| From: | Brett Francis <slq0m@**.USU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | The final word on GAQ's and Challenge timing |
| Date: | Tue, 10 Nov 1998 12:15:13 -0700 |
This should have been an easy one, but I guess it's not. This is taken
from FASA's home page FAQ and should answer the GAQ question once and
for all (ha, like that would ever happen)
TIMING
As with any game, we ask that you keep the spirit of the game in mind
when playing, and use cards as you think they were intended to be used.
We wanted to keep the timing in the Shadowrun TCG as straightforward as
possible, and so we made the timing and phrasing as simple as possible.
We hope the following guidelines will provide you with sufficient
information to resolve any timing issues in your own games. If you have
a dispute about the timing of cards being played, we encourage you to
roll a D6-dice it off. Let the card of the person who rolls highest take
effect first, and then continue playing-don't get bogged down arguing.
It's just a game!
Most of the timing questions we've received regard the use of Stinger
cards or involve combat situations.
In the Shadowrun TCG, cards take effect in the sequence they are played.
This holds true for most of the cards in the game. For example:
Cannonball (a 5/6 Dwarf Runner with Stamina, Firearms skill and Gunnery
skill) attempts a shadowrun against the Objective Courier Run.
Cannonball is equipped with a single Gear card, the Ceska VZ/120 (Ranged
Weapon/Medium Pistol. +2/+0 to user. "Trash Ceska VZ/120 to add 1¥ to
your credstick."). The opponent turns reveals the first Challenge
Cannonball has to face: it's the Hellhound (Awakened. 6/6. Sleaze
requirement: Stealth 2. "The damage Hellhound inflicts must be applied
to a single Runner. This damage is armor-piercing."). Here's how the
timing works: =
Step 1.) the shadowrun is declared.
Step 2.) the Challenge is revealed.
Step 3.) the Runner attempts to sleaze the
Challenge (he fails).
Step 4.) the alarm is triggered.
Step 5.) combat ensues and is resolved. All
damage is inflicted
instantly and simultaneously. =
Cannonball is able to inflict 7 damage (5 + 2 from the Ceska) on the
Hellhound, killing it. The Hellhound inflicts 6 damage and kills
Cannonball. Both cards are trashed.
Since Cannonball's owner knew as soon as he saw the Hellhound Challenge
that Cannonball was going to be defeated by the Hellhound, he may have
wanted to trash the Ceska to receive 1¥ before Cannonball died.
He could have trashed the Ceska during steps 2, 3 or 4 (or at any moment
between the time the Challenge was revealed and the time the alarm was
triggered). Once combat ensued, the damage was dealt immediately and
Cannonball died. Because a Runner's Gear is trashed when he dies in
combat, the Ceska would also be trashed and the owner could not trash it
voluntarily for 1¥.
Stinger cards throw a proverbial wrench into the timing system because
they can be played at any time. Some Stingers, like Change of Plans
("Play when a player announces a shadowrun. You may choose the
Objective of that shadowrun."), give you a specific time when they must
be played. Others, like Green Apple Quicksteps, can be played at any
time, just as stated in the rulebook. =
The Green Apple Quicksteps card ("Target Runner must immediately return
to safehouse.") is an excellent example of how the timing in the SRTCG
works. In the example above, Cannonball's owner could have played Green
Apple Quicks Steps at any time before combat ensued and sent Cannonball
back to the safehouse. However, as explained above, combat takes place
instantly and simultaneously, and so cannot be interrupted by a Stinger
card like Green Apple Quicksteps. Once the combat began, the Hellhound
killed Cannonball and Cannonball could no longer be sent back to the
safehouse. =
To further clarify the example above: according to the rules of the
SRTCG, when a Challenge is revealed, the owner of the Challenge reads
the sleaze requirements aloud and the shadowrunning player looks to see
if his Runners can sleaze the Challenge. At this point, there is a
natural pause during which players can assess the situation and play
Stinger cards. If it helps you to understand the timing of the game,
think of this as a short "phase" when Stingers can be played. Because
players can assess the situation at this point, Green Apple Quicksteps
can be used to send a Runner back and prevent the Challenge from being
sleazed. Players also have time to see if the alarm is going to be
triggered and play Green Apple Quicksteps to "set up" the remaining
Runners for a nasty combat. If the alarm IS triggered, there is another
natural pause before players start comparing Threat Ratings or assigning
damage. This is the other "phase" during which it's okay to play a
Stinger. Having already had an opportunity to consider playing Green
Apple Quicksteps, it is easy for a player to "jump in" after the alarm
is triggered and play Green Apple Quicksteps before combat begins.
Here's another example of timing: your opponent declares a shadowrun
against an undefended Objective and you choose to intercept with a
single Runner. Your opponent spends 2¥ and plays Green Apple Quicksteps=
to send your Runner back to the safehouse. Was the shadowrun
intercepted? No. When Green Apple Quicksteps was played, it stopped your
attempt to intercept the shadowrun and sent your Runner back to the
safehouse.
Suppose you had played the Stinger card Luck o' the Irish (Roll D6. On
4+, trash either a Special card just played or one already in play.")
when your opponent played Green Apple Quicksteps? Luck o' the Irish
would cancel out Green Apple Quicksteps on a roll of 4+. If the roll was
successful, Green Apple Quicksteps would be canceled and the Runner
targeted by Green Apple Quicksteps would successfully intercept the
shadowrun. The shadowrunning player might then play the Stinger card Bad
Reputation (Target player who just attacked an opponent's Runners loses
10 Reputation.).
As the example above illustrates, when more than one Stinger card is
played, they take effect in the order in which they were played. As
stated in the rulebook, Stingers can be played at ANY time. The only
time that a Stinger card cannot be played is during combat. Combat takes
place and is resolved instantly, leaving no "window" during which a
Stinger card can be played.
There it is. GAQ is a legal move to trash a challenge after revealed. =
But remember, it's also a legal move to GAQ Torgo right after a Gaurdian
Dracoform is revealed sending the rest of the team to their deaths. =
That the beauty of stingers!
Brett
