You can stop right there. Nothing at all slipped through the cracks. We specifically discussed it and decided to run it this way. We PTed it, and it worked as we designed it. You are more than welcome to lobby us to change our mind, I'm pretty confident you won't as I don't see anything in your comments that are "new" information that we did not consider, but lobbying for a rules change is certainly within your right and worth discussing.

However, I need to clarify something you seem to misunderstand. You do not have the right to change the rules. There is no community vote option. The rules are set by the design team and the rules experts Nickname and Sithborg. I'm sure there is plenty that other people would argue with as well. We are not using a process of community rule interpretation for competitive play (that is Regionals and Gencon - do whatever floats your boat in other games).

What you have ignored, is that we are following a precedent. That's the first part, which you noted, then dismissed. However, it needs to be recognized that having a combination of "free Raks" and "not-free Raks" is an overwhelming process, particularly for a figure a person does not start the game intending to track. For example, tracking 10 Wookiee Commandos can be easy because you built the squad with that in mind. Tracking 13 Raks created via SA and then RD is not. That is a significant point.

Second, we balanced SA with this in mind.

Third, one of the biggest negatives to reserve pieces in competitive play is that they count for points. WotC gave us a precedent for reserves that don't count for points. We are using that precedent here because it's a better system. (All though I would have been fine years ago with an errata that reinforcements count for points too myself - obviously we aren't doing errata now so that ship has sailed.)

As for future figures with Sith Alchemy, yep, the precedent is set, and that's how we intend it to work and how we intend to balance the pieces.

As for some of the reasons, tracking is one, but there are others. For example, free Raks makes using mass non-droid activations risky. Better hide your 10 ugnaughts, or you risk a Rak assault. That is very good for the game. Forcing a save 11 on a replaces turn action of a 51pt piece on a 3pt ug is not a useful tool. Even a save 16 really isn't going to make it useful enough to be a reliable threat to mass activation squads. It is a strong ability, as it's meant to be. We want it to be strong in order to deter some abuses of the game rules (if only I could have argued for using it on droids lol). You will never get points for killing a Sith Alchemy character. That's how I intend it to work.

Sith Alchemy replaces ATTACKS...not turn...and tracking free vs. not-free characters is a part of the game...when you look at 27 point Lobot or 50 point Jabba...

and what's the point of PT then if when you get feed back on something it doesn't really change anything? and it's a shame that a game that has no actual company over it is still ruled by a few, when it's the community who wants to have a say it what/how we play...

A fair point, but not one I was well aware of. The difference is in that Rak's are a special case. With reinforcements, you as a player are well aware from the very start of the game which ones are worth it, and which are not, as is your opponent. When you make new figures within the game, it can get tricky. It's not entirely different, but I didn't represent it as universally separate issues. But there is a pretty confusing aspect to rak's being generated mid game in ways that both count as points and don't count as points. And that is in fact very different from reinforcements. But that is only one of the reasons we choose to follow the Rak precedent, not the only reason.

Oh please, that's a gross exaggeration of what I said, and you've extended it to an entirely inappropriate area. My statements reflect after the release rules discussions about things an individual person doesn't particularly like, not PT feedback. Again, back off hot shot, you are making claims that are borderline trolling. Don't twist my words again or I will simply ignore you and ask that the thread be locked. There is no need for making the thread uncivil simply because you can. Argue the points, don't exaggerate and change my words.

and Bill I twisted nothing...I took what you said...litterally...you said we as a community have no say in rulings and that erratta to rules/SA/FP of what was WOTC cluster on somethings will NOT be fixed...

I mention the PT'ing as not mattering on things like this, since when I did PT a Power I saw an issue with it...but was told "Sith Alc 2" already set the tone, so we are not discussing the merits/issues of this new FP... So why PT it then? I seen an issue and nothing with my concern for the power/abilty will be changed because of a differnt power already in play the new power is based on. even though therte are many FP's of differnt level that have diffenrt effects even though they basically do the sam ethings...look at all the differnt pushes and Lightnings...

I don't think there's any problem with Sith Alchemy 2. For starters, you won't get to pull it off very often if your opponent is smart. Secondly, A regular 17 point rakghoul can already kill your cheap fodder and turn it into a 0-point unactivated Rakghoul. If I'm paying 51 points for a character that does virtually the exact same thing, it had darn better be at no save and zero points.

And even if I thought otherwise, I know the V-set design team is made up of players who know the game better than the back of their hands (and maybe even better than some family members...) who playtested each piece better than I'll ever have the time to.

Last thought: In case you didn't know, its tradition to wait until after someone has won Gencon with a piece to start whining about it being broken. Advanced Battle Meditation is waaay more powerful than Sith Alchemy 2, and nobody bellyached about it until after GenCon. So give it a couple of months, okay?

And I heard someone complain that having a CE doesn't fit the character. I suspected that the primary reason for having a commander effect was to keep him from getting all those powerful Sep CEs that were for Followers. Your post pretty much confirms my suspicion. (And I never played the game, but I do recall that HK-47 built an army of HK-50 droids at some point...)

Adi - you most certainly did twist my words (or perhaps you completely misunderstood the conversation which is pretty likely I think). Either way, if your concern is with a currently being tested piece, then I suggest you start reporting PT results. As of yet, there are no PT results that have been posted about the character you are talking about. Celeste and SA2 is set in stone, there will be no post-release changes. That is what I said earlier. The community doesn't get a vote, and doesn't get to change it after release. As for currently being PTed figures, they are all open to changes. If the ability is a problem, we fix it somehow. However, making a thread to publically complain about a non-released figure, when nothing has been posted about it in the PT area is very bad form. All that will do, is insure you will never be given pieces to PT again. Since you concerns have been noted and discussed, and since it seems clear now that you want to complain about a non-released mini, please leave the thread and send in PMs with your problem play testing issues. We will discuss that only in the appropriate areas of Gamers, not in public threads during playtesting. Geez, I can't believe I actually have to say that...

Re: HK.. I 'lead' the design on him.. and yes, that's a good example of how a figure changed over time due to PT-ing. The Grey Jedi thread on Gamers is another.

Sith Alchemy was well tested and was not found to be overly powerful. If you want to spend your 51 point piece's turn, changing an ugnaught into an unactivated Rak.. go nuts, that's an easy kill for me, and now I don't have to worry about the 40/60 damage a turn that she can normally do.

Don't see how she can pull it off twice. She doesn't have MOTF2. I can speak for a very different group from the heart of Europe, that Sith Alchemy is nice and deffinitely not overpowered.

There is a way to give her MotF 2 in the Rebels, Old Republic and Republic. As long as you have someone with Light Spirit, if that person dies and gives their force points to Celeste and the ability to spend force points twice per round, she effectively has Motf 2. Not that it would do any good anyways. You can only use one replaces attacks force power a turn, so there is no way she would be able to SA twice in one turn.