Yesterday we played a game that sparked a discussion about some rules that I would like help to have clarified.

1: The first strike action card: This card says that you are first in initiative (essentially having -1 and being before the Naalu), and then assume normal order of play. Does this mean that you can actually have 2 actions in the same time span everyone else has 1? Suppose I have inititiative 4, the other playters have initiative 1 and 5 respectively. I play the first strike card. Is the order of play now: Me - 1 - 4 (me again) - 5 - 1 - 4 - 5 and so on?

2: Suppose I have some fighters and or ground forces in an activated system. Now suppose I activate an adjacent system and move a carrier through the activated system, but - naturally - not ending its movement here. Can this carrier pick up fighters and ground forces from the activated system? In this way the same fighters and ground forces could effectively fight 2 times in the same round.

3: Gen synthesis: This technology allows defeated ground forces to respawn in the home system. Suppose my double planet home system is invaded. One of the planets is taken with the other combat still to be resolved. Can the defeated ground forces from the lost battle now respawn on the other planet where combat has not yet be resolved?

4: Nekro virus: This race has the special ability that whenever it would acquire tech, it gets 3 command counters instead. Now suppose I have 4 green technology specialties. I use the secondary ability of the Technology II strategy card and I decide to purchase tech. Can I choose a green tech, effectively costing me 2 resources and giving me 3 command counters?

Thank you for reading.

I can't answer all of these but I know that for your first question, the change to initiative order does not give you an extra action for that turn, it only replaces your initiative number. In your example, play order would go -1(4), 1, 5 , then cycle as normal 1, 4, 5 for the rest of the round.

Hi!

1- I agree with Treguard

2- No, it is not allowed. Rulebook p.27 "Example of Carrier Transport"

3- From the FAQ 2.3 p.6

Q: If a player with the Gen Synthesis technology is attacked
on his only Home System planet, do his troops regenerate on
that planet during combat? Can they fight in that combat?
A: Yes. If the player rolls 5+ for a destroyed Ground Force unit,
that unit would remain on the Home System planet and continue
to participate in the combat.

When I'm reading the text on the tech card, I'm pretty sure you can choose which planet you want to respawn your GFs. I cannot confirm tough…

4- Absolutely not! It would be overpowered. As a matter of fact, you cannot, as Nekro, get any tech from the TECH strategy card. From the FAQ 2.3 p.12

Q: When gaining Command Counters instead of a Technology
Advance, may the Nekro Virus use technology specialties or
other discounts provided by cards or effects?
A: When gaining Command Counters in place of a
technology, the Nekro Virus does not benefit from any
specific discounts referring to a red, green, or yellow
technology. However, the Nekro Virus may benefit from
cards or effects that provide a generic discount to any
technology. Of course the Nekro Virus still receives 3
Command Counters in place of the Technology Card.

I hope my answers will help you!

sir_locksley

Thank you very much for your answers. They were in line with the rulings we made, except for the carrier one. It does make a lot of sense however. The gen synthesis ruling is a bit odd, but we actually played it this way.

I agree very much that the Nekro virus would be very powerful given the right circumstances if they could use technology specialties. I assume, however, that they can use the secondary ability and get 3 tokens from 6 resources?

Grandmaster said:

Yes, they can still use the ability (gaining CCs instead of tech), they just can't use specific tech discounts to offset the cost.