True or False?

The more competitive choices available to a gamer, the better. For me this is true. It helps each new game feel different. So, I have been thinking about the Focus action a lot the past two days and started to wonder if it is to powerful.

1. It is ambiguous and allows you to choose during the combat phase if it will be used offensively or defensively. All other actions require committal during the activation phase.

2. Since it is ambiguous it results in a wasted action less. Strong attack rolls allow you to use it for defense and strong defensive rolls allow you to use it for offense.

3. It has the same exact hit percentages of Target Lock and allows you to pick your target during the combat phase, whereas Target Lock allows you to pick your target during the activation phase. (I am aware that Target Locks have the benefit of not being removed between rounds, but in my games Focus still rules the tables offensively)

4. When under multiple attacks in a round and used defensively it is better that than the Evade action, Falcon excluded. Example: when expecting 2 attacks in a round, statistically a standard 3 defense die ship with Focus instead of Evade will be worse 17.80%, equal 53.39%, and better 28.18% of the time. This is a sliding scale as well, meaning the more attacks you expect in a round the greater the probability that a Focus action will be better than an Evade action.

Result: I believe Target Locks and especially Evades are situational and do not see enough use because of it.

I don't know if too powerful is the right way to phrase it, but too ubiquitous maybe. It does seem like it is a little too common, too much of a safe, don't have to think about it action.

I have actually had difficulty getting a friend into the game because our first test games it seemed like focus was the only thing you ever wanted to do with your action. That's not completely true, but it is indicative of an issue.

I wonder if they would ever make a ship that doesn't have the focus action. I know some people have suggested that for droid pilots.

No.

No. Focus is not "too powerful."

As I believe Forgottenlore suggests it may be too simple and easy to use, especially compared to other actions which are oddly more focused on some specific task, but that doesn't make it "too powerful" all by itself. Clearly FFG doesn't think it is too strong otherwise why would they have an upgrade that gives TWO Focus tokens plus all of those other things that interact with Focus tokens or the focus action.

I wonder if they would ever make a ship that doesn't have the focus action. I know some people have suggested that for droid pilots.

This is an elegant solution.

Ask the Z-95 pilots how they feel about taking focus actions.

Def not over powerful. In fact just this past weekend I played a game as a bh, defender, shuttle list and took recon spec on my bh thinking it would be amazing since it has a base 2 agility and 3 attack. The weirdest thing in both games I rolled barely any focus in fact a majority of the time ide say 65-70 percent I had 2 focus tokens left on my ship at the end of the round. Not because I forgot to use them but because I didn't get the chance to. Every round I would take a focus action hoping that this round would be the one I would roll lots of focus and each round I was mistaken. At one point I even though of changing to TL because I had not rolled focus for so long. Now this is just 2 games and it in no way represents the whole pie but what I'm getting at is it can do wonders and sometimes it doesn't. Even when it does work tho it's not overly powerful IMO because your opponent has the exact same option to choose that action as well.

I guess "powerful" was not the best word. Basically the overall flexibility and effectiveness of the Focus action makes it better and more useful than both Target Lock and especially Evade most of the time. Which severly limits the times those actions are taken. So I was merely trying to ask if it was too powerful when compared to those two specific actions, not too powerful where it unbalances the game.

From the numbers I ran, the only time an A-wing, E-Wing, TIE Fighter, TIE Interceptor, TIE Advanced, or TIE Phantom should take an Evade action over Focus is when they are expecting only 1 incoming attack. 2 or more attacks and the Focus action becomes better than the Evade.

Any time you start a thread questioning one of the fundamental mechanics of the game, and even imply that it is broken, you are barking up the wrong tree.

The game is stronger than ever almost 2 years into it, and if something as basic as the Focus action (or the penalties for overlapping, etc. etc.) is out of line, it would be common wisdom by now.

Everyone understands that Focus is a good "default" action, with flexibility for both offensive or defensive use. But that doesn't mean it is "better" or "more useful" than the other actions. It is used differently.

No.

Statistically, on offense it's slightly less powerful than a Target Lock for most ships, though Predator tilts that math a bit.

On defense, a ship with 2 defense dice or fewer will be better off with an Evade token. I believe 3 of more dice are better served by a Focus.

I find myself taking evade more times. But then again I usually fly the glass cannons thus making me biased in a sense.

Is Focus often a better choice than other actions? Yes.

Are all actions supposed to be equal? No. Obviously not. Look at Engine Upgrade vs. Targeting Computer--four points versus two points. The Focus action might be a problem if there were ships that couldn't take it, but, as it is, everyone has that option; it's just that each ship also has certain other options, as well.

I Target Lock something as soon as I'm at range 3. It doesn't mean I'm going to take the shot. I'll save it until I close to range 1 or 2, keep the TL and then take a Focus that turn. Then fire. With both to modify. Ka-boom.

So TL may be situational in your gaming group. It's not in mine. Nor is evade. Focus is a default action. The other ones are when you actually need to do something specific. None are too powerful, nor too weak.

These have all been good points. All actions do not have to be equal and they were not created that way. Focus is a very simple, flexible, effective action. Which is fitting for a game that does not intend to become so complex it limits its fan base.

From my perspective though the overall effectiveness of Focus does stifle the amount of times Target Lock and Evade actions are taken just a little too much.

When I compare Target Lock to Focus it is impossible for me to quantify how much better I think Focus is. With Target Lock I do not have a value for not being forced to take it off the board at the end of the round, nor the added benefit it provides since it is required with most munitions. I can only go by the probabilities I have and the sheer volumes of times I have seen Focus taken instead of Target Lock. The probabilities are exactly the same, both provide identical percentages to hit. Yes, Target Lock is a little more powerful since re-rolls have an added chance of turning into a critical hit, but Focus allows you to pick your target after the activation phase. These two things wash each other out for me. And the amount of times I have taken a Target Lock action and wished it was a Focus is a great deal more than the amount of times I took a Focus action and wished it was a Target Lock (20/20 hindsight on rolled attack dice not included). So my gut tells me Focus is better and more useful than Target Lock.

Comparing Evade to Focus is significantly more tangible. There are hard probabilities out there and, Evade does not have the added un-quantitative bonuses that Target Lock has. Statistically, not including the large ships (Falcon and Slave I), Evade is only better than Focus under one condition. When you expect only one incoming attack in a given round. Any more than one attack and the statistics favor the Focus action. Also, in this comparison the Focus action is the one with an additional un-quantitative bonus. The ability to use it on offense if you rolled well on defense.

This is only my analysis of these three actions and there usefulness in the game of X-wing. This is not a statement saying the game is broken.

Got me thinking. Maybe Evade needs a boost.

Modification: When taking an Evade action, increase the amount of defense die by one when attacked at range 2.

On ships with three or more attacks I find TL is better than focus personally I've had plenty of times when I get more blanks then eyeballs.

And in defence evade tokens are a sure thing.

It can be the no brainer choice for sure but too powerful no.

I generally Target Lock over Focus, because you can always use the Target Lock. You can't always use the Focus.

Statistically, on offense it's slightly less powerful than a Target Lock for most ships, though Predator tilts that math a bit.

On defense, a ship with 2 defense dice or fewer will be better off with an Evade token. I believe 3 of more dice are better served by a Focus.

4 dice i think (eyes are 1/4).

Also, target locks can be used turns you can't shoot, to boost your offense next turn with focus + Target Lock.

They are just different. Target lock ability to reroll is better if you want to be offensive because you have a better average result chance, if that's what you are looking for.

I'm of the same opinion as Gullwind. I prefer to TL when I know I'm going to be attacking a specific ship because I really hate taking off that focus in the end round because I rolled hit blank blank. I'd much rather have a TL and roll hit focus focus, reroll, and still come up with nothing because at least I feel like my action did something (reroll dice)...

Though I'll often start the first round with focuses all around to see where someone is going to attack - I'd rather use a focus for defense than offense if you're focus firing on a ship. But otherwise, I prefer to evade with a low health ship, especially if there is a gunner around, that way I can typically use/not use the token to take 1 damage and not worry about gunner activating. Nothing's worse than having 3 hits rolled, and evade + 2 focuses... and have a focus token... do you take the 2 hits and try your luck tokenless against the gunner, or do you eat the two hits?

But as for best action, it's totally barrel roll... if used properly. On low PS ships, it can be great for herding folks where you want them to go (or at least keeping them from where they want to go, especially a phantom). Oh high PS ships, it can be great for lining up a shot, or getting out of arc. Much more useful imo than engine upgrade for arc dancing.

The better I get at the game, and the more I think about tactics and moves, the more I find myself taking actions OTHER than focus.

I pretty much only took focus actions in the first year of playing. Now I know more and more when is a great time to evade (wont get a shot in but will be taking one in return, when I need to bug out to re-adjust) and I've recently started learnign Rebel lists with a lot fo reasons to take target locks (Hobbie, Tarn, R7 droids)

So no, it isnt OP. But it is the go-to action for 99% of players in 90% of situations. Mainly because it works.

I think this discussion makes most sense if you narrow it down to focus vs. evade. I've only a handful of games under my belt by now, but it's not often that you see an evade token on the board. Is that what FFG intended?

I think this discussion makes most sense if you narrow it down to focus vs. evade. I've only a handful of games under my belt by now, but it's not often that you see an evade token on the board. Is that what FFG intended?

Focus is a jack of all trades master of none, while evade is specialized action, like Target lock. Every ship has focus, while evade or target lock are not, so i would say, yes it is intended.

The evade token is awesome, and powerful. Just not as utilitarian as Focus. IF you know you are going to be shot, and IF that extra point of life is the difference between shooting and dying that round, the evade is the best and only choice. Most other defensive situations will fare better with Focus. Offensively, I find it to be either or with TL. Both are good, neither is OP, and again it's highly situational. Does the enemy have sensor jammer? Will I have a shot this turn? Am I able to focus fire? Am I being focus fired upon? This game is mostly about choices, I think. One of the best ways to make choices interesting, is to have a fair amount of granularity to the choices. If the choices seem very similar, but have subtle differences that affect the situational outcome, well, that's just good game design.

TL = offensive action, better then focus.

Focus = versatile action.

Evade = defensive action, better then focus.

Focus real value is its versatility. But if you are specifically going to use it on off or def youre better of taking TL or Evade.

Focus is more safety net then anything else IMO.

Nope, its fine the way it is.