This week we are gonna get a little scummy with our Weekly Skirmish thread. Thanks for all the great posts from week 1!

Deployment - Nexu

Command - Take Intiative, Take Cover

From my limited playtime it has become clear to me that there are few things more important in this game than these:

1. Actions (and by default activations as more activations = more actions)
   
2. Command card
   

So whenever something special consumes 1 of these it needs to be really good. In the case of take cover it consumes not 1 or the other but 1 of each and for the little tangible value it offers I really can't see it being viable.

To get the most value out of it you would need to use it on you first or possibly second activation of the round so that it's actually active when being attacked.

Due to using it early in the round to get value out of it it's a known entity in terms of potential targets for your opponent so they can factor in the range reduction where applicable.

Realistically the only reason I could see people using this card would be as a pseudo "Hide in Plain Sight" for non-spies, to deter people from attacking you and maybe targeting something else for the round, even then it may be seen as a mere hindrance more than anything significantly impacting their targeting selection.

Take initiative on the other hand can and will win you games assuming you have enough activation's left where it will generate more advantage than just activating that unit. This card makes being forced to go first much more palatable as going first again on turn 2 can sometimes be a significant deciding factor in the game, where 90% of units are intending to attack you have a much higher chance of removing high value threats from the board before they get to attack.

Nexu I can't make significant comment on as I have yet to play with them, but having faced them at the very least, a focused eNexu with Perma-cleave 2 and Perma-bleed along with pounce and the fickle yet amazing white defense dice is certainly something not to be taken lightly.

Nexu
I don't have much to contribute concerning the Nexu. I play Empire almost exclusively. I've rarely seen them fielded and they have rarely taken long to take apart. One of the problems I've noticed with them, is that they tend to block line of sight. This won't necessarily matter much to the enemy as they can just fire at the Nexu blocking LoS, but for the allies of the Nexu they might end up not being able to attack on their activations. I suppose it might be worthwhile to consider them together with other figures that can ignore line of sight to be able to shot through the nexu while your enemies won't have the same luxury of target selection.

Take Initiative

There really isn't no way around this command card. Having it at the right time can make or break many games and unless you have some sort of list with very few and very expensive deployment cards (which might not be a good idea for other reasons) this card is a must include in any command deck.

Take Cover
I agree fully with Mace Windu's point, that it is less worthwhile for a number of reasons (timing, action consuming, and so on). I did, though, have a good use of it recently. I was introducing a new player to the skirmish game and intentionally made a subpar list and command deck and Take Cover was amongst the cards I ended up using as an unimportant filler. I was playing a bunch of droids and General Sorin - a list I otherwise don't find viable - and as some of my figures where in the peculiar situation of being wounded and yet not wanting to use an action to move away as I was placed next to Sorin (who would be about to command the droid in my next activation), so I used Take Cover and it allowed my Assassin droid to take 3 attacks from 3 elite Rebel Troopers without taking the three damage needed to kill the droid (allowing it to be amongst the figures Sorin got to activate with his special command card next). In short, I don't think this card is worth it, but if you do play certain lists that depends on staying in place to benefit from effects from fellow figures that allow them to attack again (such as Leia, Gideon, Loku, Elite Imperial Officers, Sorin etc), rather than move and dodge away from enemy LoS, then it might be away to stay alive until you can trigger them again.

I think the Beast Tamer has truly given the Nexu the ability to shine like never before - I think it's an insanely powerful unit for 6, or even 4 points.

The Nexu is best thought of, I think, as a problem to put in your enemy's way and force them to deal with while you prepare your follow-up. Because of it's massive base, the elite Nexu's +2 cleave (which is a guarantee and is free) means you can consider that six points well invested to put some damage on squishy, black die figures and throw a little damage on to those white dies.

Also - there are so many cards that benefit the Nexu (both types) - a not exhaustive list:

Wild Fury - Pounce is an attack. So you can effectively move three (four if you rotate), attack (maybe with cleave) attack again. For six points, again this is unreal. Sure that nexu is then stunned and bleeding, but few opponents aren't ANGRY enough at that Nexu and don't then waste turns killing it. well worth the points.

Pummel. (with beast tamer, see above)

Parting blow - massive base, put a bleed on someone as they're leaving and see how they enjoy spending the rest of their turn.

Cripple - Jump up to that bantha and tell it it isn't going to be smushing or trampling anyone this entire round, cards and tricks or no

Opportunist - placement for pummel and parting blow, also remember that's a MOBILE move three for the Nexu.

....

There are more but I can't give all my secrets away. Sufficed to say I think the Bantha Rider, awesome enough as it is, turned the Nexu awesome through the back door.

The elite Nexu's +2 cleave (which is a guarantee and is free) means you can consider that six points well invested to put some damage on squishy, black die figures and throw a little damage on to those white dies.

I thought you still had to do some damage to get the cleave, you just don't have to spend a surge right?

Yes you still have to get some damage through for cleave to trigger. So it's not automatic but pretty close to it if you are playing right.

Don't forget about Survival Instincts. With Cunning, it gives the Nexu 2 Block and 1 Evade before rolling any dice. Add the white die it rolls and you very often see that Nexu getting 3 or 4 blocks in addition to 1 or 2 evades.

I really don't want to give away anything else until after FFGC Regionals this weekend, as I run a Bantha + 6 Nexu "Taste The Rainbow" list.

That's sounds great. You definitely need to update us when you finish that tourney I want to know how it goes.

My Nexu are hungry....for VICTORY! (And for faces. Nexu love to leap onto a target and eat tasty, tasty faces. Metal faces are too crunchy, those become Nexu toys.)

I'll post some (more) photos of the paint jobs I did and some details of how I run the list, including the advantages and disadvantages, as well as my general tactics and strategy. I am not going to say I am an expert at running Nexu, but I definitely have a massive amount of experience with them.

At sanctioned tournaments, I also use skittles as damage counters (that I bring in a big rainbow bowl), and if my opponent agrees, we play by the "Sugar Rush" rules.

Sugar Rush: After a figure is defeated, the player who defeated the figure must eat the skittles. If a figure recovers, the figure's owner must eat the skittles. Skittles may be eaten one at a time or in one giant handful, at the eating player's discretion.

Win or lose, both players enjoy a Sugar Rush! It was also claimed that I play the long, long game, in that, even if I lose figures, I am inflicting diabetes on my opponent in a few decades because of the Bantha's 21 wounds!

That's amazing I really hope we get the chance to play in a tourney sometime soon.

Come on up to the Fantasy Flight Games Center this weekend! Regionals, baby! REGIONALS!!!

Now I want to read/listen to a report on that regional! And I'm excited to see how your list does. I really want some lists that aren't the big three (or at least really tweak them) to do well.

I don't want to say anything more until after Regionals, lest I sour my chances. Cheer me on!

Either the Rainbow will taste the world, or the world will TASTE THE RAINBOW!

So are you planning on doing a detailed post regional report?

Is anyone using the regular Nexu I wonder. The Elite is a blast, but the regular? It's cheap and fat compared to the Hired Guns that are thin and disposable.

I wasn't planning on it, but if I did, what kind of post-regional report would be most interesting? Stuff I saw, or games I actually played?

I wasn't planning on it, but if I did, what kind of post-regional report would be most interesting? Stuff I saw, or games I actually played?

Games you played.

If you want to add info about stuff you saw then that would be cool too. I just want to know how this furball squad worked!

I will do my best to document stuff, the skittles and my ADHD might make things a little erratic. Since I will be using a first-round bye that I won (with this list!) from a Store Championship, I can scope out a general idea of whats out there.

Is anyone using the regular Nexu I wonder. The Elite is a blast, but the regular? It's cheap and fat compared to the Hired Guns that are thin and disposable.

It does interesting things in combination with Last Resort, either giving you more mileage or force your opponent to take some pain and/or spend action economy on avoiding it.

Kinda hard to avoid a Nexu with a Thermodetonite Collar (Last Resort) who is actively trying to eat faces.

Regionals FFGC 4/16/2016 Report:

Saw at least 5 variants of the "Twins" list (in this case I consider the core Luke, Leia, Gideon & C-3PO + whatever, a "Twins" list), some with elite sabs, some with troopers, some with both. Saw a few trooper heavy lists, and a couple HK/Bantha + rebels lists.

Round 1: We had 7 byes (15 players, 6 of them used store championship byes, 1 drew one as the odd man), so that was really peculiar. In hindsight, I wish I didn't used mine, just to play that extra game, but it was a neat experience to sit and chill and chat for an hour, eat food, chat about oddball stuff.

Round 2: Drinks and Dealings on the Mos Eisley Cantina Map. Twins list with Elite Sabs / Elite Troopers. He sent his troopers south from the deployment zone and his Sabs into the cantina. Luke and Leia both move south to respond to an Elite Nexu (orange) i sent after the troopers (Trooper rolled a dodge, no damage), and a focused Luke drops the nexu (i rolled a blank, he rolled 8 damage one-shotting the Elite Nexu), Nexu swarm to the north and east, securing both terminals, sent the Bantha east, having a jundland terror in hand on the draw. Bantha proceeds to step on all the troopers. Luke and Leia start a fighting retreat back to the deployment zone. Bantha eventually kills leia, while Luke is steadily pouring damage into the bantha. Nexu do their pounce and fade in the cantina, killing Gideon (Celebration +4vp), the sabs, and 3PO. All that is left on the table near the end of a round is Luke, and 3 nexu, with a score of 34-28 (me in the lead), I make the command decision to fall back into the cantina with the nexu, using Beast tamer to interact bringing the score to 36-28. I start covering the wounded nexu, but luke drops one (36-32), and I interact again and the end of the round score is 38-32. Initiative is coming my way, and Luke advances for a final blitz, and at the end of the round playing "Ferocity" since my nexu were adjacent to each other. Nexu rolls a dodge. (whew!) and I Best Tamer to interact for the round. Final score: 40-32.

Round 3: Constant Motion on the Nalvaanian War Zone map. Another "Twins" list, this time with double Elite Sabs (one with Targetting Computer). Deployed bantha next to a "center" door, and the nexu all over the place, and on my first activation, used beast tamer to open the far door, in hopes that it would sucker my opponent into splitting his forces so my other nexu and bantha could hold the far side tile and generate easy VPs. he sent a single sab to the far door (did not open it) and another sab opened a door and took the center terminal. He wasnt taking the bait. He used one sab with lock on to add +3 accuracy for an extreme long shot that stunned my bantha from 7 squares away, stunning him. (this slowed my down so that my nexu were held up). My game was plagued with low damage rolls, blanks (i rolled 7 blanks), and enemy dodges (he rolled at least 6 dodges), in the primary engagement. I was able to secure 8 VP's for two turns, and 4 VP's another turn, and eventually i was able to kill Leia, but it was too late. Tried killing any models I could but the only 8 points I got were from dropping Leia, plus the 20 from VP's. I lost 40-28.

Round 4: Reprogrammed on the Training Grounds map. Playing against a list I had helped design as a "OMG, this list would be hilarious" list.

• 4 Hired Guns, Each with Last Resort
• 2 Tusken Raiders
• 1 Bantha Rider
• Beast Tamer

I had the "outside" deployment zone and have played against this list before. Knowing that my only hope against it would be to draw out as many "parting shots" and "last resorts" as possible, and then to finally kill the bantha. Both of us beat down the door to get it as close to 9 damage as possible, while forcing the other player to make the attack that kills the door in hopes that he could send his respective Bantha into enemy ranks. After moving *everything* on his side and mine except the Banthas on each side, he decide to use Beast Tamer and move the Bathna as far away from the door as possible. I activate my Bantha and Beast Tamer, shoot the last point on the door, and march my bantha in, and start trampling as much as I could. At this point, my nexu are split, 5 on the outside tiles, 1 behind the bantha waiting to strike. The resulting aftermath of hired guns, deals 12 damage to my Bantha. After turn one, he had reprogrammed 2 remotes, and started gaining VP's. My lack of interacts meant that I would have to make a serious sacrifice in order to reprogram. I decide to focus on eating his units and I start cleaning up the stragglers with my nexu. My bantha falls, and he reprograms a third token. I kill the last non-bantha model, leaving his bantha, to my 5 nexu. At this point, i should have focused on taking back as many as objective as possible (At this point I was leading 30-17, with some severely damaged nexu) at the end of the round. A massive miscalculation on my part allowed his Bantha to get to a spot I did not think he could get to and perform a Trample and killed 3 nexu, (all of which were unactivated) because I counted the spaces incorrectly, putting him at 31. At this point, the game was over, but I did not know it yet. All he had to do next turn is one wound to my elite nexu to kill it, and then score 2 objectives (he held 3 to my 1 at this point). End of the round was 32-35. A second mistake on my part (miscalculation of his VP's) meant that i activated the wrong nexu to steal an objective from him (giving me 2 and him 1), so I pounced with a nexu, used roar to stun the bantha, but he was still able to move 10 to stampede my Nexu (who was 9 squares away, so the bantha was able to deal the last point and win.

End of the tournament put me at 2-2, taking 10th place. Bad dice, and really bad tactical decisions marred my performance.

Overall, it was a decent time. I really wish we would have less "internet listing" and more "this is interesting" lists, but unfortunately, with the Swiss format and strict win/loss, we're just not going to see that in this game. Once the "meta" is established for the season, everyone just copies it. I find the lack of tournament list diversity disturbing. The systems I have been playing with over the past 3 decades that have "soft scores" help to promote this, and I don't think there is anything in the current tournament system that does, or will do, anything to promote such diversity.

Awesome write up, Fizz. Man, I wish I had the recollection for reports like this--really useful.

My memory is pretty **** good, that's why it pains me so much when I make bush league mistakes. Only Fizz beats Fizz. Phrasing! BOOM!

Cheers for the write up Fizz. Seems like lack of interacts did hurt you a bit but I'm sure you knew about that possibility.

I also dislike "internet listing" but not for the same reason.

I dislike it because I don't agree with most of them. Twins are strong but usually backed up by troopers and esabs which both have glaring weaknesses.
Trooper lists are very strong right now but they also come in various flavors.

Most scum lists (apart from the bantha being popular) seem to be quite varied. Scum definitely need some more units but I think after Bespin, we'll see much more variety and much more competitiveness with Scum. Probably because Bossk is awesome =)

Who won the tournament?

We still have 2 months till our Regionals in Australia.

Winning list was:

1 elite echo base troopers
2 elite rebel troopers
1 elite rebel saboteur
1 reg smuggler
C-3PO
Gideon

facing:

2 elite stormtroopers
1 elite snowtroopers
1 royal guard
2 imperial officers

As far as my list is concerned, I plan on removing the yellow Nexu and the Last Resort in favor of Tusken Raiders (painted desert yellow, of course). That will give me a little more wiggle room while deploying, two more interacts (very important), and something to use Jundland Terror on if the Bantha is dead, while still maintaining the "Taste the Rainbow" gimmick/theme.

I will miss that Nexu.