It's legal to measure range for out of activation attacks.

By WWHSD, in X-Wing Rules Questions

It looks like Frank is getting around to clearing out the FFG rules question forum. I can't remember what thread this came up in but it seemed to be a hole in the rules that people were arguing about.
No big surprise to most people but it is legal to measure the range for an out of activation attack.
In response to your rules question:

Rules Question:

Is it measuring range for an attack permitted during attacks that happen outside of a ship's activation (Corran's double-tap, Dengar's counter-attack, Phantom Title)? The rules state that measuring for range is permitted as one of the steps of an attack. The FAQ on the other hand forbids all measurement outside of three situations: 1. You are the active ship in the combat phase. 2. You are using an ability that requires another ship at a certain range. 3. You are attempting to acquire a target lock on a ship. Does this FAQ entry override the rules in the Rules Reference Guide or are ships with out of activation attacks permit to measure for range? Here are the sections of FAQ and Rules Reference Guide that I am referring to: RRG, pg. 4: ATTACK A ship can perform one attack when it becomes the active ship during the Combat phase. To perform an attack, the ship resolves the following steps in order: 1. Declare Target: The attacker may measure range to any number of enemy ships and check which enemy ships are inside his firing arc. Then the attacker chooses one of his weapons to attack with. Then he chooses one enemy ship to be the target and pays any costs required for the attack. FAQ, pg. 4: 'Measuring Range Players may only measure range and/or use the range ruler to determine whether a ship is inside or outside of a firing arc at the following times: • When a ship becomes the active ship during the combat phase, the active player can measure range from the active ship to any enemy ships before declaring one as its target. • When a player declares a ship’s ability that requires another ship (or ships) to be at a certain range, the player trying to resolve the ability can measure range from their ship to any valid ships before resolving the ability. • After declaring the intended target of a target lock action, the active player may measure range to the intended target, and only to the intended target.'

Ability that cause ship to attack outside of the normal sequence (such as Corran Horn or Dengar) fall under the second section: “You are using an ability that requires another ship at a certain range.”
Thanks for playing,

Frank Brooks
Associate Creative Content Developer
Fantasy Flight Games

I bet they were waiting until after the FAQ came out so any answers would ideally be in line with that, and may of been answered in the latests FAQ.

I bet they were waiting until after the FAQ came out so any answers would ideally be in line with that, and may of been answered in the latests FAQ.