Romulan Cloak vs. Plasma Special Action

[Asguard101]

I have a question, and it may be I'm misunderstanding what rules have been presented so far.

If I have read everything correctly you may only do one special action per turn. So the Romulans have to choose between Rearming Plasmas and Cloaking.

Is this correct?

 

[Iron Domokun]

Basically, that's correct. According to Tony L. "Scoutdad" Thomas, here's how it works:

Turn 1: Use cloak special action and fade-out
Turn 2: Cloak fully operational, use Reload special action
Turn 3: Use Uncloak special action and launch the torpedo

So you don't need to use the Cloak action every turn, you just turn it on and off with special actions. While cloaked, you can use Reload.

 

[Asguard101]

Basically, that's correct. According to Tony L. "Scoutdad" Thomas, here's how it works:

Turn 1: Use cloak special action and fade-out
Turn 2: Cloak fully operational, use Reload special action
Turn 3: Use Uncloak special action and launch the torpedo

So you don't need to use the Cloak action every turn, you just turn it on and off with special actions. While cloaked, you can use Reload.

My concern is, in SFU, it takes three turns to reload plasmas. In a typucall SFU battle cloacking and reloading can start at the same time. To require you to have to wait till the round after you start cloaking would add a extra turn to the rearm process. Unless Plasma are only a two round reload? Which may be where I am lost, since the I haven't seen any of the relaod times yet.

 

[tneva82]

Basically, that's correct. According to Tony L. "Scoutdad" Thomas, here's how it works:

Turn 1: Use cloak special action and fade-out
Turn 2: Cloak fully operational, use Reload special action
Turn 3: Use Uncloak special action and launch the torpedo

So you don't need to use the Cloak action every turn, you just turn it on and off with special actions. While cloaked, you can use Reload.

My concern is, in SFU, it takes three turns to reload plasmas. In a typucall SFU battle cloacking and reloading can start at the same time. To require you to have to wait till the round after you start cloaking would add a extra turn to the rearm process. Unless Plasma are only a two round reload? Which may be where I am lost, since the I haven't seen any of the relaod times yet.

Well seeing that we are talking about call to arms I'm relatively sure that reload in ACTASF are one turn action. You basically either have weapons loaded(and ergo you can shoot) or you don't. No "I have reloaded 2/3 turns so need to reload once more). Less bookkeeping.

Ergo you shoot, next turn you cloak, then you reload, then you pop out and fire away. After shooting you therefore need 2 turns without shooting if you want to do it in safety of cloak.

Of course I could be wrong. This is just based on how call to arms has previously worked.

 

[Rambler]

Plasmas have the Reload Trait so they are 2 turn arming weapons in ACTA:SF instead of 3. You only have to use the Cloak Special Action once to turn it on and for the remainder of that turn your are fading out. Next turn you use the Reload Special Action and you are still fully cloaked. The second turn after you Cloaked you now have fully armed plasma and simply turn off your cloak and fire. Next turn you can start the process of cloaking all over again.

Turn 1 - Special Action - Engage Cloak - Partial Cloak Bonus
Turn 2 - Special Action - Reload Weapons - Full Cloak Bonus
Turn 3 - Special Action - Desingage Cloak and fire Plasma. - Partial Cloak Bonus and Gain Bonus Movement from cloak. There is a a special scatter placement allowed because cloak movement is not blind.

Edit: Reread rules you can only use the Reload or Disengage Cloak Special Actions while cloaked.

 

[Asguard101]

Cool thanks. That balance sounds pretty good. I'll be glad when I get my ACTA:SF so I can read through all the rules, instead of gleaming pieces of them.

 

[scoutdad]

relaoding Plasma Torpedoes in ACTA is indeed a one turn Special Action.
If you do not feel the need to cloak, you can fire your torps every other turn:
Turn 1: Launch
Turn 2: Reload
Turn 3: Launch
Turn 4: Reload
Turn 5: Launch
etc

@Dal: I think you mis-typed.
The Disengage Cloak special action can only be used while cloaked.
The Reload special action can also be used while cloaked, but being cloaked is not required to use reload.

also, you need to reread the disengage cloak rules.
In early drafts, the stealth bonus wasreduced while disengaging (i.e., uncloaking). In the final version (see poage 21 of the pocket rulebook):
To disengage the cloak, a ship must use the Disengage Cloak! Special Action at the start
of its turn. The ship may be moved up to 6 inches in any direction and turned up to 45o in
any direction and may not move further this turn – the enemy never knows exactly where a
cloaked ship is or where it may reveal itself. It loses the Stealth trait but may fire normally.(emphasis minie).
uncloaked ships get no stealth bonus.