Still scratching my head on this:

Cloaking Device

Action: Perform a free cloak action. At the end of the each round, if you are cloaked, roll 1 attack dice. On a result, discard this card, then decloak or discard your cloak token.

4) After rolling a , what is the difference between decloaking and discarding the cloak token?

(1) No, if you intentionally decloak (i.e., are not forced to by rolling [eyeball]), you still have the upgrade and can continue to use it.

(2) The "Action: Perform a free action" is necessary to limit performing same actions multiple times. It takes an action to trigger the free action.

(3) If the device breaks, you choose to decloak or to just discard your Cloak token (and stay where you are).

(4) See #3.

(1) No, if you intentionally decloak (i.e., are not forced to by rolling [eyeball]), you still have the upgrade and can continue to use it.

(2) The "Action: Perform a free action" is necessary to limit performing same actions multiple times. It takes an action to trigger the free action.

(3) If the device breaks, you choose to decloak or to just discard your Cloak token (and stay where you are).

(4) See #3.

Thank you.

(2) Does it count toward your standard 1 action per turn limit, or could one cloak and focus in the same turn? Are you saying that you have to perform an action (focus, target lock, ANY action) in order to be able to do the free cloak action?

(3) So, discarding your cloak token means you are not cloaked any longer, but decloaking means you get to move and then become no longer cloaked. Right?

1) yeah. As long as you still have the card face up, it's still an action you can take.

2) nope, free doesn't really mean anything in this sense. Because "free" is preceded by "action:" - you require using your action to get the "free" action. Ivr never understood why they word is on there, but you can basically safely ignore the "free"

3)you have to discard the card, and either decloak as usual with the 2-straight template, or just stay still and remove the cloak token - this differs from the phantom in that if the phantom is blocked on all sides and therefore can't do the 2-straight on any of the three directions, it has no way of losing the cloak token and decloaking. Cloaking Device ships when they roll an eyeball can stay still and decloak.

4)see above. Discarding the cloak token happens yo matter what when you roll an eyeball, but you have the choice of decloaking forward or to either side, or to just staying still and losing the token.

(1) No, if you intentionally decloak (i.e., are not forced to by rolling [eyeball]), you still have the upgrade and can continue to use it.

(2) The "Action: Perform a free action" is necessary to limit performing same actions multiple times. It takes an action to trigger the free action.

(3) If the device breaks, you choose to decloak or to just discard your Cloak token (and stay where you are).

(4) See #3.

Thank you.

(2) Does it count toward your standard 1 action per turn limit, or could one cloak and focus in the same turn? Are you saying that you have to perform an action (focus, target lock, ANY action) in order to be able to do the free cloak action?

(3) So, discarding your cloak token means you are not cloaked any longer, but decloaking means you get to move and then become no longer cloaked. Right?

2) yeah it is your one action. Unless you're Vader or are using Ptl or ei, that's all uou get even tho the word "free" is in there.

3) yeah. Decloaking means you MUST move in order to decloak. If you can't fit the 2 template anywhere to decloak with a phantom, you may not decloak. This isn't true with a cloaking Device when you roll an eyeball.

2) nope, free doesn't really mean anything in this sense. Because "free" is preceded by "action:" - you require using your action to get the "free" action. Ivr never understood why they word is on there, but you can basically safely ignore the "free"

Hmmmm. No offense, but this doesn't make sense. "Free" has to mean something.

Are you sure that the "Action:....free action" isn't reliant upon you performing some other action first, followed by getting the cloak action for free?

Look at expert handling. It has an action that lets you barrel roll as a free action. Same thing.

The cloaking device could have added the cloak action to the action bar, but that would have been problematic when they wanted to make it a limited use upgrade, so it's an action on the upgrade card itself.

Look at expert handling. It has an action that lets you barrel roll as a free action. Same thing.

The cloaking device could have added the cloak action to the action bar, but that would have been problematic when they wanted to make it a limited use upgrade, so it's an action on the upgrade card itself.

I see, yeah.

I think it's confusing and unnecessary. No one should assume that an action is part of your action bar when it's on an upgrade card and doesn't specifically say it's part of your action bar.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I see, in this case "free" means "something separate from" not "something at no cost."

Okay.

The Action: Perform a free action language allows Upgrades to allow ships to perform actions they don't normally have without adding the action to the ship's action bar. It's just a technical thing that has to be there to allow things like R7-T1 or Expert Handling to work.

Action: perform X
- this costs your action.

free action
- does not cost your action.

Any time you see the bold action header - it costs an action to do whatever is after that header. Sometimes you see free actions not connected to the header. (Like in Jake Farrel's pilot ability)

Hey Boba Rick! Hope things are well Sir.

I did some digging as I was curious about the whole "free action" thing and I found a really nice answer on a different thread .

Here is part of it that helped me:

Okay, help me understand this. You skip your perform actions step, but you can still perform actions? How does that work?

Basically, the Perform Action step lets you perform an action. Simple enough.

But it's not the only way you can perform actions. A number of other abilities let you take actions under certain triggers. These are universally called "free actions". Basically, a free action is any action other than the one you take during your Perform Action step.

A number of events will make you skip your perform action step: overlapping another ship, overlapping an obstacle, maneuver template overlapping an obstacle. To date, only one thing prevents you from taking actions completely: stress tokens.

So if you overlap with another ship or obstacle you skip your Perform Action step, and lose your "normal" action. But if you have an ability that comes along later and lets you take a free action - Lando, Airen Cracken, Squad Leader, Advanced Sensors/Cloak, etc - you can still perform those actions normally.

Hope that helps! God bless .

The Action: Perform a free action language allows Upgrades to allow ships to perform actions they don't normally have without adding the action to the ship's action bar. It's just a technical thing that has to be there to allow things like R7-T1 or Expert Handling to work.

Yes, it makes sense. The word free is what threw me for a loop because in most cases it means performing an action without it costing against your allotment of actions for a turn. In this case, a free action is an action that is free and separate from your action bar, but still costs against your allotment.

Look at expert handling. It has an action that lets you barrel roll as a free action. Same thing.

The cloaking device could have added the cloak action to the action bar, but that would have been problematic when they wanted to make it a limited use upgrade, so it's an action on the upgrade card itself.

I see, yeah.

I think it's confusing and unnecessary. No one should assume that an action is part of your action bar when it's on an upgrade card and doesn't specifically say it's part of your action bar.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I see, in this case "free" means "something separate from" not "something at no cost."

Okay.

You cannot perform the same action twice.

So - a long time ago, in wave 1 before the Errata to Expert Handling.. People were placing Expert handling on vader - and performing the expert handling action (Perform a barrel roll ....) and then performing a barrel roll action - effectively barrel rolling twice.

The errata was made early - because the intent was for that to be a free barrel roll action - but once you've barrel rolled - you can't barrel roll again.

Barrel rolling twice sounds fun.

I bet Joe Boss Seven does it.

A "free" action is generally something that happens outside of the normal Perform Action step. However, all "free" actions still have other requirements that need to be met to be used and often times they are happening as part of some other Action.

2) nope, free doesn't really mean anything in this sense. Because "free" is preceded by "action:" - you require using your action to get the "free" action. Ivr never understood why they word is on there, but you can basically safely ignore the "free"

Hmmmm. No offense, but this doesn't make sense. "Free" has to mean something.

Are you sure that the "Action:....free action" isn't reliant upon you performing some other action first, followed by getting the cloak action for free?

As others have noted, Expert Handling got an interesting wave of errata back at the dawn of time, and explaining it the long way might shed some light for you.

It originally read "ACTION: Perform a barrel roll..." People pointed out that Darth Vader could equip it and perform the Expert Handling action and then a barrel roll action, and that way he could barrel roll twice without violating the rule about taking an action once per round.

So then it was changed to "ACTION: Perform a barrel roll action..." But very quickly, people pointed out that now only Vader could do it, because arguably it now required you to perform two actions, and (at the time) only Vader could perform multiple actions per round.

So finally it turned into "ACTION: Perform a free barrel roll action..." That way, it counts as an action, so no double-rolling shenanigans. But the action granted when you take granted action is free, so everybody can do it.

And that's why upgrades with the ACTION header often grant free actions.

Barrel rolling twice sounds fun.

I bet Joe Boss Seven does it.

Vader can roll infitite times as seen in Episode IV.

The "action: Free [action type] Action" was added when they errataed Expert Handling. It used to be that expert handling was an action that was identical to, but did not share a name with, Barrel Roll. So Darth Vader was able to perform what was effectively 2 barrel rolls per turn.

In this instance, they have the "Action: [etc]" so that they leave the door open to a ship with a native Cloaking action + illicit upgrade, and don't have to worry that a ship could have 2 cloak tokens.

2) nope, free doesn't really mean anything in this sense. Because "free" is preceded by "action:" - you require using your action to get the "free" action. Ivr never understood why they word is on there, but you can basically safely ignore the "free"

Hmmmm. No offense, but this doesn't make sense. "Free" has to mean something.

Are you sure that the "Action:....free action" isn't reliant upon you performing some other action first, followed by getting the cloak action for free?

As others have noted, Expert Handling got an interesting wave of errata back at the dawn of time, and explaining it the long way might shed some light for you.

It originally read "ACTION: Perform a barrel roll..." People pointed out that Darth Vader could equip it and perform the Expert Handling action and then a barrel roll action, and that way he could barrel roll twice without violating the rule about taking an action once per round.

So then it was changed to "ACTION: Perform a barrel roll action..." But very quickly, people pointed out that now only Vader could do it, because arguably it now required you to perform two actions, and (at the time) only Vader could perform multiple actions per round.

So finally it turned into "ACTION: Perform a free barrel roll action..." That way, it counts as an action, so no double-rolling shenanigans. But the action granted when you take granted action is free, so everybody can do it.

And that's why upgrades with the ACTION header often grant free actions.

An absolutely frabjous explanation.

An absolutely frabjous explanation.

Chortled Boba Rick

So with the rules clear up what is it used for? Well using it in the same manner as TIE Phantoms will result in an upsetting performance see figure below.

So there are two uses for it.

1. First a panic button Something to use when you have no attacks and/or find yourself vulnerable to attacks. You could even equip SPA and guarantee 2 additional green dice and a free evade token for 1 round of combat.
2. My favorite a free move, even if you roll the eyeball you will still get the decloak special move which is a 2 straight or a 2 barrel roll. You could use that to get ready to move in from range 3 or even out of range and run up to range 1 when you make your attack the next turn.

I have been trying a Talonbane cobra with EU and PTL to get that extra move so Cobra can get those infinite procket shots at range 1. I call it the Bird of Prey build. I have seen some people try to use it on Guri. If they miss the arc they could cloak and get a focus without PTL. Of course Palob has the best panic button. Give it TLT and if any ship gets within range 1 it can cloak and steel a focus or evade.

Hmmmm. No offense, but this doesn't make sense. "Free" has to mean something.

Are you sure that the "Action:....free action" isn't reliant upon you performing some other action first, followed by getting the cloak action for free?

Its kind of like saying "Spend 5 dollars to get a free five dollar gift card." in this case,"spend your action to get free action."

So with the rules clear up what is it used for? Well using it in the same manner as TIE Phantoms will result in an upsetting performance see figure below.

So there are two uses for it.

1. First a panic button Something to use when you have no attacks and/or find yourself vulnerable to attacks. You could even equip SPA and guarantee 2 additional green dice and a free evade token for 1 round of combat.
2. My favorite a free move, even if you roll the eyeball you will still get the decloak special move which is a 2 straight or a 2 barrel roll. You could use that to get ready to move in from range 3 or even out of range and run up to range 1 when you make your attack the next turn.

I have been trying a Talonbane cobra with EU and PTL to get that extra move so Cobra can get those infinite procket shots at range 1. I call it the Bird of Prey build. I have seen some people try to use it on Guri. If they miss the arc they could cloak and get a focus without PTL. Of course Palob has the best panic button. Give it TLT and if any ship gets within range 1 it can cloak and steel a focus or evade.

Somehow it fails me 100% of the time, every time I use it.

So with the rules clear up what is it used for? Well using it in the same manner as TIE Phantoms will result in an upsetting performance see figure below.

So there are two uses for it.

• First a panic button Something to use when you have no attacks and/or find yourself vulnerable to attacks. You could even equip SPA and guarantee 2 additional green dice and a free evade token for 1 round of combat.
• My favorite a free move, even if you roll the eyeball you will still get the decloak special move which is a 2 straight or a 2 barrel roll. You could use that to get ready to move in from range 3 or even out of range and run up to range 1 when you make your attack the next turn.

I have been trying a Talonbane cobra with EU and PTL to get that extra move so Cobra can get those infinite procket shots at range 1. I call it the Bird of Prey build. I have seen some people try to use it on Guri. If they miss the arc they could cloak and get a focus without PTL. Of course Palob has the best panic button. Give it TLT and if any ship gets within range 1 it can cloak and steel a focus or evade.

Somehow it fails me 100% of the time, every time I use it.

Given the complete underperforming nature of the mist hunter to date, I quietly expect/hope they'll FAQ it in a number of months to a subtly different grammar - decloak and fry, or token discard and keep.

Still not reliable, but at least gives you the option to hang onto it if you need it for the next turn ahead, say.

Still works once, and that's what you're paying for with it.

Given the complete underperforming nature of the mist hunter to date, I quietly expect/hope they'll FAQ it in a number of months to a subtly different grammar - decloak and fry, or token discard and keep.

Still not reliable, but at least gives you the option to hang onto it if you need it for the next turn ahead, say.

I hope they do change it, to what it should have been at the start - cloak once, decloak once, discard. The lack of reliability is the painful part of it.