RUles: option card timing

[Kinnison]

Had this rule question come up when a player had multiple Option cards with conflicting abilities, namely Crab legs and Multi-processor

Crab Legs

When programming your registers, you may put a MOVE 1 card in the same register as a Rotate Left or Rotate Right card. If you do during that register your robot will move 1 space to the left or right, respectively , without rotating. Priority is that of the MOVE 1

Duel Processor

When programming your registers, you may put both a Move card (Move 1, Move 2, Move 3, or Back Up) and a rotate card (Rotate Left, Rotate Right, or U-turn) in the same register. If you do, during that phase your robot will move 1 space less than the move card says to move and then execute the Rotate card, If the rotate card is a U-Turn, Move 2 spaces less then the Move card says if possible

The question is, when a player is programming and placing two cards on the register, there is no way during the register phases for other players to know i f the register with both a rotate card and move card is going to use Dual processor or crab legs in that register phase.

Dose the player need to declare before the first register card is revealed which ones are crab leg phases and which are dual processor phases?

Note) obviously there is no doubt when a move 2, move 3, or back-up, or U-turn is involved.. but not when there is a rotate left, or rotate right, AND a move 1 in the same registry phase

To prevent further argument, we flipped a coin and allowed the player to decide on when the register when two cards was revealed.

Any thoughts?

[J.L.Robert]

I think the way you're doing it is correct. When the cards are revealed, the player may declare which option is being used.

Now, I'd think it'd be cool to have a Move 2 (or 3), a Move 1 AND a Rotate card all in the same register. Moving 1 (or 2), then a sidestep all at once...nice!

[PhilFleischmann]

I'm afraid I have to disagree, but it's true that the rules are ambiguous. They screwed up the rules in many ways with this edition. Change them if you must, but make sure they're clear and complete! I digress.

In the original edition, Dual Processor *only* allowed you to play a rotate with a Move 2 or Move 3. And if it was a U-Turn, it could only be played with a Move 3. This would eliminate any ambiguity when you have both Dual Processor and Crab Legs. They spelled it out quite precisely that the only combinations allowed with Dual Processor are:

Move 2 + Rotate Left = Move 1 followed by Rotate Left
Move 2 + Rotate Right = Move 1 followed by Rotate Right
Move 3 + Rotate Left = Move 2 followed by Rotate Left
Move 3 + Rotate Right = Move 2 followed by Rotate Right
Move 3 + U-Turn = Move 1 followed by U-Turn

Only those five combinations are valid. Even with the way the new edition is written, a Move 1 with a rotate card wouldn't do anything - you'd just rotate without moving.

Also, the original rules stated quite clearly that you can only use one movement option at a time. I thought the new rules were clear about this also, but they may not be.

Note that with the original rules you never have to "declare" anything with these options, since if the movement card is a 1, then you must be using Crab Legs, and if it's a 2 or a 3, you must be using Dual Processor. So the other players don't know in advance which you're doing.