Keep in mind that the Astromech slot costs points to have on a ship. It can be good without the card costing any extra points.

Also almost everything that can take an astromech at the moment is behind in the meta save a few named pilots who already have potent options.

Here are some abilities that may work.

If you bump a friendly ship you may still take an action.

When defending if you roll all blanks add one die to your roll.

When attacking if you roll all blanks add another die to your roll.

Munitions refit: add one extra munitions token to a single bomb missile or torpedo upgrade.

Two sided card

Side 1 Action: perform a boost maneuver. Flip over

Side 2 Action: flip this card over.

Zero Points
* R eX-Series Experimental Astromech.
Rebel Alliance Only

This droid with an odd artistic sense, will modify his ships way beyond normal specs. Usually without having an order or even authorisation. Not always to the users liking either.
Equip one random modification card. Roll one attack die and equip on a Hit Vector Thrusters, one a Crit Engine Upgrade, one a focus a shield upgrade and one a blank use a repainted X-Wing with a rainbow pattern.

1 hour ago, BadMotivator said:

R1 Astromech: 0 points: Dual Card Xwing only

Side 1: When you reveal a white maneuver, you may treat it as a green maneuver. If you do, flip this card.

Side 2: When you reveal a green maneuver, you may treat it as a white maneuver. If you do, flip this card.

Made a slight tweak - assuming I understood where you were going with it - otherwise, as I read it, the card would flip the very first time you perform a white, whether you made it green or not. Likewise, you could flip it back without giving up the green (you had 'may' and not 'must' - which I think is good, because you might wish to delay flipping it back based on circumstances).

Not sure though - seems like it might be worth more than 0pts - you can consider almost your entire dial to be green for a turn (and if you do an existing green, you and your opponent still have to consider all the green moves you have available the next turn) - and it's rechargeable after you have used it... perhaps if the 2nd side did not have a flip-back clause - it's becomes a single use green-wash on your dial, then sits dormant until jettisoned to save your hull... in which case you could just write it as a one-use stress-discarding ability (on-board Wingman) and flip to blank side.

Alternatively, what if Side 1 was "When you reveal a white [left bank] or [right bank] maneuver..."
(basically a TIE MkII analog, just not "always on")

- - - - -

On the topic of flipping Dual Cards and Discarding - how would IA work with a dual-sided Astro?

Rules Reference says: 'Discard' = 'flip face down'...

Nah, the card flip is contingent on the "may treat it as a green maneuver". It doesn't need a "If you do".

"you may convert one crit to a hit"

2 hours ago, BadMotivator said:

Nah, the card flip is contingent on the "may treat it as a green maneuver". It doesn't need a "If you do".

It may be what you intend, but the way it's originally written, it is not absolutely clear what the "Then" is contingent on.

"Side 1: When you reveal a white maneuver, you may treat it as a green maneuver. Then flip this card."

Trigger: When you reveal a white maneuver

Optional effect: you may or may not treat the white maneuver as a green

Ancillary (non-optional) effect: Then flip this card.

Where there is a secondary effect (such as flipping or discarding) that is contingent on you exercising an optional effect, they've lately tended towards distinct wording that indicates the option had to have been exercised before actioning the secondary effect.

Just look at the latest example of a dual card that works along the same lines of what you're trying to achieve: Intensity

3 hours ago, ABXY said:

Made a slight tweak - assuming I understood where you were going with it - otherwise, as I read it, the card would flip the very first time you perform a white, whether you made it green or not. Likewise, you could flip it back without giving up the green (you had 'may' and not 'must' - which I think is good, because you might wish to delay flipping it back based on circumstances).

Not sure though - seems like it might be worth more than 0pts - you can consider almost your entire dial to be green for a turn (and if you do an existing green, you and your opponent still have to consider all the green moves you have available the next turn) - and it's rechargeable after you have used it... perhaps if the 2nd side did not have a flip-back clause - it's becomes a single use green-wash on your dial, then sits dormant until jettisoned to save your hull... in which case you could just write it as a one-use stress-discarding ability (on-board Wingman) and flip to blank side.

Alternatively, what if Side 1 was "When you reveal a white [left bank] or [right bank] maneuver..."
(basically a TIE MkII analog, just not "always on")

- - - - -

On the topic of flipping Dual Cards and Discarding - how would IA work with a dual-sided Astro?

Rules Reference says: 'Discard' = 'flip face down'...

Tournament rules and possibly FAQ say discard = put under pilot card, for dual cards.

Personally this is what I want. A 0pt mech makes x-wing generics better and makes x-wing, y-wing, e-wing, and arc-170 torps worth considering without breaking y-wing plasma extra munitions combo.

0 Point Slicer Mech. X-Wing and Y-Wing Only.

Your action bar gains the "Barrel Roll" and "Boost" icon.

You may copy the ability of one other astromech at the squad point cost of that astromech.

Basically, you're just adding Boost and Barrel Roll to the T-65 and Y-Wing and Barrel Roll to the T-70.

On 6/9/2016 at 6:25 AM, thespaceinvader said:

Gunnery Astromech. 0 points, y-wing only. Gain a crew slot. (And the equivalent Salvaged version) - the astromech does the second-seat gunner's work freeing him up to be a functioning crew member. not sure how useful it would be, probably not worth more than 0.

Astromech unit. 0 points. Does nothing except make IA work.

Good point, but for 0 points there has to be an alternative cost. Such as it damages you or reduces your pilot skill to 0. That way sure it is a free IA hit point but you don't jsut slap in on and call it good without careful consideration.

2 hours ago, Marinealver said:

Good point, but for 0 points there has to be an alternative cost. Such as it damages you or reduces your pilot skill to 0. That way sure it is a free IA hit point but you don't jsut slap in on and call it good without careful consideration.

It should be free as the X-Wing should have those abilities anyway. I think VERY few people would put this on an X-Wing without copying another astromech just to get a free IA. They're gonna copy another astromech and have cost to it.

13 hours ago, ABXY said:

It may be what you intend, but the way it's originally written, it is not absolutely clear what the "Then" is contingent on.

"Side 1: When you reveal a white maneuver, you may treat it as a green maneuver. Then flip this card."

Trigger: When you reveal a white maneuver

Optional effect: you may or may not treat the white maneuver as a green

Ancillary (non-optional) effect: Then flip this card.

Where there is a secondary effect (such as flipping or discarding) that is contingent on you exercising an optional effect, they've lately tended towards distinct wording that indicates the option had to have been exercised before actioning the secondary effect.

Just look at the latest example of a dual card that works along the same lines of what you're trying to achieve: Intensity

The intent amd wording is clear for anybody who knows how English works. The way intensity is worded is just to cover all the bases, but it's not strictly necessary.

R-something or other, 0 points- After completing a maneuver, you may perform a boost; if you do, reduce your attack dice by one this round.

A free Astromech with a weak ability would be a good addition given it would likely be used on lower point generics. The high point cost effective Astromech ships already have builds that need particular Astromechs.

6 hours ago, emperorscanaries said:

Personally this is what I want. A 0pt mech makes x-wing generics better and makes x-wing, y-wing, e-wing, and arc-170 torps worth considering without breaking y-wing plasma extra munitions combo.

That's a really good idea!

44 minutes ago, BadMotivator said:

The intent amd wording is clear for anybody who knows how English works. The way intensity is worded is just to cover all the bases, but it's not strictly necessary.

Come on, we both can see the rules thread where someone makes excatly the here presented argument. Normal english is not the bar in this game.

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 8:27 AM, heychadwick said:

Never, because it would allow a free Integrated Astromech.

KL-TZ - 0 points - Reduce your hull value by one.

Balanced that for ya!*

*Ok, I guess you can still block a crit, but I wanted it to be really simple.

12 hours ago, drail14me said:

It should be free as the X-Wing should have those abilities anyway. I think VERY few people would put this on an X-Wing without copying another astromech just to get a free IA. They're gonna copy another astromech and have cost to it.

So you are saying an astromech upgrade with no abilities other than it an be used to trigger IA? Yeah, kind of defeats the point of an astromech, not a good design if you ask me.

I would give "deadeye", but with twist.

"Use focus instead of TL on secondary weapon attack. After the attack if you choose to receive focus token, discard the astromech."

That would be great 0p astromech.

11 hours ago, JohnWE said:

KL-TZ - 0 points - Reduce your hull value by one.

Balanced that for ya!*

That's actually a good idea!

JohnWE said:

*Ok, I guess you can still block a crit, but I wanted it to be really simple.

A 0 point upgrade doesn't have to have 0 benefit, because opportunity cost.

8 minutes ago, Infinite_Maelstrom said:

That's actually a good idea! Also, opportunity cost, so it can still have an advantage and be 0 points.

You know when you IA it you get the hull point back, right?

1 minute ago, thespaceinvader said:

You know when you IA it you get the hull point back, right?

Yeah, thats what I meant when I wrote that. Perhaps I wasn't clear.

There are two kinds of 0-point cards:

• Pretty weak ones - Adaptability/Collision Detector - which have a minor effect that's situational (change PS by 1, which won't matter against the majority of opposing pilots, or prevent either 1/4 of damage or damage but not stress from obstacles).
• Dangerous ones - Chopper/Unkar Plutt/A Score To Settle - which have a powerful effect at a fairly significant cost (self damage or mirroring the effect to the enemy)

I'd recommend the latter for interest's sake. A free action at the cost of a point of damage seems to be a consistant 'free-to-buy' effect. If we were making it a touch more benign for X-wings and E-wings, imagine it was 'sacrifice a shield token' for an action, that sounds somewhat 'power management-ey' like the X-wing games.

This is why I like the Incessantly Beeping Astromech treatment earlier in the thread:

0 points, all ships at range 1 must treat all [eye] results as blank.

Mostly a penalty to yourself and your teammates but also makes you a budget Carnor - and messes with some pilot abilities and card abilities significantly more than others - enabling Autothrusters and Lone Wolf, but DISabling Poe, Luke, Norra potentially, etc etc. Cheap, interesting, double edged sword. Perfect 0 point material.

2 hours ago, Marinealver said:

So you are saying an astromech upgrade with no abilities other than it an be used to trigger IA? Yeah, kind of defeats the point of an astromech, not a good design if you ask me.

No, I'm saying it's abilities would be to give boost and barrel roll and be able to copy other astromechs ability.

You were claiming people would use it as just a way to get IA free and I disagreed.

6 hours ago, drail14me said:

No, I'm saying it's abilities would be to give boost and barrel roll and be able to copy other astromechs ability.

You were claiming people would use it as just a way to get IA free and I disagreed.

Okay this is the most confusing upgrade that has been set up. So taking it from the top.

OP asked what about a 0 point astromech?

Another person replied that it would be a free IA.

I pointed out it should come with a draw back the way many free 0 point upgrades come with such as with chopper giving you damage.

So you want its abilities to boost barrel roll and copy?

Well so clarafy things I didn't say it would be a free IA someone else did, I jsut said to mitigate such creep give it a drawback as an alternative cost.

As for your upgrade idea it needs to be clarified a bit more. You said boost barrel roll and copy another astromech? Sorry but to make an X-wing have as much maneuverability as a TIE Interceptor and add R2-D2 to the mix seems a bit too much for a 0 point upgrade with IA? Now I am going to assume that is not what you meant but that is all I have to work with from your posts.