FA: Fleet manuals released!

Not sure if human or alien.

Spartan Games released their updated Fleet Manuals for 2.0 today and I'm loving every second of it.  As part of the release package, Alex and Chris from the SG forums have also created some user-made fleet material for us to use.  Thanks to them, we can pretty much see what all of the MARs and special rules do.

After seeing the fleets, I'm pretty determined to work on my Aquans and build up a Directorate force.  Although I'm not a huge fan of how the new Aquan ships look, I can at least use my old Poseidon BBs and them on the table with fresh, new upgrades.  As for the Directorate, I'm completely in love with the new ship models so picking some up will be no problem.

Let's just say it didn't take me long to whip out some lists with the new rules.

1200
Directorate

Persecution DN = 325
Improved Shields
Upgraded Engines I
Decreased Turn Limit
Biohazard Ammo
Special Forces

Eliminator BB = 220
Improved Shields
Upgraded Engines I
Decreased Turn Limit
Biohazard Ammo
Special Forces

Eliminator BB = 220
Improved Shields
Upgraded Engines I
Decreased Turn Limit
Biohazard Ammo
Special Forces

3x Abraxas CA = 195
Biohazard Ammo
Special Forces

4x Enforcer FF = 120
Biohazard Ammo

4x Enforcer FF = 120
Biohazard Ammo

1200
Aquan Prime

Manta BCV = 270
Improved Shields
Decreased Turn Limit
Energy Transfer I
Quick Launch
Corrosive Torpedoes
6x Bombers

Poseidon BB = 235
Improved Shields
Decreased Turn Limit
Increased Wing Capacity
Energy Transfer II
Precision Strike
Corrosive Torpedoes
6x Bombers

Poseidon BB = 235
Improved Shields
Decreased Turn Limit
Increased Wing Capacity
Energy Transfer II
Precision Strike
Corrosive Torpedoes
6x Bombers

4x Storm CA = 260
Difficult Target
Energy Transfer I

4x Piranha FF = 100
Energy Transfer I

4x Piranha FF = 100
Energy Transfer I

FA 2.0 Fleet Construction

That looks like a blast to play!

With Firestorm Armada 2.0 coming up in the next couple of days, we're starting to find out a little how fleets are going to be constructed.  On the individual ship level, the larger ships in the form of Cruisers onward will have options to customize how you want them to play.  There will be hard points and upgrade options on these ships that you can take for a few extra points.

The example here is from Alexmann on the SG forums.

Furthermore, you're allowed to use any Cruiser model that they currently have in the game.  It doesn't matter if you're using a MKI CA, MKII from the last batch of releases or MKIII from the new patrol set, you can basically build your own cruiser with the points allowed.  This is Spartan Games' way to allow you to build your fleet how you see fit; using the models that you enjoy rather than buying the new stuff every time.  While some question whether this will be good for business, I think they're missing the fact that SG puts out some ridiculous looking sculpts.  I know for a fact that I'll be picking up some new Patrol Fleets even though I have the older ships.

Personally, I really like how this system is done.  I've always wanted to customize my ships and one of the biggest turnoffs with version 1.0 and 1.5 of the game was that I couldn't.  As a big supporter of BFG, the lack of special rules and customization really bothered me.  With this new system, admirals can pretend that the older ships have been retrofitted to new specifications, giving his older models purpose and functionality on the battlefield.  Not only does this focus more on gameplay, but allows the player to try out some of the new features without having to commit to new models.  Frankly, it just makes sense, especially when you consider the fact that most of the models you're playing with is a mere spec on the flight stand anyway.

While I haven't received my copy of the rulebook yet, I did have a chance to get a few blurbs from some of the beta testers on the forum.  One of the best things I've heard today was that MARs and other special rules will be true to the fantasy.  Expect to see Bio-hazard Ammo to be on Directorate vessels and Energy Transfer to be pretty much an Aquan thing.  Star Cards are also gone, replaced by the Tactical Cards that can be found in the patrol boxes.

According to reddwarf on SG:
"Star Cards are gone, replaced by Tac cards.   There is a limited selection of Tac cards available (by limited I mean fewer but generally stronger, as well as some that are faction/alliance/league specific as well as general usage cards) but you get to choose the ones you want at the start of the game and play them on the turn you wish, *if* your Admiral is on the board.  So I guess they represent "Admiral Upgrades" in a way, as well as "action" orders.  Tac Cards are a standard rule, so unless the tournament decides differently I would think they would be included.  Technically the rule is worded "You may choose up to X TAC cards" (X varies a little), so I suppose X can be zero if you choose/don't like cards.  But each player makes that decision on their own by default (certainly you could both agree to skip taking them)."

Once again, really exciting.  Anything that gives the game more flexibility while allow for deeper gameplay is good for the longevity of the game.  After all, you just can't have players lining up their ships and rolling assloads of dice without any thought.  Just a couple of days left until I get the book in my hands, but I'm sure players all over the place are brainstorming like crazy what their list will be.  Until I know for sure what will be a good point range to play competitively, I'll still aim for 1000 points as my comfortable flying zone.  Now all Spartan Games needs to do is release their PDF ship stats so I can see what I want to field!

Revisiting Firestorm Armada

Check out this badass battleship!

In December, Spartan Games is going to release Firestorm Armada 2.0.

This is what has been advertised:

• Distinct play styles across the core races
• Greater tactical diversity, including new ‘Tactical Ability Cards’
• Targeted Strikes to take out key systems on an enemy ship
• Faster and deadlier rules for Carriers and their Short Range Spacecraft
• New Fleet Building systems, presenting you with more options and tactics
• Rules for dynamic moving Terrain
• Smoother Boarding Assaults
• Brand new Weapon Types to crush your enemies!

“It was very important to us to ensure that as we moved to version 2.0 of the rules we catered for the needs of our existing players. It was key to remain loyal to their gaming needs and the investment they had made in our models,” explains Chris Worth, lead designer of FA 2.0. “Gamers needed to feel like they were playing the same game, but at the same time we had to introduce all of the new concepts they wanted.”

Aquan Prime Patrol Box

Sorylian Collective Patrol Box

The Directorate Patrol Box

Well, what can I say:  The new ships look amazing and the proposed rules fixes are spot on.  This time around, I'm more excited about the Sorylian and Directorate ships than the Aquans.  I know a few guys in the club are looking at expanding their ships as well.  Hopefully the new rules fix everything that was lacking in the first ruleset.

You can read more about how I feel about the matter here.

X-Wing: Making Interceptors work

Push that limit to the max.

Despite all the flak that Interceptors receive on the forums and from tourney players, I still think they're solid ships.  Overall, they might be a few points more expensive than I would like, but I think a properly built Interceptor can do wonders on the battlefield.  I've been playing with Interceptors in every Imperial list I've built so far and I don't think that's ever going to change.

One of the most important upgrades to have on Interceptors is Push the Limit.  Unlike other ships in the game that can work with virtually any upgrade, I think Interceptors need PTL to be truly competitive.  In case you guys didn't know, Push the Limit allows your ship to preform an extra action while taking a stress token.  While other ships look at the stress token with worry, Tie Interceptors rarely care.  With 7 green movements on the dial including the awesome straight 4 and godly 2-turn, the Interceptor can clear stress very easily.  I often use the straight 4 to clear stress and build space between my opponents' ships and mine, or maintain aggression with the hard 2.  Building space between you and your opponent is especially effective because this gives you time to turn, while hopefully putting you in range 3 of your opponent's guns (increasing your Agil to 4).  Best of all, you can push for a second time after you reset to focus and evade defensively, or boost out of range completely.

I would consider Push the Limit to be mandatory on Interceptors for a number of reasons.  Movement is arguably the most important part of the game and no one does it better than the Interceptor with PTL.  Being able to Boost and Barrel Roll with PTL is simply godly if you're facing targets that require firing arcs to shoot you.  You know what's better than rolling all evades when someone shoots at you?  Not rolling evades at all because they have no shot.  Being able to inflict damage while denying any kind of retalitory action is invaluable in a game where unit preservation is king.  For Interceptors, this can be done either by avoiding firing arcs or entering combat with focus and evade on the same ship.  Focus is by far the most flexible action in the game, capable of enhancing both offensive and defensive abilities.  Being able to take an Evade action on top of that is just icing on the cake.  In any given combat, having 3 dice on attack and 3 dice on defense with both focus and evade is extremely powerful.  Once you start combining the Interceptors' impressive movement dials with their numerous actions, the Interceptor starts to become a real threat.

Here are some of the lists I've built so far with Interceptors:

• Soontir Fel, Carnor Jax, Turr Phennir
• Soontir Fel, Turr Phennir, Saber Pilot, Howlrunner
• Soontir Fel, 2x Royal Guard, Howlrunner
• Soontir Fel, Howlrunner, Mauler Mithel, Dark Curse, Night Beast

In the above lists, you can see that I've tried quite a few Interceptor builds.  The elite Interceptor list with 3x pilots is arguably the most challenging to play because there's absolutely no room for errors.  Unfortunately, bad dice rolls can cause the demise of the ship despite all 3 of them carrying Stealth Device.  The next few lists has at least 3x Interceptors with PTL.  A Saber Squadron Pilot with PTL is 24 points and the Royal Guard Pilot is 25 for PS6.  While both options are really solid, I think the 1 point extra for PS6 will be the way of the future.  No matter what, both of these 3+1 lists feature Howlrunner because the re-roll gives me the ability to play a ranged game at 2-3.  Howlrunner really gives me a more effective shooting phase and so far, I've been having huge success with my Fel + 2x Saber builds.  As for Turr Phennir, make sure to take PTL on him as well.  After many games with Veteran Instincts, he definitely needs the added flexibility of push to stay around.  Lastly, I'm trying a 1+4 build where a small batch of elite support Ties to carry Fel to victory.  It's especially effective because the PS5+ ships and 5-speed option allows me to close quickly and deliver a pretty strong alpha strike.

Well, there you have it folks.  I'll be rolling out some more games with Interceptor builds over the next few weeks and I'll let you know how it goes.

X-Wing: Results from Worlds and Interceptors

Shooting stuff in space.

Check out some of the winning lists from the X-Wing World Championships this year.  It's been pretty hectic for me all week so I apologize for the lack of posts.  BlizzCon was also this week and I swear, I'm getting too old to be working 64 hours in a single week.

Anyways, let's talk about X-Wing!  Take a look at some of the lists.

Paul Heaver (World Champion)

Biggs

Dagger Squadron + Advanced Sensors

Dagger Squadron + Advanced Sensors

Rookie Pilot

Dallas Parker (World Finalist)

Howlrunner + Stealth + Determination

Dark Curse

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Jonathan Gomes (Top 4)

Luke Skywalker + Shield Upgrade + R2-D2 + Draw Their Fire

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

David Bergstrom (Top 4)

Howlrunner + Stealth Device

Backstabber

Obsidian Squadron

Obsidian Squadron

Obsidian Squadron

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Jim Blakley (Top 8)

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

Blue Squadron

Gold Squadron

Gold Squadron

Brandon Barthel (Top 8)

Wedge + Push the Limit + R2

Biggs

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

Neil Howard (Top 8)

Captain Jonus + Squad Leader + Seismic Charge

Scimitar Squadron + Cluster Missiles + Concussion Missiles

Scimitar Squadron + Advanced Proton Tropedoes + Proton Tropedoes

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

X-Wing: List Building Analysis

Welcome to flight school.

Over the last couple of days, I've been doing some serious in-depth thinking of X-Wing list building.  Having played a ton of games with both Imperials and Rebels by now, I have a pretty good understanding of things work.  I've spent the better part of my research time focused on the competitive metagame and the types of lists being fielded by players all over.

Let me take you through some of the important facets when building an X-Wing list and how you can maximize your chances on the battlefield.  I will say one thing though:  No matter how much you min-max your list for damage and survivability, player skill, experience, and dice will always be stronger.  This is the one thing I really enjoy about X-Wing and why I think it's a solid game.

First, let's take a look at an Rebel list that I've been toying around lately:

That's no moon..

100 points

Red Squadron Pilot
 
Red Squadron Pilot
 
Dagger Squadron Pilot
Advanced Sensors
 
Dagger Squadron Pilot
Advanced Sensors

The first thing when I look at when I have this in front of me is the offensive and defensive stats.  If I'm looking at raw firepower, I'm looking at a list that can throw out 12 dice at ranges 2/3 and 16 at range 1.  Then I consider the abilities that these pilots offer, such as the ability to Focus and Target Lock onto enemy ships.  It goes without saying that when you look at firepower, you have to pay close attention to what Pilot Skill a ship has.  A higher pilot skill means they you'll be shooting first, and that's very important when it comes to deciding what kind of list you're building.  It might be a meta specific thing, but if you're looking to shoot before a swarm of Obsidian Pilot Ties (PS3), then PS4 Red Squadron Pilots would be something to look at.  If your meta is packing Academy Pilot Ties (PS1) without any means to buff them via Swarm Tactics, then you might want to consider a pair of Rookies or Blue Squadron instead and take R2 Astromechs for better maneuverability.  This is where the beauty of list building kicks in and things really start to get interesting.  I love it.

Aside from analyzing a list's firepower, one must pay close attention to what kind of ships he's fielding.  You have to realize as a player that with each ship lost, your firepower also decreases.  This can be huge when constructing an army worth something because you need a reliable way to do damage as the game goes on.  Putting all of your points into Super-Han might look like an awesome idea, but what if he goes down and you have nothing left that can do damage?  Every time you get one of your ships killed, you lose firepower on the battlefield.  For every bit of firepower that drops, so does your chances of winning.  After all, your ability to damage enemy ships on the battlefield is what's eventually going to win you the game.

When choosing your ships, you also have to look at their defensive stats.  In a list with 2x X-Wings and 2x B-Wings, you're looking at 26 total hull points from Hull and Shields combined.  This is absolutely huge compared to some of things you can take at 100 points.  Shields are gigantic in a game where the luck factor can see a crit rendering your engines, pilot or abilities inert.  With each B-Wing packing 5 shields before the 3 Hull, and X-Wings giving you 2 before the same, you feel good about the amount of durability on your side of the field.  Another thing to consider here is your ship dials and what kind of maneuvers your ships can pull off.  After all, you need to be able to fire on your enemy to do damage, so setting up the right angles is very important for fielding a list like this.  Sure, you have a godly number of total hull points, but you can't defend very well because of your relatively low agility and lack of evade tokens.  That's OK, we got a few tricks here with Advanced Sensors so we can pull off some wacky plays and maintain fire superiority.

Now, let's look at an Imperial list I've had success with lately:

It's a space station!

100 points

Soontir Fel
Push the Limit
Stealth Device
 
Saber Squadron Pilot
Push the Limit
 
Saber Squadron Pilot
Push the Limit
 
"Howlrunner"
Determination

On first glance, you'll notice that I have less overall firepower than my Rebel list in terms of sheer dice.  You're looking at 11 dice at 2/3 and 15 at range 1.  However, you have to factor into a few other things like PS and Howlrunner's ability to let me re-roll 1 attack dice per attack.  With both Fel and Howl shooting things before they have a chance to shoot back, and I'm getting re-rolls in combination with Focus, the damage potential for this list is pretty respectable.

Where the damage potential might be higher depending on the situation, the defensive side is very different.  When you compare this list with the 26 HP rebel list above, you can see a huge disparity of raw bulkiness.  The Imperial list featured here only has 12 total hull points, less than half of what the Rebel list can field and with the presence of NO shields at all.  No shields means you're susceptible to getting hit by crits that can do a number of bad things to your ships.  This includes but is not limited to receiving a Direct Hit! and dying instantly after you've already suffered a hit.

Don't panic though, Imperial pilots makes up for this in a number of ways.  The first is better movement dials to deal with faster speed, sharper turns, deeper K-Turns, and numerous green maneuvers to clear stress.  Second comes in the way of Barrel Roll, Boost, and Evade tokens.  As if this isn't enough, Push the Limit allows the Interceptors to enter combat with both offensive and defensive typing (Focus and Evade), as well as allowing the player to Boost and Barrel Roll back to back.  Setting up smart firing lanes is one thing, but not getting hit entirely while still being able to train enemy ships is something else.  With a natural 3 agility dice to throw when defending and being able to move like a UFO, this list represents the pinnacle in avoidance shooting.  Due to the complexity of movement and need to move as a squadron, rookie pilots tend to shy away from these kind of lists.  Quite fitting if you know anything about the elite 181st Imperial Fighter Wing.

Well, there you have it.  List building is very fun and intuitive in this game since every option feels viable to some degree.  All you have to know is find out what kind of ships molds your to particular playstyle and build a list around it.  It won't be easy with so many options, but hopefully this article will broaden your horizons.

X-Wing: Easy flying

Let's Push the Limit!

Over the course of the last two weeks, I've flown a crap ton of games in X-Wing.  I started off getting the feel of the game with Tie Interceptors and found out just how vulnerable they are to turret ships.  As the games went on, I started flying Rebel ships and tried out a whole number of viable builds for them too.

Here's what I've tried so far:

Imperials:
Howl + Swarm, Mauler + Vet, Dark Curse, Backstabber, 2x BSP + DTF
A strong list with lots of moving parts.  There's a reason why this list is so strong and its because it has a lot of bodies, ways to disperse damage, and a lot of attack dice that re-rolls.  I'd say this is a pretty medium difficulty list to fly and you have to know how to fly in formation.

Fel + PTL + Stealth, Turr + Vet + Stealth, Vader + Conc Missiles + Engine
With a little more than 9 HP total in your entire force, losing one ship means you're cutting down the firing power of your squad immensely.  You're essentially flying around with paper airplanes armed with daggers, so there's no room for error here.  Runs into a pretty hard counter if someone brings plentiful shields and turrets.

Fel, 2x Saber, Howl, all PTL
A little beefier than the above list above, but not as elite.  Still pretty strong because you get the firepower from three Interecptors, and you can play off the benefits of Push the Limit and Interceptor movement.  Howl is actually the most expendable because most of the damage is coming from your elite Sabers.

Fel + PTL + Stealth, Howl, Mauler + Vet, Backstabber, Winged Gundark
The same thing here really.  You're looking for Fel to lead in a group of Ties that will do good damage if played correctly.  It's basically a mini-Tie Swarm list but you're fielding Fel for an extra flanker and damage dealer.

Kath + PTL + Gunner + Engine, 2x Sabers + PTL
Here's a list with the Slave-1 rocking PTL + Engines to close and do damage with Focus and Gunner.  Sabers with PTL for additional firepower.  Gives me a little beef over the standard Imperial chicken.

Rebels:
Wedge + R2 + PTL + Engine, Luke + DTF + R2D2, Biggs + Shield
The supreme team, three amigos, holy trinity or whatever else corny name for a team goes here.  Biggs soaks up the shots and adds his firepower when he can, Luke DTFs any crits off of Biggs and then heals it up with R2D2, and Wedge just does what he does best:  Kill everyone.  This is probably the hardest list to fly here because of all the synergetic components that actually requires you to be in range.

Wedge + R2 + PTL, Biggs, 2x Rookies
A pretty straight forward list with 4x Xs here.  Wedge brings the pain, Biggs dies honorably while soaking up damage for your 2x Rookies to do damage.  Very straight forward, just push models forward and shoot.

Wedge, 2x B-Wing + Sensors, Rookie
B-Wings are essentially better X-Wings with their Advanced Sensors.  I don't know about you guys, but I've seen these things do pretty ridiculous things, including Focus K-Turns or barrel roll craziness.  Why do they have 5 shields and 3 damage dice again?  Who knows, add Wedge and a Rookie for good taste.

Han + Marks + Gunner + Chewie, 2x Rookies
Super Han goes in there and does good damage while people freak out and ignore the 2x Rookies.  Big mistake here because the Rookies actually do good damage.

Han + Marks, Chewie + DTF + Gunner + Recon
I need a shower after playing this list.  I've only played it once and my opponent had some 2x Interceptor build with some Ties.  It was just bad times with him because of all the traffic jamming and me congo-lining through his army until there was nothing left.

Overview:
From what I've noticed in all of my games, I always feel that I have a much harder game with Imperials.  Even when piloting something like the Tie Swarm (which a lot of players see as played out and overly strong to begin with), I still have to be mindful of my movement at all times.  With the Elite Interceptor builds totaling 9 HP total, there's absolutely no room for error.  Even with you're playing your movements well, bad dice and poor evade rolls can still mean the end for your ships.

Slow and steady wins the race.

When I compare this with the Rebel ships, I feel like most of the time I can joust for days and just K-Turn as many times as I want.  Poor firing arcs are negated by having shields, the same with crit damage for the most part.  When one of my Interceptors get hit by a crit, they always get smacked with something like damage sensor array, damaged engine, or worst of all, direct hit.  The fact that B-Wings are packing 5 shields and put out as much damage as a an X-Wing is pretty ridiculous.  Target Locks are one of the best actions in the game to take when someone is out of your firing arc, giving you a drastic damage boost if one simple prediction goes wrong.  Lastly, the slower flying speed of the Rebel ships allow you to take advantage of your shooting phase a lot more.  Between the plentiful Target Locks, turrets and shields, combat seems to be a lot more intuitive than Imperial ships.

This is just my observation from two solid weeks of hardcore gaming.  I love the game to death and I feel there's still tons more to explore, but I can't help but think that Rebels are just easier to fly.  Good thing I chose Imperials.