imo rebels are winning this war. B-Wings and new x-wing pilots on the way. rebel aces gives rebels many more options and strengthens them further. just look at the new astromechs!

i dont think imperial aces will address this imbalance.

c'mon FF where is the love for the empire!

Coming in the form of cloaked Ties and (I hope) Star Destroyers. Beyond that the Empire is just fine. They've been easier to build lists for since Wave 2.

Coming in the form of cloaked Ties and (I hope) Star Destroyers. Beyond that the Empire is just fine. They've been easier to build lists for since Wave 2.

Star destroyers are far to big for them to be in this game.

So good to know that the Wave 4 ships are being tossed out before they've even been fully revealed. Sure, Rebels are getting some good stuff. But I'm not seeing an imbalance.

imo rebels are winning this war. B-Wings and new x-wing pilots on the way. rebel aces gives rebels many more options and strengthens them further. just look at the new astromechs!

i dont think imperial aces will address this imbalance.

c'mon FF where is the love for the empire!

Can't agree with you on this one. The Aces are amazing, and the new wave 4 ships look fantastic! I'm actually disappointed with the Rebel Aces. FFG did the right thing and placed two PtLs in Imperial collection, knowing most Empire fans would never buy an A-wing. Where in the heck is the HLC and Adv. Sensors for the B-wing? Most Rebel players have no interest (other than those two cards) in ever flying the Lambda. I feel the Empire got the better Aces pack. Looking forward to Wave 4!

There are Phantoms coming which will be a devil to pin down and the Defender looks like a big piece of tank. Huge ships are unknown but seem likely.

The Empire remains in good shape.

It's just you.

This has been another edition of Simple Answers to Short Questions. Tune in next time!

…okay, I'll dial back the snark a little bit. I think it feels this way now because the Transport and Rebel Aces are the shiny new things on the horizon; Imperial Aces was previewed months ago, has been out for a few weeks, and we're all bored with it. What's coming for the Empire is indeed the Phantom and Defender. I'm of the opinion that while the Rebels really need and will really like the Headhunter, it's not sexy the way the Wave 4 Imperial ships are, and neither of them has even had its own preview, let alone been fully spoiled.

And what's more, I confidently predict that whenever FFG announces whatever they're doing for the Imperial equivalents of the Transport and Corvette, we'll all have forgotten the lessons of Wave 4: there will be threads about how FFG only ever gives shiny new things to the Empire, and gives Rebels the short end of the stick instead.

Star destroyers are far to big for them to be in this game.

Let's not start this up again, ok??

They've been easier to build lists for since Wave 2.

I will agree that their lists are easier to build, but their choices are more limited. The Rebels just offer more diversity. Cloaking ninjas and K-turning brawlers may turn the tide though. Imperials aren't underpowered, though; we just have to outthink the Rebel scum and annihilate them.

From what I have seen, Rebels are harder to learn but easier to master. Imperials have an easier initial learning curve, but hard to master. Most Imperial pilots hit a plateau, and then head to the Rebels because they can overcome it with those ships.

...the Wave 5 Imperial ships...

Do you know something we don't!!!

...the Wave 5 Imperial ships...

Do you know something we don't!!!

Just a typo, unfortunately.

Rebel Aces is not a release that's happening anytime soon- we probably only got a preview so early because someone spoiled the release ahead of time. I'd personally guess it's actually going to be released nearer to Wave 5 than Wave 4, and wave 4 offers the very cheap and nasty ion missiles, which I can see helping the TIE Bomber a lot and hurting the B-Wing a lot.

The new X-wing pilots and astromechs seem pretty neat but I don't think there's anything earth-shattering there.

Part of the trouble is, understandably, the Rebels have more developed pilot identities as the protagonists and their military industry is ad hoc vs. the Imperial numbers game.

This is actually very similar to the Pacific theater in WWII and the differences reflected in the aviation philosophies of the US and Japan. Japanese fighters tend to be more highly maneuverable, lithe, and lacking any pilot protection. It favored individual action and the Imperial navy fostered competition. The US Navy fielded craft with self-sealing fuel tanks, an armor plate behind the cockpit, and promoted cooperative approaches to combat. The IJN certainly fielded many craft but the primary fighter remained the Zero. By war's end the USN had fielded the Wildcat, Hellcat, Lightening, Corsair, and Mustang in various air superiority roles.

So the Imps will always have to balance staying true to their nature as fielding similar ships, mostly TIEs, but also featuring abilities that make them fun to play in a game setting. The Rebels are simply easier to design unique things for as an ad hoc force. This is the same reason why, for a game, it's easier to field small Rebel capital ships than enormous Imperial capital ships. FFG has the unenviable task of balancing Star Wars lore with gameplay dynamics. Sure costing Imperial ships less to reflect swarms helps but we'd all get bored if every game was 8TIES vs. 3X-wings.

War theory aside, the TIE/Phantom is going to be a major pain for Rebels and let's not forget that in any game where the Rebel capital ships are featured the Imperials will have a corresponding gluttony of points to meet them with. A transport and 3 X-wings vs. 10 various TIEs will likely be a fair match -- especially if an Imperial win need only be conditional (eliminate capital ship, damage or prevent escape) instead of the traditional elimination of all enemy forces. TIE/Defenders will also be strong. Sure the Rebels will get E-wings but for every E-wing you field with a capital ship you are giving up at least 2 standard fighters for the scenario. The upcoming Munitions Failure and Proton Rockets will likely make TIE/Bombers into real capital-killers too.

Honestly, I was in the same boat. When I thought about it, I was disappointed (not upset, not freaking out, not crying, "FOUL!) that it seemed that the Rebels were coming out with lots of new toys, leaving the Empire to play with all their old ones, with only a few new additions.

The way I looked at it was:

Rebels:

Tantive IV.

Rebel Transport w/X-Wing + Pilots.

Z-95 (with a Tie Swarm destroying pilot)

E-Wing (who knows)

A-Wing (with a card that should have been on the Tie-Advanced) + Pilots

B-Wing (which was already a very competitive ship) = Pilots.

Imperials:

Tie Intercepter (two ships in one package, which doesn't give as much new options as Rebel Aces) + Pilots

Tie Defender (which most people think is over-costed)

Tie Phantom (which I wasn't super excited about)

Then they released the info for the Phantom.

Maybe it's just the little kid in me who loves board games and Star Wars, but I think this ship will be extremely fun to play with. The cloaking alone curbs my desire for more stuff. One Imperial cloaking ship makes up for two Rebel ships. (even though cloaking will be completely obsolete with turrets, but I digress)

Now, if FFG released a Rebel ship that had cloaking any time soon, I will have a very hard time thinking that they aren't all Pro-Rebel.

Do I want more pilots for the Imperial ships? Heck yes!

Do I want the Tie Advanced to be fixed like the A-Wing? Heck yes!

Do I want some cool Imperial-Only upgrade cards that are as awesome as the R2 Unit cards? Heck yes!

Do I have faith in FFG to NOT make a game where one side is completely forgotten? So far, yes.

Right now, we the empire has, the Lambda Shuttle (the most versatile ship in the game) and the Bomber swarm led by Jonus. The empire just got a bunch of new great pilots for the TIE Interceptor. These combined IMO way out way the B-wing. Right now I think the Empire is ahead.

I just don't care for the HWK. I mean 1 attack dice?

Soon the Rebellion will be getting Aces, Corvettes, and Medium Transports. That might tip the balance in the favor of the Rebellion, but not as bad as you might think since, the two larger ships are not legal of standard play.

I think we will have to wait and see and play wave 4 before we worry about which faction got the better end of the stick.

This past weekend, I won my FLGS championship with an Imperial list. The final three games I played were two match wins and one modified win. The Mod came against a swarm of low PS Bs and As where I just ran out of time against a slower opponent, the Match Wins were against Chewbacca/Wedge/something else and then last was against a 2x Buzzsaw/TIE list.

So yeah, maybe it's you.

This past weekend, I won my FLGS championship with an Imperial list. The final three games I played were two match wins and one modified win. The Mod came against a swarm of low PS Bs and As where I just ran out of time against a slower opponent, the Match Wins were against Chewbacca/Wedge/something else and then last was against a 2x Buzzsaw/TIE list.

So yeah, maybe it's you.

What were you running?

Afterthought... one of the strengths I find, is that I will happily play either side, Rebel or Imperial. That means I know the strength and limitations of each ship on both sides. Knowing what the possible options for movement for the opposing side really helps.

And to quote a little Master Sun Tzu, that great Jedi warrior of the Old Republic...

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

This past weekend, I won my FLGS championship with an Imperial list. The final three games I played were two match wins and one modified win. The Mod came against a swarm of low PS Bs and As where I just ran out of time against a slower opponent, the Match Wins were against Chewbacca/Wedge/something else and then last was against a 2x Buzzsaw/TIE list.

So yeah, maybe it's you.

What were you running?

Krassis w/HLC, Rec Spec, APL (which I entirely forgot to use in the battle against the Bs & As, which probably didn't help)

Jonus w/PT & Determination

Howlrunner w/Swarm & Shield

Tight formation flying is my friend.

Someone reviewed the FFG product numbers at some point and there is a huge, gaping hole in the number sequencing that suggests there is a "yet to be announced" wave on the horizon. I would expect this would be for the Imperials, with Rebel Aces and the transport/Tantive, so hopefully that will "even" the release schedule for you.

If you look at the store champ thread, the win/loss records were largely even across more than 100 results, so I don't feel that Imps are falling behind.

I will have a very hard time thinking that they aren't all Pro-Rebel.

When producing a game like X-Wing being pro either faction is a massive mistake, one which will lead to an unbalanced game, which will lead to a loss of profits, which will most likely to a loss of the license.

It's in FFG's best interest as a game company and for their bottom line to keep the two sides balanced.

I was one of those ones R2ShihTzu. There's 6 unaccounted for FFG product numbers between the Tantive IV and the Rebel Aces. The Transport and Aces packs are already accounted for in the known product codes.

[start wild speculation]

My wild speculation says a simple 4-ship "Wave 5" release, and I'm guessing (wild speculation x10) that there's a TIE/Ad & Y-Wing pack coming since both of those have gone into Development status again, which could mean updates based on the Imp Aces and Rebel Aces history. And maybe an Imperial capital ship to square off against the Tantive and Transport.

[/speculation]

From what I have seen, Rebels are harder to learn but easier to master. Imperials have an easier initial learning curve, but hard to master. Most Imperial pilots hit a plateau, and then head to the Rebels because they can overcome it with those ships.

For me, the Rebels had an easier initial learning curve, as they have a larger margin for error and turrets. Flying Imperials was tough for me, because you get severely punished for any mistakes you make. I've been a staunch Rebel player since the beginning, but my skills stagnated after almost a year of that. Then we had a 6 week league at an FLGS come up and I signed up to fly Imperials. IMO, that taught me a lot about actually flying. I feel that because of that experience, I also fly Rebel ships a whole lot better now too.

I do feel the same way. The addition of the Rebel Transport means Imps are behind 1 release in options.

Not to mention, the general consensus of Imperial Aces was to 'fix' the interceptor so they will see more play, we shall see if this is the case. Not many could say B and X Wings needed much fixing. An argument could be made for the A wing, though it's not like they don't see play in the form of BBBAA and other rebel swarms.

I don't think there is a major leaning one way or the other. I do think the Advanced and Bomber need a little work to become more useful ships, but aside from that, things are pretty straight.

It's you

The Empire has the Shuttle which is a flying swiss army knife

Rebels have the Hawk that just is meh and I personally rarely see on the field

Empire has their Aces set, while the Rebels probably wont get their Aces until Xmas (I pray for earlier but I highly doubt it)

Empire just got a cloak action that Rebels dont have any access to and all the new Wave 4 stuff for rebels (besides the ships) can be transplanted onto Empire fighters as well

Yes Rebels get the Corvette and other Cap ship, but those can only be played in Epic games so real no benefit in normal games

People complain about B Wings, well then its time to change tactics. Wars never stay static and battle tactics constantly evolve.

For instance, I love my B Wings....what did my buddy started doing was using bombs and seismic charges everywhere, which he had not done previously

For the most part both sides are balanced, and if you want to see shenigans and unbalanced game play go try Attack Wing (I play both and love both, but AW has some serious flaws in card design and mechanics)