Assumption 1. You only want to ever fire your ordnance when you have a high probability of rolling maximum hits (it's the only way they become somewhat efficient (for their cost)).

Assumption 2. Per Assumption 1, you want to only ever shoot ordnance when you have both rerolls and focus.

Assumption 3. Dumb firing ordnance is not usually practical due to the massive decrease in probability of achieving point 1.

I am only going to discuss dumb firing below since shooting ordnance with rerolls and focus already has a good probability of rolling max hits and this card does little to improve those odds (it does some, but the difference is not massive).

So this card seems to be the fix for the need for focus/TL but there is still not many missiles/torps I would be comfortable dumb firing (I.e. with only one of focus/TL). For everything else firing an ordnance shot with Focus/TL is usually enough to guarantee max hits (plasma torps, flechette, ion torps and assault missiles are notable exceptions since they need an external source of rerolls).

Currently a Concussion Missile with Focus/TL has a good chance to roll 4 hits anyway. With GC you can get away with just a TL, but you lose some flexibility, since any roll with 2 focus results and no blanks decreases your output.

The best place for GC is clearly Proton Torps, as it increases the flexibility as any combination of 2 hits, 2 focus, or 2 hits, 1 focus, 1 blank is good for max hits. More than 1 blank is bad news (unless you also have Guidance Computer).

Plasma and Flechette and Ion Torps have always sucked due to the difficulty of getting rerolls as well as focus. Both benefit from guidance chimps, but no enough to want me to dumb fire them, as you need to only have one non-hit result to achieve max hits. However these are all slightly more flexible if you can get focus/reroll shots from them.

Interesting note, that Proton Rockets do benefit quite well, and they do allow for dumb firing with just focus pretty well. You would need to roll 2 or more blanks to not get max hits, but of course that comes at the cost of Autothrusters.

So there is some increase in damage potential, but for many of them it doesn't help get to the magical max hits, and if it doesn't then shooting your one shot ordnance is typically not worth it.

But what about ships where it is useful?

Well the Z-95 is the obvious choice, but since they don't have access to proton torps (the most efficient when dumb fired) they have to use Concussions. Alternatively a dumb fired Homing Missile is ok, you would need to get 3 hits with your roll plus the TL reroll to guarantee max hits. The probability is not bad, so could be viable.

The Kihraxz suffers the same, though notably it is currently the best generic missile platform due to Glitterstim. It allows you to perhaps go for Assault Missiles instead of the traditional Concussion or Homing missile load outs. If it could take torps it would be better off.

A-wings have been discussed above, it is difficult to see opting for ordnance over auto thrusters. TIE Advanced Prototype suffers from the same.

B-wings (save Nera) probably shouldn't take ordnance, when they could take a cannon instead.

TIE advanced, actually becomes a viable procket carrier. They can be dumb fired wth just focus for a high probability of 4 or 5 hits. It is relatively cheap with only the opportunity cost of the TIE mkII (and points for the rocket).

For big base ships the opportunity cost of taking this (and ordnance) is pretty high, and seems not all that likely. I'll hold my breath on the Jumpmaster being and effective missile platform.

Y-wings seem well suited to the this card (Horton in particular), but ordnance Y's are largely overshadowed by TLTs, so we just won't see them.

TIE bombers/Punishers benefit from dumb firing Proton Torpedoes, and now they are a better option than concussions. The same probably holds true for the K-wing.

My big winners list (or ships I would consider using this on).

TIE bomber with Proton Torp, Extra Munitions, GC. 22pts.

A-Wing with Prockets and GC. 20pts.

Nera with Proton Torp. Extra Munitions, GC. 32pts (EPT to taste perhaps Crack Shot).

Ten Numb with Plasma Torp plus whatever you want.

TIE advanced with Prockets, one shot but a nice shot.

So it feels like this is still a pretty niche card. There aren't many things which are vastly improved with Proton torpedoes being an obvious exception. Most ordnance still doesn't benefit from being shot without both focus and rerolls, and when you have both GC doesn't add that much benefit (outside of massively low probability events, like rolling all blanks).

This is gonna' be beyond nasty on Miranda Doni, if her dice mods come into play for the three attack.

Do they?

why would she ignore the C3Po+TLT when it's still better for her?

She's the endgame MONSTER, why bother with ordnance at all?

Because I'm not a Metahard and like to try new friggin' things?

Three Black Sun Aces (the PS5 Kihraxz with an EPT) with Chimps, Assault Missiles, Glitterstim, and Predator comes in at 99 points. That would be a fun third of a Scum epic list.

Maybe better to drop two of the Predators to Crack Shot and two of the Assault Missiles to Concussion Missiles to promote the third Kihraxz to Talonbane Cobra.

Yes, Munitions Failsafe is dead. I mean, it was already dead. Now it's buried.

If it had come in at 0 points, it would occasionally be thought about, but 0-point cards in X-Wing took a while to gain design acceptance.

Here's a serious question though-

Is munitions failsafe the most useless upgrade out there now? I mean, it was certainly awful before, but now it basically has no value at all.

Thoughts?

Less effective than Stressbot though.

Yes, Munitions Failsafe is dead. I mean, it was already dead. Now it's buried.

If it had come in at 0 points, it would occasionally be thought about, but 0-point cards in X-Wing took a while to gain design acceptance.

In total agreement. I guess it is nice that a lot of cards which are awful at least have seen some glimmers of hope recently, even if dim, such as Expose. But Munitions Failsafe was a very underwhelming help for an utterly ineffective mechanic (at the time of its release), and thus, it never had a place. In the end, FFG realized munitions needed a much better fix which would need to fill the same slot Munitions Failsafe used. I could maybe see it being used if it filled another slot like a systems slot, but even then, I'd say probably no.

Actually i think if im honest, the Guidance Chips have improved a card thats been present since Wave 1 but has been relatively overlooked due to its cost and the general sub par nature of ordnance.

Ive never seen people talking about Proton Torpedoes so much.

I still think Proton Torpedoes is sub-par. Flechette and Plasma are both cheaper.

Love the thought of Ten Numb and Ion Torpedos. Counters swarms and Interceptor elites hard.

Plasma torps on Horton also great, strip the shields for another ship to fire their 2 crit proton torps.

The problem with ordnance is three fold.

• The sacrifice of dice modification
• The dependence on target lock telegraphing intentions to opponent.
• The points spent adding to your opponents MOV per ship.

GC addressees two of these issues. You gain some dice modification and the upgrade costs 0 points so it doesn't add to the MOV if the ship gets destroyed.

GC has the following problems.

• 1 auto dice modification is still weaker than the dice modification of a Target Lock
• Takes up a modification slot which has a lot of other ordnance fixes in it.

Sure out of all the ordnance fix modifacations from Long Range Sensors to Munition Failsafe, Guidance Chips is the best one costing 0 points. But it doesn't guarantee a hit and if you miss with GC the weapon is discarded.

Do you think if someone made a house rule that let you equip munitions failsafe and guidance chips as one mod would it be too unbalanced?

Do you think if someone made a house rule that let you equip munitions failsafe and guidance chips as one mod would it be too unbalanced?

Well, one guarantees (almost) a hit, and the other guarantees successive tries until said hit is achieved.

Having both is a bit unbalanced.

Vader + Expose + Homing Missile + Chimps = 4 dice attack with a guaranteed crit.

Do you think if someone made a house rule that let you equip munitions failsafe and guidance chips as one mod would it be too unbalanced?

Well, one guarantees (almost) a hit, and the other guarantees successive tries until said hit is achieved.

Having both is a bit unbalanced.

Actually, I would argue that that reasoning is why it ISNT unbalanced. One of the upgrades guarantees (almost) that the second upgrade is redundant and probably never gets used. So I don't see a problem with the combo.

Vader + Expose + Homing Missile + Chimps = 4 dice attack with a guaranteed crit.

Expose will make your primary weapon attack 4 dice with a guaranteed crit...

ATC and Engine Upgrade for the price of Homing Missile. You Chimps love to waste points. Chimp it up. Jungle style!

Vader + Expose + Homing Missile + Chimps = 4 dice attack with a guaranteed crit.

Expose will make your primary weapon attack 4 dice with a guaranteed crit...

ATC and Engine Upgrade for the price of Homing Missile. You Chimps love to waste points. Chimp it up. Jungle style!

We drink hard, we play hard!

WTF is work?

It's an interesting relationship with long range sensors.

LRS helps generic pilots grab a tl+f shot by getting to bank one action early. Guidance chips helps act as a mini-focus, of sorts, but is this better than a full-blown focus token on an attack? Interesting question. I'll have to do some math. ;-)

Here's a serious question though-

Is munitions failsafe the most useless upgrade out there now? I mean, it was certainly awful before, but now it basically has no value at all.

Thoughts?

Completely agree. Free mod that makes you much less likely to miss vs. a 1 point mod that lets you try again later when you miss? It's no contest.

I'd say, with the number of ordnance we have now that doesn't spend the target lock, Guidance Chips is superior. Especially since LRS stops you from using FCS on a Punisher with Cluster Missiles.

Even with the advantage you may have from being able to focus and target lock in the same turn, the enemy that ends up in your arc could be one you don't have targeted, and with LRS, you are now unable to acquire a target lock if he's closer than 3. With GC, you don't have to plan 2 turns ahead, and it is action economy for bombers, something sorely needed.

I wish they would only include a single LRS in Veterans, since it is increasingly looking like a niche card.

Munitions Failsafe works with "Hot Shot" Blaster, for when you want to mix a few of those in with your Feedback Array Z-95 swarms.

I think guidance chips are great, but long range scanners shouldn't be ignored. A TL still helps after your ordnance is gone, while the chip is useless once your ordnance is gone. It ultimately depends on what ordnance you take.

Scimitar with LRS, Concussion Missiles and EM clocks in at 22 points and will hit with TL +F unless you make a mistake and bump. I think that is a better option because low PS pilots can still struggle to acquire TLs on their own.

Gamma Vets can take predator and LRS to get a reroll and a focus while firing, which make ordnance with no modification, like plasma and ion torps, as well as assault missiles, more dangerous than guidance chips.

If you want to take proton torps, guidance chips seem like the better option though, as people have already said.

I think GC plus Homing Missiles is also great, especially on an ATC advanced, as it guarantees at least a hit and a crit. Vader with predator takes TL and F for actions, and between the re-roll, focus, and chip you could expect to get 5 hits/crits that deny evade at range 3. That's scary. Worth losing the engine upgrade? Perhaps.

A target lock certainly does help you even once your ordnance has gone... which is why LRS is just as much of a hinderance as anything. Take the guidance chimp and you can still take your target locks once your ordance has gone and fight as normal. Take the LRS, and after the initial contact you're denied your target locks unless your opponent is so gracious as to let you leave the fight for a moment to catch your breath

Horton gets to be a pretty rockin' torp boat with this:

Horton 25, Proton Torpedo 4, Extra Munitions 2, Guidance Chip 0 = 31

1.) Fire Proton Torpedoes

2.) Re-roll any blanks

3.) Change 1 eye to crit

4.) Change a single remaining blank or eye to hit

Add EPT with that astromech for any extra utility you want.

I know what I'll be adding to any JumpMaster I get. Unfortunately, the primary weapon is only 2 so no guaranteed crit. Can't have it all I suppose.

You could slap the Punishing One title on him for the 3 attack primary.

Forgot about that.

ah yes, 12 points for a critical effect over a hit.

And for 3-4 dice of turret...

I know what I'll be adding to any JumpMaster I get. Unfortunately, the primary weapon is only 2 so no guaranteed crit. Can't have it all I suppose.

You could slap the Punishing One title on him for the 3 attack primary.

Forgot about that.

ah yes, 12 points for a critical effect over a hit.

And for 3-4 dice of turret...

Which has proven it's well worth that amount of points in the game...