If I have dispatch runner on a unit and select the skill action on my modifier dial but none of my units are engaged what happens? You have to do the skill action. I only have one skill (dispatch runner) so I have to do that. Do I have to pick a unit to get a stun token? Does no one get a stun token because they didn't actually attack. The full stop on the dispatch runner card suggests to me they get the stun even if they don't attack. Thanks.

How nit picky do you want to get?

RRG 4.4 says that a unit must perform the action on its dial if it is able.

RRG 5.2 describes that your action is on the left dial

RRG 5.3 describes an action on the right dial as a bonus action.

Dispatch Runner is not a “may,” it says to do it.

So a narrow reading of the rules would be that bonus action isn’t mandatory as it isn’t your action. Which would mean that if your skill is on the left dial, you must do it and if it is on the right it is optional as a bonus action.

OR

You see the bonus action as still an action and therefore you must perform a skill if it is at all possible no matter the dial location.

Im inclined towards the first interpretation. Which is a bit funky, but fits a strict RAW

3 hours ago, Church14 said:

How nit picky do you want to get?

RRG 4.4 says that a unit must perform the action on its dial if it is able.

RRG 5.2 describes that your action is on the left dial

RRG 5.3 describes an action on the right dial as a bonus action.

Dispatch Runner is not a “may,” it says to do it.

So a narrow reading of the rules would be that bonus action isn’t mandatory as it isn’t your action. Which would mean that if your skill is on the left dial, you must do it and if it is on the right it is optional as a bonus action.

OR

You see the bonus action as still an action and therefore you must perform a skill if it is at all possible no matter the dial location.

Im inclined towards the first interpretation. Which is a bit funky, but fits a strict RAW

By that logic, if my Death Knights perform a speed-3 march, with a speed-2 march on the modifier, they don't have to do the speed-2 march...which I don't agree with. But somehow, skill actions feel like they should be optional. I would have to say if you can perform the skill action, you are required to do so.

Just now, Parakitor said:

By that logic, if my Death Knights perform a speed-3 march, with a speed-2 march on the modifier, they don't have to do the speed-2 march...which I don't agree with. But somehow, skill actions feel like they should be optional. I would have to say if you can perform the skill action, you are required to do so.

Hm. Valid point. Yeah. I’m with your take

2 minutes ago, Parakitor said:

By  that logic, if my Death Knights perform a speed-3 march, with a speed-2 march on the modifier, they don't have to do the speed-2 march...which I don't agree with. But somehow, skill actions feel like they should be optional. I would have to say if you can perform the skill action, you are required to do so.

That was my thinking too. Any ideas on the second part of the question. If nothing is engaged do I still have to give the stun token to something?

I think because the second sentence starts with "Then," you about be able to say that if no melee attack was performed, then no stun is given. Honestly, Dispatch Runner is really odd as a skill action because it had to be exhausted. It makes the price of messing up really high.

In fact, I think the fact that it's an exhaust card may be optional...nope, just looked it up. Man, it would be nice if it said,"[skill] You may exhaust this card to cause another ally...."

3 minutes ago, Qark said:

That was my thinking too. Any ideas on the second part of the question. If nothing is engaged do I still have to give the stun token to something?

I don't think they would take the stun. Dispatch Runner says to "Exhaust this card to cause another ally at range 1-3 to perform a {melee attack}. Then, that ally receives 1 stun token." The key is that you are not choosing a unit, you are causing a unit to perform an attack. Then, that ally -- the one that performed an attack -- receives 1 stun token. Because you cannot legally choose a unit to perform a melee attack (since melee attacks require being engaged) then there is no "that ally" to receive the stun token.

This would be different if Dispatch Runner were worded, "Choose an ally at range 1-3. That ally performs a melee attack. Then that ally receives 1 stun token." In this case, you can legally choose an ally at range 1-3. Even though it cannot perform a melee attack, it would still receive a stun token.

This is why dispatch batteries are best with a second built in skill function, and simo orders. This way you can choose to do something else with the skill and not exhaust your dispatch.

Some factions have an easier time with this than others.

This also means that I have played Warsprinter wrong this whole time. I’ve been dialing in a skill on the other units and then choosing to use the skill or not. Looks like that was wrong.

7 hours ago, Jukey said:

This is why dispatch batteries are best with a second built in skill function, and simo orders. This way you can choose to do something else with the skill and not exhaust your dispatch.

Some factions have an easier time with this than others.

Uh...yeah! Waiqar wishes he had something as versatile as Deepwood Archers for Dispatch Runner. Actually, Waiqar generally doesn't like exhausting upgrades due to the lack of rallying music upgrades anyway. I'll admit there are exceptions (Obcasium's Gauntlet, for example). Actually, it's making me think that maybe Dispatch Runner just isn't a good fit for Waiqar, and there are probably stronger upgrades that work with the faction better. (Still, it's really nice getting my Carrion Lancers to attack before initiative 5!).

13 hours ago, Budgernaut said:

I don't think they would take the stun. Dispatch Runner says to "Exhaust this card to cause another ally at range 1-3 to perform a {melee attack}. Then, that ally receives 1 stun token." The key is that you are not choosing a unit, you are causing a unit to perform an attack. Then, that ally -- the one that performed an attack -- receives 1 stun token. Because you cannot legally choose a unit to perform a melee attack (since melee attacks require being engaged) then there is no "that ally" to receive the stun token

You still have to choose a unit to make a melee attack, there's no "may" clause. Yes, that Melee Attack is cancelled because there won't be an eligible target in this example, but you still have to choose a unit. Since a unit was nominated, it receives the stun token, or that's how I've always read it. One reason why I'm not a fan of it.

45 minutes ago, rebellightworks said:

You still have to choose a unit to make a melee attack, there's no "may" clause. Yes, that Melee Attack is cancelled because there won't be an eligible target in this example, but you still have to choose a unit. Since a unit was nominated, it receives the stun token, or that's how I've always read it. One reason why I'm not a fan of it.

But if there is no unit eligible to Perform a melee than you cannot legally choose it for dispatch runner to go off. I agree it must go off if you have an eligible target in range and engaged. But if it cannot legally perform a melee than it is not a legal target to have dispatch runner go off in the first place.

7 minutes ago, Brikhause said:

But if there is no unit eligible to Perform a melee than you cannot legally choose it for dispatch runner to go off. I agree it must go off if you have an eligible target in range and engaged. But if it cannot legally perform a melee than it is not a legal target to have dispatch runner go off in the first place.

Eligibility isn't really a thing, though.

Units can still dial in Melee attack actions if they aren't engaged, it just gets cancelled.

Nothing about the action being cancelled prevents "Then, that ally receives a stun token" from going off.

This may not be RAI but it does appear to jive with RAW.

Yeah, Dispatch Runner is going back in the bottom of the box for now if that's the case. What a liability. Especially for Waiqar's forces who struggle to rally off banes and exhausted cards.

EDIT: And here's the image so I don't have to keep going to new tabs to read this card.

8 minutes ago, Tvayumat said:

Eligibility isn't really a thing, though.

Units can still dial in Melee attack actions if they aren't engaged, it just gets cancelled.

Nothing about the action being cancelled prevents "Then, that ally receives a stun token" from going off.

This may not be RAI but it does appear to jive with RAW.

Then the question is if you cannot legally perform it how can you assign it.

So let’s say I have warcrier in a unit that also has dispatch runner. Can the unit choose to use war crier the skill modifier action over dispatch runner even if they don’t have a bane?

I think this needs an FAQ.

Ok gents, I think we are digging further than we need to on this one. Here's my take:

20 hours ago, Qark said:

If I have dispatch runner on a unit and select the skill action on my modifier dial but none of my units are engaged what happens? You have to do the skill action. I only have one skill (dispatch runner) so I have to do that. Do I have to pick a unit to get a stun token? Does no one get a stun token because they didn't actually attack. The full stop on the dispatch runner card suggests to me they get the stun even if they don't attack. Thanks.

To answer the OP concerning no units being engaged within range of the dispatch runner - Nothing happens. You do not perform the skill action because you are unable to. No units will receive a stun token.

To (hopefully) satisfy the masses, here's why:

RRG 4.4 says that a unit must perform the action on its dial if it is able.

Based on this rule you have to ask the question - am I able to perform this skill?

As stated previously in an earlier reply, Dispatch Runner says, "Exhaust this card to cause another ally at range 1-3 to perform a {melee attack}. Then, that ally receives 1 stun token.  "

Let's establish if you can indeed perform this skill (scenario being allies within range but not engaged)

1. Can you exhaust the card - yes

2. Is an ally at range 1-3 - yes

3. Can that ally PERFORM a {melee attack} - No

We can pretty much stop right there because you already cannot perform the skill (in other words, all of the text of the skill is irrelevant). (RRG 4.4 ...perform the action on its dial if it is able.) But let's explain the importance of the PERFORM a {melee attack} and how we arrived at "No" [in the RRG see Melee Attack]

RRG 48. "Melee Attack - Melee attack is an action. To perform a melee attack action, a unit attacks an enemy unit it is engaged with."

So since you are unable to perform a melee attack, you do not satisfy the requirements of the dialed skill set as it is written on the dispatch runner card. Therefore, you cannot perform the skill. You don't perform as much of it as you can, you simply cannot perform any of it.

Also, a dialed melee attack follows the same ruleset as the dialed skill. If you dial a melee attack, and you are not engaged, you are unable to perform that action. You don't roll the dice anyway, miss because you are not engaged, then spend surges to cause area effects to occur. You simply do not perform the action. It's all or none. You can do the skill or you cannot. Hope this helps!

Cheers!

16 minutes ago, Brikhause said:

Then the question is if you cannot legally perform it how can you assign it.

So let’s say I have warcrier in a unit that also has dispatch runner. Can the unit choose to use war crier the skill modifier action over dispatch runner even if they don’t have a bane?

I think this needs an FAQ.

How do you have two champions in the same unit?

Personally, since it's an exhaust I feel you could chose to fizzle the skill on nothing (for my skill action, I choose to do my natural skill ability, which is nothing.)

4 hours ago, rebellightworks said:

You still have to choose a unit to make a melee attack, there's no "may" clause. Yes, that Melee Attack is cancelled because there won't be an eligible target in this example, but you still have to choose a unit. Since a unit was nominated, it receives the stun token, or that's how I've always read it. One reason why I'm not a fan of it.

No, you don't have to choose an ally because the card never tells you to "choose" anything. The text says to cause it to perform a melee attack action, not reveal a melee attack action on a dial. Sure, that action gets cancelled when revealed on a dial if there are no legal targets, but in this case, I think you have to be able to cause the unit to perform the attack.