Hi out there!
I got a friend who recently got into the game, and he has bought a lot of empire - but so far he hasnt won a single game..
Do you guys have a good starting/beginner empire list? It should be relativly easy to fly, but still fun
He has the following:
4 TIEs
2 Interceptors
2 Advanced
2 Bombers
1 Shuttle
1 Firespray
Thanks!
-Jon
Try a simple list like this, it doesn't have a lot of flair but should get him a taste of everything and is pretty balanced.
BH+Recon (or Rebel captive)
Turr+PtL (or VI)
3x Academy Pilots
If you take VI over PtL due to not having the upgrade card, you have 2 extra points to play with, he could turn two of the APs to obsidian or a single to black, or put a seismic charge onto the BH. I have had a few people try this list and they enjoy flying it because it gives them a chance to try formation flying with the APs, tanking with the BH, and flanking with an interceptor.
My recommendation would be to stay away from interceptors the first couple of games.
Rather fragile and unforgiving ships to fly is no good combo with being new.
Try the shuttle+Vader, a Firespray, Backstabber and 2x Academy pilots.
This leaves 3 points for the odd upgrade. (rebel captive on firespray?)
My 2 cts. Fly casual.
Does he have two normal livery interceptors or does he have Aces?
http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/55006/obsidian-kath
One of my favorite Empire lists, and your friend already has the components!
My recommendation would be to stay away from interceptors the first couple of games.
Rather fragile and unforgiving ships to fly is no good combo with being new.
Try the shuttle+Vader, a Firespray, Backstabber and 2x Academy pilots.
This leaves 3 points for the odd upgrade. (rebel captive on firespray?)
My 2 cts. Fly casual.
I just starter out and got myself 2 x Interceptors and aces. I wanted to fly a squad of 4. The Tie Interceptor is my favorite fighter in the Star Wars universe. Should I first get more experience before I try them?
I will try your list it looks like fun.
Thanks for all the good suggestions so far! You guys are awesome - keep them coming!
He only has two normal interceptors - but i know he will buy Aces soon..
The only advice I would give that a lot of new players tend to suffer from is overloading on cool looking upgrades and forgetting to use them, not using ten points of upgrades in a one hundred point game is suicide. other than that the game is almost perfectly balanced so anything chosen should have a chance.
Keep it basic, keep it cheap, learn the game and go from there.
My recommendation would be to stay away from interceptors the first couple of games.
Rather fragile and unforgiving ships to fly is no good combo with being new.
Try the shuttle+Vader, a Firespray, Backstabber and 2x Academy pilots.
This leaves 3 points for the odd upgrade. (rebel captive on firespray?)
My 2 cts. Fly casual.
I just starter out and got myself 2 x Interceptors and aces. I wanted to fly a squad of 4. The Tie Interceptor is my favorite fighter in the Star Wars universe. Should I first get more experience before I try them?
I will try your list it looks like fun.
Do not think I somehow are trying to suggest that interceptors are not worth it or something.
But I think for most new pilots it is wise to play a handful of games and get a grip of the mechanics before trying rather unforgiving (and oh-so shecksy!) interceptors!
Once you have a basic notion of what (enemy) ships can and cannot do; sure; enjoy your interceptors.
Fly casual!
What list does he usually play and how does he play it? Is there anything obvious pointing towards his losing?
Do not think I somehow are trying to suggest that interceptors are not worth it or something.
But I think for most new pilots it is wise to play a handful of games and get a grip of the mechanics before trying rather unforgiving (and oh-so shecksy!) interceptors!
Once you have a basic notion of what (enemy) ships can and cannot do; sure; enjoy your interceptors.
Fly casual!
I read it as you intended. I'm just going to leave them nice and cosy in their storage till I have played a few more games and feel more comfortable playing.
What list does he usually play and how does he play it? Is there anything obvious pointing towards his losing?
Well, he only played one 100 game yet, and that was with a souped up Bounty Hunter, a souped up Bomber, and two Black Squadron TIEs with Markmanship...... So i think most of his losing is due to overspending on upgrades and such - and dont quite have the hang of maneuvring yet..
You can't go far wrong with sticking mostly to TIE fighters for the first few games.
Leave interceptors, bombers (and ordnance), Large ships (and trying to fly them round asteroids) and so on out for the first few games.
If you want to avoid just a cookie-cutter academy pilot swarm, I'd suggest using Vader and Black Squadron. You get a reasonable number of ships (but not too many), get to learn about pilot special abilities - but none are too complex, mostly extra attack dice - and you get to use Darth ******* Vader.
Darth Vader w/Engine Upgrade and Squad Leader
yes, it's an advanced. But it's also the best pilot in the game in a forgivingly tough ship, and teaches a player about "action economy" with squad leader in a nice, simple way.
Mauler Mithel
Backstabber
Dark Curse
Vader's canonical wingmen flight. Satisfy any potential nerd rage by not putting Howlrunner into the list. Besides which, Backstabber and Mithel make a nice paring; both get an extra attack die but in different circumstances. Makes for a nice educational exercise in piloting.
Black Squadron Pilot w/Veteran Instincts
For no better reason than it's a point and it makes everyone PS6 - which makes you better than anyone else's 'generic pilots' but worse than anyone someone with limited SW knowledge has ever heard of. Which again, feels right.
One thing that took me a while to get the hang of is that Imperial ships, especially TIE interceptors, move a lot faster than Rebel ships (except for A-wings, of course). So you're not able to get in range and stay there to trade shots for more than a couple of rounds, but often only a single round.
So when I first started playing I aggressively used the 3-Koiogran to get a shot at a closer range, but I found that I never had a Focus on the attack (or defense for that matter). Stick to the longer K-turns to allow more room for your fighters to clear stress on the following round. If you're out of range it's OK because you're not a sitting duck. And remember you have that green 3 straight to get you back in the fight with a Focus token.
Incidentally, the 5 k-turn is one of my favorite things about TIE interceptors (no, I don't usually play them with Push the Limit).
Well, he only played one 100 game yet, and that was with a souped up Bounty Hunter, a souped up Bomber, and two Black Squadron TIEs with Markmanship...... So i think most of his losing is due to overspending on upgrades and such - and dont quite have the hang of maneuvring yet..What list does he usually play and how does he play it? Is there anything obvious pointing towards his losing?
Well, for the maneuvring, look a few tooics down for the thread with Boot Camp in the title. There are some solo exercises that may help him. For the squad building, let hin figure out what it is how he wants his squad to beat yours. Does he want to win through brute force, shenanigans or does he want a swiss army knife of a squad, this'll teach him to focus during the squad building.
My suggestion for new players, especially struggling ones is keep it simple and worry more about manuever and learning a ship than winning. Usually I start them with rebels and play elite, unarmed TiEs and and advanced so they can see what a TIE is capable of and then we switch.
If you're friend is playing Imperials, I recommend going with something like that so he can get used to one or two ship types and not crash into each other as easily. I like the idea of Kath with black TIEs, or Vader with the same.
I also recommend practicing flying ships with asteroids, especially if playing Imperials.
Edited by AlexW
My recommendation would be to stay away from interceptors the first couple of games.
Rather fragile and unforgiving ships to fly is no good combo with being new.
Try the shuttle+Vader, a Firespray, Backstabber and 2x Academy pilots.
This leaves 3 points for the odd upgrade. (rebel captive on firespray?)
My 2 cts. Fly casual.
I just starter out and got myself 2 x Interceptors and aces. I wanted to fly a squad of 4. The Tie Interceptor is my favorite fighter in the Star Wars universe. Should I first get more experience before I try them?
I will try your list it looks like fun.
Aristotle says we learn by doing. You want to fly Interceptors, then fly Interceptors!
The Aces make the Interceptor much more durable. Stick with high PS fighters to start. That way, you can react to your opponent's moves. (later you will gain the confidence to predict) Here is an Ace list I'm playing with right now:
Soontir Fel+PtL+TC
Jax+PtL+Hull+Shield
Royal+PtL+Hull+Shield
I'm also getting a lot of success from:
Soontir Fel+PtL+TC
Jax+PtL+Hull+Stealth
Bounty Hunter
Oh, and tell your friend to aim where the target will be come shootin' time.
I am clearly no Aristotle
but I'd suggest to play 3-5 games with a slightly more robust list.
Then you'll learn game mechanics and (enemy) movement dials. After the mentioned handful of games you can predict somewhat what the opponent will do. (can do)
Then it is time (IMO) to whip out those lovely Interceptors and start to learn them
Your mileage may vary however.
Peace. Fly casual.
Edited by Elkerlyc1- OGP (21) engi (4) advance sen (3)
2- Ob Ties (26)
1- Black Sq Tie (14)
1- Turr (25) Shield (4) Push the limit (3)
List 2
1- Col Jendon (26) Hull Upgrade(3)
2- black Sq (28) with vet ins (2)
2- Saber Squad (41)
List 3
1- Bounty (33)
3- Ob Ties (39)
1- captain Yorr (24)
Elkerlyc I played your list today. It worked so well. I won the game.
http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/55006/obsidian-kath
One of my favorite Empire lists, and your friend already has the components!
I'm glad someone else enjoys flying Kath with a few Ties. Simple, but effective.
Elkerlyc I played your list today. It worked so well. I won the game.
Yay! Thumbs up.
What did you face and what did you learn?
http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/55006/obsidian-kath
One of my favorite Empire lists, and your friend already has the components!
I'm glad someone else enjoys flying Kath with a few Ties. Simple, but effective.
I definitely like the idea, especially as I am not a fan of the full swarm, and would use it if I weren't committed to getting better with interceptors. My current list is Kath, Jax, RG (Lady 'n Red), but I would otherwise like to try Kath (EH, RC) + 4 Black Ties.
http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/55006/obsidian-kath
One of my favorite Empire lists, and your friend already has the components!
I'm glad someone else enjoys flying Kath with a few Ties. Simple, but effective.
I adore it. I ran it at my store champs and topped. I have a special place in my heart for Kath <3