I have one Raider already, and two more on The Boat.

So, what's the Raider's role really going to be in Armada?

According to FFG its role is going to be for anti-starfighter warfare (ASW), but will it perform that role better than the 6 TIE fighter squadrons that you can get for the Raider II's 48 points? I seriously doubt it.

Lyraeus also suggests it as being a possible pocket carrier to support your bombers with a couple of squadron commands (provided you planned or built for it), but while I think it's an interestingly unorthodox idea, I'm not really sure I see it as effective. Especially in the age of Boosted Comms, and considering the Raider's fragility, I'm not sure what pocket carriers are going to give you for added value. But I'm willing to be convinced.

So what else?

I suppose that it can be used to sneak up on the MC80's or AFmkII's baffles, and deliver some front-to-tear pain, but getting around those Ackbar side-arcs of death, in order to go for that rear flank is not going to be all that simple.

Interceptor missile.

No, seriously.

For Sullust I deployed the Raider last. I had also given it Expanded launchers. The intention was to intercept anything that was going to be flanking my VSD/ISD/VSD wall combination I had deployed in the corner. Before it died it ripped away the shields of the flanking MC30 and had done damage to another CR-90. Having it there was a nice disincentive to be flanking.

So I'm thinking of doing the same when I get them (I won the ISD). Orinance Experts, Sensor Teams, and Gunnery Teams are all great offensive teams to take with this kind of expanded launchers setup. The titles make for a good anti-fighter ship that can tie up flanking bombers as well.

So, where I see the CR-90 as a good gunboat you want to get into the rear of the enemy fast to do lots of damage, the Raider is a kind of point-and-zoom missile ship that is trying its best to collide with enemy units and do maximum damage before exploding.

Lore: The Raider according to FFG is a outer-rim patrol and assigned craft, with a hyperdrive for dealing with small incursions. Is probably better at picking on things its own size or smaller. Including AA.

Assumptions: I think this craft is meant to be a little expendable. And is meant to be something of a petty officer's job.

In game: It definitely looks more like a nibbler: Something akin to the CR90. Gets in there, delivers an Overload Pulse, gets out. Or.. doesn't really matter if it doesn't get out. Expendable. Also very good ACM or APT carriers. As you can get a bunch of these cheaper than a 2nd glad or 3rd glad.

As for AA.... I think these things suck. Esp if you can't use Black dice at med range. Fighters just clear of its moderately obvious path. And it has such limited range, and sh*tty damage. Try those dice.... THEY SUCK! Crits don't count!

6 tie fighters is a lot of ties. I'd take those. Although, I'd rather have 4ties and some carrier upgrades. Admiral Chirpy or Flight Controllers or Boosted Comms.

---

I was considering a mass AA list (which doesn't sound like a good idea), but imo, with limited range on black dice, id rather have the not-used Glad2. Imp2, glad2.

Point Defense Reroute is definitely a consideration.

Run as a group so you can flak blast small groups of squadrons. Vs Rhymer ball, you gotta just not engage their VSD/ISDs, and plink at the ties 3hp in the rhymer ball. Repair like crap.

im pretty sure anti-squadron dice POOL operates at short-medium range regardless of color. can anyone confirm?

I asked this too in the rules forum, first reply i got was no... I'm hoping the pool works at close-med though.

im pretty sure anti-squadron dice POOL operates at short-medium range regardless of color. can anyone confirm?

I can confirm that's not the case. Blue dice have medium range, black dice have short range. Like any normal battery attack. Where in the rules did you read otherwise?

im pretty sure anti-squadron dice POOL operates at short-medium range regardless of color. can anyone confirm?

Ship based anti squadron dice have the standard dice color ranges.

Rules Reference doc, p.2, Attack:

2. Roll Attack Dice: Gather attack dice to form the attack
pool and roll those dice. Gather only the dice that are
appropriate for the range of the attack as indicated by
the icons on the range ruler .

◊ If the defender is a ship, gather the attack dice
indicated in the attacking hull zone’s or squadron’s
battery armament.

◊ If the defender is a squadron, gather the attack dice
indicated in the attacker’s anti-squadron armament.

In other words: you roll the attacker's anti-squadron dice, but only those that are appropriate for the measured attack range.

I am hoping this is not the case, cuz that AA is pretty crap. ><

im pretty sure anti-squadron dice POOL operates at short-medium range regardless of color. can anyone confirm?

I can confirm that's not the case. Blue dice have medium range, black dice have short range. Like any normal battery attack. Where in the rules did you read otherwise?

This.

Dice from a ship are subject to that die color's range - regardless of whether it's battery, or anti-squadron. With the exception of special rule breaking abilities - but none of those affect anti squad dice to my knowledge.

I am hoping this is not the case, cuz that AA is pretty crap. ><

Black dice are statistically more likely to generate damage than blue dice, and a squadron can't* attack you unless it's closer than close range anyway.

*Rhymer, obviously.

Cut to a horde of TIE Bombers shouting "we're the exception!"

Black dice work at short range only.

And yes, AAA is not exactly earth shatteringly effective. Fighters are far and away the best defence against enemy fighters.

Bear in mind star wars combat was based on WWII combat in which the above was certainly true.

That said, many of the later war WWII US ships were literally bristling with AAA machine guns, but the ISD (the best comparison to an Iowa class battleship) really isn't..

(although is that really a bad thing.. considering the 'fighters are rubbish / fighters are brilliant discussions'.. ? )

In the movies, ISDs get taken down by fighters a lot. So, I'm glad they went with this.

but seriously, that raider though. freaking sh*tty AA.

black dice are what, 4hits, 2crit+hits, 2 blanks? .75 chance of a hit! EW! Take months to kill a Bwing.

Blues are what... 4hits, 2crits, 2focuses? thats .5 chance.

So on a blue black roll, you average 1.25 damage? THATS TERRIBLE.

In the movies, ISDs get taken down by fighters a lot. So, I'm glad they went with this.

but seriously, that raider though. freaking sh*tty AA.

black dice are what, 4hits, 2crit+hits, 2 blanks? .75 chance of a hit! EW! Take months to kill a Bwing.

Blues are what... 4hits, 2crits, 2focuses? thats .5 chance.

So on a blue black roll, you average 1.25 damage? THATS TERRIBLE.

But the black is the best possible die for dealing damage. Also remember that you are getting an attack at each squadron in range.

It's not perfect, but it's cheap for what it does, and Raiders can lock squadrons down, too.

The other thing with AAA of course that's different to RL is you can fire away into dogfights and only hit the enemy, guaranteed.

A few TIEs with a raider supporting will be quite effective.

The other thing with AAA of course that's different to RL is you can fire away into dogfights and only hit the enemy, guaranteed.

A few TIEs with a raider supporting will be quite effective.

That's a good idea. Might try that. =) I still think its too low damage though. 1.25 is really just... kind of like random if there's a squadron left to blast it a little.

I wish Point Defense Reroute simply counted the crits.

In the movies, ISDs get taken down by fighters a lot. So, I'm glad they went with this.

but seriously, that raider though. freaking sh*tty AA.

black dice are what, 4hits, 2crit+hits, 2 blanks? .75 chance of a hit! EW! Take months to kill a Bwing.

Blues are what... 4hits, 2crits, 2focuses? thats .5 chance.

So on a blue black roll, you average 1.25 damage? THATS TERRIBLE.

Cap ship AAA was always about accumulating damage over several rounds, preferably used in conjunction with squadrons to keep the enemy in place.

My experience is that 2-3 ships firing more than 1 AAA dice + some TIEs can make a real impact, even on hull 5-6 squadrons.

3 hull TIEs just melt away.

And perhaps more importantly, in the day and age of the boosted comms:

The enemy will be much more reluctant to send his squadrons forward early on, lest the cap ships have time to use their shots on AAA.

We've already had the GSD2 averaging 1 damage at medium range. The raider does 1.5 damage at close range for cheaper. Neither is sufficient on its own. That said, the raider was given the best possible speed 2 turning meaning it can rotate around a furball. So the logical thing to do it create the furball with squadrons and then blast away.

Is see the role of the raider for four tasks.

1) Jamming the front of a gun line. It's fast enough to get out front and cheap enough to lose and/or be less relevant if the fight goes in the other direction.

2) Furball cleanup. Described above

3) Flanker

4) Being a cheap ship. As an oddball task ship it gets tasked for everything from activation advantage to pocket carrier simply because it's cheap and passable at the task. It doesn't need to be the best at a task if it's cheap.

Ninjas on some points

What's AA? What's AAA?

Bloody initialisms...

AA = Ant-aircraft

AAA = (I think) Anti-aircraft attack

or it could just be typo

Anti-aircraft artillery

AAA

Flak

Etc.

The Raider will make an ideal Trailer for the Imperials. Have them hang out behind your ISDs and VSDs. Then they can go finish off any heavily damaged ships that sneak past your big boys.

What's AA? What's AAA?

Bloody initialisms...

Now covered by the Glossary