Perhaps I'm splitting hairs here, but I had a clarification question. When using communications, you can look at the back of 2 ships and then move them (I'm assuming the 2 you looked at) to adjacent locations. Can you move ships other than those that you looked at? (ex. you look at the back of two ships, one has pop. of 1, the other is blank. You move the population of 1 ship and an unknown one you didn't look at to a safer adjacent area)

It seemed to me that you should be able to, but I haven't found anything in the rules to support that method so we've been playing it by the book. That said, I'd really like to make sure I've got it right.

edited for clarification

Short answer: You have to move the ships you looked at. The pronoun "them" on the board clearly refers to the two ships you just looked at, i.e. "You may then move [those two ships] to adjacent area(s)."

Long answer: Think about what's "really" going on here. It's not like Dualla (in the picture) calls two ships to find out who they are, and then calls them back and tells them to move (or, as you would have it, calls two other ships, completely at random, and, without knowing anything about them, instructs them to move). Dualla obviously knows who they are: that's how she's able to reach them. The location is representing the single act of calling two ships and telling them to move.

We play, correctly or not, that you look at two and then move or choose not to move only the two where you looked at the back.

UhOh said:

Since that is the correct way to play - good for you

UhOh said:

Since that is the correct way to play - good for you

Thanks, that's the way we've been playing, but the action always felt a little on the weak side. In context of the game it makes perfect sense, I guess my "euro-instincts" were kicking in and trying to make the action more useful.

Thanks, that's the way we've been playing, but the action always felt a little on the weak side. In context of the game it makes perfect sense, I guess my "euro-instincts" were kicking in and trying to make the action more useful, but breaking the theme a bit.

RITBeast said:

It may not be as useful as some of the other locations, but it can save your a$$ when you're in trouble.

RITBeast said:

It's actually a very reliable way to stall raiders, or to make them move in less advantageous ways. If you're the starting player, during setup, you have the two Civ ships at the back of the Galactica, and the three raiders at the front. If you move the Civ ships to the viper launch area, the raiders will have to plow through vipers, rather than going around the empty side of Galactica.

Secondly, since Raiders can only move one zone at a time, if there are no vipers out, you can repeatedly move Civ ships away from raiders, while they give a futile chase. This is a pretty good strategy when you're about to reach a more favourable position on the jump track, but the fleet is not otherwise in danger.

Lastly, it can be good for unrevealed Cylons, who can tell Civ ships to move into areas that have raiders but lack vipers.