Every time they release a new episode, something cool happens a few days later that they barely miss out on. It's like setting a countdown timer.

Seconded. I love this podcast. It's the perfect intersection of armada and inebriation.

Aw, shucks.

Side note: I see now, reading thecactusman's name in its entirety that I was in the clear assigning gender. What a relief.

Since no one is going to read this thread with a title like that (except for the most egocentric members of IFF) I feel comfortable asking your opinion. My secret is safe here, pre-tournament.

If you're firing with an ISD1 and the target has ECM and a ready Brace token, is XI7 better than Heavy Turbolasers? Assume that nothing else is firing at the target, so there is no drawback to using its ECM. In other words, Brace is guaranteed.

I almost always default to XI7 on me heavy hitters. It is helpful against all types of ships, for example, say you are shooting a cr90 and you deal 7 damage. With HTT, he redirects and his shields take 4, dealing only 3 to the hull, allowing the rebel scum to escape. With XI7 here is no more than one redirect able damage, and it explodes. What about against an MC80? Even if you deal 10+ damage on your shot, with AP it can take not a single damage card! That's why I prefer to run XI7 paired with Intel officer, because that takes care of both defense tokens. No redirects and Intel the brace

Aw, shucks.

Side note: I see now, reading thecactusman's name in its entirety that I was in the clear assigning gender. What a relief.

Since no one is going to read this thread with a title like that (except for the most egocentric members of IFF) I feel comfortable asking your opinion. My secret is safe here, pre-tournament.

If you're firing with an ISD1 and the target has ECM and a ready Brace token, is XI7 better than Heavy Turbolasers? Assume that nothing else is firing at the target, so there is no drawback to using its ECM. In other words, Brace is guaranteed.

I think it largely depends on the target, but as long as you can average 8 or more damage, then HTT is better. For example, 8 damage with HTT becomes 7, all on shields with an ISDII, and no shields left on the front. With XI7s, it becomes 4, but now shields are gone from the front as well.

If you're going ACMs on other ships, I really like HTTs. If APT, I really like XI7s. So I think it sort of depends on other fleet configs.

The reason I think XI7s are better "all comers" is because MC30s and Advanced Projectors exist. MC30s are hard countered by XI7s and APs become sort of a waste. Also because the ships that only have brace and one other type of token usually don't get to use more than the brace anyway (esp. true of the Raider).

I only feel comfortable sharing this knowing you won't come to Raleigh and beat me up with my super secret strategic turbolaser thinking.

If you're firing with an ISD1 and the target has ECM and a ready Brace token, is XI7 better than Heavy Turbolasers? Assume that nothing else is firing at the target, so there is no drawback to using its ECM. In other words, Brace is guaranteed.

Whenever a Brace is basically guaranteed to be free, it's Heavy Turbolaser Turrets all day every day for me. With enough damage coming your way you will nearly ALWAYS want to Brace + use other defense tokens (often Redirect), especially if you expect future attacks against the same hull zone. HTTs accept that the Brace will be free and just force a tough choice.

Example: let's assume your ISD-I's front arc does average damage. That's 5*0.75 + 3*1 = 6.75, rounded to 7 damage. If you've got reroll effects, this gets better and makes the example stronger, but let's stick with that 7.

With HTTs:

Opponent needs to choose between one of two options:

1. Brace alone to take 4 damage on the attacked hull zone.
2. Redirect + Brace to reduce damage to 6 and then have to spread it between the attacked hull zone and the chosen neighboring hull zone.

It should also be noted that with HTTs, you get the same debuff to the Brace token when combined with Contain or Evade (say, from Mon Mothma or some such). This is often overlooked when discussing HTTs, but in actual play it can be a persistent annoyance.

With XI7s:

Opponent Braces the damage to 4, and then Redirects 1 point to a neighboring hull zone.

The XI7s effectively give the opponent more choice in this scenario because the amount of damage from the lowest-damage scenario of the HTTs still applies, only the opponent gets to decide where 1 point of that 4 goes.

As the number of ships in the game without Redirects increases (flotillas) and the number of ships in the game with redundant Braces also increase (Liberty MC80s), XI7s are going to be less consistently good as you can't guarantee locking down the Brace for the XI7s to really make the other ship taste the curb. Heavy Turbolaser Turrets will also be worthless against flotillas, but they have extra utility against dual Brace ships.

Aw, shucks.

Side note: I see now, reading thecactusman's name in its entirety that I was in the clear assigning gender. What a relief.

Since no one is going to read this thread with a title like that (except for the most egocentric members of IFF) I feel comfortable asking your opinion. My secret is safe here, pre-tournament.

If you're firing with an ISD1 and the target has ECM and a ready Brace token, is XI7 better than Heavy Turbolasers? Assume that nothing else is firing at the target, so there is no drawback to using its ECM. In other words, Brace is guaranteed.

Well against Calamari Assault Cruiser with advanced projecteors, XI7s are not nearly as good because the opponent can distribute more damage. I think heavy turbolasers would be better in that particular case.

Aw, shucks.

Side note: I see now, reading thecactusman's name in its entirety that I was in the clear assigning gender. What a relief.

Since no one is going to read this thread with a title like that (except for the most egocentric members of IFF) I feel comfortable asking your opinion. My secret is safe here, pre-tournament.

If you're firing with an ISD1 and the target has ECM and a ready Brace token, is XI7 better than Heavy Turbolasers? Assume that nothing else is firing at the target, so there is no drawback to using its ECM. In other words, Brace is guaranteed.

Well against Calamari Assault Cruiser with advanced projecteors, XI7s are not nearly as good because the opponent can distribute more damage. I think heavy turbolasers would be better in that particular case.

You do realize that even with Advanced Projectors, you can only redirect one shield if your opponent uses XI7s, right?

The one thing that HTTs don't take into effect are Intel Officers and the wide availability of multiple redirect tokens. Also, HTTs are at a severe disadvantage against ships with the Advanced Projectors upgrade.

So far, HTTs have a weakness in dealing with ships after the shields are gone, which is exactly when a lone Brace is most valuable.

I would much rather pay the cost penalty of an Intel Officer on top of XI7 than allow my opponent to keep all of their tokens, especially when soon 3 top tier rebel ships (CR90, MC30, GR75) will have no Brace tokens at all.

Also, there is the fact that some ships already have trouble with large numbers of shields. Ensuring that I have a ship that can punch through them without assistance is valuable.

CactusASSked

Thanks secret Intel team. I think I'm leaning xi7 for the utility. Just because some ships are Brace-less. Trcvettes namely.

I'd totally buy the IFF guys a drink if I met them.

HINT HINT!

Thanks secret Intel team. I think I'm leaning xi7 for the utility. Just because some ships are Brace-less. Trcvettes namely.

They can be mighty pesky. I rolled 10 damage against one with demo once, and with AP it survived.... I was astounded

Stasy, I'd let you but I'd keep a real close eye on it.

Thanks dudes!

Stasy, I'd let you but I'd keep a real close eye on it.

Thanks dudes!

That made it seem as bad as it could possibly be.

LOL!

I'm sorry, I tried to resist but I'm just a weak verminous hobbiest. IFF is a special exception to me, and while I don't always... GAAAh I'm doing it again! I don't chime in much because I usually don't have enough to say that isn't expressed with a weaselly "Heh, yeah!"

As for the XI-7 vs. HTT, I'll go for XI-7 for the reasons listed above but it's also in related to something the grand Skyshuffler said before: people loath taking hull damage and will make some odd decisions to avoid it. If you can drill through the shields and inflict just a single point of critical damage, it can shake people. Follow that up with a few pesky bombers and it can turn that into a survival-induced panic. HTT can be a good choice, just like ACM are a good choice, but APT is often more feared because it's direct damage.

Oh, and Cactucman has a point, IFF's release schedule does seem like an unintentional herald to Armada related news. It's pretty great.

I MEAN IFF IS FINE. The same way that a Neb is fine.

I MEAN IFF IS FINE. The same way that a Neb is fine.

And thats fine. Its all fine. We're all fine here...how are you?

I MEAN IFF IS FINE. The same way that a Neb is fine.

I was just joshing here in case it wasn't clear (quoting THE Drunk Tarkin's assessment of the MC80). IFF is great, you guys do a good job. Come for the Armada talk, stay for the discussion of beerconomics in Texas.

@Caldius, I was playing off the Fine reference with Han's use in Star Wars.

/grouchomarxeyebrows

Cool,I figured. Just wanted to make sure I don't sound like a jerk.

Hey Cal- do you guys have a place to stay in Atlanta? I am still thinking good thoughts about going to that.

Cactus, don't encourage them. You'll only cause them to podcast more.

Also, on the topic of what lasers to use:

1. Always consider the opportunity cost. For taking someone like Intel Officer, you could use those points elsewhere and/or use a different officer. That's not to say you should, but that you could.
2. Always consider the synergy with the rest of the list. One ship with XI7 is a lot less scary than all of them, same with intel officer.
3. Always consider the context. For a ship that probably only gets one shot off, it has to count, but also only gets one (so I like Intel Officer a lot less on something like the ISD1 where, realistically, you may only get one front arc than I do on Demolisher with Engine Techs, where that sucker chases you all over the board).

My answer is almost always XI7 because the only ships without redirect (Neb B and Raider) are pretty killable already. There are plenty of ships without brace (CR90, MC30) that are hell without XI7, especially if the MC30 took AP.

I can see the title of the cast now. IFF Takes Atlanta.

Hey Cal- do you guys have a place to stay in Atlanta? I am still thinking good thoughts about going to that.

Yeah man, I booked a room at the Hampton at 455 Franklin Rd., Marietta, Georgia, 30067, USA.