With the risk of being pedantic, I wanted to state my interpretation of rules related to 88-Z in SW:IA campaign. Please let me know if you agree or disagree.

1) Elite Jawa Scavenger's "Motivators" ability DOES apply to 88-Z, because it is a friendly droid.

2) However, Technical Support would not apply to 88-Z because it is not an IMPERIAL droid.

3) Unlike other companion type figures, 88-Z does not deploy alongside another group. It deploys only to active deployment points. Aside: This gives Rebel players a bit of an advantage, because they'll know at the time a mission starts where one of the deployment points is.

4) Presumably, Electromagnetic Disruptors allows a figure that rolls both a black and a white defense dice to gain either kind of defensive power token (the "or" should be replaced with an "and").

5) Infrared Scanners should say something along the lines of: "If the hero does not attempt the Insight check, increase threat by 1." It is very much implied, but it is a little vague as to what happens when a Rebel player declines the kind invitation to an Insight check.

Thanks everyone!

1) Yes.

2) No. All figures controlled by the imperial player are imperial figures, thus 88-Z is an Imperial Droid. (Its affiliation using the affiliation symbol is however unspecified, because it is not associated with another figure.)

88-Z cannot use the special action of Technical Support.

But, I don't see how you could be using two class decks at the same time, so this question is moot other than making rules interpretations clearer.

3) Yes. Deploy means deploy.

4) Yes. If you have both defense die types, you can choose to gain any combination.

5) The rules say that an attribute test that is not taken is considered to have failed.

· Some abilities give a figure the option of whether or not to
perform an attribute test. If that figure chooses not to perform
the test, it counts as not having succeeded at that test.

5 hours ago, bpearcy said:

2) However, Technical Support would not apply to 88-Z because it is not an IMPERIAL droid.

To add to a1bert’s answer, 88-Z’s companion card states that he his not an Imperial figure for mission rules. So for example if the campaign guide has an event that says “choose an Imperial figure, that figure gains 2 movement points” then 88-Z would be ineligible. Class cards, however, would still affect him.

And if a mission end condition contains "and there are no Imperial figures on the map", 88-Z would not be counted. (Not all rebel groups have ways to get around the +dodge. Avoiding Cleave and Blast is relatively easy.)

Thanks guys! Yeah, some of the example combinations were contrived but thanks for bearing with me. I have a much better understanding of 88-Z now! It is an Imperial figure, just not when considering mission rules which are distinct from rules/abilities written on class cards, agenda cards, deployment cards, etc.

In general Companions also cannot (actively) use abilities on supply, class, or item cards, but are affected by them (good or bad), and as far as we know, can benefit from abilities that the imperial player pays the costs for.

For the Blaster Emplacements class card from Reactive Defenses, 88-Z would qualify for the +2 accuracy because it is an Imperial figure but would not qualify because this is an ability from a class card?

With my best current knowledge, Blaster Emplacements can be used on the 88-Z attack to provide +2 Accuracy, because the imperial player is controlling the card and pay the exhaust cost, not the 88-Z figure.

(88-Z is not using the ability, the imperial player is using it to affect the attack of 88-Z.)

Starting to become clear. I was treating Reactive Defenses as 88-Z's personal class deck rather than an Imperial class as normal.

Maybe less clear now. I think the companion rules do override the class deck. 88-Z cannot use abilities from the class deck because it is a companion.

For Blaster Emplacements 88-Z cannot gain the +2 Accuracy with Exhaust because this is an ability from a class card.

For Mechanical Protocols 88-Z can gain the +1 Damage with Exhaust because the class card specifically includes 88-Z. For Blaster Emplacements to work for 88-Z it would have to say "Imperial figure (including 88-Z)..."

That's how I read it anyway.

Blaster Emplacements is the Imperial Player's ability. The Imperial player exhausts the card, and 88-Z is an imperial figure. 88-Z is not using the ability, the +2 Accuracy is passively affecting 88-Z's attack. Once the Imperial player has exhausted Blaster Emplacements, 88-Z has no choice in the matter. 88-Z doesn't pay any costs or make any choices to activate the ability.

It's quite a long time since the cards were created. Ways to interpret the Companion rules have become more clear in the meanwhile. Due to this "(including 88-Z)" ended up being a clarification instead of a necessity.

That's the current best knowledge how the "use" of Companion rules should be interpreted. Companions can be affected by abilities on supply, item, and class cards, but they cannot use abilities on supply, item, and class cards. Otherwise things like Snap Kick (class card) or Combat Knife (item card) would stop working against companions.

Does this help?

RRG pg 2:

Golden Rules
If a rule in this guide contradicts a rule in the Learn to Play
booklet or Skirmish Guide, the rule in this reference guide takes
priority.
Card abilities can override the rules listed in this guide. Mission
rules can override both card abilities and rules from this guide.

Strictly speaking the companion rules are not in the RRG, but you could easily argue them to be an extension of it. In that case, Class cards would override companion rules in case of contradictions... and Mission rules would override both.

Ok, since 88-Z would be using the ability from Mechanical Protocol it states in parentheses that it can. 88-Z doesn't use Blaster Emplacements the Imperial player does. Thanks for the clarification. Playing Reactive Defenses in a current campaign just like to straighten things out before they come up. Thanks for the input.

The second ability of Mechanical Protocol is also used by the imperial player, so (including 88-Z) is a clarification.

The top ability explicitly says that 88-Z gains the special action ability, so that overrides the core rules - spending the action would be using the special action on a class card. You could also argue that "gains" puts the special ability onto the 88-Z's companion card. Anyway, 88-Z being explicitly mentioned tells that 88-Z is intended to be able to use the special action.

Active Surveillance can be exhausted during an optional deployment to deploy 88-Z. Assumedly this is used if 88-Z has been defeated but can it be used if 88-Z is still on the map? i.e. during an optional deployment remove 88-Z from map and then deploy to an active deployment point.

And a follow-up, if the above is true, how does 88-Z come into play? If on map exhausted would it still be exhausted after deployment or would 88-Z come in ready?

When a figure is put into play, its deployment (companion) card enters the game ready. (This is also explicitly specified by the companion rules.) Overall, all cards and figures enter the game ready unless specified otherwise. If an effect puts another copy of the same companion into play, you remove the old copy first.

However, it does not directly answer the question whether you can deploy a figure that is already in play. The imperial player can only deploy groups that are in his hand, not groups that are already in play.

Droid Mastery explicitly only allows to put Jax into play only if he's not in play already. Spot Weld puts a new Junk Droid into play. Neither use deploy .

I would say you can only deploy 88-Z if he's not in play. Both Jax and 88-Z are unique, so this also matches thematically.

(Normally you can't redeploy an unique figure after it has been defeated. Active Surveillance and Droid Mastery explicitly override this.)

And a follow-up questions (because we start our HotE campaign tonight): with Active Surveillance, 88-Z never *really* goes away, does he/it? I mean, whenever he's defeated, I can just deploy him again? Endlessly?

Active Surveillance allows to deploy 88-Z during an optional deployment. (Overrides the 'unique figures cannot be redeployed in the same mission' rule.)

88-Z has a +1 dodge, so can only be defeated from indirect/non-attack damage.

5 hours ago, a1bert said:

88-Z has a +1 dodge, so can only be defeated from indirect/non-attack damage.

Or by an attack with a dodge-cancelling effect.

39 minutes ago, Stompburger said:

Or by an attack with a dodge-cancelling effect.

I would love for the rebels to use their attacks on 88-Z.

2 hours ago, a1bert said:

I would love for the rebels to use their attacks on 88-Z.

I guess sometimes that would even end up letting you deploy him closer to the action, where he's more useful.

They used sonic below on mine!

Can I put two energy shield on one another? It's a bit stange but I don't see why not!

Could you rephrase the question, I could not make heads or tails of it?

If you are asking if you can put two energy shields in the same space, you can, but more than one doesn't change anything.

If you are asking if you can put two energy shields adjacent to each other, you can.

There was this situation when one energy shield had reveived damage and I want to put an another one on top (in the same space) for more protection.

So one time in the campain we had a shield token protecting an objective with 3 damage after one attack, then 88-Z put a new one on top, leaving a damage one and the new one in the same space.

Ah, the "able to attack" mission rule. I would say multiple energy shields in one space would each have their own damage, independently targeted, adjacent for the purposes of Blast and Cleave.