The Action card Focused Research says it may be played "immeadiately before purchasing a Technology that requires another single Technology that you do not possess."

However, that condition will never come up naturally. Basically the card is saying "you can play this when you play this" - which isn't very helpful.

I see four possible times it could be played:

- when executing the primary ability of the Technology Strategy
- when executing the secondary ability of the Technology Strategy*
- as an Action during the Action Phase
- whenever you want to (including the instant you draw it during the Status Phase if you felt so inclined)

*in this case: since the card instructs you to pay six resources, is that in addition to what you'd normally have to pay? (so it takes a Command Counter and fourteen resources) or is that in replacement of ?

Thanks!

When you would purchase a tech:

Primary of Tech, Secondary of Tech, Certain AC and PC that allow you to aquire a Technology.

These times you would then play this card to gain a technology by skipping one prerequisite and an extra 6 resources above the normal cost.

The 6 cost is in addition to so this is a very expensive card unless you are using it with the Primary of tech and use it with your free tech so then it is only 6.

I have had this sit in my hand at times as the expense usually hinders my using it unless I took technology II and then I would rather get my free one and spend antoher 8 to get another after.

Hrm. That doesn't seem very useful at all. You'd have to convince yourself that the intervening tech isn't even worth 2 resources. That sounds pathetically weak. Oh well.

Thanks!

It does get you to War Sun a lot quicker and for some that might be worth the cost. Also you can skip over some of the other techs you might not want and get farther down the tech tree than possible. Not as useful as some other Action Cards but still powerful.

It's a situational card. If you need a tech NOW, and don't want to waste a turn getting a pre-req, it can come in very handy. Often, it may not be worth it, but many of the AC's are very situational - powerful at the right time, not so useful at other times.