I've played the Saar twice now and both times i've ended up getting the surprise attack card allowing you to build at a blockaded space dock in a system you've just activated. The Game rules define a blockaded space dock as one in the presence of enemy ships. So after moving my space dock into the enemy system it is in effect blockaded. Should this allow me to build units from said space dock or not. I know this is kind of a house rule thing i just wanted to see what the community thought of it. The only problem i can think of is the race limitation of not being able to build and move in the same activation but i think this provides a loophole to ignore that limitation.

I personally would say that the Saar rule preventing moving and building to trump the Action card. Saar docks can never really be "blockaded", as while Surprise Assault indicates you build after you've moved, it implies that the Dock has to have been under blockade BEFORE the move.

The rule about Saar docks not being able to move and build at the same time is akin to the rules about not being able to build at a dock that was just built this turn, IMHO. So to answer this question I would ask you the following:

If you were any race other than Saar and the blockaded dock in question was just built earlier this turn, would you say this AC allows you to build there? There are a few ways the system could have been deactivated after the build that put the SD there in the first place, making it a valid system for you to re-activate and use this AC on.

If you think that situation is valid, then I would say the Saar build is valid too. If not, then not. Since the Saar special rules are really trying to maintain the idea that a dock cannot build in a system the same turn it was placed there, this is the point I think we should be focusing on.

Edit: For the record, I would say "no, you can't build there." AFAIK there is no way to get around the rule of building at a dock you just constructed this turn.

Submit it to Corey, none of our answers matter.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_faq.asp

That'd be sweet if it worked but it doesn't.

From the Saar Race Sheet: "You Space Docks are destroyed if ever present with an oppoent's ship without any of you ships present."

So as soon as you move a lone Space Dock into the system it gets destroyed.

If you move it in with a ship that action doesn't qualify for the card.

From Surprise Assault: Play after activating a system containing one of your blockaded Space Docks.

The Tactical Action Sequence doesn't allow that to happen:

1. Activate

-- You have to play the card somewhere in here if conditions are met --

2. Movement

Wormious said:

Excellent point - the card is played after activating the system, NOT after moving the ships; meaning the system must already be blockaded AT THE TIME OF ACTIVATION for the card to work.

IE, whether or not the Saar dock move/build restriction is overridden is irrelevant, because you never meet the conditions for playing the card in the first place.

blarknob said:

Ummm... yes they do.

Are you a nightmare to game with? Just asking.

Bill

If there isn't an explicit answer, then no, none of our answers matter. In this case, it says right on the card that what he wants to do is not allowed. If it were indeterminate, then it would be indeterminate. The only ruling you should like is a definitive one, and a player (or group of players) can't give that.

broken said:

Thats right, players who play this game all the time and have a good understanding for how the game works and interacts with itself is completely irrelevant.

Corey has been wrong before, and has admitted it and reversed his rulings BECAUSE of player feedback. Automatically discounting player feedback isn't necessarily a good idea.

But if it makes you happy to send an email to Corey for every little question, go ahead.

so the general consensus is that if the saar happen to pull this card they should discard and pull another

No, just because they can't use it doesn't mean they get another card. It could be stolen from them, etc. Just because you pick up a rare mineral or voluntary annexation at the end of the game that doesn't mean you get to discard it for a new card.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Like broken said: You draw the card, you're stuck with it. It'd just be a very unlucky draw. Once an action forces you to discard action cards from your hand (or if you have too many) then by all means, discard that garbage card first. But you can't opt out to discard it right away just because you can't use it.

Even then, it might not be entirely worthless. If an action lets someone steal a card from your hand, maybe they'll take that one; rather than snatcing one that could be pretty handy for you. Just looking at the sunny side of things...