Characters/Maneuvers on others' turns

[maddsurgeon]

Hi!

Just picked this up the other night; it's a lot of fun but we were a bit confused about the way combat works.

The rulebook says that "Battling players can play Characters and Maneuvers" during a Player Battle. Do these characters/maneuvers add their game text effects, or just their Speed/Attack/Diplomacy/Shields?

The scenario:

It's my opponent's turn and she flips a War. Can I use a Diagnostic Check to look for better cards to use in the battle, or can I only use the Diagnostic Check's ability during my own turn? If I play Tomalak, do I get to remove a character from her Bridge?

Thanks!

[hankahn]

Welcome to the game!

My understanding is if you play a character or maneuver during a battle with an ability on it, you can use it whether you are the active player or not. So in your example, both cards abilities could be used. This is how my group has been playing it.

Hope this helps. If it turns out I am wrong feel free to correct me.

[Mr. Domino]

Hankahn is absolutely correct here - all game effects on a crew or maneuver played during a player battle are effective immediately once they hit the board. This is what makes the timing of cards during a War so important. If you start off with Deanna, you can potentially get rid of a really nasty crew effect your opponent was getting ready to unleash, like Worf, which would allow them to upgrade a maneuver and still play it from their hand.

Also great is having Diagnostic Check in hand, along with someone like Beverly or K'ehleyr that would allow you to stack your deck. Transporters also work great to bring a "General" character like Picard or Gowron out of your discard pile, and Tractor Beams force everyone to discard. The various card effects are a big part of what can make Wars so interesting in this game.

Now, its also important to note that ONLY characters and maneuvers can be played in the context of a War event - Setups like Starfleet Academy, Peak Performance, and System Improvements are not allowed. Best to just hold them in your hand until your turn, when they'll be most effective.