Play operation flashpoint. / ARMA.

Charging in shouting dakkadakkadakka will get you killed.

hiding in a bush with an M-21 on the other hand...

This is why I suck at FPS, and why I got shot in the tooth playing airsoft. Horrifying experience, don't recommend it. Always wear full face protection or, like me, have really really stellar dental insurance.

The problem with that list is that they were all arc dodgers, so how do you engage without one dying horribly? The trick is to get a big, reliable brick of a ship: a TIE pack, a Decimator, a Lambda, a Firespray, a TIE defender (they don't like focus fire either) and let them draw the fire. Interceptors are great once they get into the fray, but they need to get there.

Fair enough. I was considering that too, but these were all ships I wanted to learn how to fly. Maybe I shouldn't put all my learning eggs in one basket, as the learning curve was super steep. I'm going to play with some new lists that take this suggestion into account in the coming weeks.

Yeah I always wore a full balaclava + shooting goggles when playing airsoft.

got hit in the face 6 times from about 15 metres, barely registered.

I have some fun operation flashpoint stories to tell though, my favorite being about hiding my squad in a bush too near where i left a mine during an ambush... ever seen a BMP-1 IFV flying and crush half your squad? Oh the entire enemy squad died so it was a win but still...

The problem with that list is that they were all arc dodgers, so how do you engage without one dying horribly? The trick is to get a big, reliable brick of a ship: a TIE pack, a Decimator, a Lambda, a Firespray, a TIE defender (they don't like focus fire either) and let them draw the fire. Interceptors are great once they get into the fray, but they need to get there.

the trick with Defenders is to exploit obstructions to split up enemies

they don't like focus fire, but they can definitely take a more direct route against one or two foes thanks to the doubled health pool relative to interceptors. Then it's just a matter of white 4k and control cannons.They aren't as direct as a tie fighter mini-swarm, but they are far more direct than interceptors and a great complement to the good baron.

I have the same aggression problem described above. My default setting is "If my plan works, I'll have a huge advantage and my opponent won't be able to come back." I will willingly gamble on said plan, but sometimes the target doesn't die, or my advantage isn't as big as I thought it would be and I lost too much in the attack, and so I have to consciously dial it back to double or triple assess when I think it's time to go for the kill.

I think the key to interceptors is going to be to fly like a Luftwhiner, which I'm loathe to do, but may just have to go for it.

I think the key to interceptors is going to be to fly like a Luftwhiner, which I'm loathe to do, but may just have to go for it.

...a luft whiner?

so a German 3PO in a fighter jet?

Play operation flashpoint. / ARMA.

Charging in shouting dakkadakkadakka will get you killed.

hiding in a bush with an M-21 on the other hand...

This is why I suck at FPS, and why I got shot in the tooth playing airsoft. Horrifying experience, don't recommend it. Always wear full face protection or, like me, have really really stellar dental insurance.

Least it wasn't Paintball. Then you'd have a chipped tooth AND a mouthfull of shrimp-guts.

Luftwhiner is the term used in WW2 flight sims for German pilots, particularly by those of us who fly Soviet (though Brits will sometimes use it too). Basically, our Soviet fighters have a performance envelope that rocks below 20,000ft, but above that the performance drops off like a rock. The Germans not only perform well above 20,000ft, but they have much sturdier planes, which can withstand higher dive speeds. So, the typical Luftwhiner tactic is to stay contrailing above 20,000, or just below contrails, and then cruise around looking for someone to dive on. They make one diving pass, and then leave to come back later and do it again. Very very frustrating to fly against, as you have no hope of catching them. It's also not as smart as it seems to be, because we always flew online campaigns where the ground war mattered, so while these guys flew around aimlessly at high altitude looking for that one guaranteed kill, our Sturmoviks and Peshkas pounded their ground forces into oblivion, and our fighters downed their Stukas and Ju-88s. So, basically, it's selfish and boring, and everything you'd expect from WW2 Germany.

Play operation flashpoint. / ARMA.

Charging in shouting dakkadakkadakka will get you killed.

hiding in a bush with an M-21 on the other hand...

This is why I suck at FPS, and why I got shot in the tooth playing airsoft. Horrifying experience, don't recommend it. Always wear full face protection or, like me, have really really stellar dental insurance.

Least it wasn't Paintball. Then you'd have a chipped tooth AND a mouthfull of shrimp-guts.

If it were paintball then full face every time.

Play operation flashpoint. / ARMA.

Charging in shouting dakkadakkadakka will get you killed.

hiding in a bush with an M-21 on the other hand...

This is why I suck at FPS, and why I got shot in the tooth playing airsoft. Horrifying experience, don't recommend it. Always wear full face protection or, like me, have really really stellar dental insurance.

Least it wasn't Paintball. Then you'd have a chipped tooth AND a mouthfull of shrimp-guts.

Blargh. I was so upset over the chip it wasn't even funny, but my dentist fixed everything. I haven't played airsoft since. Anybody want a PPSh-41 submachine gun, gently used?

Luftwhiner is the term used in WW2 flight sims for German pilots, particularly by those of us who fly Soviet (though Brits will sometimes use it too). Basically, our Soviet fighters have a performance envelope that rocks below 20,000ft, but above that the performance drops off like a rock. The Germans not only perform well above 20,000ft, but they have much sturdier planes, which can withstand higher dive speeds. So, the typical Luftwhiner tactic is to stay contrailing above 20,000, or just below contrails, and then cruise around looking for someone to dive on. They make one diving pass, and then leave to come back later and do it again. Very very frustrating to fly against, as you have no hope of catching them. It's also not as smart as it seems to be, because we always flew online campaigns where the ground war mattered, so while these guys flew around aimlessly at high altitude looking for that one guaranteed kill, our Sturmoviks and Peshkas pounded their ground forces into oblivion, and our fighters downed their Stukas and Ju-88s. So, basically, it's selfish and boring, and everything you'd expect from WW2 Germany.

sounds like the ideal Tie Phantom tactic to me

especially if you're running generic Stygium Sigmas. Although they can tangle in a hairball temporarily thanks to int agent revealing enemy maneuvers, it's incredibly risky to engage without the free evade from Stygium so you'll often end up flying in to set up target-locks and then flying out to re-cloak before making another pass.

All interceptor lists may be similar, but I have not flown one. My experience with interceptors comes with Soontir and two Delta defenders, in which the Defenders hit & run only in the sense that they k-turn and stop the enemy from k-turn while the baron gets to fly incredibly aggressively. He does sometimes have to take a turn off to reposition (ptl shuts off k-turn and all) but he's almost always in the thick of things.

I can't imagine that working with multiple interceptors, though. Their most pervasive fear is of getting blocked (turns them into tiefighters), so jumping into a hairball is basically the worst possible thing you can do with them. Hit and run then becomes the vastly preferable option.

Taken as a "one of" the Tie interceptor (and especially the self-sufficient Soontir) is the ideal flanker.

Yeah, the issue is that the interceptor and A-wing, being the way they are from the video game perspective, are the ideal knife fighters. You want to go head-on into the furball, and mix it up, rather than playing at the edges. That would be the B-wing's game, or the Y-wing's, or the X-wing's. I get the feeling it's completely the opposite on the tabletop, and I'm just starting to learn it now. The second two games I almost felt like I knew what I was doing with the interceptors, even though I still lost badly. I'm hopeful the improvement will continue.

Yeah, the issue is that the interceptor and A-wing, being the way they are from the video game perspective, are the ideal knife fighters. You want to go head-on into the furball, and mix it up, rather than playing at the edges. That would be the B-wing's game, or the Y-wing's, or the X-wing's. I get the feeling it's completely the opposite on the tabletop, and I'm just starting to learn it now. The second two games I almost felt like I knew what I was doing with the interceptors, even though I still lost badly. I'm hopeful the improvement will continue.

Yeah, when you take away the actual flight stick and 3D environment, suddenly that incredible agility means a bit less in a furball.

It's been really tough trying to adjust to the Interceptor being anything other than the single scariest thing in space. I'm used to X-Wing Alliance, where a single good Interceptor pilot (if i do say so myself) can hold his own against a half-dozen (or more) X-wings.

Interceptors/A-wings actually really great up close where their maneuverability and arc dodging makes the most difference. It's really hard to dodge out of a range 3 arc (but Autothrusters!), but it doesn't take much displacement to dodge a range 1 arc. The problem is blocking. So 1 on 1, maybe 1 on 2, the fast guys love it up close, but more than 1 on 2 and there's too many ways to be blocked. A-wings do handle being blocked a bit better, though, thanks to shields, and they need to be up close to get the extra attack die.

Just for an experiment you might try out 4x Sabres with PTL and maybe Autothrusters on two of them. You'll still get to arc-dodge all those Blue Squadron Pilots and support ships, but you're flying more like a normal ship against enemy big nasties, and you're less likely to be blocked because of the lower PS compared to enemy aces. You get another gun and another ship, and that's something too.

With interceptors aggression is key you have 10 hit points you must kill something early because the long game you don't have the stamina.

So I didn't want to stray into advice, but I think this might be worthwhile to consider: never fly a "spam" list unless you have to. If you're playing a list with 3 Interceptors, there's no real texture, and your opponent's targeting-priority decisions boil down to "whose pilot ability do I get rid of first?" Your ability to distract your opponent, force a sub-optimal decision, or otherwise push him or her into a bad situation is severely limited when you're playing three ships that all have the same goals, preferred approach, and engagement profile.

I don't know if it's always the right decision, exactly, but I always feel more comfortable if I hit at least two of Paul Heaver's pillars. If you're running a couple of arc-dodgy, flanker-style Interceptors, pair them with some brawling jousters or a turret.

Every time I start flying a new ship it feels like a steep learning curve to me. Anyone who's played me on Vassal would probably think I'm a scrub because that's where I test out new ships and make all my mistakes.

One of my favorite ships to fly is a 3-4 Prototype miniswarm, and when I first started using them, I landed one of them on a rock on the first turn of the game with a 3-hard, right after I had already boosted with the first 3. But every time I make a mistake with a ship, I turn it into a lesson (a 2-hard out of the deployment zone will never land you on a rock), and it helps me get better.

If you're trying to learn a new ship or strategy, I would suggest not going all out and just cramming a list with that ship, but adding that ship to a list of ships that you already know how to fly well. That will help to flatten out the learning curve for you, you have to walk before you can run.

Good advice from both of you. I'm definitely toying with what imperial list I'm going to end up running. I'm really interested in the new X1. Would that make a good pairing with interceptors or too similar in flight style?

When the game was first released, it seemed relatively 'easy'. The meta wasnt as complex as it is now. These days there's a lot of be mindful of. I don't get to play x-wing that often, i'm lucky to get a few vassal games in. Last year I went to an X-wing tournament and brought a list that I was pretty confident with. My goal was simply not to come last. I came DEAD LAST. My opponents dismantled me so easily that in my 3 matches I didnt manage a single kill. It was an absolute ROFL-Stomp. I didnt even fly that poorly, but there were some lists that I'd never seen before and had no answer to. I've played in a few tournaments: 40k, poker, netrunner and even chess and i've never been so utterly smashed in competitive play. Not sure if i'll ever get the courage to play tournament x-wing again, but it remains one of my all-time favorite games.

If you learn, losing doesn't matter. I've never gotten good at anything in my life by being good at it when I started. I've been learning ice skating since January. The first three weeks I was very lucky not to break several bones. Next to shattering yourself on ice, losing in X-wing is a breeze.

Good advice from both of you. I'm definitely toying with what imperial list I'm going to end up running. I'm really interested in the new X1. Would that make a good pairing with interceptors or too similar in flight style?

It depends on the x1, really. Vader + Engine Upgrade is great as a highly mobile flanker, but at the other side Tempest + Accuracy Corrector is pretty happy to joust.

Good advice from both of you. I'm definitely toying with what imperial list I'm going to end up running. I'm really interested in the new X1. Would that make a good pairing with interceptors or too similar in flight style?

It depends on the x1, really. Vader + Engine Upgrade is great as a highly mobile flanker, but at the other side Tempest + Accuracy Corrector is pretty happy to joust.

Both of these + Vessery is a nice list.

Good advice from both of you. I'm definitely toying with what imperial list I'm going to end up running. I'm really interested in the new X1. Would that make a good pairing with interceptors or too similar in flight style?

It depends on the x1, really. Vader + Engine Upgrade is great as a highly mobile flanker, but at the other side Tempest + Accuracy Corrector is pretty happy to joust.

Both of these + Vessery is a nice list.

Right, but then my interceptor count drops to zero.

Good advice from both of you. I'm definitely toying with what imperial list I'm going to end up running. I'm really interested in the new X1. Would that make a good pairing with interceptors or too similar in flight style?

It depends on the x1, really. Vader + Engine Upgrade is great as a highly mobile flanker, but at the other side Tempest + Accuracy Corrector is pretty happy to joust.

Both of these + Vessery is a nice list.

Right, but then my interceptor count drops to zero.

There is that.

What aboot tricked out soontir + carnor and a couple Academies? or 4XRGP?