(Apologies if this is repetitive, but I haven't read this whole thread. It just seems like the best place to put this post.)

Has anyone considered that Valen Rudor + Epsilon Leader (removing stress at the start of combat) means a PTL Valen can take four actions in a single round?

PTL states once per round.

but he might get shot at twice...

then again, with enough enemy shots, Valen doesn't need PtL to take 5 actions in a turn. 6 if he has an action EPT

(Apologies if this is repetitive, but I haven't read this whole thread. It just seems like the best place to put this post.)

Has anyone considered that Valen Rudor + Epsilon Leader (removing stress at the start of combat) means a PTL Valen can take four actions in a single round?

He can take as many action a round as he has access to if people keep shooting him and he doesn't die

4 in his action bar, an action EPT and two action damage cards (thanks to a hull upgrade) would be 7 total actions in a round if he gets shot at at least 6 times.

(Apologies if this is repetitive, but I haven't read this whole thread. It just seems like the best place to put this post.)

Has anyone considered that Valen Rudor + Epsilon Leader (removing stress at the start of combat) means a PTL Valen can take four actions in a single round?

PTL states once per round.

Curses! My bad. I was clearly thinking of activating PTL twice.

(Apologies if this is repetitive, but I haven't read this whole thread. It just seems like the best place to put this post.)

Has anyone considered that Valen Rudor + Epsilon Leader (removing stress at the start of combat) means a PTL Valen can take four actions in a single round?

He can take as many action a round as he has access to if people keep shooting him and he doesn't die

4 in his action bar, an action EPT and two action damage cards (thanks to a hull upgrade) would be 7 total actions in a round if he gets shot at at least 6 times.

Now that I think about it a little more, this could make for some interesting decision trees for the Valen player. When is the optimal window for taking the Focus action, given the enemy ship attack values and pilot skill values among those most likely to shoot Valen? I can envision situations where you would want to save the Focus action for your first free action after being attacked. Hmm.

What do we think about Daredevil on this guy? TL + evade in the action phase, or focus, and then you have 3 maneuver options after that first defensive roll. Stress from Daredevil isn't too awful with that amazing 1 hard green, which, for some reason, the full production Tie Advanced doesn't have...

Could be fun, but I'm still leaning towards Juke, or situationally PTL, being the way to go.

As Draco mentioned, Decoy could also have its merits, allowing Rudor to use his laterish movement then Decoy to a lower PS so he can fire after almost everyone else has had their chance to shoot at him first.

Predator seems pointless with the natural usefulness of the v1 title.

Crack Shot is (mostly) overshadowed by the usage of Juke with the v1 title.

And, the worst idea I'll have all day: Expose.

Rudor doesn't have to activate Expose until after he's been shot at, which means he could get his free dice any time he gets shot at and has no one else around to shoot at him, having used his natural action to Focus or TL.

Still like Juke more, as it's cheaper and isn't reliant on getting shot at, but it's an amusing thought.

With Juke and title, if he has someone in arc, attacking him seems like a good idea. If nothing else, you'd like to strip that evade before he can use it offensively.

With Expose and title, if he has someone in arc, attacking him seems like maybe a bad idea. He has a target lock, he'll be hard to hit with the evade and 3 dice, and you let him up his attack. You may very well spend a shot just to accomplish nothing but giving him an extra attack die.

It might actually be a somewhat interesting use for Expose, and partially as a defensive upgrade to boot. If you'd rather your opponent be shooting at something else, it isn't crazy.

He can take as many action a round as he has access to if people keep shooting him and he doesn't die

I think that's the key thing - making sure you don't get over-confident; being shot at in a light-to-medium weight TIE fighter is still inadvisable; this just gives you a bit of room to mitigate it.

Your first priority in your own activation will be to get some protection up and running - focus or target lock/evade (from the title) as required. I'd probably go with the latter, but obviously you can use focus to protect yourself from shot #1 and then get the lock afterwards if you have problems with a higher PS opponent.

Im getting excited for some TAPs!

On paper, Valen's ability sounds great offensively, "Someone attacks me and I can take Expose and reign down on them!!!" But I think of his ability more defensively.

The main problem with Valen, is that the enemy you fly up to and dare to shoot you is probably a lower PS and attacks after you. So having offensive actions will not work most of the time other than long range attacks, or slow cumbersome ships that usually have 3 red die or HLC/Mangler etc you don't want shooting at you. The pilots that move after you, will try and position themselves outside your arc, then won't mind if you take another action after they attack.

UNLESS

Valen + Cluster Missiles + Title + Daredevil + GC = 30pts

Now, that ship outside your arc, and isnt on your six, has to really consider attacking you. If they do, they need to know that you are going to 90 on them and return fire with a face full of clusters. And knowing that, they may reserve their focus for defense rather than offense. Also, with Cluster missiles, you get GC helping you on one of those attacks.

For low PS ships that attack you, you can use Daredevil to position yourself for next round. With green hard 1s, if a low PS ship attacks you, you can daredevil, then hard 1 on the next turn to be facing 180 degrees from where you were, without stress, or having to Kturn, Sloop. Not bad!

Another option for Valen I like is Squad Leader

Valen + Squad Leader + Title + AT

When Valen is attacked, he can now support the lower PS ships who havent attacked yet. Maybe give them a boost/br to get into range 1 or out of range 3. Or just provide a focus or TL for their upcoming attack. Bombers could drop a mine if an enemy is in position. Lots of possibilities here.

To make Valen more offensive with his ability:

Valen + VI + Cluster Missiles + Title + AT

Run Valen with a Saber Squad + Decoy. Now Valen moves near end of activation phase with PS8, then when combat starts, he attacks near last with PS4, while you now have a PS8 Saber Squad attacking first.

Just things I have been thinking of. Cant wait for my TAPs. Gonna be fun!

This might be the first pilot for a good use of Expert Handling to counter FCS and Gunner/FCS, IG-88B/FCS

if the action comes after the FCS-TL ... just barrel and discard the lock ... was this discussed already? I'm TLDR

Valen + EH + Title + AT + Prockets for me

What exactly is "good" about him? If you field him against me, I simply won't attack him. I don't have to worry about this though, because he's got 2 attack dice, so he'll maybe deal 1 damage to my ships over the course of a whole game. Once I've ignored him and fought against your 78 point list, then I'll deal with this dude, if a proton bomb didn't 1-shot him already.

A ship I don't have to worry about you shooting while any of the rest of my squad is around? That's great! I will enjoy putting him at the front of my squad and taking range 1 shots with no worry of return fire.

So that means your other ships that have 3 attack dice will be farther back? Good I'd hate to have to deal with 3-attack ships at range 1.

I think people here are under the impression that their opponent is going to see this guy and actually attack him and give him free actions, when there is another target available. It's like the Scum M3A pilot Laetin Ashera - Ever run her/him? You take an Evade, and think "Oooh, they'll attack and miss and I'll just keep getting evades!" except they attack someone else and pretty much you are left with Laetin who never got attacked... and then you eventually DO get attacked, but by everyone and you're dead.

It's not gonna work out the way you THINK it'll work out. I'm not going to ignore your pilot altogether, but I will chose a target that is most valuable - and this guy's ability isn't likely to trigger that much, especially with only 2 hull, his survivability is so low that it isn't exactly going to be rare to see him one-shotted.

How many times have you seen a M3A... At all? Laetin's issue isn't her ability. It's her ship (and her lack of an EPT). Now whether or not the TAP is worthwhile or not is yet to be seen, but it has some nice tools and I believe both named pilots have powerful enough abilities they will see the table if the ship is efficient.

Laetin's lack of an EPT, the problems with her ship, or the number of times I've seen other people fly M3A's are irrelevant to my point. My point is that if you build out this guy, expecting your opponent to shoot at him and trigger his ability, be prepared for it NOT to work out the way you want. Your opponent is far more likely to focus down your stronger ships FIRST, and then eventually get around to this guy. I see his pilot ability as being weak, because it is similar to Laetin's ability in that you WANT the opponent to shoot at this guy, but you can't force them to. It's like Biggs but they have the option to ignore it altogether.

Aaaah. Ok. So your point is if someone builds a list with him and is stupid enough to think he is going to be their opponents first priority target, they will be disappointed to find he's not. Understood and agree.

It's why I like Juke on him. An opponent will pay for ignoring him.

Holy crap, my thread has been resurrected again. Long live the Rudor thread!

I'd say Rudor can be a great budget Ace, coming in at around 30 points, maybe less. If you're playing Palp Aces, that lets you bring your second Ace in to above 40 points if you want. Phantom? Post-Imp veterans Defender? Sure. Or if you really push it, Rudor, another budget Ace (Turr possibly?), Palp and a filler.

I am planning to use him with Squad Leader, no AT, no Stealth Device, but with Hull Upgrade (and XX-23 S-thread Tracers)so will be easier to hit, but will last longer and give me more possible support.

In a squadron with Turr Phennir, TIE Defender (1PS, TIE/x7) and a TIE Fighter or FO.

This way I'll have two fighters to support with a handy barell roll in case they've missed a target or another action.

If enemy ignores him I'll simply have a very decent fighter which will be free to find and destroy targets.

He sits nicely with Omega Leader as a triple ace list, assuming your third is something nasty enough to overcome the relatively low damage and hit points. A decked out Whisper or Deathrain, perhaps. Should leave you enough for Prockets on Valen, or a stealth device on Omega.

For 25 points with the V1 title and Juke, he'd sit nicely in just about any list.

Maybe Wingman has a place on Valen. If your opponent is going to be reluctant to shoot him, it might be a good idea to give him some kind of support role.

Valen Rudor, 2 attack @ 25+ points and no control?

Next!

PTL shuts down a lot of shenanigans with this guy. Can't do actions twice. So... maybe another pilot to consider an ACTION EPT? Squad leader might be fun.

Boosting or barrel rolling out of range after the first TLT shot sounds fun.

Marksmanship wouldn't be a bad choice, his PS is low enough for plenty of pilots to have a shot at him. There is expose too, but I am not a fan of expose, you can achieve better results with a focus token.

He is going to do great against gunner attacks, as long as he is close enough to barrel roll or boost out of arc/ range.

Gunner attacks are performed "immediately after", while Valen Rudor lacks the "immediately" keyword. So I believe the window for triggering his free action cannot come before Gunner, as written. In any case, I think it'll be FAQ-worthy.The real question here is would he then get one free action, or two?

Pretty sure that since gunner is two separate attacks, as soon as the first ends, he should be allowed to move. Definitely FAQ worthy though.

Gunner kicks in after you miss, only way you miss is by the defender rolling or "defending". IMO His ability kicks in, but this needs to be FAQ'd.

What exactly is "good" about him? If you field him against me, I simply won't attack him. I don't have to worry about this though, because he's got 2 attack dice, so he'll maybe deal 1 damage to my ships over the course of a whole game. Once I've ignored him and fought against your 78 point list, then I'll deal with this dude, if a proton bomb didn't 1-shot him already.

A ship I don't have to worry about you shooting while any of the rest of my squad is around? That's great! I will enjoy putting him at the front of my squad and taking range 1 shots with no worry of return fire.

So that means your other ships that have 3 attack dice will be farther back? Good I'd hate to have to deal with 3-attack ships at range 1.

Of course they will. The TIE/v1 is like the A-wing: 2 attack dice but very high maneuverability and good defensive ability. This means it can get to Range 1 far more easily than less maneuverable 3 dicers like the X-wing and B-wing, effectively giving it intermediate damage potential between two dice filler like the Z-95 and three dice jousters like the B-wing.

He is going to do great against gunner attacks, as long as he is close enough to barrel roll or boost out of arc/ range.

Gunner attacks are performed "immediately after", while Valen Rudor lacks the "immediately" keyword. So I believe the window for triggering his free action cannot come before Gunner, as written. In any case, I think it'll be FAQ-worthy.The real question here is would he then get one free action, or two?

Pretty sure that since gunner is two separate attacks, as soon as the first ends, he should be allowed to move. Definitely FAQ worthy though.

Gunner kicks in after you miss, only way you miss is by the defender rolling or "defending". IMO His ability kicks in, but this needs to be FAQ'd.

Depending on initiative, he may just end up getting a pair of actions after both attacks from the ship with Gunner resolve.

Is anyone else considering PTL Valen as an ace hunter?

Whilst he doesn't have the highest PS around, he'll be able to trigger PTL after being shot, allowing him to perform a barrel roll and boost knowing the target's final position. The only way to stop this is for the opponent to avoid shooting him with any Aces, which is a benefit in itself. If you then go up against an opponent with no Aces (or are in a position where the ace isn't targeting you), then you're free to use PTL normally instead.

Is anyone else considering PTL Valen as an ace hunter?

Whilst he doesn't have the highest PS around, he'll be able to trigger PTL after being shot, allowing him to perform a barrel roll and boost knowing the target's final position. The only way to stop this is for the opponent to avoid shooting him with any Aces, which is a benefit in itself. If you then go up against an opponent with no Aces (or are in a position where the ace isn't targeting you), then you're free to use PTL normally instead.

2 dice without something very special, ala conner nets or feedback array or anti-pursuit block tech or Omega Leader or Inquisitor or a crapton of crackshot, does not an ace hunter make. Without anything very special, you're just bouncing off of green dice and/or defensive tech

you basically need a missile, and by then you might as well be flying the superior Inquisitor for the same price (or cheaper)

Is anyone else considering PTL Valen as an ace hunter?

Whilst he doesn't have the highest PS around, he'll be able to trigger PTL after being shot, allowing him to perform a barrel roll and boost knowing the target's final position. The only way to stop this is for the opponent to avoid shooting him with any Aces, which is a benefit in itself. If you then go up against an opponent with no Aces (or are in a position where the ace isn't targeting you), then you're free to use PTL normally instead.

2 dice without something very special, ala conner nets or feedback array or anti-pursuit block tech or Omega Leader or Inquisitor or a crapton of crackshot, does not an ace hunter make. Without anything very special, you're just bouncing off of green dice and/or defensive tech

you basically need a missile, and by then you might as well be flying the superior Inquisitor for the same price (or cheaper)

It's why I like Juke on him. He's no "ace hunter", I'll agree with that, but he's not going to be worthless. His middling PS will mean he's stripping tokens for your lower PS ships, removing a successful roll from ships that have already lost their tokens, or even making lower PS pilots have an even harder time laying a hand on him. Shoot at him to try and stop the Juke, and you risk him boosting/BRing into R1 for a good ol' R1 shot, possibly still with Juke if the rolls aren't with you.

It's also why I'm not huge on PTL: costs more, and a lot of players will just ignore him if you don't PTL during movement. PTL regularly and you remove his ability from play, which seems silly.

So...anyone fly him successfully yet? What's the word on the street with this guy? Ive been having too much fun with Inquisitor and the Barons, just been ignoring poor Val. Maybe give a go this weekend, but I have a billion Ghost lists I want to try.

He's awesome. In my two games (small sample I know) people will either ignore him because of his ability, or try and shoot him then realize what he can do, then ignore him.

Had this scenario Wednesday night:

After some unfortunate dice rolls, I lost Mareek to Jake Farrel and all I had left was Rudor. Rudor had PTL + ATs+ Procket (still had it) and title. Jake had only hull left, but he really should have been dead much earlier. My red dice were just awful. Rudor hadn't been touched all game. So after some dancing around with Jake, he finally catches me out of arc and with a range 1 shot. He takes it. He's got TL + Focus and course its 3 hits. I roll... wiff all blanks. Unfortunately I did not TL so I didn't have the evade, I already had TL from another turn and I had boosted into this position. I thought well crap, I'm down to 1 hull. However.... There was a chance I could barrel roll and catch in arc... YES. My barrel roll to the left just barely fit in front of Jake and caught a corner of his base with my arc. All I need is to Push for the Focus. Now I'm sitting there with a Procket armed and ready with TL + Focus. Needless to say after 5 hits even a perfect roll, Jake was dead.

Any other mere mortal PS 6 pilot would have no chance against Jake 1 on 1. But not Valen Rudor.

I think with Squad Leader and Thread Tracers, he's a good support ship in a mini-swarm of TIEs/FOs. But you're looking at 25-30 points at that point (27 if you add the title and Extra Munitions, which might be the smartest modification for this particular role). I haven't tried it on the table yet, but if you can keep Valen alive, you're gold.