For the other factions, they all have a 'thing'.

Rebels have the Astromech slot

Scum have the Illicit slot

Rebels and Scum collectively have the turret slot

The Empire has....? What? I can't think of anything that ONLY the Empire has, or even the Empire and just one of the other factions.

Even when it comes to pilot capabilities...Rebels have Regen, Scum have ganking, Empire has...?

I'd seem to recall some discussion (long ago) that the distinction came from List Archetypes - the Empire was about 'enabling pilots' and swarms, but that's really not a case of uniqueness any more. An XXXZZZ list is as terrifying as any TIE swarm, and the Rebels can even do proper 7- or 8- ship swarms if they wanted, same as the Scum. Obviously 'Fat' lists or '360 PWA' lists aren't an Empire-only thing. And they hardly even have the best Aces in the game (certainly competitive, of course - but only that. Especially as of wave 8, they have just the same number of PS9 captains as both other factions)

Imperials have the most stylish ships.

The Empire has....? What? I can't think of anything that ONLY the Empire has, or even the Empire and just one of the other factions.

Bombs, of course.

Oh wait...

Honestly, ive been playing 4 different Imperial ships for many many games and had a ton of success - versatility and synergy is key with The Empire.

The Empire has....? What? I can't think of anything that ONLY the Empire has, or even the Empire and just one of the other factions.

Bombs, of course.

Oh wait...

Stealth!

Oh yeah...

Arc dodging and better dials? As a person with mainly Imperial ships, you're depressing me here...

"Pocket aces" is a term I've heard used before to describe Zeta Leader, Omega Leader and the Inquisitor which are fairly cheap compared to what you can find in other factions.

Granted that's a new development.

Cajones.

Board wide effects, specifically palpatine and ST-321 title.

I can't think of any other board wide effects for the other factions.

Now that beign said who cares?

"Pocket aces" is a term I've heard used before to describe Zeta Leader, Omega Leader and the Inquisitor which are fairly cheap compared to what you can find in other factions.

Granted that's a new development.

I think that's a bit of a case of 'lowered expectations' - aside from the Inquisitor, those are all 2-attack ships. Compare that to the Rebels, and the bulk of the A-Wings easily achieve the same kick for the cost with their Chardaan Refit. And if we are considering wave 8 (in its entirety), let's not even TALK about that Attack Shuttle monstrosity...

"Pocket aces" is a term I've heard used before to describe Zeta Leader, Omega Leader and the Inquisitor which are fairly cheap compared to what you can find in other factions.

Granted that's a new development.

I think that's a bit of a case of 'lowered expectations' - aside from the Inquisitor, those are all 2-attack ships. Compare that to the Rebels, and the bulk of the A-Wings easily achieve the same kick for the cost with their Chardaan Refit. And if we are considering wave 8 (in its entirety), let's not even TALK about that Attack Shuttle monstrosity...

Or being able to fire an accuracy corrected turret that can't be evaded.

And they hardly even have the best Aces in the game (certainly competitive, of course - but only that. Especially as of wave 8, they have just the same number of PS9 captains as both other factions)

I'm not sure in what universe you live in where Soontir Fel is not one of the best aces in the game.

An XXXZZZ list is as terrifying as any TIE swarm,

Absolutely not. For one thing, TIE Swarms have Howlrunner. For another, why on Earth are you running Rookie Pilots without Integrated Astromech? There's a reason BBBBZ is the go-to list for pure jousting power for Rebels.

Board wide effects, specifically palpatine and ST-321 title.

I can't think of any other board wide effects for the other factions.

Scum

Manaroo

Latts Razzi

Rebels

Leia Organa (LOL)

Board wide effects, specifically palpatine and ST-321 title.

I can't think of any other board wide effects for the other factions.

Now that beign said who cares?

Ummm...you mean aside from ALL of the IG-2000 builds?

Or the Attani Mindlink?

Or Leia's maneuver buff?

Action-efficient aces. Soontir, Vader, Whisper, and soon the Inquisitor.

And they hardly even have the best Aces in the game (certainly competitive, of course - but only that. Especially as of wave 8, they have just the same number of PS9 captains as both other factions)

I'm not sure in what universe you live in where Soontir Fel is not one of the best aces in the game.

I didn't say he wasn't - just that both the Rebels and Scum have aces as good.

As in - it cannot be said that "the Empire's 'thing' is that they have the indisputably best pilots" (or something along those lines). Whatever the Empire's "thing" is - that ain't it. They've got good pilots, but the other factions are equally good.

Board wide effects, specifically palpatine and ST-321 title.

I can't think of any other board wide effects for the other factions.

Now that beign said who cares?

Ummm...you mean aside from ALL of the IG-2000 builds?

Or the Attani Mindlink?

Or Leia's maneuver buff?

Can't blame people for forgetting about that one.

Imperial ships have the luck element. Well they have it more than the other factions. They live and die by the green dice with the lack of shields and high agility.

Board wide effects, specifically palpatine and ST-321 title.

I can't think of any other board wide effects for the other factions.

Now that beign said who cares?

Ummm...you mean aside from ALL of the IG-2000 builds?

Or the Attani Mindlink?

Or Leia's maneuver buff?

Can't blame people for forgetting about that one.

Eh, she's not worth it at tournament-scale, no. At Epic-scale, though - when you've got surplus crew slots, and a LOT of fighters on the table to benefit from it - it's another story. She's actually incredibly useful, then. I mean, consider - most people consider 'Adrenaline Rush' to be worth it, which costs 1 point. She does the exact same thing, for ANY number of ships, at only 4 points. So (presuming you've got the crew slots to spare), she's break-even vs Adrenaline with 4 ships on the table, and once you have 8 or 12 ships...she's a HELL of a deal...

(So, yeah, all three factions have "board spanning" effects)

Imperial ships have the luck element. Well they have it more than the other factions. They live and die by the green dice with the lack of shields and high agility.

Honour?.. nah... Legitimacy?...ish. Nice uniforms! Thats it!

"Pocket aces" is a term I've heard used before to describe Zeta Leader, Omega Leader and the Inquisitor which are fairly cheap compared to what you can find in other factions.

Granted that's a new development.

I think that's a bit of a case of 'lowered expectations' - aside from the Inquisitor, those are all 2-attack ships. Compare that to the Rebels, and the bulk of the A-Wings easily achieve the same kick for the cost with their Chardaan Refit. And if we are considering wave 8 (in its entirety), let's not even TALK about that Attack Shuttle monstrosity...

Awings cannot easily achieve the firepower of any of those three ships. A Juke, PTL green is 24 points and very limited in action choice to maintain that firepower and sits at PS 3. Zeta Leader with wired and hull or Comms is a 24 point and effectively a 3 attack ship at PS 7. Omega Leader is appearing in plenty of store championship lists and is 26 points for very consistent and tough to prevent damage at 26 points. The Inquisitor is slightly more expensive with upgrades but at R3 he is one of the most effective ships in the game for that cost.

Overall the Empire has a much better variety of high PS ships to choose from and some interesting debuff abilities that act as secondary control.

Maybe maneuverability is it.

You don't see Rebel or Scum swarms or XXXZZZ flying in tournaments like you do an Empire Tie swarm.

Ties are tough to kill with their evade dice, evade token, and better maneuvers than a Z95 or M3A.

And they hardly even have the best Aces in the game (certainly competitive, of course - but only that. Especially as of wave 8, they have just the same number of PS9 captains as both other factions)

I'm not sure in what universe you live in where Soontir Fel is not one of the best aces in the game.

I didn't say he wasn't - just that both the Rebels and Scum have aces as good.

As in - it cannot be said that "the Empire's 'thing' is that they have the indisputably best pilots" (or something along those lines). Whatever the Empire's "thing" is - that ain't it. They've got good pilots, but the other factions are equally good.

Heresy!!!!

Moar Ships

Ships that have the name tie in them....