AP-5 takes a Coordinate action, removes stress from a friendly ship, and that ship tries to acquire a Target Lock, or tries to Barrel Roll, but cannot. Maybe the chosen enemy for the TL is out of range, or the BR does not fit. The stress has already been removed. Normally this failed Coordinate action would mean AP-5 can Coordinate a different action to the friendly, or Coordinate a different friendly, or choose a different action altogether. But in this case, AP-5's pilot ability has already triggered, even if the Coordinate action fails. There's no rules-method of putting the stress back on the friendly ship, or taking the stress back off of AP-5. If it is a failed action, could AP-5 then choose a different friendly and remove stress there, too (let's say AP-5 has "Chopper" crew in order to attempt actions while stressed)? If that action fails, too - AP-5 won't even take damage from using "Chopper", because that damage is triggered after performing the action and AP-5 could go around the board removing stress from all his friends.

I think the final, correct answer ought to be that this shouldn't be allowed. What I am looking for is a rock solid rules-as-written reason why this cannot happen, and I haven't found one.

My guess:

1) The Coordinate Action is spent and cannot be undone.

2) The ship receiving coordinate has it's stress removed and now has an action to do. If it can't find an action to do for whatever reason, then too bad for it.

That'd be a change to how Coordinate works currently, though, right? Maybe that's how it ought to be, but it is not the current way Coordinate works.

So the rules say... "To perform the coordinate action, choose another friendly ship at Range 1-2. That ship may immediately perform one free action."

So in this set up/scenario... AP-5 performs the coordinate action, chooses a ship at range 1-2, receives 2 stress tokens, removes one from the ship it chose to coordinate with, then that ship MAY perform an action.

Coordinate just grants the chance at performing an action, the is nothing to say it must perform the action or be successful, hence the "MAY." The only requirement (trigger) is that the chosen ship must be at range 1-2. Once the requirement is met and a chip is chosen, the action succeeds and is spent.

Now obviously in most scenarios you wouldn't coordinate with a ship that could not do any actions, but in this case, there is more to be gained than just the free action.

A similar (albeit rare) scenario is when you Kylo someone, but they have no Pilot cards left in their deck. The action 'succeeded', but the result was not what you wanted. It's a little wonky, and to me seems inconsistent (how is a Kylo Action successful if it didn't actually 'do' anything?) but I think the same logic will apply here.

Oh, I found something else relevant and interesting: Rules Reference p. 12 under "Free Actions"

If a ship is specifically granted a free barrel
roll action or a free boost action and cannot
complete the action in the desired direction,
it may choose a different direction. It cannot
choose to perform a different action.

Interesting. No corresponding rule for Target Lock.

4 hours ago, Incard said:

Oh, I found something else relevant and interesting: Rules Reference p. 12 under "Free Actions"

If a ship is specifically granted a free barrel
roll action or a free boost action and cannot
complete the action in the desired direction,
it may choose a different direction. It cannot
choose to perform a different action.

Interesting. No corresponding rule for Target Lock.

That only applies when they are "specifically" granted a boost or roll. Coordinate just gives a generic free action, so this ruling would not apply.

The coordinate is only half of the exchange. The coordinate provides the opportunity of a free action to another ship. If the free action fails, it was still the friendly ships action not the coordinators. The onus is on the friendly ship to complete its action. If the range requirement is met by the coordinator, then as far as the coordinator is concerned, the action was successful regardless of the friendlies choice of free action, and subsequent success or failure of said action.