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
It's going to be a total PITA getting mileage out of Lone Wolf with two large bases on a 3x3.
The tactic is very effective with a PS10 Boba against Phantoms. Give him an Engine Upgrade and select a bank move. You will almost always have that Phantom in the rear arc after you have moved and can light it up BEFORE it can recloak :-)
I have found a Gunner on Firesprays played this way to be the choice of crew, although a Rebel Captive is a solid pick as well.
this is a great idea! I usually try to get the rear arc in use after The alpha because I want them chasing me for the very reasons you state. Doing it from the get go might be better.
I've been planning to run various Kath/Emon lists, partially for this very reason (mixing in goodies like Outlaw Tech, VI, Stay on Target, all depending on what points are available). I think the aux arc will make up for often being outnumbered, because it doubles my firing options on any given round. The instinct of a great many pilots will be to try and get behind you -- it's a mental momentum/inertia, not just caused by the way ships move on the table -- and I think either of those two are well equipped to make your opponent pay for that.
So if you have the chance to get Kath/Emon behind your opponent and just tail them (not getting shot), great. Stay on their six, dog 'em for a while, and pour on the lasers. You're not taking advantage of your special abilities, but if you're in their blind spot and damaging them, you're still winning. But if not, that's also great, because your rear arc (with either of them!) is probably more dangerous than your front.
Edited by CritiasThe problem with using your rear arc is that you are flying away from your opponent. Now if they are chasing you that is fine you can keep them in your arc pretty well. But it your opponent is flying away (or even perpendicular to your ship) then your next move will carry you away from your opponent. Also I find that the board edges tend to crop up a lot more as I fly past my opponent and even though the Firespray has a great dial, its large base can make the board a little dangerous.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the rear arc is superior to the forward arc, but having them both together is awesome. What the rear arc gives you is simply a lot more options, which option is better is going to come down to a case by case basis.
I love the rear arc on my 'Boba-Build' Firespray, but more for being able to get past the opponent and therefore out for their firing arc whilst keeping them in mine! Agree with the previous poster that you don't really want someone behind you for too long as they're shooting back at you!
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
Isn't outlaw tech limited?
Don't forget Adrenaline Rush. It's 1 pt and it ignores one red. If you aren't going to put an EPT on Kath, then that is a great option. You can do the K-turn and then drop a bomb on someone. Proton Bombs are brutal, but expensive. Plus, you have to go late in the turn. Proximity Mines are great, too, though, especially if they have already gone and you get your distance right. You can drop it on them right away....and then fire at them. This move, though, works better if you have someone who can give her an extra action (like Squad Leader).
The only problem I see with this move is that you will be front and center for all their firing. If you don't have someone else there to help out, you could take a lot of damage.
Also, when you are in front of someone, can't someone blast forward and then block you?
I like the idea of Engine Upgrade with a Firespray. You should always have the ability to put someone in a firing arc.
Limited means you can just have only one on each ship, not one in your squad (thats unique)
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
Isn't outlaw tech limited?
Yes, though limited is different to unique. Limited means you can't have more than one on each ship (its a crew upgrade).
Well that changes everything then.
Wait has anyone actually tried putting this in to practice? Last time I flew Boba or Kath I distinctly remember having to basically circle the board to try and do a chase type fight.
The problem was, it isn't too hard for your opponent to anticipate the turn or bank or whatever if you're coming up to the game area edge so they just cut the corner in a way that leaves you in arc of them but not vice versa since you're pointed back at where you were, not where they now are.
Now I think when I tried it I was using Expert Handling I believe so being stressed may have limited my movement options a fair amount but I don't think this type of flying is as revolutionary as you guys are thinking.
Edited by stmackI run Firesprays all the time, and did pretty well at regionals last year with two Bounty Hunters and a shuttle! The auxiliary arc is easily the best part of the Firespray, and makes the dial a little easier to work with (no 1-turn, but the 3-turn is pretty great).
The issue I have with being chased is that the opponent almost always gets a shot too; you're going turn-to-turn with ideal jousting scenarios, where both ships usually move, get an action, and fire without impairment. Sometimes you're lucky and get them to bump the ol' Clothesiron, but even going 1-straight every turn doesn't do that more than once (since even a TIE's 2-straight technically doesn't cause a bump the following turn, if they were lined up parallel).
Starting a chase is excellent if you have another ship on the board though! You can take anything else and have it flank or chase the chaser, and I try to encourage that situation as much as possible. However, if it's just the one Spray left, it isn't being used optimally if you're being chased. The most advantageous situation to generate is one where you can shoot, and the opponent cannot, so oftentimes it's much more beneficial to Koiogran, come back for a joust, and try to juke with a sharp turn instead of passing or mutually Koiogran-turning for another joust. You might then run for a turn, then Koiogran again, then force a bump with a 1-bank they might not have expected, then either Koiogran or 3-turn or something.
The rear arc affords a great deal of unpredictability! That's the major strength. Merely being chased isn't forcing the opponent to do anything more unpleasant than a normal joust, and a lot of ships are just fine with that, but a lot of ships also don't have five opportunities to suffer a critical damage. Set up a chase if you can make the opponent suffer for actually giving chase, otherwise try for a normal joust because the Firespray always has more options there.
I personally cannot wait for Scum Kath, because she's going to be a great centerpiece. I think someone else already mentioned it, but Outlaw Tech and Stay On Target are just plain brutal with her. She doesn't weather damage as well as a Recon Specialist affords, but she's usually a lot harder to get a bead on in the first place.
Oh, and you should call the list "Baby's Got Back" or "An A-- To Die For".
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
Isn't outlaw tech limited?
Limited means one per ship, not one per fleet.
The problem with using your rear arc is that you are flying away from your opponent. Now if they are chasing you that is fine you can keep them in your arc pretty well. But it your opponent is flying away (or even perpendicular to your ship) then your next move will carry you away from your opponent. Also I find that the board edges tend to crop up a lot more as I fly past my opponent and even though the Firespray has a great dial, its large base can make the board a little dangerous.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the rear arc is superior to the forward arc, but having them both together is awesome. What the rear arc gives you is simply a lot more options, which option is better is going to come down to a case by case basis.
Yes but every ship without a Turret or another ship needs to chase to or you just turn around and shoot it with your front weapon. It's just turrets that can stay alongside your ship and not care...
So Emon with 3x proton bombs right? K-turn on round turn, then spit bombs out.......
ummmmmmm is there actually anything explicitly disallowing dropping multiple bombs at once? No ship before andrasta could do it before. Did I just break the game?
-edit-
nope. It was faq'd
A ship may only drop one bomb per round.
Edited by treybertGonna try it!
I would have thought that how you play your Firespray has a lot more to do with the rest of your list than it's inherent abilities. For example if you're running it with squints, who want to knife fight in the rocks, running away just means your opponent can furball freely with them while your 40pt ship is only getting a range 3 shot per turn, or not shooting at all. Likewise if you're running a deci or shuttle, you need to be supporting them directly, not flying back to your own edge. On the other hand, running with another Firespray or Phantoms/Defenders makes you a lot more likely to adopt a run and gun stance.
Yes but every ship without a Turret or another ship needs to chase to or you just turn around and shoot it with your front weapon. It's just turrets that can stay alongside your ship and not care...
Any ship, especially small ships and higher PS ones with boost or barrel roll can also exploit the Firespray's blind spots
I'm still listening to "Podcast in a game of chance" new podcast and it's pretty good. Someone came up with the idea for:
Kath Scarlet + Expose + K4 Security Droid = 44 pts
If you get them behind you, you move forward one green and Expose. The green forward gives you a TL. If you can keep them in Range 1, then:
3 attack
+1 for Kath from the rear
+1 for Expose
+1 for Range 1
That's 6 red dice with a TL.
OK....can't keep them at Range 1? That's only 5 dice with a TL.
In both cases you need to take a left bank... Also PS and Engine upgrade are your friends...
Also this is the exact showcase why on small ships you do need mobility, and why X-Wings are ****. Because in comparison to Fel, they would facetank this every turn!
Edited by ForceMThe other trick with the rear arc chase is you can take a sharp turn across the face of an opponent, who will likely then end up in your your arc and you will be out of theirs. Again, engine upgrade is your friend.
I see a lot of people trying to keep the Firespray at R1 for either arc. This is not where it excels. R2 is better as its good defense is better at that range and flicking its arcs around gives massive board coverage at R2.
In both cases you need to take a left bank... Also PS and Engine upgrade are your friends...
Also this is the exact showcase why on small ships you do need mobility, and why X-Wings are ****. Because in comparison to Fel, they would facetank this every turn!
Easy to say generally though but if you're on the left side of the board or there's an asteroid to the left? Just trying to say all this "just kite ships with your rear arc" doesn't hold up in real games.
For extra credit; according to the FAQ, the rear arc still counts as a firing arc and triggers Outmaneuver and Tactician.
Once I found that out I tried to fly Imperial Boba with Outmaneuver, Navigator, Engine Upgrade.