Swapping the turret-slot for a +1attack seems like a great idea. That opens up options for slipping in a low cost HWK or spending the points that normally go towards a turret on an Engine Upgrade to help with mobility.

Patrol Leader + Vader is 43 points

2 base HWKS + my turret is 46 points

And Vader does a Crit!

Patrol Leader + Vader is 43 points

2 base HWKS + my turret is 46 points

And Vader does a Crit!

So for 3 points more you could auto-hit a target twice and not suffer any damage in return. Vader isn't OP because he causes 2 damage to yourself. Run a Decivader and try Vadering every turn. I guarantee your Decimator won't last long.

You could run 4 Rebel Operatives with your turret and kill any 4 hitpoint ship in one round, automatically. How is that not OP?

He also deals two damage to his own ship. Dace Bonearm comes in a very expensive package and needs an ion token to be dealt to trigger, can only do so once per round and is capped range 1 to 2. Feedback Array damages the ship it's on and ionises it.

People are too wound up on upgrades. You don't want to put a big target on it's head by sticking a bunch of points in a support ship. Torkil with an auto blaster turret is cheap and effective. It is just enough of a deterrent to keep them off of you at close range, and cheap enough to make other things look better to shoot at. You don't want your HWK to be the focus of your enemies' attack. You want it to just hang in there and assist your squad the whole match and deal a little damage if they get too close. People are still stuck in the old meta with fewer ships that are overloaded with upgrades. That day is ending with scum. multi ship builds are making a big comeback. In that meta cheap support has a place, and the HWK fills that roll nicely.

lol @ the idea of a 23 point operative/runner with a range 1-3 auto-damage turret

soontir dies just by existing

as for running upgrades, they are more than worth it on the HWK. Reason being you don't want it to be a limp willy, because no matter how amazing the ability it is it cannot justify 20 points of ship that isn't doing any offensive damage output. Besides, the HWK is already a big target because it's so trivial to murder with worse than X-wing stats, and having guaranteed focus mitigates that horrible profile significantly.

a 10 point expenditure for recon/blaster/moldy is a very reasonable addition that wildly increases the HWK's general usability (action efficiency through stored focus, offense through stored focus, defense through stored focus, turret through stored focus...) and doesn't catapult it into the morbid small base ship prices inhabited by the phantom or E-wing thanks to the cheap base cost.

Moldy Crow and either ICT or blaster + recon are a must, imo. Only exception I could make for myself would be Jan Ors due to her inflated cost and Kyle Katarn guaranteeing her focus anyway (no blaster, though, too much of a gamble).

what if the hawks one attack was a natural turret?

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship. I'm quite happy with everyone continually under-estimating it and leaving it low in the target priority.

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2013/5/4/support-ships-and-system-upgrades/

"Both the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle Expansion Packs introduce an array of support options that clever squad leaders will be able to use to great effect. Designed from the ground up as support ships, the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle are versatile utility vessels that make your other starships better."

I'd be interested in a two or three point hawk-only, primary-arc only turret that brought it to 3 primary attack. I'd definitely use that as a nice alternative for putting in rebel hawks but not wanting to drop a ton of points to make them non-useless in combat.

what if the hawks one attack was a natural turret?

still sh*tty

one die is essentially worthless. 2 dice innate turrets would be actually very powerful, but it might inflate the point costs.

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2013/5/4/support-ships-and-system-upgrades/

"Both the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle Expansion Packs introduce an array of support options that clever squad leaders will be able to use to great effect. Designed from the ground up as support ships, the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle are versatile utility vessels that make your other starships better."

"Meanwhile, you’ll be able to equip your TIE Advanced with either Concussion Missiles or Cluster Missiles . Both of these upgrades come with the expansion, and they allow you to supplement your starfighter’s base attack value of “2” with a timely and deadly secondary attack. Concussion missiles can fire against enemy starfighters within range two to three, and allow you both to roll four attack dice and count any one miss as a hit. On the other hand, the Cluster Missiles upgrade is better suited to Imperial squads focused on combat at close ranges. They fire at range one to two for three attack dice, and then they allow you to make a second attack roll of three additional dice. Outfitted with such powerful weaponry, the TIE Advanced is a devastating war machine."

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2012/8/8/elite-pilots-and-advanced-tactics/

that's from 3 years ago, 3 years of the tie advance being "a devastating war machine"

take those previews with a grain of salt (and while you're at it, check out the doom and buzzsaw shuttles too)

I think a HWK with autoblaster is really good. You aren't supposed to be gunning people down with the ship. The autoblaster is a deterrent and a tool for applying pressure. It helps the HWK survive long enough to do its job: support the rest of the squad. And as someone mentioned earlier, Nien Nunb is one of the best crew you can put on it. He gives it the speed you need to keep up with the rest of the squad or get in range with your autoblaster when you really need to finish off a ship.

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship. I'm quite happy with everyone continually under-estimating it and leaving it low in the target priority.

You've never run Palob. He garners more hate than any pilot I've seen. Its hard to keep him alive and use his ability effectively.

I think one of the biggest problems with the HWK is that no matter what upgrades, turrets, even pilots you fly, it remains one of, if not the most sluggish ships (looking at you lambda) in the game. While almost all old canon information on the moldy crow says its one of the most maneuverable ships in the galaxy, it seems like the developers were just ignorant to the fact that they compared it to another support specific ship (again, looking at you lambda) in the same wave. I think the HWK excels as a support ship, it also needs realizing its a star fighter(freighter) not a big shuttle.

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship. I'm quite happy with everyone continually under-estimating it and leaving it low in the target priority.

Just because it's a support ship doesn't mean I won't target it first. Every good villain knows you go after the adventure party's white mage first.

It's interesting to me that the the Imperial support craft almost never gets taken for it's pilot abilities but get's taken for the point efficiency of the generic instead. The HWK is almost the exact opposite.

Let's face it. Alex Davy has said It should have 2 attack. Make a it a 1 pt title

Title:

Hwk-290 only

Enhanced Laser batteries

Gain +1 Attack, primary weapons and arc only.

Give Hwk-290 players a choice between Moldy crow and 2 attack.

I love that so many folks seem to consider the HWK a support ship.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2013/5/4/support-ships-and-system-upgrades/

"Both the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle Expansion Packs introduce an array of support options that clever squad leaders will be able to use to great effect. Designed from the ground up as support ships, the HWK-290 and Lambda -class Shuttle are versatile utility vessels that make your other starships better."

"Meanwhile, you’ll be able to equip your TIE Advanced with either Concussion Missiles or Cluster Missiles . Both of these upgrades come with the expansion, and they allow you to supplement your starfighter’s base attack value of “2” with a timely and deadly secondary attack. Concussion missiles can fire against enemy starfighters within range two to three, and allow you both to roll four attack dice and count any one miss as a hit. On the other hand, the Cluster Missiles upgrade is better suited to Imperial squads focused on combat at close ranges. They fire at range one to two for three attack dice, and then they allow you to make a second attack roll of three additional dice. Outfitted with such powerful weaponry, the TIE Advanced is a devastating war machine."

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2012/8/8/elite-pilots-and-advanced-tactics/

that's from 3 years ago, 3 years of the tie advance being "a devastating war machine"

take those previews with a grain of salt (and while you're at it, check out the doom and buzzsaw shuttles too)

Firstly, that's Wave 1 rather than Wave 3. Wave 1 was the initial design on the game. Secondly, your point is? How does the TIE advanced preview article from Wave 1 being nice about the TIE advanced make any difference to the HWK and Lambda being designed as support ships? They may not always be used in that role (looking at you Lambda) but the notion that the Lambda and HWK-290 expansions aren't intended as support ships is frankly laughable. You might just get away with arguing that the named Lambdas are so infrequently taken relative to Omicron and that Omincron is sufficiently capable in a straight up combat role that it isn't used a a support ship, but the HWK? That's as support as it gets in this game.

Let's face it. It should have 2 attack. Make a it a 1 pt title

Title:

Hwk-290 only

Enhanced Laser batteries

Gain +1 Attack, primary weapons and arc only.

Give Hwk-290 players a choice between Moldy crow and 2 attack.

A reverse Kavil title might be cool. +1 to attack when attacking a target in your arc. By itself it boosts non-turret damage, and would have interesting interactions with each of the turrets while rewarding the effort for keeping targets in arc. Ion Cannon Turrets become more accurate, Autoblasters become more damaging increasing their area denial capabilities, Blaster Turrets will hit harder but won't be an auto-include since the title prohibits the Moldy Crow title from being taken.

Let's face it. It should have 2 attack. Make a it a 1 pt title

Title:

Hwk-290 only

Enhanced Laser batteries

Gain +1 Attack, primary weapons and arc only.

Give Hwk-290 players a choice between Moldy crow and 2 attack.

A reverse Kavil title might be cool. +1 to attack when attacking a target in your arc. By itself it boosts non-turret damage, and would have interesting interactions with each of the turrets while rewarding the effort for keeping targets in arc. Ion Cannon Turrets become more accurate, Autoblasters become more damaging increasing their area denial capabilities, Blaster Turrets will hit harder but won't be an auto-include since the title prohibits the Moldy Crow title from being taken.

I agree for reverse Kavil for a new pilot, but for the entire ship way to drastic IMO.

Let's face it. It should have 2 attack. Make a it a 1 pt title

Title:

Hwk-290 only

Enhanced Laser batteries

Gain +1 Attack, primary weapons and arc only.

Give Hwk-290 players a choice between Moldy crow and 2 attack.

A reverse Kavil title might be cool. +1 to attack when attacking a target in your arc. By itself it boosts non-turret damage, and would have interesting interactions with each of the turrets while rewarding the effort for keeping targets in arc. Ion Cannon Turrets become more accurate, Autoblasters become more damaging increasing their area denial capabilities, Blaster Turrets will hit harder but won't be an auto-include since the title prohibits the Moldy Crow title from being taken.

But then you'd have to pay for a turret, and once you've paid for a turret your HWK's probably fine. This sort of upgrade would make it more like a Y-wing, and I'd suggest leaving being like Y-wings to the Y-wings. The HWK's strength is the abilities of its named pilots, but unless you want 20 points of practically unarmed ship eating up your points you've got to stick a turret on it, and once you've done that you're looking at up to 30 points for a not very durable support piece that maneuvers like a Lambda shuttle.

I would be okay with more turret options.

Something in-between the Autoblaster Turret and Blaster Turret. Maybe a Laser Turret: 2 dice at range 1-3 for 3 or 4 points?

Then you might see some Rebel Operative and Spice Runners in play

I love Rebel Operative. I won a Summer Tournament, came in second in a Spring Tournament, and third in a Store Championship with a list with Rebel Operative. Even killed a B-wing with my (range 1) primary at the Store Championship on Saturday.

It's interesting to me that the the Imperial support craft almost never gets taken for it's pilot abilities but get's taken for the point efficiency of the generic instead. The HWK is almost the exact opposite.

Well that's partially because they screwed up the attack value of the HWK. That and they made mostly inferior pilot abilities for the Lambda.

The Lambda abilities aren't bad, they're just on far too short tethers. Yorr helps arc dodgers, but ties them to R1-2 of him, making the benefit of his ability overly hampered by that drawback. Jendon again, shuttle dial. If the named Lambdas had longer tethers they'd be much more effective.

Kagi is actually pretty awesome in epic, especially since he can absorb ordnance carrier target locks and jump behind them w/engine upgrade.