Is it appropriate to review what your opponent is running at tournaments to determine the special abilities and upgrades for their ships?

When I play local, casual games, we usually share with each other what we are running and what is equipped. (I think this is in the squad building rules to do this, but not sure...)

When I played in my first tournament a few weeks back, I found myself trying to "peek" at what the other player had equipped, but was not sure whether or not it was OK to ask or take a hard look at their list. There was not a lot of time between rounds to do this, as it felt like we had just enough time to finish the current round, pick up our ships, and move on to the next round against a new opponent.

My main interest is not points - because I assume the TO verifies it - but rather knowing what weapons and upgrades they are running to be able to fly with the best tactics. I am not certain of the etiquette for this, but felt like I was not 100% aware of what the other guys were running and got surprised by a few weapons and actions.

I'm not certain whether or not there are any specific rules on this point however most players consider it good etiquette to share their list and clarify any special cards / abilities with their opponent prior to the start.

I usually carry an extra printout of the list an allow them to study it before we get started and I'm happy to answer any question I might have ( though I'd draw the line at "so what's your strategy going to be then?" )

Unless there are any particularly unusual interactions, It's up to you to work out how those cards are going to interact with each other though - I don't necessarily expect my opponent to do that for me unless they choose to

There is no hidden information in this game. I would say you would be doing yourself a disservice to not look their list over before/during the match. Every tournament I have gone to you were required to fill out a squad list sheet and have it available to your opponent. I almost always ask for theirs before a match so I know what I'm up against. There is definitely nothing forbidding you from looking over your opponent's list.

To even take it a step further, I often confirm with my opponent that they are aware of any changes in rulings to their cards based off the FAQ. That way we're not in the middle of a game trying to hash out rules with a TO. If they are not up-to-date with how things work I want to be sure we're on the same page before we start (wouldn't be fair to them either if a thing didn't work the way they thought).

I thought this might be OK, but just wanted to make sure I would not incur anyone's wrath by looking closely at their build before we started.

My prime example was not knowing that Kath Scarlet got an extra attack die for the rear arc until the first time it hit me in a game. Had I taken a close look before we started, it would have changed how I ran my ships. Even at range 3, that extra die makes a big difference in hits.

Like the others in the thread, it's not only okay to look but encouraged. You should actively ask your opponent what he or she is running, and ask to see any cards that are unfamiliar to you.

Like the others in the thread, it's not only okay to look but encouraged. You should actively ask your opponent what he or she is running, and ask to see any cards that are unfamiliar to you.

However, you should do this AFTER you've built your fleet.

Just sayin'

The only hidden info in the game is you chosen maneuver for each ship every turn and the order of your damage deck (which neither you nor your opponent know). Everything else is open and on the table.

The only hidden information in the game is what you set your dial to. And I see that was just mentioned.

You have the right to know exactly what your opponent brings to the game and how it works. This even extends to looking through his damage deck before the game begins to make sure it is complete and accurate.