I've used it a number of times. It is a solid ship. I'd rather have a tactician TLT hwk then a generic Y-wing every time.

I won a 14 man tournament last weekend and flew two generic rebel hwks (not with tactician). I took the stresshog also.

I took 3 generic hwks to regionals last year. Twice.

The HWK is no less durable than an x-wing. It has a turret. It's dial does suck, so you have to plan in advance. You need blockers for your hwks. I think you _need_ the stresshog, but I wouldn't fly a 4-5 ship rebel list without it.

It's fun. It can die super fast, but it is a target.

Really? I've not seen it. I guess it just always feels like a poor man's Y-Wing to me.

all the named hwks are useful, especially now with tlts.

and the cheap ones -are- poor man's Y. but if you don't have the points for a Y, it still is a tlt flying around, for those less points.

the only downside to the hwk IMO is it's looks. but that doesn't change the fact that they are very good bang for you buck on the table.

I have no idea why, (probably DF nostalgia) but the HWK is my absolute favorite EU ship design. I just love the thing.

I'm just confused by it in this game. It's almost strictly worse than a Z95 for 4 more points unless you pay for a turret and at that point its saving 2 points and 3 hits for a point of agility over a Y-Wing. I just always feel like whatever I build with it I could either get cheaper with another ship, or for just a few points more I could get a huge upgrade. The named pilots are alright, but add up to a big chunk of the list on a ship that can't really take a beating or avoid one.

It's not a matter of being completely worthless, I just always feel there's a better buy. The dial is just a weird kick in the teeth. It just sort of has to lazily float around taking turret shots at whatever decides to be in range, waiting to be shot by whatever decides to target it. Of anything, that's what really baffles me. The whole point of the thing was to be an evasive dropship. I don't think there's a ship in this game it can hope to outfly.

guess you have to change your perception/nostalgia from the videogame to the boardgame.

the same transition we all have to do who have played xwing/tiefighter/xwing.vs.tiefighter etc. ;-)

the dial is of little/less concern because you have a turret, and the named ones are ace; you just have to use the right one with the right list and have to fly it right.. I know.. the usual, but it's true.

try the scum ones, they're the most fun (IMO) to combo; palob+torkil+a bunch of stuff. it's not the best list. certainly.

but the other guy is gonna HATE hwks from there on, and you lose with a big smile on your face

from there on, try mixing it up into better lists. palob or torkil can be a real cornerstone of a list and make or brake lots of aces out there.

Most of the ships are pretty close to X-Wing/TIE Fighter at least. The Defender wasn't ever going to be what it was though. I accepted that in like... '97.

The dial matters because it means if someone wants to target you, they get to target you. I've also seen it create an issue with the TLT's doughnut hole, though usually there's something else worth shooting. The bigger issue is just that if someone wants to hunt you down, they can do so, and the ship isn't cheap enough for that. It costs enough that you have to be able to do some arc dodging and it just can't.

I play it; the combos are cute, but ultimately don't add up. It's not dead points by any means, its just really underwhelming compared to similar ships.

they do add up for a lot of us, sorry.. maybe change up your list, and maybe watch someone else flying that thing. I don't know you so I can't and won't say anything about your playstyle, but maybe it can be flown different from what you do atm.

as for being hunted down: couple it with a threat that CAN'T be ignored; in testgames I have paired a generic hwk + tlt with a poe and a bunch of Z95. did very well, IMHO. there are lots of other things you can combine it with, too.

and ultimately, it's just a part of your list. if it dies but keeps the rest of your list running wild, that would be okay with me..

anyway. don't give up on it - just be willing to adapt, maybe. no offense of any kind meant anywhere here!

Not all ships will appeal to every player's playstyle.

Here is why Hwks are not very good with a TLT:

Setup:

Round 3 (First combat round):

At this point it will be almost impossible to shake the Falcon who will be getting range 1 shots. If you have the 2 extra points for a Y-Wing, it's a worthwhile investment.

I actually specifically like Kyle and Poe. It lets you be significantly more aggressive with Poe's maneuvers without losing the focus.

I don't completely hate the thing; I just feel like I'm paying too much for it. An extra point or two for the base ship, maybe an extra point on the pilots but it might be more of a reflection of the base cost. A lot of the neat combos like Recon/Moldy Crow are fun but feel a point or so too much. It just adds up to a ship in the high 20's low 30's that feels like it should be more in the mid 20's range. It's more about the significance of moving from 1/4 of your 100 points to 1/3rd that really hurts it for me.

Not all ships will appeal to every player's playstyle.

naturally

Here is why Hwks are not very good with a TLT:

Setup:

Round 3 (First combat round):

At this point it will be almost impossible to shake the Falcon who will be getting range 1 shots. If you have the 2 extra points for a Y-Wing, it's a worthwhile investment.

while the example is excellent, there are specific cases that you can make for almost any ship like that. everything has a counter, and that's simply part of the game. please note that I'm no friend of the hwk, myself. IMO it is just not as "unusable" as some are saying it is; it is -very- usable. does it fly like an Y? nope. does it fly like a falcon? nope. does it cost as much as a y or even a falcon? hell no.. you get what you pay for. as usual. just saying'.

doesn't change what you say about the Y for 2pts more, if that's more to your playstyle.

And that's all I've said. It's not unusable, it just needs some significant love from the dev team.

I don't think it is in need of much of a buff. Works pretty well when you are used to limited dials - this feels like an Interceptor after flying Lambdas for a while.

while the example is excellent, there are specific cases that you can make for almost any ship like that. everything has a counter, and that's simply part of the game. please note that I'm no friend of the hwk, myself. IMO it is just not as "unusable" as some are saying it is; it is -very- usable. does it fly like an Y? nope. does it fly like a falcon? nope. does it cost as much as a y or even a falcon? hell no.. you get what you pay for. as usual. just saying'.

doesn't change what you say about the Y for 2pts more, if that's more to your playstyle.

I'm mainly trying to point out the incredible value you get if you spend an extra 2pts on the Y. You have so many more advantages/options. I'm also only talking about generics.

The example was from an actual game in a tournament. Even though the example is specific, practically anything that is fast or has boost can chase it down.

while the example is excellent, there are specific cases that you can make for almost any ship like that. everything has a counter, and that's simply part of the game. please note that I'm no friend of the hwk, myself. IMO it is just not as "unusable" as some are saying it is; it is -very- usable. does it fly like an Y? nope. does it fly like a falcon? nope. does it cost as much as a y or even a falcon? hell no.. you get what you pay for. as usual. just saying'.

doesn't change what you say about the Y for 2pts more, if that's more to your playstyle.

I'm mainly trying to point out the incredible value you get if you spend an extra 2pts on the Y. You have so many more advantages/options. I'm also only talking about generics.

The example was from an actual game in a tournament. Even though the example is specific, practically anything that is fast or has boost can chase it down.

The example is terrible, because the HWK player was stupid for jousting like that.

The example is terrible, because the HWK player was stupid for jousting like that.

I'm sure the Hwk player would not appreciate that comment...

Hwk player had no choice, PS2 and all. Point is that it wouldn't have mattered where he set up.

I don't think it is in need of much of a buff. Works pretty well when you are used to limited dials - this feels like an Interceptor after flying Lambdas for a while.

It's sadly not that much better. Being able to turn 90 degrees two turns in a row is obviously a big improvement and the turret makes it less of an issue in general, but that's sadly the main differentiating factor outside of the niche applications of both the hard stop and red straight 4. The Lambda at least sees a considerable stat discount for its dial. The HWK pairs a bad dial with what is probably the worst statline in the game?

The example is terrible, because the HWK player was stupid for jousting like that.

I'm sure the Hwk player would not appreciate that comment...

Hwk player had no choice, PS2 and all. Point is that it wouldn't have mattered where he set up.

Nothing stopping him from turning away on the approach, I do that very frequently. Works well with TLT.

I don't think it is in need of much of a buff. Works pretty well when you are used to limited dials - this feels like an Interceptor after flying Lambdas for a while.

It's sadly not that much better. Being able to turn 90 degrees two turns in a row is obviously a big improvement and the turret makes it less of an issue in general, but that's sadly the main differentiating factor outside of the niche applications of both the hard stop and red straight 4. The Lambda at least sees a considerable stat discount for its dial. The HWK pairs a bad dial with what is probably the worst statline in the game?

That one attack die makes it definitly the worst statline. It is the only ship in the game that is entirely unplayable without upgrades. The upgrade combinations it has, along with interesting and crazy (scum) pilot abilities make it worth it.

The HWK is fine. You trade some mobility (which doesn't matter significantly with the turret you're taking as an auto include) and some durability for a slightly cheaper ship and a crew slot (also Illicit if scum). With the advent of TLT, a rec spec Rebel Operative with TLT is a good 25 points.

Here's a video that shows some named scum HWKs doing work. They both have recon TLT. Mux is shot down early but three 4 dice attacks do that to a 5 health ship. I make a large mistake at one point when an ig88 comes into block palob. I forget what was on my dial but I should have seen the block coming. A right hard 2 to block bossk and give him a shot could have saved the some damage.

I've been thinking of switching out two recon for 3 tacs, but have noy been able to keep range two arcs with them.

wave6: we have some very fluffy, very fun to play named hwk-pilots.

the rebels ones are useful, the scummy ones hilarious and all great.

the generics are "bleh". not bad, but not really good enough, either. - these need a bit of love.

enter w7 and tlts.

fixed.

a spice runner or reb.op. with a tlt is both very effective and cheap. also not -the- biggest threat, which usually means it lives quite long, although it is rather brittle.

the named ones are a force to be reckoned with, and maybe some are too good for their own health.

you may not like how that thing flies and behaves, but really a lot of us do. it is not a defender where 9 out of 10 say that it's overpriced, it is not an xwing that is just a worse bwing, etc.

it is a very competative choice and fleshes lists out very well.

as I'm repeating myself like a broken record, I will stop here (can't help people who don't want to be helped..); what I do if I can't get things to work: talk to people that do, or look up some matches on youtube; you always learn something from good matches and good advice - if you're willing to. OTOH, if you prefer to stick your head in the sand and tell yourself that that thing is unworkable.. hey, that's fine too, really.

again: no offense meant; I just think you're missing out of flying a really good ship