In a game tonight player A attacked B.

Player A had the racial ability to take a couple of free crusier shots before the battle started.

Player B (who also had the Speaker token) had the racial ability to retreat before the battle started.

Does Player B get shot at before retreating? (and more generally, what is the order for such simultaneous actions?)

I think the attacker gets priority, but that's without bothering to go check the rulebook. =P

So in this case, the player A would get off his cruiser shots before player B could retreat.

Steve-O said:

Actually, the Defender chooses the order of all pre-combat effects. If there were both Anti-Fighter barrage and Assault cannons to resolve, the defender chooses which order.

If Player B is the Naalu, though, it should be pointed out that the Naalu ability is NOT considered a "pre-combat" ability. Pre-combat abilities are still resolved as part of the Space Battle step (things like Anti-Fighter barrage, etc). The Naalu ability happens before the entire Space Battle step, so it ALWAYS happens first. (Thematically, this is representative of the Psychic ability of the Naalu, who know you are coming and leave before you ever get there).

The "Skilled Retreat" action card, however, if played before the first round IS a "pre-combat" effect, and thus the defender could choose to resolve it (well, all action cards, really) before the other effects.

sigmazero13 said:

I stand corrected. Also, good to know about Naalu always getting to retreat first.