cloaking

[storeylf]

Something was noted in the tactics section and made me wonder whether it can be done.

I'm fading in. During the other functions my fade will disappear and I will be fully visible. I can also declare cloak in the other functions. Does that mean I can fade in and then immediately declare a cloak to get the fade out effect back prior to anything else happening?

Off hand I can see nothing to stop it in the rules, but a clarification would be nice as it sounds like one of those things that might not have been intended, and will fall foul of some clarified order of events ruling.

[Mike]

The only way I can see where this tactic would not be allowed would be if a ruling/clarification is made that says that a ship can either fade in or out during the Other Functions phase, but not do both.

[Savedfromwhat]

I believe that there is an example of this in the reference rule book and that this is exactly how it works but you can only turn your cloak on once per turn so it would have had to have been activated on a prior turn.

[duxvolantis]

Something was noted in the tactics section and made me wonder whether it can be done.

I'm fading in. During the other functions my fade will disappear and I will be fully visible. I can also declare cloak in the other functions. Does that mean I can fade in and then immediately declare a cloak to get the fade out effect back prior to anything else happening?

Off hand I can see nothing to stop it in the rules, but a clarification would be nice as it sounds like one of those things that might not have been intended, and will fall foul of some clarified order of events ruling.

If this is legal there is an advantage to doing so. If you declare dropping cloak on Impulse 7 (and began fading in) and then declared cloaking on the Other Fuctions of Impluse 8 (thereby starting your fade-out) you would be "required" to pay for 4 impulses--allowing you to pre-pay out of unexpended energy for the first 4 impulses of the next turn.

Depending on the power at hand (which is often prodigious on a plasma ship holding or rolling torps) this might be entirely possible even at speed 16.

[storeylf]

The above note had occured to me as being one useful feature. The other useful tactic would be to play call my bluff - uncloak and see if he fires during the fade in (before he would have to turn out of arc to outrun any plasma, or risks losing weapons after being hit by plasma). If he fires then you can uncloak much more safely, if he holds fire you can recloak again rather than take full hit.

This is more useful in multi ship battles, uncloaking one ship can force the enemy to respond by turning to attack that ship, which can then just recloak to gain some safety, other romulan ships can then potentially uncloak in safety as the enemy is now out of position after the turn to first ship.

[Mike]

Sounds as if you should write this up as a command note and submit it. A lot of players decry the Romulans and claim they have few advantages with cloak and plasma. Any tips like this would be helpful to them.

[terryoc]

Even if you are not cloaked to begin with, cloaking late in the turn can pre-pay some of the cloak cost for next turn.

[Hod K'el]

Even if you are not cloaked to begin with, cloaking late in the turn can pre-pay some of the cloak cost for next turn.

Hey! I think you hit on something gooood! Even for Orions!

[mjwest]

To address both of the issues present:

Yes, you may begin cloaking again even if you are currently in a "fade-in" impulse. Note the restriction that you may only "turn on" the cloaking device once a turn. Within that, you may do as the original poster desired.

Yes, you may cloak late in a turn in order to pay for cloak "this turn" even though 1-3 impulses paid for will actually be "next turn". This is completely legitimate.

EDIT: Fixed the "fade-in/out" mistake.

[Savedfromwhat]

I am still amazed at how brilliant you people really are I love this thread.

[Kang]

Yes, you may begin cloaking again even if you are currently in a "fade-out" impulse.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it is a rules question - I presume you mean "fade-in" impulse?

And to further clarify, say I begin fading-in in the Other Functions phase of Impulse #3, the declaration of re-cloaking would occur in the Other Functions phase of Impulse #4. When will the ship be fully cloaked by?

The way I read it, it's

Impulse #2: Cloaked
Impulse #3: Declare uncloaking; ship is fading-in
Impulse #4: Declare cloaking
Impulse #5: Ship is fading-out again
Impulse #6: Ship is fully cloaked

Alternatively, as above, but
Impulse #6: Declare uncloaking; ship is fading back in again
Impulse #7: Ship is fully uncloaked (cannot re-declare cloaking this turn)

All the above are the situation in the Other Functions Phase of the respective impulses.

Have I got that right?

Finally, does the fact that the ship begins a turn cloaked count as its one allowed cloaking declaration for the turn? I don't think it does....

[storeylf]

Impulse #2: Cloaked
Impulse #3: Declare uncloaking; ship is fading-in
Impulse #4: Fully Fades in, immediately declare cloaking, ship is fading out (effectively there is no gap)
Impulse #5: Ship is fully cloaked (in the other functions phase)

[mjwest]

I fixed my prior message on fade-in/out.

Staying cloaked at the beginning of a turn does not count as the one time you can turn it on.

Storey got it on the sequence. The key to remember is that the fade impulses go from the Other Functions phase to the Other Functions phase. So, if uncloaking is declared in Impulse #3, then the fade-in impulse goes from Other Functions of Impulse #3 to Other Functions of Impulse #4. So, in Storey's sequence, the "fade-out" impulse goes from the Other Functions phase of Impulse #4 to the Other Functions phase of Impulse #5. The ship is fully cloaked starting in the Other Functions phase of Impulse #5.

The other thing to remember is that the ship will be in a "fade" impulse for two consecutive impulses by doing this. (Fade-in from Other Functions of Impulse #3 to Other Functions of Impulse #4, and fade-out from Other Functions of Impulse #4 to Other Functions of Impulse #5.)

[Mike]

Okay, so besides possibly faking the opponent into moving in for the kill and firing or whatever, is there anything the cloaked ship can actually DO if it pulls off this "cloaked-fade in-immediately fade out-cloaked" sequence over three Impulses?

[storeylf]

If by 'do' you mean fire/launch etc - no, you are going to be under all the restrictions of fade/cloak.