After analysing the Rebels in Bare Bones, we need to look now at their arch-enemy, the Empire.

I won’t repeat the logic or processes behind the Bare Bones idea as that has been done to death, so lets jump into the ships.

Tie Fighter (Cheap/pesky, fun)

The humble Tie, may seem to be a little barren in BB. With Mods and EPT slots gone you have a ship….and a pilot. Looking at the whole landscape though, Pilot abilities are now far more important on the scale of things because the layers of dice and action modifiers are gone, leaving the ship and pilot as the solid base, with occasional other upgrades available like System, Illicit, Crew etc. The Tie pilots, many of whom have quite potent abilities, are now very good “raw” bangs for you buck. Getting a bonus attack dice on a sub 18 point ship is better value than putting an expensive EPT on a dearer pilot, so the swarm is back and at 120 points it is even bigger! What is it they say about the size of a mosquito, “it is insignificant until you share your bed with one all night”, try 10! Youngster’s Ability is re-worded to “A friend at R1-3 may perform any Action as a free Action” .

Tie Interceptor (Strong, very fun)

In much the same boat as the Tie Fighter, the Interceptor plays the role of Yin to the X Wing’s Yang. Fast and with the best action bar in the BB universe, the interceptor revels in manoeuvre and so do it’s pilots. Only the Royal Guard (red ship) pilots have purely offensive abilities, the rest are arc dodgers extraordinaire. The Interceptor should strike fear into the hearts of it’s enemies and in the BB game, it is back to being the manoeuvre king, but not, as has been the case, a nearly untouchable one. There are only a very few ships that can Boost, Roll and Evade and these are exceptions to the rule and conditional (like Jake, R7-T1 on an E Wing etc), so the removal of Mods and EPT’s has re-empowered and reinforced the Interceptor’s role. It feels really good to know that ships like the Interceptor, A Wing and Viper are unassailed in their natural space.

Tie Advanced (Average, fun)

The Advanced has never really been more than a decent ride for Darth Vader. On paper, it is a more enjoyable to fly, defence over offence equivalent of the X Wing or Kihraxz line fighters, but like the X Wing, it fell into obscurity in the early days of 1e. Adding the Title still only seemed to see Vader used, but in BB, the Advanced may be slightly stronger than the base X Wing and Kihraxz. Pilots are mixed, leaning towards offence, probably in response to the 2d primary. In BB only 4 Imperial ships boast 3 Primary, so the Advanced is average. The base frame of the Advanced boasts Evade, Shields, Roll and Lock, which places it into the territory of true line fighters, with an Imperial flavour. As a house rule, the Advanced can take Advanced Targeting Comp (only) and at full price.

Tie Defender (Strong/expensive, fun)

The Defender, like the E Wing was accused early on of being too dear, so a couple of very strong Titles were added. These became mandatory. Removed, the Defender sits again at the top of the points pile for a small base ship, so what does it offer? The best balanced fighter, with a decent choice of pilots with Cannon and Missile options. What it lacks outside of pilots, are the Mods that allow it to turn better, which is it’s only real weakness. Again, a ship that has a flaw that cannot be easily fixed, giving it unique character.

Tie Aggressor (Versatile-unique, average)

With primary Turrets now weaker, upgrades are more potent. The Aggressor is the only ship that can take a Unguided Rockets and the only Imperial with a Turret upgrade, two upgrades it was packaged with, but rarely got to use. As the only true multi-role ship in the Imperial arsenal, the Aggressor sees a lot more table time. The generally bigger squads in BB can usually find room for some ordinance platforms and the Aggressor is a double win. It can snipe behind a screen of friends or swoop in and unload a decent payload.

Tie Bomber (Varied, dull)

There is no doubt that ordinance get the rawest deal in BB. Without Guidance Chips, Munitions Failsafe, Extra Munitions, or a Systems slot, the Bomber only has it’s and supporting Pilot abilities to fall back on to make the most of it’s load, so team work is vital. Ordnance is generally an all or nothing proposition in BB, but what it does add is Stress, Ion and area damage, all rarer and more important in BB. The value of ordance may be debated, but what is certain, is the Empire can always do with some decent killing power, which the Bomber (with support), can offer. Tomax Bren has a useless EPT tied ability, so a house ruled “May flip used upgrade” is used, giving him a soft Failsafe/Munitions option and Rhymer’s ability is slightly reduced without Long Range Scanners.

Tie Punisher (Alpha killer, dull)

The advantage the Punisher has over it’s smaller friend the Bomber, is a Systems slot, which aside from a Pilot ability, is the only real payload insurance available. The Punisher can be the mine field layer with Deathrain, and Trajectory Simulator/Mapper, or a launch platform with Accuracy Corrector and Redline or a bit of both with Fire Control System. The Punisher is the only ship of it’s type in BB and versatile by comparison, making it powerful for it’s surprise value alone and in the larger squads, always in the mix.

Decimator (Strong support-tank, ponderous)

Often called the Imperial Falcon (or un-fun party bus), the Decimator is cemented now into a role of support-tank. Like the Falcon, loss of Engine Upgrade and Title plus a nerfed Primary, does make it feel like a slow moving target blimp that relies on it’s three Crew slots, but Crew can be brutal. Ysanne, Mara, Palpatine, Rebel Captive, Vader all like this ride and up to three can take it. Surround it with a screen of fighters and let it do it’s thing.

Lambda Shuttle (Mixed, ponderous)

This ship a little sad without Mods, but it does have 2 Crew and a System slot. The Decimator lacks Systems, so the Lambda can eke out some relevance and for scenarios it is solid. Use it as a cheaper Decimator and maybe it can be of some use.

Tie Phantom (tricky, fun)

Only recently re-introduced to BB, the Phantom was too tempting to ignore. Reduced heavily without it’s Mods, the Cloaking ability is still potent, unpredictable and mysterious. Boasting a 4 Primary, Systems and Crew slots, it’s build is unique to any faction, let alone the Empire. Cloaked, it offers 4 Evade, one of only a few ways of getting that much defence naturally in BB. The Phantom is definitely reduced in BB, but in this nerfed environment, it plays the role of wild card for the Empire.

The Advanced Prototype

An early decision to remove the Rebels timeline has proven to be pointless and unpopular. Adding in the Ghost and co, means the Inquisitor is also back in the game. A variant/love child of the Interceptor and Advanced and adding a couple of capable pilots, the Prototype is a good way of mixing up a standard Empire squad without straying from it’s roots. It is also a ship that is relatively unaffected by the BB reductions, strong in it’s own right from the get go.

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The BB landscape is a mixed bag for the Empire. The core strengths of the faction (agility, speed and Pilot abilities) are intact, so many ships are stronger by comparison (Int, Adv, Fighter, Aggressor, Punisher), where others are missing their Titles (Defender, Decimator) or Mods (Lambda, Bomber). As should be the case in BB, each ship has it’s place and all are relevant.