I was listening to The Chance Cube podcast where they featured The Women in Gaming round table discussion and I think it was Amanda who said that as an opponent, you could shuffle and cut a deck before the initial 5 card hand draw during setup. An argument broke out between her and her opponent about it.
Now, I had read the rules, and even went back to confirm on the Rules Reference page 13 to confirm my suspicions. And, I was correct. Under the heading Setup, step 3, you shuffle your own deck and then draw 5 cards. There is nothing in there about cutting or shuffling your opponents deck. And then, I thought, Amanda’s a smart player, she had to get her information from somewhere. So, I looked in the tournament regulations, and it can be found in the setup section there. Yes, you can shuffle and cut your opponents deck.
So, this got me thinking. There are many things in this game that aren’t clearly spelled out. Fantasy Flight Games is famous for this. They use different terms for the same thing (or, better yet, timing window). And, they can be rather vague in how certain cards interact with each other. For example, in X-Wing Miniatures, it took them 4 years to give the players a timing flowchart. This blog post should help clarify some misunderstandings and confusions that players may be having.
So, for the players new to Fantasy Flight Game systems, I offer this first bit of advice. Read all three rules documents. The rulesheet has great, but basic, information that if you don’t know, can trip you up. For example, on the Rules Reference card, it doesn’t specify that Focus sides only affect your dice. Then, read the rules reference on FFG’s website. This contains a much more detailed explanation of how the game works, cards interact, and common issues with specific cards. The rules reference is a living document, updated regularly, so make sure you keep checking it if your specific issue isn’t addressed. Finally, take a look at the tournament regulations. Even if you are not a tournament player, many players who are will play casual games with a more tournament-centered focus in mind, so reading this document will be a help to all players.
The biggest piece of advice is to pay attention to what cards can affect what. For example, the re-roll ability on Jabba the Hutt (AW20) can work on any Yellow die in play. Yes, this includes your opponent’s, because it specifically says “a” die, not “your” or “opponents”. The same thing applies to the Jetpack (AW66) special. If the only die showing melee damage is yours, and you use the special, you must remove your melee die (so you use the die first, then use Jetpack). Speaking of Jetpack, did you realize that you can use it’s special side even if there are no dice showing melee and still give your character 1 shield? Well, you can because it’s an “and” ability… not a “then” ability.
Finally, pay attention to cards interactions, and also how they don’t interact. There are wonky interactions that don’t make a lot of sense. Rey (AW38) cannot take additional actions if she plays an upgrade on herself with Imperial Armory (AW169) (she must pass any action(s) she gains). However, claiming Emperor’s Throne Room (AW167) allows you to fully resolve the special on the Millennium Falcon (AW49) die (including playing the event from hand or discard pile). Also, the including of inherent dice abilities like that on Diplomatic Immunity (AW50) may throw people for a loop, especially if played using Poe Dameron’s (AW29) special ability.
Yes, for novice players the nuances of the game can be confusing, and I hope that this blog confuses you even more so that you go and take the time to read, reread, and reread again all the rules and reference materials that Fantasy Flight Games has provided. We were all in your shoes at one point. And, let your opponent know you are new to the game, most are nice players who are there to help you learn the game.
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