It's a "defender only" special fix xD

I intentionally wanted Slaved Missile System to work on primaries only, otherwise the cannon slot would be auto-include. This would be bad, because

1) The cannon (HLC) is already auto-include on a 2 attack ship, so this provides an alternative, and

2) I wanted at least 1 viable loadout for the ship in the low/mid 20 point range

But, I could look into making SMS trigger off of either a successful primary attack or an Ion Cannon attack. It's at least thematic. Interestingly, it would be 25 points on the nose, so you could take 4 of them in a standard list.

Sorry - I was was right with you there with the SMS working on primaries only, I just meant that you could perform any kind of secondary weapon attack after a successful primary attack. i.e. primary hits, then you can perform an ion cannon attack, or fire a missile etc.

I do like the SMS idea a lot though, as it neatly skips around discarding missile cards! I agree entirely on the HLC as well - which is why I took pains to try and work around it in my version:

It's a bit of a convoluted solution though, as others (DEX ) have pointed out.

This looks pretty solid.

I doubt that the missile upgrades will ever be used - aside for the tracers for 1 point, of course ... which I think you had in mind when designing this 24 points combination for a basic Gunboat

Cheers! The idea behind the MRL/LFA cards was really flexibility to do "either or" - ion for control, ordnance for alphastriking.

So you could have a bit of flexibility when list building, for example:

Tau Squadron Pilot - Multi-Role Loadout, Ion Cannon, Linked Fire Array at 24 points to add a cheap element of control or

Tau Squadron Pilot - Linked Fire Array, Concussion Missile at 25 points to hunt and alphastrike low agility targets

I agree the ion cannon version would likely be the much preferred version, but I wanted the ship to at least have a bit of flexibility in role like it had in the PC games, and missiles might still come in useful in Epic.

Given the advent of Extra Munitions, it might have been better off with one Missile and one Torpedo slot as well so you can get more than one shot without overloading it - that's one of the reasons I like MajorJuggler's "Slaved Missile System" suggestion!

Just create a missile type with an integrated kind of an 'Extra Munitions' that use up 2 missile slots ...

Concusion Missile Loadout

Double missile slot. Basically the exact same text as Concusion Missiles but do not discard the card. Would 6 points do?

Alternately it could require a torp and missile slot. Missile Boat ready as well!

Gecko, on the first page, under "HOMEBREW RULES (VERSION ONE):", you should add the Slaved Missile System card as well.

Then you're missing the point. The idea is to create something balanced, sure, but fitting a niche defined by reliable health and relatively solid damage output, if you can point it the right way.

It won't like Interceptors. It won't mind TLTs. It won't get surprise one-shotted by a single attacker. It should have incorporated ions somehow but devising how to implement that is up for debate. It should do well in a joust. It should be a pain to angle around rocks.

You're fixating too much on Stele for some reason. I love TIE Fighter, natch, but the Gunboat was far from the best ship available in that game.

I love TIE Fighter, but to me what defines the gunboat is first facing shielded imperials and going WTF?!? Then receiving missile locks...

X-wing man.

That and countless XG-1 / DX-9 capture ops.

Gunboat overall is a sub-par ship, it was the ion boat. Avenger, Defender - they are better to dogfight in. Gunboat could tank damage though , it could fling out missiles.

What it had real issue with was fighting A-wings...

Fighting A-wings wasn't so bad, just drop shield recharge to zero (and lasers to low if you need to), keep dumping shields into the lasers and use all the extra engine power to chase those things down. Once you hit em once they slow down quite a bit. Don't forget to have your lasers (and ions) fire linked and switch back and forth, or just disable them and come back later to finish them off.

Also you got missiles, link fired missiles make a-wings go away.

Avengers and Defenders ate A-wings for breakfast.

Avengers and Defenders ate everything for breakfast.

In a gun though found it tricky... Had to put power to engine to keep up.

I always found that firing non-linked concussion missiles was a great way to deal with them. They'd spend so much time evading that it almost didn't matter if you hit them or not. Just stagger two of them and A-Wings were spending all their time trying to not die. Reminds me of that animation someone did of a mouse in the little droid Chewie screams at in A New Hope: Panicking and trying to get the F- outta dodge.

Gecko, on the first page, under "HOMEBREW RULES (VERSION ONE):", you should add the Slaved Missile System card as well.

Will do - do you have a link to the the card graphic available?

There's a word doc or PDF linked up thread, how did you get the pilot card?

Sorry MJ - that pilot card was my own (it's hosted on photobucket) - I've added your full quote and the link on page one, I'll take a screenshot of the PDF and stick that up as well

Gecko, I had this idea yesterday while playing a tournament..

What about a Title that would allow to fire two different missiles in the same turn?

Arright, no-ones discussed the TIE/D title and what it could mean for the Assault Gunboat yet.

/discuss

It Means the XG-1 can either be pre-packaged with a VERY similar title, or for a cheaper versatile gunboat, can just be attack 2 with a cannon.

Defender keeps it's (newfound)eliteness. Shuttle has seperate uses altogether as a crew based ship - like it should.

Or it's made the Gunboat obsolete.

MJ's suggestion of multi-use missile pods - and an alternative source for Long Range Scanners - seems like the Miniature Porcelain Void Donkey's best hope/niche now.

Not Obsolete at all, if it's sold cheaper than the still expensive defender, and in a 100 point game can be fielded as a pack of four.

If I can't have my beloved GUNBOAT then the True Defender will certainly do. At last I can feel like this game of plastic space ships is a continuation of the campaigns of decades ago. Maarek Stele is finally home.

Of course with the Defender becoming so powerful we might be seeing a need for a certain ship that sports the SLAM and spams missiles like crazy. If we get that then our beloved multi-role assault starfighter wouldn't be far behind, at least as a title if not a seperate mold.

If I can't have my beloved GUNBOAT then the True Defender will certainly do. At last I can feel like this game of plastic space ships is a continuation of the campaigns of decades ago. Maarek Stele is finally home.

Hallelujah!

So most of the gunboat stats I've seen here have a double missile slot.

With the revelation of the Long Range Scanner, what are people's thoughts of making it torp+missile?

Double Tracers get more expensive (2 point EM vs 1 point tracer) but everything else is cheaper with EM, and as I mentioned it opens up the long range scanners, as well as the potential for a solo torpedo.

Solo Torpedo....

I thought the falcon just had a missile slot.

Maybe Chewie finally had enough of Han and stuffed him in a launch tube and made a Solo Torpedo.

Attack, TL, 4 red dice

Ignore obstacles when determining green dice. If this attack hits add stress to all enemy ships and say 'never tell me the odds'.

So most of the gunboat stats I've seen here have a double missile slot.

With the revelation of the Long Range Scanner, what are people's thoughts of making it torp+missile?

Yeah, was already considering that due to the arrival of Extra Munitions (see the conversation with MJ a page or two ago). Long Range Scanners just seals the deal.

I still think that this ship could see the fields.
AND, I'm positive that a title/modification that would allow multiple warhead launch in the same turn could really give ordnance that kick it needs to get back into the game.

This ship should be a no brainier for FFG unless 59 pages of people wanting it aren't enough of a clue. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they already have some prototypes around for this thing. The only reason I can see for waiting is trying to differentiate it from what's out there now. It has more of a rebel ship feel to it. This is the top ship on my hope to see list.

This ship WILL get made there isn't enough new ships in the force awakens to keep this game going inbetween star wars 8 and 9 releases. They will need to draw from ships like the gunboat to bridge the gap.

Arright, no-ones discussed the TIE/D title and what it could mean for the Assault Gunboat yet.

/discuss

I think it completely ****** what you all wanted to be the Gunboat's primary gimmick. Which is why I never wanted linked weapons to be a ship-specific upgrade in the first place.

That said, if only one ship gets it, I'm glad it's the Defender.

MJ's suggestion of multi-use missile pods - and an alternative source for Long Range Scanners - seems like the Miniature Porcelain Void Donkey's best hope/niche now.

And makes zero sense to put on the Gunboat instead of the Missile Boat.

Look at the design again closer.

The objective and result was NOT to give the Assault Gunboat unlimited missiles of any of the typical upgrade types. It was to give it an option to be very cost effective against low agility targets, which is something that the ship is known for doing very well.

Defender=Gunboat

Punisher=Missile Boat

The position has been filled