Hi guys, Just curious as to whether there's an official ruling on whether Stealth (and other Automatic/Optional skills) is to be assumed on by default for any model with access to them. Technically, Automatic skills just 'don't need a roll' to be in effect (no clause about them being used by default) and Optional just means the user is not obliged to use the skill (again, no clause for assuming it's being used by default). The obvious answer is yes, because it would slow the game down to a crawl if the Active player was forced to declare every such skill during every order. However, I'm interested in just confirming that it's written somewhere in either the rules, wiki or these FAQs somewhere. -Cheers!
I believe they are on by default, and you can decide to forfeit their use. The wording of the label Optional seems to go in that direction. http://wiki.infinitythegame.com/en/...irect=no#Special_Skills_and_Equipment:_Labels Optional. The use of this Special Skill or Equipment is optional and can be waived. This however, makes an interesting scenario where if you play a trooper equipped with holoprojector (without stealth) pretending to be a trooper with stealth, you need to constantly say "I am moving without using Stealth".
In general the only sensible solution is to assume they are always in use unless specified otherwise. Diphoration's interpretation of the 'optional' tag supports this. If you assume a positive obligation to declare the use of automatic optional skills, you start getting things like "ok you didn't declare that your linked model would be using the fireteam burst support bonus skill this order, so you're only burst two..."
Thanks Diphoration, I did read that definition of 'Optional' but I reckon you can also interpret it to mean 'Not obligatory', in contrast to the 'Obligatory' tag other skills have. The note about 'can be waived' potentially indicates that the skill is on by default but I think that's an implicit reading rather than an explicit statement that the skill is on by default. Basically, I think you're right but the wording is ambiguous enough that clarification would be nice.
This is more ettiquete more than rules. In general they're considered activated unless the user doesn't want them (and are optional), but if your oponent and you want to play a name game where you have to name every automatic buff you want to activate at the start of the turn it's up to you (but that's obviously not the faster way to play) This scenario is interesting, the info of the trooper is private (with some exceptions like being hackable), so the player isn't forced to disclosure anything. If he moves the adversary is going to assume that model doesn't have stealth and will try to react; in this case I think the player of the Holo 1 should say "I'll move with Stealth", disclosuring the info voluntarily if he wan't to use that ability.
My example was the opposite actually, for example Sforza pretending to be a unit with Martial Arts. Sforza not having stealth himself, you'd need to make it clear you're not using stealth every time you move. The situation you present is also tricky, because if the opponent reveals from hidden deployment through a ZoC ARO (hacking for example), and then you claim that you were using stealth, but it was a hidden information, this creates a very akward situation. I think Stealth usage needs to be explicitelly expressed when it is a private information to avoid those quirky scenarios. -- The best course of action is to always tell my opponent the first time you activate a model with stealth that for the rest of the game, you'll always assume it is used unless explicitely expressed. Just specify your shortcuts and clarify it with your opponent if you're unsure about one of their trooper using stealth.
This case isn't clear rules wise. I think what I proposed is a good middle point to not disclosure any info you don't want to. However if you don't say anything in this case (using stealth being hidden as a non-stealth model), then I wouldn't consider that model using it. In case of doubt just talk with the TO or the other player before the game. Yes, this is the best, be clear with the other player to avoid missunderstandings
And what about the opposite case? If a stealth unit disguise as a non-stealth one. Could you just say nothing and asume you are not using stealth? Or must you anounce "I'm not using stealth" with the non-stealth unit?
My suggestion would be that you declare anything that's different to what the model appears to be. So if disguised as someone with Stealth, you'd need to say that you're not using it. If it's an actual trooper with Stealth disguised as one without, you'd need to say whenever you're using Stealth.
If your disguise doesn't have Stealth then I wouldn't announce when you're not using it as that's the expected behaviour. I would make it very clear when you were using Stealth though.
