So the cards and the lists for the Kessel Run have been spoiled, and I already have a question I would like to get right before this weekend.

Heavy Laser Cannon - Immediatly after rolling your attack dice, you must change all your crits to hits.

Mercenary Copilot - When attacking at Range 3, you may change one of your hit results to a crit result.

So I can roll 3 crits, have to change them all to hits, then if I'm at range 3 I can choose to change one of those now 3 hits to a crit? Or is there some stacking rule somewhere that says I have to apply the positive first then the negative? I'm just trying to figure out which is accurate, Kath Scarlet's ability will go largely unused if it's the second option.

Also, it looks like the Firespray has a front firing arc and a back firing arc. Can the Heavy Laser Cannon fire out of both of those arcs? And for the future, can Backstabber only stab me in the back when he's in my side arcs?

LifeKnight said:

I think your example is correct - if you use the HLC, you must change the crits immediately. Then the Merc's ability resolves. The only positive vs. negative situation that I'm aware of so far has been concerning the R2 Astromech ability (all 1 and 2 maneuvers treated as green) and the Damaged Engine critical hit (treat all turn maneuvers as red). In this case, the "negative" overrides the "positive", and the turn maneuver is considered red. This situation is specifically addressed in the FAQ. But this ruling concerns effects that are ongoing, and not immediate. The "immediately" wording implies that the crit to hit change takes place first, and the Merc's ability should be resolved after.

Without seeing the rulesheet I would assume the "firing arc" for the Firespray includes both front and back arcs for the primary and secondary weapons. The Falcon specifically states that the primary weapon is 360, while secondary weapons must be used in the firing arc, which is only in the front.

Backstabber's ability is triggered "outside the defender's firing arc", which I again assume includes both the front and back firing arcs. So, yes, you can only get Backstabbed from the sides.

I reserve the right to be mistaken.

I think grasshopper Ziggy is right. The HLC's will change the dice immediately, then the Merc ability will kick in, then Kath's ability will kick in depending on the defender's dice. This is definitely an interaction that TO's should be aware of before the final game starts.

The insert with Slave 1 will explain the firing arcs. And I would say backstabber's ability will be affected by both front and rear firing arcs, but i would think that would also be explained in the insert.

hothie said:

If both firing arcs for the Slave 1 are counted by Backstabber, would the entire 360° be covered for the Falcon?

dbmeboy said:

I would think so. It's not possible to be "outside the firing arc" of the Falcon.

I brought it up because the question came up not long ago and everyone thought that the front fire arc for the Falcon would be what mattered… I suspect that either the rules insert with the ships will answer this, or FFG will need to clarify.

According to the Falcon insert, here's esxactly what it says:

Turret Primary Weapon

When attacking with a turret primary weapon, a ship may target an enemy ship inside or outside its firing arc.

That is precisely what it says, with the given emphasis. I would deduce from that then that the firing arc on the ship template does matter for Backstabber, so as long as Backstabber is outside of the front firing arc, then his ability would trigger. Also, when using the Falcon's secondary weapons, the firing arc does matter, so I think yes, it would matter for Backstabber as well.

So on the Firespray, both firing arcs would count for Backstabber's ability… so he would be more of a Sideswiper against the patrol craft and Backstabber against everything else…

hothie said:

HAH! You called me grashopper - I am honored.

hothie said:

Agreed.