un-apposed edge battles and bounty

By cbeach512, in Star Wars: The Card Game - Rules Questions

I haven't been unable to find anything directly addressing something that came up in my game tonight. I played bounty on my friends card, and elected to not battle the one unit he attacked with. This sparked a discussion about the text on the card vs the text in the rule book.

The way I read it, you lose the enhancement if you lose an edge battle by 3 or more force icons. Since I didn't engage the attacking unit, I lost the edge battle automatically according to the rule book and not by force icons. Even if he decides to commit cards to the edge battle (usually something you would do to play fate cards that have beneficial effects) I'm not losing by force icons, I'm losing by default. The bounty enhancement doesn't get discarded.

I'm putting myself out there a bit... maybe I'm wrong, but it seemed pretty clear to me. I would love to get some insight from the community at large.

- cbeach512

I was thinking the same thing, but after reading the rules, if you are about to win the edge by default, you can still add cards to the edge stack. Else, you win by default as you said, but it is still 0-0.

Bounty requires a certain number of force icons to win by. Winning unopposed doesn't give any bonuses. One can't add rules to what is already written is a good motto I try to go by in games.

I was thinking the same thing, but after reading the rules, if you are about to win the edge by default, you can still add cards to the edge stack. Else, you win by default as you said, but it is still 0-0.

Bounty requires a certain number of force icons to win by. Winning unopposed doesn't give any bonuses. One can't add rules to what is already written is a good motto I try to go by in games.

Thanks for the response theChony. So I take it you see it as I do, I didn't defend, so he would get to damage my objective, but bounty wouldn't get discarded, even if he put 3+ force icon worth of cards into the edge battle. He won automatically, not "by force icons".

I should have elaborated. If your opponent is about to win automatically, per the rules, they have the option to place more cards into the edge stack. If they place 3+ force icons in this case the edge battle would be 0-3+, so in that case, Bounty would get discarded.

I can tell you your completely wrong. If you lose ANY edge battle by 3 or more, bounty is discarded. there is an edge battle wether or not there is defenders in the engagement or not. so if you choose not to defend, he still gets to play edge cards. if he plays 3 force icons worth of edge cards or possibly none if he has enough edge (1) from his units/objectives then your bounty gets discarded. Just one more reason why bounty, and S&V have alot of issues.

To give a touch more clarity, the edge battle is only resolved (and therefore won/lost) after all players have finished playing their cards to the edge battle, which in this case means after the attacker has played all the cards he wants to. So yes, the defending player can lose by 3+ force icons if they have no participating defenders and the attacker pitches the required cards in,

yes, but then you simply focus Jabba to put bounty into play during the force phase player action on your opponent's turn. problem solved.

yes, but then you simply focus Jabba to put bounty into play during the force phase player action on your opponent's turn. problem solved.

*Mind Blown*

yes, but then you simply focus Jabba to put bounty into play during the force phase player action on your opponent's turn. problem solved.

*Mind Blown*

Baz! Don't tell me you just saw this!

Well, I guess I'll have to concede that I was wrong to my friend. I'll still say that the rules seem to say otherwise to me, but who am I but one man, trying to make his way in this galaxy! ;) I'll make my argument one last time, using what I'm reading exactly quoted from the rules, in order, to provide clarity.

Page 18

If the defending player controls no defending units, the attacking player automatically wins the edge battle (although he still has the option to place cards into the edge battle if he so desires).

This text is before any of the following text about "Resolving the Edge Battle" therefor when you get to part 4 "Finishing the Edge Battle"...

Page 20

After resolving fate cards, each player counts the number of Force icons on cards in his edge stack. The player with the higher total wins the edge battle and has the edge for the remainder of the engagement. In the event of a tie, the edge goes to the defending player

the winner has already been determined, eliminating the adding and comparing to determine the winner, it has already been determined.

The text on the Bounty card reads:

Enhance an enemy unit. If you lose an edge battle by 3 or more Force icons , discard this enhancement from play.

I'm not losing an edge battle by 3 or more, I'm losing automatically. The winner and loser was determined as soon as I decided not to defend. A key point I think is this...

Page 20

In the event of a tie, the edge goes to the defending player.

An un-apposed edge battle were nether side plays cards, would be a tie when step 4 was reached. I think we all agree that the rule of the automatic win for the attacking player supersedes in this circumstance. So why does it not in the case that I'm talking about?

As I said earlier, I'm going to go ahead and admit being wrong to my friend, but I think there should be errata around edge battles especially with some of the newer cards that have come out.

Unopposed with no cards is a tie of 0-0, attacker may win automatically but they win by nothing.

If your opponent plays 3 force icons then it is 3-0 win, yes they still won automatically but they won by 3 points, you have now lost by 3 points and Bounty gets discarded. There is nothing to errata as that is perfectly sensible based on the cards and rules. It is similar to the card Don't Get Cocky.

Well, I guess I'll have to concede that I was wrong to my friend. I'll still say that the rules seem to say otherwise to me, but who am I but one man, trying to make his way in this galaxy! ;) I'll make my argument one last time, using what I'm reading exactly quoted from the rules, in order, to provide clarity.

I think that you are choosing to apply the part of the rules that you want, and disregard the rest. I know that the attacking player automatically wins in your example, but that is not saying that the other steps don't happen. This step still happens:

After resolving fate cards, each player counts the number of Force icons on cards in his edge stack. The player with the higher total wins the edge battle and has the edge for the remainder of the engagement. In the event of a tie, the edge goes to the defending player

Choosing not to apply that is like having two attackers left to strike in an engagement, but your opponent's engaged units have all focused to strike. You still focus your two separately and there's an action window after each strikes. You don't just ignore that because your opponent isn't going to strike between those two.

Edited by wishasc

Like I said, I first thought about this when I saw Bounty. But it is simple. To discard Bounty, the opponent must win an edge battle, AND win by 3+ force icons. This could be clarified in a FAQ since it isn't addressed directly and can't be quoted yet, but if one follows what is already written in the rules and doesn't add in assumptions, you'll play as the designer intended.

This question was actually already answered when Don't Get Cocky came out in the last Force Pack.

It has a Reaction that is dependant on winning an Edge Battle by 2 or more.

The summary is as follows:

-If one player won the edge battle (which includes when the other player had no units in the engagement and could therefore not place edge cards) the other player lost it.

-If you win an edge battle where where the other player could not place edge cards you won by zero (unless you add cards or had edge (X)).

-If you need to win an edge battle by Y, and the opponent could not place cards, you must still have an edge stack valued at Y or higher (from cards and/or edge (X)).

For Don't Get Cocky, it was common for a player to throw in a Target of Opprotunity in an unopposed battle, netting 3 additional damage to the objective (assuming the unit struck).

For Bounty, they would need to get a net 3 force icons into their edge stack when they are unopposed to get rid of it by the same reasoning.

I emailed Nate last night about this very question. I'll copy/paste my question and his response.

Rule Question:
During an edge battle in which the attacking player was unopposed, the attacking player placed an edge card with 2 Force Icons into their edge stack. Which of the following is true?

1. The attacking player wins the edge battle by 2 icons (allowing him to play cards like Don't Get Cocky)

or

2. The attacking player simply wins the edge battle by default, regardless of how many cards were in the edge stack (and therefore cannot play cards like Don't get Cocky)?

Micah

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The attacking player wins by 2 icons.

Nate French
Senior LCG Designer
Fantasy Flight Games
[email protected]

There is already a response from Nate on Cardgame database.

Although trying to make a distinction between losing automatically and losing by 3 or more is very blatant loophole-ing. If you were the Scum and Villany player I doubt you would have read it that way.

Thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate it. I wasn't trying to be sneaky or find a loop hole, it's just how the rules seem to state it to me. I would have totally accepted it if he had said it to me. Since the overwhelming majority interpret the rule a different way than I do, and apparently someone official from FFG on top of that, I admit, I was wrong. No biggie, I've been wrong before, and I'm sure I will be again.

- cbeach512