Instead of an Cannon slot you could always include a 0 point modification or title that allows you to equip an Ion Cannon only.

Now I know the craft was nicknamed the Assault Gunboat, but lets face it, this was designed to carry a boat load of missiles. I'd like to see it have 3 missile slots. Maybe a modification that reduces the cost of missiles by 1 point?

Or a missile (torpedo?) upgrade that is a custom ion canon. Just like the extra munitions, it goes where the extra launcher is.

Also this is a rules quirk: a range bonus doesn't actually increase or decrease a ship's agility, it simply modifies the dice pool. A ships agility remains the same regardless of distance, so that weapon will still deal damage to an a-wing at range 3.

Instead of an Cannon slot you could always include a 0 point modification or title that allows you to equip an Ion Cannon only.

Now I know the craft was nicknamed the Assault Gunboat, but lets face it, this was designed to carry a boat load of missiles. I'd like to see it have 3 missile slots. Maybe a modification that reduces the cost of missiles by 1 point?

I would be averse to a Title right out of the gate, but that could be an easy way to equip an Ion Cannon. And I'm definitely in favour of it having access to a ton of missiles! I went with a torp slot because of the recently-spoiled Extra Munitions card, but if three missile slots would work, I'm all in favour of it!

Or a missile (torpedo?) upgrade that is a custom ion canon. Just like the extra munitions, it goes where the extra launcher is.

Also this is a rules quirk: a range bonus doesn't actually increase or decrease a ship's agility, it simply modifies the dice pool. A ships agility remains the same regardless of distance, so that weapon will still deal damage to an a-wing at range 3.

And, I see now what you mean about Agility. That's like the Flechette Torpedo / Hull Value interaction, right? I would be okay with that. Only a cloaked Phantom would be impervious to damage (but still ionized) whereas an A-Wing would still take one damage like a standard Ion Cannon. I can accept that!

Thing is, that's a little counter intuitive to how the game is played. The green dice determine how well you evaded a shot, not a binary hit/miss check.

How about:

Gunboat Ion Canon

Gunboat only

Torpedo

2/1-3

Both the defender and the attacker get to use their range bonus for this attack as though ot were a primary weapon attack.

When a ship has no shields instead of dealing damage to hull instead assign that many ion tokens to the defender.

It can strip shields, but isn't made for actual damage. However, it IS possible for it to ion a large based ship. And combos better with the more elegant version of your linked canons upgrade:

Cross-Linked Firing Array

Modification.

Gunboat Only.

After performing a primary weapon attack you may perform another attack with a Gunboat Ion Canon if it is equipped.

(or the other way around. But I like this better because then you can only hose a ship's shield instead of double tapping their hull)

Think pushing this "unique" Ion is a bit much, by reading through stuff on ship. There is no special weapon component for this ship, so it should not receive any special abilities above what current upgrades offer.

You can not give it a free Ion ability when others have to spend points for Ion cannon/turrets.

You can not deal 1 Ion then strip 4 shield? That is essentially a free 4 hits (albeit only to shields)

Should have more Hull than Shields

Should have dial similar to Y/Bs but equal to X or worse than Int/As.

Primary attacks = Generic Laser output, varied a bit by ships capabilities.

Secondary attacks = Offer various abilities, dmg & effects @ a cost of list points or limitations.

Example of unique ship ability that works:

BTL-A4 Y-Wing:

Y-Wing only.

You cannot attack ships outside your firing arc. After you perform a primary weapon attack, you may immediately perform an attack with a ( T ) secondary weapon.

This is a great example of a specific ships ability from reference to in game concept. The Y-Wings turrets could be locked into position, allowing for a single pilot (yeah, where did the other crewman go to?) to fire these secondary weapons. Generally were aimed forward, but could be locked in a rear position.

XG-1 does not have a function that is specific to the ship, ergo, doesn't get a special "Ion / XG-1" only ability like the Y-Wing.

It's not free, the costs would be built into the ship or the upgrade.

The reason for a unique ion cannon/cross link cannon is because this needs a reason to be different than a tie bomber. Niw with the Punusher heavy bomber it can distinguish itself as a dedicated cannon/ion platform using a unique attack axis that forces players to run diverse synergistic lists.

Next, the can't damage hull limitation is very real, A two dice attack is rarely going to get through low shielded 3 die agility ships like the A wing, Star Viper, Scyk.

The ability to double tap shields is only good against certain ships with high shield counts but low enough agility for the two at two attacks to get through: Lambdas, B wings, and the YT series comes to mind. Otherwise you'd be paying a premium to basically get a strictly worse BTL A-4 Y wing.

Yes that's it exactly! Sort of like how the A4 ion Y-Wing doesn't really intrude on the design space of the B-Wing. I feel like the Gunboat could provide that sort of feeling for the Imperials.

I do like the idea of the ion effect only working on shields and systems (again, big TIE Fighter fan), and I think slapping up to three ion tokens on a ship in one turn is a nice unique feature.

As for stats:

I don't see it having a 2 AG, in the games it was easy to find and hit.

I would go 3, 1, 5, 5 same as shuttle.

I would make it a title (3 pts title), and give it boost, and 1 extra cannon slot.

Then say the following: IG88 type of rule for the ship. Meaning you can equip 2 cannons, and if you miss with one you can fire with the other as long as they are not the same type of cannon.

It's not free, the costs would be built into the ship or the upgrade.

The reason for a unique ion cannon/cross link cannon is because this needs a reason to be different than a tie bomber. Niw with the Punusher heavy bomber it can distinguish itself as a dedicated cannon/ion platform using a unique attack axis that forces players to run diverse synergistic lists.

Next, the can't damage hull limitation is very real, A two dice attack is rarely going to get through low shielded 3 die agility ships like the A wing, Star Viper, Scyk.

The ability to double tap shields is only good against certain ships with high shield counts but low enough agility for the two at two attacks to get through: Lambdas, B wings, and the YT series comes to mind. Otherwise you'd be paying a premium to basically get a strictly worse BTL A-4 Y wing.

But a 4D +1 Ion ? stripping shields or not, your giving it red die equal to corvette ?! Stripping shields isn't enough penalty for your output, not even "can not make another attack this round"

if you want a fire-link thing, you'd have to use corrans penalty of "can not attack next round" and drop to 3D + 1, but again if your give it primary than it gets the "primary range modifies"

You could go with •Title for the "dual attack" / 3D + 1 Ion "requires Ion Canon Upgrade; can not attack next round" and IMO would balance it more,

If you simply did BTL primaries with the R1 bonus, you'd get a beastly damage boat. Its also simpler. I also like the idea of a primary ion more. He DOESNT want you to take Mangler or HLC. He wants you to HAVE AN ION CANNON. Plain and simple.

Yeah, not rolling dice in this example is a big no no. The accuracy corrector fixes it to 2, which is LOWER than usual. And not that great imo. Played some AC tempests... meh.

I think you would be better with the following.

2/2/4/2 for the atk/def/hull/shd

drop the weird upgrades and dual attack value for a cannon upgrade slot and a mirror to the Y-wing upgrade card for dual fire but allowing a cannon fire after a primary shot. This would really make it a gunboat and could field the Ion, Mangler, etc.

Unfortunately I feel access to a cannon slot would simply be used (abused, arguably) for access to just red dice with the HLC and Mangler, and that doesn't sit well with my take on the ship from the space sim games. I was definitely trying to mimic the BTL-A4 Y-Wing though! And that's the default method of attack. I wanted to give it some versatility with unique mods (sort of like the Phantom) but at the cost of no Cannon modularity.

I would almost like to see it have access to cannons like the shuttle.

Alternative would be a modification: gunboat only. Like the hotshot turret but fires a 2 dice ion attack after any normal attack and is not single use.

More discussion on this mighty little ship going on the main forum here. And discussion of similar ion primaries and linked firing mechanics on the TIE Defender "fix" thread.

Looks like a large number of people approve of the idea of dual primary weapons (blaster/ion), over and above the cannon upgrade slot. Cannon upgrades make sense for certain customisable ships, but not so much for mass-produced fighters with fixed armament.

In lieu of this, my suggestion for a multi-shot upgrade was essentially a co-axial firing mechanism:

(Modification/Systems Upgrade/Title?)

Linked Firing Array: after a successful primary weapon attack you may perform a free secondary weapon attack.

Essentially the inverse of Gunner, this gives the potential for some seriously good damage output, but you're reliant on hitting the target with your primary weapon first. It could be a great, thematic upgrade for a TIE Defender or Assault Gunboat (or any ship with a 2 dice primary for that matter), but probably too powerful on any ship with 3+ attack dice. Hence the need to decide which slot it would fill, Modification, Systems or Title...

I think you would be better with the following.

2/2/4/2 for the atk/def/hull/shd

drop the weird upgrades and dual attack value for a cannon upgrade slot and a mirror to the Y-wing upgrade card for dual fire but allowing a cannon fire after a primary shot. This would really make it a gunboat and could field the Ion, Mangler, etc.

Unfortunately I feel access to a cannon slot would simply be used (abused, arguably) for access to just red dice with the HLC and Mangler, and that doesn't sit well with my take on the ship from the space sim games. I was definitely trying to mimic the BTL-A4 Y-Wing though! And that's the default method of attack. I wanted to give it some versatility with unique mods (sort of like the Phantom) but at the cost of no Cannon modularity.

I would almost like to see it have access to cannons like the shuttle.

Alternative would be a modification: gunboat only. Like the hotshot turret but fires a 2 dice ion attack after any normal attack and is not single use.

Xg-1 starwing (title)

0 pts

You can equip an Ion cannon upgrade for free, even if this ship doesn't have a cannon upgrade slot.

There, no primary ion weirdness. I'm ok with the defender having the cannon slot because it's a super duper ship. Obviously the Gunboat pilot cards need to be costed to reflect the free ion cannon.

I like it, but maybe make it simpler for primary ion.

Attack as normal, but if the enemy receives two damage they also get an ion token.

One roll, much easier.

If you want something like BTL-A4 (Make it a title, and make them buy the cannon), then you need to seriously limit the dial, Y-wing are way more agile then this thing.

Use the same dial as the shuttle, but no 0 move add 1 extra forward

Something like:

Title:

Heavy Assault Gunboat

1 pts

You may add the cannon icon to your upgrade bar. You may purchase cannons of 3 pts or less. You may fire a cannon, immediately after your your primary attack at the same target.

I want this for my Tie Defenders too

I also think there are some nice ideas. Have to agree that the linked fire is too strong because its 100% hits on low agility ships. Thats just not the way the game goes (apart from very expensive and range limited autoblasters, and exceptions).

There, no primary ion weirdness. I'm ok with the defender having the cannon slot because it's a super duper ship. Obviously the Gunboat pilot cards need to be costed to reflect the free ion cannon.

I would expect a basic Gunboat to weigh in at approximately 22/23 points, including the ion cannon. It would essentially fill the Y-Wing spot with the Imperials - sans turret, but possibly with Systems Upgrade?

4 Gunboats with FCS/Advanced Sensors at 100 points would seem about right.

I don't see it having a 2 AG, in the games it was easy to find and hit.

Y-wing are way more agile then this thing.

Playing X-Wing Alliance again last night (specifically the damnable Deep Space Strike Evaluation mission), and I beg to differ. It's capable of similar speeds as the X-Wing and only slightly less manueverable - it's tough as nails for the Y-Wing to draw a bead on. 2 Agility would be about right.

There, no primary ion weirdness. I'm ok with the defender having the cannon slot because it's a super duper ship. Obviously the Gunboat pilot cards need to be costed to reflect the free ion cannon.

I would expect a basic Gunboat to weigh in at approximately 22/23 points, including the ion cannon. It would essentially fill the Y-Wing spot with the Imperials - sans turret, but possibly with Systems Upgrade?

I don't see it having a 2 AG, in the games it was easy to find and hit.

Y-wing are way more agile then this thing.

Playing X-Wing Alliance again last night (specifically the damnable Deep Space Strike Evaluation mission), and I beg to differ. It's capable of similar speeds as the X-Wing and only slightly less manueverable - it's tough as nails for the Y-Wing to draw a bead on. 2 Agility would be about right.

Interesting. I remember playing it and easily tracking down and killing it. The main issue I had was finding it.

Been a long time since I played the game though

Interesting. I remember playing it and easily tracking down and killing it. The main issue I had was finding it.

Been a long time since I played the game though

Depends what you're flying with, I guess.

The turreted ships lay waste to them with automatic tracking. B-Wings have a heavy payload and are tough as old boots so win out in the joust. A-Wings and X-Wings get shredded by the Gunboat head-to-head, but are nimble enough to get behind it and stay on it's tail when they do.

It's a tough battle for the old Y-Wing though - there's a reason we refer to the Y-Wing as the "Y-Shaped coffin" in the series.

The Y-Wing just doesn't have the speed or maneuverability to keep them in the crosshairs for long; the Gunboat moves faster and turns quicker, so you need to do some serious flying to avoid taking hits. During the mission I mentioned a couple jump in from hyperspace, and your wingman/squad leader effectively says "right, that's it - time to get out of here". I've managed to take them out, but only by throwing everything I had in their direction - firing off proton torpedoes to make them bug out then following up with linked laser/ion cannon fire.

The fact that they're popping off concussion missiles of their own on the approach doesn't help either.

In my humble opinion, I would make it as close to the Lambda shuttle as possible and make changes from there.

I quickly read up on the ship via Wookiepedia and see that it is more maneuverable than the Lambda. So, I can understand the 2 green dice and the better dial, but think it might have gone too far. I'd have the dial be everything the Lamdba dial is, but turn the red ones white (except for stop - that stays red). I wouldn't go so far as to give it 2 green dice, though. I think that makes it too powerful. Oh, and no K-turn. It's not that maneuverable!

I think sticking with 5 hull and shield is the way to go. It should be a real beast, but still hard to turn around and such. I would also keep the main attacks as 3 red as it wouldn't have less firepower than the shuttle. I like the concept of the built in Ion Cannons. I'd make those 3 red dice, too. I would have it where you could fire one or the other.....with the ability to fire both for a cost. I wouldn't make it a point thing. I would make it something like use an action, or not attack next turn. Maybe spend a Focus to fire both? The cost for firing both would probably be built into the main cost of the ship as opposed to an upgrade card, but I still think you should do some sort of cost to fire both. I think if you went with Focus and then Recon Specialist, you would be able to adjust one die roll and that would be OK....as long as the overall cost was decently placed.

I'd keep all the upgrades from the Lamdba, but maybe the cannon. I'd also add Torpedoe slot and Missile slot.

With all that, I think I'd bump the price up for the basic a decent amount. Maybe 10 points? The better movement and double attack should really push the cost up. It may be too high at 10 more points, but I say start conservatively.

Dude. It's a starfighter that's supposed to be on par with the X-Wing in terms of battlefield role and performance. It's not a Lambda shuttle on a small base.

Why is it supposed to be on a small base? I thought it was the same size as the Shuttle? I thought they basically took the shuttle and made a combat model of it. Am I wrong? I'm no expert.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k1hpkb2aqqdxdke/agb.png?dl=0

The gunboat was only 10 or so meters long and shares only the design asthetic with the Lambda. It's a starfighter from the ground up, able to dog fight (somewhat) and attack larger targets with some success. It was the equivalent of the Y as an assault fighter/bomber but more 'modern', as the Y was a clone wars relic that the rebels had to heavily modify and patch just to keep up with TIEs.

Given the stats that we've seen from FFG, I don't think any ship from those games can be 100% faithfully recreated. The Gunboat was between the Y and X in agility, but there's no room for that in this game. And 2 green with 4hull/4 shield is a bit much, I figure one green, 4/4 and a decent dial.

Why is it supposed to be on a small base? I thought it was the same size as the Shuttle? I thought they basically took the shuttle and made a combat model of it. Am I wrong? I'm no expert.

XG-1 Assault Gunboat

No, it's much smaller than the shuttle, and fills a completely different role. It was designed by Cygnus Spaceworks as an answer to the Alliance's T-65 X-Wings - as a multi role, shielded space superiority fighter capable of hyperspace travel, independent of capital ship support.

It's 10m long - actually shorter in length than the 12.5m X-Wing - but it's wing configuration and bulky missile pods gives it a larger profile than it's rival. Both ships have the same (atmospheric) top speed, but the Gunboat boasts twice the shielding (making up for being slightly less agile).

It's definitely nowhere near being a large based ship. Based on it's wiki profile, characteristics and experience of flying against it, I'd give it the following profile:

2

2

3

3/4

Focus, Target Lock, maybe Barrel Roll. Dial would be similar to the X-Wing I'd think. 2 x Missile Slot, Systems Upgrade slot.

The only contentious point really is factoring in it's Ion weaponry - hence the extensive discussion on the previous page.

Gotcha.

Of course it has a different role than the shuttle, though. Still, it's a gunboat, not a dogfighter. I recall flying it years ago in games and it wasn't the most responsive (in my very foggy memory). It's better than the shuttle, but I wouldn't say it has 2 green dice. I would suggest just a better dial.

As for space superiority, it worked different than the X-wing. It blasted anything in front of it to pieces. It was best used against capital ships, not agile fighters. So, a slightly better dial than the Lambda, but more than 2 attack dice. I say give it 3 for each and have some sort of special cost to fire both.