X-Wing: Target Lock, Elusiveness and Focus. Rules Question.

Here's a rule question that Suijin asked during our last X-Wing game.  Thought it was a good question.  Suijin quickly found the rule.

JJ typing, I've been bitten by the X-Wing bug (damn those Interceptors).  Also been playing a lot lately.  Here's a rule that Suijin brought up during our last game.

There should be context for this rule.  Because if you played with X-Wing fanatics, or as I call them X-Wing Nazi's, you probably caught wind of a certain level of the game that is outside the norm.

More on those Nazi's.

They don't want you to use dice to keep track of shields.  Goal is to cluttered your area with tokens.  Not covered in tournament play rules by Fantasy Flight.  The fanatics say you should use the tokens not dice.

Flip a coin over a tie.  When was the last time you were at a X-Wing tournament where a coin was flipped?  Yes this is covered in tournament play rules by Fantasy Flight.  Rule book doesn't cover this.  Rule book talks about creating 100 point builds but no way to determine who goes first if both sides are Imperial.

Here's the question:

If the defender uses Elusiveness to make the attacker re-roll one of this attack dice, the re-rolled attack die comes up an Focus can the attacker spend his Focus Token to change the Focus to a Hit after the same dice has been re-rolled because of Target Lock?

Elusiveness: When defending, you may receive 1 stress token to choose 1 attack die.  The attacker must reroll that die.

Mentioned X-Wing Nazi's earlier because they are a league all unto their own.  They have some pretty strict ways for how the game is ran even if those ways aren't covered in FF tournament rules.  Do not get me wrong.  There are 40k Nazi's as well who believe the game should be ran a certain way.  It seems in order to be a top X-Wing player you have to drink some special cool-aid.  Frankly I think that cool-aid is only handed out to play testers at their special events.  Then the elitism begins and filters down from there.

As Suijin said after he determined the rule.  He's heard it both ways

Scenario: One sneaky way those X-Wing players use Target Lock is to hold onto all your Focus's (Foci?) until all dice have been re-rolled (now I say that is sneaky because rule book doesn't mention what order you have to resolve the Target Lock and Focus, I like the system because it allows players to hit more).  Bomber has a Target Lock on a X-Wing.  Bomber also has a Focus.  Using Assault Missile Bomber rolls one Hit, one Focus and two blanks.  Spending the Target Lock the Bomber player re-rolls the two blanks (and keeps the Focus).  Result of the two re-rolls is one Focus and one blank.  Bomber now has one Hit, two Focus's and one blank.

Example 1: Bomber can wait to spend his Focus to change the two Focus's into Hits until after the X-wing uses Elusiveness.

Example 2: Bomber has to spend his Focus to change the two Focus's into Hits before the X-Wing uses Elusiveness.

The only other people Suijin and I play with are X-Wing Nazi's.  And they are good Nazi's too.  They regularly teach us tips and tricks.  Help round out our lists, tell us what upgrades to avoid and which to use.  We've attended three tournaments and keeping true with losing 40k I have yet to win one game at a X-Wing tournament.  Right now I'm 0-11.

I've even see one of the hardcore X-Wing players/play testers at FF put Advance Cloaking Device on an Interceptor.  I truly admire the player.  He is a laid back, easy-going guy that is a joy to chat with.  Pic below is the Wed after the Wave 4 tournament weekend back in late June.  Always trying to learn from those better than I, so I had to take a pic of his list.  Didn't catch it until I was looking at the pic later.  It should be noted that I don't have context for the list.  It may have been ok'd by his opponent.

Looking at the pic again.  Fire-Control System would be good on Whisper and Echo.  Then you have twenty-four points to spend.  Right now thinking Storm Squadron Pilot Tie Advance.  Will run that with my Phantoms next.

Back to the question and the two examples.  Which one do you think is correct?  Can you wait til the defender uses Elusiveness to spend your Focus or do you have to spend your Focus before defender uses Elusiveness?  When Suijin asked me the question.  I said that is already addressed.   BRB pg 12 Modifying Dice Results.  Important: When a die is changed or rerolled, ignore its original result and apply only the new result.  This new result may be modified by other effects; however, a die that has already been rerolled cannot be rerolled again during this attack.

Suijin actually found the precise rule we were looking for (back to the opening pic):  BRB pg 10 Combat Phase.  3. Modify Attack Dice: Players can spend action tokens and resolve abilities that reroll or otherwise modify attack dice results.

The answer seems to be that Focus cannot change the result of the re-rolled dice due to Elusiveness.  The attacker cannot spend Focus tokens on his attack rolls past step 3.  Since a die can only be re-rolled once if the Hit is re-rolled and an Focus appears spending a Focus token does not change the result of the re-roll.  hmm, thinking about this more.  Elusiveness forces the attacker to re-roll one attack dice.  Yes, you can't re-roll that dice with Target Lock, you might be able to change the Focus to a Hit with when spending the Focus Token.  Changing the result of a die is not the same as re-rolling a die.  Now I don't even know which way is up.

What are your thoughts on this?  If Elusiveness forces a re-roll of a Hit and the result is a Focus.  Can you spend a Focus Token to change the Focus result to a Hit?

Posted this question on the x-wing group in my area.

BRB pg 12. When a die is changed or re-rolled ignore the first result and use the new result. New results can be modified by other effects. You can't re-roll a die more than once.

Spending Target Lock and a Hit appears. Elusiveness forces the Hit to be re-rolled. Re-roll results in a Focus. Can you spend a Focus Token to change the Focus result to a Hit?


slainte mhath