This subject has come up before, but the answers we're not really satisfactory, so here a second attempt;

---quote RT Core Rule book---
Page 220:
Lances operate (...) A successful roll scores one hit, plus one additional hit for every three degrees of success.
(....) When firing a weapon, if the character rolls a number of successes equal to the weapon’s Crit Rating, the shot has caused a Critical Hit.
----end quote----

My question: assuming that it should have been two hits, are they both critical or only the first one or only one of the two?
The reason I ask is because if one voidshield of the target ship is active, then the first hit will be deflected and the second one will strike home. Is this 'second' hit (also) a critical hit or not?

In the earlier post someone (Errant) mentions: "No, you do not get multiple crits if you exceed the crit rating. Yes, shots completely absorbed by void shields still apply a critical effect."

The latter sounds very inconsistent with the rules. Crit hits due to enough DoS are "lucky hits" striking at a vital spot. If the hit is fully absorbed then its fully absorbed and thus no hit.

The question remains thus in case of two hits and the first gets absorbed: is the second a crit or not?

Your attack is a critical hit, regardless of how many hits your attack gets. One hit nullified by the field, one regular hit, and one roll on the Crit table. Interestingly, if you only score one hit but somehow meet the Crit Rating, you'll inflict one point of automatic damage and still get to roll on the Crit table with lances. Far more likely to happen with macrobatteries, but there you are.

Errant said:

+1

What he said.

Clear, strange but clear. Thanks.