Head to Head; B Wing vs Tie Punisher

Odd matchup? Maybe, but these two (especially with the K Wing excluded from BB), actually have much in common.

Not a regular occurrence but infinitely more likely with a Punisher to chase.

Points;

BW 22 to 31 (64 max) vs 21 to 27 (73max) TP

Ok, the elephant in the room is a maxed out Punisher, just sitting there waiting to be well….punished! The B Wing is more expensive out of the gate, the Punisher potentially as dear as a large ship. Realistically, both would likely come in at 30-40 points, but with 7 slots to fill, there is much to ponder. The 4 B and a Z95 squad has proven itself over time and in BB may be one of the strongest options. The Punisher on the other hand tends to sit in a difficult over/under costed 3 ship squad. The reality is, the Punisher is best in a mixed squad, the B Wing massed cheaply or as a scrappy finisher.

Base Stats;

BW 3 1 3 5 vs 2 1 6 3 TP

The Punisher has more health, but the B Wing has some of the strongest shields on the game. The native 3 primary is as relevant as ever, even though the Punisher is an ordnance platform.

Actions;

BW Lock, Roll, Focus vs Focus, Lock, Boost TP

The B Wing takes on the traditional role of the Empire with a Roll (one of few available to the Rebels) and the Punisher is one of the few Imperials that cannot Roll, but Boost helps it’s drop and run role. A bit of role reversal can be healthy.

Upgrades (BB style);

BW 2 Torp, Cannon, System vs 2 Missiles, 2 Torp, 2 Bomb, System TP

Both offer a Systems slot, but the way they will use them is very different. The Punisher will likely take something Ordnance based (Trajectory Simulator or Minefield Mapper), while the standard build for the B Wing is to boost close in fighting (Fire Control System or Advanced Sensors). Plenty of Ordnance options for both, but again, the Punisher will load up on projectiles (Unguided Rockets are popular and Empire limited in BB) while the B Wing can go either that way (Nera is lethal with Torps), or add a Cannon for close combat.

Moves;

BW 5 White, 4 Green, 5 Red vs 7 White, 5 Green, 2 Red TP

BW Speed Red 4, 2 K-Turns vs Speed 3, 4 K-Turn TP

With the Punisher’s boost option, both ships are similar in maximum speed, but the B Wing has the tightest K Turn in BB. At speed two it is more like an S-Loop, pushing the role of the ship closer to a close quarters knife fighter role than long range jouster. The Punisher has more white and green moves than the BW, but is otherwise slow and fairly conventional.

Pilots;

BW 6 (4 Elite) vs 4 (no Elite) TP

An aggressive lot, the B Wing and Punisher jockeys are strong on attacking options, but lack any manoeuvre or support options, except EPT’s (if used). Both aces for the Punisher are very Ordnance supportive, the B’s have all sorts of tricks, but it is safe to say, these ships are first strike or finishers, not lurkers. The B Wing has more than it’s fair share of EPT slots, the Punisher, being a bigger ship, has none.

Summary.

Very different ships these two, yet similar in many ways. Offering Systems slots in BB makes them stand out, not just in their class (multi-role), but in BB in general. This means that a player including them has access to some interesting and rare upgrades. The Punisher differentiates itself from the more straight forward Bomber here and the B Wing from any other Rebel fighter other than the E Wing, but is quite a different machine to others. They can take punishment, dish it out and mix it up a bit, but what ever role they take, they can be squad defining.

Star Trek Attack Wing; The Delta Quadrant.

The Delta Quadrant offers a whole chunk of the universe in and of itself. This group I really struggle to cross-pollinate with ships from other periods, quadrants or time lines, as the combatants are literally a universe apart. The Borg and their enemies Species 8472 are fine, but any others are just a real stretch.

There is of course ample room for odd encounters in the Quadrant. The Klingons do make an appearance, the Romulans and others are hinted at, but the core ships are the ones that could have been part of an ongoing presence during the Voyager’s time or are native races.

Because of the variety here, 60 to 200 point fleets are possible and scenario play is recommended.

A good, but not great model, the AW ships do the job.

The Federation have The Voyager of course, namesake of the series, the Equinox, that could have allied with her if things had gone differently, or maybe just more Crew if they were open to switching ships and the Delta Flyer.

Not much of a fleet and a bit of a stretch even, but in upgrades the Federation are pretty flush in both quantity and quality. 7 possible Captains (without a generic), 12 Crew, 19 Tech and Weapon upgrades (some cross-over) and 1 Elite (others are also possible such as Self Destruct), make this little fleet as strong as any. Standouts are plenty, showing the strength of the crew with a myriad of synergies to explore.

The Voyager had some success against the Borg, even using their own tech to get home, and it shows. Powerful Weapons, Tech and tactics help reduce the Borg threat, which is good seeing as there is no help at hand and plenty of other things to worry about in this part of the universe.

The Voyager is the equal fastest ship in the game at white 6, but she has the typical Federation issue of not turning well. The Delta flyer is nimble and a pocket powerhouse, so they team well. The Equinox is a little tame, but brings some excellent upgrades that add variety and power to the faction as a whole and that all important wingman for the Voyager, if story line is toyed with a tad.

The Dauntless, a late purchase because I felt it was a little too hypothetical, has been added, because the actual ship is representative of it’s alien (Species 116) capabilities and in that form (with the Federation costume) it did exist, so deserves the same hypothetical life chance the Val Jean or Equinox get. A fast and tough ship, it is offensively complicated. Only 2 Primary with no Weapon or Crew slots means you have to think outside the box, using up to 4 Tech slots for some kind of edge or an imaginative Captain option. It is also in scale (yay!).

Another option is to play the Marquis ship, the Val Jean with a Marquis/Federation crew, for a hypothetical “all hands to the wheel” team effort which assumes it survived the first episodes and could keep up. The ships are in the “Skirmish” class of TNG ships (more on this later), so any from that grouping will fit fine.

The Voyager had a fated life in the DQ, which is evident when you look at what she was up against.

The Kazon, a race apparently not worth the Borg’s time to assimilate can still cause some problems. With two ship types, a half dozen Captains, and 15 other upgrades, there is enough depth and variety to place the Federation (or others) under some stress, but even at full strength, they are a bit of a “warmup” faction compared to what is coming.

Many of their upgrades are Crew disabling or upgrade thieving, so the faction’s character (or lack there of) comes through well.

The ships are a light raider, about the same strength as the Delta Flyer or Equinox or the larger Predator class with a decent 4 Primary and some fleet support effects. Not the most impressive, but not duds either.

The Hirogen, who gave the later Voyager some genuine grief, are dangerous and thanks to a later card pack, unpredictable as well. 5 Captains with 5 Elite, and 9 other upgrades, with decent numbers make the Hirogen a top tier and flavourful faction.

Karr is a rare Captain with 2 (!) Elite talents, and two other Captains (semi-generic ones) also have Elite slots, making the most of the ample choices. The role of the Hirogens is similar to the Romulans. Hard to hit, even slippery, and decisive when they strike.

The fearsome Borg, scourge of the Alpha Quadrant have a bit of a tough time in the DQ. The Federation have plenty of anti Borg upgrades and tricks, Species 8472 are effectively immune to Borg strengths, the Krenim are a handful and even the relatively unexciting Kazon have some immunity through obscurity (yes, they are that unexciting). Being Borg in the Delta Quadrant is not as easy a ride as before.

All of the impressive Borg power is there, in the form of sheer Toughness & Regeneration, Drones and plenty of raw punch, leaving lots of room for some juicy high octane confrontations, but unlike in the Alpha Quadrant, in the DQ there is more of an even playing field for all.

Species 8472 are a scary and enigmatic bunch, even to the Borg.

Packing 6 Primary, on teleporting and group supporting ships, with tough Captains, lots of Tech and powerful Weapons, they are a match for any combination of protagonists.

I have 4 of these (2 A’s & 2 B’s), enough to take on a decent 200pt Borg force or half my full Federation fleet, something few others can claim.

The Krenim, only have a single ship if played to canon, may seem like a fairly thin one trick faction and to a certain extent they are, but it is a good trick.

With the ability to control time, they can be a thorn in the side of the best a faction can offer. The ship and upgrades are expensive, but bizarre and powerful, so a 1 ship, 60 point offering is a potent alpha striker ally, but a 100pt, 2 ship fleet is even stronger.

A fleet of these would be up there with Species 8472 or the Borg. Maybe……(just ordered a second, now we are talkin’).

The Vidiians, I have not included because I just do not like/own them, but if added they increase the DQ’s variety.

The Delta Quadrant offers a very different feel to the Alpha Quadrant. Lots of big, powerful ships or swarmy factions and all with their own strong flavour. It is also nice to not play the “usual guys” some times.

Can the Delta Quadrant, as a sub-genre of Attack Wing stand on it’s own two feet?

Build depth 4/5 A reasonable range of strong factions with deep upgrade choice.

Interest value 4.5/5 Some of the most unique and powerful factions in Star Trek.

If I could only play one period or faction group, I would be torn between this and the Enterprise era, with this one probably winning through sheer interest value and ship strength.

The State of Play

Lots of words and opinions shared on these pages about my (our) gaming preferences, so after everything has settled, what are we left with?

1e X Wing Bare Bones (favourite)

80-120 point squads (or more), with a push towards thematic squads.

Original Movie and Extended Universe ships only and only those with basic Action bars only (Focus, Lock, Roll, Boost) which gives us 9 Imperial, 12 Rebel and 13 Scum options.

Scum can be used as allies/mercs for the other two factions or each other.

No Title, Modification or Elite Talent upgrades and no Huge ships which leaves us with;

The ship and inherent Pilot ability, Ordnance (some made faction specific), System, Droid/S-Droid and Illicit as factional or “advanced” ship, points of advantage and Named Titles. Some upgrades that fall into the “made only as a game fix” category are also dropped, like Extra Munitions, Bomb load-out, all Refits, Targeting and Flight Assist Mech.

Any that are inconsistent with the above are dropped.

The result is a game that takes us back to the early days of X Wing and has a genuine dog-fight feel.

Best for; Squadron fights with 3+ ships using team tactics and themed squads.

1e X Wing Classic

100-200 point squads.

Scatter guys. Looks like we’re playing “Classic”.

The above with all ships from this time period, including Rogue One (U Wing, Striker, Huge ships etc) with named Titles, but only for the correct pilots. No TFA period ships.

Best for; Squadron Fights or Hero ships and scenarios.

1e X Wing “Full Noise”

60 point squads, fixed, not flexible.

All options allowed including TFA ships as long as they do not cross pollute the timeline.

This creates a less robust squad dynamic, fixing to some degree the super build syndrome of full X Wing. It is nice to get out all of the old alpha combo’s and give every card a little love, but the point limit stops players from getting too precious about this builds.

You can still have a 5 ship mini swarm, a super brute or ace with a decent wingman, but the games are quick with luck playing a greater role.

Best for; Head to head face-offs of ideal squads and nostalgia.

2e X Wing Official

6-10 Threat level squads made from the official FFG Quick Build lists.

200+ squads made form FFG point lists. All factions from The original and later movies and Expanded Universe, but nothing from the Prequels. Epic play is possible, especially for TFA fleets.

Best for; Jousts, pickup or scenario games.

2e X Wing Unofficial

30-50 Pt Squads

My own quick build squads using 1/5th point values, which tends to make similar ship builds to the QB’s but with more variety and thanks to 2e upgrade balance, works cleanly enough.

Best for; Pick up games.

Timeline Specific Attack Wing

50-200 Points, often determined by Time period.

TOS, TOM, Enterprise, TNG (Battle), DS9/Voyager (Skirmish) fleets.

All options within the time period, faction pure or with limited cross-over.

Best for; Scenario or joust games.

Basic, Timeline Specific Attack Wing (favourite)

The same as above, but with generic ships only (reasoning in the previous post). This reduces upgrade and ship, ability drag by about 30-50%.

Best for; Fleet actions.

Lots to go on with.

Attack Wing Legends

The designers of Attack Wing have a design pattern when making ships for the game.

If a ship is named, it;

• is 2 points dearer, which is a diminishing penalty for higher value ships,

• has a special trait (ship talent?)

• has an extra shield, unless it starts with none (in which case a shieldless ship is further penalised for having none to begin with).

• has one or more extra upgrade slots.

The first one is logical, better = dearer but could be graded for ship strength, the second is odd (why would a ship have a personal trait or special ability not imparted by it’s crew or Captain?) and the third is just a game play leveller.

The last makes some sense on it’s own, but less sense when the previous are considered.

Why are the Enterprise or Venture 1 shield point better than any other ship of the same class? Is this a “luck” point, a legacy point, or simply a game balancing consideration?

If it is a game balancer, then the ship has, I feel, already earned it’s two points in it’s special ability and/or extra upgrades. Some of these are very strong, arguably better than a 2 point bonus would warrant, others are just a slight benefit, often nicely themed, but still, 2 Points doesn’t usually get you that much anywhere else.

The Enterprise D (the later 26 pt version) gets a -1 mod to all attackers weapon values and a + 1 extra shield benefit and an extra upgrade that could conceivably give something similar all for 2 points.

If the Captain (card or player) are actually crap enough to need all that, then why is it special?

Wizkids have baked into the ships likely effects to mimic the TV or movie outcomes. This is similar to the Pilot skills in X Wing, except that each Captain comes with their own and many have an Elite Talent slot also (EPT equivalent), so in some cases, there are three “special” talents available to a Captain and his hunk of metal.

The question to be asked, if purely game requirements are shelved for the moment, is why would a ship have a talent. Is it a representation of the ship’s very Legend, The Captains skill (already accounted for in CS and ability and sometimes Elite slot), of the Crew’s ability (also recognised with crew slots of their own) or simply a vibe the designers wanted to add?

*

One way of reducing this effect is to drop the generic ships, making all ships themed, but none stand out as “plain label”. It still defies some logic, but the ships get the full swathe of benefits.

As another alternative is to use the base class type only and let the Captain, Crew and other upgrades determine, along with the player, how well it performs.

Make sense?

This is similar to the no EPT slot in Bare Bones X Wing, avoiding double dipping, but even more logical.

The net effect is, fewer upgrades, cheaper ships and less upgrade synergy/complication/unbalancing, much as with BB X Wing.

Attack Wing; Faction Pure or Timeline Pure?

The AW community has a line drawn in the gaming sand which tends to define it’s players into two groups.

Do you play free form or faction pure. Tournaments and casual game alike are played generally within these two frameworks with opinions split and arguments common.

I get that from both a gaming and canon purist perspective, to a point, but I feel there is something they are overlooking.

If you are playing faction pure, is it because of a desire for an artificial limit for builds, or is it to strengthen the story line of the games and the player connection to them? If that second one is the justification, then what about time line?

Kirk and Harry Kim together makes as much sense as Kirk on a Xindi Insectoid ship.

Timeline pure on the other hand, does allow for some cross factional upgrade or even Captain sharing, because it happened.

Kirk and crew on a Bird of Prey? Actually happened, or maybe Riker on a Bird of Prey? Also happened, but in both cases, they were in their own time.

It also occurs to me that Wizkids (and FFG for X Wing) go to great lengths to make sure their expansions make “historical” sense. Rarely do reviewers complain about canon accuracy, only game relevance (such is the designers cross to bare). It is curious that most also review the expansion from it’s own point of view, as designed, then when released into the gamer-verse, all of that becomes irrelevant, as good upgrades are stripped for use on all and sundry, bad ones consigned to the scrap heap.

By sticking to timeline and generally to faction pure, our games tend to find a use for most upgrades and ships as in their correct era, they are all relevant.

The Enterprise NX-01 for example is not considered more than cheap cannon fodder in the open ‘verse or a good expansion for some decent Crew upgrades, but used “correctly” it stands up well enough. A lack of shields is balanced with some good defensive upgrades , great Crew and high Agility, which just feels right and makes it competitive against it’s foes. Put is up against a Borg Sphere or later Klingon battle cruiser and it is toast. Put it up against an Andorian cruiser, Romulan or Xindi ship and point for point, it can hold it’s own.

My point is, as usual, do you play the game only, or are you looking for more than just a winning fleet, regardless of accuracy to the very story that you, the gamer, are likely a fan of?

I, it seems, can only play to the story. if that limits me, then I am happily shackled, thriving within the limits of my game. Join me, it’s worth the effort.

Star Trek Attack Wing; The Original Movies

This post will look at the original cast, in their later incarnation (probably viewed at the time as the magnum opus of Trek), the movies.

Not my favourite period I must admit, but it is growing on me. When I started collecting AW, this period frustrated. It was not the Original Series, nor did it fit in to the raft of later offerings. It did however offer my favourite ship the Excelsior class, which fits into this and the later eras and some strong upgrades, so in I went. One of the periods I found it hard to mix with others, when I went strictly period specific, it turned out to be quite self sufficient.

AW offers a surprisingly deep offering here considering there were only really two main protagonists and a minor player on offer. This is a real case of the expansions fitting the ships and period well, but tending to be bought just to be stripped for parts.

Fleets in the 60-120 range suit this era perfectly.

The Federation has 8 Captains, 13 Crew, and 12 other upgrades, with a good spread of Tech and Weapons, which is more than many.

The ships on offer are a bit sameish, but three ship types to chose from is a enough and they are strong none the less. Only one ship in the combined fleets has Agl 2 (the Miranda Class) and all but the Miranda have 3 Primary with a wide arc and the Weapon upgrades are varied enough to allow for good tactical choice. All Fed ships can reverse, but not turn.

The ships in these fleets very much fit the resilient, but not primarily warship based feds vs the glass cannon feel of the Klingons.

The Klingons have a similar dynamic. 5 strong ships with 4 primary attacks (smaller arc), which are weaker in hull snd shields, but can have more manoeuvres and a K-Turn, but no reverse. The Klingon upgrade options though thinner, are still deep enough for tactical variety. 6 Captains, and 9 other choices are plenty, especially considering the Klingons will often field another ship rather than upgrades, as their way.

Tactics are the key in this period. Many of the characters and Captains are variants of the same person (2 choices of Chekov, Sulu, Chang etc) and the upgrades are very much powerful one-trick-wonder Elites like “The Games Afoot”, so the games have a tense dynamic of predictable options in unpredictable combinations and a sudden death feel. Will Chang be option A or B and will he bring Cry Havoc, The Games Afoot or Once More Unto The Breach with him?

The final sub-faction is Khan Singh’s merry band. Not on the surface seemingly deep in options, Khan can field any upgrade from the other two factions (which is an exception to our cross faction strictness) and could conceivably captain any ship. The variety he offers is huge. Khan is a powerful captain (equal in skill to Kirk at 8 in this era), with his own unique upgrades (4), and that unpredictability that makes this period so intriguing.

Scale wise, they are fine. The Miranda is a little big, as is the Constitution refit, but they are ok. Chang’s B’Rel Bird of Prey is also maybe too large or at least in comparison to the D-7’s, but it seems to fit ok on a ship to ship basis, so I can deal.

Can this period stand on it’s own two feet?

Build depth 3.5/5 A lack of ship variety is made up for some what with upgrade depth

Interest Value 4/5 WK have captured the feel of the first movies well, if faction restricted.

Star Trek Attack Wing; The Enterprise Era.

Earliest period chronologically, but the second newest show (apart from the Kelvin Timeline movies), the Enterprise era tracks the voyages of the first Earth crewed ship reaching out to an unfathomable universe, which culminated in laying the groundwork for the Federation as it later became known. Technically calling it a Federation ship is a mistake until the end of the series.

Unlike the TOS offering, the Enterprise era is deeper and more varied by far. The ships are generally about the same power level as TOS (low when compared to the Next Gen era), but have more upgrades and greater variation overall.

This was not a well followed series apparently, but I liked it (it is the only DVD ST series I own). I was drawn to the rawer, more dangerous universe, with a real feeling of fragility. To help with my appreciation, the ships are some of the best WK have produced, almost X Wing standard and with the exception of the reduced from huge Xindi Aquatic ship are all acceptably scaled.

Xindi Orassin, probably my favourite foe of many.

The best fleet size for a single faction varies from 50 to 100 points, but mixed fleets are more common in this young universe so 200+ point battles are very possible. The Earth/Vulcan, or Earth/Andorian vs a mixed Xindi fleet are precedented.

Another possibility is a Delta Quadrant cross over, as the ships look and are scaled similarly. A lost NX-01 vs Hydrans or Kazon? Could be fun.

Earth (not yet The Federation).

The Enterprise NX-01 and a sister ship. Hardly a fleet, Earth made a solid little ship that got better through the series. Lacking Shields is a bit daunting, but in it’s own time line, the NX, with excellent Crew and other upgrades can actually hold it’s own against most.

Earth does not have the best ships, Weapons or Tech, but does have good Crew. The fully loaded Enterprise comes in at 38pts (including Admiral Forrest and a free Hull Plating upgrade), which does not seem much, but most of her upgrades, as good as they are are only 3 points and the ship itself is only 16. What does not fit on the Enterprise can be put on the other NX, effectively covering the whole faction’s options.

Apart from Crew, the NX is quite nimble, with 3 Agility and 2 K-Turns (1 white), but she is slow, which is only matched in these respects by the Romulan Drone. It is comparatively weak in primary armament, but with the Xindi threat looming and realities of the universe dawning on the fledgling fleet, it was quickly upgraded. The agility of the ship, with the option of either Torps or a rear firing cannon give it a unique feel, one that I feel is accurate to the series.

My only complaint is Hayes as a Captain. He was used in that role, but I would have preferred a Mako Crew card and another named Captain (there were at least two in the series) or maybe Tucker.

Andoria.

The Andorians are Earth’s most active allies. After a rocky start, Shram and Archer became tight, making them the natural option for an expanded fleet.

Boasting a stronger ship and some more advanced Tech, the warlike Andorians favour Weapons over Crew and most of their Tech is aggressive. The faction is not huge (I do not have the Motley Fleet expansion which may have bulked it up), but even so, 2 Captains and only 6 other Upgrades is a little thin compared to lesser factions in this universe. It is good then that they are strong at what they do.

Vulcan.

The Vulcans, Earth’s first contact, have an uneasy and sometimes combative relationship with the Enterprise and the Andorians. The fleet is very capable and potentially huge (I have three ships), with several strong Captains, 2 ship classes, a combat re-fit for one and 11 other upgrades.

Typical of the Vulcans, Tech and Crew feature highly, but they are no slouch in a fight.

Xindi.

Almost the undoing of Earth before the Federation was born, the Xindi are a people made up of several different species, being used by an outside force to attack Earth, who has tricked them into thinking they are fighting for their survival.

The two main combat sub-factions are the Reptilians, who are the main aggressors and the Insectoids, who tag along with them. The massive Aquatics actually helped Archer to save Earth, but are potentially a powerful addition to an aggressive Xindi navy.

Two of the Xindi ships pack 4d Primary weapons, which is strong at any level, and the Insectoids balance 3 Weapons with 2 Agility.

In other upgrades the Xindi have plenty to chose from, but they come with some restrictions, usually within their own races. When facing a Reptilian ship, you will not have to deal with a Hatchery card or an Insectoid Raiding Party, so each sub-race needs a different strategy.

My favourite scenario in this period is a combined Xindi fleet vs an evenly matched Earth/Andorian/Vulcan fleet. I missed out “Weapon Zero”, but maybe that is for the good as it was pretty powerful.

Klingons.

Making an early appearance in the Enterprise universe, the Klingons then very much take a back seat. There is enough for a decent faction though.

The Raptor class is closer to the later Bird of Prey, than a TOS cruiser. It boasts 10 white moves and decent fire power, but is pretty pedestrian otherwise. For a small faction with only a single ship on offer, WK produced a card pack, giving the Klingons 4 Captains, and 13 other upgrades, so variety is not an issue.

The flavour of what is to come from these warlike people is intact .

Romulans.

The enigmatic Romulans have representation probably a little excessive for their few appearances in the show.

With 5 ships, 6 Captains, and 16 upgrades, many of them Tech, this fleet is a deep and interesting build.

The Drone is a real piece of work, bringing a beautiful model (possibly the best in AW) and a compelling ship to the EU game. The Prototype has the same stats as an X Wing Tie Defender (3 3 3 3) and it is just as powerful in this game. A catch-me-if-you-can combatant, the Drone hits hard, fast and disappears as quickly. One wonders what a fleet could have done, so I have a second for a “what if” scenario.

The Bird of Prey is as powerful as the TOS one minus shields. Cloaking, limited to one ship is as mysterious now as ever and possibly more powerful due to it’s rarity. One thing that can also be tricky, the is picking the non-cloaking BoP, so facing two BoP may mean you need to use mixed tactics, not knowing which is the slippery one and which the tougher decoy.

Tholians.

A limited Tholian presence is allowed in the EnU, because they were there, but the full web thing is optionally avoided.

Suliban?

No Suliban. These would have been interesting.

Can this period stand as a rounded game in it’s own right?

Build Depth 3.5/5 Lots of factions, each with a solid, flavourful, but not exhaustive spread of upgrades.

Interest value 4.5/5 I really like the factions, especially as a change from the usual.

The ships manage to balance well, each faction offering it’s one unique thing. In the company of later period ships they can be overwhelmed, but stick to period and they work well.

Star Trek Attack Wing; The Original Series

Starting at the start, with Star Trek the original 1960’s series (TOS), lets look at what Attack Wing offers from two perspectives.

The first perspective is in comparison to the games other periods and the second is in comparison to X Wing.

If X Wing Bare Bones is an attempt to reduce Upgrade clutter to enhance the game by prioritising it’s core principals, then limiting Attack Wing (AW), to a single period is possibly even more Bare Bones than that.

The Original Series sports 5 small factions and a Mirror universe version of the Federation and they are all unique, just as the writers intended.

The ever threatening Tholians, lurking potentially in any period.

A Squad size of 60-100 points is assumed.

Please keep in mind that this is reflective of my collection, not every possible option available.

The Federation.

Federation player has the iconic Constitution class cruiser (although the Hathaway could be proxied as it comes roughly from this period and is the correct size).

As two of the dearest and most powerful ships in TOS, scenarios often start with the Federation player outnumbered, but that is how it should be. A maxed out Enterprise features a Kirk with PS9 (highest), 2 Elite talents out of a choice of 3, 4 Crew from 6 options, and a Weapon slot. The single Weapon slot is fine as the Enterprise only has a single option (Photon Torps) and these can be re-used, unlike in X Wing.

In a nutshell, the Enterprise is the Federation fleet, potentially coming in at 57 pts with the maximum available options, which is impressive as the base ship is only 22pts. If you want to field everything available, simply add another ship, with Pike in command, 2 more Crew and more Torps for another 38 or so points.

A player facing the Federation will know they have a versatile and resourceful enemy, but will not know which options were chosen and on which ship until they confront them. The Constitution class also has a 180 degree arc, the only one in TOS. It is also conspicuous as having no K-Turn, but the only reverse move.

From an X Wing or even Attack Wing perspective, this may seem ridiculously slim, but look at the upgrades and you will see a ship capable of out fighting/thinking/manoeuvring multiple enemies, just as the series showed. So of course, this makes these enemies important for variety and interest.

If the Animated Series expansion is added, several upgrades become available such a Legacy of the name and Phaser Barrage as well as a nice paint job Enterprise.

The Klingons.

TOS Klingons have a decidedly “evil pseudo-Chinese empire” feel to them, which I guess was a sign of the times. Communist fears after Korea mixed with the exoticness and mystery of Chinese culture allowed the writers to impart an equal dose of paranoia, loathing and interest in their characters.

The classic D7, the second physical model made I think and used at short notice as a fill in Romulan ship (spawning a them against us lend-lease evil coalition), is bigger than the Fed ship, but not as strong overall (3143 vs 3132 for named ships) and is only 16 points for the generic. The Klingons can field up to 3 fully armed and crewed ships, vs 2 for the Federation in an 80 pt fleet. The battles look lop sided, as they should, as the Klingon player uses muscle, where the Federation player must use guile.

The Klingon does however have a few tricks available. The Gr-oth has a Tech slot for it’s one Stasis Field option (the Generic does not), 1 Weapon and 1 Crew. The Klingons have the opposite dynamic to the Federation favouring Weapon choices (3) over Crew (1) and only 1 Elite talent, so they can be predictable, but pack a variety of punches.

Dial wise, the D7’s are slightly better at turning than the Federation, with a 3/K-Turn, but lack reverse.

If the Animated Series expansion is added, several upgrades become available such as Worthy Opponent and Magnetic Pulse, rounding out the offer (mixing Animated and Live cards is a matter of taste) and one ship has a cloaking option.

The Gorn.

Thanks to a later card only expansion, the Gorn in my collection are actually stronger in options than any other faction in TOS. Two named and a generic ship, one the equal strongest in this game at 22pts, 5 Captains, 4 Crew, 3 Weapons, a wildcard and a massive 5 Tech, bely the oddly crude looking reptilian Gorn.

Each ship has a Weapon, Crew and Tech slot, so no weak ships here. The generic ship and Captain can be quite dangerous and is also the best value ship in TOS at 3133 for 14pts.

The Raider’s Dial is slightly weaker than most, with nothing notable and a few less green and white moves than most. This and a lack of top flight Captains are their only real weaknesses.

The Gorn played a minor, but insidious part in TOS lore, so options and unpredictability fit in perfectly with them.

The Romulans.

Rather than a Russian styled enemy as the other main protagonist, the writers went for a more militaristic, Roman Empire styled foe in the Romulans (see what they did there, and there will be Reman’s to?). Less exotic looking, but more enigmatic, the combative but code of conduct governed Romulans are an enemy equally cunning and honourable.

Sporting the most ship options (2 types!), thanks the the Klingon D-7 cross-over, the Romulans have the game’s major ace up their sleeve, Cloaking. Cloaking adds two special Actions to their bar, but strips them of the Battle Stations and Scan Actions, making them, in one stroke, quite different to play than any other faction in TOS.

The main difference in their two ships is the Tech slot, only available on the heavy hitting D7’s vs the extra Crew on the lighter and more agile Bird of Prey and of course they have two dials on offer, the solid D7 (identical to the Klingon) and the Bird of Prey, which is better at turning wide than the Fed ship, but not as good in close.

The Romulans like (need) to get close, so the cat and mouse game of manoeuvre and cloaking/de-cloaking sums up their play, or does it? It all feels a bit like a game of Submarines.

If the Animated Series expansion is added, several new upgrades become available.

The Tholians.

The bizarre Tholians that I can only imagine pushed the special effects people to the very edge of madness in the 60’s, have the slowest, but the most manoeuvrable ships in TOS with two white K-Turns. Turning is vital for them with their web ability, speed not so important.

Not particularly tough on the surface, the Tholians make up for that with a brutal, game controlling web effect and numbers. At 14 points, they can be fielded in a small swarm (I have 4), filling the table with dangerous web barriers that can cripple or control a ship without even directly engaging it, but they can also attack normally, forcing their enemy to close before it is too late.

They have the only 6d weapon option in TOS, the Tricobalt Warhead, allowing them to strike hard at R3 or in closer with Plasma Torps.

Their only real weakness is a lack of strong Captains. They only have Loskene at PS4 and two generics, at PS1.

I cannot say if they are the easiest or hardest faction to play in TOS, but they are great in a scenario game.

Orion Pirates.

No Orions. Shame Wiz KIds.

Mirror Universe.

Kirk vs Kirk? Why not. The Mirror Universe Enterprise adds some options to the TOS game as a whole and the USS Enterprise as well. We permit the Phaser Barrage option on the Enterprise and sometimes the USS Elite talents on the ISS.

*

The TOS era of Attack Wing is an interesting microcosm of the AW world with the strongest historical precedent of any Sci Fi represented. True to it’s inspiration, as limited as that is, this small group, if timeline can still offer an interesting exercise in ship to ship combat, with clear and defined factional differences. The devil is in the detail. A reverse manoeuvre here, white K-Turn there or an upgrade ability pulled out of nowhere are the decision points that will win a game.

There is no doubt that any other period in the AW franchise, with the exception of the Kelvin Timeline, offers more choices. The strength of TOS is the clear delineation between the factions available. It is simple, uncluttered and precise. Pure AW.

This is an ideal period to play a hidden or pick as you upgrade game style, especially with Elite Talents.

TOS also helps us see the clear differences between X Wing and AW. Even with the limited resources available in TOS, the differing nature of the two games is apparent. AW is Ship and Captain driven, with individual upgrades playing an overall less important role, with the total combination being more important than the individual. A base ship’s cost can easily be dwarfed by it’s upgrade costs and it has a less urgent feel.

XW is very much upgrade driven, even in Bare Bones format, but rarely does an upgrade suite match the ship cost. You get more of a dog fight or bomber vs fighter feel from X Wing, while AW manages to simulate the bigger ships well. An AW ship feels more like a carrier for crew abilities, than a fragile ordnance carrier.

With so few moving parts, the TOS era can still offer an evening’s entertainment true to the AW/XW ethos because everything needed is here, but it is probably best cracked open more occasionally though, between games a little deeper in options to avoid getting stale.

Oh, and play the scenarios. They really make the game.

Can this era make it as an individual?

Build Depth 3/5 Good faction choice with lots of provenance, but limited builds (3.5 with the Animated and Mirror expansions).

Interest value 4/5 Because this is where it all started.

Attack Wing By The Numbers.

I have written before about my feeling on the Attack Wing Game.

I love the back story, like the mechanics (maybe more then X Wing) and on the whole dislike the presentation (randomly the components, ship paint jobs).

I also really do not like the wholesale mix and match vibe it can have.

To play it, I need structure that goes beyond simple Factional segregation. I need the timelines, story arcs and scale issues rationalised.

Scale has two factors. The size of ships is the obvious one (the Elephant vs the Mouse in the room), but also the range of stats limits proper scaling. Tiny little ships with 2 attack, 3 Hull vs monsters 10 times larger with only 4 Attack and 6 Hull, seems wrong.

This is how it is played in my part of the world;

Enterprise era ships are kept together, which includes the Tholians (who made an appearance), Xindi, Vulcans, Andorians, early Klingons and Romulans. These are nice ships and with the really obvious exception of the Calindra, are also reasonably acceptable scale wise.

TOS original TV series, including the really old Enterprise, original Romulan Warbird , Klingon/Romulan D series as well as the Tholians and Gorn. Quaint ships with TOS crew. Where it all started.

TOS Movies, featuring the later Enterprise A refit & B, Hathaway as well as the later Klingon Warbirds. Some crossover with above and even below, except characters (they look very different) and some ships are exclusive. My least favourite period, but has some fun elements, such as Chang and the beautiful Excelsior class.

The Next Generation capitol ships. This is the big stuff. The Enterprise D and E, Excelsior class, Akira, Nebulon class, bigger Klingon, Dominion/Breen, Cardassian, Romulan and Reman ships, Species 8472 and of course most of the Borg. All capitol ships, designed for big battles. This is great for 200+ point battles.

DS9 and Voyager. This is exclusively the smaller ships from Voyager, DS9 and some from TNG. These ships, such as the Delta flyer, Equinox, Voyager, Defiant, Dominion Patrol ship (Robinson), Borg Scout, Hirogen, Romulan science and scout ships, Klingon Warbird, Marquis, Special 8472 (fudge there), Krenim, Bajoran, Kazon etc. Basically anything that is out of scale physically and mechanically with the big guns. These are also pretty nice looking, making this one of the better groups. These are great for interesting scenario games or skirmishes such as a hypothetical Marquis/Voyager/Equinox/Delta Flyer mini Delta Quadrant fleet.

Kelvin Time Line. This is the single boxed set of new movie ships, which really are different.

The crew and upgrades are kept segregated also, leaving the player with only canon acceptable options.

Sorry, can’t do it any other way.

Putting the tiny Delta Flyer next to the Enterprise E or the Scimitar is just too much of a stretch. Honestly, if the ships were all identical in size, used as simple markers on a map, I would be better able to deal, but the lack of consistency really annoys me.

If you are not too put off,I would like to look at the different periods and scale groups individually in the following posts.

If not, no harm no foul.

Pondering Bare Bones EPT's.

Other people’s blogs about X Wing are a wonderful resource for a semi new player or even an old hand.

One of the things I love about 1e is the number of healthy and helpful blogs that edition had. Reading one of the better ones, I came across this http://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-state-of-x-wing-part-i-phantom.html .

In one set of clear (and mathematically proven) posts, he has managed to sum up what it is Bare Bones is trying to do.

Essentially, it is removing the Action Phase from the top of the effectiveness pyramid. This allows the Planning and Combat phases to ascend and the game to go back to the simple dog fighting game X Wing started out as.

For me, the ideal is a place where the Pilot (with inherent ability but no EPT), their ship (unmodified and without Title), is loaded with Ordnance, Crew and supportive “extras” like Droids, Illicit and System options, then the play, being the Planning Phase and the Combat Phase as the core of the game is all. Squad building can be based on what ships you like, what Pilots are in them and the tactics you use. The game should not decided in the “garage” before the game, via squad maximising.

Adding extra levels of synergy, we felt, simply added too much complication and depth of the game, making it hard for new players to enter and as hard for experienced players to “Fly Casual” in a world of knowledgeable winners and ignorant losers. The post above points out that the crucial change mechanically, is in Action Economy. I was/am aware of this both in game making and game breaking terms, but when you actually see it from the perspective of a top tier player and blogger, it really hits home.

Action economy, or at least the 2 to 3 layers that later builds effortlessly add, takes the important decision making at the front end of the game and effectively bins it. Have enough Action Economy and it all comes to nothing. Don’t have enough and you will have little effect on the game against those that do. Most of what I call the “band-aid” fixes in the later game either create or try to re-balance Action Economy. This could have theoretically never stopped (wonder why so many Actions are built in to ships and the EPT’s are comparatively blunt in 2e?).

The Countess Ryad with Push the Limit, Twin Ion Engine and x7 combo vs 2 X Wing Rookies, who really stand little chance of making any impression on her is such a good example of where my preferences do not lie.

These Mod, Title and EPT upgrades are all missing from Bare Bones builds as they were identified early as the game breakers. Some will not cope with that restriction, which is fine. We all play our own game.

Comparing the Bare ships, gives us a very different dynamic.

Ryad has different manoeuvre options, a better Pilot skill and a Pilot Talent (K turn surprise!), but now has only the usual single Action (Focus, Lock or Roll), is dearer, gets no semi automatic Evade and struggles to turn/clear stress, just as the Defender was designed to be. Both ships can have Ordnance and the X Wings a Droid. The rookies have a chance now.

I am a strong believer in the strength of the basic principles of the game. The FFG designers usually nail the ship and Pilot characteristics thematically and mechanically. This can then be drastically diluted by layers of upgrades, that seem to be designed on totally different principles of competition balance and competitiveness. I really feel the answer is in the roots of the tree, not the ever growing “options” branches.

I also feel that the designers make each level of the game mechanic with a mind to it fit with itself. Looking at the X Wing or Tie pilots shows patterns of offence, defence and support options. This is something that is again diluted by upgrade layers. In 2e, they seem to be looking more at this phenomenon, but there is still (A New) hope for 1e.

With EPT’s back, their brief time in the sun is probably over.

Removing the “big three” most damaging upgrade groups shaves 50-200% off of this phenomenon. Very few Pilots will have multiple Actions available, making these more valuable and more enjoyable when you pull them off.

Darth Vader was the big bad of the game in the early days with 2 Actions. He even made a middle of the road ship feared. How quickly he was over shadowed.

Is the game reduced by removing these upgrades?

Mechanically it is of course option reduced. From a game enjoyment perspective it is simply different.

If you find it less enjoyable, then look elsewhere for variety. Scenarios, semi-fixed, thematic squads, bigger squads etc are all ways of mixing it up (as with photography, I often find the limits we work with are the seed of creativity). Importantly, every ship will have a chance, so all of those dud ships you hid away years ago, may get some table time. Remember, squad synergy is now more important than single ship upgrade synergy.

We have found that 120 point squads add just enough to make the upgrade sparse BB game more of a squad vs squad experience, rather than a ship vs ship one, opening up a raft of tactical depth. 4 E Wings or Defenders, a 7 Tie + Vader squad are all possible.

As SOTL points out in the last section of his post, change is not bad for everyone. It comes down to what drew you to the game. X Wing more than any other predict and execute jousting game, offers the player many ways to break the core concept. Wings of Glory, Check Your Six, Sails of Glory etc give you few or no ways to circumvent the basic game style and Attack Wing is less obsessed with Action Economy and more with resilience and fire power mods.

Even BB X Wing has more options, but it provides enough of a point of difference and flavour to work without changing the core game concept or step too far from Star Wars.

As to SOTL’s point regarding “It’s Not Star Wars”, we have limited ships to the original Movies and the Extended Universe, hoping, doggedly to keep the Star Wars feel. He makes good points about the difficulty of keeping the game going, fresh and alive without killing it’s own babies**.

Also, would it have even killed them to do Pilot packs for 1e. You have the ship, but would a half dozen Pilot options go astray? Probably not and think of the revenue raised compared to manufacturing costs.

Getting back to the title of the post.

EPT’s do add a lot of variety to the game, but they also start the decaying orbit into the multi-layered Action Economy black hole. They have quickly become optional again with us, even looked at with some suspicion. Of all of the removed upgrade classes, they are the easiest to reconcile back into BB, but each to their own here.

For;

They add some strong abilities to certain ships that need them or have no other upgrade options (A-Wings, Interceptors, Ties, Scyks etc). Conversely, some ships that cannot have them (Punishers, most Y Wings), actually fare better in a non EPT world.

They can be fun.

Against;

Most are already represented by Pilot abilities*, which makes the relevant Pilot special (awww), so adding them to other, less thematically logical Pilots to taste mixes the message.

They can be unbalanced, many are auto buys or equally hard to justify. Soontir always gets PTL, as does Farrell. This is because they often effect Action Economy, which few other upgrades touch. Few other upgrade types have such a range of must have to near pointless cards. TLT’s are generally considered to be overly strong, but in BB the ships they are on are generally not, some Ordnance ends up as fillers, but few are totally useless. System, Droid, Crew and Illicit on the other hand increase in effect. Upgrades like Advanced Sensors, which change the order of the Action phase are actually game effecting, giving the few ships that can have them a real edge.

Edit; A little later in the day and EPT’s are out, for the same reasons as before. They add to the game in some ways, even making some inconsistencies go away, but on the whole they break the BB ethos, which is to prioritise the core concepts of the game.

*I would have preferred it if EPT’s were “Squad Tactics”, simulating pre-planned squadron manoeuvres or preferences, increasing the synergy of a group (as some do now) rather than an extra talent for an already (thematically) talented Pilot.

**In my humble opinion, another way FFG could have kept the game fresh and diffused the upgrade stacking issue, would have been to have offered separated or more Pilots, like Attack Wing Captains (effectively amalgamating Pilot ability with EPT). In 2e they have gone some way to doing this with the Resistance and First order factions, offering many more pilots over fewer ships. I like it.

Head to Head: E Wing vs Advanced

Looking at ship stats on a chart can bring to light some strange similarities.

The E Wing and Tie Advanced, may seem a long way apart, and in many ways they are, but the way BB balances ships out, they can be matched up intriguingly.

Points;

EW 27 to 35 (49 max) vs 21 to 29 (35 max) Def

The biggest difference between the two is points cost. The E Wing can actually make a 2 ship list with EPT’s and maxes out at a 3 ship list. The Advanced on the other hand can effortlessly add 1 or 2 more to a squad. How does the E Wing justify that?

Base Stats;

EW 3 3 2 3 vs 2 3 3 2 Adv

Base stats are very different. The usual weakness of Imperial Tie’s, a 2 Primary is balanced some what by the fragile 2 Hull of the EW.

Actions;

EW Focus, Lock, Roll, Evade vs Focus, Lock, Roll, Evade Adv

Identical. The EW is better than most Rebels here, but not against this opposition. The E Wing has some ground to make up for those extra points.

Upgrades (BB style);

EW Torpedo, System, Droid vs Missiles Adv

Again, the Rebel Torpedo vs Imperial Missile dynamic. This really became evident to me when in BB Ordnance became a major upgrade option. The E Wing has a varied suite of combinations with the unique Droid + System slots and actually has the best upgrade choice of any fighter, while the Advanced only has missiles. Clear divergence here. Although the EW has more options, it must still spend more points to use them.

Moves;

EW 10 White, 5 Green vs 10 White, 4 Green Adv

EW Speed 5, 4 & 3/K-Turn vs Speed 5, 4 K-Turn Adv

One more green move and an extra K turn. The Advanced is still a pure blood Tie, the E Wing a pseudo-Tie, like it was designed to be.

Pilots;

EW 4 (2 Elite) vs 8 (6 Elite) Adv

Hampered by smaller choice the E Wing can offer two very strong, attack minded pilots, while the Advanced (like the Defender) is relatively spoilt by offensive, defensive or manoeuvring choices. The EW Pilot short-fall is helped to an extend by upgrade slots, allowing for some interesting combinations. The Advanced has many neglected Pilots, thanks to Vader. In a full squad, some of these can prove to be quite tricky. The E Wing and Coran Horn + Advanced Sensors + a good Droid is often a killer combo, if a little expensive, but in this case, Vader offers one of the best pilots available to the Empire.

Summary;

Anytime a squad gives up a one ship advantage, it must justify that shortfall with either strength, trickery or uniqueness. The E Wing tries to do a bit of all of these. The Systems slot on a fighter makes it unique, the extra fire power and Droid + Systems + Torps combo can hit pretty hard and the dial is strong.

The Advanced on the other hand is no slouch straight off the blocks. Sure it lacks punch with a 2 Primary and unsupported Missile slot, but an extra ship (or more) and mix of Pilots can help here. A 5 ship Advanced squad (including either cheap Ordnance or an Ace), vs a 3 ship Ace + Droid E Wing squad would make an interesting match up. On paper you would back the Advanced, but maybe not.

Story or Game

I have some strong thoughts about the value of the story over the game. I guess it comes from my lean towards role playing and simulation over just game play. I must admit to not being an avid game player, even though I collect with a vengeance and love the process of researching and completing. I like the idea of it, the social side and the collecting/preparing, but when it comes to play I am heavily in the “just for fun, casual only” camp.

If this is looked at more closely, I could even rank it numerically, and I guess, so could you if you see yourself there.

1 The Modeller.

The look and feel of the simulation are more important than the game itself. Battles fought are historically accurate (even fiction must fit it’s own truth). It is not unlikely, that I will simulate an entire battle, scenery and all, just for literal reenactment, leaving little flexibility for re-use or theoretical endings. Collecting (accurately) is important to me, as is supplying both sides, so everything is consistent and eye pleasing (which can lead to heart flutters when others handle things). I often write my own rules, because my thoughts on the subject, after extensive research, do not fit with the ones of others I have bought.

2 The Story Teller.

I love the subject matter and value the stories the game potentially represents. Always preferring a scenario to set head to head “balanced” tournament game, I will play anytime and collect anything that interests me, good or bad. The level of simulation and story fidelity in my games is directly linked to my enjoyment, so I rarely play in tournaments or against competitive players, unless they share my love of the back story and accept my point of view, sticking to faction and time line. I will buy anything that is related to my favoured faction(s) for completeness, even if I know I will be derided by more competitive friends for buying “that” crap option (often, ironically off them after they have stripped it of the good bits).

3 The Casual Gamer.

I like my games, because I like the company of friend’s and the down time it allows me, but I take play seriously enough to bother thinking about it when not playing. I play what I like, but not what is fashionable or to others tastes if not mine. Star Wars is great, so I play games based on that etc. The actual game is not overly important as long as it feels right and does not get too intense. I rarely supply/make/buy complete or exhaustive games, rather, I use what is provided (a friendly number 2 or 4) or I may choose a single favourite faction to support and play against whom ever I meet.

4 The Semi-Serious Competitor.

I collect only the perfect forces to be strong on the table or occasionally something off-beat to amuse or surprise others with my “cleverness”. I am aware that sometimes I go too far, so if pushed, I will accept the desires of others for balance and logic to prevail and play by those rules. It is unlikely that I will purchase anything that is not competitive just because it looks nice or fits into canon, but I will buy a rubbish expansion for the useful parts and off-sell the rest to a “gullible” #1 or 2 who will buy anything just because it “fits their collections”.

Really serious gamers often make me feel inadequate, so I migrate between communities, staying until things get toxic, then go and find a new “crush”.

Nothing says you cant have all the best options in one experience.

5 The Pure Gamer.

The game comes first. Winning, or at least being competitive is all. Nothing is off limits as long as the rules, stretched to their limit, can cope with it. I can even accept unpainted miniatures and dodgy terrain as long as there is a game. I spend waaay too much time thinking about winning combinations or tactics and dreaming of titles to be won. My intensity can put some off, but they are weak, so should be afraid of me, while others are drawn to my “expertise” like pathetic moths to my stronger burning flame. I do not indulge lesser impulses like unlikely combinations unless I am sure I will have an edge.

Story accuracy means little in the game (although I may know everything there is to know on the subject). I play Attack Wing because I can beat most I play with my bizarre but powerful combinations of crew and ships and have only a passing interest in the stories themselves (there is not enough combat in Trek, so “they” are clearly doing it wrong).

I am also a competitive video gamer when I have any spare time (usually between 12am and 6am).

*

Of course, there is a little of all of these in all of us, especially if we have multiple periods and games types we like.

With historical miniatures, I like to create a force (usually in WW2 for example a battalion or equivalent at 1:5 scale), which will play off against a variety of opponents in hypothetical, but historically feasible scenarios. I do not like to play actual campaigns, but rather smaller actions within these. In other words I prefer the experience of playing like a combat leader of the time (#2), rather than the strict simulation of a particular action (#1), but value the spectacle and experience (#2-3) over winning at all costs (#5). I also tend to prefer “clean and clever” rules lite games.

I will not chase an all comers ancients play-off tournament that pits 12th century AD Saxons against Hittites, or two periods of Romans against each other (#5) but am happy to supply the Romans, Germans, Gauls, Britons, Parthians, Numidians and Spanish for a round robin Caesarian game (#1-2).

In Sci Fi, there is just as much need for “historical” accuracy. Maybe even more. The Sci Fi and Fantasy writer is trying to get us to pay into their created world. The Star Trek universe covers over 100 years of change and even divergent “pseudo” universes.

Mess with this too much and it makes little sense very quickly. I cannot roll off the names of all the leaders form Game of Thrones or the entire Federation fleet from the original series, but I know what fits where and how. When it doesn’t, the make believe world falls apart very rapidly, with little to hold it together but shattered belief.

Overall I tend to hover between 2 and 3, with an occasional lean towards 1 (which rarely ends well) and 4 for specific, often contained games such as Canvas Eagles, BB X Wing or board games.

What is interesting to me is how certain games bring out a type in me. X Wing leans me heavily towards 3-4 casual tournament thinking (controlling), while Attack Wing is more 2-3, scenario driven (all of the work I have done to “fix” 1e X Wing compared to the basic stick to faction requirement of my AW games is telling). The game mechanics are nearly identical, but the feel is not.

The one type I am almost never is the #5, which goes back to my role playing days where “rules lawyers” were game or mood breakers. No matter how much I like a game, I cannot let go of my basic desire to story tell, even if it means I do let go of a winning edge.

The Argument for EPT's in 1e Bare Bones

Bare Bones is a special little snowflake. It is (un/retro) designed to make X Wing 1st edition a more balanced and story accurate game. The ideal is also to make casual or novice play more enjoyable.

The ship options are strictly limited. The first three movies, the direct extended universe, but only as far as the end of the Empire and no ships from the new movies (Rogue 1 and Solo).

The main reason for this is feel and game structure. The later ships shift some of the glorious balance of the basic X Wing game and the post Empire or New Republic ships are timeline inconsistent with the core fleets.

If something is needed to expand the basic concept what would it be?

Titles.

Named titles are problematic, because FFG has hard baked some story relevant capabilities into specific ships, so this is handled “to taste”. A “Mist Hunter” without Tractor Beam or Roll seems odd, the lack of “Havoc” effectively removes the proper Nym experience, but some are just added bonuses that seem to be there to make the ship, not the pilot or player, better.

Class Titles however have traditionally been simple bandaid fixes for existing ships, that the simpler environment of BB goes some way to eradicating. In 2e some of these have been dropped or nerfed, so even FFG was in two minds there.

Named Titles, use as you please, Class based Titles, no thanks.

Modifications.

Mods are the one that to me stick out the most. The ability to rob a unique ship of it’s uniqueness and endow another with it is the main edge with a Mod seems at odds with the core design principals. Reading down the list is a strong case of something breaking what works, then patch fixing it to suit the gaming community. They are generally too powerful to be used without risking a ship losing it’s relevance by comparison to another. Often the Mod and the Title-fix go hand in hand.

Nope. Still feel they break the game, especially if mixed with any of these other elements.

EPT’s.

The argument for EPT’s is strong.

With Elite Pilot Tactics (we prefer not to say Talents, because those are the ones on the Pilot card), the game is more fun, more diverse (a full layer of synergy is added, but only one) and easier to reconcile. In a large way the game was designed for EPT’s as they allow the player to change the feel of a squad without actually changing the physics of the game world. EPT’s increase game options without breaking canon.

There are pilots that specifically need them by printed talent (Tomax Bren), a Droid that can only play if you have them (R2-D6) and several missing elements can be added moderately and gently*, but most compellingly, they allow the player to tactically prepare a squad with a “flavour” that is consistent with the game. EPT’s on their own do not run the risk of doing too much damage. It is when mixed with Titles or Mods that they get out of hand.

Like they need to be meaner.

EPT’s like mods also help ships with no other slots like Tie Fighters or M3’s, but only if their pilots are of a calibre to use them, rather than mods that are applied to most. This also makes some of the Pilots relevant and logical. The Royal Guard Pilot, Black Sun Ace and Assassin, Mandalorian Merc, or Contracted Scout are average Jo’s who can be wild cards with EPT’s.

A small factor, when looking deeper is that the A Wing, an important ship to the Rebels is helped by EPT’s but not mods. This is a tipping point. A swarm of Tie Interceptors with mods can be better in any number of ways, where unmodified A Wings are left seemingly reduced by comparison. EPT’s on the other hand have the opposite effect. Some Tie pilots can aide their swarm, of just get better individually, but so to the A Wing pilots.

EPT’s are also only available to agile ships and some Pilots. Punishers, Y Wings etc have slim or no pickings and the spread of EPT’s is balanced to ship type. The X Wing for example is under represented in EPT’s (4 from 10), which fits with the simple, honest Rebel offering. Most Scum Fighters are over represented, suiting their unpredictable and sneaky natures.

The other thing is, they can be used to max out squads, which can be hard (limiting) without for those ships with no slots at all.

Finally, the cards have the Icon.

This pilot centric metric is more logical than a ship based one. Changing ships messes with story fidelity, augmenting pilots has little effect on canon, but adds to the game.

*Manoeuvres and combat EPT’s that can make the difference for some pilots, like limited Barrel Rolls with a stress condition (rather than Vectored Thrusters that have no restrictions) or swarm tactical effects, that just fit with the Empire.

Making a 2 Faction, 2e X Wing Collection

As I do, I have put together a ship comparison table of for my First Order and Resistance 2e fleets, just to see how they stack up and reassure myself that I have not overlooked anything.

The first thing that struck me is how small the table is compared to my 1e Bare Bones one. Two factions and small ones at that only supplies 16 ship types, including a fudged CR-90 (Rebel with generic crew, because well, you saw it, there was one in the final movie’s battle).

All of the types are covered, from the light fighter to huge combat ship, through support, wild card and specialist ships, but there is no denying, ship choices are retty limited.

Looking deeper though a few things have become evident.

The ships are really versatile and well rounded.

• The T-70 for example, can play the role of the X, E, B Wings and Z 95, thanks to it’s better dial, Tech upgrade and multi role Hard Point (Cannon or Torpedo or Missile).

• The “B-17” like MG-100 has depth and interest value, thanks to much better upgrade options than in 1e and is the only bomber in either faction.

• The RZ-2 is better than the original A Wing and is the perfect foil to the T-70.

• The Tie/sf is a better Ordnance carrying multi-role ship than the sluggish bomber, almost like an evil ARC-170.

• Even the Tie/fo has a Tech slot and single shield, making it much more robust and interesting than the ordinary Tie.

• There are no really weak or worse still, boring ships in either faction.

Deep pilot support for the supplied ships.

The Resistance for example have 39 combat pilots over just 4 ships (X, A wing, MG and Fireball). In 1e BB, the Rebels have 42 over 8 ships.

This means that the deeper level of play in 2e comes from more moving parts, more unique pilots, a wider upgrade selection (EPT, Mod, Tech, Title) and different play styles (Epic/Huge) that can be tackled with fewer ship options. Learn to play the basic ships, and then look at the huge variety within them. A bit like Chess really, easy core ideas, near infinite play options.

The factions are very different.

There are almost no like for like pairs between the factions. The Tie/sf and XT-70 are roughly equal, but no other two ships line up closely. This is good, because it means every ship is a new experience. In 1e, especially bare Bones, as I have shown in some recent articles, does manage to have the Rebel, Imperial or Scum equivalent of many ships, meaning there is a feeling of equivalence, rather than difference between factions.

Finally, everything in 2e play is covered.

Between the two factions there is a complete, if sometimes thin coverage of every facet of the 2e game.

All of the manoeuvres are represented, from reverse to pivot to S-Loops, K Turns and Talon Rolls. There are tight turning, fast straight line and painfully slow and predictable ships, all generally better (offering more) move choices than the earlier factions or 1e game.

All Actions are covered and all Upgrade types are represented (some specific ones are faction restrticted) .

Calculate Action only has 2 pilot options (but Crew aplenty), Force users 4, Illicit only 3 ships (5 slots, but some can be shared), 3 Titles and Turrets a mere 1, but these are all proportionately represented in the new meta.

I also have plenty of ships for full Epic play, with or without Huge ships.

Adding the Scum faction does deepen many of the weaker areas of this form of the game, but I am keen to stick to time line with these again.

X Wing 2e. A Brave New World

As a relative newcomer to X Wing, I guess I may have a different outlook on the changes made in second edition to many.

I have been aware of X Wing since it’s introduction, played the odd game with friends, but was never really a Star Wars nut. A strong start with the original movies awoke in me a genuine love of Sci Fi and Fantasy in all it’s forms, from books, comics, games TV shows and Movies, but Star Wars itself waned into the category of “A Legendary story, done and dusted”.

I guess the variety and tension (reality to fiction) in Sci Fi, from hard/real to more fanciful simply allowed Star Wars to be “placed” in it’s niche more specifically, making it less important to the Genre over all as time moved on.

For some reason Trek moved ahead, likely due to infinite re-runs of the TV shows and the “big ship” vibe, but again, it was only one of many flavours. My gaming, especially role playing falls more squarely in the Fantasy or real-fantasy sweet spot. Call of Cthulhu for example far outweighed Traveller back in the day. For those of us not science minded, the relative ease of Fantasy and Sci-Fantasy took a softer and more approachable form, letting the game get out of the way of the story.

1e X Wing grew (hugely) from a spur of the moment impulse buy of some TFA core sets. The idea was to stay within the TFA time line (some ringers allowed), representing enough ship type to play scenario or casual games well enough (certainly considering the huge number of other pre-painted jousting games I have).

This of course grew. I wedged Saws Renegades in to represent a hypothetical post-Empire renegade faction (T-65’s and S-Foils), added plenty of Scum, some Imperial Lambdas etc., but the inevitable flood gates opened when an old red core set popped up cheaply, out of nowhere.

The rest is (expensive) history. The tension between TFA and “old” period is not something I can deal with. I automatically separated the time lines, enforcing a soft apartheid.

When 2e was released, it did a lot of good. I had no interest in it. I was happy. Then a couple of things happened.

A supplier sent me a 2e core set instead of another cheap red core set (and let me keep it at the reduced price), then FFG released some new ships for the Resistance and First Order and promised more to come.

A plan was hatched. If I could separate (to a degree I found acceptable), the older movie/game segments from the newer, I would have effectively two games.

To me nothing says Star Wars more than the original ships as presented in the first core set and the movies. Bare Bones has, for me, balanced the original game and removed many of the “gamey” elements, giving me a true old school Star Wars junkie simulation.

2e on the other hand has allowed for a re-invention of the rules, driven in no small part by the ever changing Star Wars universe, that had outgrown the old game. The TFA ships were better in 1e, but balanced by being dearer, so from a game perspective, they made sense, but you cannot deny, they do not fit in time-line wise.

*

For me, the clean break of the new game, new movies and FFG ships and now defined factions fit together perfectly, just as the old 1e game and old movie ships do.

The deeper gaming experience, with all of those “tacked on” additions that unbalanced later 1e now integrated fully, deeper, but stream-lined rules, with more upgrade slots (than BB) with Tech and Force (making all upgrade types available to these two factions), and the generally more robust and modifiable ships makes for a game that just feels complete in it’s own right.

Add in the Scum faction and you have a full spread of flying and gaming options, that allow all facets of 2e to be accessed.

The added benefits (for me) are the almost perfect fit of the conversion kits to my fleets, the size of my fleets (5 TFA core sets +), allowing a truly Epic game to be played and the better application of the (now allowed) Huge ships for these factions.

Looking at the factions more closely;

The Resistance offer the work horse T-70 (a better and deeper X Wing), the super fast RZ-2 (a stronger A Wing), the massive MG-100 (covering all of the bomber types, but with a real “Memphis Belle” feel), The Huge GR-75 and Resistance Transport+Pod, which cover the support ship roles. The Falcon, being the Falcon, with the Fireball, are the factions wild cards. Enough to give this faction not only all types of fleet builds you could want, but in each case a deeper and more flexible platform than previously offered in either the Rebel fleets or 1e. Each ship is noticeably improved and deeper than it’s 1e version or simply not available in 1e.

The fleet;

• 13 T70’s (8 Blue, 2 Green, 2 Orange, 1 Black)

• 6 RZ-2’s (4 Blue, 2 Green)

• 3 MG-100’s

• Transport and Pod

• GR-75 Transport

• Fireball

• Scavenged YT1300

• optional CR-90 (rebel generic used as proxy)

The First Order are much the same. Lacking the highs and lows of some factions, they are solid across the range, but nuanced within that. The Tie/fo is better than the Tie/ln, the ba/Interceptors and Silencers are a cleaner representation of the many different forms of “better” Tie, the Upsilon, Xi and Raider add support backbone and the Tie/sf is the multi role ship that does not suffer from slow “bomber-itis” like the Imperials. The Xi also fills the role of the wildcard, offering Illicit unpredictability.

The fleet;

• 12 Tie/fo

• 4 Tie/sf

• 4 Tie/ba

• 2 Tie/vn

• 2 Xi shuttles

• Upsilon

• Raider

With the last few rafts of releases, FFG have filled the necessary holes in both ranges and stayed true to the feel of the factions. The Resistance are a hard core of veterans, dedicated to their legendary leader with versatility and consistency as their hallmarks. The First Order are again, the hardened remnants of a fallen empire, sharper and more refined than their predecessors.

The addition this month of more pilots and ships gives the Resistance (and First Order) even more of a same ships-many different builds vibe, quite different to the Imperials and Rebels, who offer fewer pilots but a huge range of ships.

This again suits the 2e experience, allowing casual/occasional players to get familiar with a small range of strong, easy to fly ships, each offering a different flying style and generally more upgrades for a huge range of easy (and safe) squad builds. Combined with extra rules depth, each game can be new and exciting within these limitations (remembering also there are other games in the closet).

1e as a Bare Bones game is more about ship synergies in larger squads, with simplified rules and faster builds.

There will likely be more ships to come for both factions (maybe a CR-90 upgrade kit ;) ), but my gaming needs are filled for now.

The Scum faction, much as they do in 1e, offer the variety and bag of tricks builds that befit them. Illicit upgrades and Turrets are both a little blunted, but the sheer variety of ships and sub-factions allows for all of the variety you could want. For me the Scum fit better in their correct time line, fleshing out the thin* 2e Imperials and Rebels (we allow a 60% max mixed squad build option with limited Scum mercs, allies and Bounty Hunters with Empire and Rebels, but not so much with FO and Resistance).

*I do have the conversion kits for the Empire and Rebels, but they do not cover all the ships I have, so the experience is lacking a little until the second hand market coughs up some more dials.

Class Groupings in BB; Heavy Combat Ships

Many of the Heavy ships are legends in the Star Wars universe, associated with the most heroic or villainous types. They are the toughest fighters, but often the dearest builds.

Heavy ships are more accustomed to fighting on their own than acting in support roles. Unlike true support ships, they are often heavy in Ordnance, but can also offer plenty of Crew or other non-combat upgrades.

Heavy ships can usually act as both a support to a squad of smaller ships and as front line combat ships in their own right. Two of these can be as powerful as any squad in the game.

Rebel (YT 1300, YT 2400, VCX 100)

The Millenium Falcon, Outrider and Ghost are the spine of the Rebel legend. All three are potent, even without their Titles, and are still capable of decent upgrade synergy.

The YT’s can move better than their size would have you believe, the 2400 has 2 agility and a Barrel Roll and the VCX can Evade, but compared to the Scum ships in this class they are pretty vanilla.

Offensively both YT’s offer a Turret, the VCX a 4 Primary and Turret upgrade option and the 2400 a second Cannon. Each also has at least 1 or more Crew and one a System slot, so they can also be good support ships.

Some of the better, and definitely most famous Rebel Pilots can be found here. Strongly aggressive, defensive or supportive as needed and often synergise well with the various Crew they can host.

Scum (Aggressor, Firespray, Lancer, Jumpmaster);

A totally different vibe here with 4 stone-killer ships, all different, but equally potent. The Jump Master is an elusive Ordnance platform, the Aggressor a slow but very agile, relentless knife fighter, the Lancer strangely fast and agile for a big bird, with a semi-turret primary and the Fire-spray is a tough, dual arc bag of Ordnance tricks.

All of these ships have dangerous Pilots and lots of upgrades, offering an enormous range of options. Not strong as support ships generally, they can still offer some choices. The Aggressor can link to another through IG-88D (assumed rather than Title in BB), the Lancer can Tractor, The Firespray can take many forms, especially with Ordnance and Crew and Manaroo is a genuine supporter with an appropriate Attanni Mind link-like token sharing talent.

Three have evade, one has 3 agility, which some fighters do not share, two have Barrel Rolls and one has white 5 speed. These things can move. The lack of mods hampers them slightly, but here again is a good example of BB letting the core concept of a ship shine, without either over doing it or allowing other ships to blunt their uniqueness. Until I directly compared them, I had not noticed just how each offers a better feature or features than any other ship in this class.

Without Titles, Mods and EPT’s, they are as blunted as the rest of the BB ships, but even in their simplified forms they are fundamentally strong and the ship to ship tactical synergies are nearly endless. Every ship but the Aggressor has a Crew slot, 1 or more Illicit and the JM a Droid. The Aggressor offers Systems, that fits into it’s robotic theme. I have to come to respect the relentlessness of the Aggressor. Very robotic.

Imperial (Decimator, Raider);

A small offering for the Empire, the Decimator is still one of the toughest and most useful Large ships in BB and the Raider fills the role of the genuine “Big Bad” in 200+ point, scenario driven games.

The Turret, with 2 other Ordnance options makes it stronger than the YT’s before builds, 16 health is equal to the VCX and 3 Crew slots make it intimidating, versatile and it adds a lot to Imperial build options. Not even the two huge ships in BB can feel safe with it on the table.

The Raider is the only two card Huge ship in the game. Including this at the expense of the CR-90 Corvette is as much by design as by necessity. I missed the last of the 1e CR-90’s and have not yet been able to get a full set of 1e parts for my 2e one (latest purchase). This is not really a problem for me though as the Raider was originally bought as a scenario driver for the game, offering the nasty end point for a campaign or the big Imperial intimidator that the rag tag Rebel forces had to combat (mini Death Star scenario if you will).

It also adds all of the missing facets of the Huge ship, 1e experience (a two card ship, multiple hard points and teams). Without it, the C-Roc has to carry much of the Huge ship weight.

The main reason the Raider is in the combat, not support ship group is it’s emphasis on Teams and Hard Point upgrades and lack of support actions (Coordinate only). This ship goes up front, it does not not hang back. Costing more than half of a 200 point squad and being very forward arc biased, generally means it carries the weight of the attack, with it’s escorts defending it’s soft rear. Fully tooled up, there is generally only room for a 4 Tie escort out of 200 points.

Coming in at 100 points for the base ship, this can only be played either as a match the build scenario (build the Raider and match it with opponent points), or a full 2-300 point game, which is generally easier in BB as the builds are simpler. You can actually get 4 X Wing, 3 B Wing and 3 Y or A Wings up against it and some escorts for a mini battle. I am also experimenting with the basic “Epic” template rules from 2e.

As a rule, if we include the Raider, Palpatine can also get a go.

Head to Head: Tie Aggressor vs Y Wing

Probably not many people think of these two as equivalents. Possible, a lot of people in the 1e world don’t think of them much at all, especially the Aggressor. I will look at both the Rebel and Scum Y Wings, because they are very similar.

In BB the base ship’s are pretty ordinary, but as with most ships in the format, again become more relevant, maybe even competitive. The available options are fewer, both in ships and upgrades, allowing their native strengths (such as they are) to float back to the surface.

Full 1e offered some decent buffs late in the game for the YW, thanks to the Most Wanted Scum expansion, but even then, the golden era of choosing the ; AW > fast, XW > versatile and YW > tough were long gone. In BB however, they are essentially back!

Points;

YW 18 to 24 Sc/25 Re (47 max) vs 17 to 22 (38 max) TA

Capable of forming solid five ship squads, this pair can be loaded to the teeth, or flown pretty much standard to some effect. The Turret upgrade is usually mandator and other Ordnance can take many forms. The reality is though the YW would never be maxed out to 47 points, because Advanced Proton Torps are a bad fit for them (too slow, cant turn).

Base Stats;

YW 2 1 5 3 vs 2 2 4 1 TAG

The usual Rebel/Scum vs Empire dynamic. The YW is tougher than many, the Aggressor less so but more agile. 1 extra shield would even the Aggressor out a bit, but it is the weaker ship up to here.

Actions;

YW Focus, Lock vs Focus, Lock, Roll TAG

Being weaker (toughness 5 vs 8), the Aggressor needs the Roll option, although Turreted ships do not need or benefit from re-positioning much, Ordnance do.

Upgrades (BB style);

YW 2 Torpedo, Turret, Droid/S-Droid vs 2 Missiles, Turret TAG

The Aggressor was well served with upgrades when launched. Possibly too well as it’s cards usually found themselves in other squads. Twin Laser Turret in particular was so good it was dropped from 2e and Unguided Rockets, well liked in 1e, are actually the only way you can have multiple launch-able Ordnance in the game (no Munitions Fail Safe or Extra Ammo). The Empire only has one ship with a Turret upgrade, so the Aggressor has a solid role to play. The common Missiles for Empire, Torps for Rebel, dynamic is also present.

The Y Wing has plenty of competition in both factions, but having a Turret does allow them to chose a different Droid, other than the near mandatory manoeuvre options (R2/Unhinged).

Moves;

YW 9 White, 2 Green, 3 Red vs 9 White, 5 Green TAG

YW Speed Red 4, 4 K-Turn vs Speed 4, 4 K-Turn TAG

The Y Wing is plagued by a lack of green move options and poor speed (hence the common Droid/S-Droid upgrades). If used as a stand off Turret sniper, this is less of an issue, but if delivery of Ordnance is important, they are best used as finishers with other ships for support. The Aggressor on the other hand show it’s Tie roots with a solid dial. Flying YW’s well in a squad is often the main consideration. The TAG can be attached to most Imperial Squads without holding them back.

Pilots;

YW 4 Sc (1 Elite) /4 Re (no Elite) vs 4 (2 Elite) TAG

Rebel YW’s tend to come in two squad formats. The Ordnance platform or The Sniper with two good leaders for either option. Their Droid upgrade is also important allowing for some mitigation of any short-falls. The Scum are similar in dynamic, offering again two solid attacking aces and a few interesting re-takes on the Rebel Droids. A lack of EPT’s in Y Wings (Kavil only), makes the Aggressor feel like a real fighter.

The Aggressor boasts a pair of Pilots that serve their applications well, one offensive and one universal. Pretty even here.

Summary;

One of the things so attractive about BB is the re-emergence of some much maligned, or at least regularly ignored ships. Some of these ships are crucial to the Star Wars legend (YW), others come from the less known Extended universe (TAG), but either way, if you own them and don’t use them, well, they are wasted.

BB allows the YW to take on it’s dual roles with some old fashioned balance and relevance. A 5 ship YW “scout” squad with Auto-blaster Turrets is tough and annoying to fight, while a pair added to an X Wing squad can add variety, fire support or a cheap Ordnance platform.

The Aggressor can punch hard, over and over, like a light weight Punisher, adding cheap Ordnance fire power to a fast moving squad. It also allows the Imperial player to play “out of character”, which after dozens of games with the usual arc dodging swarm, can be refreshing (and confuse a regular opponent).

Artificially similar, these two ships are very different in application. The iImperials gain the most, having a Turret support ship option, the Rebels and Scum get an old friend back, warts and all.

Which would I like to fly in BB? The unlimited supply of Rockets the Aggressors can mount is tempting, but 4 Y Wings with R2/Unhinged Droids and TLT’s is easy to fly (boooring!) and deep (always causing damage, with 32 health).

Head To Head: Jumpmaster 5000 vs YT 2400

I have always found these two ships intriguing and similarly placed in their factions, but lets see just how close they really are.

Points;

YT 30 to 36 (53 max) vs 25 to 30 (53 max) JM

The Punishing One Title boosts the (un-nerfed) JM to a staggering 65 points, but in BB the (assumed to be pre modified?) ship still ties with the non Title YT. Half a squad of points is an expensive ship, but realistically, a fully loaded out example of either ship, with more realistic upgrades would come in at about 45 points. A 25 point JM is tempting though.

Base Stats;

YT 2 2 5 5 vs 2 2 5 4 JM

Both surprisingly agile for big ships and very close in stats.

Actions;

YT Focus, Lock, Roll vs Focus, Lock, Roll JM

So far they are much the same.

Upgrades (BB style);

YT Missile, Cannon, Crew vs 2 Torpedo, Crew, Illicit, Salv. Droid JM

Now we are starting to see some real factional differences. The Cannon, not replacing the Turret on the non Title YT is not accurate to the Outrider story, but any turret is strong in 1e and the option of a different Cannon can be useful. The single Missile slot vs 2 Torpedo slots, 1 Crew vs 1 Crew and an S/Droid and Illicit give the JM an edge here. It starts as a cheaper ship, with more options to go as dear. Very Scum.

Moves;

YT 12 White, 4 Green vs 8 White, 6 Green (left heavy) JM

YT Speed 4, 4 K-Turn vs Speed 4, 4 K-Turn, Red S-Loop (right) and White S-Loop (left) JM

One of the most unique dials in 1e, the lopsided Jump Master dial is a thing of odd beauty. Left side green turns and a White S-Loop, but white and red on the right side make an opponent seriously undecided. The unevenness of the dial simulates the odd U-shape of the ship. The YT on the other hand has a very conventional dial, nearly identical to the YT1300. Flying the JM is an art form, flying the YT is generally easy, if a little unexciting. Or is it?

Pilots;

YT 4 (2 Elite) vs 4 (all Elite) JM

The Pilot and crew options fro the YT include Dash Rendar, a (not a real) clone of Han Solo. His talent is ignoring obstacles, which for a big ship is pretty cool. Not many big ships will be bought undone by asteroids, but we all have a healthy enough respect for them to be maybe overly keen to avoid them. Each ship has a generic, offensive, defensive, and manoeuvre or support Pilot option. Oddly the Scum ship has the support Pilot skill, so this ship provides another option for that faction. All of the JM Pilots having elite slots makes choice hard.

Summary;

They are pretty similar in core specs, but the on table play with these two will be very different. Dengar, loaded with Torps, S-Looping around the table counter-attacking anyone he can vs Dash careening around in the asteroid belt firing his Turret feel very different. If built and played conservatively, they would likely feel a lot closer, but there is no denying their differences.

From a faction perspective, the YT gives the Rebels a “mini” Falcon-gunship option, where the JM is, as is often the case, another unique Scum ship option either “lite” or as a “full noise” squad primary.

What to fly in BB?

The Turreted YT is strong, but I do not find the Pilots or other facets of the ship as interesting as the JM. Dengar in the JM with a variety of crew, some Torps, the Illicit slot and S-Loops are just too unpredictable and fun. In a squad dynamic, the YT is a better support ship, so maybe with that in mind, but then again, a Firespray, or Aggressor or even as a merc in an Imperial force? Too much fun to be had here.

Class Groupings in BB; Support Ships

This is the important, but often neglected support role that many good squads need. These are the ships that are not designed to work alone and often do not fit in any other category, but boost or protect others.

The Rebels in particular thrive in a support role with team work high in their tactical doctrine. The Empire and Scum on the other hand offer plenty of stress or offensive boosts to their fleets.

Some ships may seem a little odd at first, but the criteria is plenty of Crew and other support slots, a few Ordnance and some pretty different, even unique Actions.

Rebel (GR-75, Auzituck, HWK-290, Sheathipede & Attack Shuttles);

A very important category for the Rebels, many successful squads have been build around a seemingly weak support ship.

Unique or rare capabilities for the Rebels are; Coordinate (2), Reinforce (2), Jam (1), Recharge (1) Cargo (3) and a Huge ship. They ave lots of Crew (7), a Droid and 2 Turret slots, with a Bomb for good measure. The Turrets are especially useful, allowing a pedestrian ship to lend a hand in combat without having to keep a target in arc or nearby.

The GR adds Cargo and some good support options as well as a large table presence. It may seem odd to have a ship with no obvious offensive capability, but some Cargo and Crew upgrades can turn a game while it takes the brunt of the damage and regenerate it’s shields.

In base terms, the ships are a real mixed bag from small and agile to huge and cumbersome. The Primary attacks range from 0 to 3, agility 0 to 2, health 4 to 12 and they have a wide variety of Actions, manoeuvres and speeds.

The common thread is Crew synergies, where the Rebels are strong (the most Crew), mixed with some independently capable ships.

Empire (Phantom, Lambda);

With only two options, the Empire may look weak here, but lets look at the ships first.

The Phantom can cloak natively (there is a less efficient Illicit option), has a brutal 4 Primary, Crew + Systems, which is an upgrade efficiency rare for the Empire, can Barrel Roll and Evade and has some tricky Pilots. It’s support role comes in the from of being a dangerous, stealthy nuisance. It lacks some efficiency without Title or Mods, but is still a dangerous ship.

The Lambda has a long history of transporting Vader or the Emperor (not available in BB) as an attacking support ship. Ysanne and Mara, Tactical Officer and Rebel Captive also make good options and some of the Pilots are good at support.

Scum (C-Roc, G-A1, HWK-290, YV 666);

Similar in dynamic to the Rebel offerings, the Scum also have a Huge ship, which unlike the GR can mount a variety of weapons and a Team upgrade. They also have a variation on the HWK with a bonus Illicit slot.

Crew are generally meaner types, less about aiding, more about hindering others, but still have some strong synergies.

The G-A1, even without the Mist Hunter Title, has a unique Illicit + Crew + Systems combination, giving it many possible faces. Often called the Scum B Wing because it has a nearly identical dial and core stats, the G-A1 is quite different in reality, offering no Ordnance options, but several utilities.

The YV is a tough one. It could easily (and originally did) fit into the Heavy ship category, but the “Party Bus” is really more about support. In the Extended universe, it is the ship the mercenary Bossk uses, but in BB the role it serves is less front line and more rear support with it’s poor dial, 180 decree arc and 3 Crew slots.

Support ships have one thing in common, more passive than active options. Whether they are in the form of Crew, ranged weaponry, Cargo or simply blocking, the support ship is a squad build linch-pin, rarely a strong loner.

Class Groupings in BB; Multi Role

Multi role or heavy fighters are the workhorse bombers and Ordnance platforms of the Star Wars universe.

The first thing you notice on collating list or tables on these ships, is the quantity of upgrades, Ordnance or not. All have Target Lock, but very few other Actions.

Rebels (Y & B Wing, ARC-170);

Ordnance first, because that is what these guys are about. 12 Torp/Missile/Bomb (heavy lean towards Torps), Turret and a Cannon slot give the Rebels lots of strike power. To support this they can be supplemented with Droids (2), Crew, and Systems (1) upgrades.

On the surface, the four ships can look a bit same-ish, but they are very different beasts.

• The ARC has a dual arc primary attack with the Crew + Droid combination.

• The B Wing sports a Cannon, 3 Primary and Systems slot as well as the only 2 K-turn on the game. It is closest to a heavy fighter than ordnance carrier.

• The Y Wing is a Turreted Torpedo platform with Droid

They are sluggish agility one, all natively slow with red 4 max speed, have plenty of red moves between them and limited manoeuvres (only 1 Roll Action between the 4), but are generally solid (averaging 8.5 health) and have good Pilot options.

Imperial (Punisher, Bomber, Aggressor);

The Empire has a very poor showing in this class. The three ships offered have all had a bumpy ride through 1e and are in fact three ships that BB highlights as being more solid in the reduced environment.

All move well enough. Two have Rolls, one a Boost and some Pilots offer more. They are marginally faster than the Rebel equivalents with black maximums rather than red ones, can all K-turn have only a few red moves between them.

Although they all have decent hull, they are low on shields and there are no evades, so they can crumple more easily than you would think, but they also offer the only two ships with better than 1 Agility.

Ordnance is of course why they are here. The Punisher has 6 slots, the most in the BB game (and remember no Failsafe or Extra Munitions options), and supports these with System, that offers great options for Ordnance.

The Aggressor also has the only Imperial Turret option other than the Decimator.

Scum (Y Wing, Scurrg, Kimogila);

The Scum do not have a defined style here, but do have possibly the strongest options.

They have three of the four 3 Primary attack ships in the class, the only speed 5 ship (and with Talon roll) and two Barrel Roll Actions, but are a mixed bag moves wise.

They tend to be close to the Rebels in resilience (8.3 avg).

Ordnance wise, the Scum offer 2 Turreted ships, and 8 other Ordnance slots. Reload gives the Kimogila effectively double slots for free, and the Scurrg pilots and Crew are Bomb experts.

Two ships have S-Droid slots also for added variety, but none have Illicit (without Title).

The factional differences are kept pretty much intact from what we saw in the fighter class. The Rebels have versatility and synergy, the Empire speed and action efficiency and the Scum, better 1 to 1 killers with tricks.