First, my prerequisite ideas, and their logics.

It is easier to keep an enemy behind you than it is to keep them in front of you.

• Due to the mechanics of flight in this game, and the way that the game is initially set up (opposing sides), keeping an enemy in front of you is fighting against inertia. Both of you are moving forward, so anything done slightly incorrectly causes you to miss your mark.

• However, if you are trying to keep your opponent behind you, you know that their inertia is carrying them towards your current plane. At this point, any maneuver will keep you in front of them for at least one turn, so you only have to pick the one with the best chance to repeat this positioning next turn as well.

The Aux Arc on a Firespray is substantially easier to aim than the Prime Arc.

• Unless you Koiogran, every maneuver you place will be able to target your starting position out of the rear arc. When cycling through possible maneuvers, you can now think of your aux firing arc as pivoting on your current position, rather than the wide fanning that comes out of your primary.

• Moreover, as it is easier to keep an enemy behind you, you have a net of greater probability to catch their final maneuvers, rather than the thin slices of any non-head-to-head primary arc guesswork.

  • Incidentally, this is how to make the Imperial Boba Fett powerful. If he's in front and has the higher PS, the two bank possibilities can cover your every position. Even moreso with mobile upgrades, like Navigator or Engine Upgrade.

Unless you are using Cannonry, there is no advantage to using your Primary more than your Secondary, save that every other ship does so.

Now, to my question.

If the aux arc is so potent, particularly with the Scum Kath coming up, would you want to spend the Alpha-strike round (the first round of combat) with a Koiogran?

• The Koiograns thrust you forward, into a good firing position, but also ensure that you're doing so with your rear firing arc, meaning that subsequent turns net you better options and more consistent damage.
• You normally take a Stress and a loss of action for this privilege, but this is solved by Adrenaline Rush or an Outlaw Tech.

Thoughts?

You, sir, have convinced me to test-run Outlaw Tech on Kath.

I've definitely been thinking about FS K-turns since the Scum stuff was previewed, except it was Emon because of bomb-slinging. This is fun, and shaves 14pts of HLC out of my WIP Boba/Kath list. Heck, might even run Kath/Emon getaway drivers now.

MIND BLOWN!!!

Um this is a great idea! I have never thought of it this way and I think you are dead on. I normally play on the kitchen table, so sometimes it takes until turn 3 before anybody is in range of anybody (I like high point games on big tables) but even on a smaller table I think it would be best not to flip at the start because you wont have a whole lot of room to manuver in before you run into the edge of the table and limit your options. I think that if you can put yourself some distance from the edge then flip around and keep the targets in your rear arc that this would do just fine.

I know what list Im gonna run next time I play!

Dude, that's awesome. I run 3x Bounty Hunters once in a while and "let's moon 'em" is going into my bag of tricks.

"let's moon 'em"

I'm trying this on Vassal right now, that was my EXACT thought when I did the maneuvers. Heh.

I have found when flying a Firespray, that on occasion, I am better suited to shoot from behind.. so I have on occasion moved to get that arc active. As a tactic for the entire game, I had not thought of though.. interesting.. hmmm.. maybe I try the 3 Firesprays friday before the Tourney on Saturday. lolz

"let's moon 'em"

I'm trying this on Vassal right now, that was my EXACT thought when I did the maneuvers. Heh.

Butt first.

--

I am inspired to now practice the firespray by pretending i can only fire out the rear arc now. I've always been terrible at that ship.

"let's moon 'em"

I'm trying this on Vassal right now, that was my EXACT thought when I did the maneuvers. Heh.

Butt first.

--

I am inspired to now practice the firespray by pretending i can only fire out the rear arc now. I've always been terrible at that ship.

Kath Scarlet/Break the Holonet?

As I mentioned earlier 'Kaths Derriere' is deadly. Scum Kath, VI and Outlaw Tech can cause some serious grief to your opponent if you k-turn on the first firing round.

edit: link fixed

The skunk maneuver?

I love it.

Scum Kath, VI and Outlaw Tech

Heh, I'm running [53] Kath, VI, Outlaw Tech, Proton Bomb, Hot Shot, Failsafe

aaand proton bomb just caught Dash and a Tala, Sensor Array and Damaged Engine.

I'm in love.

Wait.. I thought Munitions Failsafe didn't work on bombs..

Wait.. I thought Munitions Failsafe didn't work on bombs..

It's for the Hotshot. Originally my Boba+Emon lists only had Hot Shot on him, as a phantom counter, and it sometimes whiffs phantom shots.

Lost, oh well. Freaking Dash with Lando EI, he wants to go slow to destress, and I want to go slow to keep the rear arc in. Kath killed Wedge and a Tala, though, that rear "HLC" is so many kinds of nasty, especially with a bomb to amp it.

Wait.. I thought Munitions Failsafe didn't work on bombs..

It doesn't.

It does work on the hotshot blaster.

got it.. didn't even think about the hotshot.. lol.. good idea.. never even considered it..

got it.. didn't even think about the hotshot.. lol.. good idea.. never even considered it..

Seems like FFG invented "Hot Shot" Blaster to make the previously useless card Munitions Failsafe useful.

Oh my goodness. Best thread 2015

Oh my goodness. Best thread 2015

We're not even done with January, that's a bold move.

Interesting. Here's a quick list I threw together to test the concept.

Kath Scarlet (Scum) (38)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Outlaw Tech (2)

N'Dru Suhlak (17)
Lone Wolf (2)
Inertial Dampeners (1)

Mandalorian Mercenary (35)
Bodyguard (2)
Outlaw Tech (2)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

The main downside I see is something you pointed out in the OP:

When you maneuver, you know that the rear arc will have your starting position in arc.

The flipside is this:

When you imagine your forward arc, you know that as long as you reach the opponent's original position, ignoring boost/barrel roll, you will have them within your forward arc.

In other words, you have less assurance that you're going to have the opponent in your arc, and the lower PS Firesprays will suffer more from the need to predict the intent.

(The higher PS guys are moving later, so they have almost an intrinsic block for their rear arc)

And the other downside is, if you keep someone in your rear arc, they get a shot at you for almost every round they're there. Scum Kath can probably out-damage every enemy ship in these circumstances, but I think most Firesprays would rather not be shot at so much.

I think there is a better way to get them in your rear arc. Just turn wide in the clash turn and boost for a more than 90 degree turn. You still use your action to boost but are not stressed. You just can't be too close to begin with.

By the way it's a great analysis, but it's not really new. And it works against anything but turret ships. Anything with a single arc has to chase you, or not fight you, in which case you chase them. And that's also a non-option for them...

Wait people aren't already playing like this? I never put a cannon on the firespray because I use the rear arc, paired up with defenders it's next to impossible to arc dodge me.

I just figured most people already used that fantastic rear arc.

Seen 2 Firesprays K turn second round showing there backs to a Tie Swam. It looked like a dumb idea to me but then next turn he droped 2 bombs into the path of the on coming tie swam. one of the best tactics I've ever seen.

There was an old game called Star Control. One of the ships, the Spathi Eluder, used Backwards Utilizing Tracking Torpedoes (B.U.T.T missiles). This reminds me of that.

You, sir, have convinced me to test-run Outlaw Tech on Kath.

I've definitely been thinking about FS K-turns since the Scum stuff was previewed, except it was Emon because of bomb-slinging. This is fun, and shaves 14pts of HLC out of my WIP Boba/Kath list. Heck, might even run Kath/Emon getaway drivers now.

Outlaw Tech + Stay on Target on scum Kath is very solid