When using the critical effect of this card, does the original defender suffer damage still? If so, just one or is it two?

I couldn't tell if it was a trade off of either applying small damage to the original defender or more damage to surrounding ships.

Crits in Armada are effects. If a ship is attacking a ship, and there are crit icons in the attack pool when you get to the Resolve Damage step, the attacker can choose to resolve a crit effect.

The effect is separate from the damage. So let's say you have 3 red dice in your attack pool after Defense Tokens were spent, a double, a crit and a hit. You can choose to resolve the special red crit from OBPCs, so immediately, each other ship at distance 1 of the defender takes 2 damage. Then you add up the damage in the attack pool (4; two from the double, one from the crit icon, one from the hit icon), and the defender suffers that damage (subject to braces etc.).

Yup. Grumble has it correct.

Usually shortened to "Duke", but I guess Grumble is reasonable given how much I grumble about rules.

3 hours ago, Grumbleduke said:

Usually shortened to "Duke", but I guess Grumble is reasonable given how much I grumble about rules.

That wasn't my intent but you just made me do a spit take.

Its important to try and keep things light hearted.