Errata states, “All heat effects resolve simultaneously, without affecting each other.”
I'm struggling to find a reading of this that resolves the
original timing question and avoids changing core damage resolution mechanics.
Reading 1: Narrowly Simultaneous
I'll read "heat effect" strictly, referencing only the exact items on the heat scale but not subsequent outcomes. e.g. The avoid shutdown roll but not the subsequent PSR for shutting down etc. I’ll call the actual listed heat effects
listed heat effects and the steps they trigger
knock-on effects. I’ll also read “simultaneously” as “in any order” as a player can’t do multiple things at once. Lastly, I read the simultaneous and separate language as descriptive rather than prescriptive — it’s just the case that the effects are described as simultaneous because it's just the case that the effects don’t interact. There's no changes to damage resolution mechanics intended.
Scenario:
During the heat phase a mech without life support reaches heat X and must resolve the following Listed Heat Effects: Marking one wound, rolling to avoid shutdown, and rolling to avoid ammo explosion. The player chooses to resolve thus: mark the wound, immediately roll and fail the shutdown, immediately roll and fail the avoid ammo explosion check.
The player must then resolve the following ‘knock-on effects’: A conscious check, a PSR (and potentially a fall), and the ammo explosion.
The effects involve marking the sheet and as such must be strictly ordered. They're also not Listed Heat effects and so I don't read the simultaneity clause as describing them.
In what order should they be resolved then?
It's worth asking because even though the listed heat effects were resolved, their meaning can shift a great deal depending on resolution order — failing the KO check from the high heat wound can indirectly lead to an auto-fall when the player resolves the PSR for shutting down, and the fall damage might destroy the only location with ammo, effectively negating the effects of the ammo explosion as there will be no ammo to explode once the player moves on to resolving that knock on effect.
This all seems counter to the point of the errata (answering the timing question), so I'm guessing my read is wrong.
Reading 2: Broadly Simultaneous
Here I’ll read “heat effect” broadly to mean the exact item on the heat scale and any entailed events, e.g. a shutdown roll and the subsequent PSR, falling, wounds, conscious checks etc. Because these events can require marking the sheet based on what’s marked on the sheet I read “simultaneous” as being prescriptive and indicating a departure from normal damage resolution, which is strictly ordered.
Scenario:
During heat phase a mech without life-support reaches X heat just like before.
The chains of events will be simultaneous so the player may choose to resolve each in any order.
The player begins by marking one wound (their first wound) and immediately makes and passes their conscious check.
The player then makes a shutdown roll. The player fails the roll and shuts down. They immediately resolve the PSR for auto shutdown and fail that. They then make and fail the pilot safety check.
At this point the sheet already has one wound marked but the player must mark a new wound without the former interacting with the later. The situation will compound when a failed avoid ammo explosion roll causes a third first-wound.
In order to resolve these chains of events without affecting one another the core damage system must change. For example, instead of marked damage having single causes (a crossed dot was cased by a medium laser hit), damage could now be over-determined or thresholded, i.e. the high heat and the failed safety were each sufficient to have caused a first wound and so a first wound is suffered and that’s that. Like if two people threw matches into a dry forest and a forest fire occurred — the fire could have happened because of either but both happening doesn’t make two fires. Coherent though bizarre (in BT land at least).
I doubt a twist like this is intended and so I don't think my read here is right either.
Proposal
Listed heat effects are damage events resolved just like attack damage events and in X order (where X is literally any official order). Just like in an attack phase conscious checks are taken immediately and PSRs resolved at the end of the phase.
Simple. Potential for fun BT-like event interactions.
The ordering could be anything — 'lowest level to highest', 'highest to lowest', this exact order (Ammo, Shutdown, Wounds, etc,) or 'even players choice" — so long as the effects are resolved as damage events.
If it's important from a design perspective that a player must always resolve a shutdown roll given the state of the pilot at the start of the phase, the official order can just be "1. Shutdown rolls, 2. .... ". Admittedly that order could lead to a case where an ammo explosion is avoided because fall damage took off the containing segment, but that seems to me very much a feature (insofar as it makes for a good story) rather than a bug. Moreover, if the ordering were heat-scale dependent (start with lowest check) there'd be a variability to the possible stories with very little rules cost. Just saying! ✌️
