In anticipation of Wave 5, I thought I'd mess around a bit with the YT-2400 in squad builder.

While everyone knows exactly how deadly the Title + HLC can be (4 attack dice at ranges 2-3, in a 360 arc!), I am more intrigued by the possibilities opened by the barrel roll action. With a tiny bit of proper building, this is an incredibly maneuverable ship.

I may be the last person on Earth to notice this, but I thought I'd share it, just in case.

Dash Rendar — YT-2400 36
Expert Handling 2
"Leebo" 2
Total points: 40.
http://goo.gl/6SHpJe

Expert Handling allows Dash to barrel roll as a free action every turn. Since the YT-2400 has the barrel roll on its action bar, there is no penalty for this. As an added bonus, you get to remove an opponent's target lock. This gives Dash a nice bit of defense against ships with Fire Control System, and against ships with hire PS that use target locks. (If this Dash build becomes popular, it becomes a soft buff to Colonel Jendon)

Crewmember Leebo allows Dash to take a free Boost action, and then get an Ion token. Normally, this might be disastrous, but Dash is in a large ship, and so can afford to have 2 Ion tokens before running into trouble.

So by spending those 4 points, Dash becomes one of the most maneuverable ships in the game. And there are still a good many slots for upgrades. Lets take a look at exactly how fast this ship is. In a series of pictures in this album, I show what the Dashing About build can do on Turn 1:

(This is my kitchen table, with a tape measure to show scale. This table is about a quarter of an inch short of the full 36 inches of a regulation playing area.)

(I'm using the YT-1300 as a stand in for the YT-2400. It's more visually interesting than a base with nothing on it, and the YT-1300 is kind of used to being ignored for something flashier. Go ahead. It doesn't mind.

The range rulers are also provided for scale, to show what the starting areas would be like.)

(The YT-2400 is capable of a "white" 4 speed straight move. 2 Falcons are used here to show "before" and "after" maneuver.)

(DO A BARREL ROLL! *ahem* sorry. Here we can see the tiny bit more forward a barrel roll can push a ship. Every tiny bit helps!)

(And now... _BOOST_! The empty base in the middle is where the YT-2100 would start it's boost. I ran out of Falcons.
Leebo gives an Ion token for this. As far as I know, there is not any way of getting rid of Ion tokens at will.)

(Final position. The tape measure is once more added for scale. The YT-2400 is capable of covering _half the play area_ on it's first move- and can still take an action.)

(My Dog Branson is not- strictly speaking- relevant to this conversation. But he's adorable, so he's being added to this thread.)

I really dig what Fast Dash (still looking for a great name, here) can do, and love the fact that the two freighters in the YT series are so very different in their capabilities.

(Cross posted at the Google Plus Star Wars Minis community. http://goo.gl/6ZaEC3)

Edit: so both Leebo and EH are actions, and therefore not cards that can be used in the same turn. If, however, we swap out EH for PTL, it only costs 1 point more, and Dash can still barrel roll and Boost in the same turn.

Expert Handling is an action that then provides a free Barrel Roll. You still have to spend your action to trigger it.

Same with Leebo.

I believe you go farther with a 3 bank then a BR, as opposed to a 4 forward with a BR

I believe you go farther with a 3 bank then a BR, as opposed to a 4 forward with a BR

I'd have to game that one out.

Expert Handling is an action that then provides a free Barrel Roll. You still have to spend your action to trigger it.

Same with Leebo.

I see how you can get that from the wording on the cards, but it would make them both _significantly_ less useful than if they are free actions in and of themselves. I just checked the FAQ, and either missed it, or it isn't addressed. Do we know if FF have issued a ruling?

FFG doesn't really need to issue a ruling. Both of those cards say that they are actions so can't be used unless you have an action to spend on them. Expert Handling used to read "Perform a barrel-roll" now it reads "Perform a free barrel-roll action". It was changed because it was permitting double barrel-rolls.

You are right, Expert Handling is a fairly poor EPT.

Its good on porkins

You gain more distance if you boost at an angle first then barrel roll.

FFG doesn't really need to issue a ruling. Both of those cards say that they are actions so can't be used unless you have an action to spend on them. Expert Handling used to read "Perform a barrel-roll" now it reads "Perform a free barrel-roll action". It was changed because it was permitting double barrel-rolls.

You are right, Expert Handling is a fairly poor EPT.

Well nuts. There goes a perfectly good idea dashed to bits by my not quite reading closely enough.

Though for 1 point more, I can swap EH for PTL and get the same boost/barrel roll effect, though I don't lose a Target Lock, and I _do_ get a stress.

All the speed/maneuverability calculations remain the same, and people are pointing out that you can go further if you take slightly different versions of the same 2 actions.

FFG doesn't really need to issue a ruling. Both of those cards say that they are actions so can't be used unless you have an action to spend on them. Expert Handling used to read "Perform a barrel-roll" now it reads "Perform a free barrel-roll action". It was changed because it was permitting double barrel-rolls.

You are right, Expert Handling is a fairly poor EPT.

Well nuts. There goes a perfectly good idea dashed to bits by my not quite reading closely enough.

Though for 1 point more, I can swap EH for PTL and get the same boost/barrel roll effect, though I don't lose a Target Lock, and I _do_ get a stress.

All the speed/maneuverability calculations remain the same, and people are pointing out that you can go further if you take slightly different versions of the same 2 actions.

Costs more bit do this. Push, Engine Upgrade, Kyle Katarn Crew. Barrel roll and boost in any order (push requires the second action to be in your action bar), and always get a focus for clearing the stress. Not to mention, you don't get the ion token from Leebo, which means you drift and don't get your actions every two turns, which will be fatal to Dash.

Its good on porkins

And Tycho.

Yeah, Leebo (crew) is much less useful than he could be. He exists merely to provide a cheaper alternative to Engine Upgrade on Large Ships, really. Just plan it so that the turn you are ionized is a turn you're fine with moving 1 Straight.

He should have been a Boost action, but with a die roll of some sort giving a chance of ionizing.