Seems like this deserves its own topic so we can thoroughly hash it out.

So, in good ol' FFG fashion, the latest preview article has brought up a rules issue.

Back when the SLAM action was first revealed in the generic wave 7 preview article there were quite a few comments about it and bombs, and everybody universally agreed that you wouldn't be able to drop a bomb before the SLAM maneuver because you weren't revealing a dial, just like you couldn't do so before executing an ion or daredevil maneuver.

Now FFG has come out with a new preview of the action and they explicitly say that you CAN drop a bomb before the SLAM maneuver, despite not performing the reveal dial step.

So what's up?

Did FFG screw up another article example and you actually can't?

Is this a change in rules and/or timing and we'll be able to drop bombs before daredevil now?

Is there some inherent difference between choosing a maneuver for SLAM and choosing a maneuver for Daredevil?

There is a slight difference. Dare devil tells ju to execute a specific menauver with no reference to the dial at all. SLAM tells you to choos and execute a manuver from your dial.

My two cents is FFG forgot to add "this counts as revealing dial" to slam description

There is a slight difference. Dare devil tells ju to execute a specific menauver with no reference to the dial at all. SLAM tells you to choos and execute a manuver from your dial.

Daredevil says to choose a maneuver from a list of allowable ones (specifically turn 1 left and turn 1 right). SLAM says to choose a maneuver from a list of allowable ones (specifically the 1-6 maneuvers on your dial that have the same speed as the maneuver you selected in the planning phase)

My two cents is FFG forgot to add "this counts as revealing dial" to slam description

Something like that seems the most likely. Unfortunately, it is probably too late for them to catch the issue and change the card before release.

Presumably, the fact that you have to choose a legal maneuver from the dial requires you to set and reveal a new one?

Here is another screwed up scenario involving bombs and slamming. Can you do the following?

K-wing with a advanced slam and proximity mine­.

1 - Perform your maneuver.

2 - Do the stress check phase (putting it here to clarify the problem)

3 - perform a slam action using a red maneuver

4 - Use advanced slam to drop the proximity bomb (because there is no check stress phase in between, therefore no stress to prevent you from doing so).

It might be a moot point if the K-Wing has no red maneuvers (k-turns included), but if it does then things get a bit more complex.

This seems like too big a part of the article to be a random mistake or poor choice of wording. If this is just a mistake in the article, it's a pretty massive misunderstanding.

I think FFG is just thoroughly over letting the rules get in the way of what they want to happen. We actually had a decent block of time for a while where they seemed interested in following the rules, but that's over now. SLAM is for bombers, bombers drop bombs, so bombers can drop bombs from a SLAM. All that stuff with trying to deal with wording and terminology from a year ago is just too much effort.

Presumably, the fact that you have to choose a legal maneuver from the dial requires you to set and reveal a new one?

Not really. You just have to look at a list of the maneuvers that are on the dial. Like on those maneuver reference tables that come with every ship and that technically are supposed to be available for any player to reference during a game.

Presumably, the fact that you have to choose a legal maneuver from the dial requires you to set and reveal a new one?

I think this. You are technically setting a dial and revealing a new maneuver when you Slam action. Thus allowing you to drop a bomb. You aren't doing this in secret, but you are still revealing a maneuver to your opponent.

Or they will errata bombs to say "Before you perform a maneuver." and leave the whole dial business out of it.

What I don't think will happen is that they will take back the article and say you cannot bomb between Slams. I feel like this was their intention all along with the Slam Action. Without the mechanic to drop a bomb in between the maneuver and Slam action, the action itself seems kind of 'meh'.

Here is another screwed up scenario involving bombs and slamming. Can you do the following?

K-wing with a advanced slam and proximity mine­.

1 - Perform your maneuver.

2 - Do the stress check phase (putting it here to clarify the problem)

3 - perform a slam action using a red maneuver

4 - Use advanced slam to drop the proximity bomb (because there is no check stress phase in between, therefore no stress to prevent you from doing so).

It might be a moot point if the K-Wing has no red maneuvers (k-turns included), but if it does then things get a bit more complex.

Perfectly legal, as far as I can see. There's nothing in the SLAM action restricting the maneuver you can select based on difficulty, and there's certainly no stress check from it. It'll depend on the dial (too bad they seem to have gotten over including the dials) and whether there's much/any red that could take advantage of it, but as it stands and from what we know, it's all legal.

I submitted a rules query an hour or two ago, so we'll see what happens.

I submitted a rules query an hour or two ago, so we'll see what happens.

I'm tempted to submit one myself just so they understand that this IS an issue that will come up frequently.

I know it's not rules, but "because your SLAM counts as a full maneuver" makes me think they may well be of a mind to include a stress check on the SLAM maneuver as well.

I know it's not rules, but "because your SLAM counts as a full maneuver" makes me think they may well be of a mind to include a stress check on the SLAM maneuver as well.

Honestly, they could have fixed the whole mess in the very beginning by errata'ing the rules so that the stress check was triggered by a maneuver, rather than being a separate step. Unfortunately, their aversion to fixing the core rulebook seems absolutely pathological at this point, so we get yet another mess.

I submitted a rules query an hour or two ago, so we'll see what happens.

I'm tempted to submit one myself just so they understand that this IS an issue that will come up frequently.

Back during Celebration, I was told they get like what, an average of 6 rules questions a week? They should have ample time and opportunity to mull over the few that do get submitted, and weigh them appropriately.

We can tell that the method for dropping Bombs haven't changed as the Ion Bomb is still dropped in the same manner as Seismic Charge and Proton Bomb.

It might be the case we're overthinking it and when your choosing the new move for SLAM you can drop a bomb before you reveal your SLAM dial move. But it is important that we wonder and speculate as every question must be answered and no stone unturned.

They mention it in the same breath as Advanced SLAM, in conjunction with a Proximity Mine.

Which clearly works.

Didn't the article say the Advanced Slam was a mod?