Ok guys, last game we played I decided to give secondary weapons a try. We had never used them before.

So I load up my Tie Bomber with 1 Advanced and 1 regular proton torpedo. I figured this would let me fire at any range on my first shot.

So I get in range, read the card and it says to remove the target lock to fire the weapon...

Now I am totally confused...

Does the target lock apply to the roll for the weapon or not? If it doesn't I don't understand why I would pay 4 points to get a weapon that has 1 attack dice more than the basic attack but loose the ability to reroll my misses.

The defending player was adamant that I had discarded the target lock to fire the weapon so I could not use it's ability. On my side I said it made no sense, secondary weapons are super expensive and not being able to use the target lock made them worse than a basic attack with target lock...

So who was right?

The other guy was correct. You spend the Target Lock to fire the weapon and cant use it on re-rolls.

On the cost on the secondary weapon, your not always just paying for the extra attack dice, but the secondary ability of the items. Using the advance torpedo and changing the blanks to focus. Then use pilot cardthat comes with the HWK-290 to pass focus tokens, spend that focus on the ship you just used the advance torpedoes.

The defending player was adamant that I had discarded the target lock to fire the weapon so I could not use it's ability.

He was right. You 'spend' the TL token to fire off the missle/torpedo, unless it's a Homming missile, that just needs you to have a TL, you don't discard it.

So for most you can't use the TL to re-roll dice because you no longer have it.

The fact is, that for many people missles/torppedos are not worth the points. Wave 3 has made it better, but it still can prove to be a huge waste of points.

The advantages of missiles/torppedos.

The defender doesn't get a extra die at range 3. They typically do 4 dice damage. Many of them come with extra abilities, like Proton Torppedos mini-focus effect or Concussion missle letting you turn a blank into a hit.

A Proton Torpedo or Concussion missile can kill a Tie Fighter or Interceptor at range 3, well worth the 4 points if it works. A couple fired at a big targget like Slave 1/Falcon can do a ton of damage in a single turn. So they're not worthless, just take some work and planing on your part to make them really effective.

Best way to use them is if you can get a TL + Focus.

Does the target lock apply to the roll for the weapon or not?

The target lock tokens are discarded prior to rolling attack dice. There is no target lock left for rerolls.

If it doesn't I don't understand why I would pay 4 points to get a weapon that has 1 attack dice more than the basic attack but loose the ability to reroll my misses.

Welcome to reality.

Seriously: At range three the defender does not get an extra defense die against secondary weapons. Proton Torpedoes on a Tie Bomber increase attack dice form 2 to 4.

Homing missiles do not discard the target lock. You still need to have one to fire them, though.

As was stated above, your opponent was correct, sorry. All of the torpedoes and missiles require you to spend/discard your target lock in order to launch the weapon - with the exception of homing missiles, which require you to have a target lock but do allow you to spend the target lock affecting the roll, as well.

There's endless debate about the effectiveness of secondary weapons and whether they're worth the cost, or which ones are. Their main advantage is as a range 3 standoff weapon - a torpedo is going to do as much damage as a range 1 attack with the highest value of any ship currently in the game (3 attack), out to range 3, with the added bonus of denying your opponent an extra defense die on their roll.

So where an X-Wing would take a 3 vs 4 shot against a TIE at range 3, they get a 4v3 shot instead - a big swing. The APT can only be used at range 1, but does a die more than any current ship's top attack value at that range, rolling 5 big ones. And since you can change up to 3 blanks to eyeballs, it's exceptionally lethal if you manage to focus as well (actually true to varying degrees for all secondaries).

The key with them, I think, is to plan around them if you intend to take them, rather than throwing them in randomly. Take a wingman that hands you target locks or focus, someone with squad leader, someone that grants you rerolls, someone like Jan that grants you an extra attack die. There are all kinds of ways to really maximize the effect of a secondary weapon, so they work best if you put a little thought into how to make the most of them before taking them.

Give Wedge a proton torpedo and Jan Ors as a wingman, and against a TIE fighter he can launch at range 3 for a 5 attack versus 2 defense roll, where a normal X-Wing unsupported would roll 4v3, and with main guns, as said earlier, would roll only 3v4. Stuff like that can turn them from costly upgrades to cards that will really ruin someone's day.

thanks guys

There are a few other ways to get a target lock and a focus at the same time, such as push the limit, deadeye and a recon specialist, Yorr handing out a lock, as well as others.

If you manage to in range to use a advanced photon torpedo with target lock and focus you will be doing at least 3 hits, up to 5. but it requires forward planning or combos.

I haven't used missiles much at all, apart from on Darth (2 actions, gee I wonder what they may be if I want to shoot a missile at you).