http://infinitythewiki.com/en/Initiative_and_Deployment#Deployment_Rules Probably thinking this too much... Player one can’t decide AD: Parachutist location during “Player One Last Figure” step?
@colbrook ok. So it’s complicated. Is this legal only if the list has exactly 1 parachutist (the last remaining not deployed model)?
Normally yes, but sometimes you can hold back more than one trooper. For example, Saladin has Strategos level 3 which allows you to hold back two models, meaning you could hold back 2 Parachutists until the last figure step and choose the board edge then.
Are you sure? The FAQ doesn’t say anything about deployed model attributes. Q: Can you pick your AD: Parachutist location at any time during the Deployment Phase of any player? A: No. You have to choose the location during the Deployment Phase of the owning player.
If anything, I could make an argument that parachutist location can be chosen anytime (read:last figure step) regardless of number of parachutists or if the last model is a parachutist. The only restriction is that I need to have a deployment ongoing.
Hmm, I was going off the theory that the board edge is chosen at the point the parachutist would have been deployed if you chose not to use AD, though I can't find a reference for that right now.
Look at the rules text for Parachutist: By spending one Entire Order, the user of this Special Skill may deploy anywhere on the segment of the play area's edge secretly chosen during the Deployment Phase. That's the bullet point it's clarifying. And look back up the Deployment Phase text, where it defines the Deployment Phase: The Deployment Phase is divided into the following steps: Player One Deployment: Following the order established in the Initiative Roll, as decided by the player who kept Deployment, the first player places all but one of his troops inside his Deployment Zone. Player Two Deployment: Once Player One is done, Player Two places all but one of her troops inside her Deployment Zone. Player One Last Figure: Then, Player One places the troop he kept back during step one. Player Two Last Figure: Finally, Player Two places the troop she kept back during step two. The FAQ is trying to say that you don't make the choice during the other player's substeps. But keep in mind that the Parachutist rule also says: During the Deployment Phase, mentally divide the edges of the play area down the middle into eight segments (two on each side). Then, choose one of these segments and write it down in secret for later verification. For the rest of the game, all your troopers with the AD: Parachutist Special Skill deploy through that segment of the play area's edge. If you're trying to make a distinction between Substep 1/2 and Substep 3/4, you choose the table edge in Substep 1/2 regardless of whether you have parachutists deploying in Substep 1/2 or Substep 3/4 or both.
So I had it correctly in the first post. Parachutist location can never be chosen during “last figure” step because it’s substep and substeps aren’t really part of the deployment phase. Also infinity FAQs are sometimes clearly rules, not clarifications.
