It's probably been covered before but I can't find it with the search.

Attacking is optional, a ship may choose not to attack even if capable.

Can you choose not to defend? Say a ship with gunner rolls one hit vs your three dice, can you choose to just take the hit?

Defending is part of the Attack step. You may NOT choose to roll no dice.

As I mentioned in the other thread

Now I'm curious, is defending mandatory? Attacking is optional, is defending?

Hmz, I'd obviously prefer it to be optional. Bummer.

Guess there's no hope for a slight amendment to the rules?

I see what threw me off, the FAQ has a section on the attack, about how the paragraph should read. Somehow I've always read that they'd amended the rules so you may also choose not to attack. Going back to my paper rules (how quaint, paper), shows that it was always optional.

Thinking that the rule about attacks being optional was later FAQ'd made me hope...

If that ship with a Gunner only ends up with on [boom] result before you roll your three Defense dice maybe you'll get lucky and have [eye] and [blank] results be all that show up. Then the Gunner's attack is right back to where things should have started.

The defender always has to roll defense dice. Even if the attacker rolls zero dice because of blinded pilot or has nothing but blanks.

Hmz, I'd obviously prefer it to be optional. Bummer.

Guess there's no hope for a slight amendment to the rules?

Alternatively, its design space for a few pilot abilities or EPTs.

"You may do ___. If you do, do not roll any green dice for this attack."

Super Expose!

Hmz, I'd obviously prefer it to be optional. Bummer.

Guess there's no hope for a slight amendment to the rules?

Alternatively, its design space for a few pilot abilities or EPTs.

"You may do ___. If you do, do not roll any green dice for this attack."

When defending, you may change all results to blanks. If you do, do not roll any green defense dice for this attack.

Such an ability might actually work.

Hmz, I'd obviously prefer it to be optional. Bummer.

Guess there's no hope for a slight amendment to the rules?

Fly Decimators then...

Yeah, that's not quite the point. .

Especially with the Dead Man's Switch coming up, choosing not to defend might be real nice.

You just need to have ships with many hull points and shields or many ships with low hit points that focuses on the ship with gunner or deadman switch.