You're looking for this thread . But even there, we're all out of ideas on how EI could actually work with R5-D8 to make it viable. It does make it less bad, but not by a lot, and at great cost, too!

I think you guys are missing the picture. R5-D8's effect (and I'd argue, R2-F2 as well) is always very useful when needed and when it triggers. But it chomps off a good chance of being productive in the combat phase in the same round it's used. Choosing between exclusive choices of fighting well and maybe having a boon is an obvious one - just keep fighting. At least with EI, you get to keep the fight as well as usual and sometimes, you'll get this bonus too.

I think R5-D8 is Is decent in epic. I ran him on Biggs and R2-D2 on Corran to make them tanky. Used GR-75 comms boosters to keep focus tokens on him. My green R5 die was also pretty hot as I got a hull point back 4 consecutive turns, which totally defies odds

Experimental interface will make the action spending upgrades more efficient.

However there is another droid that doesn't get used much.

Experimental interface will make the action spending upgrades more efficient.

More efficient, but you're risking a failure (and 1 in 3 at that), taking a stress regardless, and paying 3 points for the privilege. EI works wonders on F2 though.

I would rather have a generic 3 pt FCS version of an R2 astro than use R5-K6. Relying on dice is just horrible. Considering B-wings have FCS it's already something that is not really broken in the game system.

Experimental interface will make the action spending upgrades more efficient.

However there is another droid that doesn't get used much.

I would duct tape one of these droids to every Interceptor that I ever fly.

That droid would be pretty sweet if it let you cancel any number of hits that would take you below 1 hull, receive a stress for each hit canceled, and discard then discard the droid card. It seems like getting 3 uncanceled hits is probably kind of rare (if crits don't count).

Experimental interface will make the action spending upgrades more efficient.

However there is another droid that doesn't get used much.

I would duct tape one of these droids to every Interceptor that I ever fly.

That droid would be pretty sweet if it let you cancel any number of hits that would take you below 1 hull, receive a stress for each hit canceled, and discard then discard the droid card. It seems like getting 3 uncanceled hits is probably kind of rare (if crits don't count).

Yeah it is good only against high attack ships like B-wings and phantoms and only on high health ships that will take allot of fire. So a Y-wing could benefit from it. Biggs just gets every 2 shot attack from the board so it won't keep him alive for much longer. (Personaly I think the best way to fly Biggs is with no upgrades.)

and yes crits don't cancel. So it is more of an anti-HLC/autoblaster.

Experimental interface will make the action spending upgrades more efficient.

However there is another droid that doesn't get used much.

This one will get used more often as damage creeps higher.

If there are 3 uncancelled [booms], you get to cancel one of them.

If there are 4 uncancelled [booms], you get to cancel two.

Et cetera, et cetera.

The best use for this droid is in a Y-Wing you want to keep alive, as you're less likely to cancel dice on your own.

X-Wings currently don't face enough dice to expect 3 uncanceled retorts.

You're looking for this thread . But even there, we're all out of ideas on how EI could actually work with R5-D8 to make it viable. It does make it less bad, but not by a lot, and at great cost, too!

I think you guys are missing the picture. R5-D8's effect (and I'd argue, R2-F2 as well) is always very useful when needed and when it triggers. But it chomps off a good chance of being productive in the combat phase in the same round it's used. Choosing between exclusive choices of fighting well and maybe having a boon is an obvious one - just keep fighting. At least with EI, you get to keep the fight as well as usual and sometimes, you'll get this bonus too.

Well our dilemma was more related to the fact that it's strictly inferior to R5-P9. You can just focus and not use it, you recharge a shield, you go on fighting as you say. It's only 3pts and it doesn't give you stress. I was hoping we could find a niche where R5-D8 would be more useful, but apart from getting you up to max 5HP (vs. R5-P9 4HP), I'm not getting any ideas.

Here is my solution for R5-D8.

R5-D8

• Card text now reads: Once per turn, after you remove a stress token, you may discard 1 of your facedown Damage cards.

R5-D8 FAQ:

• If removing a stress causes multiple effects to trigger simultaneously (like triggering R5-D8 with Porkins' ability), then the player may chose which order to resolve the effects. Effects with the timing immediately must be resolved before R5-D8.

You can read the full rationale on this post in my House Rules thread.

As an imperial player I think astromech are fine at current prices, and perhaps should be raised 5 points each.

Not because they are overpowered but because you rebel scum don't deserve nice things!!!

I actually find R5D8 to be reasonably priced for what it does. It also pairs very nicely with it's Pilot (Porkins) which is essentially the Rebels' TIE Defender. My only gripe I've got with R5D8 is the requirement of an Action. If the text read "Once per round, after taking an action, you may... (instead of Action)...then receive 1 Stress" then it would probably be fielded more. Being a random effect I wish it currently had the R5-Astromech ability built into it; that in addition to possibly of repairing the damage would be totally worth an Action and the additional cost of EI or PTL on certain pilots.

I really don't have any hope for some of these older crappy astromechs. . . I mean they are only used on X, Y, and E wings, and they can simply come out with better droids instead of messing with the old ones (see: r5-p9, r7-t1, etc). Droids like R5-D8 aren't worth fixing when they can simply introduce a new droid that does the same job better or with lower cost, or a pilot that somehow has synergy with the droid (see: Porkins).

I think R5-D8 is fine the way it is yes it sucks it costs an action and relies on dice but so does R5-P9 in a way for this droid to work you also have to fly away to not be shot at so you don't have to spend the focus on green dice and hope to not use it for attack to get back a shield so I don't think we really need to change him. In a way with Experiment Interface coming out R5-D8 could be a better then R5-P9

The trouble with R5-K6 is we have been spoiled with FCS at the least I think the card should be changed to include focus results or just change it to read the same as FCS

Just my thoughts on the matter

I think R5-D8 is fine the way it is yes it sucks it costs an action and relies on dice but so does R5-P9 in a way for this droid to work you also have to fly away to not be shot at so you don't have to spend the focus on green dice and hope to not use it for attack to get back a shield so I don't think we really need to change him. In a way with Experiment Interface coming out R5-D8 could be a better then R5-P9

The trouble with R5-K6 is we have been spoiled with FCS at the least I think the card should be changed to include focus results or just change it to read the same as FCS

Just my thoughts on the matter

R5-K6 has been unpopular since before the FCS, and really only ever saw use with "Dutch".

I think R5-D8 is fine the way it is yes it sucks it costs an action and relies on dice but so does R5-P9 in a way for this droid to work you also have to fly away to not be shot at so you don't have to spend the focus on green dice and hope to not use it for attack to get back a shield so I don't think we really need to change him. In a way with Experiment Interface coming out R5-D8 could be a better then R5-P9

The difference between R5-D8 and R5-P9 is that R5-P9 is 3 points that'll actually do something instead of a complete waste of time (rng pending). R5-P9 is basically better in every possible way than R5-D8, with the older model having a mere two advantages in 1.) occurs before combat (if you roll well and if you took damage to your hull) and 2.) Carnor Jax, I guess. Simply having R5-P9's the shield recovery occur 100% of time when spending focus makes it incomparably superior.

Not to mention you can get additional focus on the droid bearing ship, Garven and Kyle (HWK) being the most obvious.

Finally, let us remember that R5-D8 + E.I will bring a rookie pilot 1 point over Garven, 1 shy of Luke, and 2 points shy of Wedge.