So lets say for example - I have just spawned some beastmen and in their first movement they are JUST out of range to attack. Can I still attack with them - say a blank space adjacent to them - so at to at least try to gain a little threat should I roll 2 surges?

We didn't think there would be any problem with this - but I thought I would run it by the forums.

It won't make a lot of threat - but every bit counts does it not!

No, this has been FAQ too I believe. You can only use surges if your attack has a target (both hero and OL). Yes, I know spaces are the real targets in Descent, but in this case, "target" means a space containing an enemy figure.

So, "attacking the darkness" grants you 0 threat, regardless of the surges rolled.

-shnar

Here are two relevant FAQ entires: (emphasis added)

Q: Can heroes attack an empty square? For example, could a blast effect be centered in an empty square or could a hero fire his Staff of Knowledge off into a corner to burn the overlord’s threat?
A: Yes. However, if after spending surges there are no valid targets in the area of the attack (hero or monster), the entire attack is canceled without effect. This means that if the blast is not large enough, the attack fails, and the Staff of Knowledge must actually hit something to use its ability.

Q: Under what circumstances can the overlord receive threat for rolling surges on an attack roll?
A: The overlord may spend two surges on each attack roll to gain one threat. He may do this on any attack that hits a hero.

And don't forget that this also applies if the attack misses... no spending surges on an X

Nakarashi said:

Yeah - figured that one.

Thanks all for the FAQ posts!

I LOVE the game - but just cannot remember everything... need to play every day rather than once every other week. I will let the wife know I have to play the game every day now or else we miss some of the rules... I'll see what she thinks about that.

Well, after the divorce you will have plenty of time to play Descent