Card text (for the Commander version): "While a friendly ship is attacking a ship, it may spend 1 defense token to reroll any number of dice in its attack pool."

So here's what we know (I think):

• He affects all friendly ships. No range requirement (ala Tantive), no exclusion for the ship he's on (ala Home One).
• He's not limited to the number/color of dice that are rerollable.
• He's not limited to one activation per ship (ala Screed).
• His ability is not explicitly limited to once per attack (although I initially thought there was a card that included that text, and apparently there's not).

So here's my question. Suppose I attack with an ISD with Vader as the commander. I spend 1 defense token to reroll any number of dice, and I'm not satisfied with the result. I have more than one defense token available. Can I spend it to reroll any number of dice again on that same attack roll?

I'm pretty sure the answer is "no," but I'm just trying to make sure. For reference, the "spend 1" restriction is shared by the following cards:

• Screed (though his "spend 1 die" is restricted to "once per activation")
• Defense/Weapon liaisons ("spend 1 command token")
• Sensor Team ("spend 1 die," but limited by an exhaust condition)
• Electronic Countermeasures ("spend 1 token," again limited by an exhaust condition)
• Leading Shots ("spend 1 blue die to reroll any number of dice," the closest corollary to Vader)
• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ("spend 1 evade token")

Additional cards also reference "change 1 x," which is similar language:

• Sensor Team ("change 1 die," limited by exhaust condition)
• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ("change 1 die")
• H-9 Turbolasers ("change 1 die")
• Home One ("change 1 die")
• Warlord ("change 1 die face")

Some of these cards have been the subject of an FAQ, but I don't think any of them have addressed how often the ability can be triggered, and can't find anything about that in the Rules Reference Guide.

So, thoughts? Can we agree it's limited to once per attack? If not, what am I missing?

The reason why you cannot is the "While" trigger.

Page 5 RRG, Effect Use and Timing:

• A “while” effect can be resolved during the specified event and cannot occur again during that instance of the event.

So his ability is explicitly limited to once per attack, due to the "While" trigger.

The wording of spend a defense token, does this mean it is exhausted? I can't imagine it means to discard it unless you are spending an exhausted token

The wording of spend a defense token, does this mean it is exhausted? I can't imagine it means to discard it unless you are spending an exhausted token

Spending means If its Readied, it becomes Exhausted. If it is Exhausted, it becomes Discarded.

The reason why you cannot is the "While" trigger.

Page 5 RRG, Effect Use and Timing:

• A “while” effect can be resolved during the specified event and cannot occur again during that instance of the event.

So his ability is explicitly limited to once per attack, due to the "While" trigger.

Aha! This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks Dras!

Dat ole WHILE

Is that the only reason why you can't? I thought something in the rrg even said that you couldn't keep applying the same effect from one card/ability to the same roll. Someone is going to know what I'm talking about/hallucinating...

Is that the only reason why you can't? I thought something in the rrg even said that you couldn't keep applying the same effect from one card/ability to the same roll. Someone is going to know what I'm talking about/hallucinating...

I thought there was something like this too (or at least assumed there had to be), but didn't have any success. I believe there's language about only equipping one of the same upgrade card (can't find it at the moment), and definitely language about only resolving one critical effect (RRG p. 4). Page 5 ("effects and timing") also has something about modifying attack dice, but it's not exactly on-point:

"An effect that modifies attack dice can only be resolved during the “Resolve Attacks Effects” step of an attack unless another timing is specified" (which I assume is an attempt to prevent dice modification after defense tokens are used, which makes sense).

The "while" definitely seems to be the controlling factor here. Then again, I missed the "while" the first time, so I'm probably overlooking something else.

Thanks for the comments all!

Look at me go without Coffee!


The FAQ states that you cannot equip two of the same upgrade card - it was skipped from the RRG.

But, as I scoured the rules, I only found this. I know it doesn't count for all, but It might count for some:

• The defender cannot spend more than one defense token of each type per attack.

• A defense token cannot be spent more than once during an attack.

• Defense tokens can be spent as part of a cost for upgrade card effects. If spent in this way, a defense token does not produce its normal effect.

Now, one could argue that Vader is spending Defense tokens, even though its on an offensive side of an attack, not the defensive side that is inherantly assumed in the basic rules. So the limit, even without the "while", would be 3. The while does still kick it to 1 though.

Unlike most other games, we do have this (emphasis mine):

• Reroll: When a die is rerolled, the attacker picks it up and rolls it again. A die can be rerolled multiple times

It can be rerolled multiple times, but at this point in time, there's no effect that lets you trigger it multiple times to keep flipping a dice... I'd hate to be that guy rolling a single red 8 times trying to get a Double-Hit out of it...

...

That's enough for now. I need coffee.

Unlike most other games, we do have this (emphasis mine):

• Reroll: When a die is rerolled, the attacker picks it up and rolls it again. A die can be rerolled multiple times

It can be rerolled multiple times, but at this point in time, there's no effect that lets you trigger it multiple times to keep flipping a dice... I'd hate to be that guy rolling a single red 8 times trying to get a Double-Hit out of it...

...

That's enough for now. I need coffee.

There's no *single* effect that lets you reroll multiple times, but Vader+ordnance experts+leading shots could give you three of them (is there a ship that can take that? Now that I say it, I think not). I mean, almost certainly not worth it at that point, but possible in principle.

Upon further review, there is no ship that can take both Ion Cannon and Ordnance upgrades. That's kind of interesting, particularly given that they had to break with the thematic expectation (red turbolasers, blue ions, black ordnance) with the torpedo shrimp to keep from giving putting both on it.

There's no *single* effect that lets you reroll multiple times,

That is what I meant.

Upon further review, there is no ship that can take both Ion Cannon and Ordnance upgrades. That's kind of interesting, particularly given that they had to break with the thematic expectation (red turbolasers, blue ions, black ordnance) with the torpedo shrimp to keep from giving putting both on it.

Ordnance Experts is a weapons team upgrade.

On an ISD-I it's quite useful (or rather, just as useful as it is on an MC30). You can fish for crit/hits using Vader, LS, OE combo and the sick part is you can do it on two attacks per turn on a double arc (though using OE's prevents gunnery teams).

You... are correct. IGNORE ME.

Upon further review, there is no ship that can take both Ion Cannon and Ordnance upgrades. That's kind of interesting, particularly given that they had to break with the thematic expectation (red turbolasers, blue ions, black ordnance) with the torpedo shrimp to keep from giving putting both on it.

Ordnance Experts is a weapons team upgrade.

On an ISD-I it's quite useful (or rather, just as useful as it is on an MC30). You can fish for crit/hits using Vader, LS, OE combo and the sick part is you can do it on two attacks per turn on a double arc (though using OE's prevents gunnery teams).

DUR beat me to it. It means not having Gunnery Team on your ISD. Not sure whether that's worth it, when you can still get two rerolls from Vader and Leading Shots, and could potentially do it twice against two targets per round. But it's available to you if you realllllly wanted to fish for 3-4 hit-crits on your black dice.

On the flip side, for all the love Ackbar is getting, the Rebels really have very little when it comes to rerolling his dice. There's always a CF fire token to reroll one die, but not much in the way of consistently increasing damage output. Ordnance Experts is only useful for MC-30s, and only the MC-80 can take Leading Shots and spits out more than 2 red dice with Ackbar (CR-90 B can take ion cannons upgrade... and that's it, I think). So in most cases, what you get with Ackbar is what you get (unless you take upgrades like Home One and Turbolaser Reroute Circuits to alter dice to specific results once they're rolled). Just a thought.