Do you have questions about attacking, defense tokens and critical hits? READ THIS FIRST

By DWRR, in Star Wars: Armada Rules Questions

Although as the defender you should usually be pretty certain if ACMs are looming on the horizon...

Indeed, it's hard to make a case for not employing ACMs if you have them, but maybe that's just because I underestimate the brutality of the face-up cards - especially when that war criminal Jan Dodonna is lurking around.

There are some face-up cards in there that ended the game for me. ("Oh, you had an engineering command planned? Well, now it's a squadron command.")

I would rather give the 2 extra damage. It is a more guarenteed aspect imho.

Maybe if you could fish for a "2 damage" critical to finish off the enemy ship you'd gamble on a face up critical with Dodonna...

Maybe if you could fish for a "2 damage" critical to finish off the enemy ship you'd gamble on a face up critical with Dodonna...

HA! True.

In response to your question:

Rules Question:

in Star Wars Armada, when a defending shop spends defence tokens, does it spend them one at a time? Could a ship spend its Evade token to force a re-roll on an attack dice and then decide to spend its redirect token if the re-roll doesn't help? Or does the defending ship have to declare all the defense tokens it wants to use before resolving any of their effects? For example in the above scenario you would have to decide to use the brace before seeing the result of the evade. Many thanks, DWRR

The defender can spend his defense tokens one at a time, seeing the result of the previous defense token before choosing whether to spend the next token. In your example, the ship can indeed spend the evade token, see the re-roll, and then decide to spend the redirect token.

Thanks for playing!

James Kniffen

Game Designer

Fantasy Flight Games

I am happy this was clarified. Especially because I have been wrong :D

Good to know I have been playing this right

Thought I'd bump this as now we have lots of new upgrades with critical hit effects we are getting lots of "when can I use this" type questions...

This really needs to be stickied.

It may now be useful to clarify up near "gathering attack pool" that there is a difference between upgrades that "increase" your armament such as enhanced armaments versus upgrades that "add" dice such as Ackbar.

As far as I can figure out and what others have told me: With a CR90 B (blue dice), you can attack at long range if you have enhanced armaments. You cannot attack at long range if you only have Ackbar.

It may now be useful to clarify up near "gathering attack pool" that there is a difference between upgrades that "increase" your armament such as enhanced armaments versus upgrades that "add" dice such as Ackbar.

As far as I can figure out and what others have told me: With a CR90 B (blue dice), you can attack at long range if you have enhanced armaments. You cannot attack at long range if you only have Ackbar.

While you are correct in your conclutions about the CR90, the "add" vs "increase" argument is one of my favorites to disagrea stongly with.

The important part is not if the word used is add or increase, the importat part is if you are instructed to modify your battery armamat or your attack pool.

Edited by Smuggler

I made a video on this!

how can you use a crit when you still have shileds up?

Because the Mechanic allows you to Use a Crit while Shields are up...

You can activate a Critical Hit because you rolled AT LEAST ONE Critical Hit die . That's all. That's all you need.

This is not X-Wing.

Its just that the default crit really only applies when shields are down... But there are many crits out there that DO NOT require hull damage.

Edited by Drasnighta

Because the Mechanic allows you to Use a Crit while Shields are up...

You can activate a Critical Hit because you rolled AT LEAST ONE Critical Hit die . That's all. That's all you need.

This is not X-Wing.

Its just that the default crit really only applies when shields are down... But there are many crits out there that DO NOT require hull damage.

ok thanks. I just bought the game. I have never played X-wing

ok thanks. I just bought the game. I have never played X-wing

Awesome, I apologise over the assumption, as its one of the main core differences that people fail to adjust to when they make the switch over :)

It may now be useful to clarify up near "gathering attack pool" that there is a difference between upgrades that "increase" your armament such as enhanced armaments versus upgrades that "add" dice such as Ackbar.

As far as I can figure out and what others have told me: With a CR90 B (blue dice), you can attack at long range if you have enhanced armaments. You cannot attack at long range if you only have Ackbar.

While you are correct in your conclutions about the CR90, the "add" vs "increase" argument is one of my favorites to disagrea stongly with.

The important part is not if the word used is add or increase, the importat part is if you are instructed to modify your battery armamat or your attack pool.

I checked the rules document in print. Go read modify dice. Its very clear that "add" is a modify dice. "Increase battery armament" is not a modify dice.

I'm sure whether you mean disagree as in you don't like that rule or whether you mean that its wrong. Cuz, as far as I can read these rules, its pretty clear. (And really really really stupid!!!!)

Also, this post really should be pinned/

It may now be useful to clarify up near "gathering attack pool" that there is a difference between upgrades that "increase" your armament such as enhanced armaments versus upgrades that "add" dice such as Ackbar.

As far as I can figure out and what others have told me: With a CR90 B (blue dice), you can attack at long range if you have enhanced armaments. You cannot attack at long range if you only have Ackbar.

While you are correct in your conclutions about the CR90, the "add" vs "increase" argument is one of my favorites to disagrea stongly with.

The important part is not if the word used is add or increase, the importat part is if you are instructed to modify your battery armamat or your attack pool.

I checked the rules document in print. Go read modify dice. Its very clear that "add" is a modify dice. "Increase battery armament" is not a modify dice.

I'm sure whether you mean disagree as in you don't like that rule or whether you mean that its wrong. Cuz, as far as I can read these rules, its pretty clear. (And really really really stupid!!!!)

I'm sorry if I was unclear, I'm not dissagreaing with the rules. I'll try to exlpain it again.

My problem is when people get hung up on the words "add" and "increas" as being the factor deciding if range should apply or not. The importat part is if you are altering the armament value or the attack pool , what word is used to describe the alteration is irrelevant.

If a card told you to add X to your armament value it would work exactly the same as if it told you to increas your armament value by X.

I made a video on this!

how can you use a crit when you still have shileds up?

Hey, just work through an attack using the guide lines from the first post in this thread and you will see shields have nothing to do with whether or not you can resolve a critical hit.

Wow I had no idea how far off we were on applying damage before I read this. In the "How to play" book they need to put "This isn't" X-wing", then print this under attacking. Every one I play with started on X-wing and I didn't realize the subtly of the differences and the effect they have.

how can you use a crit when you still have shileds up?

https://youtu.be/ZkEQATZXbxE

I think I understand, but just to be sure. If my shrimp with proton torpedoes gets a black crit to resolve criticals stage. Proton torpedoes does a face up during this phase, additionally if damage makes it to the hull the first damage card will be face up as well. This is how I understand it, but want to be sure

I think I understand, but just to be sure. If my shrimp with proton torpedoes gets a black crit to resolve criticals stage. Proton torpedoes does a face up during this phase, additionally if damage makes it to the hull the first damage card will be face up as well. This is how I understand it, but want to be sure

Incorrect.

You have one "Critical Effect" that you can resolve.

That could be "Assault Proton Torpedos do one Face up Damage to the Hull" or "Assault Concussion Missiles does 1 damage to each adjacent zone".

However, if you do not have a Card that says is, the default critical effect is "The First Damage Card Dealt is Dealt Face Up."

You only get one of the Above.

So say, you have a Ship with NK-7 Ion Cannons and Assault Proton Torpedos.

You roll your attack dice, and amongst the dice, you have a Blue Crit and a Black Crit/Hit showing...

It does not matter how many Critical Dice you have, you get one "critical Effect" to resolve.

In this case, it could be one of the following:

NK-7 Ion Cannons discarding a Defense Token

Assault Proton Torpedoes dealing a Face Up Damage

or

The First Damage Card dealt is dealt face up.

Hey btw, this got buried, but for future reference, can you al check if this is correct? I think I summed up everything as well and obviously notated as possible.


1) Measure Arc, Attack range and LoS

2) Gather Attack Pool

a. increases in battery

b. if obstructed (los to los), remove 1 die

3) Roll Attack Pool
4) Modify Attack Pool - attacker rerolls, add, modify, change, spend
5) Spend Accuracies

a. (you may not spend accuracies after this step)

b. (yes you do remove the accuracy die when it is spent)

6) Defender spends Defense tokens

a. defender rerolls, evades spent and resolved here, then defender chooses to spend others
7) Attacker chooses critical effect

a. contain spent here, resolve special critical effects here
8) Total damage - brace resolves here
9) Deal damage - Redirect/scatter resolves here

a. Standard crit effect resolves here: First damage card is face up.

--

Measuring Step 1:

- Hull zones are only the cardboard within the two lines

- Squadrons are measured for range and LOS from the closest point on the squadron cardboard.

1. Arc: Is the target hull zone within the attacker arc (and at a distance where you can gather dice)

2. LOS: Does the line from yellow dot to yellow dot not cross a defender's hull line? (crossing an attacker hull line is ok).

a. Obstruction: true or false - does that line go through an obstacle or another ship? (don't remove 2 dice for 2rocks/ships)

b. Shield teeth and, i think, shield dials count for obstructing (need double check)

3. Range: measure from closest point of hull zones to each other. (if this line crosses another defending hull zone, you do not have LOS)

Let me know if I got anything wrong.