TIE/SR: "Scout"

By KCDodger, in X-Wing

Now I'm thinking of abilities...I really like the TIE scout, but I have a hard time seeing existing actions and upgrades be of any use. Giving it 1 ATK die with no secondary slot cripples any offensive value, but 2 dice just make it a TIE plus. It's viability would have to be in amazing pilot abilities. How about these:

During board placement phase only(forget the official term), you may choose any pilot skill for all of your pilots.

Any enemy ships within range 1 must place their dials face-up

At the start of the combat phase, choose an enemy ship at range 1-2. Then, you may treat any or all friendly ships at range 1-3 as if they have that pilot skill.

At the start of the combat phase, you may choose one friendly ship with a red target lock token @ range 1-3 and assign that ship an evade token.

I like some of the ideas here for this. I remember it from the old West End Games Star Wars RPG... yes I'm dating myself.. lol...

I had a character flying one around nas his personal ship. It's versatile, and durable.. keep the ideas coming...

I think someone (at the LFL level) should decide what this ship is - a long range or a short-range scout. If it's the former, as all the earlier material suggests, then it's a long-range scout and it should be fairly large. However, maybe all the video games (and the cross-sections book) that adopted it (without doing their homework) and made it a small ship by virtue of its representation is simply more salient.

Being an old fart, I prefer the former, but the latter would be a better fit with this game. The large ship would also have too much in-game role overlap with the Decimator.

I'm with you, it is a long range scout. I nevrr played all the video games, so those mean nothing to me.. the books and RPG info is as accurate as it gets for me... as well as canon movie stuff.. lol we old farts gotta stick together.. lol

I think someone (at the LFL level) should decide what this ship is - a long range or a short-range scout. If it's the former, as all the earlier material suggests, then it's a long-range scout and it should be fairly large. However, maybe all the video games (and the cross-sections book) that adopted it (without doing their homework) and made it a small ship by virtue of its representation is simply more salient.

Being an old fart, I prefer the former, but the latter would be a better fit with this game. The large ship would also have too much in-game role overlap with the Decimator.

I'm with you, it is a long range scout. I nevrr played all the video games, so those mean nothing to me.. the books and RPG info is as accurate as it gets for me... as well as canon movie stuff.. lol we old farts gotta stick together.. lol

The first mention of the ship would be the old WEG RPG, so that would be the source I personally would take as canon (even though we all know canon rules have changed with Disney now). When WEG released it, it was a long range scout ship that could do double duty as a light/medium freighter. I know I have the books at home. If I get the chance I'll scan the one in question and upload to the forum.

The Lone Scout A (as it was presented in the RPG) was a civilian variant of the TIE Scout. It had shielding that the TIE didn't have, and thus the Empire started using retrofitted Lone Scouts (as they themselves were retrofitted TIE Scouts) in their fleets. As such I would say the 24 METER size would be correct. Up to 150 Metric tonnes of storage puts it on par size-wise with the YT-1300. The only way the YT-1300 could increase its storage from the stock 100 tons to 150, was with the use of cargo pods that were strapped (magnetically) to its deck. 24 meters fits the fluff for a long range scout that could run independently of a Star Destroyer as a base of operations.

Being an old fart, I prefer the former, but the latter would be a better fit with this game. The large ship would also have too much in-game role overlap with the Decimator.

I'm with you, it is a long range scout. I nevrr played all the video games, so those mean nothing to me.. the books and RPG info is as accurate as it gets for me... as well as canon movie stuff.. lol we old farts gotta stick together.. lol

Well, I think we need to acknowledge that the Star Wars universe was created by many Gods, of whom George Lucas was merely Zeus. Furthermore, that all these Gods were quite fallible. WEG was quite fallible, but still among the older sources. this is a question of continuity (and homework) vs. plausibly better ideas.

(I'm afraid if we try to start a generational war here, we'll lose. For that matter, if we try a RPGs vs. video-games war, we'll also lose. Just because we're right, doesn't mean we'll prevail. ;) )

^^^^ this right here..

I agree the, smaller, video game version might fit better.. but originally it was a long range ship with cargo capacity..

I was just thinking about the cockpit window issue, how about a smaller window centered high on the ship and obviously smaller.. it still gives the TIE look without looking overly large..

These are great ideas and all, but someone tell me how we're going to revamp this thing aesthetically so it doesn't look like it was beaten over and over with the ugly stick!

This might honestly be the ugliest ship in Star Wars.

^^^^ this right here..

I agree the, smaller, video game version might fit better.. but originally it was a long range ship with cargo capacity..

I was just thinking about the cockpit window issue, how about a smaller window centered high on the ship and obviously smaller.. it still gives the TIE look without looking overly large..

Or.. It's a variant of a variant.

The Lone Scout A was a design from the "Rise of the Empire" Era, so between the Clone Wars, and the Battle of Yavin. One source I found on the Web lists the TIE Scout at being the Lone Scout 'B'. Same size though.. if however, the TIE Scout was a scaled down version of the A, it could work as a small ship variant, and I'd certainly not have an issue with it.

It is ugly, but .... it is what it is.. lol...

I've run out of likes for the day so... the last few got my attention on this thread.. lol.. good responses and good info.. and horsepire made me chuckle

1/3/4/0 stat line. Focus, Target Lock, Barrel Roll for actions. 2x System Upgrades, 2x Crew.

PS: 1/4/6/7

1 and 4 are both generic squadron members (pick appropriate TIE Scout Squadrons). 4, 6, and 7 each get an Elite Talent slot.

6 is a named pilot from one of the aforementioned squadrons. His ability: You may treat all other friendly ships within range 1 as PS+1.

7 is a named pilot from the other aforementioned squadron. His ability: Whenever an enemy ship within range 1-3 acquires a Target Lock, another friendly ship within range 1-3 may acquire a Target Lock on that ship.

As for the dial, make it similar to a hybrid TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor.

Include a new Systems Upgrade. Targeting Interlink: When you take a Target Lock action, you may pass the blue Target Lock token to another friendly ship within range 1-2.

To me that title seems so wrong. Why would it get a discount? No other ship in the game gets discounts for anything. It's almost as if you were saying that "one of your bombers can buy torpedoes, missiles and bombs for 1 point less" or giving the HWK a 1-point discount on turrets. And that it's a unique title doesn't really matter since no one would ever take more than one of these.

[Cough] Awing [cough]

Had to add something to that comment....

The Scout ship should have systems and crew upgrades, 2 of each and maybe a 3rd crew.. and getting a discount for them is actually a smart idea.

Count me in. I've been around since the beginning.

rcPr1d0.png

I use them in EAW as well. Where's the Rebel base? Ping! There it is. And now you have a fleet coming out of hyperspace right on top of it.

Count me in. I've been around since the beginning.

rcPr1d0.png

I use them in EAW as well. Where's the Rebel base? Ping! There it is. And now you have a fleet coming out of hyperspace right on top of it.

**** RIGHT.

I love doing that.

"Okay, our defensive line is up... Now we just wait for The Empire..."

"Sir, Three Star Destroyers jumped in behind our first line- they're launching bombers and attacking the shield generator! Initial scans are picking up three contacts on sensors, quickly relocating!"

" * EXPLETIVE DELETED * "

Well.. the beginning is back in the 80s.. lol.. but welcome aboard anyway..

It would be cool if this were the first ship to have 2 System Upgrade slots. You could give it a cheap one like FCS if it has pilots who benefited (or allowed others to benefit from) target locks, and you could give it a pricier one as well.

Well.. the beginning is back in the 80s.. lol.. but welcome aboard anyway..

Well, I wasn't exactly absent then, either.

While I'm going through SWCCG, I found this interesting:

TIE/SR:

Power 1

Maneuver 1

X-Wing:

Power 3

Maneuver 4

TIE Advanced x1:

Power 2

Maneuver 2

TIE Fighter:

Power 1

Maneuver 3

Y-Wing:

Power 2

Maneuver 3

That definitely puts it on the lower end for maneuverability and agility. I'd keep those values low and try to compensate elsewhere.

With software! ELECTRONIC WARFAAAAAAAAAAAARE

So yeah two system upgrades slots sounds pretty baller.

ECM could be represented by Evade action, fluff-wise. Maybe a 2 agility but named pilots can add extra Evade token or somehow shuck a TL.

Perhaps to make a system slots more valuable you could have a modification or title for the Tie Scout that would allow it to grant that system to another ship?

Modification: System Link (Tie Scout Only): At the start of the activation phase target a friendly ship within range 1-3. Treat that ship as if it had your System upgrade equipped until the end of the round.

And of course it could have dedicated systems for scouting.

System: Sensor Ping: Tie Scout Only - At the start of the activation phase enemy ships within range 3 must reveal thier movement dials. Ships still activate according to Pilot skill. (Though this could wreak havoc with any abilities that are triggered prior to Movment dial reveals.)

That definitely puts it on the lower end for maneuverability and agility. I'd keep those values low and try to compensate elsewhere.

I wouldn't put much value on those numbers. "Maneuver" in that game was just a generic defensive stat with a fluffy name. I'm pretty sure that the x-wing having double the TIE advanced's maneuver stat is meant to represent its superior durability, not that it is really more maneuverable by a huge margin.

(Not that this is the worst of that game's flaws, at best its mechanics are a very abstracted representation of a "real" battle.)

Also, you know how the HWK can give focus with one of the pilots?

What if one of the TIE/SR pilots gave evade?

An evade passer would be nice. Kir Kanos and Lorrir might see the light of day. Lambada and decimators would lovetheextra Hp.

I can see that, yeah. Something to make the slugs more agile.

That's...

Not trying to fap myself up here for suggesting the evade passing, but in light of what you said.

Well that's just brilliant.

i like something more sinister for imperials.

originally had this idea for another ship but it might work:

At the start of the Activation Phase, choose 1 enemy ship at range 1 or 2. The player controlling that ship announces an action. When that ship takes its first action this round, it must do that action or pass.

This is kind of a forcing action, also will help you perhaps guess where the ship will be and what action it will have.

Less useful versus PTL Ints to give them more leeway in the current environment which penalizes them more harshly than even the Phantoms.

--

Also I agree with 2 systems versus two crew, we already have multiple two crew ships.

Also agree with something like 12 or 14 starting points for lowest PS version. Make it really an inexpensive support craft.

Edited by Blail Blerg

Interestingly enough, the new pod previewed for the LCG had a TIE Scout card. So, FFG does have art for it. Hardly concrete evidence, but it can give people some hope.