Musings on Ackbar and how I wish he would've been

By corlinjewell, in Star Wars: Armada

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?
That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?
That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?
That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

I've played with X and Jan. Its okay. But if you're facing overwhelming squadrons, which are the only ones I'd worry about... no.

Jan + Escort is nice though. I've been shying away from As and more to Xs actually too.

Gallant Haven is... a certain playstyle. and also moderately easy counter played.

The key is a mix of sqauadron + ship damage: tie up the squadrons haven is protecting for a turn, then let the haven fly out. And simultaneously, push 2 wedges in his face.

Howl Dengar tie ints maybe plus an tie adv will beat it for the same or less cost.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?
That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

I've played with X and Jan. Its okay. But if you're facing overwhelming squadrons, which are the only ones I'd worry about... no.

Jan + Escort is nice though. I've been shying away from As and more to Xs actually too.

Gallant Haven is... a certain playstyle. and also moderately easy counter played.

The key is a mix of sqauadron + ship damage: tie up the squadrons haven is protecting for a turn, then let the haven fly out. And simultaneously, push 2 wedges in his face.

Howl Dengar tie ints maybe plus an tie adv will beat it for the same or less cost.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?
That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.
In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

I've played with X and Jan. Its okay. But if you're facing overwhelming squadrons, which are the only ones I'd worry about... no.

Jan + Escort is nice though. I've been shying away from As and more to Xs actually too.

Gallant Haven is... a certain playstyle. and also moderately easy counter played.

The key is a mix of sqauadron + ship damage: tie up the squadrons haven is protecting for a turn, then let the haven fly out. And simultaneously, push 2 wedges in his face.

Howl Dengar tie ints maybe plus an tie adv will beat it for the same or less cost.

Not likely because they can have Escorts and Intel as well so tying them up is hard as well especially when you add Jan in.

Yeah, Jan is the Gallant Haven enabler, I think. Not only does she provide Intel to enable you to stay within the protected zone (which was my biggest problem with GH before), but tossing those unblockable braces around in conjunction with GH lets you brace damage to zero... which is a HUGE deal.

The most workable build I've seen with this thus far has used Projection Experts and Rieekan to keep GH alive so it could get into close quarters while keeping the bombers and escorts alive all the way in.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?

That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

I've played with X and Jan. Its okay. But if you're facing overwhelming squadrons, which are the only ones I'd worry about... no.

Jan + Escort is nice though. I've been shying away from As and more to Xs actually too.

Gallant Haven is... a certain playstyle. and also moderately easy counter played.

The key is a mix of sqauadron + ship damage: tie up the squadrons haven is protecting for a turn, then let the haven fly out. And simultaneously, push 2 wedges in his face.

Howl Dengar tie ints maybe plus an tie adv will beat it for the same or less cost.

Not likely because they can have Escorts and Intel as well so tying them up is hard as well especially when you add Jan in.

Yeah, Jan is the Gallant Haven enabler, I think. Not only does she provide Intel to enable you to stay within the protected zone (which was my biggest problem with GH before), but tossing those unblockable braces around in conjunction with GH lets you brace damage to zero... which is a HUGE deal.

The most workable build I've seen with this thus far has used Projection Experts and Rieekan to keep GH alive so it could get into close quarters while keeping the bombers and escorts alive all the way in.

So you use the AF with GH offensively, flying it towards squads and ships?

Gallant Haven+Jan+X-Wings sounds great, but they can ultimately be ignored if they are used in that specific combination. I'll just bomb something else. For Jan and X-Wings to do anything in an Ackbar build, they need to go out and stop the threat. Even then, I'm not convinced you can get enough of them to be a legitimate threat to enemy squadrons while still getting your points worth out of Ackbar.

Yeah, Jan is the Gallant Haven enabler, I think. Not only does she provide Intel to enable you to stay within the protected zone (which was my biggest problem with GH before), but tossing those unblockable braces around in conjunction with GH lets you brace damage to zero... which is a HUGE deal.

The most workable build I've seen with this thus far has used Projection Experts and Rieekan to keep GH alive so it could get into close quarters while keeping the bombers and escorts alive all the way in.

So you use the AF with GH offensively, flying it towards squads and ships?

To be clear, I haven't tried this build myself yet, it was a guy in the local community. But yes, that's what he did. B-wings with X-wing escorts, shepherded by Jan.

Gallant Haven+Jan+X-Wings sounds great, but they can ultimately be ignored if they are used in that specific combination. I'll just bomb something else. For Jan and X-Wings to do anything in an Ackbar build, they need to go out and stop the threat. Even then, I'm not convinced you can get enough of them to be a legitimate threat to enemy squadrons while still getting your points worth out of Ackbar.

I agree, I would never use Gallant Haven in an Ackbar list. I think its role is to protect your attack package en route to deliver those sweet sweet B-wing shots. Which, if you're running B-wings, you almost certainly shouldn't also be running Ackbar.

Wait. . . X-Wings backed by Jan pulls less weight than Imperials? I don't know about that. It will boil down to how they are used. In fact I think Gallant Haven might come back.

What would be the best way to use Gallant Haven?

That is a loaded question.

It comes down to your play group. This is where people go wrong when providing specific advice. For some it will me slashing and feigned slashing, for others it can mean other things.

I only ask because I always thought Gallant Haven to be used defensively, esp since I generally want to keep the frigate at red distance to any other ship.

In wave 1 yes because it did not pack a huge punch but at the same time you had to figure out how to combat Rhymerball's which could poke at you at a range outside of your CAP.

I've played with X and Jan. Its okay. But if you're facing overwhelming squadrons, which are the only ones I'd worry about... no.

Jan + Escort is nice though. I've been shying away from As and more to Xs actually too.

Gallant Haven is... a certain playstyle. and also moderately easy counter played.

The key is a mix of sqauadron + ship damage: tie up the squadrons haven is protecting for a turn, then let the haven fly out. And simultaneously, push 2 wedges in his face.

Howl Dengar tie ints maybe plus an tie adv will beat it for the same or less cost.

Not likely because they can have Escorts and Intel as well so tying them up is hard as well especially when you add Jan in.

Yeah, Jan is the Gallant Haven enabler, I think. Not only does she provide Intel to enable you to stay within the protected zone (which was my biggest problem with GH before), but tossing those unblockable braces around in conjunction with GH lets you brace damage to zero... which is a HUGE deal.

The most workable build I've seen with this thus far has used Projection Experts and Rieekan to keep GH alive so it could get into close quarters while keeping the bombers and escorts alive all the way in.

So you use the AF with GH offensively, flying it towards squads and ships?

Gallant Haven+Jan+X-Wings sounds great, but they can ultimately be ignored if they are used in that specific combination. I'll just bomb something else. For Jan and X-Wings to do anything in an Ackbar build, they need to go out and stop the threat. Even then, I'm not convinced you can get enough of them to be a legitimate threat to enemy squadrons while still getting your points worth out of Ackbar.

This will begin a vacuum argument. Let's not please

Yeah, Jan is the Gallant Haven enabler, I think. Not only does she provide Intel to enable you to stay within the protected zone (which was my biggest problem with GH before), but tossing those unblockable braces around in conjunction with GH lets you brace damage to zero... which is a HUGE deal.

The most workable build I've seen with this thus far has used Projection Experts and Rieekan to keep GH alive so it could get into close quarters while keeping the bombers and escorts alive all the way in.

So you use the AF with GH offensively, flying it towards squads and ships?

To be clear, I haven't tried this build myself yet, it was a guy in the local community. But yes, that's what he did. B-wings with X-wing escorts, shepherded by Jan.

Gallant Haven+Jan+X-Wings sounds great, but they can ultimately be ignored if they are used in that specific combination. I'll just bomb something else. For Jan and X-Wings to do anything in an Ackbar build, they need to go out and stop the threat. Even then, I'm not convinced you can get enough of them to be a legitimate threat to enemy squadrons while still getting your points worth out of Ackbar.

I agree, I would never use Gallant Haven in an Ackbar list. I think its role is to protect your attack package en route to deliver those sweet sweet B-wing shots. Which, if you're running B-wings, you almost certainly shouldn't also be running Ackbar.

Man Ackbar dice must roll differently in this part if the world because we've found him to be dissapointing and underwhelming.

Man Ackbar dice must roll differently in this part if the world because we've found him to be dissapointing and underwhelming.

No, he's pretty underwhelming in Texas too. But I should move to these magical lands where apparently the Rebels always win and reds never roll blanks...

... Where Reds Never Roll blanks and everyone has sixty copies of Turbolaser Reroute Circuits without having to pay for redundant MC30s...

Actually, my red dice completely flop about once every 1.5 games. Like all 5 5 blanks, or 4 blanks 2 accuracies. Or 1 hit out of 6 dice.

Unfortunately, that means that the other 10 or so shots of 5 dice were mediocre or good.

Weird. I wonder what's wrong with your Ackbar players.

I feel like we've been discussing ackbar nonstop. I'd really like to see some new other ships.

Perhaps wave2 has caused serious min/max-ing. The other crappy list i see is mass squadrons.... which is utterly boring to me also.

I want to see capital ships! ARGH.

Ackbar is just able to increase the damage capacity turn after turn and it can lead to some devastating results but you guys are indeed correct.

I still believe that the reactions to Ackbar is Knee-jerk but that is my opinion.

Oh yea, before I forget here is my Gallant Ackbar list.

+++ Gallant Ackbar (389pts) +++

Assault Frigate Mark IIA (113pts) [Expanded Hangar Bay (5pts), Gunnery Team (7pts), Wing Commander (6pts), XI7 Turbolasers (6pts), •Gallant Haven (8pts)]

Kitted out Space Whale B - Assault Frigate Mark IIB (98pts) [Electronic Countermeasures (7pts), Gunnery Team (7pts), Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6pts), XI7 Turbolasers (6pts)]

CR90 Corvette A (89pts) [Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7pts), •Admiral Ackbar (38pts)]

+ Squadrons (89pts) +

B-Wing Squadron (14pts)

B-Wing Squadron (14pts)

X-Wing Squadron (13pts)

X-Wing Squadron (13pts)

•"Dutch" Vander (16pts)

•Jan Ors (19pts)

+ Objectives +

Assault Objective [Precision Strike]

Defense Objective [Contested Outpost]

Navigation Objective [superior Positions]

How I wish Ackbar was:

1029167_orig.jpg

How about a weapons team upgrade that actually rivals Gunnery Teams for value? Ackbars power comes from synergy with gunnery teams, so we just need a card that stops gunnery teams being an auto take far too often.

How about a weapons team upgrade that actually rivals Gunnery Teams for value? Ackbars power comes from synergy with gunnery teams, so we just need a card that stops gunnery teams being an auto take far too often.

Ackbar synergy does not come from just gunnery teams, it comes from any ship that can throw reds from the side.

How about a weapons team upgrade that actually rivals Gunnery Teams for value? Ackbars power comes from synergy with gunnery teams, so we just need a card that stops gunnery teams being an auto take far too often.

How about a weapons team upgrade that actually rivals Gunnery Teams for value? Ackbars power comes from synergy with gunnery teams, so we just need a card that stops gunnery teams being an auto take far too often.

Ordnance Experts?

A great card, but not for Red dice chuckers.

@Hero - yes Ackbar synergises with Cr90 and NebB so exceptionally well..... wait no.

You obviously havent played vs trc90s

You obviously havent played vs trc90s

Yay! My term!

You obviously havent played vs trc90s

Yay! My term!

I bet I got you timestamped beat! Hm tasty trc90s