Hi,
is it allowed for someone to declare a TL action on an enemy ship, and then while using the range ruler to determine if its in range, he checks for firing arc?
Measring firing arc during a TL range check?
It is kind of an unavoidable side effect anyway. So I would say yes. But keep in mind, in strict tourney rules...if the target is in range...he has to take the lock once it is declared weather it is in range or not.
So not really an advantage anyway.
Under the strictest interpretation of the rules, no. Especially if it's a case of "if this ship is in my arc I'm going to take a target lock on it, if not I'm going to pick another ship".
Per the FAQ, under the "Competitive Play" section:
• When acquiring a target lock, a player must first declare the intended
target. Then, he measures range to the declared target to see if the
target is within legal range. If the target is in range, the ship performing
the action must acquire a target lock on the target. If the target is not
in range, the player may declare a different target, or he may declare a
different action.
Note that this says nothing about measuring firing arc.
In a more casual game, you may choose to ignore this if everyone agrees. But for competitive play and especially official events, expect to be held to the stricter rule set.
What ziggy said.
In general, you can only measure things you need to measure. Since there's no need to check firing arc for a target lock, you can't do it.
Agreed,you can't check arc before deciding to lock. You'll probably end up seeing if the target is in arc or not in the process, but even if it isn't in arc you're already committed to the target lock if possible at that point.