For those wondering about buying reinforcements and whether or not discarding a token counts as an action - specifically Eva's Iron Cross and MacNeal's Silver Star - here's your answer:

Discarding a token is not an action, but it must take place during the character's activation. For example, upon activating Eva she can discard her Iron Cross 1st Class to add 2 CPs to the Reich's CP pool, then move and attack (or any combination therein).

This means you can't purchase reinforcements in any game mode that only refreshes 2 Command Points per turn (i.e. Death Match and Capture the Flag) as you could never acquire 3 CPs at the start of your turn/prior to activating any of your characters.

[Edited to reflect the new information provided by spacemonkeymafia.]

Since that makes a lot of things break down or at least be terrible in play, one would presume that the example is wrong.

StormKnight said:

I don't know if the example is wrong or not, just what it says. If the example is wrong, I wonder what else is wrong with the rules.

I'm curious though, what does "discarding a token = an action" break down/make terrible in the game? I've found 4 tokens that don't have "discard as an action" in their rule text. They are Eva's Iron Cross, MacNeal's Silver Star, Gorgei's Hero of Giva and Ramirez's Purple Heart. The first two fall under the example given on page 19, and the latter two are used as a response to an action (Shock rolls), thereby occurring during the Activate Character Step

All the other tokens already have to be discarded through the use of an action. It does mean reinforcements can't be purchased in Death Match and Capture the Flag, but perhaps that's intentional? Reinforcements are still an option in Domination, King of the Hill, Objective and (potentially) Story mode.

I had wrote FFG regarding this and it is true that currently, there is no way to reinforce during the game modes that only allow for 2 CP per turn. The idea was that this was intentional.

It was also remarked that discarding a token like Eva's Iron Cross isn't an action but must take place during the character's activation. Due to the different wordings on tokens (some saying discard as an action and some saying simply to discard) I'm inclined to believe that the example on page 19 is misleading. I could easily be wrong though.

Thank you for writing FFG and posting this information.

In a way, it's good to see that the rules for the Iron Cross and Silver Star intentionally left out the phrase "as an activation", and that it wasn't just an oversight or sloppy editing. Still, it would've been nice for the rulebook to clarify this point (especially in light of the example on page 19). As it stands, it makes sense that it's not an action to use these pieces of equipment but that it must take place during the character's activation step. That's how I'll be playing it.

However, this does make me wonder... if the example on page 19 is erroneous, what else is incorrect in the rulebook?

Man, I've been wrong on so many of these nebulous rules that I'm beginning to think whatever the opposite I believe is actually the correct way to play.

The new rules are out less than a week and we already need a FAQ. Oh yeah it's an FFG game. What did you expect?

May be moot now, but just for the record...

I'm curious though, what does "discarding a token = an action" break down/make terrible in the game?

Well, there are at least two tokens that are discarded but don't say either "take an action" or specify that they do not require an action. Zork'a's special, which would leave her needing to spend an action to get two an extra action - really not a gain! Also, the nitrus canister for the Hound Dog. It doesn't even GET actions, and it doesn't move at a time when its controller could take an action.

However, there's nothing in that rules section which says anything about "discarding" specifically; it just implies that the general rule for all equipment which doesn't say otherwise is that it does take an action. Which would mean, for example, that all the ranks would take an action to give you an initiative bonus and other such silliness.

Really, FFG shouldn't be trying to make a general rule about when you can use a "discard" item, since there are items that can be discarded at a variety of times. They should just errata those specific items to be:

Discard during this character's activation: Gain 2 Command Points.

Or, better yet (because I really think command points need to flexible to be as useful as they should be):

Discard during the main phase: Gain 2 Command Points.