Some questions about Imperial Aces mission 7: Cutting The Cord.

I just got finished playing this mission and loved it but some questions came up in gameplay.

1 SYNC ACTION: Is this an action meaning no other action can be performed this round if used?

2 I know you have to be in range 1 to activate but is the affect range of the FACILITY just range one after activated so that if you move out of range you no longer have the SYNC ACTION affect?

3 Can more than one FACILITY be active at one time? Once active does it stay active until destroyed?

4 Can the OPERATIVE SHIP attack while DEPLOYING OPERATIVES?

5 Is the act of DEPLOYING OPERATIVES considered an action or does the OPERATIVE SHIP still get to

perform an action?

Why did you double post this? It's usually considered bad form to post the same question in multiple forums because it leads to confusing replies.

SORRY just thought it would be better to post it under X-Wing Rules Questions than the general forum. It makes more sense to have it here than there do you not agree?

Probably better here. So why don't you edit your initial point in the main forum to remove the duplicated questions and link then to this thread?

Some questions about Imperial Aces mission 7: Cutting The Cord.

I just got finished playing this mission and loved it but some questions came up in gameplay.

1 SYNC ACTION: Is this an action meaning no other action can be performed this round if used?

2 I know you have to be in range 1 to activate but is the affect range of the FACILITY just range one after activated so that if you move out of range you no longer have the SYNC ACTION affect?

3 Can more than one FACILITY be active at one time? Once active does it stay active until destroyed?

4 Can the OPERATIVE SHIP attack while DEPLOYING OPERATIVES?

5 Is the act of DEPLOYING OPERATIVES considered an action or does the OPERATIVE SHIP still get to

perform an action?

Haven't had a chance to play this yet but I'll answer based on my interpretation of the rules as written. BTW, I think this sounds like one of the better scenarios they have released, and hope it's indicative that they are putting more thought into this type of gameplay!

1. Yes. Sync is an action just like any other action, so under normal circumstances you would perform it in the "Perform Action" phase of the prototype ship's turn. You could perform it outside that phase if you were granted a free action by some other ability, such as Squad Leader.

2 and 3. The abilities stay active even when the prototype moves out of range 1, and yes, there can be more than one active at the same time, and the ability remains in effect until the activated facility has been destroyed. This is the crux of the mission, as it forces the Rebels to choose between dealing with a super-buffed prototype or destroying the facilities that enhance it, either before or after they are activated. Note that a facility becomes much more vulnerable once it has activated (its agility drops from 4 to 2) so it will usually be easier to attack than the ship it is buffing.

4 and 5. Deploying an operative is not defined as an action, but must be done when a ship overlaps a Facility (asteroid), So, by following the core rules for overlapping an obstacle, that ship skips the Perform Action step, and cannot attack during combat. By scenario rules it does not have to roll for obstacle damage, but it has its agility reduced to 0 until the End phase, when the operative token is either returned to the ship or removed from the game to destroy the facility. Basically you're dropping your pants for the chance to take out one of the inactive superbuffs without having to attack a target with 4 agility dice. Plus you are limited to doing this only twice out of the six possible facilities. Although there is nothing to say you can't deploy an operative against a facility that has already been revealed and is in effect, it might be easier to just shoot at it, since its agility is only 2.

The nuances in the setup and the special rules really make this an interesting scenario. The buffs are really powerful, and the randomness of not knowing which buff will activate is a nice twist. I hope the scenario will play well.

4 and 5. Deploying an operative is not defined as an action, but must be done when a ship overlaps a Facility (asteroid), So, by following the core rules for overlapping an obstacle, that ship skips the Perform Action step, and cannot attack during combat.

I don't have the set yet, so I haven't read the scenario, but...

Does the scenario define the facilities as asteroids or obstacles, or does it just say to represent the facility with an asteroid token?

4 and 5. Deploying an operative is not defined as an action, but must be done when a ship overlaps a Facility (asteroid), So, by following the core rules for overlapping an obstacle, that ship skips the Perform Action step, and cannot attack during combat.

I don't have the set yet, so I haven't read the scenario, but...

Does the scenario define the facilities as asteroids or obstacles, or does it just say to represent the facility with an asteroid token?

There are six function tokens that are placed on the asteroid tokens by the Imperial player during setup. The pair of tokens (asteroid and function) are called a Facility. "Facilities are treated as obstacles that can be attacked, target-locked, damaged, and destroyed as if they were Imperial ships." If a Facility is destroyed the function token is removed but the asteroid token remains.

The squads I used for this scenario are:

Imperial:

The Prototype: Tie Advanced Storm Squadron Pilot 23 points

Stealth Device 3 points

Homing Missiles 5 points

Total 31 points

Escort 1: Tie Interceptor Fel’s Wrath 23 points

Targeting Computer 2 points

Total 25 points

Escort 2: Tie Interceptor Lieutenant Lorrir 23 points

Escort 3: Tie Interceptor Saber Squadron Pilot 21 points

Grad total: 100 points

Rebel:

The Operative Ship: HWK-290 Jan Ors 25 points

Moldy Crow title 3 points

Blaster Turret 4 points

Total 32 points

Escort 1: B-Wing Blue Squadron Pilot 22 points

Escort 2: B-Wing Blue Squadron Pilot 22 points

Escort 3: A-Wing Prototype Pilot 17 points

Escort 4: A-Wing Prototype Pilot 17 points

Grad total: 110 points

The Imperials won both games.

I have another question: What about firing arcs for the facilities? For instance, if I have a pilot with Outmaneuver, can he always take one agility off when firing at a facility, or never?

It's been a while since I read the scenario, but at one point the FAQ specified that you cannot be out of arc of something that doesn't have an arc. (The specific question was about backstabber shooting at the senator's shuttle in the core set scenario, and said BS did not get his extra die).

I don't understand the 'deploying operatives' portion of the mission. What is an operative? Is this a person that can be equipped on a ship or is this a token of some kind? The mission directions are unclear on this point and I can't find any references in the general rules or elsewhere.

Additionally, is the 'non-unique' ship that is supposed to be classified as the 'prototype' just any other ship on the Imperial side other that doesn't match anything else? Example: If I field the two interceptors in the expansion pack and a TIE fighter... does that make the TIE the prototype?