The Defender is a total no-brainer. The second ship should be the Lambda so we can finally get pilots with EPTs, but I don't ever see the shuttle getting this. The Phantom will most likely be the other ship. I can totally see another de-cloak timing trick for the Phantom.

Would definitely like to see a bomber two pack.

PS 5. "Insert callsign/name here"

When you are destroyed, before removing your ship from the play area, you may drop an equipped bomb as per normal rules.

PS 8 "Insert callsign/name here"

When an enemy ship places a target lock on you, you may immediately place a target lock on that ship

Elite Pilot Talent

When removing a target lock, if you have no stress tokens, you may take a stress instead.

EPT "setup for your attack run"

Action

Discard this card, choose a ship at range 1-2, that ship may take a free target lock action, then discard this card.

As for the Lambda

Title, Lambda only

"Combat Drop Pilot"

Ship gains a EPT slot, and increase pilot skill by 1

TIE Bomber, hands down.

Maybe some with an ability that actually revolves around the usage of bombs.

TIE Bomber might be my favorite SW ship (Y-Wing is also a contender), and it's named pilots at the moment... well, Jonus is a great support guy that will never shine all on his own, while Rhymer has an ability that is interesting but incredibly overpriced for what it does. Maybe with all the new munitions funs coming out Rhymer will finally come close enough to justifying his price to see table time, and Jonus will gain a little flexibility in the squads he can accompany.

Still, would love a Bomber ace pack with pilots that actually focus on using bombs and a model with a nice little Gamma Squadron paint job.

TIE Bomber

TIE Defender

For me, it has got to be these two. They need it, people want it, there is already a repaint option open for the Bomber (Gamma Squadron)... it all just makes sense.

Bomber and Defender hands down

Bomber:

PS 8, EPT - After performing a <torpedo> or <missile> attack that hits you may perform another <torpedo> or <missile> attack. Then you may not attack again this round.

PS 7, EPT - When one of your bombs you deployed detonates, you may re-roll any number of attack dice.

PS 5, no EPT - When performing an attack that requires you have or spend a target lock, you may use the red target lock token of another friendly ship instead.

Double tapping with missiles only works for a few missiles and no torpedos (unless you get target locks from another source *hint**hint*) - putting it on the Punisher which can take FCS would be less cumbersome but it might not encourge a diversity in munitons

Again, a bomb centric pilot would be a good fit for the Punisher but it might keep the bomber relevants as cheaper delivery plattform.

Using some other ships target lock, might get the Targeting Computer-mod from Imperial Aces out of the shadows.

Defender:

PS 9, EPT - You may extend the range of your <cannon>-attacks by one. You may perform <cannon>-attacks at Range 4 unless you equipped <cannon>-upgrade has the range of 1-3.

PS 7, EPT - After an attack that ionized to the defender, you may assign it a weapon disabled token as well.

PS 5, EPT - When attacking with a <missile>-attack you may mesure the range any effect the missile inflicts when it hits the defender using the 4-straight template instead of the range ruler.

HLC at Range 4? Autoblaster at R2? Rhymer would like a word?

Defender PS7 is one I came up some time ago for another ship - still valid

4 straight is up to the half of Range 2 (basically Range 1.5), so assault missiles to clear away some swarms should they ever come back - not every Defender pilots has to be about cannon

Defender:

PS 9, EPT - You may extend the range of your <cannon>-attacks by one. You may perform <cannon>-attacks at Range 4 unless you equipped <cannon>-upgrade has the range of 1-3.

So you'd have to buy an epic ship to get the range 4/5 ruler?

Defender:

PS 9, EPT - You may extend the range of your <cannon>-attacks by one. You may perform <cannon>-attacks at Range 4 unless you equipped <cannon>-upgrade has the range of 1-3.

So you'd have to buy an epic ship to get the range 4/5 ruler?

Which is why you would never see range 4/5 in standard. Not unless they do a second edition core set and put in a new range ruler.

Defender:

PS 9, EPT - You may extend the range of your <cannon>-attacks by one. You may perform <cannon>-attacks at Range 4 unless you equipped <cannon>-upgrade has the range of 1-3.

So you'd have to buy an epic ship to get the range 4/5 ruler?

Included in the aces box ... or of course an explaination who to use the 3-straight rules (which is the same lenght as Range 1) to extend the range ruler

Agreed, it simply has to be bomber and defender: these two ships are criminally under-represented in lists, have lovely designs and should be playing a bigger role in imperial play!

The phantom is already tricked out, has three really good pilot options, is extremely powerful, and is viable all the way up from a naked sigma to a pimped out buzzsaw whisper. They're in a good spot right now, and I think ffg will be loathe to re-open them and start tinkering around, now that they've fixed them so well...

In comparison, the defender and the bomber both suffer from a lack of synergy in their pilot talents and their roles, and also suffer from a lack of options.

Having said all this, maybe it's a little early to bemoan the bomber, as extra munitions is going to change this ship a lot, imo. A tricked out bomber wing might be a very scary thing, we'll have to wait and see... Scimitar, prox mines, assault missiles and extra munitions clocks in at a respectable 26 points. Tasty. So maybe the bomber gets the b-wing treatment; a crew slot that knocks out its bomb bays?

Defender so people will stop moaning about a perfectly fine ship.

Bomber so we have more reasonable costed pilots.

Maybe some with an ability that actually revolves around the usage of bombs.

"When a bomb that you have dropped detonates, you may spend focus and target lock tokens as you would when performing an attack."

I think what Alex Davy said in the Team Covennt interview said about the Rebel Aces pack, the same is tue for a new Imperial Aces pack

One ship desperately needs help: TIE Defender

The other is in a good spot but could need a little bump: TIE Bomber

so i would put in the following content:

For the Defender:

PS 9, EPT : Immediately after spending a Target Lock, assign a Focus token to your ship

PS 7, EPT : If an attack ionizes or stresses a ship, you may take a stress token to assign 2 of the corresponding tokens to the defender

PS 5, EPT, generic

PS 4, no EPT, generic

4 copies of a Title or Missle upgrade with a somehow linked fire mechanic, either add secondary weapon non damage effects or allow to attack with a secondary after attacking with your primaries

2 copies of Flechette Cannon

2 copies of Tractor Beam

For the Bomber:

PS 5, EPT : You may use a Fokus Token to reroll any dice rolled against a target by a mine deployed by you

PS 3, no EPT : At the beginning of the Combat Phase you may pass 1 focus token to a friendly ship within Range 1-3

and one of each existing generic

and to make something work i got the idea of adding a Title for the bomber:

Tie Shuttle 6 points

Title. Tie Bomber only

Remove 2<torpedo>, 2<missle> and 1 <bomb> upgrade slots from your upgrade bar.

Add 3 Crew slots to your upgrade bar

Increase your Shield value by 2

1 copy of Proximity Mines

1 copy of Cluster Mines

1 copy of Conner Net

perhaps new Mine:

Gravity Mine: 4 Points

Action: Discard this card to drop 1 gravity mine token. When a ship executes a maneuver, if its base or maneuver template overlaps this token, this token detonates. When the bomb token detonates, the ship that moved through or overlapped this token rolls 2 attack dice and suffers all hits and crits rolled and can only attack at range 1 this turn. Then discard this token.

2 copies of Recon Specialist

1 copy of Rebel Captive

and perhaps a new crew:

Ryko Vant: 2 points

If a friendly ship in range 1-2 is attacking, its attacks cannot be obstructed

The Defender is an obvious choice for an 'Imperial Aces II'. Its fix is long overdue and indisputably necessary - it needs some kind of boost to Pilot Skill for the generics, in line with the Advanced and Bomber (2 and 4) or Phantom (3 and 5) and I wouldn't mind seeing a third generic with an EPT slot. It also needs either a unique, impactful mechanic (such as shield regen, or the 'linked cannons' idea that has been suggested a lot) to really make it worth its current cost, or a reduction in points. Beyond that, a few extra named pilots (PS7 and 9?) with interesting abilities would be welcome.

As for the other ship, the Bomber could perhaps use some additional pilots, and at a stretch so could the Phantom, though personally I don't believe it needs them.

... or of course an explaination who to use the 3-straight rules (which is the same lenght as Range 1)

No it isn't. Range 1 is 2.5 straight.

Range 1 is 100mm

Range 2 is 200mm

Range 3 is 300mm

1-straight is 40mm

2-straight is 80mm

3-straight is 120mm

4-straight is 160mm

5-straight is 200mm

Has to be the TIE Bomber, simply so we have another source for Conner Nets, Cluster Mines, Ion Bombs etc.

And the TIE Defender, for another source for the Twin Ion Engine Mk2 modification.

Both ships could do with some new pilot cards and options.

how about this?

imperial double agents!!!

its an imperial YT, a smuggler working for the rebellion but is a sleeper agent for the empire. the imperial player deploys it in the other factions deployment zone. the enemy cannot fire on it until it fires on one of his ships first.

As a lot of people has said before, the TIE Defender is obvious and need a fix. Much more with the tractor beam cannon that has been announced.

The second option is more difficult to see. With the Punisher and K Wing we have received a "fix" for ordnance problem, now we can double our missiles, torps and bombs for two points. I think is necessary another thing for the Bomber, that makes a bit easier doing his job, launch ordnance.

I doubt that we can see an aces pack with a small base and a large base miniatures together, but i think it will be great to see a Lambda Shuttel pack with rebel pilots and new pilots for the empire and make the Shuttel a crossfaction ship.

Duel Box Advanced star fighters: An e wing, a defender, and a star viper.

I want a title card that lets the mid-range named TIE/Ln pilots take EPTs.

I'll add my voice to those wanting TIE Defender and TIE Bomber aces.

I'll go further and state that, in addition to fixes and new pilots, I want the old pilots updated and replaced with better abilities.

Interceptors packaged with Autothrusters.

Defender & Phantom!

These ships need more love, they need some Titles and Pilots pronto especially the Defender it's a beast that dosnt get to shine...

I don't want to see any Aces packs that combine TIEs with non-TIEs.

Why?

I would like to see the Defender and Bomber get more pilots, but I don't think they need huge fixes or even alternate paint schemes. I would like to see a blue v1 thought, even if it's not out yet even in grey.

It doesn't look like FFG likes to release aces packs anymore, since the last 'fixes' that handed down seem to come with Huge ships or $20 small base ships (AT, EM). I would like to see a multi-faction aces set with Starviper, X-wing and TIE defender though (I'm sure that's even worse than mixing ties with non-ties), and we can call it Out of the Shadows of the Empire.

Defender and Bomber.

***

Defender with an upgrade that makes viable to use cannon secondary weapons with it (and another ships, like the Lambda); and a title card. Something like this:

For pilots, besides Iran Ryad (ability: can equip an extra, different modification) and the Red Star Squadron, there aren't many canonical out there, so don't blame me if I want a Maarek Steele for the TIE Defender... (maybe with a different, fitting badass ability)

***

Bomber with a title (maybe reducing the squad cost by 1 for all ordinance?) and an upgrade that allows it to use two secondary weapons at the same turn. Something like that:

For pilots, Lumiya (from the Theta Squadron), the Scimitar Assault Wing (with its white, sneaky TIE Bombers) and their leader Tomax Bren, which I did:

***

Both ships with alternate paintings. Bomber could be white (Scimitar Assault) or grey (like the original TIE Fighters). Defenders could be dark grey.

For pilots, Lumiya (from the Theta Squadron)