This may be a somewhat daft question, but do minion groups make one attack or multiple?

Example: Three stormtroopers firing blaster rifles, do they fire once at 2y1g or three times?

Once if you group them together with the minion rules.

This may be a somewhat daft question, but do minion groups make one attack or multiple?

Example: Three stormtroopers firing blaster rifles, do they fire once at 2y1g or three times?

If using the grouping option, then they only fire once (at 2y1g) but you could just not group them to have them each take a shot independently (at 3g).

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, for essentially all things it's easier to think of a minion group as a single character with some special rules, and not multiple characters with some special rules.

Also a tip: Keep minions in the same minion group within engaged range with each other. A group of two and a third solo to outflank is easier to manage then an over described single group of three.

I think it's an excellent question, because I just came looking for the answer myself. Thanks all!

I'll add to this question. When they apply their damage it is as a single source, correct? So a group of three minion stormtroopers firing their deadly accurate (sarcasm intended) blaster rifles rolls 2Y1G. When they apply damage it is only 9 (blaster rifle) plus the minion group's successes applied once, correct? They don't score the damage three times over? I hope not because then I've really been undervaluing my minions...

I'll add to this question. When they apply their damage it is as a single source, correct? So a group of three minion stormtroopers firing their deadly accurate (sarcasm intended) blaster rifles rolls 2Y1G. When they apply damage it is only 9 (blaster rifle) plus the minion group's successes applied once, correct? They don't score the damage three times over? I hope not because then I've really been undervaluing my minions...

Correct, they only get the base 9 for the blaster rifle plus any uncancelled successes they generate.

They don't score the damage three times over? I hope not because then I've really been undervaluing my minions...

Yes, each minion group inflicts damage as if it were a single enemy with a single weapon.

Something to keep in mind when you're first learning the game:

Minions can be collected in a single large group, they can be spread out into several smaller groups, or they can operate as a bunch of individuals. How they form up is entirely at the GM's discretion, and you can even have them change formation (sometimes forming larger groups and sometimes separating into smaller groups) throughout the encounter.

However, remember that fewer, larger groups are weaker and more numerous, smaller groups are more dangerous . A single group of four stormtroopers operating as one is fairly accurate, but it can only make a single attack for a single weapon's worth of damage each round. Four stormtroopers acting individually are individually less accurate, but they can make four separate attacks, collectively roll many more dice, and will often land two, three, or even four hits each round totaling far more damage.

A starting party will find a group of four stormtroopers much easier to beat than four separate stormtroopers. Conversely, a more experienced party can be challenged by splitting minions into a larger number of smaller groups.

Just wanted to chime in and say what OverMatt has said is beyond important for GM's to remember.

Larger groups are easier but starting out in that manner and splitting to smaller squads mid battle is a good option to increase difficulty (or the reverse to decrease the difficulty level). Also the smaller squads of 1 or 2 are much harder to kill in mass numbers.

Actually, I'd argue this can depend on range and other difficulties. A minion group that drops to 1 or 2 greens at long or even medium range is quickly going to start missing more then they hit. At this point singling them out can actually reduce their effectiveness, not to mention they lose any chance of triumph.

Descriptively, it's important to remember that with longer, more abstract rounds, it's not like only one minion in the group is firing, it's just that most of them are missing anyway.

A single larger group would only be more dangerous than several smaller groups if the difficulty of the attack roll was super-duper hard.

95% of the time, the difficulty of the attack will be low enough that even though a single minion might only have, say, three green dice to his pool, the odds of him or his first ally or his second ally or his third ally hitting will be much greater (combined) than the odds of one single pool of YYY hitting on its one attempt.

Also, when you factor in that there is a significant chance that more than one individual minion will hit and that each hit will cause a full weapon's worth of damage, the total expected damage that you would inflict on the PCs per round of combat is much higher with multiple individual attacks.

95% of the time, separate minions are much more dangerous than grouped minions.

Side question when attacking minions. Normally if you shoot an opponent and have enough advantage for three crits you would get one crit roll +20 on the roll. With minions is it the same or can you do three separate crits to take out three of them since that +20 is pointless against minions.

Not certain what the official rules are, but that is what I do. 3 crits 3 minions.

By RAW, there is no point in spending the excess advantages on crits as they only add the value to the roll and there is no roll with minions nor groups of them.

In those situations if the player doesn't spend them on anything else I just end up using them as a narrative tool depending on the amount remaining. Perhaps staggering the group or requiring a fear check from their friend getting obliterated. Allowing multiple instances to wipe multiple minions ends up bringing to much cheese to the table and every munchkin would drool with the possibilities. Of course, do whatever works best for your group but I recommend against it.

I allow multiple crits per attack against minions.