Hi,

I have a problem about order in this example - I have only 1 unit and no base on a planet ( so I have complete requirement to execute build order ), i have build order on this planet, i want execute this build order but i don't have minerals to build anything. So can I play this order without any builds? I mean do it without any benefits for me but it's protect me to draw even card. Why i want do that? Because Aldaris is in game and he has special victory when he win the game by 2 "the end draws neer" cards.

I hope that you understand what i mean because it's really difficult to describe this situation for me

P.S.: I was Aldaris in this game so i expect negative responses!

Thank you

You may always choose to take an Event card instead of executing any order, even if you can execute the order. You can choose not to build anything and not take the event card, or take it and not build anything (at least it is how I play). But you are obligated to do so when cannot execute an order because the are all covered up.

From the rules: “After a player has selected one of his orders and revealed it, he may choose to draw an Event card instead of executing the specific ability of that order. That is, when taking this option, the player removes his order token from the board (returning it to his play area) without executing its ability, and instead simply draws an Event card from the Event card deck. (…) If a player cannot execute an order because all his orders on the board are covered up by opponents’ orders, such a player is said to be obstructed. When this happens, he draws one Event
card”

I didn’t mention before, but obviously it doesn’t matter with faction you are.

And yes, it is a way you can use to speed up the end of the game. You can also speed up the game by forcing other to draw event cards (which is not difficult if you are willing to discard order without using them in their actual purpose).

I don't understand what did you mean with this: "You can choose not to build anything and not take the event card, or take it and not build anything..."

Because when i don't want play build order (I canceled it) than i must draw even card not? In rules there is no possible to choose if you want draw even card or not when you canceled order - I think that you must draw it in this situation.

As long as you have a unit or a base on the active planet, you may execute the build order.

If you didn't have a unit or a base on the active planet, then you would have to draw an event card.

Because you have a unit on the planet, you will still have the choice of executing the order or drawing the event card.

If you do choose to execute the order, you are not obligated to spend resources. You can choose to execute the build order and spend 0 resorces with a result of building nothing during each of the steps. There is nothing that says you must build something when you execute a build order.

When you choose to not execute the revealed order you may or may not take an event card. IMO that's how it works.

I'm very sure they described the option clearly to be that after the token was revealed, you had a choice to either A) Execute the order, or B) Draw the event card.

There was no "may or may not" about drawing the event card if you chose the event card option.

The "may" was in regards to choosing to execute the revealed order or to taking the alternative (the drawing of an event card).

Page 14 of the base game rules is where the relevent section is.

I seem to remember from one of the old FFG forums a lengthy discussion relating to research orders on planets.

This is why when you reveal a normal research order on a planet, you are gaurenteed to be drawing an event card. You either have a base and choose to execute the order (of which one step requires you to draw an event card), or you chose the event card option (which requires you to draw an event card).

ice_cz said:

Indeed, as the only way to cancel an order is by choosing the event card option instead of choosing to execute it. However, if it's legal to execute it, you can choose not to do anything for each individual non-mandatory part of the order execution steps. So for research orders, there's no way of avoiding drawing an event card - executing the order includes drawing an event card, that isn't an option. For build orders however, since each of the three substeps of the execution of a build order is described as "may do X", you can legally execute the order and still do nothing at all.

That's sad But could I have an arguement like this : I play the research order on that planet where I have no base and I can't do anything and i'm not drawing any event card ?

Railarian said:

That's sad But could I have an arguement like this : I play the research order on that planet where I have no base and I can't do anything and i'm not drawing any event card ?

If you reveal a research order on a planet where you have no base, you can't execute the order - page 25 clarifies that "To execute a Research order, a player must have a base on the active planet". Executing the order would then lead to one required step (drawing an Event card), two optional steps (drawing Combat cards, purchasing tech) and one triggered step (shuffling; mandatory if tech was purchased, not allowed if no tech was purchased).

Page 14 tells us that the alternative to executing an order is this: "he may choose to draw an Event card instead of executing the specific ability of that order". There just is no other option. So executing the order in your example isn't possible, and the sole alternative to executing an order is choosing the Event card option instead.