So I am curious if anyone would consider using gladiators as a support vessel cheaper than an Interdictor in the game. Escorting a Gozanti or two. Maybe using the Gladiator II for the antisquadron firepower.

But why not have the demolisher title??

I've actually found that Gladiators are great support ships too. Weird carriers, but doable. They can take the new Flight Cord Teams, which can help move fighters into the right spot.

One of my favorite ships.

In my contest deck I included a Gladiator carrier with Flight Commander, Flight Controllers, and Flight Coordination Team to fling around a Vader/Dengar AS squad. I love the irony of putting Flight Commander on a Gladiator, it's like Demolisher, for fighters.

I was about to say "GSDs? but Demolisher is unique!"

Anyway, I don't see the appeal of a support GSDs when Gonzati exist in the same fleet

GSDs are there to provide an incredible close range punch with or without demo. Sure, you can get a surprise squadron commander outta them but they're priced and built for close range combat

Ironically the pricer VSD makes a more efficient support ship. It's slow as molasses no matter how you slice it; might as well have it fling faster ties around

Fickle: Gladiators are in the fray at closer range. They make excellent carriers for range. Theyre also reletaively durable and punch really hard if the opponent gets too close due to the bomber zoning.

Their speed 3 makes it easier to get targets, and honestly, they punch harder than VSDs, and seem to survive only slightly shorter amount of time.

I much prefer them. And they're cheaper by 15 points.

The GSD II I have kitted above cost 74 pts, a naked VSD I is 73 points. And given the task of flinging a fighter screen as opposed to a pondering bomber wing, GSD in this instance I feel is the far superior carrier. It can get the fighters where they need to be fast, and keep up with them as they truck at speed 5ish* (4+ flight coordination team adding range 1), as well as adding two blue AS dice to break up the ball. IMO I don't know why people think of the glad as Demo or nothing. Hell, you could even go for broke and throw demo and APT's on it. If you were running screed you would have an offensive beast/functional carrier.

well, imo. the GSD 2 isn't worth the points for a 2nd blue die. they hit only .5 of the time. =/

I went with 2 because I figured that the red would be more useful in the case the opponent tried to make me decide to split from my fighters and pursue or stick with them to issue commands I might get an extra round or two of attacks in. It was a decision for increased threat range, with a bonus for maybe some extra AS usefulness. Plus, it also serves to illustrate the "Kitted out Demo is same points as naked VSD argument better.

A little idea I've had on my mind is using a FCT glad to help scoot imp rogues. Interdicter probably could do it better with access to EHB but due to the ship already being point hungry spending points toward the side function sounds like a bad idea.

Fighter Coordination Team and Flight Commander make the GSD2 a potentially very potent threat against squadrons. Especially with Demolisher and Ruthless Strategists, chucking around those two blue dice after moving into range and guaranteeing damage when paired with a tanky squadron such as a Bossk, Boba Fett, or a few TIE Advanced.

Using up the support team slot on a Gladiator for anything that's not Engine Techs is generally asking a bit much given how extremely useful the Engine Techs are for both lining up double-arc attacks and sneaking away from heavier counter-attacks. That extra 2-click move has been essential in numerous games I've played with Gladiators. With only Squadrons 2 and no means of improving that, Fighter Coordination Teams won't really contribute as much to your overall game plan as the Engine Techs will.

You could try it with Expanded Hangar Bays + Fighter Coordination Team on an Interdictor but that's also asking a fair number of points for 3 extra squadrons bumped. Given that support slot won't likely be as contested* as a Gladiator's slot, it seems more likely to work there. Still, Imperials don't seem to have great recipients for them like Rebels do.

*Mind you an Engineering Team + Wulff or Tarkin = 4 Engineering points per token or there's the similar Wulff/Tarkin + Projection Experts for the "Interdoctor" loadout or Engine Techs or maybe even Nav Teams (with a source of tokens), but I don't see any of those options as being as near-mandatory as Engine Techs on a Gladiator.

The example you gave for why Glad needs ET is on the basis that it's primary purpose is to double arc enemy ships. If you do not run Demolisher, and are not planning on having THIS gladiator be your primary source of ship damage, and instead devote it to tying up fighter balls by moving a small fighter screen (like 2 of Vader/Dengar/Bossk/Fett/). It makes it much easier to line up a single arc shot against a ship and a single arc against the fighter ball. I guess I was imagining it functioning more like what people typically do with an Instigator, and when you kit them similarly the points end up being almost the same (I got 62 pts for xpnd hangers, instigator, flight commander) but a little beefier and a larger threat to ships overall with the red dice. I am not saying that the Gladiator is the new best carrier in every situation, I just think that people always assume it has to have ET, has to have Demo, and has to do what it always does when in fact it is a really cool adaptable little ship.

The example you gave for why Glad needs ET is on the basis that it's primary purpose is to double arc enemy ships. If you do not run Demolisher, and are not planning on having THIS gladiator be your primary source of ship damage, and instead devote it to tying up fighter balls by moving a small fighter screen (like 2 of Vader/Dengar/Bossk/Fett/). It makes it much easier to line up a single arc shot against a ship and a single arc against the fighter ball. I guess I was imagining it functioning more like what people typically do with an Instigator, and when you kit them similarly the points end up being almost the same (I got 62 pts for xpnd hangers, instigator, flight commander) but a little beefier and a larger threat to ships overall with the red dice. I am not saying that the Gladiator is the new best carrier in every situation, I just think that people always assume it has to have ET, has to have Demo, and has to do what it always does when in fact it is a really cool adaptable little ship.

It's a black dice ship. To be useful, it needs to get close but it also needs to do its damndest to not get destroyed in return, which is best achieved through maneuvering. Engine Techs assists with both of those objectives. The fact that it also helps to double-arc is nice too.

You can set it up to operate as you describe but without a way to meaningfully bring its batteries to bear it's a 65+ point life support system for 2 squadrons that also has some blue flak and a pittance of red dice.

If you want a ship that's comfortable being run as a reactive black dice ship that can do flak support, the Raider is a far better fit.

In this current wave, I've had consistent success using Glads as support ships. I have a build with Motti on Relentless supported by 2 Glad-Is with Projection Experts. The Glads just stay in the back for the most part and protect my rear and flanks while the beefed up ISD-II does all the killing. I also include a Raider-I for an extra activation and to do blocking missions. I love the Glad and love finding other uses for it besides spamming Demolisher.

One of those Glads could still probably benefit from being Demolisher in 2nd player.

But interesting list.

A Gladiator can alway benefit from Demolisher!

A Gladiator can alway benefit from Demolisher!

A Gladiator can alway benefit from Demolisher!

Demo is Love Demo is Life

A GSD actually can't benefit from Demolisher if there's another GSD benefiting from Demolisher

I guess it gives them something to look up to, though

yeah, poor insidious always in the shadow of its Brother...

A Gladiator can alway benefit from Demolisher!

Demo is Love Demo is Life

A GSD actually can't benefit from Demolisher if there's another GSD benefiting from Demolisher

I guess it gives them something to look up to, though

Idk about that 2 Demo thing. I've seen a second player Demo be a strong threat, though, not as much true damage as 1st demo.

I thought I'd share my latest list here. Even though it's super secret and all, for the love of constructive discussion I will tolerate this exception.

wunderbar!
Author: miedomeda

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 399/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Precision Strike
Defense Objective: Fire Lanes
Navigation Objective: Superior Positions

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Bomber Command Center ( 8 points)
= 31 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Jamming Field ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)
- Demolisher ( 10 points)
- Skilled First Officer ( 1 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 84 total ship cost

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)
- Flight Commander ( 3 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 68 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Gladiator II-Class Star Destroyer (62 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Flight Commander ( 3 points)
- Fighter Coordination Team ( 3 points)
= 106 total ship cost

5 TIE Bomber Squadrons ( 45 points)
1 Major Rhymer ( 16 points)
2 JumpMaster 5000s ( 24 points)

I gotta say I was inspired by the fleet Blail Blerg posted in this topic and built mine under the same premises: with wave 4, GSD become surprisingly good carriers with a vast array of tricks in the form of flight commander and fighter coordinators (for example: activate squadrons right away, move rhymerball in blue range of target ship, shoot, shoot with ship, move ship, move squads out of retaliation range). This tactics however need Tarkin in order to be effective, who just happens to be the best commander for high activation fleets right now IMO, and who can benefit the GSD in a lot of ways other than handling a squadron token.

Now coming to put some thinking in this, I feel the GSD has all you could possibily ask from a multi role carrier: it's quite thick, even more with the occasional repair token from Tarkin, it has good defesive tokens and most of all it can pack a painful punch if engaged in close quarter combat. Every GSD is a threat, but Demo, obviously, does what Demo does best, which is killing enemy ships right away. Previous iterations of the list included one less Gozanti, Insidious title on the non demo gsd 1, ruthless strategist on the GSD 2, and a slightly different squadron setup, but I feel 5 activations are needed in wave 4 for this kind of list, as delaying activations can be crucial with glads.

Finally, Gozantis are there both to push the activation count up and to provide support to the small rhymerball I'm fielding in the form of AA screen and improved bombing runs.

I had a test game yesterday and the list (actually, the previous iteration of the list) performed very well, even though I need to run some more test against squadron heavy fleets, which I feel will be difficult to deal with due to lack of a serious AA threat. The innate mobility of GSD, paired with wave 4 shaenigans and Tarkin tokens, ensures your ships are always where they are most needed, and 4 threats (3 gsd, 1 rhymerball) it's a lot to handle for any fleet.

To sum all this up, I think I found a role for GSD for wave 4 in my fleet, and that'd be a multi role gunship carrier.

I like it. Yours is much more offensive than I make mine.

Have you considered not taking a GSD2? What's the reason?

My other one however..... Has a 25 pt initiative bid. =) But less ships and more AA in my squadrons.

Also, much love for Tarkin and GSDs in late waves. So much awesome. So much anti-meta.

I love the GSDs + Tarkin + squads8. Its just SOOO fun.

I like it. Yours is much more offensive than I make mine.

Have you considered not taking a GSD2? What's the reason?

Well, official reason for GSD is the 2 AA dice. Originally it had RS too for some serious AA firepower, but I can't seem to find the points for it anymore.

Unofficial reason is nobody expects the Tarkin GSD 2, so it's cool and i can brag about it.

Seriously though, I'm really impressed by the depth of the work they did at FFG: wave 3 and 4 not only give us new toys to play with, but also make some of the old horses so much more viable now. Non Demo GSD, VSD 2, AF2, raider 2: all ships that IMO used to be quite bad and have received substantial stealth buffs in terms of new upgrades for their slots and/or meta shifts to meet their needs. So far, liking "new" old ships much more than the actual new ships!

Has anyone actually tried the Flight Cord/Command Gladiators? Are they actually as good as we think they are?

Imo again, I don't think the GSD2's 2 AA are worth the 6 points increase. Also, you're not likely to win that fight considering your fighter force is all bomber and no AA.