I've had half an idea to run a tournament series where players don't get to assemble their list from scratch, but instead choose from a handful of "balanced" lists (IE., attempting to eliminate the 'rock-paper-scissors' nature of some of them, while still retaining their flavor).
Off the top of my head, I'd take that notion to describe meta 'types' as:
- Swarm
- Arc dodgers
- Fat heavies
- Jouster
- Control
...and in all cases, work out a list that isn't that archetype ONLY, but balanced vs others. So we all know a 'Fat Heavy' of a maxed-out-Han and Corran Horn or VI-Wedge or something...totally taking that concept to the limit. So our 'Fat Heavy' would instead eliminate that two-ship-list concept - thin Han down a bit and give him another escort:
- Han Solo + Gunner + C-3PO + Engine Upgrade
- 2x Rookie Pilot
A common 'Control' list gives us three Blues with the E2 mod and Tactician paired with a Y-Wing featuring R3-A2. Seriously annoying! But...weaker against swarms. Maybe something more like:
- Blount + Assault Missiles
- Gold Squadron Pilot + BTL-A4 + Ion torpedoes + Ion Cannon Turret
- 2x Blue Squadron + E2 + Tactician
...etc
Basically providing a list that captures the spirit of the archetype...but doesn't do it exclusively, and attempts to come up with a balanced list that isn't vulnerable (or exploitative) of rock-paper-scissors sort of pairings. (And, yes, I've played a LOT of Tournament Star Fleet Battles...where the tournament ships had elements of their source designs, enough to retain their flavor, but were all very much reconfigured so as to be "perfectly balanced" despite the differences)
