I'm not saying I think the interceptor is perfectly pointed out, but it's certainly not as far off, and I can understand the blase' feel of the Imperial Aces when compared with the new rebel stuff, and can get the fear, but we'll see how it plays out.

Any experienced player will be able to judge scale, power, weigh the pros and cons, understand cause and effect, just by reading cards and letting their superior experience, game knowledge and skill guide them.

Saying "we'll see how it plays out" is quite simply a pillowfort for lesser players who lack the tools to decipher what's in front of them.

Thanks for raising the level of discussion with this kind of condescension. EDIT: My point was not about how the new cards would affect interceptors, but the larger meta and what part that might play in other changes to current lists.

I also want to point out that I went 4-0 in my store tournament with Vader, Turr and Fel.

When I say Interceptors suck, I mean they suck in the fact that they take a lot of work for their points. That, and their expansion was lackluster, and that Rebel Aces was much superior in design and execution.

Wow, just wow. I'll be honest and say I tend to value your comments (even though this is apparently a respect you don't extend), even if I don't agree with the extent of the doom your purport for the interceptor, but the level of ego implied here involved in too much for me to continue this discussion on any reasonable level without resorting the personal level you did with a recent comment.

That's fine, I accept your resignation from the discussion. As for respect, I extend respect to people who are capable of understanding and accepting well-reasoned points. Buhallin provided several excellent points that were brushed aside with return arguments that were borderline laughable.

As for my comment about pillowforting, it's the truth. It exists in this game, other games, competitive sports, in business and in other aspects of the real world. No great leader or successful person ever said "let's wait and see how it plays out". They analyze, develop theory, critique, and learn all they can from what they have in front of them before they put their actions into motion. The sooner you accept that the better.

Edit: When I say you here, I'm talking about everyone and anyone. The whole "wait and see" logic is absolute failure and the exact opposite of being successful. Whenever someone says to me "we don't know how it plays out yet", you're basically saying to me you're incapable of logical thought, or lack the experience to make an accurate projection.

And for this argument:

Edit: God this forum has the worst BBC code I've ever seen.

I also want to point out that I went 4-0 in my store tournament with Vader, Turr and Fel.

When I say Interceptors suck, I mean they suck in the fact that they take a lot of work for their points. That, and their expansion was lackluster, and that Rebel Aces was much superior in design and execution.

Wow, just wow. I'll be honest and say I tend to value your comments (even though this is apparently a respect you don't extend), even if I don't agree with the extent of the doom your purport for the interceptor, but the level of ego implied here involved in too much for me to continue this discussion on any reasonable level without resorting the personal level you did with a recent comment.

All Hero is saying is that the interceptor is overly reliant on player skill to be 'functional' (ie. not a dead drop). The problem is that a player with that level of skill can put down almost any other ship and get equal or better results for less 'effort'. The Imperial Aces release was supposed to 'fix' this problem and open up the Interceptor to a wider skill set. Instead what we got were essentially 'double down' options. In comparison the Rebel Aces/Transport boxes made rebel ships 'EZ mode'. This is a design problem. Its not an insurmountable problem from a gameplay perspective but it is a massive design oversight.

I fly interceptors almost exclusively and I have to say anything thats not a named ace is a generally waste of time.

Well, not really EZ mode, but it's definitely a better box with the examples I provided.

The only thing good to come out of the Imperial Aces box was two nicely painted ships, Carnor Jax and the Royal Guard Tie. From a competitive standpoint of course.

Royal Guard Tie is PS6 and is literally 1 point more than the Saber built in with Veteran Instincts but still retains its EPT slot. This means you can easily fit in PTL on top of it being PS6. I'm going to stress this again, but PS6 is huge. It allows you to clear Biggs' PS5, outshoots Daggers and gives you first choice against anything under 6. This includes a LOT of different targets in the meta; including most Ties minus Howl herself, Biggs Walks the Dogs, Red Daggers, 3x BH lists..etc. It's only outpaced by more elite lists.

Carnor Jax is there because he will change the meta, especially when it comes to Imperial vs. Imperial lists. Most of you know that Ties live and die by their ability to Focus/Evade and benefit from Howlrunner. By taking away their ability to Focus at Range 1, you're literally cutting their the durability and shooting capacity of the list without affecting your list in anyway. If you're running 3 ship elite Imperials like myself, you're going to bring Jax in every list because he gives you jousting advantage on top of being a trump card vs. mirrors.

Oh, I guess on the shortstick, there's Targeting Computer for Fel. He's the only one who can really use it because of his stress-induced free focus. It will drastically improve his ability to shoot at long range and give him something to do at longer ranges when he's outside firing arcs while still preserving his defense (stacked Focus and Evade).

Just a (relatively) quick post, as I'm getting ready to head to work--but again, I think the problem is that if you look at the bigger picture, PTL had to change.

Setting Interceptors aside for a moment, it's clear that Push the Limit is one of the most powerful elements in the game. It allows you to monkey with the action economy, producing effects that otherwise require a great deal of coordination and a much higher investment of points to achieve. If you have a ship with an EPT slot, the first question to answer is whether or not you're going to use PTL. The most obvious combo for E-wings? PTL + R2, or PTL + R2-D2 if they have enough greens on their own. The first combo I saw anyone propose after R2-D6 was spoiled: Horton + R2-D6 + PTL. The first EPT I saw anyone on this board suggest for Whisper, when (s)he was spoiled: PTL.

PTL is used as a defensive tactic: on BGG, there was a long-running debate (never really settled) on whether PTL or Stealth Device alone was better protection for Howlrunner. It's used as an offensive tactic, as on Wedge + PTL + R2 + Engine Upgrade. It's used on Falcons, on Vader, and in places I suspect it wasn't ever intended--because the only thing better than an action is two actions, and we all figured that out pretty quickly.

So first, what I think a lot of people are viewing as a hit to Interceptors is a hit to PTL, which Interceptors also happen to like. This is part of what I mean when I say that Interceptors don't get a privileged place in game balance: stress is clearly serving a larger role in the game moving ahead, as something your opponent can do to you, rather than something you can do to yourself. That means that PTL, and other abilities that cause stress, require a lot more thought about when to activate--that is, PTL is no longer a talent you use almost every turn, but one you activate when you can afford it.

But again, that's not a change that targets the Interceptor. I think it's debatable whether it affects the Interceptor disproportionately, but even if it does--should PTL be locked in place at its current level of effectiveness forever because Interceptors like it, even if it's being abused elsewhere in the metagame?

Ok, just going to say that it's entirely possible someone else has addressed this before i get the chance, but i don't want to forget what I'm going to say by reading another two bloody pages of thread.

I really enjoy the point you've put forth and the manner in which you have done so. You make an excellent point about the perception of reducing the effectiveness of PtL as reducing the effectiveness of interceptors, and that many builds on both sides of the faction line make heavy use of it. You're totally founded to say that such a versatile card helps both equally. You're equally founded in saying that because of this all-round usefulness, it should come as no surprise that FFG released a counter to it.

However, if that's true, then why are the vast majority of the ships and cards coming out that penalize stressed ships coming out for the rebels? From where I'm sitting, they either a) get more cards that hurt stressed ships, b) get more cards that deal with stress tokens, c) get more cards that shed stress tokens completely, or d) get more cards that enable combos that completely work around them.

I can safely say that when Wingman comes out PtL will be taking a back seat on my Ints. The chance to K-Turn and then drop stress is just to good to pass up regardless of what PtL does for them now. I haven't put PtL on an Int in months even with what we have now. I've been using Swarm Tactics a lot for 4 x PS9 shooting and VI for 4 x PS6 and Stealth devices.

I am really trying to get off of the PtL crutch. mainly because for a while I had suspected it was going to see some form of counter to it coming up.

Trust me, you do not need PtL. It's good, but flown well, there are equally good options.

I've been enjoying Opportunist quite a bit.

TBH I don't think targeting computer will be a thing. My meta is cringing however when I tell them that at Regionals my Soontir will have 5 hp.

Well, not really EZ mode, but it's definitely a better box with the examples I provided.

The only thing good to come out of the Imperial Aces box was two nicely painted ships, Carnor Jax and the Royal Guard Tie. From a competitive standpoint of course.

Royal Guard Tie is PS6 and is literally 1 point more than the Saber built in with Veteran Instincts but still retains its EPT slot. This means you can easily fit in PTL on top of it being PS6. I'm going to stress this again, but PS6 is huge. It allows you to clear Biggs' PS5, outshoots Daggers and gives you first choice against anything under 6. This includes a LOT of different targets in the meta; including most Ties minus Howl herself, Biggs Walks the Dogs, Red Daggers, 3x BH lists..etc. It's only outpaced by more elite lists.

Carnor Jax is there because he will change the meta, especially when it comes to Imperial vs. Imperial lists. Most of you know that Ties live and die by their ability to Focus/Evade and benefit from Howlrunner. By taking away their ability to Focus at Range 1, you're literally cutting their the durability and shooting capacity of the list without affecting your list in anyway. If you're running 3 ship elite Imperials like myself, you're going to bring Jax in every list because he gives you jousting advantage on top of being a trump card vs. mirrors.

Oh, I guess on the shortstick, there's Targeting Computer for Fel. He's the only one who can really use it because of his stress-induced free focus. It will drastically improve his ability to shoot at long range and give him something to do at longer ranges when he's outside firing arcs while still preserving his defense (stacked Focus and Evade).

I'd also like to point out that Carnor Jax does heavy damage to Rebel turret lists. Anything with Blaster Turret, almost every HWK pilot (and all accompanying focus-oriented builds), any YT that took the Millennium Falcon title, and I'll go ahead and throw Tycho in there too (in fact, Jax seems specially designed to kill him). Since getting IA i've had enormous success against all the above listed builds and ships.

However, if that's true, then why are the vast majority of the ships and cards coming out that penalize stressed ships coming out for the rebels? From where I'm sitting, they either a) get more cards that hurt stressed ships, b) get more cards that deal with stress tokens, c) get more cards that shed stress tokens completely, or d) get more cards that enable combos that completely work around them.

New/upcoming cards that deal directly with stress are R3-A2, Keyan Farlander, Jek Porkins, Hobbie Klivian, Flechette Torpedoes, and Wingman. Old/existing cards that deal with stress are Kath Scarlet, Captain Yorr, Rebel Captive, and Ibtisam. Honorable Mention goes to Howlrunner, Jonus, Krassis, who get/grant rerolls that can stand in for actions regardless of a ship's stress status.

So, to the degree that Rebels are getting more/better cards to help inflict or handle stress, I think it's that they have a glut of cards in the pipeline at the moment (Transport/Rebel Aces), and have the slight advantage of having those releases clearly come just after the designers decided to make stress a big thing (rather than just before).

The big caveat, though, is that "Rebels are getting the stress toys" is not the same as "FFG is targeting the Empire", let alone "FFG is targeting Interceptors". A lot of people prefer not to play mirror matches, but particularly in competitive play they're very common--so R3-A2 is going to be just as much of a pain for Advanced Sensors B-wings to deal with as it is for PTL Interceptors (because it gives a nice healthy whack to both kinds of crutches).

Any experienced player will be able to judge scale, power, weigh the pros and cons, understand cause and effect, just by reading cards and letting their superior experience, game knowledge and skill guide them.

Saying "we'll see how it plays out" is quite simply a pillowfort for lesser players who lack the tools to decipher what's in front of them.

I'm pretty sure you don't actually mean to imply that table time and practice are trivial and superfluous aspects of this game--but that's precisely how this post reads to me.

Also, the "EZ mode" bit was really uncalled for.

The only thing good to come out of the Imperial Aces box was two nicely painted ships, Carnor Jax and the Royal Guard Tie. From a competitive standpoint of course.

Carnor Jax - I agree with you; he's at least very good, and potentially a game-changer. Also a point cheaper than Fel.

Kir Kanos - I wish he had an EPT (and I'm not sure why he doesn't), and I sort of wish he didn't require you to give up an evade token at a relatively early point in the firing order. Meh.

Royal Guard Pilot - I agree with you here, too; this is really a game-changer.

Tetran Cowall - maddening to fight, since he can turn on a dime or run away from you. Has an EPT, which can be used for fun things like Adrenaline Rush even if you don't use PTL. Also a point cheaper than Turr.

Lieutenant Lorrir - I really wish he had an EPT, because otherwise this is one of the most fun pilot abilities of any Interceptor.

Opportunist - Another game-changer, potentially. This is the card Expose should have been; the timing is better than PTL, the average damage is often better than PTL, and there's nothing that feels better than telling your opponent you're rolling 5 dice.

Targeting Computer - Only useful on the TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor, both of which often have better things to do with their actions. A bit steep at 2 points. Meh.

Hull Upgrade - Cheaper durability extension, very nice on ships with 3 Agility (let alone 4). Not an earthquake for the metagame, but definitely interesting.

Royal Guard TIE - Combine any two modifications, probably (because it's an Interceptor) durability ones.

Of those, I'd say Kir Kanos and Targeting Computer are the only things I'm not excited for. The other named pilots, plus the Royal Guard Pilot, all approximately represent a 1-point discount on those fragile and expensive named Interceptors. And although many people don't run Shield Upgrade on Interceptors, an Interceptor with a Hull Upgrade is giving up the advantage of a shield in order to get a 1-point refund, while still making the Interceptor more reliable (and without removing the ability to run a Stealth Device, if you still so choose).

I don't think Imperial Aces is a bad box or a boring release; I think it has had the bad fortune to be pushed back until long after its previews had stopped echoing, and to be released when the community was still digesting a massive wave of previewed products. But the box does effectively refund a point on (high-PS) Interceptors, as well as providing additional options for reducing the maddening variation in their effectiveness.

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

I'm pretty sure you don't actually mean to imply that table time and practice are trivial and superfluous aspects of this game--but that's precisely how this post reads to me.

Of course not, nothing trumps experience. It's from this experience that you're able to accurately and logically theorize and speculate the previewed cards. It's when people dismiss logic and reasoning based on prior experience that I have a problem.

As for Opportunist, I don't like it. It's strictly offensive in nature and that inability to flex is what I have a problem with. With PTL and 4 base actions on the Interceptor, you can Focus, Evade, Barrel and Boost. Nothing will ever trump PTL on a craft that has that much flexibility: Where all 4 actions can be both offensive and defensive in nature.

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Actually, there are hard counters. If you're double-stressed on an Interceptor and you can't take actions, you're going to die. I'm looking at R3D2 and Flechette Torpedoes. If only that freaking card read 3 hull, you can at least make an argument for Hull Upgrade.

Opportunist - Another game-changer, potentially. This is the card Expose should have been; the timing is better than PTL, the average damage is often better than PTL, and there's nothing that feels better than telling your opponent you're rolling 5 dice.

I can't wait to put Opportunist on Whisper. Can you imagine Jax and Whisper both firing on the same R1 target? that's two ships with 11 attack dice between them, and nary a focus or evade to be used.

I'd also like to say i do like Kir Kanos. He seems to work best if you take the evade and only use it in one of two circumstances:

1) you've already been fired upon by all ships that can fire on you this round, or

2) you managed to avoid all firing arcs (though this may be because your opponent went after someone else… hope they evaded too!)

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Edit:

5 alpha swarm

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Actually, there are hard counters. If you're double-stressed on an Interceptor and you can't take actions, you're going to die. I'm looking at R3D2 and Flechette Torpedoes. If only that freaking card read 3 hull, you can at least make an argument for Hull Upgrade.

If you double-stress a PTL Interceptor, he is in some serious trouble. Here's the flow chart:

-You try to run away with some white movements and keep your 2 Stress Tokens --> No actions --> Dead.

-You try to clear with some green movements, but you still have a stress token on you --> No actions --> Dead.

-Either way, you can't K-Turn, thus limiting your movement and forcing you into more obvious maneuvers, most of which can be read by a good pilot who's familiar with how Interceptors move.

-The bottom line is: No actions mean you can't Focus or Evade, nor Barrel or Boost your way out of firing arcs. This directly translates to --> You're dead.

The moral of the story is: An Interceptor with limited movement, no K-Turn, with no actions is a sitting duck. What do you think Wedge will do to an Interceptor with no actions to Focus or Evade, or get out of firing arcs? It's a god **** turkey shoot: 3 dice vs. 2 all day.

I don't totally agree. Most people don't usually expect the 4 straight. I use it quite a bit. It's hilarious to watch your opponent maneuver his entire fleet to catch Soontir or Phennir when they think he's going to do a 2 hard and you've blown past them all.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was talking about double-stress scenarios that deny actions under sustained combat.

Of course if your opponent completely whiffs on moving his ships you'll be fine. That's just a given and applies to all ships in the game?

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Actually, there are hard counters. If you're double-stressed on an Interceptor and you can't take actions, you're going to die. I'm looking at R3D2 and Flechette Torpedoes. If only that freaking card read 3 hull, you can at least make an argument for Hull Upgrade.

If you double-stress a PTL Interceptor, he is in some serious trouble. Here's the flow chart:

-You try to run away with some white movements and keep your 2 Stress Tokens --> No actions --> Dead.

-You try to clear with some green movements, but you still have a stress token on you --> No actions --> Dead.

-Either way, you can't K-Turn, thus limiting your movement and forcing you into more obvious maneuvers, most of which can be read by a good pilot who's familiar with how Interceptors move.

-The bottom line is: No actions mean you can't Focus or Evade, nor Barrel or Boost your way out of firing arcs. This directly translates to --> You're dead.

The moral of the story is: An Interceptor with limited movement, no K-Turn, with no actions is a sitting duck. What do you think Wedge will do to an Interceptor with no actions to Focus or Evade, or get out of firing arcs? It's a god **** turkey shoot: 3 dice vs. 2 all day.

I do agree with you on the 3-list Imperials though. You need to know what you're doing with those squints if you're going to put them on the table vs. a Tie Swarm or Biggs Walks the Dogs.

Yeah but those aren't in the game yet. Nor will they be in the game for a while. However I am reasonably confident Soontir can survive that onslaught based on his ability to generate Focus from Stress counters. Turr and Carnor not so much. But by the time they become an issue I will have defenders and phantoms to take their places.

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

This is the mentality I've been working myself into and I hope more Imperials do too. Seeing the imperial number tick up and interceptors with that is a joyous thing.

Yeah but those aren't in the game yet. Nor will they be in the game for a while. However I am reasonably confident Soontir can survive that onslaught. Turr and Carnor not so much. But by the time they become an issue I will have defenders and phantoms to take their places.

This doesn't change the issue though. We're talking about Interceptors here. If you go by this logic, it would be saying don't bother with Interceptors, go play TIE Fighters instead.

This is the mentality I've been working myself into and I hope more Imperials do too. Seeing the imperial number tick up and interceptors with that is a joyous thing.

I sort of share the same kind of elitism when it comes to Interceptors. If you're going to be flying them, you better know what you're doing.

Yeah but those aren't in the game yet. Nor will they be in the game for a while. However I am reasonably confident Soontir can survive that onslaught. Turr and Carnor not so much. But by the time they become an issue I will have defenders and phantoms to take their places.

This doesn't change the issue though. We're talking about Interceptors here. If you go by this logic, it would be saying don't bother with Interceptors, go play TIE Fighters instead.

This is the mentality I've been working myself into and I hope more Imperials do too. Seeing the imperial number tick up and interceptors with that is a joyous thing.

I sort of share the same kind of elitism when it comes to Interceptors. If you're going to be flying them, you better know what you're doing.

Its a meta thing. Right now there's no real counter to PTL. I actually find it pretty bonkers that PTL is not in every list considering how good it is. Those cards are pretty much hard nerfs to PTL rather than anything else. The Interceptor is simply the ship that benefits the most from PTL, so while this looks like something that victimises the Interceptor its not really.

And yes you are right. We SHOULD fly something else once the meta turns against us. Which is why I agreed with your initial analysis that this is bad game design.

Maybe they will release more cards or errata the ship in its entirety (unlikely). BUT for today, tomorrow and however many months it takes for this nonsense to become tournament legal it will be glorious.

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Even a 5 alpha int list?

Edit:

5 alpha swarm

5 Alpha "swarm" is just a bad list. Playing 7 Ties with Howl is just stronger no matter how you cut it :/

People just need to realize that when they are putting Interceptors on the table its not because the Interceptors are fundamentally 'good' models. Its because they give a good player the most options to which there are no hard counters. If you don't have the experience or spatial skills to use those options then you will fail. Epicly.

When you put down Interceptors in a tournament you are effectively declaring that you are a good player. If you put down 2/3 or more of your points as interceptors you are declaring you are the BEST player at that tournament. If your ego is writing cheques your skills cant cash, you will crash and burn.

This is the niche the interceptor is in right now. MAYBE future cards will fix this somewhat but if your are flying one you better queue up some K-Log on the iPod and get your head in the game.

Even a 5 alpha int list?

Edit:

5 alpha swarm

5 Alpha "swarm" is just a bad list. Playing 7 Ties with Howl is just stronger no matter how you cut it :/

IF you are paying 6 points for an extra red dice you are probably doing it wrong.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was talking about double-stress scenarios that deny actions under sustained combat.

Of course if your opponent completely whiffs on moving his ships you'll be fine. That's just a given and applies to all ships in the game?

I'm talking about maneuvering for that first turn. The second one you'll shed enough stress to act again (assuming they don't heap even more of them on you). You said having the stress makes you predictable, and I simply pointed out an instance in which you are less predictable.

I don't think Imperial Aces is a bad box or a boring release; I think it has had the bad fortune to be pushed back until long after its previews had stopped echoing, and to be released when the community was still digesting a massive wave of previewed products.

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but I don't recall anyone being stunned by any of the Aces additions but Jax. None of the other pilots generated the least bit of buzz - if anything, it was the opposite, as Kir and Lorrir were both slammed hard and fast for their lack of an EPT on the Interceptor. I do recall hothie's "Lorrir's not so bad" post over at TC, but even that seemed underwhelming and not strenuously argued. The Royal Guard TIE title drew a lot of interest because it was the first "doubled up" option, but even in the early days people were hesitating because of the cost. The Targeting Computer was all about Fel, and I'm pretty sure almost the entire community dismissed Hull Upgrade as soon as it was shown. Opportunist is probably the best of the new options, and its ostensibly neutral. Admittedly the Rebels lack the low-PS EPTs to take advantage of it (except, of course, for the A-wing).

Honestly, I think the early evaluation on Imperial Aces was exactly what it is today - a few solid additions, some binder fodder, and several options that were interesting and fun but not really competitive. I don't recall anyone seriously suggesting that it did anything to fix the Interceptor's problems. Nobody suddenly decided that Imperial Aces was underwhelming when the new A-wing toys were revealed. We believed it long before that. Seeing the massive improvements that the A-wing got just helped drive home how little Imperial Aces had done to actually improve the Interceptor.