I have played IA once before, and had this topic come up. We researched it, found many posts here and on boardgamegeek.com, and kept it the way it is interpreted. Now I am playing with a new group of people, and the discussion has come up again.

When playing as rebels, you can suffer strain to gain additional movement points, up to twice per activation. The interpretation that I have read here, and my friends have decided, is that these two movement points can be spent as a separate action. To me, this then lends that a rebel hero could get three actions per activation. Spend strain to move, gain movement and attack, or attack twice after the strain movement.

As I interpret the rules, which I will quote below, spending strain adds movement points to your movement pool. And that the only time you can spend movement points immediately is when you receive them when it is not your activation. So, you spend strain to gain additional movement points during your activation, you declare that one of your actions is to have movement, or both actions. Then you may proceed with your second action, moving or attacking, spending those movement points to move your figure during your activation. You cannot (in my interpretation of the rules) spend strain to gain movement points and immediately use them to move your figure, then gain your additional movement points based on your speed, or gain two attacks because you moved two spaces into an optimal position.

Not sure if any FFG developers read this that can reply, but we are looking for some confirmation on how this rule was meant to be played.

Thanks.

Rules quotes, from the reference guide.

Movement Points (p.20)

• During a campaign, a hero can suffer 1C (strain) at any point during his activation to gain one movement point. He may do this up to twice per activation.
• Any time a figure gains movement points, they are added to the remaining total of movement points that figure possesses.

Movement (p.19)

• Performing a move does not move the figure; it only provides movement points that may be spent during that figure’s activation. This means that a figure may use its first action to perform a move, followed by an attack, and then spend the movement points. It may even spend some movement points before the attack and then some of them after the attack.

I think your understanding is very confused and overly complicated, e.g. this is very wrong:-

Quote

... you declare that one of your actions is to have movement, or both actions. Then you may proceed with your second action, moving or attacking, spending those movement points to move your figure during your activation...

Actions are not really sequential phases within an activation. You do not get an action in which you "...either move or shoot..." and then do a second action when you "...either move or shoot...". You just have an activation during which time, in a fairly undefined sense, you can "spend" two actions to either let you make an attack sometime during the activation or get some movement points which you can spend at any time within the activation. Movement points from spending strain also goes into the pool of movement points available to spend. So you do a move action for 4 movement points, spend two strain to get 2 extra movement points and an attack action and then utilise the six movement points and single attack in any order.

Also significantly you can defer you second action point spend until after you know the result of the first, especially if you are opening a door when you expect something to be triggered or taking an initial shot and want to decide on the results before deciding to use a second action for another shot or movement. Also as far as I know the strain can also be spent even after both actions have been spent and before declaring the activation over to get an extra movement.

Summarizing:

1. All figures have 2 actions during their activation.
2. the Move action allows to perform a move, which gives movement points according to Speed and finishes immediately.
3. Gaining movement points does not move the figure. Spending movement points moves the figure.
4. Spending movement points is not an action. You can spend a number of movement points of your choice before and after actions during your activation to move the figure, but not during an action or other ability.

Suffering strain for mp of heroes is also "during you activation" ability, so heroes can do it before or after actions, but not during them.

You can move through other figures, but you cannot end movement in the same space as another figure.

To perform an action or an attack you need to end movement.

You can continue spending movement points after ending movement.

1 hour ago, zxlone said:

You cannot (in my interpretation of the rules) spend strain to gain movement points and immediately use them to move your figure, then gain your additional movement points based on your speed, or gain two attacks because you moved two spaces into an optimal position.

You can. Both are "during your activation" abilities, which can be performed before or after actions during your activation.

So, a hero can suffer 1 strain for 1mp twice, then spend one or both gained movement points, then perform first action (Attack), then perform another action (Attack).

Thanks, I now better understand this and have explained it to my friends.

Also note that sometimes a hero might want to suffer 1 strain for 1mp and not spend that before attacking, because a hero can spend 1 surge per attack to recover 1 strain. This can be done even if the attack misses (due to a dodge or insufficient accuracy) or the target otherwise doesn't suffer damage from the attack (damage blocked).

So, in the best case:

- suffer 1 strain for 1 mp.
- attack, spend a surge to recover 1 strain.
- suffer 1 strain for 1mp.
- attack, spend a surge to recover 1 strain.
- spend the 2mp to advance towards objective, or duck around a corner.

4 hours ago, zxlone said:

Thanks, I now better understand this and have explained it to my friends.

After spending some time over in the X-Wing forums and watching all the toxic rules arguments in there from people that refuse to listen, this just plain warms my heart.

On 2/2/2018 at 10:40 AM, a1bert said:

Suffering strain for mp of heroes is also "during you activation" ability, so heroes can do it before or after actions, but not during them.

So this came up in my group... Strictly speaking, nothing ever states that strain move is an "ability".

Abilities(pg2): All text on cards and hero sheets are referred to as abilities. Abilities provide special effects that can be performed above and beyond the standard rules of the game.

Movement Points(pg20): During a campaign, a hero can suffer 1C (strain) at any point during his activation to gain one movement point. He may do this up to twice per activation.

The strain move line states "at any point", is never explicitly called an "ability" (just another line in the rules), and doesn't match the definition of "Ability" as it doesn't exist on a card or hero sheet. Why can't we use this mid-attack? Not sure if there was a FAQ or ruling somewhere that I'm not aware of.

Would this emphasis show that it's a during your activation ability?

Movement Points(pg20): During a campaign, a hero can suffer 1C (strain) at any point during his activation to gain one movement point. He may do this up to twice per activation.

RRG, p.2 Abilities said:

An ability that can be used "during your activation" can be
used before or after performing an action during an activation.
It cannot be used while resolving an action.

And if it isn't an ability, what is it? Only heroes can do it, so it seems it's a hero ability, just like spending a surge during an attack to recover 1 strain is a hero ability. Non-heroes cannot do it, so it's not a generic rule.

I could argue that while the reference card (Reference: Frequently Overlooked Rules) refers to rules, it's text on a card, thus by definition an ability.

Anyway, banter aside, a figure cannot suffer strain for mp or spend movement points during an action (explicitly forbidden) or another ability for that matter (because of the limitations on during your activation abilities).

I don't mind the banter at all .

If it isn't an ability, then it would just simply be a rule. Good catch finding it on the Reference cards, though even there (as you stated) its in the "Frequently Overlooked Rules " section.

If it isn't an "ability", then it isn't limited by the during your activation rules applicable to abilities. A case can certainly be made that " ...at any point during his activation..." can be read as literally "at any point" (even mid-attack), "during his activation"(not on another figures activation).

I'm curious what my group will say about the fact its printed on the reference card though... I'll get back to you on that.

Are they ever swayed by consensus?