For those who attended the celebration, did the panelists go into any details on the selection process for the new wave? Rationale behind why they went with certain models.

The Hounds Tooth has had a vocal fanbase since the scum debut, and whike polarizing, the K-wing has had its share of fans clamoring for it.

I just don't get the Tie Punisher; the decision to go with it instead of one of the other fan favorites is absolutely baffling.

People have chomping at the bit for the Gunboat and Missile Boat for years, and the Scimitar Assault Bomber has pretty strong fanbase. I don't think anyone was asking for the Tie Punisher.

The only reason I can think FFG went with it over a clear fan favorite is Disney wouldn't sign off on any of them.

The same reason we're seeing Mara Jade, Baron Fel and Ysanne Isard over Thrawn, Dalaa or Pellaeon. Thrawn has pretty much been the patron saint of Imperial fans for decades, and fans have been asking for the XG-1 for years.

The only reason I can see why FFG went with the Tie Punisher was because Disney wouldn't sign off on any of the more obvious choices.

No.

The thing is that the 'fans and their favorite' is not one voice. You like the Scimitar bomber, i hate it with a passion. I rather have 10 punishers type, no matter how many pods attached to it before i would use that flying johnson. You say they took Mara Jade, Soontir and Ysanne while 'the fans' want Thrawn, Dalaa or pellaeon (who?), but I have a much closer connection to the first 3 (even though i love the Thrawn trilogy). But I come from the 3 original movies and the comic books inviolving x-wings plus many of the pc games. You might be coming from another angle. My guess is that the more mainstream a movie/game/comic/book is, the more fans it will have buying the stuff and thus will likely be introduced first. And that tells something about the popularity of other models, pilots and crews. The fans do not speak with one voice and the its definitely not that clear what is and isnt a favorite, as pretty much all the posts on this board should already have told you

I just don't get the Tie Punisher; the decision to go with it instead of one of the other fan favorites is absolutely baffling.

People have chomping at the bit for the Gunboat and Missile Boat for years, and the Scimitar Assault Bomber has pretty strong fanbase. I don't think anyone was asking for the Tie Punisher.

The only reason I can think FFG went with it over a clear fan favorite is Disney wouldn't sign off on any of them.

The only reason I can see why FFG went with the Tie Punisher was because Disney wouldn't sign off on any of the more obvious choices.

Ummm....maybe because it has something to do with Tie Bombers? Remember the Jodo Cast interview where they said Tie Bombers will get some love? Maybe there is a title card that works only on Tie Punishers and Tie Bombers. That would be a more logical reason than "Disney didn't like the other options". It wasn't that ordnance was going to get a fix. It was the Tie Bomber was going to get some love in the next Wave. Well, that's this wave and we see a Tie Bomber variant. To me, that says that there is something in there specific for the Tie Bomber.

No.

No, they didn't disclose why they chose what they chose or no, you don't think Disney shot it down.

Only one question was asked, and that's the one I answered. No, the panelists didn't tell us why they picked those particular ships. If I had to guess why they were chosen, it would be because those are some of the ships left in the EU that fulfill their immediate design space goals.

Good point, however, my question is what led FFG to forgo all the other designs. Why the Punisher came out on top over the other candidates.

Your right, there was no clear fan choice that everyone rallied behind, however the one thing the Gunboat, Scimitar, and the Missile Boat have in common are passionate and vocal fan bases. I can't recall any previous posts pre-celebration were people were hoping for the Interdictor/Punisher.

It seems absolutely baffling to go with a model that far out in left field when there were several options with much stronger followings.

The only reasonable answer I can think of is Disney shot down the others. (Which might be a small indicator of what Disney may consider including in their new canon)

This game isn't exclusively about fan bases, though. FFG isn't going to pander to a select group of people when they feel a certain ship better fulfills their overall vision for the game at the gaming level. Cool ships are cool, but they still need to be playable, and FFG must have figured this was their best choice for where they want to take the game. Have a little faith, guys.

FFG couldn't have pleased everyone no matter which direction they went, but I think the XG-1 would have been a good middle ground. Seems to be have a very strong following, a large number of people who are indifferent, and the smallest group of people adamantly against it when compared to the Missile Boat or SAB.

I just think Disney wouldn't approve it, or any of the other options.

when they feel a certain ship better fulfills their overall vision for the game at the gaming level. Cool ships are cool, but they still need to be playable

Beyond turrets, models really don't dictate mechanics. Especially with something like ordnance loads. They did a good job of adapting the Tie Defender to their needs without feeling bound to previous incarnations.

In the end, it's a business model centered around selling plastic. We haven't seen card packs because of that business model. It just seems like they could have pushed more plastic with another choice, and adapted the mechanics to their need.

I know that things "seem" a certain way to you, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes in the development process, and you have to accept that the lack of transparency doesn't equate to thoughtlessness on FFG's part. These are things they've undoubtedly spent lots of time considering themselves, and whatever their reasons were, they must be the best ones FFG felt they had.

it's the fix for the Tie Bomber as the reason for the Tie Punisher.