Based on responses that I've read from threads on the forum it is almost perceived as a fact that the XO is the best skill card to be played as an action. The playgroup that I belong to is still pretty fresh to the game, a total of maybe 15 games have been played with 1 human victory (using the Kobol end game) but few crushing loses, especially since adding the New Cap end game. On any given turn if a skill card is going to be played as an action Launch Scout is by far the most common. Our experiences plus my readings on the forum have led me to question why XO would be such a more valuable play then LS or anything else? If,on my turn, I drop and XO to any given player what is really the advantage? If there are cylon ships on the board then XO'ing a player to move to the batteries on either Pegasus or Galactica then take one shot has no net advantage over the current player doing the same thing. Ergo it's always appeared to us that taking whatever action you want is going to be just as beneficial, if not more so because you retain the XO card in your hand. I suppose if you want to XO a player so that they can drop a launch scout then use their OP T/G as an action would be better but as I recall most OP T/G require it to be that characters turn. XOing a Roslin president to pick up 4 quorum cards all but decimates her hand of skill cards but that would seem to perhaps be the best XO target if there is nothing else going on (raiders, centurions, damaged spots). We aren't opposed to using the card, in fact once we get to New Cap we tend to unleash on them to move the civis back up, we've just never seen the solid gold value of using them while we're on Galactica. We realize that there are situations in which it is necessary to give the support crew or a pilot an emergency action but those situations are not going on for the majority of the turns in the game. So I guess I'm just wondering, what do you and your playgroup tend to do with the extra action when you receive one?
The value of Executive Order, is my playgroup just a stick in the mud?
hancelanson said:
If this is the way you're playing the card, yes, XO is worse than simply taking the action yourself.
XO is powerful if it's used on players who are already in a location where it would be useful to take two actions without moving. Spread players around in various locations where that might be the case (which also lessens the impact of any one location being damaged) and then XO the one most appropriate to the situation at hand.
Really, the only reason you should be moving during an XO is in an extreme emergency.
Right, in an ideal situation (or once all the Cylons are revealed) each player would move to the location they want to be in to receive and maximize the value of an XO, then XO another player as their action for the turn. If you end up in a location where you dont need to take 2 actions (Engine Room, for ex) you can use the 2nd action to launch a scout or draw 2 cards with Consolidate Power.
If nothing else, stick someone on the Press Room and XO them to draw 4 Politics cards; given that the avg STR of a skill card is probably 2, a player who drew 8 pts worth of Politics cards can virtually pass any skill checks that require yellow cards all by him/herself...
Hancelanson, a lot of your observations are accurate, but I do think there's a faulty premise in there. The important distinction I'd make is that you shouldn't be choosing between Executive Order and Launch Scout (the second most important action card), you should be doing both. I'd go so far as to say that you want to XO *most* turns, and LS *many* turns. So I think I'm in agreement with Kushiel and Skowza on this one. In a worst-case scenario (assuming the fleet isn't positioned strategically), XO someone else to Launch Scout and let them Consolidate Power with the bonus action. Strictly speaking, this is the same net loss of 1 card from your hand that you would get from playing Launch Scout, but this kind of play allows the fleet to burn through the low value "commons" that tend to flood hands and cycle through to the colors you need and the high value cards that can help in checks. (Realize that the composition of each deck is such that a single low value "common" card makes up half of each deck.)
hancelanson said:
Based on responses that I've read from threads on the forum it is almost perceived as a fact that the XO is the best skill card to be played as an action. The playgroup that I belong to is still pretty fresh to the game, a total of maybe 15 games have been played with 1 human victory (using the Kobol end game) but few crushing loses, especially since adding the New Cap end game. On any given turn if a skill card is going to be played as an action Launch Scout is by far the most common. Our experiences plus my readings on the forum have led me to question why XO would be such a more valuable play then LS or anything else? If,on my turn, I drop and XO to any given player what is really the advantage? If there are cylon ships on the board then XO'ing a player to move to the batteries on either Pegasus or Galactica then take one shot has no net advantage over the current player doing the same thing. Ergo it's always appeared to us that taking whatever action you want is going to be just as beneficial, if not more so because you retain the XO card in your hand. I suppose if you want to XO a player so that they can drop a launch scout then use their OP T/G as an action would be better but as I recall most OP T/G require it to be that characters turn. XOing a Roslin president to pick up 4 quorum cards all but decimates her hand of skill cards but that would seem to perhaps be the best XO target if there is nothing else going on (raiders, centurions, damaged spots). We aren't opposed to using the card, in fact once we get to New Cap we tend to unleash on them to move the civis back up, we've just never seen the solid gold value of using them while we're on Galactica. We realize that there are situations in which it is necessary to give the support crew or a pilot an emergency action but those situations are not going on for the majority of the turns in the game. So I guess I'm just wondering, what do you and your playgroup tend to do with the extra action when you receive one?
It depends really. My group tends to get Baltar Presidents, so snagging 4 quorum cards isn't as bad. Also we tend to XO people who are already in a certain location such as Pegasus CIC or the Armory when there are dire situations afoot.
We also have a tendency to XO people out of Sickbay so that they can draw their full compliment of skill cards during their next turn.
The other great use for XO is if you're stuck in the brig and you know you aren't going to get out, so you XO from the brig to give the other humans more turns.
Because XiMao626 mentioned it and Iwas wonderung about it:
Can XO be used to move out of the sickbay? We always play it like this to evade the sickbays effect, but it doesn't seem right IMO.
Doom1502 said:
Because XiMao626 mentioned it and Iwas wonderung about it:
Can XO be used to move out of the sickbay? We always play it like this to evade the sickbays effect, but it doesn't seem right IMO.
Of course it can. Nothing in the rules prevents a player in the sickbay from moving or being moved away.
Another really good use of the XO card is if you have a large number of raiders in play, definately play one on Starbuck if she is around. She can then play up to TWO of the piloting 4 attack/action cards! Saw a huge raider fleet wiped out in one turn with that combo!!
Tyrant242 said:
Another really good use of the XO card is if you have a large number of raiders in play, definately play one on Starbuck if she is around. She can then play up to TWO of the piloting 4 attack/action cards! Saw a huge raider fleet wiped out in one turn with that combo!!
That works for any pilot...