This came up on the Star Wars: Legion facebook page, and it has me curious. I'm hoping we can see clarification from an official source.

If Operative Vader plays the I MPLACABLE command card, and he has 3-5 suppression during his second activation, does he have an action? My opinion is that he has zero actions.

I read the RRG for "Suppression" and "Activating Units" and determined that because of the wording on I MPLACABLE , "During Darth Vader's second activation, he performs 1 fewer action."
and the timing and wording of "Suppression" and "Activating Units", he'd lose one action right after the Rally step, due to suppression. Then during the "Perform Actions" step he'd perform 1 fewer action from I MPLACABLE , so he'd end up with no actions.

Breaking out my thought process is going step by step through "Activating Units":

• When a unit activates, that unit can perform up to two actions. (I MPLACABLE will change this during the "Perform Actions" step.)
  • 1. Start of Unit Activation: If the unit has an ability that triggers “when” it activates or “at the start” of its activation, the ability triggers during this step. (I MPLACABLE says " During... " so I MPLACABLE doesn't trigger here, but instead applies to all of the Activate Unit steps. Vader still has 2 actions)
  • 2. Rally: (for this example, lets assume Operative Vader remains suppressed. From the "Suppression" keyword: " Immediately after the “Rally” step of a trooper unit’s activation, if that unit is suppressed, it loses one of its two actions for that activation. " Vader loses 1 action due to suppression. Vader has 1 action remaining)
  • 3. Perform Actions: A unit that is not suppressed can perform up to two actions and any number of free actions. (Vader is suppressed, IF he wasn't suppressed, I MPLACABLE would apply here, and he'd do one fewer action here. BUT, we're looking at a suppressed Operative Vader which the next sentence applies to.) A unit that is suppressed or that has lost an action due to being damaged can perform only one action and any number of free actions. (Vader can perform only 1 action because of suppression. This is where I believe I MPLACABLE applies, "During Darth Vader's second activation, he performs 1 fewer action." Because of I MPLACABLE , he performs 1 less action and can perform no actions.)
    • » After a player activates a unit, that player places its order token facedown (rank side down) on the battlefield near the unit leader.

That would be the end of his turn.

I've seen people interpret it both ways.

Thank you!

😅

If he is suppressed he will not perform any action during that second activation. It could be different if Implacable said "he performs only 1 action" for example instead of "he performs 1 fewer action".
If he had 2 actions, 1 fewer will make it 1. If he has only 1 because he lost 1 due to suppression, 1 fewer makes it 0.

Certainly could use free actions though even with no actions left, if had them to use and not exhausted.

Agreed with both of the above. He gets no actions, but can still perform free actions (choke, push, etc.) because he is activating.

Free actions for sure, I agree he could still do those.

More people on the FB page seem to believe he still gets to perform one action (not counting free ones). Some focusing on "only one action" means he gets at least one.

I disagreed, after reading through the activating units and suppression section. But not all people see it the same way. I've been wrong before, I just make sure I try to take rules pretty literally and pay attention to key words and timing, like "when" or "at the start", etc.

5 minutes ago, theabandoned said:

Some focusing on "only one action" means he gets at least one.

Is this an actual quote from the RRG? I'm not seeing it. All I see is Suppression and Implacable both reducing the number of actions.

3 hours ago, nashjaee said:

Is this an actual quote from the RRG? I'm not seeing it. All I see is Suppression and Implacable both reducing the number of actions.

Yeah, the second sentence of 3. Perform Actions under "Activate Unit". I explained that was referencing back to the first sentence, simply stating "perform only one action" (instead of two actions like the first sentence states) but they we're sticking to their stance that operative Vader had one action and the rules weren't clear.

2 minutes ago, theabandoned said:

Yeah, the second sentence of 3. Perform Actions under "Activate Unit". I explained that was referencing back to the first sentence, simply stating "perform only one action" (instead of two actions like the first sentence states) but they we're sticking to their stance that operative Vader had one action and the rules weren't clear.

Oh I see. Yeah, that's just wrong lol. Honestly don't know what else to tell them; you've covered it.

16 minutes ago, theabandoned said:

Yeah, the second sentence of 3. Perform Actions under "Activate Unit". I explained that was referencing back to the first sentence, simply stating "perform only one action" (instead of two actions like the first sentence states) but they we're sticking to their stance that operative Vader had one action and the rules weren't clear.

I still don't see how they interpret it so that Vader can do 1 action.
"A unit that is suppressed or that has lost an action due to being damaged can perform only one action and any number of free actions."

So it can perform only one action. Implacable says that Vader performs 1 fewer action.

1 - 1 = 0

3 minutes ago, Lemmiwinks86 said:

I still don't see how they interpret it so that Vader can do 1 action.

Quote

3. Perform Actions: A unit that is not suppressed can perform
up to two actions and any number of free actions. A unit
that is suppressed or that has lost an action due to being
damaged can perform only one action and any number of
free actions.

Basically what they're doing is removing this bold part from its context so that they can argue that he keeps one of his actions. Which is just flat out incorrect.

It is zero activations, there really is no other way to interpret that