SPHA-T Special Firing Arcs

[Ardaedhel]

If I'm flying an SPHA-T Venator and my targeting token gets moved from, say, my side arc into my front arc between the time that it's placed and the time I have the opportunity to attack the following round, what happens?

This answer turns on what "EACH of your left, right, OR front firing arcs" means, which is... an internally inconsistent clause, as far as I can tell. "Each" means "every one"; "or" indicates mutual exclusivity.

Should I read that clause to mean:

1) "Each of your left, right, and front firing arcs"?  In this case, I must make my ignition attack from the front arc if able, because that's where the targeting token is ("against a ship in the special firing arc that its targeting token is within", RRG 9 IGNITION, bullet 2). If I have no ignition shot at a ship out the front arc, I would pick up the targeting token and may make my two other attacks as normal.

2) "Any one of your left, right, or front firing arcs"? In this case, can I get further mechanical clarification:

2a) is it functionally the same as 1), with the special firing arc defined merely by the presence of the targeting token?

2b) or may I make my ignition attack only from the arc in which I originally placed my targeting token, because I defined which arc was the special firing arc when I placed the token last round?

3) I may make an ignition attack against any ship in front, right, or left, constrained only by range as drawn from my targeting token, because they are all special firing arcs. Note I include this interpretation for completeness, because I've seen it advocated, but I frankly don't see any way it's supported by card text or RRG.

Thank you!

[DSchultz]

Hello! Thank you for your question, typically we ask that only ONE question is submitted at a time, but I can see how these are related and makes sense to include.

For a ship equipped with SPHAT-T each hull zone listed (the front, left, and right zones) are all considered to be a special firing arc capable of conducting an Ignition attack.

You must conduct an Ignition attack from the hull zone that targeting token is currently located within as determined by its special firing arc, if able.
If the targeting token is moved from its "left" hull zone to its "front" hull zone, the Ignition attack would be conducted from the "Front" hull zone.

And to get a jump on the inevitable "what about if the targeting token is straddling two hull zones special firing arcs?"

As written in IGNITION [RANGE] KEYWORD topic. "At the beginning of a ship’s “Attack” step, if its targeting token is in play, that ship must perform an ignition attack against a ship in the special firing arc that its targeting token is within as its first attack during this activation, if able."

If a targeting token is not "within" a hull zones special firing arc as defined by the RANGE AND DISTANCE topic, no Ignition attack may be conducted.

Quote

may make an ignition attack against any ship in front, right, or left, constrained only by range as drawn from my targeting token, because they are all special firing arcs. Note I include this interpretation for completeness, because I've seen it advocated, but I frankly don't see any way it's supported by card text or RRG

Yes you are correct, that interpretation is not supported.