I'v read the bsg rules but I'm still a little confused about how activating cylon ships work. I understand most of it but I'm not sure if you only activate one section with raiders (or heavy raiders) in it when the activate raiders icon comes up on a crisis card, or if you all raiders are activated and the current player just chooses which section comes in witch order.
Sorry if this was already asked, I could not find it.
Gedaning said:
I'v read the bsg rules but I'm still a little confused about how activating cylon ships work. I understand most of it but I'm not sure if you only activate one section with raiders (or heavy raiders) in it when the activate raiders icon comes up on a crisis card, or if you all raiders are activated and the current player just chooses which section comes in witch order.
Sorry if this was already asked, I could not find it.
All Raiders are activated once each, in turn. The current player would decide timing, but offhand I can't think of a way that it would matter. As long as each Raider does only 1 action, in the order given.
• Heavy Raiders
1. Advance Boarding Parties
2. Move Heavy Raiders
3. If none (in space), Launch 1 from each Basestar
•Raiders (each does first possible action)
1. If none in space, Launch 2 from each Basestar
2. Attack Unmanned Viper
3. Attack Piloted Viper
4. Attack Civilian Ship
5. Move towards closest Civilian Ship (clockwise if equidistant)
6. Attack Galactica
Hope that helps.
ok thanks thats what I kinda thought I was just not sure.
Verocit said:
The current player would decide timing, but offhand I can't think of a way that it would matter.
It matters if some civilian ships are due to be destroyed. Easiest example: sector A has raiders and civvies, sector B has raiders. If B goes first, they move towards sector A. If A goes first, the civvies are destroyed, and then sector B fires on Galactica.
Fry said:
It matters if some civilian ships are due to be destroyed. Easiest example: sector A has raiders and civvies, sector B has raiders. If B goes first, they move towards sector A. If A goes first, the civvies are destroyed, and then sector B fires on Galactica.
I'm just curious if this is happening much with anyone. I've never had a raider fire on Galactica. The destruction of the civilian ships has always been enough to make the humans lose.
Fry said:
It matters if some civilian ships are due to be destroyed. Easiest example: sector A has raiders and civvies, sector B has raiders. If B goes first, they move towards sector A. If A goes first, the civvies are destroyed, and then sector B fires on Galactica.
Excellent point. I guess my group have just gone top down from those who CAN do something. Raiders that can do the most important thing act first. But yeah, the current player would be able to choose to activate them whichever way they wanted.
First time playing Pegasus, the Cylon players tried activating the 8 raiders upon Galactica's return. But I think they switched to activating Basestars right away. Eight times 1 out of 8 is still pretty bad odds.
Verocit said:
First time playing Pegasus, the Cylon players tried activating the 8 raiders upon Galactica's return. But I think they switched to activating Basestars right away. Eight times 1 out of 8 is still pretty bad odds.
Yeah, I think that's just so the raiders can do SOMETHING and somebody might still care about getting rid of them. 
Trump said:
Fry said:
It matters if some civilian ships are due to be destroyed. Easiest example: sector A has raiders and civvies, sector B has raiders. If B goes first, they move towards sector A. If A goes first, the civvies are destroyed, and then sector B fires on Galactica.
I'm just curious if this is happening much with anyone. I've never had a raider fire on Galactica. The destruction of the civilian ships has always been enough to make the humans lose.
It hasn't happened much, but it happened once and it was enough. There was 7 raiders in play, no civilian ships, no basestars (nuked), and no pilots (we only had one pilot and he was the first cylon), and no one could activate vipers because that location was shot to pieces by a basestar first. Then we drew no repair cards and the cylons activated raiders on each of their turns. Those 8's just keep on coming, we managed to get Chief Tyrol out from sickbay though with an executive order, and then it fixed itself, but it was annoying. All locations except communications (the one where you can move civilan ships, right?) where damaged. It was extra annoying to me who was Leoben and had the Salvage their equipment agenda. I had to infiltrate, draw engineering cards and start to repair the ship myself. Didn't get any easier when the Admiral started to jump only 1 distance every jump too...
I've never seen raiders fire on Galactica, but there have been several times when order of activation mattered. Usually it's because some civilians are about to be destroyed and when it happens will determine which direction the raiders move.
When Galactica returns from New Caprica, there are 8 raiders on the board and no civilian ships. This will often result in those 8 raiders firing on Galactica as the activate ships phase comes before the jump prep/evacuation phase.
Also, it is not uncommon for the activation order to result in a change of direction in a group of raiders.. Since raiders always move towards the closest civilian ship, unless there is a tie, in which case they move clockwise. Because of this, you could activate raider group A to destroy civilian ships, causing raider group B to move away from group A instead of towards it.
This happens quite often in our groups as we will often activate communications to move a civilian ship as a decoy to lead the raiders away from a larger group of civilian ships. Remember, the raiders go to the closest space containing civilian ships, they don't care how many there are.