Level One - Lesson 6
Comprehensive Rules: Section 4 - Zones
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Hello there and welcome back to the Judge Program for Star Wars™: Unlimited - Level One certification track lessons.
As always, I’m your host Jonah, and today we’ll be covering the comprehensive rules, section four - Zones. This is a continuation of our more thorough exploration of the CR, section by section, and we’ll go over and expand upon the information we covered previously in the Judge Apprentice lesson 5 - Zones and Rounds.
Like each card type has rules associated with it that apply to how both players and the game interact with them, each zone is a defined area of the game with specific rules. These rules can affect how cards can enter or leave the zone, and what actions can be taken while a card is in them.
There are seven types of zones - five separate or personal zones and two shared zones, as well as “set aside” which is not considered to be any zone or in the game. The “game area” refers to the seven zones.
The five separated zones are Base, Resource, Deck, Hand, and Discard - each player has their own zone of these types. The two shared zones are the Ground Arena and the Space Arena. While we’ve generally been going in the same order as the CR, this time we’re going to go a bit out of order, saving sections 4.3 and 4.4 - the ground arena and the space arena - until we’ve covered all the other zones.
4.2 - Base Zone
Each player has their own Base Zone, and the game begins with that player’s base and leader in that zone. Bases cannot leave the base zone, but leaders can be deployed by using their epic action, and leave the base zone when they do so.If a unit attacks a base, it does not enter the base zone - it stays in the zone that it was in.
4.5 - Resource Zone
Each player also has their own resource zone. All cards in the resource zone are resources and can be exhausted to pay the costs of other cards.As mentioned previously, resources are placed facedown and remain facedown. Players are allowed to look at their own resources at any time and the identity of these cards is considered hidden information.
Cards are added to the resource zone during the resource step of the regroup phase, or when a player is instructed to do so by a card. Resources always enter play exhausted.
Cards can be played from the resource zone if they have the smuggle keyword, otherwise, cards are considered to have no attributes while in the resource zone - playing a Devastator as a resource doesn’t count as playing a unit or a command card, and if the resource is defeated, it’s not a unit leaving play or being defeated.
Sometimes a card will instruct a player to select a resource, like Wrecker. When instructed to do so, the player may look at their resources before making a decision. Others, like DJ, will instruct an opponent to make a choice - players are allowed to rearrange their resources before the effect resolves, so long as they maintain the total number of readied and exhausted resources and which ones are owned by different players.
4.6 - Deck
Our next personal zone is the deck - The deck is facedown and out of play. Players are only allowed to look at the cards in their deck if instructed to do so by a card. The contents of a deck are considered hidden information. However, the number of cards is open information.Cards leave the deck immediately when drawn, discarded, or played directly from the deck. Cards that are being looked at, revealed, or searched for are still in the deck unless they are subsequently drawn, discarded, or played.
4.7 - Hand
Cards that are drawn immediately enter the next personal zone - the hand. Each player has their own hand, which they can (and probably should) look at any time but is considered hidden information and not revealed to their opponent. While a hand is revealed, say, during the resolution of Bodhi Rook’s ability, that information is open. Players can also take brief notes of the contents while the hand is revealed. Once the hand is no longer revealed, however, the attributes of the cards return to being hidden information, and the player to whom the hand belongs is no longer required to provide information about those cards. It’s generally considered sporting to continue to provide some information, or quickly reveal a card if your opponent seeks to remember a detail - as they are entitled to call for a judge and get the information that way and making them do that just slows down your game for no benefit.Like with the deck, the number of cards is open information, so you have to be able to provide updates to that. The hand has no size limit, so players can draw as many cards as they want (at least until the deck runs out!)
Again, like with the deck, cards in the hand remain in that zone when they’re looked at or are revealed and are not considered to have left the hand until they are played or discarded. When returned to the hand, they immediately change zones as soon as the instruction is complete. As an example, with the card Cunning, if you chose the “Return a unit” option first, that would resolve before the “Discard a card at random” option, which would be able to discard the unit that was returned to hand.
4.8 - Discard
The final personal zone is the Discard Pile. Each player has their own discard pile. Played events, defeated non-leader units, defeated upgrades, defeated resources and discarded cards are placed in the discard pile face up. The Discard Pile is considered open information, including both contents, quantity, and attributes of cards in it, and can be accessed by either player. Furthermore, the discard pile is not an ordered zone, so players can re-arrange their discard pile. For example, a player playing Rogue Squadron Skirmisher may keep units separated from the rest of the cards in their discard pile, so that they can remain aware of their options.If a card allows a player to play a card from the discard pile, like Cobb Vanth, they still must pay all other costs, including resource costs, aspect penalties, or additional costs.
4.3 & 4.4 - Ground and Space Arena
Finally, the last pair of zones are both shared zones. The Ground Arena and the Space Arena function the same, except ground units are played to the ground arena, and unsurprisingly, space units are played to the... space arena!Because they’re shared zones, all ground units are in the same ground arena. For example, Bombing Run will deal damage to your units in the arena you choose, as well as your enemy's units.
The ground and space arena are laid out to the left and right of the base zone, and which zone is which is determined when the first unit of the game is played. When the unit is played, the zone that it’s in becomes the appropriate arena, and the other arena zone becomes the other. If you play a Admiral Ackbar to the right of your base, the right side is now the ground arena for this game and the left is the space arena. Because your opponent’s board is mirroring yours, the ground arena will be on their left, and the space arena on their right.
Units can attack enemy units in the same arena or an enemy base, but cannot attack units in the other arena zone unless an ability says that they can, like on Strafing Gunship. When a unit attacks it stays in the arena it’s in, and the defending unit stays in its own arena as well, even if the two units are in different arenas or are attacking a base.
However, units in one arena can damage units in the other arena with abilities like Admiral Ackbar or Strike True.
4.9 - In-Play and Out-of-Play
Beyond the classification of shared and personal zones, there is also a grouping of “in play” and “out of play” zones.The Base, Ground Arena, Space Arena, and Resource zones are all “in play”. Cards in these zones affect the game through abilities, power, and HP. Players control the cards they play or put into play in these zones. Notably a player still controls upgrades they play, even if they play them on an opponent’s unit.
The hand, deck, and discard are all “out of play” zones. By default, these cards don’t affect the game and cards can’t select “out of play” objects. For example, you can’t use Waylay to return a unit in your discard pile and General Dodonna doesn’t affect your Rebels while he’s in your discard pile.
4.10 - Play Area
Related to “In-play”, is a player’s “play area” - like with “in-play” and “out-of-play” this is generally referred to within the Comprehensive Rules themselves, and not on cards directly. A player’s “play area” consists of cards that the player controls in in-play zones, except upgrades played onto enemy units - the player still controls the upgrade, but it is not in their play area.There is no limit on the number of cards a player can control in their play area. This lack of a restriction is also true for both arenas and the resource zone - a player can have any number of units, upgrades, or resources in their play area.
4.11 - Set Aside/Being in No Zone
If a card is set aside, it is out-of-play, not in any zone, nor in any player’s play area. No player controls those cards.Tokens begin play set aside and then are set aside when they leave play for any reason, whether they are defeated or returned to a player's hand or deck.
And that wraps us up on Zones! Our next scheduled lesson will cover Game Structure - that’s something we’ve gone over a couple of times in detail in the Apprentice Lessons, but there’s always more knowledge and examples to squeeze out of the comprehensive rules! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or insights, be sure to join the Judge Community Discord and make your voice heard. Until next time, good luck and have fun!