As a new Phantom pilot and abolutely enjoying Echo, I was wondering what the official ruling is regarding looking at dials AFTER the Activation Phase has begun?

There are loads of times that my opponent moves into one particular area and I just want to check my dial to confirm if I've set it to the maneuver that will allow me to capitalize on his move. Also, with deciding where and how to decloack Echo, it definitely helps save time if I could confirm my move with a quick peek and start formulating which of the 6 decloak locations I will use.

With all the visual measuring that goes into the Planning Phase, my brain just unloads once I set down my dials so I rarely recall the game plan until I see my dial again.

Thanks!

Per the latest FAQ, you may look at your dial after the Planning Phase has ended, but you must inform your opponent first.

Ah, I knew I read that somewhere... p9 on the FAQ for future reference.

Thanks!

I'm guessing when I am activating Echo, I can then look at my dial, plan, and then only reveal once I've decided where to decloack, correct?

Ah, I knew I read that somewhere... p9 on the FAQ for future reference.

Thanks!

I'm guessing when I am activating Echo, I can then look at my dial, plan, and then only reveal once I've decided where to decloack, correct?

Let your opponent know you are looking at the dial and set it back down prior to decloaking. It is revealed prior to the maneuver and after you have performed your decloak/br or boost.

Just make sure he's aware that it's only a quick check and you're not activating it. The moment the dial goes faceup on the table, you're pretty much committed to activating.

Oooh. I don't know. Maybe my faith in humanity is darker, but I figure, once you've set it. Forget it.

The decision is made. Even if you say, "I just want to check my dial". I know you're changing the dial, and now you've lost all credability.

Before the activation stage, fine; you say "Oops, before you do anything, let me check something", we're cool.

Otherwise... Mmmmmm.

Maybe holding it by the edges with just two fingers would be a bit more "I'm not cheating, I'm just looking" sort of move?

I know my local gaming group would not mind this and we play quite casual but I ask for when the day comes that I play against a really picky player.

TheEldarGuy, in my group, when one guy is ready, he waits and checks with the other guy to confirm that both are ready and then we move on to the Activation Phase. Like I said, we're casual. In a worse-case scenario, I can just wait until my activation time comes but I know most of the time my excitement has me totally itching to check my dials.

The decision is made. Even if you say, "I just want to check my dial". I know you're changing the dial, and now you've lost all credability.

Uhm... No?

There are plenty of reasons to remind yourself what you picked that don't involve trying to change the dial. You forgot what you picked and need to remind yourself which direction to barrel roll. Your opponent pulled an unexpected move that will block you and you need to figure out how it's going to chain its way back through the rest of your ships. Or maybe you're just going "Did I really do that?" or even "I was waffling between two moves and honestly have no idea which I picked".

There are a good number of reasons for a player to check their dial after activation, and it's an explicitly legal thing to do. So you can be as dark as you want about humanity and assume that everyone around you is scheming to cheat you at every opportunity, but you'll just have to live with it.

It's easy to forget what you've chosen sometimes, but when you're using the Phantom, it can get quite tricky when the furball gets intense. I've seen a player check his Phantom dial three times before activating it. You could almost see the steam coming from his ears as his brain was trying to cope with all the decloak options and where his final maneuver would end up, and should he barrel roll or not. Mildly amusing to watch his frustration, but he still managed to fly rings around my E-Wing with it.

Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't need to check your dial outside the Planning phase, but you are allowed to, and that's fine. The ruling in the FAQ is pretty clear in that you must inform your opponent first, and this gives him the opportunity to make sure you're not manipulating the dial. I don't think it gets much fairer than that.

I don't personally like dial-checking once ships have started moving, because it's remotely possible that the enemy may be cheating.
I hate the fact that that thought even crosses my mind, because everyone I've ever played with has been such a great person, save one friend who gets a bit too competitive at times. I've always felt I could trust every player I've been matched up with, and unless someone gave me reason not to trust them (like those nasty dice-setters) I'd probably allow them to do it, even though it bugs me a little.

unless someone gave me reason not to trust them (like those nasty dice-setters) I'd probably allow them to do it, even though it bugs me a little.

There is no "probably" about it, nor is it on you to "allow" it. It's explicitly legal. You really truly have no say in the matter, any more than you could tell your opponent they can't pick a K-turn, and how much you trust your opponent has nothing to do with it.

If you're really that worried about them cheating you could probably have the TO babysit them, checking the maneuver before they touch it. But you absolutely cannot prohibit it.

Thanks to Buhallin and Parravon, that was exactly what I was trying to say.

The Phantom is really a double-edged sword at this moment. Sure, it can befuddle the opponent as to where I am going, but most of the time, it is confusing for me as well! Rebel players who only flip over their dial and follow the move cannot imagine what goes on before committing to a Phantom movement, especially Echo. Even if I've decided to decloak to the left, there are 3 distinct decloak locations. After that, a bank, hard turn, or straight maneuver will affect his facing. So in my mind, it's "okay, I decloak there, then move there... hmm, not good. Okay if I decloak THERE, and do a bank... no, no, a hard-turn is better, but if he moves his max forward, then he'll be out of my arc!"

Trust me, after doing Echo and Whisper and having a rest, to recall which of the hundreds of possibilites I've considered and remember which one I've picked, well, I couldn't do it to save my life. That's why I ask about checking dials.

As soon as the opponent moves, I'm also very excited to check whether he's fallen into my trap or not.

This was the coolest little app for showing where you could put any ship, but especially the Phantom. Explore at leisure.

http://randolphw.github.io/echolocation/

This was the coolest little app for showing where you could put any ship, but especially the Phantom. Explore at leisure.

http://randolphw.github.io/echolocation/

Yes, but it doesn't pause and just loops and loops over. Or am I missing something?

Edit: NVM, found it. Now how do I make it so that it just decloaks in ONE image and not have to display both forward and rearward decloaking?

Click on the "ALL" button on the right. Click on the arrows that show the maneuvers and actions. Click on the Cloak button. Click on the Rebel/Imperial symbols on the left. CLICK LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW!

Yeah, I've been trying to figure this out for a while now. Still can't make it to decloak on just one location.

See the cloak icon? It's an on/off button. Click that so it goes dim, then click one of the arrow directions to highlight just that direction. If you click the Phantom silhouette at the bottom, you can choose between regular decloaking and Echo's decloaking.

All of the arrows in the cloak and maneuver diagrams are on/off buttons.

Yeah, what I mean is, even on the normal decloak, it shows both a left forward and left backward decloak. While that is okay, the next set of maneuvers become blurry because the program accounts for both decloak positions. I can set it on the normal decloak so that the top-left decloak does not show and it will only show a left backward decloak, but there is no option for this for Echo.

Yes there is. Down the bottom is a ship silhouette for the Phantom and to the right is "Echo" written in the Imperial script (whatever it's called). That's the on/off for Echo and normal Phantoms. Everything on there is a button for showing options, just keep clicking around and you'll soon discover it.