This format of X Wing 1e has become popular here, especially for introducing new players.

Cut down to the bone, designed to represent the three factions with iconic, role specific ships, Skeleton Crew is an exercise in clean ideas and a return to a Rock-Paper-Scissors style of play. Each faction gets seven ships only, no overlaps (no Scum Y Wing or HWK or Rebel Z95), with a nice, representative spread of capabilities.

The Empire

The Empire has 2 Interceptors, 1 Line Fighter, 2 Multi Role (ordnance), 1 Support and 1 Brute.

Tie Fighter (Swarm/Filler). Workhorse of the Empire and available cheaply in droves. In a BB environment, they are as bare as they come, with base ship and pilot ability only (just like in the films!). There are only five ships with evade and ten with Barrel Roll in this version of XW, so what it lacks in upgrades it makes up for in native actions and pilot synergy.

Tie Interceptor (Jouster/Knife Fighter). This ship has the best action bar in the three fleets. Boost, Roll and Evade with Speed white 5 and 2 K-Turns. Lots of fun. Cheap enough to squeeze 5 in a squad or mix with something heavier. Without the Defender around, the Interceptor stands out as the Imperial superiority fighter, fragile but lethal.

Tie Advanced (Main Fighter/Leader). The Advanced fills much the same role as the X Wing does for the Rebels. It is the solid line fighter in a faction that otherwise plays differently to its opponents. It has three things that make it stand out from the previous two, more common ships, Shields, Target Lock and Missiles. Strip these down and you have an expensive Tie Fighter with shields, so load them up for the best bang.

Tie Bomber (Ordnance). The much maligned bomber has an important role to play in SC. It provides much needed variety and heavy hitting to the faction with the shortest teeth. Because of the thinner nature of SC, a few bombers can deliver more killing power than most ships, especially when used in support of more nimble flankers. This can help change up the otherwise predictable Imperial play book. The ship also has access to Unguided Rockets, which is the only “bottomless” ordnance option in SC.

Tie Aggressor (Support/Sniper). On release, the Aggressor came with two upgrades that should have catapulted it into many competitive squads, but what actually happened was a wholesale stripping of these cards for other ships. Now, in SC, the Aggressor is one of only two ships capable of taking Unguided Rockets and is also the only Imperial that can take the Twin Laser Turret (the two killer upgrades it came with), so SC gives the Aggressor back its rightful place in the X Wing universe.

Lambda Shuttle (Support/Blocker). The venerable “Space Cow” is one of the most sedate rides in X Wing. In SC it is hampered by a lack of Mods and Title but can field, rare for the Imperials, Crew, System and Cannon upgrades. In SC, the Lambda’s are a less worse option than usual, even without its favoured Mods, as Palpatine is still in play, who is even more powerful on balance.

Decimator (Brute/Support). The Decimator is like a grumpy, toothy Lambda, that loves touch parking. It is still filling its usual role of fulcrum to a fleet of light support fighters. The Primary turret is nerfed in BB (R1-2), so other Ordnance and pure staying power are its main fighting strengths, but with three crew slots (more than half the Imperial crew slots), its role as support becomes even more important. Game time is often measured by hull hits left when the Decimator is in play, so play aggressively or protect it, as half a squad of points or more are tied up in this thing.

Imperial squads in BB take on similar shapes to regular X Wing squads, but the roles are more defined and harken back to the early days of the game. You field fighters (always), then either add more fighters or support them with Ordnance platforms and/or Brute force. Surprise is the key. It is easy to fall into forgivable habits, but by not being predictable, the Imperial player can pose some uncomfortable questions.