I kinda want to try a fleet with 2 MC30s and 2 AFKm2s, just cos I like the look of it. Problem is it's pretty expensive when you throw in Ackbar and some fighters. Best I can come up with is:

• Assault Frigate Mark II B - 72 points
  1. Admiral Ackbar - 38 points
  2. Gunnery Team - 7 points
• Assault Frigate Mark II B - 72 points
  1. Gunnery Team - 7 points
• MC30c Scout Frigate - 69 points
  1. Enhanced Armament 10 points
• MC30c Scout Frigate - 69 points
  1. Enhanced Armament 10 points
• 4 * A-Wing Squadrons - 44 points

398 points.

So not much room for upgrades is there. Is that a problem? Would getting rid of one of the ships and using those points on upgrades (and maybe another cheaper ship) be a better use of the points in this case? Get some synergy between Enhanced Armaments, Ackbar and Gunnery Teams, for example? Is there a rule of thumb for how much to load up your ships? I don't wanna lose the fighters, it's not Star Wars without the fighters.

Should maybe have some defensive upgrades on the flagship, I'm inclined to think I should get rid of a ship (probably an MC30, aesthetics aside).

Generally ships> upgrades because they give you activations

However naked ships tend to have a hard time, but your ships with 10 points of upgrades a piece will be fine

I would switch enhanced armament for gunnery teams/ xi7 though, which will give more bang for the buck

My rule of thumb is to spend fewer than 10% of my points on upgrades. Seems to work out pretty well for me.

Hmmmm I think XI7 Turbolasers would be a better fit in the scouts. . . They get red dice so unless you dropped them to Torpedo Frigates (which is a legit option) Enhanced Armaments are just a bit too much.

In fact, I think shmitty will agree that Turbolaser Reroute Circuits would be great on the scouts.

Having done mass upgrade and lower upgrade it really all depends on the play style you are trying to achieve.

The rule of thumb is "Make lists to your comfort level, play games, assess, adjust, play more games, assess, adjust, play more games, prosper."

The more games you play, the quicker you reveal what is and what is not required to pull victory out of the grasp of your opponent. Eventually you will form your own Rules of Thumb.

The rule of thumb is "Make lists to your comfort level, play games, assess, adjust, play more games, assess, adjust, play more games, prosper."

The more games you play, the quicker you reveal what is and what is not required to pull victory out of the grasp of your opponent. Eventually you will form your own Rules of Thumb.

My own rule of thumb is: If you don't absolutely feel that you need it, you probably don't.

I like to upgrade my ships to the max, 2 ships in 400 points in fact, that way my small elite Imperial fleet faces a horde of Rebel ships which is awesome

I don't think there's a hard-and-fast rule, except maybe this: More than one ship at maximum upgrade capacity is a bit much.

FWIW, I run a two VSD 1 ISD list with four TIE Interceptors/Fighters and the ISD is almost overloaded, and I do pretty decently. That said the ISD is pretty tanky and can survive damage with the multiple upgrades I have for her.

In the end, test! Four ships looks pretty good. Your weaknesses I foresee are on the squadron front and perhaps that your MC30s won't be able to withstand concentrated fire from large ships.

The only upgrade that is underpriced imho is intel officer. That upgrade is just too nasty on big ships vs other big ships. Overall though the balance between upgrades is quite well done.

The only upgrade that is underpriced imho is intel officer. That upgrade is just too nasty on big ships vs other big ships. Overall though the balance between upgrades is quite well done.

It is in such a contested slot though. . .

That was meant to be posted in a different topic

I would switch in foresight over enhanced armament on one of those scouts.

Generally ships> upgrades because they give you activations

However naked ships tend to have a hard time, but your ships with 10 points of upgrades a piece will be fine

I would switch enhanced armament for gunnery teams/ xi7 though, which will give more bang for the buck

Dunno if I have enough Gunnery Teams for that - what do they come with?

The rule of thumb is "Make lists to your comfort level, play games, assess, adjust, play more games, assess, adjust, play more games, prosper."

The more games you play, the quicker you reveal what is and what is not required to pull victory out of the grasp of your opponent. Eventually you will form your own Rules of Thumb.

If only I got enough games in for that!

Thanks guys, useful feedback

For me, if I can bring more guns onto the table, all the better.

Next thing on my mind is a squadron centric or ship centric force. Thereafter adjust accordingly

For me, at 400 pts, what I tend to build is something like this:

~250 pts - straight ship cost.

~30 pts - Commander cost

~50 pts - Ship Upgrades

~70 pts - Squadron Support

Those are approximate values, but they tend to stay fairly constant no matter what I am building.

For me, at 400 pts, what I tend to build is something like this:

~250 pts - straight ship cost.

~30 pts - Commander cost

~50 pts - Ship Upgrades

~70 pts - Squadron Support

Those are approximate values, but they tend to stay fairly constant no matter what I am building.

That sounds exactly the same ratios I run ar 300 and 400 points.

For me, at 400 pts, what I tend to build is something like this:

~250 pts - straight ship cost.

~30 pts - Commander cost

~50 pts - Ship Upgrades

~70 pts - Squadron Support

Those are approximate values, but they tend to stay fairly constant no matter what I am building.

I'd never thought about list building this way before, but it sounds like a nice way to aim for balanced builds every time.

My list-building tends to start with an idea (Raider I with Ordnance Experts, Expanded Hangers, and two Bombers, for example), duplicate it a time or two, add Demolisher, and then see what else will fit into the list. So I tend to have a fair bit of variance between my lists. I have a few upgrades that I consider must-haves--Demolisher, Ordnance Experts, and Gunnery Team are my top-3, in some order. I tend to focus on upgrades that dramatically improve offensive capabilities (Ordnance Experts on Raiders/Glads, Leading Shots on ISDs/VSDs), make my fleet far more dangerous than its raw numbers might suggest (gunnery teams), or offer strategic advantages/flexibility/superiority (Demolisher/boosted comms).

Obviously the choice of commander affects upgrade choices, as well. Taking Screed without crit-based upgrades is... sub-par...

I kinda want to try a fleet with 2 MC30s and 2 AFKm2s, just cos I like the look of it. Problem is it's pretty expensive when you throw in Ackbar and some fighters. Best I can come up with is:

• Assault Frigate Mark II B - 72 points
  1. Admiral Ackbar - 38 points
  2. Gunnery Team - 7 points
• Assault Frigate Mark II B - 72 points
  1. Gunnery Team - 7 points
• MC30c Scout Frigate - 69 points
  1. Enhanced Armament 10 points
• MC30c Scout Frigate - 69 points
  1. Enhanced Armament 10 points
• 4 * A-Wing Squadrons - 44 points

398 points.

So not much room for upgrades is there. Is that a problem? Would getting rid of one of the ships and using those points on upgrades (and maybe another cheaper ship) be a better use of the points in this case? Get some synergy between Enhanced Armaments, Ackbar and Gunnery Teams, for example? Is there a rule of thumb for how much to load up your ships? I don't wanna lose the fighters, it's not Star Wars without the fighters.

So I replaced your two Scout Frigates with Torpedo Frigates (keeping Enhanced Armaments) and it's scary as hell. At close range with Ackbar, you'll hit harder than an ISD1. You also free up 12 points. Take 8 of those and give each one Ordinance Experts and you'll have the hardest-hitting small ship in the game twice over, plus a solid bid for initiative.

So I replaced your two Scout Frigates with Torpedo Frigates (keeping Enhanced Armaments) and it's scary as hell. At close range with Ackbar, you'll hit harder than an ISD1. You also free up 12 points. Take 8 of those and give each one Ordinance Experts and you'll have the hardest-hitting small ship in the game twice over, plus a solid bid for initiative.

But they need to get in close to do serious damage, be tricky to get them in before they die won't it? Hmm....

But they need to get in close to do serious damage, be tricky to get them in before they die won't it? Hmm....

Still going to be 3 Red Dice at Long Range with Ackbar (Which, for the Record, is a Victory SD, or a Neb-B at Long Range)... Which adds Two blues at Medium... The Three Blacks kick in at close.

With its evades, and perhaps the forsight title, it can skim fairly close for a slash. The thing to remember is, its a Slash and Dash.

I guess I think of it like this: you're limited to 1/3 of your points in squadrons moreso to ensure you don't ruin yourself by taking too few capital ships (it's largely there to protect you from yourself rather than your opponent from you). If I'm spending more than 1/3 of my points on squadrons+upgrades then I start to get a little concerned that my fleet is too frail.

So I replaced your two Scout Frigates with Torpedo Frigates (keeping Enhanced Armaments) and it's scary as hell. At close range with Ackbar, you'll hit harder than an ISD1. You also free up 12 points. Take 8 of those and give each one Ordinance Experts and you'll have the hardest-hitting small ship in the game twice over, plus a solid bid for initiative.

But they need to get in close to do serious damage, be tricky to get them in before they die won't it? Hmm....

This is the entire crux of playing the torpedo frigate well: how can I bring those amazing guns to bear without dying first? There are lots of answers: bid for initiative, fly really goddamn fast, Mon Mothma, both titles, Hyperspace Assault, Rieekan, projection experts... I'm sure there are others nobody's thought of yet. The nice thing about this problem is that, if all those ideas fail, it can be solved at the tactical level with skillful flying.

So I replaced your two Scout Frigates with Torpedo Frigates (keeping Enhanced Armaments) and it's scary as hell. At close range with Ackbar, you'll hit harder than an ISD1. You also free up 12 points. Take 8 of those and give each one Ordinance Experts and you'll have the hardest-hitting small ship in the game twice over, plus a solid bid for initiative.

But they need to get in close to do serious damage, be tricky to get them in before they die won't it? Hmm....

This is the entire crux of playing the torpedo frigate well: how can I bring those amazing guns to bear without dying first? There are lots of answers: bid for initiative, fly really goddamn fast, Mon Mothma, both titles, Hyperspace Assault, Rieekan, projection experts... I'm sure there are others nobody's thought of yet. The nice thing about this problem is that, if all those ideas fail, it can be solved at the tactical level with skillful flying.