Borrowing the name from the LCG card game faction, just like S&V did.

The starter could contain Thomas and Ace Azzameen in their YT-2000 (smuggler) and Jan in a Hawk (spy). It could include a YT-1300 refit (Aeron in the 1300) and a YT-2400 refit for smugglers. Also a Lambda refit and extra Hawk refit for the spies.

Some ideas:

• New Han, Lando and Dash pilots on the smuggler side.
• Spies could include those that worked for either side, Koth Melan (Bothan spy leader), Garindan (the goggle guy that ratted out the heroes in A New Hope.)
• We can have the titles for the Otana, Selu, Jade (shuttle the bothans used) and maybe Tyderium.

But what would they bring to the table that the other factions don't have?

• Both would obviously have a focus on crew. Smugglers almost always have a sidekick or two, spies tend to work within larger organizations with teams.

For the smugglers:

• I think efficiency would be the name of the game. Things like doubling up on tokens/actions and lowering the costs of some things. They would have to come with penalties as well though risking the ships with their ‘modifications’.
• A lot more Porkins style risk vs. rewards.
• Based on the type of ships, turrets would also be a focus.
• Illicit upgrades.

For the spies:

• Data gathering and messing with other players maneuvering and timing would be important.
• They could also focus on things that limit opponent’s actions.
• If anyone else ends up with a stealth ship, it will be these guys. I like the idea of stealth support ships. You can’t tell where they are going be messing with you.

What do you guys think?

I like the idea. I'd love for wave 5 to get here first though. I'm still a bit sore it isn't out yet.

Edit. I don't think I would want the primary focus to be turrets though with the smugglers. There are already a lot of people who are a bit cross about that sort of thing.

NOOOOOoooooo!

Next faction will be Bothans & Ewoks!

I understand the logic in terms of using LCG for faction forecasting, but, for X-Wing purposes, wouldn't it make more sense to lump those guys in with S&V - essentially they are unaffiliated (neither Rebels or Imperials) - I mean, Mos Eisely was a wretched hive of scum and villainy and a beloved smuggler was found there (and he shot first)

Thats a good point also. It isn't a hard leap to make S&V the neutral faction that isn't Empire or Rebels.

I hate the idea. But given the lack of smuggler love in the current S&V line up, a smug and pies faction is plausible, with rebel crossover in the yt-classes and some imperial crossover in the spies catergory.

In before bothans.

I for one hope we don't get another faction - S&V, as said above is essentially the neutral faction, where else can you really go with this game before getting civi craft with no weapons? Honestly, you'll have to start poaching Clone Wars era or wait and see what happens with JJ

I understand the logic in terms of using LCG for faction forecasting, but, for X-Wing purposes, wouldn't it make more sense to lump those guys in with S&V - essentially they are unaffiliated (neither Rebels or Imperials) - I mean, Mos Eisely was a wretched hive of scum and villainy and a beloved smuggler was found there (and he shot first)

It makes sense, but it doesn't seem like that is the place that FFG is going with the faction. Currently it is all bounty hunters, crime lords and pirates. Emon is border case.

I don't think I want a faction where Han Solo is flying on the same side as Boba Fett.

So essentially an entire faction based around large ships and turrets? To borrow a quote, "I don't think this plan was thought through very well." Or if we want to stay with Star Wars, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Leaving aside whether it's a good idea or not, I doubt we're going to see one any time soon. The Azzameens would seem to have been a natural fit for a Smuggler faction. Getting Emon in S&V points pretty strongly to FFG not planning to do that faction any time soon.

So essentially an entire faction based around large ships and turrets? To borrow a quote, "I don't think this plan was thought through very well." Or if we want to stay with Star Wars, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Leaving aside whether it's a good idea or not, I doubt we're going to see one any time soon. The Azzameens would seem to have been a natural fit for a Smuggler faction. Getting Emon in S&V points pretty strongly to FFG not planning to do that faction any time soon.

A. With the YTs, the Rebels already are being played like that anyway. The smugglers faction would just add in a risk vs. reward element.

B. Emon was a wildchild, and he was the only one in the family that flew something unusual. The rest of the family all flew YTs. I think Galin would be better as a crew card though.

A. With the YTs, the Rebels already are being played like that anyway. The smugglers faction would just add in a risk vs. reward element.

Yes, and a lot of people think that's an absolutely horrible thing for the game. The goal should be to fix that, not create another faction that turns it up to 11.

B. Emon was a wildchild, and he was the only one in the family that flew something unusual. The rest of the family all flew YTs. I think Galin would be better as a crew card though.

There's nothing in Emon's background or story that makes him the least bit pirate-like, and merely flying a Firespray probably doesn't qualify one as a bounty hunter. I suppose it's possible they were just digging for another Firespray pilot, there are probably any number of other choices for that. In the end, if they were planning a Smugglers faction Emon would have been an obvious choice for it over Scum, and I find that telling.

Dear god no. The only thing I see is that "I don't want the YT-1300 in Rebels", which is a pathetic argument. Not to mention there is ONE new ship. Using the LCG as a point of reason continues to miss the point. You have to play the game to understand that Factions there are very important to the game design, and that the LCG, duality is a part of it. And building a faction with just one original ship is frankly bad design.

That duality isn't needed here. Just because they use Scum, doesn't mean the more light sided options can't fit into it. Outside of the Scyk, they are pretty much making the more popular options first, just like the original factions. The Virago and the ESB Bounty Hunter ships will likely get made before many of the more obscure ones. The only reason they didn't do another BH ship is because they didn't want to release a bunch of Large ships at once.

I'll be interested to see if FFG has any out of the box missions / rules with S&V that deal with three factions on the table at one time. If they don't, then I would have even a harder time seeing a 4th faction, in terms of both game play logistics as well as content availability.

I think we have enough smuggler and spy types in the game already and any they do add should probably fall under S&V both spying and smuggling being ILLEGAL in civilized cultures. We certainly don't need TWO different factions of criminals.

If they were going to add another faction I'd prefer something along the lines of CorSec, system defense forces or maybe one of the Allied Regions, something that is organised and disciplined like Empire without being cold heartless bastards about it.

Right now this is how I see it: The Empire is lawful but evil, the Rebellion is good but chaotic, the Scum are chaotic and evil... so if they add something it should be along the lines of lawful and good. Smugglers and Spies are not lawful good types.

Anyways while I'm ambivalent about the possibility of a fourth faction in general; I'm vehemently opposed to "Smugglers" being a faction. So, no. No smugglers.

Dear god no. The only thing I see is that "I don't want the YT-1300 in Rebels", which is a pathetic argument.

Where did you see that?

Also, I was describing just the base set, which if you'll notice has more new ships than the S&V base set. Obviously there would be expansions, for which there is a ton of material to pull from.

It isn't just the LCG, in pretty much all other Star Wars media there is a significant difference between the Scum types and the Scoundrel types. There are people Han would never work with and jobs he would never knowingly take.

Personally I find that there is a pretty large dichotomy in all the SW media between a scoundrel smuggler and a villanous bounty hunter.

A. With the YTs, the Rebels already are being played like that anyway. The smugglers faction would just add in a risk vs. reward element.

Yes, and a lot of people think that's an absolutely horrible thing for the game. The goal should be to fix that, not create another faction that turns it up to 11.

B. Emon was a wildchild, and he was the only one in the family that flew something unusual. The rest of the family all flew YTs. I think Galin would be better as a crew card though.

There's nothing in Emon's background or story that makes him the least bit pirate-like, and merely flying a Firespray probably doesn't qualify one as a bounty hunter. I suppose it's possible they were just digging for another Firespray pilot, there are probably any number of other choices for that. In the end, if they were planning a Smugglers faction Emon would have been an obvious choice for it over Scum, and I find that telling.

Yeah I think the main reason was because of the firespray. It wouldn't really fit well in a smuggler faction. That said he was definitely the most agressive and violent of the bunch. His brother and sister were much more 'good' than he was.

NOOOOOoooooo!

Next faction will be Bothans & Ewoks!

All Bothans are spies. And, there is proof Ewoks allied with smugglers against the Empire.

So Bothans & Ewoks and Spies & Smugglers... They are the same....

*SMILE*

At this point, I think the only way we see more factions, is it the game loses a "set" timeline, and just becomes a general star wars space attack game. Then you could add prequel factions, sequel factions, even go back to the old republic if you really want I suppose.

There has been similar threads to this. As I said this is my idea just using the 3rd faction(S&V) as sort of mercenaries and you sort of end up with 2 more faction the hybird factions if you may.

Well as I said before if you make it so that the 3rd faction can act as mercenaries you essentially can add 2 more factions.

1. Rebel Alliance (pure Rebels)
2. Rouges and Smugglers (Rebels with S&V mercenaries)
3. Scum and Villainy (pure 3rd faction Scum and Villainy)
4. Corporate Sector Authority (Imperials with S&V mercenaries)
5. Galactic Empire (pure Imperials)

Here is a point limit chart so that the R&S and CSA will be mostly rebels or imperials. All 3rd faction pilot cards and any upgrade cards attached to 3rd faction ships will count to the mercenary point limit. S&V only cards cannot be used with R&S and CSA but R&S can use Rebel Only upgrades and CSA can use Imperial only upgrades. The mercenary point limit will be based on the overall squadron point value (which includes mercenary ships.)

Squadron point value, mercenary point limit:

less than 60 points, no more than 15 points;

60 to 74 points, no more than 20 points;

75 to 99 points, no more than 30 points;

100 points or more, no more than 40 points;

Note that this will allow a naked scum boba fet in a CSA squadron but the CSA must have 100 points so either they put a 1 point upgrade on Scum Fet and have exactly 60 points of Imperials or naked Scum Fet and 61 points of Imperials. As for those tiny CSA and R&S squadrons for small games of 60 points or less there is the obligatory scumZie-95 with enough room for a cheap missile.

Also here is a restricted list not for balance but mainly for theme. (It would just seem wired to have Boba and Han on the same team since they are practically mortal enemies.)

• S&V Boba fet pilot and crew cards cannot be in a R&S Squadron.
• S&V Lando Carlisian(when/if released) cannot be in a CSA squadron.
• S&V Hans Solo (when/if released) cannot be in a CSA Squadron, also he cannot be in a squadron that has either Boba Fet pilot or crew card or Greedo pilot or crew card.
• VT-49 Decimator cannot be in a CSA squadron (because lore-wise VT-49s were reserved for privileged Imperial officers that earn the Emperor's favor)

Let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we? Scum don't even have a second wave yet and there's already proposals for yet another faction?

Yeah, Imperial Fett didn't stop them from making a S&V faction but having one of the Azzameen as Scum and Villainy tells me this is more about independents and pirates on the fringe of the Galactic Civil war than just anyone connected with Black Sun or whom are bounty hunters. In fact even just the presence of those two independent groups under one banner is kind of telling. Their playstyle is independent too, so this is more like an alliance of convenience if anything.

Besides what else is there to cover in the Galactic Civil War? Hapes and their three starfighters? Seperatist Holdouts? The Yventha?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we? Scum don't even have a second wave yet and there's already proposals for yet another faction?

Yeah, Imperial Fett didn't stop them from making a S&V faction but having one of the Azzameen as Scum and Villainy tells me this is more about independents and pirates on the fringe of the Galactic Civil war than just anyone connected with Black Sun or whom are bounty hunters. In fact even just the presence of those two independent groups under one banner is kind of telling. Their playstyle is independent too, so this is more like an alliance of convenience if anything.

Besides what else is there to cover in the Galactic Civil War? Hapes and their three starfighters? Seperatist Holdouts? The Yventha?

All the ships from the X-Wing Series. There were tons in Alliance.