I'm wondering if my take on how Ventress's ability works is correct. Reading the card, it seems like it should work like this:

1. Ventress measures range to any number of enemies.

2. Ventress selects one of the enemies at range 1 or 2.

3. If the selected enemy is inside the mobile arc it receives a stress.

4. If the selected enemy is not inside the mobile arc no stress is assigned and the use of Ventress's ability is complete.

I've seen people check range and arc to a ship and find that it was not a legal target for her ability and then move on to check other targets until they get a target that meets both the range and arc requirement.

How should it be played?

I'd go with your sequence, but it's not been formally FAQed.

Hasn't it? I don't have time to chase down the reference right now, but I was sure that "I just became the active ship during Combat" was the only time you got to measure range/arc on any number of ships. And that everything else was of the form:

1. Nominate a target.

2. Check whether it's a valid target. If yes, do the thing. If no, GOTO 1.

Hasn't it? I don't have time to chase down the reference right now, but I was sure that "I just became the active ship during Combat" was the only time you got to measure range/arc on any number of ships. And that everything else was of the form:

1. Nominate a target.

2. Check whether it's a valid target. If yes, do the thing. If no, GOTO 1.

Right, though it should really be:

1. Nominate a target

2a. Check range (if not at 1-2, return to step 1)

2b. Check arc (if in arc, assign stress; if out of arc, move on with your life)

Hasn't it? I don't have time to chase down the reference right now, but I was sure that "I just became the active ship during Combat" was the only time you got to measure range/arc on any number of ships. And that everything else was of the form:

1. Nominate a target.

2. Check whether it's a valid target. If yes, do the thing. If no, GOTO 1.

Right, though it should really be:

1. Nominate a target

2a. Check range (if not at 1-2, return to step 1)

2b. Check arc (if in arc, assign stress; if out of arc, move on with your life)

From the FAQ for Measuring Range:

"Players may only measure range and/or use the range ruler to determine whther a ship is inside or outside of a firing arc at the following times:"

After this, the second bullet is relevant to Asajj.

"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."

As I see it, Asajj can measure to any enemy ship before selecting a target to finish resolving the ability against.

From the FAQ for Measuring Range:

"Players may only measure range and/or use the range ruler to determine whther a ship is inside or outside of a firing arc at the following times:"

After this, the second bullet is relevant to Asajj.

"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."

As I see it, Asajj can measure to any enemy ship before selecting a target to finish resolving the ability against.

With the above in mind (permission to check range and in/out of arc), I think this allows the Ventress controlling player to make every measure before declaring the target of her ability.

I think that the seperation in Ventress' ability merely allows her to use her ability against a ship at range 2, even if the range within the auxiliary arc is range 3.

If an opponent did this to me (to get info on every ship), I would stop him the first time he reached a ship at range 1-2, if it wasnt in the arc, then I would argue its a missed opportunity, as asajj targeted a ship outside her arc at range 1-2. It doesn't say the ship must be in arc, it just says it triggers if it is in arc.

If an opponent did this to me (to get info on every ship), I would stop him the first time he reached a ship at range 1-2, if it wasnt in the arc, then I would argue its a missed opportunity, as asajj targeted a ship outside her arc at range 1-2. It doesn't say the ship must be in arc, it just says it triggers if it is in arc.

It wouldn't be a missed opportunity though. Ventress's ability was used. It just has no effect on a ship which is at range 1-2 (so a valid target for the ability) but not in arc.

If an opponent did this to me (to get info on every ship), I would stop him the first time he reached a ship at range 1-2, if it wasnt in the arc, then I would argue its a missed opportunity, as asajj targeted a ship outside her arc at range 1-2. It doesn't say the ship must be in arc, it just says it triggers if it is in arc.

It wouldn't be a missed opportunity though. Ventress's ability was used. It just has no effect on a ship which is at range 1-2 (so a valid target for the ability) but not in arc.

you are right, just miswrote. My seething rage was blinding me to my words.

If an opponent did this to me (to get info on every ship), I would stop him the first time he reached a ship at range 1-2, if it wasnt in the arc, then I would argue its a missed opportunity, as asajj targeted a ship outside her arc at range 1-2. It doesn't say the ship must be in arc, it just says it triggers if it is in arc.

It wouldn't be a missed opportunity though. Ventress's ability was used. It just has no effect on a ship which is at range 1-2 (so a valid target for the ability) but not in arc.

That would be against the rules IMO. Per the FAQ quoted above your opponent is entitled to measure range to ANY valid ship.

The rules lawyering is strong with this one.

Short version: you can check range AND arc before deciding on a target for the ability and always get a stress applied assuming at least one enemy ship falls within the requirements.

Long explanation:

So first off, when I first read this I thought digitalbusker was correct. I thought the only time you could premeasure was in combat before declaring a target, but I was incorrect as someone else pointed out with the FAQ. Here is the relevant section cut/pasted directly:

"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."

So, first of all, the header mentions checking range AND arc but arc is not mentioned in any of the bullet points at all. Despite this, OBVIOUSLY, unless you're using a turret, you have to check arc as well before making an attack. So based on that, if an ability has a range AND arc restriction then you would also need to check arc before resolving said ability. Therefore, BEFORE triggering Ventress you check range AND arc to any valid targets then choose. Valid target here meaning "any enemy ship" as opposed to other abilities where a valid target might be friendly ships only, any ship, an obstacle etc.

Now I can hear some of you typing already about the exact wording of the card. There's a period separating the sentences and it doesn't explicitly say that having them in arc is a requirement to trigger the ability, just to apply the stress so therefore you can't check arc. You, frankly, are just being difficult. Out of all of the probably dozens of other powers with restrictions how many others (not counting cases like Lando that are RNG dependant) have the potential to do nothing? I beleive it is zero. If you want to do the thing and can't because of positioning then you either do the same thing somewhere else or a different thing if relevant. Why would this ONE ability suddenly be the one thing in the game with the potential to be wasted on a fizzle due to a positioning requirement without it explicitly being stated?

Now I can hear some of you typing already about the exact wording of the card. There's a period separating the sentences and it doesn't explicitly say that having them in arc is a requirement to trigger the ability, just to apply the stress so therefore you can't check arc. You, frankly, are just being difficult. Out of all of the probably dozens of other powers with restrictions how many others (not counting cases like Lando that are RNG dependant) have the potential to do nothing? I beleive it is zero. If you want to do the thing and can't because of positioning then you either do the same thing somewhere else or a different thing if relevant. Why would this ONE ability suddenly be the one thing in the game with the potential to be wasted on a fizzle due to a positioning requirement without it explicitly being stated?

Two other Scum pilots released in the same wave have similar wording. Old Teroch and Ketsu Onyo.

I'm asking because I was playing Ventress the other day and always ended with the ship I really wanted to stress at the edge of my arc. I always had a ship that was a safe bet to stress. The wording on the card seemed to me like you shouldn't be able to check arc before committing (which was against my interest) so I asked my opponent how he wanted to handle it. His take was that you pick a target and see if it's legal, if it isn't you pick a different target.

Now I can hear some of you typing already about the exact wording of the card. There's a period separating the sentences and it doesn't explicitly say that having them in arc is a requirement to trigger the ability, just to apply the stress so therefore you can't check arc. You, frankly, are just being difficult. Out of all of the probably dozens of other powers with restrictions how many others (not counting cases like Lando that are RNG dependant) have the potential to do nothing? I beleive it is zero. If you want to do the thing and can't because of positioning then you either do the same thing somewhere else or a different thing if relevant. Why would this ONE ability suddenly be the one thing in the game with the potential to be wasted on a fizzle due to a positioning requirement without it explicitly being stated?

Two other Scum pilots released in the same wave have similar wording. Old Teroch and Ketsu Onyo.

I'm asking because I was playing Ventress the other day and always ended with the ship I really wanted to stress at the edge of my arc. I always had a ship that was a safe bet to stress. The wording on the card seemed to me like you shouldn't be able to check arc before committing (which was against my interest) so I asked my opponent how he wanted to handle it. His take was that you pick a target and see if it's legal, if it isn't you pick a different target.

That's exactly how I would have handled it as well. It seems the fairest way to do it. Now some might say you can't go checking every possible target ship, as this is gaining too much information. If they're close to the range and arc then, you should be able to check. But if you start measuring to ships that are well outside the range or arc of Ventress' restrictions, then that's pretty much taking a liberty that really shouldn't be allowed.

X-wing has never been a game that relies on making a guess at something and then losing that opportunity if the guess was wrong.

Now I can hear some of you typing already about the exact wording of the card. There's a period separating the sentences and it doesn't explicitly say that having them in arc is a requirement to trigger the ability, just to apply the stress so therefore you can't check arc. You, frankly, are just being difficult. Out of all of the probably dozens of other powers with restrictions how many others (not counting cases like Lando that are RNG dependant) have the potential to do nothing? I beleive it is zero. If you want to do the thing and can't because of positioning then you either do the same thing somewhere else or a different thing if relevant. Why would this ONE ability suddenly be the one thing in the game with the potential to be wasted on a fizzle due to a positioning requirement without it explicitly being stated?

Two other Scum pilots released in the same wave have similar wording. Old Teroch and Ketsu Onyo.

I'm asking because I was playing Ventress the other day and always ended with the ship I really wanted to stress at the edge of my arc. I always had a ship that was a safe bet to stress. The wording on the card seemed to me like you shouldn't be able to check arc before committing (which was against my interest) so I asked my opponent how he wanted to handle it. His take was that you pick a target and see if it's legal, if it isn't you pick a different target.

That's exactly how I would have handled it as well. It seems the fairest way to do it. Now some might say you can't go checking every possible target ship, as this is gaining too much information. If they're close to the range and arc then, you should be able to check. But if you start measuring to ships that are well outside the range or arc of Ventress' restrictions, then that's pretty much taking a liberty that really shouldn't be allowed.

X-wing has never been a game that relies on making a guess at something and then losing that opportunity if the guess was wrong.

I was wondering if it was supposed to be some sort of Scummy new mechanic where you sometimes had to take a gamble to do something nasty to another ship since it showed up on three different Scum pilots at the same time.

I doubt it. You've never been penalized for anything in the past when you couldn't complete it. Why would they start now?

Now I can hear some of you typing already about the exact wording of the card. There's a period separating the sentences and it doesn't explicitly say that having them in arc is a requirement to trigger the ability, just to apply the stress so therefore you can't check arc. You, frankly, are just being difficult. Out of all of the probably dozens of other powers with restrictions how many others (not counting cases like Lando that are RNG dependant) have the potential to do nothing? I beleive it is zero. If you want to do the thing and can't because of positioning then you either do the same thing somewhere else or a different thing if relevant. Why would this ONE ability suddenly be the one thing in the game with the potential to be wasted on a fizzle due to a positioning requirement without it explicitly being stated?

Two other Scum pilots released in the same wave have similar wording. Old Teroch and Ketsu Onyo.

I'm asking because I was playing Ventress the other day and always ended with the ship I really wanted to stress at the edge of my arc. I always had a ship that was a safe bet to stress. The wording on the card seemed to me like you shouldn't be able to check arc before committing (which was against my interest) so I asked my opponent how he wanted to handle it. His take was that you pick a target and see if it's legal, if it isn't you pick a different target.

That's exactly how I would have handled it as well. It seems the fairest way to do it. Now some might say you can't go checking every possible target ship, as this is gaining too much information. If they're close to the range and arc then, you should be able to check. But if you start measuring to ships that are well outside the range or arc of Ventress' restrictions, then that's pretty much taking a liberty that really shouldn't be allowed.

X-wing has never been a game that relies on making a guess at something and then losing that opportunity if the guess was wrong.

I was wondering if it was supposed to be some sort of Scummy new mechanic where you sometimes had to take a gamble to do something nasty to another ship since it showed up on three different Scum pilots at the same time.

If this was the case, I find it very unlikely that FFG hasn't FAQed or at least highlighted it in an article.

Oh, that's an interesting topic. I just don't understand why the ability is not written the other way: choose a ship in your mobile acr, if in range 1-2 - add stress". then you would start in the arc and 100% add a stress to someone in range.

Oh, that's an interesting topic. I just don't understand why the ability is not written the other way: choose a ship in your mobile acr, if in range 1-2 - add stress". then you would start in the arc and 100% add a stress to someone in range.

Because range is measured corner to corner or to closest point in arc your wording would further muddy the waters. the way it is written now is very clear. Check range first then check arc. and as Luke C pointed out above every ship and range 1-2 is a valid target for the effect however if it's not inside the mobile arc no stress. You essentially will have missed.

Oh, that's an interesting topic. I just don't understand why the ability is not written the other way: choose a ship in your mobile acr, if in range 1-2 - add stress". then you would start in the arc and 100% add a stress to someone in range.

Because range is measured corner to corner or to closest point in arc your wording would further muddy the waters. the way it is written now is very clear. Check range first then check arc. and as Luke C pointed out above every ship and range 1-2 is a valid target for the effect however if it's not inside the mobile arc no stress. You essentially will have missed.

You are however allowed to measure to any valud target before you resolve the ability, according to the FAQ, so I don't really see how you can miss unintentionally.

The FAQ seems to give the ability to just measure from Ventress to any enemy ship at the start of combat, which seems bizarre. I have always (and will likely continue to) played the ability similar to a target lock, declare target, measure range, if they're range 1-2 (regardless of arc) I have succeeded in satisfying the condition, then I can measure arc to see if I have arc or not.

As for if you can 'miss', I think it's very clear that you can, the wording is simply 'choose a ship at range 1-2' then if they are in your arc you get a benefit. Regardless of measuring a bunch of ranges or not that would require a specific FAQ entry to override since there is a clear separation of picking the target and resolving the effect.

As for if you can 'miss', I think it's very clear that you can, the wording is simply 'choose a ship at range 1-2' then if they are in your arc you get a benefit. Regardless of measuring a bunch of ranges or not that would require a specific FAQ entry to override since there is a clear separation of picking the target and resolving the effect.

Split hairs. You can miss, but there is no practical reason to miss when the FAQ clearly allows you to check range before resolving any and all range-dependent card abilities.