Game Keywords

Dog Fight: Starship Edition Game Keywords


Several terms have important and particular meanings in Dog Fight: Starship Edition. Here is a glossary to help clarify any confusion.

ACTIVATE

Flip a card face up.

ADJACENT

No more than 1 hex space away.

APPLY

Using an effect or ability already waiting in the play area.

ARMOR

Absorbs damage. “Combat damage” is inflicted even if Hull damage does not occur.

CARD FORM

Card icon; reminds the player how to play the card.

CARD TYPE

Card color; issues orders to the ship and crew.

CAVEAT ICON

The caveat icon (:|:) indicates an effect or ability has some sort of cost or condition or limitation that must be satisfied before being able to use it.

COMBAT TYPE

Many ATTACK type cards specify what kind of attack is declared; Energy or Projectile. Non-specified attacks are Objective type.

DAMAGE

There are two basic types of damage (attempting to reduce Hull):
  • Combat damage – caused by attacks.
  • Effect damage – caused by something other than attacks.
Damage is calculated to verify its success, at a ratio of 1 point of damage to 1 point of Hull.

DESTROY

A vessel is eliminated from the game.

DISABLED

Not active. Disabled vessels cannot in any way play ATTACK, MOVE, or INTERVENE cards in a tier or from hand. Nor can they execute their own special abilities (including STEALTH, CLOAK, etc.). Currently active abilities are also nullified. A disabled vessel can still play ENVIRONMENT and EQUIP cards, and Gear cards already equipped to it are unaffected.

DRAW

Take the top card of your Action Deck and add it to your hand.

EXPIRE

To cease. Expired effects and abilities stop. Expired action cards are sent to the discard pile.

FOR FREE

Does not cost a tier action.

FRIENDLY

On your team or under your control.

HULL DAMAGE

Hull damage results only if Hull is actually reduced.

IMMEDIATELY

Some cards use the term “immediately” which means an effect is to occur at that moment, out of game sequence.

KEYWORDS

Some keywords in card text indicate important details about the card, such as [EQUIP] or [DISCARD] or [FACE UP].

LOCKED TIERS

You may rearrange the cards set in your tiers and/or exchange them with your hand during your Preparation. If you have any set cards and then draw a card from your deck you may no longer rearrange or exchange.

MAXIMUM

Maximum potential or capacity (i.e., maximum Hull might be increased, but current Hull remains unaltered).

MAY

If card text uses the term “may” this means you can choose to use the effect or pay the cost or choose not to – the effect is optional. If the term “may” is not used, the effect is not optional. But “renew” costs are always optional.

MISS

An attack is declared but hits nothing, and no damage is inflicted. An attack that misses is still an attack, just not a “successful” one. Attacks can miss by preemptive causes (i.e., line of sight issues) or afterward (i.e. player's effect card).

MODIFIERS

Alterations to game statistics (Attack power, attack Range, Mobility, etc.) for “this card”, “this turn”, “this tier”, “for this attack”, etc.

MOVING

A vessel may traverse the map up to maximum distance (determined by is Mobility stat).

NULLIFY

Playing a card incorrectly causes it to negate itself. A nullified card effect does not happen. Effects can be nullified for three reasons.
  • You cannot satisfy a cost or condition, in which case you must still pay its costs, or as much as you can pay them
  • A card that was already nullified before being played (such as by the effect of another card) does not require you to pay any costs
  • Another card effect

ORIGINAL

Unaltered, unmodified.

PASS

Do nothing; take no tier action.

PAYING A COST

If a card effect (via action cards) or ability (via vessels) requires discarding one or more cards from hand or paying one or more counters, such costs are “PAID” not “PLAYED.” Star cards used as a cost for a different effect or ability do not play their effect. Send a counter (as part of a payment) which you currently possess to the counter pool.

PLAY

Adding a new action, effect, ability to the play area.

POSSESS - FOR CONTROLLING PLAYER

You can use any counters aboard your vessel for appropriate costs (i.e., energy counters transferred to a different card equipped to your vessel can be used for other things)

POSSESS - FOR NON-CONTROLLING PLAYER

A vessel “possesses” only the counters assigned to it, not counters which are transferred to another card equipped to the same vessel

PRIORITY

Players take turns as the “Priority” player. The priority player has several advantages. This player controls various aspects of the turn and “gains priority” even on the first round of the game (some card effects apply when a player “gains priority”).

PROMOTE

A card, after satisfying some condition, can be flipped to its opposite side. For this reason it is recommended to always sleeve your cards.

RENEW

A long term effect may have a recurring cost to keep it active. You may pay this cost; or you may not pay it and allow the effect/card to expire.

REPAIR

To increase a vessel's Hull. A vessel's current Hull strength is not increased unless the term “repair” is specifically used. A vessel's Hull cannot be repaired higher than its maximum capacity (though this maximum can be increased by other cards).

SET

To place a card face down in a tier.

TIER

An imaginary column containing normal game actions. Each ship has 3 basic tiers each turn.

TIER ACTIONS

  • setting a card from hand in a tier
  • drawing a card from your deck
  • passing (doing nothing)

TARGET

You must select a valid vessel when attacking. You are never required to attack a friendly vessel when declaring a target (though this is optional).

TRANSFER

Some counters aboard a vessel (such as energy counters) can be “transferred” from your vessel to another card equipped to the same vessel. To transfer counters, the place they are transferred from must first have those counters.

UPKEEP ICONS

Visual queues to quickly aid a mandatory gaining or losing of something.

VISIBLE/INVISIBLE

There are some cards which provide a way for a vessel to be invisible. Also some vessel abilities (such as CLOAK or STEALTH) provide this. A vessel that is invisible is not in Line of Sight unless game text explains otherwise. An invisible vessel cannot be the target of an opponent's effect or ability which requires LOS.

WHEN

While an event is occurring, before it has been completed (such as an attack). Some events can occur at the same time (such as declaring an attack and increasing Attack strength). If the term “when” is used on card text it is a reminder that the effect is timing sensitive, and that it must occur at that time.

WHILE

As long as a condition is true.

WITHDRAW

If a vessel's map marker is removed from the map and reaches 3 consecutive End of Turn Phases while off the map, that vessel is considered withdrawn from battle. That player is eliminated from the game.
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