Hello, I've recently started to play some faction that utilize strategos, and I wanted to understand something. Strategos is an optional automatic skill that is not a private information, but what happen when interacting with the LT private information? I know that most of the times who have strategos is crystal clear, but I do need to declare who is using the skill or for the sake of the "private information" about the LT I can just say "My LT use strategos to keep an extra piece behind during deployment?"
Strategos is Public information, and shows up in the courtesy list. Strategos can only be used if the troop that has it is the Lt. So... it's self-revealing
Strategos is Open Information that is you must inform the opponent that you are using it. In order to use it the model using the skill must be the LT. Your opponent will therefore know that your LT has the Strategos Skill which in most cases will give away which which trooper is you LT. You could possibly mask which trooper is the LT by taking another profile that has the same wip and also the strategos skill or taking something with holomask and deploying a second version of the same profile. I don't think there are any profiles that have Strategos and also a Camo or HD.
So for example will it work in Haqqi with Saladin and like a Ayyar or an hafza? I mean until now I played it only on Morat and well, I know there the LT is quite evident if you do so.
Understood, but in this case then I can just say "my LT use strategos" without saying which of the 3 is the real one then?
As far as holomask is concerned all 3 are Saladin until they are forced to make a roll. Holomask and Private Information Example A Hafza in HoloMask State imitating a Hassassin Lasiq suffers an Enemy BS Attack. Even though his Special Skills, weapons and pieces of Equipment are considered Private Information, the Hafza cannot apply the Mimetism (-3) Special Skill of the Lasiq. This means that during the Resolution step of the Order, when MODs are applied, the Hafza's player must inform his opponent that there is no Mimetism MOD to apply.
None of the uses of Strategos reveal which mini is using the skill. "At the beginning of your Active Turn, during your Order Count, replace any Special Lieutenant Orders with Regular Orders, adding them to the Order Pool of the Lieutenant’s Combat Group." The fact you are doing this give away that you have Strategos on a trooper that in not in a Null state is about as close as the enemy gets. Just FYI lots has been given away long before this though. Take Haqqislam for example. During the Lt roll to determine deployment or turn order you will have declared that you are rolling for a WIP of 16 so the opponent will know to expect Saladin and therefor also Strategos L2. During deployment you could hold Saladin as one of your reserves and deploy a Hafza masked as Saladin in attempt to lure the enemy deployment against him and then you deploy the real Saladin as your reserve. Regardless the Opponent will know you have at least one Saladin coming before you put a single mini on the table.
Ok, thank you very much for the clarifications, I was a bit confused exactly on situation like the Haqqi ones. :)
If you feel inclined to confuse yourself further you can take an "All Saladin" list that uses as many Holomasking profiles as possible where they have Holo Projector also deploying 3 Saladin and then using AD, HD and camo for the remainder of your troops. The Charade only really lasts until your active turn though because then the Holo echoes becomes obvious.
I think I know where this question comes from and hopefully CB will add it to the FAQ. "Your Private Information remains secret until a specific game event forces you to disclose it." The issue is that whether benefiting from a skill means you are forced "to disclose it". This is also relevant to Caliban Engineers and Tuareg Doctors with attached peripherals. Not to mention whether you are forced to disclose if a camouflage marker uses Forward Deployment or Infiltration, as well as whether you are forced to disclose the exact success value of an infiltration roll when you use Infiltration. Somewhat tangentially related is whether you can even use Strategos if the unit hasn't been deployed. Exactly how to word the question and answer is not the easiest, but it keeps coming up in various forms.