Silent Trait

Rabble · Sep 13, 2022

I would like to start this thread saying that I clearly understand the intent of the Silent Trait, you go and shoot someone out of her LoS. That someone can not declare ARO against you unless she survives, and if she do, she can only either Dodge or Alert. And in the case there was aditional enemies within ZoC of the attacking archer without LoF to the archer, they can not declare ARO nor Alert until the target survives the attack. Much alike to stealth, isn't?

But the problem how this is even possible in the Orden Expenditure Sequence? Stealth works more or less fine in the OES as it allow possible enemies to react in the item number 4 of the OES. Like marker states do with the delay of the ARO declaration until item number 4. But silent? Silent needs you to wait until item number 5.1 to see if the target has survived the attack. So there is no room for declaration anymore, therefore, only Alert and Guts would be available to be done, as mentioned in the item number 5.2 of the OES. Even the mentioned possibility of dodge ARO would be impossible, as in the moment of the declaration against a silent weapon, you would be already in the item number 5.1, and therefore past item 5, so unable to make rolls for Dodge.

Copy pasting from the wiki for clarity:

Silent
If you use this weapon or piece of Equipment to make an Attack while outside the target's LoF, that target cannot react with a Dodge or apply the Alert rule unless he survives the Attack (that is, isn't in a Null state after the Attack is resolved). Additionally, enemies without LoF in whose Zone of Control the Attack took place or was declared cannot declare AROs or apply the Alert rule unless the target survives the Attack. This means that these enemies must delay their ARO declaration until after the Attack is resolved.
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Order Expenditure Sequence
Each time the Active Player decides to use an Order (of whatever type) to activate a Trooper, follow these steps:

Update 1.1.1, Dec 2021

1. Activation. The Active Player declares which Trooper will activate.

1.1. Order Expenditure. The Active Player removes from the table, or otherwise marks as spent, the Order he uses to activate the Trooper.
1.2. Declaration of the First Skill. The Active Player declares the first Short Skill of the Order, or the Entire Order, he wants to use. If movements are declared, the player measures where the Trooper can move and places the Trooper at the final point of its movement.
2. Reactive Player’s AROs

2.1. ARO Check. The Reactive Player checks if they are allowed to declare AROs with their Troopers. Players can check from the Active Trooper if any Trooper or Game Element is inside the Zone of Control (ZoC) of the Active Trooper.
2.2. ARO Declaration. The Reactive Player declares the AROs of those Troopers that are allowed to declare one. Troopers are not forced to declare AROs, but if a Trooper can declare an ARO and fails to do so, the chance to declare an ARO is lost.
3. Declaration of the Second Skill. The Active Player declares the second Short Skill of the Order, if applicable. If movements are declared, the player measures where the Trooper can move, chooses the route, and places the Trooper at the final point of its movement.

4. Reactive Player’s AROs

4.1. ARO Check. The Reactive Player checks if they are allowed to declare AROs with those Troopers that couldn’t declare an ARO in the previous ARO Check step. Players can check from the Active Trooper if any Trooper or Game Element is inside the Zone of Control (ZoC) of the Active Trooper.
4.2 ARO Declaration. The Reactive Player declares the AROs of those Troopers that are allowed to declare one.
5. Resolution: Check that the declared Skills and pieces of Equipment meet their respective Requirements, measure all distances, determine MODs, and both players make Rolls. If any Skill or piece of Equipment doesn’t meet its Requirements, the Trooper performs an Idle.

5.1 Effects: Players apply all effects of successful Skills and Equipment including Saving Rolls and Dodge movement.
5.2 Conclusion: Guts Rolls are made. The effects of Guts Rolls and Alert are applied. End of the Order.
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I think it would be nice that either silent trait is rewritten in a way that allow the intent of the rule be able to be reflected in the EOS, such as mentioning that it allow . Or that the EOS page make a mention in the 5.1 item that a silent-affected trooper is now able to ARO CHECK, ARO DECLARATION and Resolution Roll in this very moment, before the 5.2 conclusion item is reached.

Sorry for the long post!

Robock · Sep 13, 2022

I think Silent adds a new, unnumbered, "ARO CHECK, ARO DECLARATION and Resolution Roll" steps as needed to make it work the way it says it work (ie. allowing to declare ARO if you survived). I do agree, it should be re-written to be more explicit in how Silent interacts with EOS.

Combat Jump almost had that issues, except it allows you to make a PH roll during step 1.2 (even though EOS says all rolls are made at step 5.0; which is super important when using Discover)

But for Silent, if you are seen, everyone else ARO as usual. Only your target (and those that would benefit from Alert) have to delay their declaration. So it would need a new step between 5.1 and 5.2 but I'm not sure it would be in EOS as it is a very special case for a specific Special Skill.

Robock · Sep 13, 2022

Silent is one of those rare case that survived from N2 (back then Surprised Attack had the same effect : the target could only ARO if it survived ).

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Silent Trait

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