The Sentinel class landing craft? If you thought the Lambda was bad in a dogfight....

It's an interceptor with proton torpedoes: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T-Wing

Hmm... I would have to revisit the particular missions with T-Wings to observe if they are firing heavier ordinance. All warheads in the game can be equipped on any kind of platform but you typically see weapons paired up to typical vessels. Just like I've never seen an A-Wing firing Heavy Rockets. At least in their first mission, T-Wings appeared to be firing advanced concussion missiles.

I dunno. One question to ask here is what kind of ships would be nice for the respective metas of both sides? I don't see what a YT-2400 could bring to the table that the YT-1300 doesn't already do. It's a slow-flying tank that has turrets. Redundant, unless FFG wants to pull a rabbit out of their hat.

An R-41 could be a lighter cannon-carrier for the rebellion to mount things like ion cannons and autoblasters for cheaper. Yeah, less resiliency and firepower but with a little more agility and cheaper to field. Maybe another torpedo carrier as well, but as an option against Y-Wings and X-wings.

Something needs to be done for the TIE Advanced X1, which at the moment I perceive is the most useless fighter in the meta. One way to soft patch this is to introduce the TIE Avenger, which could share many of the same upgrades and help the lower skill TIE x1s to make them more playable for their cost.

I personally would like to see the Assault Gunboat, but the question is what would it do for the meta? A slower cannon-carrier for the Empire with ordinance. Like a Y-Wing with a more diverse payload and interesting pilots?

Just so you know, the Royal Guard Interceptor (RGI) was actually first seen in Star Wars Galaxies.

18 BBY: Y-wing ??

Really? Doesn't seem possible as Anakin flew these in Clone Wars cartoon before becoming Vader.

18 BBY: Y-wing ??

Really? Doesn't seem possible as Anakin flew these in Clone Wars cartoon before becoming Vader.

I think that is the date for the BTL-S3/A4 (not the BTL-B model prior, which flew in the Clone Wars).

The biggest difference, I think, is that the Clone Wars model was based off early concept art in which the Y-wing had all sorts of nice enclosed plating applied to the fuselage. The version we see in the OT movies (with a more open-to-the-elements airframe) was said to be how most operational Y-wing squadrons eventually wound up, as removing all those panels for service was a real pain, and soon Rebel techs left them off completely. There may be more to the story, but that's what I think I recall from the WEG books and other sources.

I love how any concept art, even first drafts of things later refined into final pieces, or images of scenes deleted (or never shot) for the movies, can have a life and story of their own in the Star Wars universe.

How about concept art, from the artist's sketchbooks, like this guy:

http://gregknightart.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/star-wars-clone-wars-torrent-fighter/#more-84

Another way, which perhaps has an advantage in terms of canon legitimacy, is to list the real dates that the various things came out.

1977 (A New Hope): X-wing, TIE/LN*, Y-wing, TIE Advanced x1, Millenium Falcon, Tantive IV

1979 (Han Solo at Star's End novel): Z-95 Headhunter

1980 (The Empire Strikes Back): Slave-I, TIE Bomber, Rebel Transport

1983 (Return of the Jedi): A-wing, TIE Interceptor, Lambda-class shuttle, B-wing

1991 (Dark Empire comics): E-wing

1994 (TIE Fighter video game): TIE Defender

1995 (Dark Forces video game, X-Wing Rogue Squadron comics, Rebel Assault 2 video game): HWK-290, some elements from Imperial Aces, TIE Phantom

1996 (Shadows of the Empire multi-platform release): nothing yet...

1997 (Crimson Empire comics): pilot characters used in Imperial Aces (Carnor Jax and Kir Kanos). They were apparently Royal Guards, i.e. on foot, dressed in red robes, protecting the Emperor. I don't actually know if they were pilots at the time, or whether they flew specially marked TIE Interceptors

2005 (Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookies expansion video game): special Royal Guard paint jobs first seen?

One interesting tidbit from this perspective is that the E-wing has a much better claim to canon (based on age) than I would have thought.

*There is some question as to whether the first time we see them they are T.I.E. fighters (and white), then when we see them later they are the next generation "Line" fighters (TIE/ln or TIE/LN, for readability; and then colored gray).

The Sentinel class landing craft? If you thought the Lambda was bad in a dogfight....

I agree with you here. You could say a similar thing for the Zero-G stormtrooper Assault Shuttle. Kinda cool looking, certainly a Star Wars ship, but shouldn't really be in a dogfight. They are bringing us a literally unarmed cargo transport, though!

I dunno. One question to ask here is what kind of ships would be nice for the respective metas of both sides? I don't see what a YT-2400 could bring to the table that the YT-1300 doesn't already do. It's a slow-flying tank that has turrets. Redundant, unless FFG wants to pull a rabbit out of their hat.

I think this sort of analysis is definitely the way to go, in terms of figuring out what they'll want to bring to the game. In my opinion it can work both ways, though. Aesthetically, they are almost certain to want to bring in the YT-2400. Then it is a matter of figuring out how it doesn't step on the YT-1300's toes. In my mind, you make it not have a full 360 degree turret, perhaps. You make the mini physically smaller (just make it to scale, of course... I simply mean it will look different on the table), you make the 2400 a bit faster and more agile (working some magic with the maneuver dial), and I would think it's got less hull and maybe less shields. It just feels like much too juicy of a potential target for them to miss out on.

Something needs to be done for the TIE Advanced X1, which at the moment I perceive is the most useless fighter in the meta. One way to soft patch this is to introduce the TIE Avenger, which could share many of the same upgrades and help the lower skill TIE x1s to make them more playable for their cost.

I wonder if they would make both the Avenger and the Defender, as the fake history seems to suggest the Defender took over the Avenger's role. It looks cool, but can an argument for "different enough" stats be made to include both Avenger and Defender (alongside the Advanced x1)?

I personally would like to see the Assault Gunboat, but the question is what would it do for the meta? A slower cannon-carrier for the Empire with ordinance. Like a Y-Wing with a more diverse payload and interesting pilots?

Can you carry significantly more ordnance than the TIE Bomber? I guess you could think about differentiating these things with more system upgrades or whatever, but the Imperials appear to have a good solution for carrying ordnance right now. I hear you about the customization options that could make the Gunboat different than the TIE Bomber. Maybe that's enough. The mini itself certainly would generate interest from the fans.

Another idea that comes up a bunch in the various video games and movies is the tractor beam.

I would have thought they would have such an upgrade/rule, either out by now or in the works.

The CR90 would certainly have some tractor beams aboard, and a couple Imperial fighters were supposed to be able to use weaponized versions of them too (TIE Defender, for one).

My guess is that it is difficult in this game to dream up a way to move another ship around the table top against their will. The mechanics could get messy and lead to potentially strange (and unbalanced?) effects.

I personally would like to see the Assault Gunboat, but the question is what would it do for the meta? A slower cannon-carrier for the Empire with ordinance. Like a Y-Wing with a more diverse payload and interesting pilots?

Can you carry significantly more ordnance than the TIE Bomber? I guess you could think about differentiating these things with more system upgrades or whatever, but the Imperials appear to have a good solution for carrying ordnance right now. I hear you about the customization options that could make the Gunboat different than the TIE Bomber. Maybe that's enough. The mini itself certainly would generate interest from the fans.

The Assault Gunboat might be about as maneuverable as a TIE Bomber and have the same attack. It would have less hull but more shields. It wouldn't have bombs, but it would have a cannon, and probably just as many missiles and torpedoes. Maybe it gets a system upgrade.

Potential stats:

Attack: 2

Defense: 2

Hull: 4

Shields: 2

Target Lock, Focus

System Upgrade, Cannon, Missile, Missile, Torpedo, Torpedo

PS1 might be 18 points?

I think a release of Rebels and Episode VII ships would be way to soon for a wave 5 or 6, seeing as they have been working on the ships in terms of design and balance long before their release. If anything I bet we get a Rebels wave some time before or after episode VII.

So I think they will more then likely pull from Shadows of the Empire, X-Wing Vs. Tie Fighter and other more known EU sources. As well as releasing more Huge ships and Ace packs. And I doubt they would jump to Prequel ships only to jump between the two timelines, if anything they would focus on the Prequels while letting the new films be made and then make their ships.

Or if they want to make a fringe faction that would allow them to stall for some time until they have Rebels and Episode VII ships that represent them well.

The Assault Gunboat might be about as maneuverable as a TIE Bomber and have the same attack. It would have less hull but more shields. It wouldn't have bombs, but it would have a cannon, and probably just as many missiles and torpedoes. Maybe it gets a system upgrade.

Sounds different enough to me. That paired with the idea FFG would likely make many people happy (and sell many Assault Gunboat minis!) if they made it becomes a fairly strong indicator. It also looks like a small Imperial Shuttle, so that is sorta cool.

Another idea that comes up a bunch in the various video games and movies is the tractor beam.

I would have thought they would have such an upgrade/rule, either out by now or in the works.

But a tractor beam is thematically designed to work against player choice--that is, to allow one player to at least substantially constrain if not directly manipulate the other's maneuvers. So any tractor beam they design has to thread a difficult needle: it has to pass the sniff test for sufficient "tractor-beaminess", it has to promote a fun play experience that doesn't overly constrain player choice, and it has to be distinct from the ion cannon.

You doubt that FFG will mine the deepest, darkest corners of the EU? This is the company that made a vehicle that only exists as a toy, into a card for their cardgame. They will dive deep. They will dive dark. You will see ships that you had no idea existed. (If left to their own devices)

I am not familiar enough with FFG and their track record to respond with any authority.

My guess is, however, that the bar is set much lower for printing one card out of hundreds in a living card game. Making a full blown pre-painted miniature is a much bigger investment. They need to focus on the really popular (or at least very useful in the game) ships that will actually sell. This narrows the scope for our guessing (to some degree).

But a tractor beam is thematically designed to work against player choice--that is, to allow one player to at least substantially constrain if not directly manipulate the other's maneuvers. So any tractor beam they design has to thread a difficult needle: it has to pass the sniff test for sufficient "tractor-beaminess", it has to promote a fun play experience that doesn't overly constrain player choice, and it has to be distinct from the ion cannon.

I agree fully. Failing at this difficult design criteria is likely why we haven't seen it yet. Perhaps Cinematic/Epic play can ease a bit of the balance/mechanical fears? Unknown as of yet.

There would also be a difference between the tractor beam a CR90 (or the Death Star!) could grab you with and the one a TIE Defender would nudge you with. Seems like a job for the new "energy management" mechanic coming out with the capital ships.

But, then again, what's the point? Faithfully replicating a technology that exists in the Star Wars universe which winds up just making a dynamic dogfighting game less fun for the tractor beamed victim doesn't seem to make any sense, game-design-wise. What would the tractor beamer be trying to accomplish as well? Capturing and boarding the vessel? No mechanics exist for any of that, so it may be an area they simply don't want to go into.

I suppose grabbing a vessel in a capital ship style tractor beam implies (almost exclusively) that you mean to capture and not destroy the target ship.

In the video game, starfighter-scale version, you mean to tweak the opponent's flight path a bit in order to shoot them more effectively, if I recall correctly. They may be able to model this, more limited effect, as a subtraction of Agility dice.

At the beginning of the maneuver phase chose one opponent withing your primary firing arc. All moves are considered red maneuvers for the remainder of this phase. You do not get an action phase.

At the beginning of the maneuver phase chose one opponent withing your primary firing arc. All moves are considered red maneuvers for the remainder of this phase. You do not get an action phase.

That could be cool for the starfighter-scale effect.

Pre-using your action at the start of the movement phase in order to mess with an opponent sounds potentially decent, balance-wise.

Presumably there would be a range limitation for the device.

At the beginning of the maneuver phase chose one opponent withing your primary firing arc. All moves are considered red maneuvers for the remainder of this phase. You do not get an action phase.

So you can never take a red manoeuver if you are in said ship's arc? In fact you can never get a stress full stop, as the tractor ship would follow you around until it drives you off the table. Wouldn't even need to shoot! You can't shed stress and having any stress makes you dead!

Not going to happen I think...

If you are stressed you are in trouble, yes. But you would have to do some fancy flying to break out of the tractor beam. Even trying to go full forward is damaging to ships.

At the beginning of the maneuver phase chose one opponent withing your primary firing arc. All moves are considered red maneuvers for the remainder of this phase. You do not get an action phase.

So you can never take a red manoeuver if you are in said ship's arc? In fact you can never get a stress full stop, as the tractor ship would follow you around until it drives you off the table. Wouldn't even need to shoot! You can't shed stress and having any stress makes you dead!

Not going to happen I think...

Good points.

Maybe it is a secondary attack, something like Ion effect. Any net hits yield a tractor token.

What about the Raven's Claw? We have already seen the Moldy Crow. I don't think seeing Kyle's second ship would be too far off.

At the beginning of the maneuver phase chose one opponent withing your primary firing arc. All moves are considered red maneuvers for the remainder of this phase. You do not get an action phase.

...Pre-using your action at the start of the movement phase in order to mess with an opponent sounds potentially decent, balance-wise.

Vorpal - indeed my point.

I see what you are saying. I wasn't quite getting the gist of it before, what if it was range 1 only, tie defender only, and cannot be used if you have a stress?

Another idea that comes up a bunch in the various video games and movies is the tractor beam.I would have thought they would have such an upgrade/rule, either out by now or in the works.The CR90 would certainly have some tractor beams aboard, and a couple Imperial fighters were supposed to be able to use weaponized versions of them too (TIE Defender, for one).My guess is that it is difficult in this game to dream up a way to move another ship around the table top against their will. The mechanics could get messy and lead to potentially strange (and unbalanced?) effects.

Also, I've read articles that even have the Falcon with a tractir beam at some point... just for informations sake here.. obviously a versatile tool.

How about this for a tractor beam secondary weapon?

Tractor Beam: Spend your target lock to perform this action. Reduce the targeted ship's agility by 1 for this round.