Network Targeting System
Modification
"At the start of the Combat Phase, if your action bar shows a target lock action, you may accquire a target lock on a ship a friendly ship in range 1 has a lock on."

1-2 (?) Points

The Idea is If you fly with Jonus + 3 Scimitars, the Scimitars move first and take a focus each. Jonus moves at PS6, or PS8 with VI; he should be able to accquire a target lock.

Now at the start of the Combat Phase the Scimitars in range 1 to Jonus, with an Network Targeting System equipped, may accquire a target lock on the same target Jonus has a lock on.

So, The Scimitars had a lock, a Focus token and Jonus' rerolls. Good chances to hit.

The downside would be that they have no chance but to focus their fire at a single target. Lets say Jonus + Scimitar 1 kill the target, Jcomitar 2 and 3 can't fire their stuff.

I think this Upgrade card would not be OP. But it would fix ordnance for low PS bombers.

Maybe a Z swarm with missiles would be even too strong - but on the other hand bombs are increasingly effective against dense flying Z's.

I think this would be cool also for a couple of Y-Wings with torps. Or even X-Wings. Its not ordnance-specific.

A high-PS X-Wing pilot could accquire a TL and the Rookies could take a Focus action and lock on at the same target. This would be a cool alpha strike with 4 X-Wings.

This idea just came into my mind and I wanted to share it with you.

I'd even test this in a casual game.

I like the idea. I would go with:

Targeting Transponder

Modification

If you have the <target lock> action in your action bar, you may spend an allied ship's target lock as if it were your own.

1 point

Making you spend the lock still keeps it from being too good, but still gets the concept across of a team leader 'painting' targets for lower PS ordnance carriers.

Fluff wise this is shared/slaved telemetry feeds. Rogue Squadron used it quite regularly in the original EU for heavily defended/shielded targets.

Sounds like a system slot to me.

I like it! I think 2-3 pts per ship makes the most sense, as it IS a free action almost on demand.

Though by the pointed out Rogue Squadron logic, this would be an Astromech upgrade.

Game design wise, it makes the most sense as a system slot. However, we want it for other reasons, and it is needed for other reasons, since the System upgrade already has FCS. Therefore, I think it fits as a Ship Modification. Heck, all upgrades are essentially ship modifications anyways, lol.

Sounds like a system slot to me.

System slot restricts it too heavily; there's a lot of ordnance carriers out there who'd miss out.

That said, it did get me thinking - flip the upgrade on its head.

Targeting Link (Modification, 1pt): Friendly ships within range 1-2 with the [target lock] action may spend your blue target locks as if they were their own. You can equip this card only if you have the [target lock] action icon.

One squad leader can paint for a whole team of buddies. It could even be, say, Carnor Jax passing off his target lock to a friendly TIE bomber.

... hahaha. Redline gets to TL, shoot w/ TL for modifying the shot... then trigger FCS, and pass off two more TLs to his lower-level buddies. Cracken, eat your heart out.

On further reflection, TL's weren't the only shared information between ships in the lore. The were also several instances of slaved navicomputers for coordinated flying/hyperspace jumps. These coordinated manouvres and attacks occurred not just between X-wings but often included other shops like the Falcon, Lady Luck and other non unique vessels like the Shieldships of Nklonn (sp?).

Perhaps a modification slot would suit the shared information amongst a group of ships. Restricting it to Systems Slots or Astromechs would rule out too many ships that would have been involved in these types of actions lore-wise.

Network Targeting System

Modification

"At the start of the Combat Phase, if your action bar shows a target lock action, you may accquire a target lock on a ship a friendly ship in range 1 has a lock on."

1-2 (?) Points

Unfortunately I don't think that would fix ordnance, just make it so that swarms can shoot with TL+F. Imagine a list like XXBZZ, with one of the Zs Airen Cracken with VI. They would fly in a brick formation and wreck everything...

I like the idea. I would go with:

Targeting Transponder

Modification

If you have the <target lock> action in your action bar, you may spend an allied ship's target lock as if it were your own.

1 point

This sounds much more balanced, as being 1 point makes it compete with Munitions Failsafe, and doesn't make it an auto-include. It makes Weapons Engineer a great option on a shuttle escorted by bombers, and it also works with the new pilot Redline. I would definitely use this upgrade.

Network Targeting System

Modification

"At the start of the Combat Phase, if your action bar shows a target lock action, you may accquire a target lock on a ship a friendly ship in range 1 has a lock on."

1-2 (?) Points

Unfortunately I don't think that would fix ordnance, just make it so that swarms can shoot with TL+F. Imagine a list like XXBZZ, with one of the Zs Airen Cracken with VI. They would fly in a brick formation and wreck everything...

Don't the upcoming Bombs n Mines and stuff would be already a hard counter to dense Z formations?

I want to be able to fly with Jonus + Scimitars with a good feeling that they are actually able to blast stuff with their munitions.

I think it would even be cool to have a tanky Luke + 3 Rookies with Network Targeting System.

Usually nobody would try to attack Luke first, because his ability makes him the most tanky X-Wing in the game. He don't need to take a focus action to last longer, so he may use his action for a TL, and the Rookies may Focus and get a TL as well. They don't even have to be all in range 1 to Luke, so you could even spread them out a bit to cover moar area, arc dodgers could possibly land.

So: Luke and the Chain Gang

I'm thinking something like this:

Shared telemetry - modification 3pts?

This card can only be equipped if you have the TL icon in your action bar.

Action: Declare a target lock. Each other allied ship with a "Shared Telemetry" modification gains a free target lock on the defender then discard all copies of "Shared Telemetry".

This would allow for a proper munitions based alpha strike. The discard all seeks to balance out the power of the group action because of the total points required to outfit multiple ships.

Thematically it would fit in with the lore by allowing for setup of manoeuvres like the A-wing slash and other mass munitions attacks on a high defense target.

Not sure if the point cost is right but without extensive play testing and/or a math(s)wing investigation across munitions types. I don't think it should be any lower than 3pts though if I 'search my feelings...'

As such it might be better suited to Epic play but could still be useful in the PWT heavy meta.

Thoughts?

The difficulty locking higher PS ships is part of the sacrifice of lower pilot skill ordnance platforms. Pilot skill is an advantage you pay for.

Ordnance's problem is price and sometimes reliability: the mechanics are fine.

I'd think that something like this would be the way to go:

Targeting Network - Modification, 1 point.

At the start of the combat phase if you have a blue target lock token, you may move the matching red token to any other enemy ship that has a red target lock token. You may spend a focus token to acquire a target lock on any enemy ship that has a red target lock token.

It doesn't give increased action economy, it just increases the flexibility of existing actions so it can stay cheap without being unbalanced.

Enhanced Targeting Computer

"Once per round, at the beginning of the Combat Phase, IF you have a Blue Target Lock, a friendly ship within Range 1-2 may take a Free Target Lock action against your Target regardless of range."

---

Making it an free action means TL must be on the bar and the pilots cannot be too stressed to benefit from the mod.

It would also make TC a more useful modification for the TIE/Ln and TIE/In.

RGI would make Sabers and higher interesting for mod choices. PTL, AT and TC or PTL, TC and ETC?

Because it's a free action it can Proc PTL at the start of combat, but it requires TL which the TIE/In doesn't have naturally; decisions decisions...

On the ordnance side of things, a spotter equipped with ETC can allow for a beyond R3 TL when skirting the Bomber formation.

Or a High Speed Flanker can rush in 'paint' a target then return to the formation.

Also most Bomber-Type ships do not have access to EPTs and PTL so having F+TL is slightly more difficult for them.

Costings I'd say 1pt since the ship's with TL are already paying for their secondary weapon slot(s). Sorry Interceptors, you pay 3...

Making it an free action means TL must be on the bar and the pilots cannot be too stressed to benefit from the mod.

That's not how free actions work. If something says that you can take a Target Lock as a free action, you can take a Target Lock regardless of what is on your action bar (unless you have the Damaged Sensor Array crit which would only allow you to take the action if you did not have it on your action bar). The upgrade you describe would allow any friendly ship at range 1 or 2 can copy your target lock.