There are three types of conflicts which can arise during towing: the towee might break the tow, many ships try to tow a third, or there might be a tow chain or loop.
► Note: Note that these rules do not apply to boarding ("tow-capture").
Tow conflicts are resolved in the order as specified here, after all other preconditions of towing (see mission description) have been fulfilled.
PHost implements two models of conflict resolution. The preferred one, alternative towing, is selected by enabling AllowAlternativeTowing, and is based upon a tow-strength reasoning. In addition, PHost supports HOST-compatible towing, a model which tries to mimic the Wisseman HOST rules. It should yield the expected results in most cases.