[SAM2000]

Actions and Timing

The U.S.S. Grissom orbits the Genesis Planet while an away team on the surface try to attempt a mission to complete a planetary survey. A B'rel bird of prey decloaks and Kruge prepares to initiate a ship battle, just as Captain J. T. Esteban is told Your place is on the bridge

It the Star Trek universe the action can come thick and fast, but in the STCCG card game how is this managed and resolved? This short beginners guide describes in one concise document how to resolve actions and turns and decide in which order actions should occur.

The Turn
Each turn consists of the following separate steps. Once you have moved onto the next step you can’t move back.
• Start of Turn
• Card Play Phase
• Execute Orders Phase
• End of Turn Actions
• Probing
• Card Draw Phase

After reading these sections – move on to Timing and actions which gives a simple overview or what order to resolve cards.

Start of Turn
There are some cards that have their effects at the Start of Turn. This happens before any other actions. No other actions can be taken at the Start of Turn

Process Ore
Plays on an Ore Processing Unit. Start of each turn, if you control this Nor at a planet location and you have a matching ENGINEER or SECURITY personnel unopposed here, you may "process ore." Discard one card from hand, place bottom card of discard pile beneath draw deck or out-of-play, then draw up to two cards.

Card Play Phase
Each player gets one normal card play each turn. In your turn you can use the Normal Card Play to play the following card types can be played

-Report* a personnel card
-Report a ship card
-Report an Equipment card
-Play an Event card
-Play an Incident card
-Play an Objective card

The term report (or report for duty) is used to refer to playing a personnel, ship or equipment. These cards have to play to a valid location e.g an Outpost, Headquarters or other special location e.g. The Emissary

You can also use any ability on a card that says:
-In place of a card play
-In place of a normal card play

Homefront
Seeds or plays on any homeworld. In place of a normal card play, a SECURITY personnel matching homeworld's affiliation may download here (owner draws no cards that turn). No player may attempt mission or use headquarters game text here unless they have 4 SECURITY on planet. OR Plays on table. Your personnel who have infiltration icons may report (for free) on homeworlds those icons match.

If any card uses the term plays for free or reports for free you may also play/report these cards in the card play phase either before or after your Normal Card Play. If a card says plays for free you can play as many copies of that card as you like. Most cards of this type are limited in some way, e.g. once per turn. If a card says plays for free here or at this location those cards must play at that location e.g. at the mission, time location, location of card (The Emisary). If it doesn’t say this they can play anywhere.

[FED] Office of the President
Seeds or plays on Earth. Once per turn, one Federation Ambassador, Admiral, Vice-Admiral or President OR one HQ card may play for free here. (Not duplicatable.)

The player whose turn it is can also play the follow cards or use the cards with the following game text in the Card Play Phase without using their Normal card play.

-Play a Doorway card e.g. Ready Room Door
-Use a card that says At Any Time e.g. Space Time Portal

Both players may make use of the follow cards/actions in the Card Play Phase:
-Play an Interrupt card (if the interrupt uses the game text once each turn or once each game the player may only use this text in their own turn)
-Use an At Any Time action
-Use a special download icon

Execute Orders Phase
This is the phase of the game where most of the game play takes place. This section describes the actions you can take but for full explanations consult the Rule Book or Glossary.

The player whose turn it is can take the following actions during the execute orders phase.
-Move a staffed ship
-Cloak OR Decloak a ship with a cloaking device (you may only cloak or decloak once per turn, you can’t do both)
-Beam a group or personnel/equipment cards
-Dock/undock with a spaced based facility (e.g. Oupost, nor, but not a HQ planet based station e.g. Colony)
-Begin a mission attempt
-Initiate a ship battle
-Initiate an away team battle
-Play a doorway card
-Land or take off at a planet location (only with a specific card e.g. Blue Alert)
-Land or take off from a ship (only with a specific card e.g. Engage Shuttle Operations)
-Use a “immediately probe” action

The player whose turn it is may also make use of any card as an action that says:
-Once per turn/Once each turn (or twice/thrice per turn),
-Once per game/Once each Game

Establish Landing Protocols
Seeds or plays on table. Each of your ships which has no staffing requirements may use 1 RANGE to land or take off once each turn. (Captain's Order.)

Both players may make use of the follow cards/actions in the Execute Orders Phase:
-Play an Interrupt card (if the interrupt uses the game text once each turn or once each game the player may only use this text in their own turn)
-Use an At Any Time action
-Use a special download icon
-Once every turn/twice every turn actions e.g. Minuet

Minuet
Once every turn, may "stop" up to two males present.

End of Turn Actions
Some card text resolves at the end of turn. No other actions may occur in this phase.
-Countdowns on cards owned by the player whose turn it is now count down by 1. E.g. If an opponent encountered the dilemma Friendly Fire it counts down at the end of turn of the player who seeded (owns) the card.
-Cards which say end of turn, end of each turn, end of every turn have their effect

Borg Ship
Place at furthest spaceline end. End of every turn: Attacks all ships, then moves. Worth points if destroyed in battle

Probing
Some cards refer to probing. All probing occurs at the end of the turn before card draws (unless it says immediately probe).

Promenade Shops
Non-Borg CIVILIAN personnel may report here regardless of affiliation. Any player who has a non-Borg personnel present may probe:
, , Shopping. Draw probe card.
, , Brawl. Must immediately initiate a personnel battle (if opposed by non-Borg at this site).
Any Nor: Promenade

Card Draw Phase
Each play has one Normal Card Draw once card per turn. Other cards may draw additional cards but these are not counted as normal card draws e.g. Duck Blind gives an extra card draw but Blood Oath can only be used in place of a normal card draw.

The only actions which can occur in this phase are those that say:
-In place of a card draw
-In place of a normal card draw

Borg Queen
May download A Change of Plans or a Borg drone in place of one card draw.

Each Turn and Every Turn
Some cards refer to an every occurring Once each turn and some refer to an effect occurring Once every turn.
Once Each Turn (twice each turn, once per turn, twice per turn, once per game etc) means these effects/actions only can happen in the turn of the player that controls the card.
Once Every Turn means these effects/actions occur in both players turns.

E.g.
Establish landing protocols allows you to land/take off only in the turns of the player whose turn it is (Once each turn)
Ceti Eel can be used as an action in both players turn (Twice every turn)

Ankari Spirits
Unless 3 Honor and INTEGRITY>35 present, place on ship. Now and start of each turn, kills two crew members (random selection). Cure with 3 ENGINEER and Exobiology.

Two crew are killed at the start of each the turn of the player who encountered the dilemma.

Volcanic Eruption
Place on planet if no facility is on planet. Now and start of every player's turn, randomly kills one of their personnel present. Nullified if Thermal Deflectors is in play.

One person is killed at the start of every turn (although the person killed is of the player whose turn it is)

Timing and actions
When both players are taking actions in the same turn it is important to resolve them in the correct order. Players take turns to take actions in each phase starting with the player whose turn it is. Each player may take one valid action, then the next player takes their action. If a player doesn’t want to take an action they can say pass. It is important to allow players to have the chance to pass on their actions before you move to the next action. If both players pass the turn moves to the next phase.

Here are two examples of game play and actions

Card Play Phase
Player A – Action - Reports Jean-Luc Picard to a Federation Outpost
Player B – Action – Plays Mutation to plays once each turn to discard one card and draw two.
Player A – Action – Reports for free a Starfleet Type 1 Phaser
Player B – Action – Plays Going to the Top to download a Leadership x 2 personnel
Player A – Action – Pass
Player B - Action – Pass

Execute Orders Phase
Player A – Action – Undock I.K.C. K’vort ship
Player B – Action – Pass
Player A – Action – Move staffed K’vort 8 span to the location of the U.S.S. Oberth
Player B – Action – Use At Any Time action on Space Time Portal to return the ship and crew to hand.

Note in this example is Player B had Passed Player A could have taken an action to attack the U.S.S. Oberth. Space time portal could not have been used at this point to return the ship to hand (see valid respose)

Valid Resposes
Some cards use the phrases:
…just... e.g. Data's Medals plays as a valid response to winning a battle
…at the start of... I Do Not Take Orders From You! is a valid response to the start of battle
…during... e.g. Assimilation Tubules is a valid response to an away team battle
...plays when/at... e.g. Anti-Matter Spead is a vliad response to the start of battle.

These are called valid responses and can be used immediately after another action. Valid responses however are not actions in themselves and so players still get their own action.

Execute Orders Phase
Player A – Action – Undock K’vort ship
Player B – Action – Pass
Player A – Action – Move staffed K’vort 8 span to the location of the U.S.S. Grissom
Player B – Action – Pass
Player A – Action – Initiate a ship battle v’s the U.S.S. Grissom
Player B – Valid Response – Your place is on the bridge to download a matching commander J. T. Esteban
Player A – Action finishes resolving, the B'rel has more WEAPONS than the U.S.S. Grissom has SHIELDS and damages the U.S.S. Grissom is damaged.
Player B – Action – Plays Incoming Message – Klingon on the K’Vort.

Note Incoming Message – Klingon is not a valid response to battle being initiate so Player B could not play it in response to the battle being initiated– but can play it as an action before or after the battle was initiated

Valid responses can also be used during mission attempts when dilemmas are encountered. Actions or Interrupts which nullify dilemmas are a valid response to encountering those dilemmas.

Player A – Action – Mission attempt
Player B – Reveals Dilemma – Ankari Spirits
Player A – Valid Response – Plays Cold Warriors to nullify Ankari Spirits

Suspend Play and Special Download
Some cards mention the term Suspend Play. Special download icons can also be used to suspend play to download a card. When a player uses a card that suspends play, they can announce this during another players action. The Suspend Play effect then occurs BEFORE the action which it is suspending. After the Suspend Play action resolves the other action resolves (if still possible).
Suspend play can also be used during encountering dilemmas.

What is a icon?
icon means a Special Download. A card which has a icon can Suspend Play to download (search through hand, deck, side decks) and place that card into play. If the card is a Ship, Equipment or Personnel card it can enter play anywhere at that location - that means if it is a Personnel of Equipment it can appear on any ship or facility (including opponents), at any site at a nor at this location, or on a planets surface at that space line location/mission (it can't however appear is space). If it is a ship it can appear either in space, docked or landed/carried (if another card allows). If the is for an Event, Incident or Objective that plays on a location, personnel or ship, it must play to one at this space line location/mission. If the does not target a specific personnel, ship etc. the card just plays normally e.g. on the table. can Suspend Play during a dilemma to download personnel or equipment to join an away team attempting a mission at that location.

Example 1
Player A - Action - Attempts a planet mission with an away team
Plater B - Reveals Dilemma - Scientific Method
Player A - Suspends Play - Using the Starship Enterprise to Dr. McCoy to the away team on the planets surface
Player A - Valid Response - Dr. McCoy nullifies Scientific Method as it is a medical related dilemma.

Example 2
Player A - Suspends Play - Uses Penk to Hajur to an anywhere at that location. Hajur is Downloaded onto opponents Outpost
Player A - Action - Uses The Art of Diplomacy - Once per game, you may discard incident to download one hand weapon to one of your personnel who has 2 Treachery. This allows a Hirogen Talon (Hand Weapon) to download to anywhere at this location, so it is download to Hajur on the opponents outpost.
Player A - Action - Hajor Initiates and away team battle with the Hirogen Talon.

Player A’s U.S.S. Grissom is at Earth
Player B - Action – Move the H.M.S. Bounty to Espionage Mission (Earth)
Player A – Action – Pass
Player B – Action – Initiate Ship Battle v’s the U.S.S. Grissom
Player A –Uses Q The Referee to Suspend Play – Q The Referee downloads to table Strategema
Player B – Action resolves – B'rel tries to initiate battle but attacking the U.S.S. Grissom is no longer a valid action as Strategema prevents battles being initiated at a homeworld location against a card matching the homeworld’s affiliation.

Player A – Action – Attempts a mission
Player B – Reveals Dilemma – Gomtu, Shockwae, player A only has 1 diplomacy so will be affected by the dilemma.
Player A – Uses Anya to Suspends Play – Downloads Salia
Player B – Dilemma resolves – Player A now has enough diplomacy to overcome the dilemma.

Player A – Action – Attempts a mission
Player B – Reveals Dilemma – Aphasia Device, player A only has one MEDICAL so will be affected by the dilemma.
Player A – Suspends Play - Uses Alyssa Ogawa to Download Medical Kit which gives an OFFICER present the additional skill of MEDICAL.
Player B – Dilemma resolves – Player A now has enough MEDICAL to overcome the dilemma.

Player A – Action – Attempts a mission (Espionage Mission – Earth using HQ: Secure Homeworld[/card1])
Player B – Reveals Dilemma – [card1]Barclay's Protomorphosis Disease[/card1], player A only has no MEDICAL so will be affected by the dilemma.
Player A – Uses [card1]Daniels[/card1] to Suspends Play – Downloads [card1]Out of Time[/card1]. Entire away team Time Travels to Montana Missile Complex
Player B – Dilemma resolves – There are no personnel remaining in the mission attempt dilemma does not resolve and goes back under the mission

If two suspend play actions are used at the same time the player whose turn it is resolves the suspend play first.

Thanks for reading this beginners guide. If you have any errata’s or clarifications or want to ask a question just post to this forum or PM me at sam2000.

[PantsOfTheTalShiar]

Just a little constructive feedback:

Whenever I read any rules document for a game, I want that document to convince me that the gameplay is worth the time invested in reading the rules, and that the specifics of the rules support the overall goal of the game. That's why I'm glad you included examples. The one thing you could do better in this regard is in the title/intro. I would phrase the subject as "when players can take actions" instead of something abstract like "timing" or something in the passive voice such as "when actions can be taken."
Mention "once per turn" when you discuss "each turn" vs. "every turn".
Include "Nullifies" and possibly "Plays when" under "Valid Responses".
The Alyssa Ogawa example is a little strange, since you say that the attempting player doesn't have MEDICAL, yet Alyssa Ogawa has MEDICAL.
I like your current text about probing, but I don't think probing is common enough to warrant the example. You can just refer readers to the glossary for more information about probing.
This article seems to assume that readers know what downloading is, and how works. It's probably worth explaining somewhere (possibly in a different article).

[pfti]

A couple rules issues in your examples

In your first example under timing you have player A play Picard, then Player B does mutation. This does not work because you can only do an “once each turn” action on your turn. If not specified or if “every” turn it would be a legal play.


Your first suspend play, you need to mention that only works because stratagema is a HA and when you flip one it retroactively goes back to the initiation of the action. Any other suspends play action just happens in the middle and cannot prevent initiation of actions

[SAM2000]

A couple rules issues in your examples

In your first example under timing you have player A play Picard, then Player B does mutation. This does not work because you can only do an “once each turn” action on your turn. If not specified or if “every” turn it would be a legal action

Hate to disagree with the blue man but Interrupts can be used in the play or execute orders phase as far as I'm aware. Otherwise are we ruling that any interrupt that says Once per Turn can only be played in the owners turn?
E.g A Family of Traitors

[SAM2000]

A couple rules issues in your examples
Your first suspend play, you need to mention that only works because stratagema is a HA and when you flip one it retroactively goes back to the initiation of the action. Any other suspends play action just happens in the middle and cannot prevent initiation of actions

Again I disagree about suspend play. When a suspend play occurs it resolves before the initiation if the suspended action. Here is an example

Player A - Action - Romulan Initiates a ship battle vs a Non-aligned ship.
Player B - Suspends play with Ambassador Spock of a Romulan personnel on a different ship. The personnel downloads onto the NA ship.
Player A - Action Resolves - no longer legal due to the attack restriction rules. Player A's ship is not however stopped as the attack failed to initiate

[pfti]

A couple rules issues in your examples

In your first example under timing you have player A play Picard, then Player B does mutation. This does not work because you can only do an “once each turn” action on your turn. If not specified or if “every” turn it would be a legal action

Hate to disagree with the blue man but Interrupts can be used in the play or execute orders phase as far as I'm aware. Otherwise are we ruling that any interrupt that says Once per Turn can only be played in the owners turn?
E.g A Family of Traitors

You are correct that interrupts can be played during either phase and during either players turn. However, you cannot activate a "each turn" action on your opponent's turn. so you could play mutation for its first function on your opponent's turn, but not its second.

“Every turn” means every turn of both players.
• “Each turn” means each turn of the subject of the game text

[pfti]

A couple rules issues in your examples
Your first suspend play, you need to mention that only works because stratagema is a HA and when you flip one it retroactively goes back to the initiation of the action. Any other suspends play action just happens in the middle and cannot prevent initiation of actions

Again I disagree about suspend play. When a suspend play occurs it resolves before the initiation if the suspended action. Here is an example

Player A - Action - Romulan Initiates a ship battle vs a Non-aligned ship.
Player B - Suspends play with Ambassador Spock of a Romulan personnel on a different ship. The personnel downloads onto the NA ship.
Player A - Action Resolves - no longer legal due to the attack restriction rules. Player A's ship is not however stopped as the attack failed to initiate

Your example works as long as you SD during the initiation phase of battle, if you did it later, you could not invalidate the battle with the SD.

[SAM2000]

A couple rules issues in your examples

In your first example under timing you have player A play Picard, then Player B does mutation. This does not work because you can only do an “once each turn” action on your turn. If not specified or if “every” turn it would be a legal action

Hate to disagree with the blue man but Interrupts can be used in the play or execute orders phase as far as I'm aware. Otherwise are we ruling that any interrupt that says Once per Turn can only be played in the owners turn?
E.g A Family of Traitors

You are correct that interrupts can be played during either phase and during either players turn. However, you cannot activate a "each turn" action on your opponent's turn. so you could play mutation for its first function on your opponent's turn, but not its second.

“Every turn” means every turn of both players.
• “Each turn” means each turn of the subject of the game text

Ahhh. I've seen a lot of people playing this wrong then and Mutating all over the place during my turns - so from now on I will insist on more genetic stability!

So to be clear you may not use any game text on an Interrupt that says Once per Turn or Once Per Game e.g. Tag, A Family of Traitors

[SAM2000]

ERRATA:

-New introduction added for flavour.
-Example with Alyssa Ogawa changed to make more sense
-Strategema timing example corrected and extended.
-Info box on added
-Additional examples for valid responses

[9of24]

A few notes for you.

End-of-turn actions happen before your normal card draw. Your normal card draw is the last thing that happens during your turn.

Probing which doesn't happen immediately, is also an end-of-turn action. You may also want to include the fact that, with the exception of 'immediately probe' cards, you announce all of the cards you are probing for and then reveal only one probe card and use it to determine the results of all the cards you are probing for.

[commdecker]

The phrases "once per turn" and "once per game" do not denote when you are allowed to do their associated actions. They might be allowed on the opponent's turn, or they might not, but that depends on other text that might also be on the card -- not the "once per" phrase itself. If it says "each turn", that limits you to your own turns. If it says "every turn" or "at any time", then it's also allowed on your opponent's turn.

A Family Of Traitors says neither, so it's whenever you play it. Since it's an interrupt, that can be on opponent's turn.

Defend Homeworld (downloading a SECURITY) says neither, so it's when you do the download. This is not when you play the card, nor is it when you flip the card. It's when you decide to use that text on the card after it is already face up. This is part of executing orders (using the cards you have in play), and for that reason it can only be during your turn.

[SAM2000]

The phrases "once per turn" and "once per game" do not denote when you are allowed to do their associated actions. They might be allowed on the opponent's turn, or they might not, but that depends on other text that might also be on the card -- not the "once per" phrase itself. If it says "each turn", that limits you to your own turns. If it says "every turn" or "at any time", then it's also allowed on your opponent's turn.

A Family Of Traitors says neither, so it's whenever you play it. Since it's an interrupt, that can be on opponent's turn.

Defend Homeworld (downloading a SECURITY) says neither, so it's when you do the download. This is not when you play the card, nor is it when you flip the card. It's when you decide to use that text on the card after it is already face up. This is part of executing orders (using the cards you have in play), and for that reason it can only be during your turn.

Once per turn and once each turn are synonymous, so A Familiy of Traitors can only be used in your turn.

While you can download and flip Defend Homeword, you can use its text as in does not say At Any Time, and as it is not a interrupt it then by default can't be used in your opponents turn to download a SECURITY. The other function is avalid response to battle.

It's funny that in doing this document for beginners we have identified a lot of ways in which people play timing and actions incorrectly

[soggy_amphibian]

It's funny that in doing this document for beginners we have identified a lot of ways in which people play timing and actions incorrectly

Sounds about par for course in 1e discussion

[SAM2000]

A few notes for you.

End-of-turn actions happen before your normal card draw. Your normal card draw is the last thing that happens during your turn. .

Sections reorganised.

Thanks to all for feed back, I think this method or writing articles where everyone contributes is very valuable both to get a good end product and to identify ways in which we don't play correctly and avoid misconceptions (like the horror or the Quark's isolines rods debate )

If there is one thing I like about 2e it's the simple addition of one word. order

[Latok]

Once per turn and once each turn are synonymous, so A Familiy of Traitors can only be used in your turn.

A Family of Traitors doesn't say 'Once per turn' though.