With the new Rules Reference dropping today, a new bullet-point was added to the section on the Ability Queue:

• If an ability’s requirements are not met, it cannot be added to the ability queue. For example, at the start of the Engagement Phase, if a ship has an ability that requires it to be tractored, but that ship is not tractored, that ability cannot be added to the queue. The ship cannot add the ability to the queue even if another ability also added to the queue at the start of the Engagement Phase would cause that ship to become tractored upon its resolution.

With this new rules text, can the Delta-7 Anakin Skywalker fully execute a red maneuver and then trigger both his pilot ability AND Fine-Tuned Controls? They both have the exact same timing window ("After you fully execute a maneuver"), so they would enter the ability queue at the same time. However, can an ability that grants an action enter into the queue if the ship is currently stressed? There is rules text from the entry on Actions that says:

• A ship cannot perform actions while stressed.

Is that to say all action-granting abilities have an implicit "If you are not stressed" requirement? Or can stressed ships initiate an action ability but then cannot typically complete the ability because the ship is stressed? At what specific timing does stress prevent actions?

This also seems relevant to other abilities with the same timing window, but no others come to mind right away.

Knee-jerk, I would say that ships can still be given the opportunity to take an action while stressed. Therefore you add both abilities at the same time but ordered with stress removal first then when Fine Tuned goes to execute the action opportunity it is allowed.

See AP-5 for an ability that hinges entirely on being able to select a stressed ship and give it the opportunity of an action (through coordinate)

In Anakin's case, the ability trigger for Fine-Tuned Controls doesn't care about stress, but the ability resolution does. There's no contingency in place for Anakin if he is or isn't stressed, for attempting to Fine-Tuned, so he's allowed to queue the ability up. However, if he's still stressed at the time the ability would resolve, it would fizzle, because (obviously) a stressed ship cannot (normally) perform actions. This also means that, while you would have already queued the Fine-Tuned ability, you wouldn't have to spend the associated force charge; you cannot pay a cost for any effect that cannot be resolved.

Except, im not sure that stress actually stops a ship from being the chosen for a coordinate, AP-5 or not. It begs the question, do stressed ships attempt to perform an action, only to be immediately stopped by the stress? Because a stressed ship *can* attempt to perform a red maneuver.

Just a thought.

17 minutes ago, Lyianx said:

It begs the question, do stressed ships attempt to perform an action, only to be immediately stopped by the stress?

This is exactly what I'm trying to find out. Does stress prevent an action from being triggered? Or does stress prevent an action from being resolved?

I'm not sure if I know of rules text that clearly describes either case.

1 hour ago, Lyianx said:

Except, im not sure that stress actually stops a ship from being the chosen for a coordinate, AP-5 or not. It begs the question, do stressed ships attempt to perform an action, only to be immediately stopped by the stress? Because a stressed ship *can* attempt to perform a red maneuver.

Just a thought.

A stressed ship obviously must be a legal coordination target.

AP-5 doesn't say "you may coordinate a ship with exactly 1 stress token" what would suggest you cannot coordinate it otherwise.

It says "while you coordinate, if you chose a ship with exactly 1 stress token", meaning you were perfectly fine choosing that stressed ship for coordination in the first place.

The more important question imo is whether he can use p17 or afterburners to move into position for his ability. Previously the default assumption would have been yes but now...

10 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

The more important question imo is whether he can use p17 or afterburners to move into position for his ability. Previously the default assumption would have been yes but now...

I think now it's a pretty hard no. If the conditions have to be met at the time you stack the abilities, then he needs to have a target before P17 or Afterburners can resolve...

Coordinate separates choosing a ship from granting the action as part of its queue. Here is the are the steps from the RR:

1. Measure range from the coordinating ship to any friendly ships.
2. Choose another friendly ship at range 1-2.
3. The chosen ship performs one action.

The Coordinate action has no mentions of requiring a ship with no stress, so I don't see why that's being brought up in here. It has 0 interaction with the new clause, since the granted action is both A) an independent step from choosing the ship within the Coordinate action, and B) a separate trigger for the second ship nested within the first. The second ship's action has no bearing on the coordinating ship, since there's even the text:

• If the chosen ship attempts to perform an action but that action fails, the coordinate does not fail.

Thus, the Coordinate action passes the action away and moves on within its own process (with exception of other game effects such as Ciena Ree, ST-321, etc.).

9 hours ago, emeraldbeacon said:

In Anakin's case, the ability trigger for Fine-Tuned Controls doesn't care about stress, but the ability resolution does. There's no contingency in place for Anakin if he is or isn't stressed, for attempting to Fine-Tuned, so he's allowed to queue the ability up. However, if he's still stressed at the time the ability would resolve, it would fizzle, because (obviously) a stressed ship cannot (normally) perform actions. This also means that, while you would have already queued the Fine-Tuned ability, you wouldn't have to spend the associated force charge; you cannot pay a cost for any effect that cannot be resolved.

You're claiming the trigger is separate from the resolution, but I would disagree. The new clause clearly links the two, since the resolution doesn't even enter the queue if requirements are not met at the time of the trigger.

Here's my thought process on this...

The new clause is clearly intended to block chain Ensnare due to the requirement of "if you are tractored" at the time of the trigger, where, if met, "you may XYZ". The phrase in the RR for actions:

• A ship cannot perform actions while stressed.

That can also be expressed as "If a ship is not stressed, it can perform actions." which is the same 'if, then' phrasing as Ensnare. This would imply, in my opinion, a requirement to not be stressed to perform an action. So when a ship checks its trigger granting an action, it should now check stress and would not add to the queue.

The text for Ensnare:

• At the end of the Activation Phase, if you are tractored, you may choose 1 ship in your [mobile] arc at range 0-1. Transfer 1 tractor token to it.

This can be separated into 3 parts: the trigger, the requirement, and the resolution. The new clause states that at the time of the trigger, you check the requirement, and then, if met, you add the resolution to the ability queue.

If you look at the text for Fine-Tuned Controls:

• After you fully execute a maneuver, you may spend 1 [Force] to perform a [boost] or [barrel roll] action.

We do only have printed here the trigger and the resolution. However, the resolution itself contains something that already has the requirement built in via the RR.

• A ship cannot perform actions while stressed.

An implied insertion of this would be "After you fully execute a maneuver, you may spend 1 [Force] to perform a [boost] or [barrel roll] action (if you are not stressed)." Rearranging it would give "After you fully execute a maneuver, (if you are not stressed,) you may spend 1 [Force] to perform a [boost] or [barrel roll] action." This has the same structure as Ensnare and would therefore not insert the resolution into the queue if stressed because it does not meet the requirement at the time of the trigger.

There's no reason to add the text "if not stressed" to every granted action since the RR has that as a base requirement to perform an action. It would be wasteful and redundant.

1 hour ago, Tropical Bob said:

A ship cannot perform actions while stressed.

It actually says "A stressed ship cannot execute red maneuvers or perform actions.

But, it also says, "If a stressed ship attempts to execute a red maneuver"

Which imply's that stressed or not, both red maneuvers AND actions can be "attempted" but not executed/performed. Meaning even when you are stressed, you can still attempt to perform an action, the stress just stops you from doing so. Further meaning even stressed, mechanically, Fine-Tuned Controls can still be added to the queue, and the stress only blocks it *during* the action resolution.

1 hour ago, Tropical Bob said:

The Coordinate action has no mentions of requiring a ship with no stress, so I don't see why that's being brought up in here.

Even your logic in this question supports that. Both Fine-Tunes Controls, and Coordinate "grant an action" according to Linked Actions

Quote

A linked action can be performed after performing the action it is attached to even if that action was granted by a card effect or other game effect.

IE, Coordinate. Realistically, the 3 step *should* read "3. The chosen ship may perform one action.". Which is supported by its clarification on failing.

Quote

If the chosen ship attempts to perform an action but that action fails, the coordinate does not fail.

So obviously, Coordinate isn't forcing the ship to perform an action, its just granting an action to the target ship, and if the ship performs it or not, is inconsequential to Coordinate. By the same token, "After you fully execute a maneuver" doesn't care of that boost or barrel roll can be performed or not. Its simply granting those actions after this trigger.

48 minutes ago, Lyianx said:

It actually says "A stressed ship cannot execute red maneuvers or perform actions.

It has my exact text on Page 3 under Actions. The section you quoted is under Stress on page 18. I would argue the maneuver section is more unique because it the dial is a physical component that is set and not triggered.

50 minutes ago, Lyianx said:

Which imply's that stressed or not, both red maneuvers AND actions can be "attempted" but not executed/performed. Meaning even when you are stressed, you can still attempt to perform an action, the stress just stops you from doing so. Further meaning even stressed, mechanically, Fine-Tuned Controls can still be added to the queue, and the stress only blocks it *during* the action resolution.

There is nothing under the Action header that states a ship attempts to perform an action but it fails if there is stress, it merely states a ship cannot perform an action while stressed. There is a section under Maneuver that does specify what happens when ship attempts to perform a red maneuver.

58 minutes ago, Lyianx said:

3 hours ago, Tropical Bob said:

The Coordinate action has no mentions of requiring a ship with no stress, so I don't see why that's being brought up in here.

Even your logic in this question supports that. Both Fine-Tunes Controls, and Coordinate "grant an action" according to Linked Actions

Quote

A linked action can be performed after performing the action it is attached to even if that action was granted by a card effect or other game effect.

IE, Coordinate. Realistically, the 3 step *should* read "3. The chosen ship may perform one action.". Which is supported by its clarification on failing.

Quote

If the chosen ship attempts to perform an action but that action fails, the coordinate does not fail.

So obviously, Coordinate isn't forcing the ship to perform an action, its just granting an action to the target ship, and if the ship performs it or not, is inconsequential to Coordinate. By the same token, "After you fully execute a maneuver" doesn't care of that boost or barrel roll can be performed or not. Its simply granting those actions after this trigger.

My logic doesn't support your position. Coordinate says to choose a ship, then in a separate step says that ship may perform an action. That's why stress has no bearing on Coordinate, because the Coordinate text does not say to choose a ship with no stress. The granted action is a new trigger for the chosen ship, essentially 'if coordinated, you may perform one action,' but still following the requirements needed for performing the action, i.e. no stress, and the coordinating ship carries on regardless of what the chosen ship does or does not do.

The Linked Action text has even less bearing on the new clause than Coordinate. An action being "granted" doesn't give it a special permission to ignore the ability queue text (unless there's a Grant section you're reading somewhere that says that), it just means the opportunity to perform an action, assuming the requirement costs are met, is added to the queue.

1 hour ago, Lyianx said:

By the same token, "After you fully execute a maneuver" doesn't care of that boost or barrel roll can be performed or not. Its simply granting those actions after this trigger.

That is a gross misunderstanding of what the new clause says. Take Ensnare's text:

• At the end of the Activation Phase, if you are tractored, you may choose 1 ship in your [mobile] arc at range 0-1. Transfer 1 tractor token to it.

If we are to separate the trigger from the resolution as you are suggesting Fine-Tuned Controls to be, then we would look at "At the end of the Activation Phase" completely independently from the rest of the text and it would still enter the queue to be resolved later, which is explicitly what the new clause is saying does not happen. The new clause is stating that the resolution's requirements must be met at the time of the trigger, in addition to when the resolution occurs. If we look at Fine-Tuned Controls the way you are claiming, then we look at all triggers that way and new clause is 100% meaningless.