(Answered) AS:CE - Ballistic-Reinforced Armor Example Error

[GoldBishop]

Trying to understand the reduction of damage for having a unit with BRA, or Ballistic-Reinforced Armor.
I understand the first paragraph - attacker must have [xxx] abilities to trigger BRA.  It is the example that is throwing me off.

AlphaStrike Commanders Edition p.83
1st paragraph

A specialty armor developed to counter projectile weapons and missiles, ballistic-reinforced armor reduces all damage delivered by attackers that make use of the AC, IATM, IF, LRM, or SRM specials, by half (rounding up). This reduction is applied whether the attack is delivered using the unit’s normal damage values, or by just the listed special abilities

Intuitively, shouldn't this means any [Normal Ranged] attack itself is reduced by half, rounded up?
At Medium (where AC2/2 actually reaches), damage would be reduced by half, or 2 (2 pt reduction)
At Short, 5/2 = 2.5, rounded up to 3 (5-3 = 2 point reduction, verified).

2nd paragraph reads as follows:

Thus, if a unit that delivers normal attack values of 5/4/2, with an AC2/2/0 special, delivers a successful normal attack against a unit with the BRA special at Short range, the attack will be reduced by 3 points (half the damage value at Short range, rounded up), dropping the normal total of 5 points to 2.

This looks like Base Damage and the reduction is "swapped" subtracting 3 points instead. 
At Medium Range, it would reduce the attack by 3 (total 1) which is a reduction more than the AC value... which seems wrong.

If the same unit makes a special AC weapon attack against a unit with the BRA special at Medium range, the attack will be reduced by 1 point (half the AC special ability’s Medium range), dropping the AC total of 2 points to 1.

This looks right... in fact it looks exactly half the example found for Ballistic-Reinforced Armor from Interstellar Ops p.201 (BattleForce Addendum) because the example switches to Medium range. 

Also based on Interstellar Ops, it seems we (use to) only reduce the AC damage by half across both attacks, not just the Special.

...Given that it doesn't reduce FLK damage (assuming 1-pt clusters, divided by 2, rounds back up to one?) I don't believe the example is correct.  Attacks against BRA should not be reducing damage below half.

[nckestrel]

The examples are correct.
If you use the base damage values, the attack's damage is 5, and it is reduced by half.  The special ability damage value is irrelevant to an attack using the base damage values.  The only check is whether the unit has those special abilities or not.  The unit has one (or more) of the listed special abilities, the damage value of the attack is 5, reduce it by half (rounded up) which is 3.

[GoldBishop]

Not so sound confrontational, but that's where the example is wrong.

The [Normal] attack damage itself is reduced by half, then rounded up.  On this we agree because it then becomes the modified damage total at Short Range.
.  Short:    5 / 2 = 2.5 ~ 3
.  Medium: 4 / 2 = 2.0 ~ 2

The example however has it backwards: it is taking the calculated modified damage and then deducting it from the original total damage.  Pretty sure it's not supposed to do that.
.  "At Short, the attack will be reduced by 3..." and then "... Damage at Short: 2"

By doing it this way, you've effectively reduced the damage by more than half... which is not correct per our previous understanding of the damage reduction rules.

[GoldBishop]

By extension (or at least looking backwards from where the rule might have gotten construed?) the ASC p.35 (errata'd 2nd paragraph example) would also be incorrect.  The [edited] paragraph looks to be the one used for AS:CE.

[nckestrel]

Half the damage value is 2.5.  the reduction is rounded up to 3, so the damage value is reduced by 3.  5-3 = 2.   It is not reduced, then rounded.  The reduction itself is rounded up.

[GoldBishop]

Half the damage value is 2.5.  the reduction is rounded up to 3, so the damage value is reduced by 3.  5-3 = 2.   It is not reduced, then rounded.  The reduction itself is rounded up.

Sorry, big edit.. take 2.

Please change ASCE p.85 Paragraph 1 and ASC p.35 Paragraph 1 to read as follows:

A specialty armor developed to counter projectile weapons and missiles, ballistic-reinforced armor reduces all damage delivered by attackers that make use of the AC, IATM, IF, LRM, or SRM specials, by half (rounding down). This reduction is applied whether the attack is delivered using the unit’s normal damage values, or by just the listed special abilities.

This will satisfy the condition as found in the example given in the second paragraph (of each book) and the rules as written found in Interstellar Ops p.87 regarding Ballistic-Reinforced Armor.

Sorry for the headache.

[Scotty]

The point of contention here is that you're interpreting "reduces all damage... by half" as meaning that the damage dealt is half of the original damage, then rounded up.  What it is actually saying is that the amount of damaged that is reduced (that is, the amount subtracted from the attack) is rounded up.

EDIT: it could probably stand to be more clear, but as written the example is not incorrect.