When you get the choice of going first or second, do you get to look at your opponents set? Or is it a blind choice? The list in my opinion is open information, and objectives considered as part of the list.

Example

I win initiative, I think I want to go first, but then I look at the 3 objectives my opponent presents, and realize all 3 of them will just be bad for me. So I choose to go second and let him/her choose obj's from my set.

Nope. It violates the rules re. setup.

First initiative. Then objectives.

But before even choose initiative you get to see your opponents list... That is where I am having a problem. Are objectives a part of the list?

2.Gather Components: Each player places his ships, squadrons, and cards next to the play area and near his edge. Set each shield dial and squadron disk to its maximum shield and hull values. Then set the activation slider of each squadron to display the blue end of the slider with the a icon. Assign the appropriate defense tokens to each ship and unique squadron. Gather enough command dials and speed dials for the fleet. Assign ID tokens to ships and squadrons as necessary.

Going by what you say, then I can lay all of my cards face down. Since the objectives are a component and to be set next to the play area and hidden information.

*edit* not saying I would do that. Just inferring that it could be done since nothing says objectives are hidden here, but the response was "they are hidden".

*edit 2*

And Cards , is pretty open. Is it referring to all cards or just ship cards and upgrade cards. If it said "and their cards" then I could see that Objectives are not included in this step. But as objectives are cards....

If I am reading it right, Yes they are part of the list, but they are the part you cannot see until step 4.

this is clarified in the tournament rules.

You have to pick initiative before seeing your opponent's objectives

We are not playing tournaments. Talking about the plain ol casual rules.

Learn to play book, page 20: 'during the gather components step of set up, each player simultaneously reveal the ships cards and squadron...."

The rules also mention that a fleet includes the cost of its upgrade cards and such, no mention made of objective cards. Technically, an objective card is NOT part of a fleet, only the ship, squadron and upgrade cards are.

Then you get to see your opponent objectives AFTER choosing initiative as pointed above.

As an aside, with FFG more often than not, the tournament rules ARE the casual play rules to a large extent, in that they are always used as a reference to help clarify what the company intended.

You don't get to see the objectives until after choosing whether to go first or second.

We are not playing tournaments. Talking about the plain ol casual rules.

Tournament or cause. It's the same. Unless you want to make up some other rules. Then you're free to do so when playing casual. I wouldn't go there, but to each his own.

Yeah, the RRG was really fuzzy on it which had many people confused, but if you read the tournament rules it goes into deeper detail about how to set up a game and specifically states you do not reveal objectives cards before choosing initiative.