What ship is the better jouster when directly compared /

which ship is most likely to win a 1v1:

1) Alpha Interceptor + Stealth Device vs. Rookie X-Wing

2) Alpha Interceptor + Hull upgrade vs. Rookie X-Wing

Hmm. A good fight. Gonna try this later.

I feel like I want a hull upgrade, and I'll hope not to draw a crit.

Seems like ppl don't know.

No experiences with such an obvious stand-off?

Lets see what the mathwingers have to say

You don't joust with interceptors, the green dice will punish you if you try it.

You don't joust with interceptors, the green dice will punish you if you try it.

with Stealth, I do it. And depenting on the situation, they do a pretty good job

Dice will decide who wins that. There's not much to say, because for example in the Alpha stealth device vs Rookie, if the rookie gets 3 hits instead of 2, he has a decent shot at removing the stealth device early. If he doesn't, he is very likely to don't do damage, while taking one damage.

In the second case, the rookie should always target lock aiming for crits. I think in this case the rookie would have the advantadge. Which is fair enough, since interceptors have more actions than them, and they shouldn't be as efficient jousters as the xwing.

I played my friend last Thursday I was flying my new rebel ships he had two interceptors and three ties, both intercepters were named pilots with ps7 stealth devices and ptl.

I had just generic pilots on two x-wings two headhunters and a b-wing, in my first turn of shooting I lost three shields on my b-wing, he lost both interceptors despite rolling five dice on each and I killed a tie fighter.

You don't joust with unsheilded fighters unless there's a turret involved and arc dodging becomes pointless.

Trying with the dice roller at https://home.comcast.net/~jason.fuller/dice.html:

Alpha/Stealth vs. Rookie (iteration 1)

Rookie X fires first; 2 focus -> 2 hits; Alpha rolls 4 blanks, losing stealth device & 2 hull

Alpha fires 1 crit + 1 focus -> 1 hit; X rolls 2 focus, losing 2 shields

Rookie X rolls 2 hit + 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evades, losing 1 hull and explode

Alpha/Stealth vs. Rookie (iteration 2)

X rolls 1 crit & 2 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evades & 1 focus -> 3 evades

Alpha rolls 1 crit & 1 hit; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 shield

X rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> hit; Alpha rolls 1 evade, losing stealth device & 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 shield

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 2 focus -> 3 evade

Alpha rolls 1 crit, 1 hit, 1 focus (token spent on defense); X rolls 1 focus, losing 1 hull and taking a critical damage

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 2 focus -> 2 evade, losing 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus; X rolls 1 evade

X rolls 1 hit & 2 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evade & 1 focus -> 3 evade

Alpha rolls 1 crit & 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade, losing 2 hull and explode

Alpha/Stealth vs. Rookie (iteration 3)

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 3 evades

Alpha rolls 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 shield

X rolls 1 hit & 2 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evade, losing stealth device & 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 crit; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 shield

X rolls 1 hit; Alpha rolls 2 evade

Alpha rolls 2 crit, 1 hit; X rolls blank and explode

Alpha/Stealth wins 2/3. Have to go to a meeting or I'd run the other setup.

Alpha wins with 1 hull and 2 hull remaining.

X wins with 3 hull remaining.

EDIT: Here we go.

Alpha/Hull vs. Rookie (iteration 1)

X rolls 2 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evades

Alpha rolls 1 crit & 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evades, losing 1 shield

X rolls blanks; Alpha rolls 1 evade

Alpha rolls 2 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 2 focus -> 2 evade

X rolls 1 crit & 2 focus -> 2 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evade, losing 1 hull (+ critical damage)

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus, losing 1 shield

X rolls 1 crit, 1 hit & 1 focus -> 1 crit & 2 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evade, losing 1 hull (+ critical damage)

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 hull

X rolls 1 hit & 2 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 3 evade

Alpha rolls 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus, losing 1 hull

X rolls 2 hit & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evade, losing 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 focus (no token); X rolls 1 evade

X rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; Alpha rolls 1 focus -> 1 evade, losing 1 hull and explode

Alpha/Hull vs. Rookie (iteration 2)

X rolls 2 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade, losing 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evades

X rolls 1 crit, 1 hit & 1 focus -> 1 crit & 2 hits; Alpha rolls 2 focus -> 2 evade, losing 1 hull (+ critical damage)

Alpha rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 2 evade

X rolls 1 hit; Alpha rolls 1 focus -> 1 evade

Alpha rolls blank; X rolls 1 focus

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade, losing 2 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus -> 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus, losing 1 shield

X rolls 1 crit & 1 focus -> 1 crit & 1 hit; Alpha rolls 1 evade, losing 1 hull and explode

Alpha/Hull vs. Rookie (iteration 3)

X rolls 2 crits & 1 focus -> 1 hit; Alpha rolls 2 evade, losing 1 hull (+ critical damage)

Alpha rolls 2 hits; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus, losing 1 shield

X rolls 2 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evade

Alpha rolls 1 crit, 1 hit & 1 focus; X rolls 1 evade, losing 1 shield and 1 hull (+ critical damage)

X rolls 2 focus -> 2 hits; Alpha rolls 1 focus -> 1 evade, losing 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 hit & 1 focus; X rolls 1 evade

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evade, losing 1 hull

Alpha rolls 1 crit & 1 hit; X rolls 1 evade & 1 focus, losing 1 hull

X rolls 1 crit & 1 hit; Alpha rolls 1 evade & 1 focus -> 2 evade

Alpha rolls 1 hit; X rolls 1 focus -> 1 evade

X rolls 2 hits & 1 focus -> 3 hits; Alpha rolls 2 evade, losing 1 hull and explode

Rookie X wins 3/3 (shields/hull at 0/1, 1/3, 0/1).

Nvm. Yes, taking the stealth device early is quite important. Use target lock instead of focus tho.

If you were to go by averages stealth is probably better, but hull will save you from bad luck.

Both are kind of a waste of points on an Alpha though...

Against a x wing a squint should never be in arc. If you are jousting with an interceptor you arnt taking advantage of its dial and actions, at which point why take an interceptor?

Against a x wing a squint should never be in arc. If you are jousting with an interceptor you arnt taking advantage of its dial and actions, at which point why take an interceptor?

Thank you someone else speaking sense.

Jousting is pretty dumb, why waste the option of outmaneuvering your opponent?

Green dice are not your buddies they won't have your back when you need them, they sleep with your significant other.

It's best just to never need to roll.

Green dice are not your buddies they won't have your back when you need them, they sleep with your significant other.

It's best just to never need to roll.

Is this a new way of making an offering to the dice gods?

Let's peel it back a sec, what makes a good jouster?

Is it the combo of green dice and shields?

3 evade dice seems like a pretty solid thing to have.

Let's peel it back a sec, what makes a good jouster?

Is it the combo of green dice and shields?

3 evade dice seems like a pretty solid thing to have.

HAH!

you can roll 5 and still come up all blanks having shields is hands down the best option when jousting.

3 evade dice seems like a pretty solid thing to have.

Trusting green dice to save you is like trying to pay off your mortgage by going to the casino. Sure you might get lucky once and a while, but sooner or latter the odds catch up with you and you find yourself with either no ship or no house, depending on which one you're gambling on.

Just like the house always wins, in x-wing the red dice have the advantage of odds.

1 on 1 as said you shouldnt have your interceptor in the wings arc, you should be behind him and you should be a pig to shake.

The end game of a recent game i had was soontir fel chasing down wedge, just couldnt get him in arc and gradually got wore down, dispite R2D2 doing his hardest to keep shields up and weaving through asteroids

Let's peel it back a sec, what makes a good jouster?

Is it the combo of green dice and shields?

3 evade dice seems like a pretty solid thing to have.

The problem is that you can't really trust averages.

Ships with large hull points / shields, get a lot more consistent mileage out of those 3 evade dice (like the defender for example), because they can survive a bad roll, but interceptors can't. Anytime you screw and get into enemy's fire arc, even with a focus token, you are loosing the ship outright.

Lets see what the mathwingers have to say

It's a tricky question for two reasons: first, the discard-when-hit effect of the Stealth Device makes it difficult to answer analytically--it's far easier to answer by simulation, but I don't have the tools (or the time) to do that today.

But second, the answer depends quite a bit on your criteria. Posing it as "most likely to win a 1v1 versus a Rookie Pilot" helps, but even then there's actually a lot of wiggle room: how important is consistency to you? What action choices does each ship make? How aggressively do the two ships close with one another (that is, what shots are taken from which range bands)? Do you take crits into account, and if so which damage cards are drawn and when?

As a very general and approximate answer, my answer when Stealth Device and Shield Upgrade first came out was that the Shield Upgrade was more likely to earn back its points, but the difference was small on average.

But Stealth Device behaves weirdly, due to a couple of factors I won't go into deeply. Basically, stock TIEs only have three states, and they're ordered: unharmed, damaged, and dead. Taking a Hull Upgrade or Shield Upgrade moves you away from that dynamic and toward behaving more like a "real ship", while Stealth Device merely raises the bar to move from the unharmed state to the damaged state. Basically, you get a system where you lose if your Stealth Device falls early, but if it stays up for more than a couple of rounds you're very likely to win.