Thematically? Because the standard hardpoints are for energy turrets; they've been modified to accept munitions launchers, and associated ammunition magazines.

You could say the same thing about every Turret and Cannon upgrade in the rest of the game.

Y-Wings don't come with Twin Laser Turrets, they come with Ion Cannon Turrets. TIE Defenders don't come with Heavy Laser Cannons, they come with Ion Cannons. But none of those upgrades are modifications. All of them go in the space they go in.

I don't see any good reason why the Tubes couldn't have been a Hardpoint upgrade.

In addition, doing it that way would allow for my accurate pricing. As it stands, replacing only one hardpoint with a warhead or replacing 3, costs you 5 points regardless. Which, frankly, doesn't make sense. The cost should be based on how many of the things you're actually using.

Even within the upgrade slots, one could argue there's a big difference between swapping one turret for another and having to rip the power feeds out and install munitions conveyors. Heck, you probably ripped out the !capacitors and put in magazine bunkers in their place, right?

(I'm not hostile to the idea, and 'missile launcher on a capital ship' would have been just as thematically justifiable too. I'm just giving a suggestion for why it thematically could be what it is.)

Of course, really it's Balance Patch #3: This One Makes Your Hardpoints Energy-Free, so it's in the same slot as #1: Have Spare Re-enforce Actions and #2: Have Two Free Energy simply so you can't combo them.

Balance-wise, I don't disagree on the cost point. The 5-pt tax means that you either fly a loaded-to-the-gills missile boat, or you... don't. I guess this might actually be intentional; it means you're either a standard vessel or you're a missile one, rather than a standard-one-that-grabbed-a-spare-ion-pulse-missile.

That said, the latter would have made missile-fitted Gozantis attractive; as-is you're much better off taking a normal hardpoint (including that lovely turret of theirs) and Optimised Generators to keep the power flowing to it.

But heck, it won't be the last time a balance patch came in a model pack that was a terrible fit for it, right?

Get the green pig and 2 missiles/torps - save one hardpoint for energy weapons.

You will get enough TLs to fire the ordnance and enough energy to fire the cannons every turn.

A perfect mix.

4 Pages, still no LAW joke.

4 Pages, still no LAW joke.

I tried it - but haven't found any pictures of Ordinance tubes ... blame Google.

EDIT:

The LAW Launcher.

Because an ordinance is a law is an ordnance.

Finally ...

I don't think that everyone fully grasped how different an Ordnance Raider would have to be flown vs a traditional one.

Traditional Raider (single turbo laser forward, quads on the sides): you want to stay at long range while your escort delays or slows down the enemy. Assuming you start in a corner, being slow garantees that any attempt by small ships to flank you will put them in range of your quad guns (because of the map's edge). Target priorities are high value ships with 1 or less agility.

Ordnance Raider : the range 3 limitation will make it so that you'll want to get close and personal as soon as possible (especially against a corvette if it has a single turbo laser on top of its range 5 primary weapon). The luxury of engaging at the maximum distance is gone; you have to kick the enemy straight in the teeth! I would advise against assault missiles (at least on the forward arc), because it would mean either damaging your escort or engaging the enemy without your escort (which would be a losing proposition with good odds of having the front crippled in 1 or 2 rounds).

I'm not claiming to have all the answers, but one thing that I am absolutely certain: using ordnance means flying a huge ship very, very differently... and that looks like a lot of fun!

I honestly plan on running my next epic ship with double proton torpedoes. Because, proton torpedoes! Maybe not the most efficient use of points but it does make for pretty decent damage from the rear end of a Raider.

Maybe something like this:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed all torps get errata'd so you don't have to spend your target lock. It might make pilots like Nera or Horton playable as well as give capital ships more options for making saturation attacks. Simply ruling that caps don't have to spend locks (or giving all caps an in-built fcs) would change how they play dramatically. For one thing, it would give the Raider and the corvette one hell of a broadside.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed all torps get errata'd so you don't have to spend your target lock. It might make pilots like Nera or Horton playable as well as give capital ships more options for making saturation attacks. Simply ruling that caps don't have to spend locks (or giving all caps an in-built fcs) would change how they play dramatically. For one thing, it would give the Raider and the corvette one hell of a broadside.

I bet this will never happen.

We can dream. The PT crowd has their delusion, why can't we?

Use Homing Missiles instead?

Its only one point more.

Imperial raider with Ion Torpedos in the foreward arc, Engine booster and Rear Admiral Oicoon Chiranu. Add an Ionization Reactor. Play the Jaws Theme.

Would keeping the TL really be worth it for Epic ships? If you are targeting other Epics, then yes. If you are firing at small ships, then I think Weapons Engineer is better. That way, you get two TL for the price of one. Pick two small ships and you get to fire for two rounds in a row.

If you were going to fire at the other Epics, then either go for Plasma Torpedoes or Proton Torpedoes. The Plasma will help strip those shields down and let your other weapons do the work. Also, they can regen shields and you know they will. The Plasma Torp is great for really knocking the shields away. Proton is amazing due to the Epic crits. They are utterly game losing at times. Throwing in free criticals is just amazing. Oh, and if you have Proton Torps with Ordnance crew, then you get to change one blank and one eyeball to hits/crits. That's money in the bank.

Is it possible for a ship with weapons engineer to TL both sections of a Huge Ship?

Imperial raider with Ion Torpedos in the foreward arc, Engine booster and Rear Admiral Oicoon Chiranu. Add an Ionization Reactor. Play the Jaws Theme.

I was thinking Ion Pulse Missiles, myself - this is enough to make a Falcon sweat, and is a real bane against hostile capitals, too - even re-enforced you have a 50/50 chance of doing your full complement of 1 damage and -2 energy against them for the following round while keeping your target lock for your volley of primaries.

Then kick in pairs of Homing Missiles for the huge flanks (Big arcs, eh?) and Impetuous, and the enemy is liable to have a very bad day indeed.

Is it possible for a ship with weapons engineer to TL both sections of a Huge Ship?

Yes, but you can only shoot at the one that is in front of you. It's rare to be able to shoot at both halves in the same turn. Depends on the ship, though. I'm thinking of the CR-90. You can't shoot at both the rear and front unless you are on the side.

Is it possible for a ship with weapons engineer to TL both sections of a Huge Ship?

Yes, but you can only shoot at the one that is in front of you. It's rare to be able to shoot at both halves in the same turn. Depends on the ship, though. I'm thinking of the CR-90. You can't shoot at both the rear and front unless you are on the side.

Are you sure? The card says to lock 2 different ships. When you attempt to lock on both the fore and aft section of a ship its still the same ship.

I will say, I think the implementation is weird.

Why is this a modification, instead of Missile Launchers/Torpedo Tubes, Hardpoint upgrades?

Firstly, printing efficiency. Given these (Automated Protocols, Optimized Generators and Ordnance Tubes) are fix cards, you get three of each so that one Gozanti purchase will give all released Huge Ships that can take ordnance so far a set of all three. To do the same for Ordnance Tubes with individual upgrades requires nine cards instead of three. If you have separate missile/torpedo cards as you're suggesting, eighteen instead of three.

Secondly, convenience. Individual upgrades that are essentially Bomb Loadouts means three cards instead of one. Makes your side of the table tidier.

Thirdly, cost dynamic. This works like Extra Munitions in that it becomes more cost efficient the more you take. Stacking more missiles onto a ship makes the cost of the ordnance tubes per missile go down. Individual hardpoint upgrades have a flat tax on ordnance and relative to the current design encourage fewer missiles rather than more.

Fourthly, huge ship crits. having three Bomb Loadout-style cards gives you a really big shield against Hull Breaches: you'd need four to hit an important card. That being said I'd be interested to see if you're crippled while the tubes are breached if you discard all the missiles on that section.

Fifthy, it locks out the other two fix mods. It's a very powerful card and one that requires the sacrifice of either Backup Shield Action Generator or the upgrade that keeps hardpoint weapons fueled easily.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed all torps get errata'd so you don't have to spend your target lock. It might make pilots like Nera or Horton playable as well as give capital ships more options for making saturation attacks. Simply ruling that caps don't have to spend locks (or giving all caps an in-built fcs) would change how they play dramatically. For one thing, it would give the Raider and the corvette one hell of a broadside

Load it with standard Homing Missiles, or two Homing and one Proton. The Homings don't eat locks.

Or for full crazy, go IPM, Homing, Flechette. Stun it, stress it, smash it.

This is on my phone, it's not even my favourite track from the album.

My Daughter is called Autumn so... yeah

Forever Autumn, Thunderchild, Spirit of Man, Eve of war. That order.

No Brave New World?

This is on my phone, it's not even my favourite track from the album.

My Daughter is called Autumn so... yeah

Forever Autumn, Thunderchild, Spirit of Man, Eve of war. That order.

No Brave New World?

I prefer the Iron maiden track of the same name.

Is it possible for a ship with weapons engineer to TL both sections of a Huge Ship?

Yes, but you can only shoot at the one that is in front of you. It's rare to be able to shoot at both halves in the same turn. Depends on the ship, though. I'm thinking of the CR-90. You can't shoot at both the rear and front unless you are on the side.

Are you sure? The card says to lock 2 different ships. When you attempt to lock on both the fore and aft section of a ship its still the same ship.

Redline is the only pilot that can maintain multiple locks on the same ship. A ship with Weapons Engineer can only acquire and maintain one lock on a Huge Ship.

Redline is the only pilot that can maintain multiple locks on the same ship. A ship with Weapons Engineer can only acquire and maintain one lock on a Huge Ship.

I'm inclined to agree with that interpretation (unless there's been an errata), but I don't like it. Either you should be able to have a lock on both sections, or a target lock on the ship can be used in an attack against either section.

Redline is the only pilot that can maintain multiple locks on the same ship. A ship with Weapons Engineer can only acquire and maintain one lock on a Huge Ship.

I'm inclined to agree with that interpretation (unless there's been an errata), but I don't like it. Either you should be able to have a lock on both sections, or a target lock on the ship can be used in an attack against either section.

It can. You simply acquire a target lock on the ship, and it can be spent on an attack against either section. The lock is associated with the ship, not a section or a card. Same with locks the huge ship has on others. The rear section acquires and maintains the lock, but it may be spent by a weapon on either section.

It can. You simply acquire a target lock on the ship, and it can be spent on an attack against either section. The lock is associated with the ship, not a section or a card. Same with locks the huge ship has on others. The rear section acquires and maintains the lock, but it may be spent by a weapon on either section.

Note really...

Target Lock Tokens

A ship that acquires a target lock on a huge ship must acquire that lock on a single section of the huge ship. The closest point of the chosen section must be within range. The red target lock token is placed next to the chosen section of the huge ship and its effect only applies to that section.

If you lock onto a Huge ship you must choose the section.

[Edit] P.S. you are correct about the Huge ship having a Target Lock.

Target Lock

Some huge ships have the action in their action bar. This allows them to acquire target locks as described on page 9 of the core set rulebook. When a huge ship acquires a target lock, the blue target lock is placed next to the ship. It is not assigned to either section, and it can be spent by either section

I added the bold for emphasis.