Actually, with those arcs, the only blind spot is behind the ship.

Also, I'm pretty sure those ten disks are space mines going by the art.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Space_mine

Possibly ion mines.

COOOLL,!!

The two firing arcs also seem to imply an overlap around the center flank, so if you equipped two weapons you could theoretically double tap a target that was unfortunate enough to land in the bull's eye.

So the question now is, is this the only Epic Imperial we're getting? If it is, that's fine. But if there's more, I guarantee it will be a bigger one.

Why would they get a smaller ship? There no real design slot between the Decimator and the Raider now. A support ship? Lamba's all over that. I highly doubt there will be another big box Imperial release. At least not until Wave 6 get theirs.

It is a little difficult to say in what way the design space is used, because we don't know what exactly the Raider does yet.

True but it seems a little optimized for shooting things. ;P

But seriously.

Imperials already have a large based support ship (Lambda) and a large base combat vessel (Decimator) that has more health than the transport, even after the retrofit is factored in. Rebels needed a large support ship, and they got it. Imperials have no such need as the Lambda is all over that, and Imperials will be hard pressed to put in a vessel smaller than the Raider but bigger than the Decimator in a offensive role. I won't say with %100 certainty, but i find it highly unlikely that since FFG had to create a ship from scratch to satisfactorily fill the Huge ship spot, they'll have to come up with something else from scratch. I just don't see them starting to pull brand new ship designs out every time they want to put something new into the game.

I will be surprised if there isn't another Epic size Imperial Ship. With Epic rules allowing a max of 5 epic points, this will leave 2 points that couldn't be used if the Raider is Epic 3 just like the Tantive 4.

For all of you nerding out at the solar panels(I do too so no judgment) maybe they're radiator panels? Sinking heat is a huge problem in space. Eveytime I hear "solar panel" when someone is talking about TIEs I always mentally sub "radiator panels" to quiet my nerd rage at the ridiculousness(**** spelling that word breaks my brain) of solar panels in deep space.

What do you make of those firing arcs?

You see, as with most, their blind spot is...

DIRECTLY BEHIND THEM!

For those who continue to ask if Vader can use the new upgrade, read the article, it says ... basically... that he can. Read the last paragraph.. it makes it very obvious, so no FAQ needed, its designed to be used on ALL the advanced ships...

Lets hear it for the Tin Triangle

The ship looks fantastic. I love that they developed their own ship rather than trying to ram something in that doesn't quite fit (obligatory Lancer joke)

Yeah, I think it looks right. My mates are very down on it, but I think they might change their tune when then see it in the flesh. ( in the hull ? )

I can't wait for this and will be advance ordering one this weekend. I have been dying to do a proper game of epic. In addition I think I will need another advanced. I only have 1 currently, for Vader, and will defy proxy the cards in my next game.

I think the Advanced repaint is a steel blue, sort of like the bombers when they showed up in Empire.

And as for the panels on the Raider...ablative shielding maybe? The thing fits inside the primary hangar of an Imperial Star Destroyer, so it's small enough to warrant extra defensive measures.

Spaced Armor? it's a thing.

I like the design of the ship, it almost looks good. But those **** wings ruin it. What purpose could those serve ? it's like that one kid at school that gets a little ole 4 cylinder car all decked out and puts a 5 foot tall spoiler on the back, then paints flames on the front. Cause it's a scientific fact that flames make your car go faster.

If they had left those wings off it would of been perfect. Someone at LFL was asleep at the wheel when they approved this. They go on and on about keeping in touch with the movies and the trying to keep that design. And they pull this thing out. It would of felt like part of the same design tree or whatever you call it had they not put those wings on the ship.

It looks like a hybrid between a Kuati warship and a Sienar attack craft. Which is, when you think about it, its role. Looking like an ISD/TIE fighter hybrid isn't all that inappropriate. Better than just a mini Star Destroyer.

Anybody notice the new -- no, actually new -- target lock tokens? Think they're paired for the Advanced Targeting System? It looks like a mini TIE/Adv instead of lettering this time. But there's only the one pair so idk.

More likely scenario tokens.

That's a lot more than in willing to pay for a fix since I don't play epic. Plus not sure how I feel about them just inventing ships to meet the needs

I'm wondering if this is gonna be 2 epic points or 3. If it's 2, we're all doomed...

Im guessing 4, and the gozanti will be 1. Just to be different than the CR90+GR75 combo

Again, 4 Epic points has the problem of the Team Epic format. In Team Epic, each player has only 3 epic points to spend, though the team as a whole has no limit. So a 4 epic point ship cannot be used in the format. This has been the problem with a 4 EP ship ever since they first announced the format back when the transport came out.

They had this format because they didn't have any epic ship. It's very easy to modify tournament rules once they need a 4pt Epic ship. Just call it a share epic points pool, or whatever. Hardly a reason to expect them not to make a 4pt Epic.

I'm all but certain this is a 3 Epic Point Ship and if there's a Gozanti it'll be one. Don't think of it .numerically, think of it as you can run two huge ships and it's either one big one and one small one or two small ones. They did it numerically because it's an easier explanation.

A 4 Epic Point ship would lock you out of using the smaller ship, you might as well use 5 epic points. Considering the CR-90 eats up between a third and a half of your squad points in Epic a 4 or 5 epic point ship would have to be significantly more powerful. Considering the Tantive and the Raider already sit at the top of the scale it's not going to a be a 4 EP ship. It might cost more squad points but it won't be four epic points and lock you out of using a smaller Imperial Huge if they make one.

Do I hear a counterpoint? That a 4 Epic point ship could team up with 1 Epic Point ship?

Anyone thinking about that, think carefully. If a ship costs one epic point, you can run five of them, six in team epic. The Transport costs 30 points and they capped it at two. Why? Because five of them would be able to snowplough the board clean of small and large ships! A huge ship's base is a death ram, which is why you're capped at two of them. Five would be ridiculous.

That's a lot more than in willing to pay for a fix since I don't play epic. Plus not sure how I feel about them just inventing ships to meet the needs

Every ship in Star Wars was invented to meet a need.

That's a lot more than in willing to pay for a fix since I don't play epic. Plus not sure how I feel about them just inventing ships to meet the needs

So what, every video game that came along shouldn't have made new ships to fill the roles of their own stories and mechanical needs? X-wing may not have it's own ongoing story, but it has us. I mean c'mon HWK, YT-2400, Phantom were all just mistakes of other companies adding in things that didn't belong? And you should get into Epic, it's a lot of fun and a nice break from the casual/standard death matches.

I really, really don't like the Raider, and unlike a lot of you guys, I'm not at all happy with the model. I think FFG are wrong when they claim no Imp ships are comparable in size to the corellian corvette. Take the Imperial Customs Corvette for instance: http://www.moddb.com/mods/foc-alliance-22x/images/custom-corvette1

Its only 30 meters longer than the CR90, so I can't really see the size being a problem. Its a cool looking ship, at least in my opinion, that is part of the EU.

Personally I find it mildly condesending that they would assume an Imp. ship would need to be wedgeshaped for people to realize its Imperial. To make matters worse they decide to put those absolutely ridiculouslooking wings/panels on there that look like giant interceptorwings to drive the point home. Alright I get it. Its Imperial.

And I'm sorry, but what in the world would the Emperor or Tarkin for that matter be doing on a ship that small unless to transport them under ridiculous amounts of fightersupport from one huge ship to another? I highly doubt you would ever have found Churchill or Eisenhower on a small torpedoboat during WWII.

All that being said: I will most likely buy a Raider anyway, but I was expecting something very different from this release, and as a result I'm more dissapointed than psyched right now.

The Emperor or Tarkin wouldn't use the corvette, but a Lambda shuttle pretty sure, once in a while....!

whoop there it is, whoop there it is!!!

or more recent,

im so happy,

clap along if you feel like an advanced with an upgrade slot....

clap along if you feel like the emperor is your friend....

im so happy.....................

Anybody notice the new -- no, actually new -- target lock tokens? Think they're paired for the Advanced Targeting System? It looks like a mini TIE/Adv instead of lettering this time. But there's only the one pair so idk.

More likely scenario tokens.

whoop there it is, whoop there it is!!!

or more recent,

im so happy,

clap along if you feel like an advanced with an upgrade slot....

clap along if you feel like the emperor is your friend....

im so happy.....................

clap along if you're getting some minions on the 25th....

Holly crow ; been away for awhile and felt a strong disturbance in the Schwartz...Woot-Hoo yeah baby an Epic Imperial ship...Makes my wallet cry out in a thousand voices that echos into the void of space..Soooooooon.....

Imperial Customs Corvette

Tremble before the destructive might of...

...Imperial Customs and Excise.

The Emperor or Tarkin wouldn't use the corvette, but a Lambda shuttle pretty sure, once in a while....!

Tarkin has a corvette in the new book about him.

I just feel so content. This announcement is better than I hoped it would be!

Anybody notice the new -- no, actually new -- target lock tokens? Think they're paired for the Advanced Targeting System? It looks like a mini TIE/Adv instead of lettering this time. But there's only the one pair so idk.

More likely scenario tokens.

Nah, definitely target locks I reckon, and definitely looks like some sort of symbol other than a letter to me.

Would hope those crew cards are huge ship only cards. Have to figure out what crew cards we have now to put on it.

Release mid-late April.

No way, the Emperor belongs on a shuttle!

I like the design of the ship, it almost looks good. But those **** wings ruin it. What purpose could those serve ? it's like that one kid at school that gets a little ole 4 cylinder car all decked out and puts a 5 foot tall spoiler on the back, then paints flames on the front. Cause it's a scientific fact that flames make your car go faster.

If they had left those wings off it would of been perfect. Someone at LFL was asleep at the wheel when they approved this. They go on and on about keeping in touch with the movies and the trying to keep that design. And they pull this thing out. It would of felt like part of the same design tree or whatever you call it had they not put those wings on the ship.

Have.