Hello there, fellow dice-thrower!

Today we're talking about something other than X-wing fixes or U-boats.

The modular upgrade cards

What the hell? Simple. You have a slot that can be fitted with modular cards, each providing a slot with some extra text.

Example: Tie/sf (imagine it, right?)

It has a Modular slot.

Inside the slot you can dump one of these two cards

Crew compartment

1 point.

You may include a crew member. That crew member may not be a limited or Unique card

Rear turret

1 point

You must equip a turret that costs 4 or less.

Same goes to illicit cards, that can also be modular

Hardwired mech: 1 point, you must equip a non-unique salvaged astro

Possibilities are limitless, but would require insight into possible combos, because frankly, a starviper with crew slot can be monstrous, just like adv-sensoring Han would break the game.

What's your opinion on such an approach to game design and potential "tweak and fix" tools it has to offer?
*prays to the printer god and his designer priests"

I just don't see how this is different from upgrades like R2-D6 and the B-Wing/E2 title.

From your proposed TIE/sf example, there's no reason not to just give it a Crew slot and a "Rear Gunner" TIE/sf-specific Crew card that added a Turret slot to the ship.

You would just be adding a card type that does nothing except let you trade it for other card types, and that's already an option that the designers can and do take advantage of.

TL:DR - What is the point and how is it different to what we have already?

The point is that it's not ship-specific most of the time, thus eliminating the ton of "always comes with ship N" cards that are a sickness and stink of FIX

and they can come with extra requirements, such as cost, composition of the cards equipped into the new slot.

While the examples available now like R2-D6 droid or B-Wing/E2 mod (not title) Tie advanced super-computer pwnage title Virago title, or scyk (sic!) heavy title

are all niche single-ship upgrades (yes, I know there are more than one astro slot ships)

that aren't there to provide flexibility, but as crutch means of adding some value to them.

Are you suggesting a single upgrade slot that could hold one of two different types of upgrade? Sort of like the MtG cards which have a casting cost like R/B which would allow you to use either Red or Blue mana to pay for? Something like a torpedo/missile slot which could be filled with either type of upgrade but you still only get one slot to fill instead of the current system which would either give you a slot in each or would require an intermediate upgrade to convert one slot type to another?

Turning this around I guess you could have an upgrade that could go in either type of upgrade slot. A universal donor and opposed to a universal recipient.

I could appreciate such a design where an upgrade gets more places to be used than a single, specific upgrade slot or where a ship has an upgrade slot that can only be use for one of a number of things (the Heavy Syck is actually an example of that already).

I'm not so sure about the examples included. Are you suggesting that the hypothetical TIE/sf have a crew/turret upgrade slot that could be filled with a turret or an crew? To work I believe such a system would need to be as open ended as that although you then introduce more balance issues as you simply have more things that you need to consider within a given slot. That turret/crew upgrade slot represents space to either pack in another weapon system and someone to use it or just another someone and the stuff they need to do their job.

A "modular ordnance" upgrade could be something like "Flares" which may occupy either a torpedo or missile slot yet provides the same basic use no matter where it is equipped.

This makes sense on freighters, for sure.

I had an idea, once, about exchanging Crew slots for Mods/Astromechs...once.

Well the Mist hunter is sort of a modular upgrade card or somethign that can become the bases for an upgrade.

The Heavy Scyk interceptor is a modular upgrade card. You get to pick 1 of 3 upgrade slots. I think we all know how that turned out. I don't think allowing the Scyk to hold 3 Heavy titles so that he has a torpedo missile and cannon slot for 6 points.

Well the Mist hunter is sort of a modular upgrade card or somethign that can become the bases for an upgrade.

The Heavy Scyk interceptor is a modular upgrade card. You get to pick 1 of 3 upgrade slots. I think we all know how that turned out. I don't think allowing the Scyk to hold 3 Heavy titles so that he has a torpedo missile and cannon slot for 6 points.

Yes, but it's still ship_specific

in other words, you clutter the storage space just with single ship upgrades.

If scyk had a real modular upgrade, it would have more likely looked like

Underslung weapon rack

1 point

You may equip either a Missile, Torpedo Missile or Bomb card

the card equipped must cost no more than 4 points

and voila! suddenly FFG wouldn't be afraid to give scyk a reasonable price (as far as I remember the sick scyk syndrome originated from fear of HLK-scyks)

And if one likes, the slot can be fitted with something else.

And an example weapon rack can be fitted on other ships, further diversifying the meta