When a player activates the Engine Room location to increase the jump preparation track, does it automatically move up one, or does it only move up an "extra" one IF there is a jump preparation "Icon" on the crisis card that is drawn?

Neither. It does what it says on the board: Treat the next Crisis card drawn this turn as if it had a "prepare for jump" icon. In other words, when you get to the prepare for jump phase of the turn (after resolving the main body of the crisis and the activate cylons step), you increase the jump track by one, regardless of whether or not there's an actual jump icon printed on the card.

 In other words if the crisis card DOES have a prepare for jump icon you get to move up TWICE on the jump drive., or did you waste your action because the crisis card DID have a prepare for jump icon?...sorry i dont think i explained properly.  This is the fight our play group is having, if you get to move the prep up once or twice if there is an icon on the crisis card, and if you activate the engine room.

No,...sadly you are only permitted to move the jump track one space.  So, if someone uses their action to use the engine room and the crisis has a jump icon on it, then yes....the action would be considered a waste and the jump track would still only advance one spot.

Sorry, I know it stinks,...thats why we hardly ever use the engine room.

Hope this helps....

Napoleon

missjade said:

You only every move it up one space.  If the card had a jump prep, you wasted your action in the engine room.  If it didn't have a jump prep, then you act as if it did.

I have a rules question regarding the Engine Room.

Suppose the human player activates the Engine Room by discarding treachery and a cylon player plays Sabotage and the Engine Room gets damaged, does the Engine Room action still happen?  Obvioulsy the human player goes to sick bay.  

hobbes27 said:

That is a very good question.  I don't see anything in the official or unofficial FAQ regarding it.

The damage location text simply says, "Characters may move into a damaged location, but may not use the action listed on it (until repaired by an engineering card)."

The closet ruling regarding the timing of Sabotage is probably when moving from ship-to-ship.

Q: If a character discards a Treachery card to move to another game board, and a Cylon uses Sabotage, and the location he is moving to is damaged, what happens?
A: (Corey, FFG, to infocynic) The correct order is: Discard with intent to move -> Sabotage -> Damage Galactica -> Moves player to location. Thus, the player arrives in the damaged location but is not sent to sickbay. If the location the character is moving FROM is damaged, the player winds up in sickbay instead.

Given that, I would say that cards are discarded with the intent to activate the engine room. The engine room gets damaged so it doesn't get used. It's not easy being human.

Agreed. It's like you went to the engine room and pulled a lever to make you jump, but there was a bomb on that line and it blew you up.  So, no jump, and you get carted off to the sickbay.

Also agreed, the engine room simply assures a jump, it does not add a jump to a jump icon if it happens to turn up.

I think I am disagreeing… but not pulling out the rules to do so… haha…

Damage prevents you from using the location after it is damaged.  If you are discarding, you have already used the action, you are just paying the cost…  it does not retroactively cancel the action. 

I think the better question would be if Roslin discards two cards so she can use an action, does that happen before the action she is going to use.  I would have to review the wording. I THINK it is to the effect that when she uses an action she has to discard, ergo the action is happening.

The timing guide in the latest "unoffical faq" may also have an answer.  I await Holy Outlaws input.

The engine room is useful when you NEED to get that jump.  If you want to be sure you jump that turn, or setting up the following player (Gaeta/Helo especially) to try an early jump.  Usually its because you need to clear the board of Cylons!  Haha. 

Mephisto666 said:

From a letter of the law interpretation of the rules, I agree 100% with what you say. It matches what Coltsfan76 says on BGG regarding sabotage during ship-to-ship movement, but the eventual ruling went the other way. It's really a discard with intent. In addition, for thematic reasons mentioned by Anacreon I can accept that it doesn't occur.

I would also like to hear what Holy Outlaws and other veterans have to say.

I'm all for pulling out the rule book.

I'll make the claim that the regarding the locatio's text, when sabotage occurs and the location becomes damged it's

"Discard 2 Skill cards…"

Then sabotage interrupts the action as the cards are discarded and then the location is now damaged.  This brings us to the quote I had before:

"Characters may move into a damaged location, but may not use the action listed on it (until repaired by an engineering card)."

Since the location is now damaged, the character may no longer use it resulting in the overall effect of:

"Discard 2 Skill cards to treat the next Crisis Card drawn this turn as if it had a 'prepare for jump' icon."

This could go either way but I'm leaning toward Mephisto's answer. 
When you discarded the cards to use the action you were legally allowed to do so, damaging the ER after you've paid the cost shouldnt then prevent the resolution of the effect from taking place.

dwightsboardgame said:

Discarding when moving between ships can't really be compared to activating the Engine Room.  We're not looking at a (Discard with intent to Activate Location -> Sabotage -> Damage Galactica) situation because the action itself is causing you to discard cards.

Have you read the wording in the original manual regarding ship-to-ship movement?

The distinction I was making (which I think most got) is that with the engine room, you have already used the action.  Thus, the action being available afterwards does not effect it already having been taken (wow, that like time traveler speak).

When moving… you discard BEFORE you move.  So the sabotage occurs before and could take a location out of service.

Thus, my Roslin "discard two card to activate a location" - her discard would be BEFORE the location "action" as used. 

With engine room, the action is already taken, then it would be out of comission, so the action completes. 

Mephisto666 said:

But don't you discard a card to catch a transport to another ship?      So at the end of your movement phase, which is powered by the discard, you arrive at a damaged location.

When you discard to activate the engine room, you could use a similar logic.     You discard a card to activate the engine room.   But at the end of the action, the engine room is damaged, so it doesn't work.    At the time you were fueling the engine room, it seemed to work, but upon completion it didn't.   Similar to what happens with ship to ship movement.    You took a ship to a location that you thought was functional, but it turns out it wasn't.    Both ship to ship movement and the engine room are options being powered by the discards.

Now I also do see the argument that you spent the cards to perform the action so the action takes place, but then there is a big mishap in the engine room.

So I don't see a clear cut answer here and have a feeling there isn't one unless someone official speaks up about it.

With Roslyn, I am trying to remember how her disadvantage is worded.   But I'm more inclined to say that there is two steps here.   First step she discards to activate a location.    Second step she activates the location.    Which would put her in sick bay and she wouldn't do the actual engine room activation.    But I don't recall that being clarified anywhere either.