you still have to focus the TST to strike with it outside an engagement?

I presume you still have to focus the TST to strike with it outside an engagement?

That's right, so tactics will affect him just like it would against any participating unit.