Hey guys, just got the Punisher to help combat against big ships my friends run. I like to run small ships primarily. My current build is Kir Kanos naked, Soontir Fel with PTL, and Redline with Extra Munitions, Plasma Torpedoes, Assault Missiles, Cluster Bombs, and Enhanced Scopes. I have the Interceptors, cause they are my favorite ship and I know how to fly them well. The Punisher on the other hand I haven't gotten down and wanted input on ways to fly him or build him up differently. The current squad point is at 96 with the mentioned build.

Redline and FCS go together like Soontir and Push the Limit. So if you don't have that particular card, but really want to make Redline work well, I suggest getting FCS.

It technically doesn't matter what ordnance you put on Redline----they will all work well thanks to his double TL ability. I find its nice to have at least two difference ordnance that cover all range bands, although its not absolutely essential. Extra munitions is too good to pass up at that point. And that's about all you need. Cluster missiles do have some good synergy with Redline though, since he gets to activate FCS after each shot (and spend one of the TL's to re-roll) and he will still have one TL leftover for another launch next turn!

Cluster bombs are not really a good choice, since its pretty rare that Redline has an action available that he doesn't want to use for some other purpose. If you really feel like throwing a bomb in there (and you have absolutely nothing better to spend the points on) then I would suggest maybe an ion bomb or a seismic charge since they are cheap and you don't care as much if you don't get to use them.

As for flying Redline, I find he works best as a flanker. So, to make that work, you kind of need to draw your opponent's attention away from Redline. Soontir Fel is an excellent choice for this role since most players hate him and want to kill him first. Alternatively (since its nice to have more than one strategy----especially if you play the same opponent frequently), you can send Redline in straight at the enemy, but if you do, your opponent will try to kill him first. You can send another ship in along with him, to give your opponent a choice, but to make it work, you need to spread them out a fair bit so that your opponent actually has to choose a different direction in order to fire on one or the other (so like at least Range 2 or even Range 3 a part). And if you make sure Redline is a bit further back than your other ship (and if you can bring him through the rocks so your opponent has to worry about those too, even better), this becomes a bit of a difficult choice for your opponent because its less likely he'll be able to get range with all of his ships on Redline, and therefore, he might go with what looks a more sure first round of fire on your other ship...

Hope that helps!

Why is Ker naked? You have the points so at the least a hull upgrade or stealth device. You may also find just using a royal guard, turr, or a saber with PTL and a targeting computer more effective and consistent. I agree with a Blade here on bombs vs mines. If you have them Guidance chips on Redline almost guarantees maximum damage output with rolls each turn.

Just beware the punishers dial is a bit limited, however if you have a lock already from FCS, it's not a bad idea to use your stress maneuvers and keep firing. Opponents tend to not expect it to K-turn and keep blasting them. They can take some beating thankfully just don't be reckless with flying the brick, and use your options wisely based on your opponents lineup and current damage/evade dice to leverage Redline and make him scary.