I just played this today and seemed like a very good combo, but part of me is saying I'm reading the cards incorrectly thus resulting in a broken, overpowered effect.

I have a Vic 2 with Admiral Screed, Dominator, Overload Pulse, Intel Officer, and Sensor Team, and a Gladiator 1 with Wulff, Assault Concussion Missiles, Engine Tech, and Demolisher.

I attack a target a close range with the Gladiator 1. Assuming a side shot, so that's 4 black dice. Let's say I get 4 hits. I use Admiral Screed to spend 1 dice and turn one of the dice onto the Hit + Critical Hit face on the black dice. The target is a CR-90 with 1 shield on the Left hull, 2 shields on the Front hull, and no shields on the right hull. I am attacking his front hull. He can't use his evade tokens (close range) and no matter how he redirects, he's still going to take damage.

Assault Concussion Missiles --- I assume they deal damage if the adjacent hull zone has no shields? In this case, the CR-90 automatically loses the Left-side shield and suffers 1 damage from the Right side. Does this damage happen straight away or does it happen AFTER damage from the attack is done? This distinction might be important when determining if a crit goes through.

If I had attacked with the Vic earlier, I could have 3 red and 3 blue dice. At this point, I realized that adding blue dice from Dominator in hopes of getting a crit is useless since I can use Adm. Screed again to trigger a crit so at best, Dominator is just there to bring more pain. Because of the crit from Screed, all defense tokens of the CR-90 go from green to orange (exhausted).... again, I now realize that Intel Officer is useless because the tokens are now exhausted so if the player decides to use a token, that token is then lost/discarded for the rest of the game.

In this case, it was quite easy to trigger Overload Pulse and Assault Concussion Missiles because Screed gives each ship a critical hit once per activation, essentially.

What do you guys think? Have I mis-read the cards?

Critical effects are resolved after damage. There is no such thing as "if a crit goes through", in the sense that this makes it sounds like you will also resolve a face up damage card after having used the ACM.

After damage you can resolve 1 critical effect. This can either be a card like ACM, which could deal additional face down damage cards if the adjacent facings had no shields, or you can choose to deal the first damage card from the attack face up. You have to pick one or the other.

In terms of the readings, that is exactly what Screed is for - to provide a crit to trigger upgrade cards, but as noted, doing so will mean passing up on the default face up damage card effect.

Ah, that is remnant of my X-Wing games.

I am apparently reading the upgrade cards wrong. I thought I just needed to roll a crit on a blue/black dice for the effect to resolve. Apparently I need to actually deal hull damage for it to trigger? Also, I'd need to decide if I want the critical hit (faceup damage card) or the critical effect (as written on the card)?

Can you please point me to a specific page for reference on future games? Thanks!

Hmmm...

Page 2 of the RRG, Attack step 5: I resolve one crit effect --- so that means I can choose between the standard crit effect (one faceup damage card) or an effect from an upgrade card. Okay, I guess that clears that up.

"The attacker can resolve one of its critical effects. Then the attacker determines the total damage amount. Then the defending squadron or hull zone suffers that total damage, one point at a time."

So I've declared a target, rolled attack dice, modified it, the defender has had a chance to spend defense tokens, so now I resolve damage. I choose my Assault Concussion Missiles. My question now is do I have to deal damage to the hull for the ACM to trigger? A standard crit effect reads "If the defender is dealt at least one damage card by this attack, deal the first damage card face up." Okay, fair enough, I can still follow this.

ACM reads: "Black Crit: Each hull zone adjacent to the defending hull zone suffers 1 damage." I understand that as "Black Crit" means I need a crit from a black die. A crit from a red or blue die will not work. "Each hull zone adjacent to the defending hull zone suffers 1 damage." This resolves FIRST before the defending hull zone suffers damage, so in my example above (1 shield on left hull zone, 2 on front, 0 on the right, attacking front hull zone), the CR-90 would now lose one point of shield on the left and get a facedown damage card from the damage to the right hull zone. THEN he suffers whatever damage was to be dealt from the attack.

If I understand this correctly, then Overload Pulse works the same way. Even if I was going up against a completely healthy enemy ship (full hull and shields) and I only managed to roll 1 critical hit from a blue die, then that is enough to trigger the effect and exhaust all of his defense tokens even though the hit itself was "absorbed" by the shields and not done any hull damage.

Almost.

All critical effects are resolved after defence tokens are spent and total damage has been determined (but not the cards drawn).

At this point you can choose 1 critical effect to apply.

So say you had hit a ship and rolled 2 hits and a crit. There are 3 damage to be resolved with the ability to trigger a critical effect.

If the ship had 2 shields, it would take 2 on the shield facings (ignoring any other defense tokens for the sake of this example), and take 1 hull damage.

At that point, because a critical result was rolled on at least one of the dice, you get to choose, do you activate your Assault Concussion Missiles, to then deal 1 extra damage to each adjacent facing, or do you get the 1 hull damage drawn as a face up card? In the same way, Overload pulse is applied AFTER the defender has used any defense tokens and damage has been calculated - so it sets the ship up for a horrible attack by a second ship on your team.

Almost.

All critical effects are resolved after defence tokens are spent and total damage has been determined (but not the cards drawn).

At this point you can choose 1 critical effect to apply.

So say you had hit a ship and rolled 2 hits and a crit. There are 3 damage to be resolved with the ability to trigger a critical effect.

If the ship had 2 shields, it would take 2 on the shield facings (ignoring any other defense tokens for the sake of this example), and take 1 hull damage.

At that point, because a critical result was rolled on at least one of the dice, you get to choose, do you activate your Assault Concussion Missiles, to then deal 1 extra damage to each adjacent facing, or do you get the 1 hull damage drawn as a face up card? In the same way, Overload pulse is applied AFTER the defender has used any defense tokens and damage has been calculated - so it sets the ship up for a horrible attack by a second ship on your team.

Actually I think Intys Rule has it right here, you've mixed up the steps for resolving damage.

You resolve a critical effect, then you total damage from the dice, then you draw damage cards from the attack.

From the RRG...

So you would resolve the standard critical or your ACM (deal 2 damage straight away), then you total damage caused from your dice, then you apply the damage.

All critical effects are resolved after defence tokens are spent and total damage has been determined (but not the cards drawn).

At this point you can choose 1 critical effect to apply.

Yep, like I said....

So I've declared a target, rolled attack dice, modified it, the defender has had a chance to spend defense tokens, so now I resolve damage. I choose my Assault Concussion Missiles.

So let's expound on your example a bit more...

I fired at him, rolled 4 hits and a crit. He spends his Brace token to reduce it to 2.5 damage, rounded up to 3. So that's still 2 hits and a crit. Now it's time to Resolve Damage. I choose ACM to trigger from my crit... bam! Adjacent hull zones take 1 damage each.

** I understand this as: if an adjacent hull zone has shields, the damage goes to the shield, dropping it by 1 point. If an adjacent hull zone has NO shields, the damage goes to the hull and a facedown damage card is dealt to the ship. Is this correct? **

After this is done, he then applies 3 damage to the defending hull zone, one damage at a time. If for example the defending hull zone has 2 shields, this means he suffers one damage BUT is only dealt a facedown damage card as the critical effect has already been applied/resolved via ACM.

The important point I'm trying to figure out here as well (aside from the timing) is that ACM **DOES NOT NEED** to do hull damage for it to trigger, just a critical hit from a black die. In my example, even if the defending hull zone had 4 shields and I only did 2 hits and one crit, the defending hull zone will still end up with 1 shield remaining but my ACM still would've kicked in at the start of the Resolve Damage step. (Same logic to be applied on the Overload Pulse card)

Compare this to a normal crit effect which says "If the defender is dealt at least one damage card by this attack, deal the first damage card faceup." So if I dealt 2 hits and 1 crit and he had 4 shields, he would only end up with 1 shield remaining and the crit effect is "lost" and is treated just as a normal hit because the condition (dealt one damage card) has not happened.

Thoughts?

After dice have been rolled, modified and defence tokens used you resolve damage. This happens in three distinct stages...

1. You resolve a critical effect - which ever one you choose to use at this point it resolves now. If it is ACM then you deal the two damage straight away. It goes against the shields first and if there are no shields it hits the hull zone for a damage card.

2. You total up your damage. At this point if a brace was used it halves the damage.

3. You apply the damage one point at a time. First against shields then against the hull. If you used the basic critical effect during stage 1, instead of ACM or another card based crit) then the first card dealt is face up.

As you can see, crits are resolved before you even total the damage (Maverick got the timings wrong above). So as long as you rolled at least one critical on your attack dice, and those dice weren't removed from your dice pool by a defence token or card effect then you get to resolve one critic effect.

You are correct if you use the standard crit effect but deal no hull damage then the effect is wasted.

Does that help?

After this is done, he then applies 3 damage to the defending hull zone, one damage at a time. If for example the defending hull zone has 2 shields, this means he suffers one damage BUT is only dealt a facedown damage card as the critical effect has already been applied/resolved via ACM.

You got the end result correct, but it seems you got the term "suffer damage" wrong.

He "suffers" 3 damage. The amount of shields is irrelevant to the amount of damage you suffer. Suffering damage doesn't equal dealing damage cards.

See "Damage" on page 4 of the RRG:

When a ship suffers damage, it suffers that damage one

point at a time. For each point, reduce the shields in the

defending hull zone by one. If the defending hull zone

has no shields to lose, deal a facedown damage card to

the ship instead.

Thanks for the clarification guys! At least I got this part correct, just need to work on my terminology.

Hi, just another question regarding Screed's ability. The text on the card says "when a friendly ship attacks" does that mean a ship that doesn't have Screed on it but is on the same side, or does it mean a ship that is friendly to Me, the player?

The implication being that Screed would be useless in single ship fleet builds and is only useful when a second ship is involved.

Some clarity would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Ships are considered friendly to themselves.

The wording that would prevent it would be "when another friendly ship..."

Screed definitely apply to his own ship.

Cool, thank you for the clarification.

While we are at it, cards and effects that say "you" mean the ship, and not the fleet.