This card says to choose an enemy at range 1-2 and if within their fire arc you may acquire a target lock, then perform a free boost action.

My question is do you have to be able to do the first part of that to be able to do the second?

I'd assume yes otherwise we have just been given a cheaper engine upgrade for X & Ys but at the cost of the astro slot.

This card says to choose an enemy at range 1-2 and if within their fire arc you may acquire a target lock, then perform a free boost action.

My question is do you have to be able to do the first part of that to be able to do the second?

I'd assume yes otherwise we have just been given a cheaper engine upgrade for X & Ys but at the cost of the astro slot.

I would say no. It says you MAY acquire a target lock, then perform the boost. May implies a choice.

Do i? No, ok i can boost now.

Do i? Yep, (places TL token next to ship). Ok, i can boost now.

Maybe it will change in the future, but i believe all ships that have an astromech slot have the ability to TL.

We've had this discussion before.

I'm in the "You may acquire a target lock. If you do, you may boost" camp.

I guess i can see it both ways. Hopefully we'll have clarification from FFG when the product is released.

What Dracon said...

I would say no. It says you MAY acquire a target lock, then perform the boost. May implies a choice.

That's not how it works normally. The choice is in preforming the action or not. You generally can't skip over part of the action to do the 2nd part.

So in this case you preform the action listed on the card.

That means you get a TL on the target ship, assuming you're allowed to, are rage 1-2 in the firing arc, ect... and then you get to preform a boost. But you can't skip over the TL part of the action.

The way I read it is:

1 you have to meet the initial requirements to do anything (be in arc of ship at range 1-2)

2. If you satisfy that you MAY acquire target lock (as in you choose to do it or not do it, doesn't matter either way)

3. THEN you perform a boost action

so basically you don't have to take the target lock to get the boost, but you must be in arc at range 1-2 to boost

The meaning of the card is quite clear. If I wanted to (and I don't) I could argue that if you perform the TL, you must perform the boost.

"you may acquire a target lock, then perform a free boost action."

can easily be read as you must boost. It comes down to where you place the emphasis on certain words and more importantly the placement of the punctuation. The intention of the card is quite clear though.

If you choose to take the target lock, you can then boost if you wish, but the TL is a prerequisite.

I read it as an if-then.

If you are in range/arc you may get a lock

then boost

So boost is always available if you met the conditions regardless of whether you got a lock. I do agree though, it is vague and could use a concrete ruling.

So let me ask a question. The whole card takes up your action, so why wouldn't you take the Target Lock and then decide to boost or not?

There is no down side to taking the lock at all.

I read it as after you use it to get a TL you can boost since it says acquire a TL then perform a free boost which to me means after you use it to get a TL you can boost. it seems to me like the may refers to the entire rest of the sentence not just the TL part and you have to do all of it or none of it

so basically you don't have to take the target lock to get the boost, but you must be in arc at range 1-2 to boost

The may doesn't work like that. It's used fairly often on action cards, but you always have to do the whole action, you can't break the action into different parts and only do part of it.

For example Marksmanship says "you may change one of your [eye] into a [crit] and all other [eye] into [hit]. You can't do only one part of that, you have to do the whole thing.

Same for this Droid, it's all part of one action so you have to do the whole thing. The may part simply means you have the option of doing this, it's creating an option for the first part of the action.

R2-D2 uses may, Advanced Sensors uses may, Push the Limit uses may. However Gunner does not, meaning the 2nd attack isn't an option.

Never mind misread...

"you may acquire a target lock, then perform a free boost action."

That's not the text on the card.

IMHO the card works as follows:

1) Choose an enemy ship at range 1 or 2. (If no ship qualifies you cannot perform the R7-T1 action.)

2) If the firing arc condition is met you may (optional - player's choice) acquire a TL. If it is not met you cannot acquire a TL.

3) You may (optional - player's choice) boost.

You are not forced to TL. You are not forced to boost. You are free to do both, only one or neither.

If you do not intend to boost you may as well declare a TL action instead of R7-T1.

Same for this Droid, it's all part of one action so you have to do the whole thing. The may part simply means you have the option of doing this, it's creating an option for the first part of the action.

And the next may creates an option for the next part of the action.

I would say we would have an easy answer as to how R7-T1 is used with Marksmanship until I noticed that the cards are written slightly differently.

For the second portion of Marksmanship states "and all of your other (eyeball) results to (hit) results."

For R7-T1 it says "Then, you may perform a free boost action."

The wording is slightly different on each card and that may factor into how they work.

R7-T1 gives two choices it seems, one for acquiring a TL and one for performing the boost.

Marksmanship only gives one at the beginning of the action.

Both cards seem to work differently in that Marksmanship has a choice at the beginning of the action but if you choose to use it you have to resolve the entire thing. With R7-T1 it looks like there's more involved (two choices). My best guess as to how it is used is like dvor stated.

And the next may creates an option for the next part of the action.

So the boost may be optional, but I'm still not sure the TL is. Given the way the two lines are written, it seems like a if/then statement.

So you may preform a TL action, and if you do, then you may preform a boost action. IMO the word Then implies you can only do the 2nd part if you do the 1st part.

But if FFG ruled otherwise it wouldn't surprise me greatly.

The actual wording on the card does imply you must TL first in order to boost.

You may acquire a target lock on that ship. Then you may perform a free boost action.

The 'Then' in the boost statement makes the act sequential with the prior act.

It is however a non issue, because why would you not take the TL. As I stated earlier, this droid uses your action so taking the target lock has no downside. Then you may or may not boost.

As I stated earlier, this droid uses your action so taking the target lock has no downside.

Only thing I can think of is you have a TL on someone else you don't want to give up. There's also Kagi, not completely sure how he'd interact with this.

If he's not range 1-2 and has the ship with the droid in his fire arc, then he's not a eligible target...

I agree with your Kagi statement on target eligibility. Same idea as with FCS.

If you activate R7-T1:

Choose an enemy ship at range 1-2. (Note that you can choose ANY enemy, even if you are not on its fire arc).

If you are inside that ship's firing arc, you may acquire a free a target lock on that ship. (inside arc is a requisite for the TL, otherwise, taking the TL is optional).

Then, you may perform a free boost action. (From the wording it seems no requisites other than choosing a ship a range 1-2).

So it looks like a boost action whenever you have ship at range 1-2 from you. And if you are inside its fire arc, you may take a free target lock on it.

Same idea as with FCS.

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

The more I think the more I'm convinced that the TL isn't optional, you have to TL to get the boost action.

Otherwise it would be cleaner to word it like this.

"You may preform a TL. You may preform a boost action." The Then ties the 2nd action to the first action. But it is possible that the Then is a reference to timing and not requirement.

And the next may creates an option for the next part of the action.

So the boost may be optional, but I'm still not sure the TL is. Given the way the two lines are written, it seems like a if/then statement.

So you may preform a TL action, and if you do, then you may preform a boost action.

If I understand you correctly we agree about the meaning of "may" but we disagree about the meaning of "then".

IMO the word Then implies you can only do the 2nd part if you do the 1st part.

I can even agree to that statement. However i think that "doing the 1st part" means either realizing (or measuring) that you cannot TL or deciding whether or not you want to.

I do not think that meeting the firing arc condition is a requirement for boost.

Best we can do is hope for a ruling from FFG.

Edit:

But it is possible that the Then is a reference to timing and not requirement.

That is possible. It that case it says you have to acquire the TL from your position before the boost, not after.

Same idea as with FCS.

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

The more I think the more I'm convinced that the TL isn't optional, you have to TL to get the boost action.

Otherwise it would be cleaner to word it like this.

"You may preform a TL. You may preform a boost action." The Then ties the 2nd action to the first action. But it is possible that the Then is a reference to timing and not requirement.

My problem with this is that, according to that interpretation, the first sentence is pointless.

"Choose an enemy ship at range 1-2."

If you can only boost if you target lock, and you can only TL if you are inside enemy's firing arc... Then you can only choose a target effectively when inside his firing arc... Otherwise, the ability doesn't work at all.

But the first sentence is clear in that you can choose ANY enemy ship at range 1-2, regardless of being in its firing arc or not.

As a rule of thumb in these cases I tend to play the most restrictive interpretation until FFG tell me otherwise.

In this case.

1. Check Range 1-2 limitation of ship.

2. If I meet criteria 1, am I inside the ship at Range 1-2's firing arc.

3. If I meet criteria 1 and 2 I may TL

4. If I met criteria 1 and 2 and I took the TL in stage 3, I may perform a free boost action.