Hey guys!

Another question came up:

Normally figures get focused due to their surge-ability. And use the extra die in their next attack or test.

The card Show of Force reads as follows:

"Exhaust this card when an Imperial figure declares an attach. That figure becomes Focused."

So the figure becomes focused prior to rolling the dice. Therefore the extra green die should already be added to the current attack?!

yes

That is correct. Use of focus is based on when you are rolling the dice. According to "Focus" RRG, Page 12:

Focus
Focused is a condition that provides the figure with an additional green die the next time the figure attacks or performs a test. The condition is then discarded.

• A figure with this condition must gain the extra die when it attacks or performs an attribute test. The player cannot choose to save the condition for a later attack or test.

• If a figure has the “Focus” keyword, it may become focused after attacking. If the target suffers one or more (damage), the attacker becomes Focused after the attack resolves.

• If a figure gains the Focused condition after rolling dice for an attack or test, it cannot use the condition until the next time it attacks or performs a test.

Look at it this way. Show of Force make a figure focused, it doesn't say attach on it so you can use this card on an imperial unit.

So as long as they dont declare and attack before using the card then yes it will gain the green die...

EG

Stormtrooper activates

Stormtrooper figure moves 4 spaces and finds himself in a position to attack a Rebel

Imperial declares he is using this round the SoF card on that figure

Stormtrooper declares the attack

Imperial player now roles B + G + G the additional green for SoF

SoF is now exhausted and cannot be used by the remaining Stormtroopers in that squad

Havent played ST class yet, but I found Show of Force really powerful compared to Experimental Arms. It's useful every round when you want it to be useful. Compared to EA that you have to attack, has a somewhat serious drawback and is only useful when you dont roll enough surge

SoF is now exhausted and cannot be used by the remaining Stormtroopers in that squad

SoF can only be used by one figure per round, not an entire squad.

SoF is now exhausted and cannot be used by the remaining Stormtroopers in that squad

SoF can only be used by one figure per round, not an entire squad.

Thats what VirMortalis said.

I am perplexed by the addition of that statement because after SoF is used on a single figure, no other imperial figure can use it that round. To specifically call out the squad implies that it could have additional uses that round.

"SoF is now exhausted and cannot be used for the remainder of the round."

Havent played ST class yet, but I found Show of Force really powerful compared to Experimental Arms. It's useful every round when you want it to be useful. Compared to EA that you have to attack, has a somewhat serious drawback and is only useful when you dont roll enough surge

I have not played with it yet too, but I think it can be quite useful. Especially when you have a special strategy in mind, like using an ability (stun?) every round. For example, the elite probe droid, who can heal 2 damage with one surge, it's a guaranteed heal of 1 damage every turn. In sum, it's a less direct advantage than SoF but a more subtle one.

Anyway, what is one damage when your trooper will die next round, or when your droid is to explode at the end of the round ?

Anyway, what is one damage when your trooper will die next round, or when your droid is to explode at the end of the round ?

One damage could be the difference between a hero spending an action *THIS* round targeting something that should be dead already, or targeting something completely different.

We lost a campaign mission by 1 damage. Royal Guard making another attack due to an Elite Imperial Officer having just enough movement to get close enough to order him to attack again. He needed to do 2 damage and was able to do exactly 2. Had he not, we would have been able to meet the conditions to exit. So don't under estimate anything. Most well planned and played missions will have a fairly close margin of victory/defeat. The blow outs are due to poor planning, players getting distracted from the plan, or just a really bad run of dice.

I don't necessarily underestimated the impact of 1 damage. I wanted to point out that since many imperial troops are squishy, one damage sometimes would not change anything when your figures are being one-shot.

I would send you exactly the same argument back : a mission can be won or lost on a single surge. I may not have played a lot of Imperial Assaut but I have played quite a few games of Descent and trust me on this. Having an extra attack die in certain situation is not always better than to have a guaranteed surge (especially when your goal is not damage).

I was just trying to show how I think Experimental Arms can have its worth. Is it better than Show of Force ? I don't know and I wouldn't bet on it either. In the end, I think it comes down to playstyle and strategy.

I'm currently playing my campaign using Military Might and i love it. haven't tested the others imperial classes in a campaign yet but i think imperial might is really worth it to use. Show of force gives a lot of headaches to my rebel friends because they have seen how a single die can change an attack sometimes and is perfect when you wanna focus all your fire on a single hero during a round (even a single die is welcomed). Assault Armor gives your units enough survivability and help your low health units to stay in combat a bit more; and Combat Veterans, i really love this skill. Elite stormtroopers can become a pain in the ***. they may seem normal cards but they really mark a difference between deploy a whole unit or just reinforce them spending less threat and and helping you manage your threat points much better. And sustained fire is a really good skill when a figure is well positioned and you don't need to worry about spending an action removing stun the next round.

I was just trying to show how I think Experimental Arms can have its worth. Is it better than Show of Force ? I don't know and I wouldn't bet on it either. In the end, I think it comes down to playstyle and strategy.

Different strokes for Different folks

Different class for different.. errrr...

Anyways, I think the two are balanced, it all comes down to playstyle.

Besides, an extra surge can always be useful, but only if your unit can use it. If you roll more surges than you can spend, that extra surge is wasted. Same thing with the extra die. If it comes up blank (I believe green has a 17% of blank), it's a waste.