Lit Fantasy Flight Games and the Star Wars TCG

I don't mind the incorrect design.Call me a heretic but I've grown so used to it (despite the cockpit making no sense when I first saw it after reading the books) it actually grew on me.

 

That looks like a NASTY little ship.

I want three.


EDIT: What's inaccurate about the K-wing design? I must have missed something as this basic look is all I've ever seen...




Also, while the SLAM is kinda stolen from the gunboat and missile boat, that suggests strongly that they'll be coming in the not too distant future.

 

I think there was a lot of confusion between the description in the BFC and the appearance in Cracken's Threat Dossier.

 

In the BFC the pilot and gunnery officer are seated behind one another instead of the two separate cockpits.

 

K-wings had a SLAM system since the second Starships of the Galaxy.

 

Per the original novels and author FAQ for the design:
Pilot and Bombardier are sitting in line, not in side by side separate cockpits
No fixed energy weapons.
Wings are "swept and staggered"
Third engine is slant mounted to help pull out of dives in gravity wells.

 

Oh. My bad.

Still, point stands.

Not long before we se both

Well, technically the turret isn't a "fixed" energy weapon.

The cockpit thing I see. Never understood the two cockpit idea.

Not sure how the others he was thinking would look. But interesting.

 

SOTG 2nd ed: "The prototypes and first production wave have no built-in weaponry; they carry whatever armament is appropriate to an individual mission."
"A second generation of K-wing designs added two turrets and reconfigured the cockpit to increase the bombardier's field of vision."

 

I actually hate the K-Wing either way, no matter the look.

 

Bah, ordered another Assault Frigate. I'm thinking I'm gonna need it until the MC80 come out.

Gonna play my next attempt this weekend. Should be a smoother affair, since we have the basics down!

--Adm. Nick

 

Personally, I prefer the new K-Wing. The book version sounds boring and generic, while this one has a cool B-17 thing going on with its turrets.

 

What do you mean by incorrect appearance?

 

The wings and centerline engine are also wrong.

 

My primary issue has always been the engines. For me, that was the most memorable part of their description in the BFC, so it is always jarring when I see them illustrated.

 

What exactly does "slant-mounted" mean anyway? Does it mean it points sharply upward at a diagonal from the fuselage, rather than being parallel to it?

 

So, just finished my second full battle of Armada. Played as the Rebels again, details & observations below.

Forces Engaged

Rebel Fleet

• x1 Assault Frigate Mk. II B
• x2 CR90 B corvettes
• x1 CR90 A corvette
• x1 Wedge Antilles X-wing squadron
• x1 X-wing squadron
• x1 Dutch Vander Y-wing squadron
• x1 Keyan Farlander B-wing squadron
• x1 B-wing squadron
• x1 A-wing squadron

Imperial Fleet

• x1 Victory I-class Star Destroyer
• x1 Victory II-class Star Destroyer
• x1 Gladiator I-class Star Destroyer
• x1 Soontiir Fel TIE Interceptor squadron
• x1 "Mauler" Mithel TIE Fighter squadron
• x1 Major Rhymer TIE Bomber squadron
• x1 TIE Bomber squadron
• x1 TIE Advanced squadron
• x1 TIE Interceptor squadron

Battle Details

I played with my same buddy as last time, so both of us were eager to try different tactics. My initial move was to present the broadside on my Assault frigate, active squadrons (3 total since I used the Mk. II B) and prepare for battle. His initial move was to move the Gladiator-class into closer range. As we went back & forth, my CR90 B's engaged at medium range with forward weapons and an attack bonus, while my CR90 A sat back using it's long range guns. He chose to use his VicStar II at medium range, but for some inexplicable reason kept his VicStar I (which is a beast at close range), essentially unengaged for most of the battle. We both were far more cautious this time, maneuvering on the board and trying to either avoid close range (me) or get into close range (my friend). Our battle lacked the point blank range ferocity of the first one we played last week, so we ultimately engaged mostly with our squadrons. In the end, he lost three fighter squadrons (all basic models), plus Soontiir Fel and Mithel were down to one hit point. His VicStar II lost forward shields and took moderate hull damage, while the VicStar I was essentially a non-entity, as his other ships blocked it from moving effectively. The Gladiator-class tried to maneuver, but thanks to critical hits that reduced it's speed to the lowest setting, it limped around at long range. Rebel losses were Wedge Antilles (who was boxed in by Fel, Rhymer, and the TIE Advanced), the X-wing squadron, and the basic B-wing squadron, as well as one CR90 A and one CR90 B. So an Imperial victory, but not a major one.

Observations

• For the Rebel player to be able to defeat the Imperial player soundly, he or she needs larger number of bigger ships. Both my games only had one Assault Frigate, so the Imperial player has the distinct advantage. As I have two VSD & two GSD for the Imp player, plus all fighters, they can always field more powerful capital ships than me.
• To rectify this in the short term, I ordered one more Assault Frigate, bringing my total Rebel fleet ships to two AF's, two Neb-B's, and three corvettes.
• CR90 B is an awesome craft. Powerful, fast, and a great medium range attacker.
• Due to Imperial ships having black dice attacks (close range advantage), as a Rebel it is wise to stay at long or medium range. I did that this game, hence my lighter losses than the first battle I played.
• The Rebel player needs to concentrate his B-wings & Y-wing in one part of the map on only one ship. This is the only way to use them to negate the Imperial's advantage in cap ships.
• Soontiir Fel is a great squadron to play as an Imperial. His bonuses are excellent for defense, whereas Wedge is a better attacker and has more hit points.
• Assault Frigate Mk. II B is a better if you play a lot of fighters, as it can activate three squadrons during the ship phase. This can be critical early on for the Rebel player to tie up (pun intended) the main Imperial squadrons.
• VicStar I and Gladiator-I need to be played aggressively early on, to get into range. You may lose one, but their black dice attack makes them vicious.

Despite being 0-2, I love the game. Having more Rebel capital ships will make the game more equal, so the additional Assault Frigate I ordered will help until the MC80 Star Cruiser is available. The game feels like it should with this mix of ships. In reality, two VicStars and one Gladiator would have a clear advantage in a battle, so the game reflects that. The Rebels fighters are still superior, but unless deployed enmass on a cap ship, they can't do serious damage to them.

--Adm. Nick

 

Any new rpg books come out lately?

 

Yeah, each fleet is limited to 300 points. So you have to mix & match the best fleet you can based on how you want to play the match. For example, for the game I described above, my opponent used up a large number of points fielding the two VicStars and one Gladiator. A VicStar I costs 73 point and a VicStar II costs 85 points, while the Gladiator I costs 56 points.

Elite squadrons cost in the mid teens to the low twenties.

You build your fleets in secret, so you need to guess how your opponent will build his or her fleet to counter it.

--Adm. Nick

 

To a degree, but not entirely. Rebel fighters do have an advantage over Imperial ones. To be honest, I haven't tried to really use massed Rebel fighters yet against capital ships, but I'll try next time I play. From what I can see, using them in conjunction with a capital ship would be very effective, provided that I have escorts protecting my bombers.

--Adm. Nick

 

The diplomat sourcebook for AoR and the beginner's game for FaD. The AoR sourcebook for Alliance strongholds should be coming out shortly.