Dispute: Resolving hits

By Ebak, in X-Wing Rules Questions

There was a tiny disagreement (it wasn't an argument, merely a discussion) between a player who attended regionals and a member of our gaming group. The discussion goes as this:

Evade always evade normal hits first and critical hits last.

However...if a ship has shields left, those shields absorb the critical first and then the ship takes the standard hits.

So for example, we have the following:

TIE Intercetor, attack roll: Hit, Hit, Crit

A-Wing, defence roll: Evade, Blank, Blank

The A-Wing has 1 shield left.

One hit is cancelled out by the evade. However according to the regionals player, because the A-Wing has a shield left, the crit is absorbed by that FIRST, then the normal hit goes through to the hull.

Can we have someone clarify this? I was always under the assumption that criticals are always resolved last.

The hit ship suffers one damage for each uncanceled [boom] result, and then suffers one critical damage for each uncanceled [kaboom] result.


Rulebook page 13

When you have evade results, you cancel all normal hits first, then critical hits.

If you don't have enough evade results to cancel all hits (normal or critical), you suffer the remaining damage.

You suffer normal hit results first, then critical hit results.

Damage (any damage) is absorbed by shields first. When you don't have any shield tokens left, you start to draw damage cards.

There are exceptions to this general rules, but they are noted on the corresponding upgrade cards.

Your opponent was wrong. In your example, the Awing's remaining shield token would have absorbed the second 'normal hit' result, and then, it should have suffered the critical hit, which would be a face-up card since the Awing no longer had shield tokens left.

Edited by Jehan Menasis

The player was incorrect.

From the rules, page 16:

When a ship suffers damage or critical damage, it suffers them one at a time following these steps. The ship must suffer all normal damage before suffering any critical damage.

Not sure where the person got the idea that shields cancel crits first...

Not sure where the person got the idea that shields cancel crits first...

Right? That's the same thought I had.

And how does someone make it to Regionals without being corrected on such a basic mistake in how the rules work?

And how does someone make it to Regionals without being corrected on such a basic mistake in how the rules work?

Well, there's not any qualifying process, so it's possible he walked in having only bought the game at the dealer's room that morning.

But even then, is that really any weirder than some of the other little quirks we've heard about local playgroups developing?

Well, there's not any qualifying process...

Don't you have to win or at least place in the store championships to make it to Regionals? If not, then I guess it's not such a stretch.

But even then, is that really any weirder than some of the other little quirks we've heard about local playgroups developing?

No, but you'd think that unless you were taken out at in the first game of the event, you'd run into the guy trying to claim that the <crit> gets removed first by the shields and being corrected.

Don't you have to win or at least place in the store championships to make it to Regionals? If not, then I guess it's not such a stretch.

Nope - a Store Championship win earns a first-round bye, but anyone can participate.

I had a Regional Champ fly his Falcon off the board after boosting there and he didn't know that the ship counted as destroyed.

It came as a great surprise to him.

(super great guy by the way)

It's when the arrogant ones do that and try to argue, that it makes it so much sweeter when you prove them wrong.

Yeah hits first always, clearly a cheat desperate to avoid taking crits.

Or just a guy who didn't know that particular section of the rules.

Not sure where the person got the idea that shields cancel crits first...

It's called "wishful thinking" and some how it usually applies to him.