TGO said:

That is my interpretation, yes.  I believe they are all components of an engagement that deal damage to the engaged objective without any way to discern that one should affect the DS dial while the others should not.  Blast icons simply represent a rule (If the striking player is attacking, he deals an amount of damage to the engaged enemy objective…p21).  Essentially, I don't think the rules support the notion that resolving an engagement consists of resolving blast icons only.  If unopposed bonus damage and target of opportunity do not affect the DS dial, neither should blast icons.

dbmeboy said:

Possibly to my own detriment, I simply can't see the "card" issue coming into play at all.  I think that argument is a red herring.  As you point out, objective and objective card are used interchangeably throughout various parts of the rules. 

Case in point:  page 18, Resolving an engagement step 1, Declare objective -- "The active player declares which one of his enemy's current objective cards he will engage."  The text of Trench Run says: "You may engage the Death Star dial as though it were a dark side objective (it is not an objective)." Notice it doesn't say:  as though it were a dark side objective card.  So the same argument could be made that Trench Run only allows for engaging the DS dial as though it were a dark side objective, but not as though it were a dark side objective card.  Therefore, it wouldn't qualify for step 1 of resolving an engagement.  If the word "card" is intended to be restrictive in step 6 of resolving an engagement, would it not also be restrictive in step 1 of the engagement?  The Golden Rule (the text on Trench Run) doesn't offer any means of distinction.  You must accept that with Trench Run you can engage the DS dial as though it were an enemy objective card (without it being an objective), otherwise you can not even get past step 1 of engagement resolution.  It follows then that you would also damage the DS dial as though it were an enemy objective card (without it being an objective) unless you contend that Trench Run allows you only to engage the DS dial but NOT complete any steps of engagement other than declaring the engagement.

Granted, stranger things have happened, but I won't be dusting off the ol' blender just yet.

I am betting on unit damage and unopposed bonus damage hitting the dial and target of oportunity not being playable against the dial. 

TGO said:

Mind explaining your reasoning?  I'm genuinely curious.  Maybe something I haven't yet considered.

Becuase Trench Run says that you may engage it as though it were an objective but its not an objective.

When you engage an objective you declare your attackers and they declare their defenders and then you do your edge battle. Just because you can engage it doesnt mean that during your engagement the target of opportunity fate card will damage it. The fate card is looking to deal damage to an engaged objective and Trench Run clearly states that the dial is not an objective. That is enough to eliminate target of opportunity from working, in my opinion.

My reasoning for the unopposed bonus is far less rational. I only think the unopposed bonus will trigger because that is part of an engagement.

TGO said:

yes, but also consider that blast damage and unopposed also specify that they are damage dealt to the "engaged objective," as per the core rules text.

That is a terrible arguement though because if you cant deal damage to the dial through an attack then what is the point of the card. 

TGO said:

Okay. Surge has stated that he will eat his cards (albeit dissapointingly without sleeves) if he is ultimately proved wrong. What is your wager, if the ruling goes his way?

Re: your reasoning for unopposed bonus: You state that Target of Opportunity cannot work, because it's "looking to deal damage to an engaged objective and Trench Run clearly states that the dial is not an objective." I will point out that the rules on page 23 state, "If at least one attacking unit has survived, and there are no surviving defenders, this is an unopposed engagement and the attacking player deals one bonus damage to the engaged objective card." So, by your own reasoning, unopposed will not work, because "Trench Run clearly states that the dial is not an objective." Not only that, but Blast Damage won't work either, because the rules on page 21 say "Blast Damage: If the striking player is attacking, he deals an amount of damage to the engaged enemy objective… "

This is the whole crux of this lengthy thread - whether Trench Run allows anything but Blast Damage to the Death Star Dial.

My feeling is that if you choose to engage the Dial as an objective via Trench Run, that anything that happens  during that engagement  is legal, including Blast Damage, unopposed, and Fate cards (Target of Opportunity) played during the Edge battle. Anything "outside" the engagement cannot target the Dial, as it is not an objective. To paraphrase a popular saying, "What happens in the engagement, stays in the engagement".

TGO said:

Got it in one.

What does Target of Opportunity do?

"deal 1 damage to the engaged objective" (card text)

What does a blast icon do?

"…damage to the engaged enemy objective" (p. 21)

What does unopposed bonus do?

"damage to the engaged objective card" (p. 23)

RAW includes all of those processes I outlined as inherent steps in resolving an engagement.  (pp 18-23)

Fight Edge Battle

Resolve Strikes

Reward Unopposed

It makes no distinction, in any way, which would indicate that only resolving strikes, only rewarding unopposed or only fighting the edge battle is what constitutes resolving an engagement.  It's an all or nothing affair.  The only exception would be that if some aspect of one of those processes specified the need to target an objective.  Fortunately, there is no controversy there.

TGO said:

  Winner!

I hope SWLCG cards dont taste that bad.  

TGO said:

I bet they taste like chicken.

But I still don't expect to find out. ;)

Or are you implying that you're willing to take the same wager?

Be nice if I weren't the only one with skin in the game.  :)

TGO said:

Yes that is exactly why your argument is terrible, because based on what you put forth the card does not work.  Because after all the word "objective" appears in the rules for everything we currently have that could even put damage on anything other then units. Striking, unopposed, etc  The Trench Run requires a certain stipulation and inference. 

The card Trench Run is meant to function.  To fuction you must be able to damage it as part of the engagment.  So units must be able to strike and deal damage to it, but they only deal damage to the "engaged objective".  So for the card to function it has to be treated as the "engaged objective" in one case.  Now is there any reason to not think that applies for other engagement effects that state the "engaged objective"? Other then the still not an objective text on the Trench Run, there is no distinction made.  If we apply that text to other "engaged objective" effects because they do say "objective" then we are back to the card not working, because resolving strikes also says "objective". 

If A=B, and A=C, then B=C as well.  All the effects that we are talking about all deal damage to the "engaged objective" as part of the engagement.  The Trench Run gives us no indication that A is allowed specifically but B and C aren't.  If you apply the still not an objective text to B and C, then you must also apply it to A, as A is not specifcally called out in anyway. 

For the Trench Run to work you must treat it, for the duration of the engagement as the "engaged objective".  The first part of the Trench Run text supports that, though with unclear turn of phrase.  This furthermore does not conflict with the "not an objective" clause as there are a number of effects that specifically call out an "objective" only that still would not apply.  Such as Rebel Assault, Home One, enchancements, etc.