Can You Rotate to same Arc?

By JBFancourt, in X-Wing Rules Questions

Silly question, but it came up...

I was behind an enemy ship with RZ-2 Awing L’ulo. I did a 2 forward and took a focus. I was at range 1 with an enemy ship in front of me and my arc was pointed forward. I did not want to link to a boost because it would move me into an enemy arc....

Sooooo...

Could I link to a Rotate action and rotate my arc from front to front? Then I’d be stressed and get the extra die.

Is it like acquiring a lock on a ship you already have locked or like trying to spend a focus when there’s no focus?

Thanks! Jason aka JBFancourt

Short Answer: No, it has to move to a different arc.

The rules for the Rotate Arc action mandate that you change the position of the arc. That means you have to pick one of the other three quadrants; the action can't fail. Obviously, for an RZ-2 A-Wing, you can only choose the opposite direction (front or rear) than you're currently pointing. For a "bowtie" dual arc, you have to switch from front/back to left/right.

In your situation, you might have to find a way to fail your boost action, if you're that keen on gaining stress.

EDIT: @KiAdiMoody posted the actual rule language below :D

Edited by emeraldbeacon

Thanks!

No, you have to pick a different arc. Per the Rules Reference section on Rotate (p.16):

Quote

ROTATE
Pilots can rotate to alert a gunner or aim one of the ship’s turret-mounted armaments. When a ship performs the [rotate] action, it rotates the turret arc indicator to select any other standard arc . ( emphasis mine)

And to forestall double turret arc shenanigans, the Rules Reference also mentions:

Quote
  • If a ship rotates a double turret arc indicator, it must select the other two standard arcs it was not already selecting.