Hi everybody!

I'm Italian and I have the italian version of the game, but there are many errors in the translation of the rules and some parts of the game.

Can you help me understanding some in-game situation?

1. Gaius Baltar has to begin the game with two loyalty cards...does he deal another loyalty card in the sleeper agent phase? If yes, do I have to add one more loyalty card to the deck when a player choose to play with Baltar? The same question for Sharon Valerii.
2. There are 3 rider and 1 heavy rider in space. If a player draws a cylon attack crisis card and he has to setup 1 battlestar, 2 viper and 4 civilian ships, what happens to the riders?
3. If the president draws a crisis card that allows him to choose between losing a resource and discarding 5 skill cards (2 as the president, 3 as the player), but he doesn't have enough card to discard, can he choose or he have to loose the resource?
4. As before, but with the raptors. If a card let the player choose between doing something or destroying a raptor, but there are no raptor to destroy, can he choose or is he forced to follow the other instruction in the card? (Expecially for the destination cards)
5. When a card let the player to choose one player to receive a title or an additional ability or something else, can he choose himself?

This is all for now. Sorry for the english, I hope you can understand what i mean!

Hi mate,

1. Yes to sleeper phase, yes to adding one more "You are not a cylon" card to the deck, and yes to Sharon Valeri.

2. In case of another attack crisis card you just add more ships to the board game (if they are available). It may change the situation on the board a lot (eg. civilians placed in the middle of raider squadron).

3. You can always choose to discard cards due to a crisis card even if you dont have any on your hand. IIRC it says so in the rulebook.

4. You cannot _risk_ a raptor, when you dont have one, but I belive you can choose a raptor to be destroyed due to a crisis even if there are none left.

5. Depends on wording of the card, most of cards clearly say "choose another player" (eg. quorum cards about vicepresident or specialist agent).

D.

midian said:

1) You will notice that you have two spare 'you are not a cylon' cards if you play with 6 players. One of these is added for Baltar and one for Boomer IF they are chosen to play. Balter gets 2 at the beginning and one in the sleeper phase. Boomer gets one to start and 2 in the sleeper phase.

2) Any existing ships stay on the board. On several cylon attack cards they activate certain ship types BEFORE the section on placing new ships. This is specifically for ships already on the board and not the ones placed afterward. Be careful to do all the steps on a cylon attack card in the order that they are printed on the card - because there is also one attack card where everything is placed and then some are activated as well as the ones where existing ships are activated and then new ones are placed.

3) Most cards where you do this the loss of cards is a 'consequence of choosing' not a 'cost to allow you to choose'. This means that in the example you give you make a free choice which has an effect - if you do not have enough cards to discard in that effect you simply give up as many as you do have. I think that there is only one crisis card that does not meet this pattern in the basic game and that explcitily says you cannot do the action if you do not have the nuke it asks for. There are some things where this is not an option - where the card, effect or ability says 'Discard X to do Y' this is a cost to carry out the action that must be met. In the English text it is in the syntax - if it basically says Make and choice and then the effect is this - then you can freely choose even if you cannot fully meet the consequences. If the text says discard/use something and then you may do a specified action then its a required cost. How this has carried over to the Italian cards I simply do not know.

4) Most of these, in English, are phrased as 'Risk a raptor to check X' - these are a cost you risk the raptor and then do the action - no raptors, no risk made, no dice roll, no benefit. Some will say 'Do this' and then as a result say lose a raptor (a failed skill check on a crisis card can do this I think) - in those circumstances the choice comes before the action and if you cannot lose the raptor you simply ignore the requirement. Again this does rely on ordering in the grammar and hopefully this translates into a consistent Italian grammar form.

5) All the English cards are explcit on this - they will either say 'choose any player', which does include the player making the choice, or it will says 'Choose any other/another player' which means you cannot choose yourself.

Thanks a lot! Now things make sense.

I have some more question about these cards (I'll try to translate names and texts from italian to eniglish):

1. There's a cylon attack crysis card named " thirty-three". I can't understand the special rule of this card. It says that the card has to stay in game, but what are the conseguences?
2. Another cylon attack crysis card: the "collision" (or "boarding?). If there are some viper in the space when i draw this card, do I have to remove them and put them in the reserves?
3. When a quorum card stay in game, can the president use its ability again in subsequent turns?
4. Quorum card: "Authorize the use of force". It says that you can destroy 3 riders and then choose between 1 heavy rider and 1 centurion or you can choose between destroying 3 riders or 1 heavy rider or 1 centurion?
5. Quorum card: "Vice Presidency" I can't understand the second part of the text. It says: "when this player is not the president, you can't choose other players who aren't in the administration"...? Does this mean that the president can draw 2 politic cards and give them to himself?
6. Can you be the target of your "Excutive order" green skill card?

I know, answering these questions could be boring, but believe me, the italian version is full of errors and uncomprehensible texts...for example: the "cylon fleet" action tells: "Look at one player's skill cards, steal one of them. Now throw the dice: if you get better than 4, then you can damage Galactica"...that is the same of "Human fleet", but with a lower number to get with the dice! I really can't understand why the translators have changed so much the meaning of the action!

There's a cylon attack crysis card named " thirty-three". I can't understand the special rule of this card. It says that the card has to stay in game, but what are the conseguences?

It's on the card. If the card is still in play when you jump, shuffle it back in. In play the downside is very slim, since the chance of it coming back up is very rare, and it's a comparatively mild assault unless there's another one already ongoing.

When a quorum card stay in game, can the president use its ability again in subsequent turns?

I can't think of any that work that way. They'd have to specify an ongoing effect or grant the target a new "Action: " to perform.

Quorum card: "Vice Presidency" I can't understand the second part of the text. It says: "when this player is not the president, you can't choose other players who aren't in the administration"...? Does this mean that the president can draw 2 politic cards and give them to himself?

Can you be the target of your "Excutive order" green skill card?

No, the English version on both of these cards requires you to choose another player.

I know, answering these questions could be boring, but believe me, the italian version is full of errors and uncomprehensible texts...for example: the "cylon fleet" action tells: "Look at one player's skill cards, steal one of them. Now throw the dice: if you get better than 4, then you can damage Galactica"...that is the same of "Human fleet", but with a lower number to get with the dice! I really can't understand why the translators have changed so much the meaning of the action!

Looks like a cut and paste error. The base set cylon locations are here . If you're using Pegasus, they're here .

Cylon Fleet
Action: Activate all cylon ships of one type or launch 2 raiders and 1 heavy raider from each basestar.

Human Fleet
Look at any player's hand and steal 1 skill card (place it in your hand). Then roll a die and if a 5 or higher, damage Galactica.

I still don't understand the "Vice President" Quorum card...I know that when the president changes, he has to give his quorum cards to the new one. If this is right, only a president can use this quorum card, so how can the target of this ability be a president?

midian said:

That's probably a bad translation on the card. Vice President works like this:

The president will have the "Appoint Vice President" card in his Quorum hand. He can play it as an action to declare another player (who cannot be himself, and must be a legal target for the Presidency - this mostly means you can't use it on an infiltrating Cylon Leader or a revealed Cylon) the Vice President.

As long as the card is in play, the only player that can be elected by the location on Colonial One is the player who has been declared Vice President.

I don't have my game with me right now, so I can't check this, but I would say that the president can't choose himself for titles (certainly not the vice president card). Even if it's technically allowed, I wouldn't play that way because it makes it more fun and thematic for the president to have to choose other players (whose loyalty he/she is unsure of).

In our last game, the president made an unrevealed cylon the mission specialist and he totally screwed us out of destination points claiming there weren't any good ones. Sure it sucked as a human, but I love the not knowing part of the game.

BSG without the mystery of discovering the cylon players at the table isn't worth playing.

In most of the cases listed above the English version of the game is very clear. On building the loyalty deck specifically there is a whole half a page inset dedicated to this instantly clarifying what you would need to do.

It seems the only unanswered ambiguity here is regarding cards such as the vice president card which (again in the English version I have here) does specify the president may nominate any other player who then holds the card as a token which means - whilst this card still remains in play (i.e. does not meet the discard criteria) this player holding the card is the -only- one who may be nominated in administration.

These quorum cards can only be Actioned by the president as written on the card but they are then passed to another player indicative of a special ability they are now entitled to. They do not actually use any actions by receiving this card or it's benefits.

All right! This one works! If only I colud see the text of any english cards...who knows how many differeneces would I find?

What about the points 2 ("Collision"), and 4 ("Authorize the use of force")?

midian said:

It's starting to look like the BSG Italian translation is pretty dicey...

For the Authorised Use of Force Quorum card you ONE of the list of options:

• Several Raiders
  -or-
• A Heavy raider
  -or-
• A Centurion

Remember, you only get one of them.

As for #2 I'm not sure I can find what card you mean... Can you give me some more details as to what's pictured/written on the card?

The only two that are even close are Hanger Accident and Weapon Malfunction.

Thank you for the explanation.

The other (the italian name is "Abbordaggio") it's a cylon attack crysis card:

1. Activate the heavy riders
2. Set up 1 basestar, 4 heavy riders, 4 riders and 3 civilian ships
3. Special rule: there are no vipers to set up.

Do I have to put other eventual in-game viper in the reserve?

Ah, no. For those cards you need not do anything to any vipers currently in play and you can still launch as many vipers as you want.

"No Vipers in this Setup" is merely contrary to the fact there are a few alert vipers on pretty much every other Cylon Crisis card.

Ok, I really think this could be the end of this topic!

Thank you for helping me! Finally I'll succeed in playing this fantastic game without so many troubles...I hope!

midian said:

I think that is the Heay Assault card (in English) - as others have said it is simply the only Cylon Attack card in the basic game that does not put any more vipers onto the board. I assume the comment is to make sure people do not think that it is a misprint.

Hi everybody!

Here I am, again, with some more questions!

1. Humans have got 8 distances and the fleet counter is at the third step (the one that let you jump with the FTL, risking 3 population). They only have 2 Population. Can they activate the FTL to jump, loosing the game if getting 6 or less with the dice?
2. Can a Cylon be the target of a skill card like "Executive Order"?
3. Can humans play their special ability during a cylon's turn? For example: A Cylon use Caprica action to draw two crysis-card and reveal one. Can Starbuck use her ability to discard that crysis card and draw a new one?
4. What about the Cell? Can a player in jail make actions like playing a skill-card or does he have to active the skill-check?
5. Can a player in the infirmary be the target of the "Executive Order" Skill card and leave that place, in order to draw all the cards when his turn will come?

midian said:

Yes, the llast jump doesn't cost the humans any fuel (since there is no destination card), but the can still lose population.

midian said:

No, the rules specifically prohibit the Cylon to ebenfit from the text abilities of skill cards (except Treachery cards)

midian said:

This depends on the ability description, in Starbuck case it's possible.

midian said:

No, he can do other actions.

midian said:

Absolutly yes.

midian said:

Yes, with the important exception that you cannot use any human abilities during a Super Crisis.

Disadvantages like Saul Tigh's "Alcoholism" and Lee Adama's "Headstrong" are always in effect no matter whose turn it is, Cylon or Human.

The "good" abilities that work on a Cylon's turn:

• William Adama's once-per-game ability to pick up the used skill cards
• Helo's once-per-game ability to change a choice on a Crisis card
• Lee "Apollo" Adama's normal ability to jump into a viper that is placed into space from the reserves
• Starbuck's once-per-game ability to discard a revealed Crisis card and draw a new one
• Sharon "Boomer" Valerii's once-per-game ability to choose the pass/fail result of a Crisis card
• Chief Galen Tyrol's once-per-game ability to nullify one color during a skill check

midian said:

Definitely. This is probably the most common use of Executive Order in our games.

Ok, thank you so much!

Other doubts:

1. If a revealed cylon plays a crisis card that makes him discard cards, does he have to do it?
2. There's a Super-Crisis card, a skill-check one, that activates some (or all if failed) cylon ship symbols. What happens if there are no cylon ships in game when this card is played?

midian said:

Revealed Cylons are immune to the negative effects of crisis cards if they so choose. So he could discard the cards if he wanted but he doesn't have to, unlike the humans who don't get a choice.

Also, it's up to the Cylon player to determine what is a negative effect.

midian said:

Nothing, other than the potential morale loss (if it's the card I'm thinking of). Don't play that one if there's no ships out.

Perfect! Thank you all again for answering my questions!

See you soon for the Pegasus expansion! Hoping it will be a little bit less full of mistakes!

1)Revealed Cylons are never affected by Crisis Cards. If a Cylon pulls a card (from Caprica, let's say) that has the President chose "the current player discard 5 cards" the Cylon does not discard cards. Also, if the Cylon pulls a Crisis card that says "Current Player Chooses," then the Cylon choses. If it says the Admiral or President choses, then they pick the option instead. Helo can still change the decision no matter who plays it.

2)If there are no raiders, and the card activates raider, then nothing happens. If it activates Heavy Raiders and there are no Heavy Raiders on the board, then you place one Heavy raider next to each basestar out (if there is one). That card, however, will always spawn raiders and fire the basestar.

Sorry Chris but you are slightly wrong there - if there is a raider activation, and no raiders then you get two raiders at each basestar, same as getting one heavy raider if there are none. If there are no basestars then you get no launches (p.22 of the rulebook for raiders, p.24 for heavy raiders).

Another one question about Helo!

What about his special ability? I know he can choose to have another dice roll during his turn, but he can have it only one time per turn or one time per occasion? For example: if the riders are activated during his turn and he have to roll the dice to attack a viper, can he roll the dice a second time time for any attack? Or if he plays Maximum Firepower, can he roll the dice a second time for each attack? Or again, roll the dice another time to launch a scout and then roll the dice a second time to overcome a crisis?

Hi all, one little question - when heavy raider enters the area where it boards the ship, does this happen immediately, or in the next turn?

Thanks!