With how Biggs has been changed, I'm allowed to choose a secondary weapon before I pick a target right?

Let's say I pick a torpedo that requrires you to spend a target lock to fire it.

If I have a target lock on a ship next to Biggs, could I target that ship? Since I can't perform that attack on Biggs as he's not target locked?

Or does this new rule only apply to Biggs being out of range of certain weapons?

What would happen if I declared an attack with a torpedo, but didn't have a lock on Biggs?

With how Biggs has been changed, I'm allowed to choose a secondary weapon before I pick a target right?

Let's say I pick a torpedo that requrires you to spend a target lock to fire it.

If I have a target lock on a ship next to Biggs, could I target that ship? Since I can't perform that attack on Biggs as he's not target locked?

Or does this new rule only apply to Biggs being out of range of certain weapons?

What would happen if I declared an attack with a torpedo, but didn't have a lock on Biggs?

Yes, having a Target Lock on somebody who would otherwise be protected by Biggs and not one on Biggs is enough to let you attack the ship you have locked with an Attack (Target Lock) secondary weapon.

If I have a target lock on a ship next to Biggs, could I target that ship?

Yes.

If Biggs is not a valid target for your weapon of choice (due to range, TL, or other requirements), you cannot target him and therefore can target another valid target.

Nice.

Suck it Biggs.

I assume though if I had Deadeye on a ship with focus, I would then have to shoot at Biggs?

To further agree with people here the flow chart should make this pretty clear. Steps are:

Measure ranges and arcs

Pick weapon

Declare target

Pay costs

Target becomes defender

You pick a torpedo in step 2, then for step 3 your only legal targets with that torpedo are ships you have in range of that torpedo and that you have a target lock on. If Biggs does not satisfy those conditions he does not activate and you're free to blow whomever you locked out of the sky.

I assume though if I had Deadeye on a ship with focus, I would then have to shoot at Biggs?

Not according to Frank.

Well, let me qualify that a little. If you're planning to use Deadeye, yeah, you'd have to target Biggs. But if you have a Target Lock on the guy Biggs is trying to protect, you don't have to use Deadeye to target Biggs instead.

I assume though if I had Deadeye on a ship with focus, I would then have to shoot at Biggs?

Not according to Frank.

Well, let me qualify that a little. If you're planning to use Deadeye, yeah, you'd have to target Biggs. But if you have a Target Lock on the guy Biggs is trying to protect, you don't have to use Deadeye to target Biggs instead.

Prompt response from Frank:

In response to your rules question:

Rules Question:

Does Biggs force the use of abilities that would make him a legal target for an attack?

Example 1: If a TIE Bomber with Deadeye and Proton Torpedoes has a focus and a target lock on an enemy ship that is in range 1 of Biggs (Biggs is in arc and at the same range as his buddy) does it have to use Deadeye to take the shot at Biggs instead of his target locked buddy?

Example 2: If Major Rhymer has Deadeye and a focus and wants to fire cluster missiles at a target at range 2 while Biggs at range 3, is he forced to use his ability to extend the range to make Biggs a legal target?

Example 1: No. The TIE bomber could choose to not use the first effect of Deadeye (as it is a may effect to treat "Attack (target lock)" as Attack (focus)”). In that example, by choosing to use Proton Torpedoes, the only valid attack you have with that weapon is the other ship so Biggs’s ability does not come into effect.

Example 2: No. Again, the effect that would cause Rhymer to be able to attack Biggs is an optional effect (“may”). If you do not choose to use those effects, Biggs cannot be a valid target.

If you could attack Biggs instead of a ship at range 1 (via non-optional game effects) you cannot choose to attack the other ship.

Deadeye has two different effects and you aren't required to use the first effect to use the second effect. if you have a target lock on Biggs' buddy and also have Deadeye and a focus, you could use the target lock to make it a legal attack but then use the focus token to pay the cost for the attack.

The way I read Frank's response was that you are opting into using an optional effect on Biggs if you use that effect to attack the guy that isn't Biggs.

I'm not sure that'll be the final verdict though.

I'm not sure that'll be the final verdict though.

I think it is a better decision than having Biggs force the use of an optional ability. Biggs being able to force you to use any effect available to make him a legal target would seem to limit design space a lot.

A ruling that says when an optional ability to target the guy you want to hit it also has to be used to check if Biggs is a legal target still allows Biggs to shutdown the use of those abilities while not overpowering Biggs against certain optional effects that may have a negative attached to using.

An ability like "When attacking or defending, you may take a point of damage to treat all enemy ships as if they were in your primary firing arc" would probably be a nice pilot ability. On the right ship it would be useful but not overpowered. If Biggs compelled the usage of optional effects, this pilot would become almost unusable in matches against him.