Aight, so we all know about the tractor beam coming out, taking a cannon slot.

Well it hit me a minute ago, TIE Fighter through to X-wing alliance had two more beams, the jamming beam and the decoy beam.

The decoy beam is basically just countermeasures/stealth device. The ship doesn't appear on radar.

Jamming beam though.

OH boy.

Jamming beam is the absolute and definitive answer to PWTs. A ship caught in this beam can move as normal but it's firepower is restricted. against small 2 ship lists this would be probably the hardest counter.

Basically the rule would be divide firepower by 2 rounding down to a target hit by the beam, cancel all damage results.

I'm good without the extra beams... they only existed in that or one more game... Even Defender's actually showed in novels.

That said... magpulse missiles would be nice. We already got the weapons disabled token so it would be a logical next step - should the great and powerful line developers decide to go that route.

Problem with a jamming beam is it would be tailor made for aggressors. Sure, Han and Chirpy would hate it but brobots would be ridiculous with it.

I've been begging for magpulse weapons for a while. Tricky part is timing. PS order can really mess up effectiveness. Just like with Conner Net.

Jamming beam is the absolute and definitive answer to PWTs.

Whatever you say, kid...

And PWTs aren't really that much of a problem. Swarms are still valid, you just don't see them in tournaments for obvious reasons other than balance

Also, a definitive answer wouldn't be a good thing. That would limit your options as you would always be pushed to build with a jamming beam.

Options are best. There need to be multiple options because there's fun in diversity. This is what they have been trying to do with some of the new ordnance changes and additions. They gave us cluster mines as an option against Large ships.

Also, if something in the game is unbalanced, its not a good idea to try to reign it in by creating something else to go against it. That creates an arms race situation and it also, as I said before, will limit your options in list building.

I would welcome the Jamming beam as a new balanced weapon that gives benefits at a cost, but not if it's specifically designed to counter a PWT

This is true, my theory is that a jamming beam being a weapon that does no damage would only be effective against 2 ship builds. afterall, they can still throw half their dice, you just lost all of yours.

Beam Weapons including the not yet released Tractor beam should be systems, not cannons. Not all secondary weapons need by turrets, cannons, missiles or torps. But I guess it's too late now.

I feel like the Jamming Beam is basically the same thing as the Sensor Jammer.

Only, it takes up your attack, and is limited to a single target. So the effect had better be a lot more powerful.

Obviously, the Jamming Beam from the X-Wing games is a lot more powerful. The ship being jammed can't attack the jamming ship at all. And the ship with the beam could still attack while jamming because, you know, it wasn't a freakin cannon.

All of these Beams should have been System upgrades or just appeared on the action bar.

All things serve the Beam.