The card says reduces the cost of playing the ally. Which most of our players take to mean the IP gets 2 less threat when rebels play an ally.

The IP has pointed out the books says gains threat on card and Allied operations does not say reduce the "card" it says reduce the cost.

the question is what cost is being reduced? It does seem clear the only cost is threat cost, but this game is difficult for everyone and rules errors can cause a win or loss which we don't want to be the reason anyone is losing.

Allies Operations reduces the deployment cost of the ally's deployment card, thus reducing the amount of threat the imperial player gains when the rebels to choose to take an ally to the mission. (Because the imperial player gains the amount of threat equal to the deployment cost of the ally.)

What our IP has pointed out is that the rule book says he gains threat equal to the cost on the card. And the Allied operations doesn't say reduce cost on the card.

I agree with your assessment but has it ever been explicitly written or answered by ffg so we can show our IP?

2 hours ago, Rebelarch86 said:

What our IP has pointed out is that the rule book says he gains threat equal to the cost on the card. And the Allied operations doesn't say reduce cost on the card.

I agree with your assessment but has it ever been explicitly written or answered by ffg so we can show our IP?

Consider this... The cost of the figure would serve no other purpose in the campaign EXCEPT to provide threat to the Imperial player. So what other use would Allied Operations have but to reduce the threat the Imperial player gets?

Sounds like your IP is trying too hard to spin things in their advantage!

Abilities on cards can override rules, this is one case where that happens.

RRG, Golden Rules said:

Card abilities can override the rules listed in this guide. Mission rules can override both card abilities and rules from this guide. If a card or mission uses the word cannot , that effect is absolute and cannot be overridden by other effects.

The rules reference guide is from 2014, so not all of its wordings are as forward-thinking as most of them, but in this case you seem to be hang on a helpful clarification.

RRG, Rebel Allies said:

The Imperial player then gains threat equal to the deployment cost listed on the Ally card and may immediately resolve an optional deployment.

The rule refers to deployment cost and says where to find it on the card. Allied Operations tell to reduce the deployment cost. It it didn't affect the deployment cost and the threat the imperial player receives, the card would do absolutely nothing, and that would be very curious for a Reward card, right?