Card clarifications

[Vlancer]

Hi there,

After looking through the alpha rulebook, I carefully read all the cards that were spoilered at the very successful kickstarter campaign. First of all let me thank CMON for all this information - it got me really interested in this game. But I also found some card wordings or rules that are not clear to me. Maybe I just misunderstand things (I'm not a native speaker, so this is very possible), maybe these are non issues because the texts are not final, but I hope it is helpful in some way. Here we go:

Genetic Bio-Enhancer (Upgraded Bio-Enhancer)
"Double 1 Troop's power for 1 Combat"

Do you double the troops BASE power (that is printed on the troop's card) or do you double the power with all modifications, such as weapons?

RDM "Lazarus" Med Pack (Upgraded Med Pack)
"Play when a troop would be killed to instead move that troop to the end of the lane. Heal that troop 1 at the start of each combat this round"

First, I found the term "Heal that troop 1" a bit odd. Since the rulebook tells you to put Damage tokens on the cards, maybe it would be more elegant to say "Remove 1 damage token". But this is only a minor nitpick.
I am more confused about the remaining damage tokens on the troop. The rulebook says: "If the total damage dealt to a card is equal to or greater than its Hit Points, it is killed..." So my ranger has 5 damage tokens, but only 3 Hit Points, so it would be killed. The "Lazarus" Med Pack now tells me that the troop is not killed, but moved to the end of my lane. Do all 5 damage tokens initially stay on the ranger? Do I heal the troop to the minimum of 1 HP by removing all but 2 damage tokens?

Brigadier General Krueger (Heroic "Ajax" Battle Suit)
"When this troop is killed, deal 1 enemy in Lane damage equal to its power, and all troops in lane gain +2 power this round"

Maybe this is a stupid question, but whose power is addressed by "its power": The power of the troop (General Krueger) or the power of the enemy? My common sense tells me it must be General Kruegers damage...

Lieutenant "Doombringer" Harkins (Heroic "Hyperion" Assault Battery)
"Once per round, deal the first enemy in lane, and the first troop in lane, 8 damage"

May I use this power on a lane of another player? On most cards, I interpret "in lane" as "in your lane" or "in this lane". I am just a bit confused on Mr. Harkins, because the "unheroic" "Hyperion" Assault Battery can very clearly use its power on enemies in another player's lane.

Paratrooper / "Erebus" Stealth suit / Captain "Blitzkrieg" Echo
"You may deploy this troop any time you could play an instant"

The text itself is not confusing me - I just wondered why the paratrooper is the only troop with this mechanic with the addition "When this card is deployed, it may be placed at front of lane, moving all troops back 1 zone"
Do the other troops not have this option? Can you only deploy them on a free space at the end of the lane? Or was this sentence just omitted from them for space purposes?

Med bot
Instant - "Deploy this card as you would a troop"

The "Instant" keyword is the confusing part here. I would normally deploy a troop in the deployment phase, so do I have to deploy the med bot there, or can I really throw him in the battle like a paratrooper? The upgraded med bot does not have the "Instant" keyword anymore, so maybe it was a mistake on the basic version of the card?

Scout sniper
"All other troops in lane receive +1 power"

This is just a small elegance suggestion: Instead of "all other troops", why not just write "all troops", and lower the base damage of the sniper by one. This way, the calculations for total power get less confusing, especially with more than one sniper, in my opinion.

Deathmaw (Bonus enemy)
"Reveal: Equip this card to the first troop in lane and move that troop tothe front of the enemy lane. Any time this enemy is dealt combat damage, the equipped troop sufferes half (rounded up) of that damage instead. If this enemy is killed place the equipped troop at the end of your lane."

Lots of text here, and I just cannot understand it. Your first troop gets converted and moved to the front of the enemy lane, and the deathmaw becomes an equipment of the troop. Okay, so now I have to fight my own troop. How can the deathmaw now receive any combat damage? Can you target the troop OR the deathmaw? Is does not seem to matter that much, because the troop will suffer some damage instead. How can the deathmaw then be killed with the troop being still alive, so the last part of the ability can kick in?


Sorry for my wall of text - I hope it was helpful for somebody out there.

 

[AndSomeDoug]

Thank you Vlancer for taking the time to go through these things. Sometimes unclear descriptive text can really bog a game down, or even stall a game completely.
I would hope the game is as clear as possible before launch

 

[Ramsay]

In the case of the Death Maw, It reads "The Equipped Troop" So I believe it is saying, equip the troop to the death maw, and fight it normally, only, if you do 4 damage, 2 of that is placed on your troop, and 2 onto death maw. Until Death Maw is killed, once killed remove the equipped troop, and place it at the end of your lane again, (Assuming it's not dead)

 

[Vlancer]

Yes, this would make sense, and I would understand this enemy even thematically - he grabs your troop and uses him as a shield to block some combat damage. But if this is true, the first sentences of Deathmaws card are more than misleading: "Reveal: Equip this card to the first troop in lane and move that troop to the front of the enemy lane." Actually, it had to be the other way round, something like: "Take the first troop in lane and equip it to this enemy."

 

[Leif]

@Vlancer: I appreciate the questions, we will see about clarifying these. Here are the short answers for each clarification.

Genetic Bio-Enhancer (Upgraded Bio-Enhancer)
"Double 1 Troop's power for 1 Combat"

A: Double the total, not just his base power.

RDM "Lazarus" Med Pack (Upgraded Med Pack)
"Play when a troop would be killed to instead move that troop to the end of the lane. Heal that troop 1 at the start of each combat this round"

A: It should say "Heal that troop to 1 health. So it is placed at back of lane with one health.

Brigadier General Krueger (Heroic "Ajax" Battle Suit)
"When this troop is killed, deal 1 enemy in Lane damage equal to its power, and all troops in lane gain +2 power this round"

A: "it's power" is referring to Krueger's power.

Lieutenant "Doombringer" Harkins (Heroic "Hyperion" Assault Battery)
"Once per round, deal the first enemy in lane, and the first troop in lane, 8 damage"

A: Yes you can use this ability on any lane, unless the card specifically states "In this lane" (example:shotgun).

Paratrooper / "Erebus" Stealth suit / Captain "Blitzkrieg" Echo
"You may deploy this troop any time you could play an instant...

A: When you deploy troops at the buying/deployment step you can reorder them but can never move them without a card effect during combat. Thus its import to show this card can move other cards back when it is placed down during combat.

Med bot
Instant - "Deploy this card as you would a troop"

A: Here Instant is incorrect word, it should say Medical (as it is a medical type of card). It also does not have the instant ability so you are correct about that.

Scout sniper
"All other troops in lane receive +1 power"

A: Suggestion noted, well see because there are effects we are working on that effect wording such as this. But I do appreciate the suggestion.

Deathmaw (Bonus enemy)
"Reveal: Equip this card to the first troop in lane and move that troop tothe front of the enemy lane. Any time this enemy is dealt combat damage, the equipped troop sufferes half (rounded up) of that damage instead. If this enemy is killed place the equipped troop at the end of your lane."

A: This text is still in its development, we will be changing the text on it to clarify, which will be shown on an update more then likely.

 

[Vlancer]

Hey Leif, thank you very much for your nice answers. I am very hyped for this game, can't wait until it's release, and hope that my questions help in some way.

Just for clarification: Can you deploy the "Erebus" Stealth suit and Captain "Blitzkrieg" Echo exactly the same way as you can deploy the paratrooper? Or is the paratrooper the only troop that can be placed at the front of the lane, since it is the only card that specifically says so?

All other questions were answered very clearly, thanks a lot. I am looking forward to the final version of the Deathmaw, (and maybe even some additional card spoilers?) in a new awesome update. ;-)


Edit: Sorry, another question after reading your answers and all cards again. In your answer for "Doombringer" Harkins card, you explained that you can use abilies on any lane unless they specifically state "in this lane", like the shotgun. I wonder if this is really true for all cards that only say "in lane". Examples:

"Vindicator" armor - "When this troop is killed, deal 1 enemy in lane damage equal to half this troop's total HP". Can you really target enemies in another player's lane with this ability? It seems weird thematically. In this case, it seems that you can omit the words "in lane" completely.

"Lifeguard" armor - "Discard this armor to heal 1 troop in lane equal to half this troop's total HP". Same case here, if you can use this ability on ANY troop, why even mention "in lane" on the card?

There are more examples, like "Med Bot" (All troops in lane gain +2 HP), Pulsar bomb (Deal the first enemy in lane 3 damage and cancel any reveal effects it has), or "Ajax" Battle suit (Once per round, if this troop kills an enemy, all troops in lane gain +2 power this round).

Maybe you can take a look at these cards, and see if all of them can really effect any lane.

 

[Leif]

@Vlancer the term 'In Lane' refers to the lane they are in. So it won't say in this lane, as that extra word may be clearer but is a bit redundant and we are tight on word spacing. We are in the process of cutting down phrasing as much as possible. But I will see if we cant add a clause in the rules to clarify this as well.

On your first question I will speak with Mr. Black about the wording on erebus/echo....room is tight on those cards and it does need to be clear.

 

[Vlancer]

Quill Beast
"This enemy deals 1 damage to the first 3 troops in lane when it attacks"

This question is a copy-paste and as asked by Neil NG in the kickstarte campaign: "Does the quill beast deal 1 damage to first on top of its 2 attack or is it in place. Former seems too weak, latter seems too strong." I agree - with the additional damage, this enemy would deal 5 damage while having 6 health, this is stronger than any normal wave 2 enemy,

Instant effects BETWEEN combat rounds

According to the rules, all players have an opportunity to play instant cards or abilities before the third step of combat, the fight, begins. If the troop and the enemy both survive the combat, they fight again until someone is defeated (or both). Can you interrupt the fight with instant cards / abilities, or is your next opportunity for this only after someone was defeated? This can matter as in this example: The enemy is a berserker with 8 health, and he deals 6 damage plus additional damage equal to the total amount of damage on it. Lets say my troop has also 6 damage and 8 health, and I have a instant hi-ex granade that deals 3 damage to any enemy. If I throw the grenade before the fight starts, the berserker gains 3 additional damage and killd my troop with one attack. If I let the fight happen without playing my card, they both kill each other (both have 2 health left after the first combat round). If I can wait for the first combat round, and THEN throw my grenade, my troop still lives with 2 health. I don't know if the rules allow that.

Armory
"Wave 2: All Armor cards receive -1 cost..." (as shown in the kickstarter mechanics video)

Is the cost of armor cards reduced for all players, or just for the player that controls the armory division?

Healing lethal damage

If my troop has no wounds and 6 health, and the enemy deals 6 damage, can I use HEALING abilities like "Medical Shuttle" or "Stim Pack", or just PREVENTION abilities like "Med Pack", to save my troop?

Troop deals damage before enemies + enemy deals damage before troops?

I guess this one may be obvious - what happens if my troop deals its damage first (like an "Erebus" stealth suit, or someone with an assault rifle) and the enemy deals its damage first, too (like a Wave 1 swarmer)? They deal their damage at the same time again, right?

 

[Vlancer]

I have just seen the recent update on kickstarter, with an updated text on the Deathmaw card (along with lots of other stuff). The effect is now very clear, so all questions for this card are answered:

"Reveal: Discard any equipment on the first troop in lane, and then equip that troop to this enemy. When this enemy is dealt combat damage, the equipped troop suffers 2 damage. If this enemy is killed, place the equipped troop at the end of your lane."

 

[Echosilence]

Less of a clarification and more of maybe a question of balance?

Reading through the Command Center Division Card the wave 3+ ability states it can kill any revealed enemy once per game at the cost of the base suffering 4 damage.
Sounds kind of strong if you save it to just negate a Hive Boss i.e. Onslaught. But then again that could be the intent, and if so maybe make Onslaught Immune to Division powers?

Just food for thought, I know you guys have massively play tested the game so maybe it works out without changes.

 

[Vlancer]

I just keep adding some questions. Even if they don't get answered now, while the game is under developement, they may still be helpful.

Med Bay
"Wave 3+: Whenever you would heal or prevent damage, increase that amount by 1"

Does this only affect your tech and medical cards, or troop effects and psychogenics, too? I noticed that tech and medical cards are worded "Heal the troop up to 2 damage" or "Prevent the next 2 damage", while the "Regeneration" card says: "THIS TROOP heals 1 HP", or the "Field Medic" says: "THIS TROOP may prevent up to 2 damage". Does this make a difference?

Telekinesis
"Once per round, this troop may place 1 card from your discard pile into your hand..."

This is a copy from the kickstarter discussions: Does this word only for items, or for troop cards, too?

Mind Control
"Once per combat, this troop may choose to deal no damage to the enemy..."

Just a nitpick: Why is there a limitation "Once per combat"? As I understand the rules, one combat lasts until one or both of the combatants change. Normally, when the troop dies, or the alien, or both. In this case, when the special ability works and the troop survives, the enemy gets "mind controlled", moves in front of the troop (with mind control), and becomes a troop for 1 combat. So if Mind Control is used, the combat ends for sure, so even trying to use it twice in the same combat is impossible.

Barracks
"Wave 3+: Once per round, you may deploy 1 troop card as if it were an instant"

Can you drop this troop in any position like the front (moving all troops back 1 zone), or just in empty slots, which can naturally only exist behind the troops?


Thanks for your patience.

 

[whincks]

Hey all, not sure if this is the best place for FAQ type questions, but here we go.

With the Cerberus Arm Blade it says that 'at the start of each fight step the troop does one damage to any enemy it is in combat with'. Is this 'pre-damage' so that I could actually kill a creature with 1 HP before it ever gets to damage me? When my troop does his normal damage do I ALSO still add 1 to my damage (so in essence the arm is giving me two bonus damage)?

Finally, If there is a ShieldSwarm in play (reduce the damage all enemies suffer by 1). Will it reduce the 'early' damage from the arm to 0 and then ALSO reduce the normal damage that the troop does as well?

 

[worldeater47]

I also have some questions that have come up in my games of this.

Multiple of these boil down to what is the duration of a "Combat" is it the full combat phase, each individual fight, reset when someone advances? What does it mean to be in combat with someone (is my unit at the front of the lane in combat with a stalker if there is someone else in the lane?)

Grafts/Psychogenics - Can you have multiple copies of the same card attached (it says you can have any number attached to a unit so can i have all 5 arm blades on one unit and therefore have 5 instances of 1 damage at the start of every fight step)

When are you allowed to play instants, are there specific windows if so is there one after checking for advancement but before drawing cards (at the end of a round when switching waves can I burn all of my xenosathem in my discard to get new ones before I shuffle my discard into my deck)

If all damage from an enemy or troop is prevented is the target considered to be damaged (I would assume no but want to confirm because never referenced).

Bomber
Are items considered effects or just activated abilities (I assume they are).

Regeneration
"This troop heals 1 hp at the beginning of each combat" is this each fight (multiple times per opponent card) (if so does it trigger during other players combat phases), whenever the combatants change(again during others phase?), each combat phase (per player, or total)

Mind Control
"Once per combat this troop may choose to deal no damage to the enemy. If it survives, move the first enemy in the enemy lane to the front of your lane. That enemy becomes a troop for 1 combat."
When does the second part trigger (immediately after you would do damage, at the start of the next fight step?). Also does this prevent all damage you would do for the combat round or only one instance (can I cancel the damage an arm blade would do then still punch them and steal them).

Booster Injector
"1 Troop deals +3 damage during it's next combat this round" does this effects the units abilities, it's wording suggests it does otherwise like every other effect that buffs damage it would be +3 power (big thing for this do my cerberus arm blades now hit for 4 each and charon wipe the full board)

Void Mine
Can you place this in front of your troops at the start of the round so the first enemy triggers it or would your troops auto move forward into the bomb and die.

TSP "Lifeguard" Armor
"Discard this card to heal 1 troop in your lane equal to half this Troop's Total HP". Do you include the health buff from the Lifeguard armor in the healing, can you heal the troop equipped with it, if the troop with the armor has 1 health left and you discard the armor to heal itself will it heal or die do to the damage being marked on it (when is death checked for)

Mk1 "Ol' Fashioned" Chainsaw
When your attack "Tramples" if it kills a second troop does it keep going to the third (and maybe fourth) troop