Hello All,

I'm relatively new to the game and an avid Rebel player. In my first games I have realized that I have a really hard time sinking enemy capital ships. I usually end up playing the evasion game (especially against the Empire) and try to get points by killing the fighter screen. I'm very intimated to head on with an İmperial Victory, so I just kite away. The end result is getting shield off here and there but never total victory.

I'm probably doing something(s) wrong. Any advice is more than welcome!

My Fleet: 1 x Assault Frigate, 2 x Nebulon B, 2 x Corvette, 2 x Fighter Squadrons.

I was afraid to face them head-on at first, especially at 180pts, but now I know it's definitely possible. I run one AF in every list. I generally have the Assault Frigate heading towards them but slightly deviated (to get double arc, with Expanded Armaments and paragon), and then I either have 2 Neb-Bs or 2 Corvettes and some mixed fighters/an extra Corvette. An AFMkII and two Neb Bs should put quite a dent in any Imperial ship. Make sure you go slowly with the Nebulons, directly towards a VSD, without exposing side arcs, perhaps take Salvation title. If they have a Demolisher, I prefer to place the Assault Frigate opposite of that, to protect the Nebulons and provide an alternate target for Demolisher.

Well, the problem is that you need to get behind the Imperial ships. To do this, you need to withstand one or more turns of devastating frontal fire from the VSDs, or a battering from a GSD. I do the same thing Chilligan described, bring your AF forward at a slight angle. Slow roll your Neb-Bs, and zoom your CR90s past the Imperials at speed 4, taking engineering commands along to way to repair damage. Your AF will likely die to combined fire, but by the time it goes down your CR90s should be in position behind the Imperials and the shields should be down on at least one VSD/GSD.

Full disclosure: I have yet to sink more than one VSD in a game. Although my fleet has been composed of two Neb B's and two corvettes. That's going to change now that I have an assult frigate to run.

If you are playing for fun don't worry about losing. If you are tournament prepping, don't be scared to play keep away. You'll still score by not blowing the game by being reckless. And the Rebels do best when they get out of the front Imperial arcs.

of course you can't sink enemy ships

there's nowhere to sink to in space!

(but yeah, get behind the VSDs.I find AFmkiis have a particularly easy time strafing at long range and getting around to their weak side and rear arcs)

If they want to take you head on...let them...

Through a massive cloud of fighter/bombers. I prefer max Y's with A's in support. (Almost as good as a bomber while assaulting a ship)

Approach on an oblique angle with your Carrier and turn away for a ranged broadside. Meanwhile sacrificial and cheaper smaller ships block his larger ships and melt their fighter screen. (Imperial fighters cannot stand up to even the lightest anti squadron fire)

You may lose your small ships, but the damage will have been done. Superior positioning, superior firepower once you gain air superiority.

It's like a D&D game. Concentrate fire on one ship. Once it is down target the next.

Do not be afraid to sit most of your fleet in a Vic's front arc, it will only get one shot and if you position right you can get 2 out of your AF and CR90's, I'd never recommend going Side arc with Neb's Front only, but only do this if you have more than 2/3 ships in the Vic's arc, make it chose one and then slam back hard with multiple attacks from multiple ships.

there's nowhere to sink to in space!

Sure there is: planetary atmospheres. Or, if you want to be a little more poetic, gravity wells in general.

...first time caller....long time listener...

The designers realized this and that's why we have objectives.

The game is not really about destroying ships. The ships themselves were probably not balanced this way. In X-wing, the low HPs and high responsiveness of starships make this possible in every game. Armada ships, especially Imperial ones, have such high HP and maneuvering is so restricted in general that total ship destruction is mostly a feature, not a goal.

there's nowhere to sink to in space!

Sure there is: planetary atmospheres. Or, if you want to be a little more poetic, gravity wells in general.

Orbital mechanics being what they are, things that far up tend to stay that far up for a long time because they're already falling- they just keep missing*.

*Which is actually turning into a real problem as a lot of our junk could do some real damage to a satellite or space station if it hits.

Orbital mechanics being what they are, things that far up tend to stay that far up for a long time because they're already falling- they just keep missing*.

*Which is actually turning into a real problem as a lot of our junk could do some real damage to a satellite or space station if it hits.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, the Revenge of the Sith, who teaches us that striken ships rapidly plunge toward the surface of the planet they're orbiting.

Also, crashed ISD in the teaser.

Sorry to get back on topic here, but don't be terrified of the VSD front arc as others have said. Fly your fleet in formation, to better concentrate fire. Concentrate fire on a single ship and it will go boom. Look to handy upgrades to help in this, Salvation title to increase damage output, X17 turbo laser to reduce shield redirects, Intel Operatives and Overload pulses to limit defense token use.

Ignore warnings about NebB's being too fragile, let one close head on with a VSD while the rest of your fleet concentrates fire on him, trading a NebB for a VSD is a good point exchange, and that little frigate might actually survive the experience. Just some simple truths about this, these two ships have identical firepower in the front arc at long range. The NebB's defense tokens, double Brace and single Evade have a better chance of reducing damage to a single hull point or less versus three dice, than the VSD's twin Redirect and single Brace, plus you're probably wearing out his tokens quicker if you have more ships firing on him in a round.

Use your speed to split his forces, allowing you to take on one ship at a time. If he's running a twin VSD list, then go fast in order to flank the enemy, using the VSD itself to provide cover from the other VSD. If he's running a combo of VSD and GSD, then go slower, let the GSD outrun the slower Victory, and jump his single ship with your combined fleet. If he slow rolls both ships, then increase your speed and flank the GSD first, again isolating the single ship because the VSD isn't fast enough to get adjacent to his other ship before your fleet can engage it.

I have gone head to head with Nebulon-B's and VSD's. It is a very effective strategy. Their brace and evade let's them tank damage that other ships would cripple under.

And you use maneuver commands to perform 3 speed turns. The 2 click on the third yaw is awesome sauce.

I had a 200 points game yesterday:

GSD, VSD minimal fighters

vs

CR90, neb, 4 xwing/w luke.

Game was overall funny put the point is:

neb went down in turn 2 or 3 while cr90 made big arc around vsd and drained it down to 1 hull with nasty engine damaged crit. Its all about positioning, corvette was only in rear arc of VDS and pounded 6 dice (3 front, 2 side, most wanted objective) every turn into that arc.

As a VSD player, I find they go down scarily easily. Just sustain fire on them, especially with assault frigates. One accuracy per volley negates their only decent defensive option (the brace).