Has anyone else found Bind's strength upgrades to be an un-fun and mechanically weak/uninteresting choice?

Edit for clarity: The setback dice can not stack, and can only increase in duration. Most of the time, few enemies survive more than 2 rounds of attack. So more than 1 application of 2 strength upgrades is sufficient for 95% of all combats. They are also very expensive for what they do, causing an inflation of xp for very little mechanical gain.

I just find them to be filler, uninteresting, and a drain for a Bind focused character. This is especially contrasted with strength upgrades for almost every other force power.

Has anyone else found Bind's strength upgrades to be an un-fun and mechanically weak/uninteresting choice?

I can see why you'd say that. I think it does have its place though, you could theoretically bind someone once and tack on a bunch of disorients and now they could have a debuff for the entire combat. Sure it's only one setback die, but it's only one of multiple effects for the power. I can see why you'd think it's not super 'exciting' though. Hmmm... I wonder what other options might look like.

Not really. If Bind is used in combat, that's a setback die that can't really be negated (the only talent that would currently allow you to negate setback dice from Bind is Sense Danger; Brace is limited to environmental effects, of which Force powers are not), and multiple Strength Upgrades (which can be triggered multiple times) means that setback die is going to hang around for more than just the initial round.

From a combat stand point you're right Dono, but the power is much more potent than simple combat.

Say an enemy engineer is about to fix the hyperdrive (or a slicer, or what have you) and you throw Bind on them to prevent them from doing what ever. There are plenty of talents that ignore copious setback dice. So it has a very minimal effect.

I'm away from book right now, but considering how much xp you have to invest, I just find them... weak, blah, filler.

From a combat stand point you're right Dono, but the power is much more potent than simple combat.

Say an enemy engineer is about to fix the hyperdrive (or a slicer, or what have you) and you throw Bind on them to prevent them from doing what ever. There are plenty of talents that ignore copious setback dice. So it has a very minimal effect.

I'm away from book right now, but considering how much xp you have to invest, I just find them... weak, blah, filler.

So don't activate the Strength Upgrades when not in combat, and save that Force Point for some other effect instead.

I think it's smart game design that not every upgrade for a power is "oh, I've so got to use this each time I use the power!"

I suppose what I've seen from my player is that the strength upgrades rarely come into play (the set back die is not a significant factor often in or out of combat) and the cumulative effect of the upgrade really don't matter, as the target of a bind is often dead within 2 turns regardless.

Having three, that to obtain the mastery you must take, and having them cumulative in the manner they are, has really been a non factor in the power use. Compared to other powers this is a waste of xp for a power option that at our table has been used once in about 15 activations.

Take the move power for instance. the strength upgrades are not a requisite for the other powers. so most people that take move rarely go past the second (again, at least at my and my gm friends tables).

Misdirect is similar to move, where the upgrades can be opted out of, so the player is left to decide how valuable they find the upgrades. (2 are required for the mastery upgrade, but that's 2 of 4 that can be avoided, a major difference).

Seek's strength upgrades are REALLY situational, but there are only 2. and they are only a choke point for one significant/signature ability, not two.

Sense, Protect, heal, Forsee, and battle meditation all have a direct impact on the success of the power/ extent of effect on the basic power.

So bind, is in an awkward position. The strength upgrades don't interact or improve the basic aspect of the power, their effect is only cumulative in terms of duration, so having more than two is of dubious benefit, and they are mandatory requisites for two of the power's signature abilities.

I don't disagree that situational upgrades are good game design, but those should still be viable choices and not tax choices to make further upgrades and powers more expensive just for the sake of being more expensive.