We've had the following come up in recent games:

- Boomer's once per game ability is used when a skill test is 'resolved.' Is this before people get to put cards in, or before those cards are revealed, or both?

- Can unmanned vipers be made to land back on Galatica (e.g. using the command location)? We had a case where an unrevealed Cylon wanted to do this.

Another situation that came up:

- A character got given the vice president card by the president. That character then became the president due to a crisis card effect. As far as we could see, that meant they were both president and vice president, which meant no one could use Admin to take the presidency off them. Is this correct?

1- The ability ïn Boomer's card says "Instead of resolving it normally", so you dont put cards or do anything at all as normal. The player just picks a result.

2- Good question... I say it can be done, since rules do not mention that. But for me, it is obvious that humans want vipers in space all the time, so the cylon is revealing himself if he tries that. (can someone confirm this)?

3- The card reads "While this player is not President...", so when he becomes President, then the location can be used. But if that location is used to give Presidency to another player, the card kicks in again, and Admin cannot be used again... The card just creates an "eternal" vicepresident.

I'd say you can not land vipers. The rules lists all possible viper activations and landing is not listed. The only way to land a viper is by jumping the fleet.

3- You are quite right; I was misremembering it. The eternal vice president is an odd mechanic; I feels like the vice president card should get discarded if you become the president, but that's not what it says.

Still, Zarek manages to keep the vice-president role in the series when the president changes, so I guess it is true to theme

And another question:

If you look at a civilian ship and move it into a group of other civilian ships, are you allowed to place it seperately in the area so you can still distinguish it? e.g. point to it and ask another player to move it again, or move it again yourself in a future turn? The other option is to 'shuffle' civilians ships once they are in the same area, so you can't aim to target the same on again with comms.

The rules are silent about that one.

Most people play so that you can place it to the side, or identify in via other means. You cannot say what's on it, of course.

Nath said:

Assign Vice President is a tricky bit of business. The card reads " While this player is not president , other players may not be chosen with the "Administration" location."

So, if the person is President and holds the Assign Vice President card on the table, any person can be named with the Administration. If that skill check succeeds, the Vice President card holder is the only one who can be named when using the Administration.

Nath said:

No where does it say you should shufle civilian ships after moving one of them, so it should be fine to keep it separated from the rest.

Hi everyone,

I also have a rules question:

Is the rulebook setup right, stating that you should add extra "you are NOT a cylon" cards, when Baltar and/or Sharron are in play?

Looks to me that if you do that it might happen that noone is a cylon in a game (not even after sleeper agents).

Regards

Shadowsword

I so far only read the manual, there may be some rules on the cards of Sharon and Baltar, which justify this rule above. If so could you tell me what is on the cards of Sharon an Baltar. Thanks.

Shadowsword said:

Both of those characters have negative abilities that makes them draw a total of 3 loyalty cards during the game instead of 2 like everyone else, so all the loyalty cards will still get dealt out, and thus there will definitely still be Cylons.

Shadowsword said:

yes you add 1 additional "you are NOT a cylon card for Baltar/boomer. This is becasue they draw an additional loyalty card and you need more cards to avoid running out. Baltar starts with 2 loyalty cards and gaines one at the sleeper agent phase. Boomer starts with one and gains 2 at the sleeper agent phase. Therefore they both end up with 3 loyalty cards instead of the usual 2.

Thanks to both of you. It just had looked wrong to me, when I read the manual. Now it's clear.

Argonel said:

Unless Boomer reveals before the halfway point (even though it's best for her not to), then her card is flipped which means her weakness (and other abilities) are out of the game with the final result, confirmed by Corey, that you will have one loyalty card left over .

That's just mean. Fair, but mean. And I'll have to remember that, since I know I played it wrong this last weekend.

another one:

- if you look at one random loyalty card from a player who has two, does the player whose cards they are get to know which one you looked it?

e.g. someone as a cylon and not cylon card. You look at one of them. Do they know if you have seen if they are a cylon or not?

Nath said:

Yes. If the selecting player draws one of your cards, you may look at the one you still hold and figure out what the selecting player knows.

ColtsFan76 said:

Although that's a dead give-away that your cards are different - I had it happen to me (when I was a cylon) and had to resist the temptation to look at the remaining one, in fact you have to make out that it doesn't matter which one they pick ... no one believed me because I am a cylon so often, and was the game before that night when the humes dies horribly, and as soon the President had declared me a cylon my protests were in vain and I was brigged.

TomH said:

Then hold the cards so you can see them, fan them, and let them pick one.

ColtsFan76 said:

Once again it's all body language and giving other players a clue - if you suddenly get told that one of your loyalty cards is going to be checked and you make a point of arranging them so you can see which is taken, remembering that they are probably sitting on the table at this point rather than in your hand, then you are basically singing 'one of these cards is not like the others' to the other players ... who will then listen a bit more attentively to what the other player says about you (cylon/human) even if they end up lying .

ColtsFan76 said:

That's what I do, regardless of what cards I have. Since you never have more than three (theoreticaly you can get more if a revealed cylon hads you more), it shouldn't be hard to see what you got without to much obvious "faning".

TomH said:

I am not sure I agree with that either. We have a general gaming etiquette at our table that you don't grab what's not yours even if you are entitled to look at it (and read whatever other connotations into that statement that you want!). Regardless what game it is, we fan cards before allowing random draws. So the consistent behavior isn't going to tip your hand.

If your gaming group is different, so be it. I am not going to argue the merits of table preferences and what each action may or may not imply.

The point that is being made here is that you most certainly may look at your own cards if someone else is looking at them too . Nothing in the rules forbids it.

ColtsFan76 said:

Brian - I think you've missed my whole point, the pure fact that a player wants to see which of his loyalty cards the other player has chosen has the neon CYLON sign flashing over his head.

I never said that the other player would grab your cards, I said that your loyalty cards would probably be on the table (I've played quite a few games now mainly with 5 or 6 players and have yet to see anyone keep his loyalty cards in his hands all night, they're usually stuck under the player card) and when someone says they are going to look at one then the fact that you want to pick them up and fan them in such a way that you can see which one is being picked (as opposed to holding them fanned out face down in front of you - I don't know what 'fanned' you were talking about) also triggers the cylon detector in everyone else at the table.

Once you play a few more games you will see that even though you most certainly may look at your own cards if someone else is looking at them too , if you don't want to be accused and brigged then don't make obvious 'does he know I'm a cylon now' moves .

In our group everyone looks at his cards when they are checked (even humans), so that the Cylon can do that as well.

TomH said:

I grasp your point fully - you have stated it enough times. But you must not understand what I am saying.

You obviously keep your cards down on the table. Why would any one hold them in their hand all night? I certain never suggested anyone would.

I am saying when someone picks you to randomly draw a Loyalty card, then hold them up to be drawn so you can see them as well. Now, if you constantly hold them to face down so you can't see them, and now all of a sudden you want to hold them up so you can see which one gets drawn, then Yeah, you are going to look suspicious.

I am saying that we ALWAYS hold the cards up so we can see what gets drawn, whether it is this game, or Settlers of Catan, or any of a number of games that allows players to draw cards from others. So if WE are consistent, then there is no room for "does he know I am a Cylon now moves." See?