Hi guys! I have a question regarding free actions.

1. Let's say I have the Expert Handling EPT. Can I perform the free barrel roll action from the card, and then perform another "normal" action?

2. Let's say I have the scum cloakig device. Can I perform the free cloak action, and then my normal action?

I thought I could. In fact, I've played it like that multiple times, but last week I was not allowed to do it in a small tournament I went to, as they said something like:

"Though it says the action is free, the card reads "ACTION: Perform a free action", which indicates that you have to "spend" your action by doing the action in the card, so unless you have another way of performing more than one action, (PTL comes to mind) you're not allowed to.

P.S Sorry if I don't explain myself too clearly, as English isn't my first language.

The bit that says ACTION: at the top uses up your action in the Perform Action step. Unless you have another way to do so (PTL, Experimental Interface being the two main ones).

This is also the reason the 'as a free action' wording is there - because otherwise, if it were not you either wouldn't be able to use EH at all - because it would say: action: perform a barrel roll action' and you've already used your action at that point and you can't do it - or it would say 'action: performa a barrel roll' at which point you could BR twice in a round.

So yeah, anything that says 'Action:do a free action' costs you your action to perform. The 'as a free action' wording is there for technical reasons.

Free actions are still actions.

The card says "ACTION" and as such is spending an opportunity to perform an action (during your perform action spell or from outside effect)

You should also remember the subtle difference between actions and non-action effects

in example "perform evade action" is not equal to "assign an evade token"

and "aquire target lock" is not "perform target lock action" and not equal to "assign a blue\red target lock"

Thanx a lot guys! Problem solved, and very fast!

Using Expert Handling itself is a full, normal action. It produces three effects:

• You take a free barrel roll action.
• You (might) gain a stress token.
• You may erase an enemy target lock on you.

What about Sabine in the Attack Shuttle?

"Immediately before you reveal your maneuver, you may perform a free boost or barrel roll action."

This pilot ability does not have the ACTION: header, but still uses the words "free X action"

Does this consume her normal action for the turn also?

No, free actions don't consume your action for the turn, that's their point. The confusion arises when people don't realize that the Action header means "Use an action to do this thing:".

What about Sabine in the Attack Shuttle?

"Immediately before you reveal your maneuver, you may perform a free boost or barrel roll action."

This pilot ability does not have the ACTION: header, but still uses the words "free X action"

Does this consume her normal action for the turn also?

Basically you get one standard action per round for you "Perform Action" step. Anything after that needs to be a free action so that you can perform it. Free actions are still restricted in that you still can't perform them when you are stressed, and you can't perform the same action more than once. So if you use Sabine and perform a free boost before you reveal your manoeuvre, it doesn't mean you can perform another boost in your "Perform Action" step.

But free actions are still only granted by pilot abilities or upgrade cards and need to have something to trigger them. You can't just take a free action anytime. Push the Limit is a prime example. Immediately after you perform an action, and it can be any action, Push the Limit can trigger and allow a free action at the cost of a stress token.

The fact of the matter is FFG is horrible at wording cards. The word free should never be there on Epert Handling.

The fact of the matter is FFG is horrible at wording cards. The word free should never be there on Epert Handling.

anything performed not simply as "an action from your bar as your normal perform action step" is a free action.

people just see FREE and think it's free. while it's not free. Another word like "extra" would make it evener.

The fact of the matter is FFG is horrible at wording cards. The word free should never be there on Epert Handling.

The problems started when Expert Handling didn't have the word "free" in it's text. Technically it was broken as it was and could never work properly. The problem starts when players don't read the section on Free Actions in the rulebook that explains it all.

The problems started when Expert Handling didn't have the word "free" in it's text.

That meant the rule about only performing each type of action once per turn didn't apply, and you could put Expert Handling on Darth Vader and do two barrel rolls in one turn.

The problems started when Expert Handling didn't have the word "free" in it's text.

Actually, the problem was that, originally, it didn't say the barrel roll was an action at all.

That meant the rule about only performing each type of action once per turn didn't apply, and you could put Expert Handling on Darth Vader and do two barrel rolls in one turn.

EXACTLY!!

What about Sabine in the Attack Shuttle?

"Immediately before you reveal your maneuver, you may perform a free boost or barrel roll action."

This pilot ability does not have the ACTION: header, but still uses the words "free X action"

Does this consume her normal action for the turn also?

Here that boost/roll does not consume your Action during your Perform Action step BUT what you do is considered your action so you would not be able to repeat it.

Also note that while it may be "free" it also has a very specific timing window during which you may use it that happens to lie outside of the Perform Action step. Every "free Action" has something specific that allows it and sometime that something requires being able to use an Action of a different type.