This just came up for the first time for us, and I don’t see it clearly stated either way in the FAQ.

Ship with Hotshot Copilot was getting attacked by an ARC-170 with Alliance Overhaul. ARC had a focus token, rolled a single focus among his other results

We ended up ruling that ARC had to spend the focus token, because he was able to, and wasn’t able to switch the focus result to a crit (via the title) before that could take place.

Does that sound right? Is there a specific timing or wording for these abilities that I’m missing?

The ARC must spend the Focus token, but nothing about Hotshot Copilot requires that it be done first. The order of resolution is still up to the attacking player, so she's quite within her rights to resolve Alliance Overhaul first, then spend the Focus token to satisfy Hotshot.

Just to cover the bases here: you can spend a Focus token even though you have no Focus results. A Focus token changes "all" of your Focus results, and all of zero is still all your results. Hotshot can (and often does) force you into doing this in the event you end up with all blanks or all hits & crits.

So they have to spend it if they have it period, outside of the couple attacks that specify you’re not allowed to spend focus tokens... hm. Thanks!

(In the case of that game it was a shield anyways, so the hit/crit didn’t make a difference. He just wanted to make him use the focus before he attacked back.)

The question though is does HotShot Copilot count as the Defender modifying Attack dice? Because that would happen before the Attacker gets to modify (with Arc title in this case).

Think of it more as: "The attacker/defender cannot pass on playing modification if he has not yet spent a focus token during this attack."

That should clear things up.

20 minutes ago, AngryAlbatross said:

The question though is does HotShot Copilot count as the Defender modifying Attack dice? Because that would happen before the Attacker gets to modify (with Arc title in this case).

Placing a constraint on the other player as to how they can modify their attack dice is not itself a modification of attack dice, no.

(If I'm reading you wrong and you're asking if, when you're being attacked by somebody with a Hotshot Copilot, spending the Focus token to satisfy that card counts as the Defender Modifying Defense Dice, then yes it does [unless you have a non-modification way to spend a Focus token while defending].)

1 hour ago, digitalbusker said:

Placing a constraint on the other player as to how they can modify their attack dice is not itself a modification of attack dice, no.

(If I'm reading you wrong and you're asking if, when you're being attacked by somebody with a Hotshot Copilot, spending the Focus token to satisfy that card counts as the Defender Modifying Defense Dice, then yes it does [unless you have a non-modification way to spend a Focus token while defending].)

Yea thats what I was getting at somewhat. Relevant card text.


I think since the card text says "The opposing ship must spend the token" it does not count as the ship with hotshot copilot doing the dice modification. IF some FAQ came along saying that hotshot copilot does count as the equipped ship doing the modification of dice, then the phasing matters since Attacker modifies Attack Dice after Defender and vice versa for defense.

Idk, since it just says “when attacking” and “when defending” I’d tend towards the original interpretation from DR4CO: they have to spend it, but not in any particular order or way. It just has to be used if possible.

I read through this and couldn't exactly find it and just wanted to confirm once and for all: HSCP can, and does, make the defender (or attacker) spend their focus even if they have blanks yes? That's what gives the card its utility?

Sorry for the off question, I know that isn't what this thread was for, but I figured it would be as good a place to ask than any (instead of starting an entire new thread and making some people exasperated )

22 minutes ago, Cow-of-Doom said:

I read through this and couldn't exactly find it and just wanted to confirm once and for all: HSCP can, and does, make the defender (or attacker) spend their focus even if they have blanks yes? That's what gives the card its utility?

You are correct. HSCP makes the defender (or attacker) spend their focus even if they only rolled blanks (or rolled anything else for that matter). However, there are a very few scenario's where the defender (or attacker) cannot spend their focus, even if HSCP tells them to. Check out the FAQ, page 18 for some examples.

Oh and the timing of HSCP is also listed in the FAQ as being anytime after Declare Target and before the end of the Modify Defense/Attack Dice step. And something I didn't know: you don't have to "waste" the focus if you can spend it for an effect, as spending it for an effect satisfies the HSCP condition and also usually falls within the timing window.