Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

18 points puts it at the same level as a tie interceptor. A Refit prototype pilot is only 17, and this ship looks better. 18 is my bet, 19 at the highest.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

I really hope it has all 5 one speed maneuvers, I'd give up some green and high speed maneuvers for that. If they give it a full stop I think I'll flip out (with joy).

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

I really hope it has all 5 one speed maneuvers, I'd give up some green and high speed maneuvers for that. If they give it a full stop I think I'll flip out (with joy).

Full stop is the province of the lumbering, not the swift.

I'd be thrilled if it had the 1-straight too, but this would leave it with a very Inquisitor-ish dial, and I quietly suspect they'll try to be more 'creative' than that. Simply having speed 1 banks and turns is more than most of the Interceptors can boast, after all.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points.

It's less that I'm hoping it will be 17 points, and more that I don't think it will see play at 19 points, and that the dial would have to be incredibly amazing to warrant 18 points at the stat line we've seen.

My basic rule of thumb: the lower the PS, the more dependant a ship is on raw numbers. The lower the HP, the more a ship requires high PS to get value. Putting those together and looking at this ship, I don't see something I'd be willing to pay 18 points for at PS1. I'd rather spend 20 points on the K fighter and get an extra shield and an extra PS.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points.

It's less that I'm hoping it will be 17 points, and more that I don't think it will see play at 19 points, and that the dial would have to be incredibly amazing to warrant 18 points at the stat line we've seen.

My basic rule of thumb: the lower the PS, the more dependant a ship is on raw numbers. The lower the HP, the more a ship requires high PS to get value. Putting those together and looking at this ship, I don't see something I'd be willing to pay 18 points for at PS1. I'd rather spend 20 points on the K fighter and get an extra shield and an extra PS.

By the numbers, this is, remember, a 3-attack A-wing. I have trouble believing that the value of that extra red die is only 2pts, and prototype A-wings see enough play to not be considered a waste of time.

20pts is absolutely too much, of course, but 18 or 19 would do very well. Remember: At 18pts, it'd be the toughest 3-attack ship in the price range - the Shuttle is an Agi lower, the Interceptor an entire HP less. They're bad, but are they that bad? Nah.

Well, OK, yes. But the designers do love their conservatism, as the Kithraxz and Mist Hunter both showed.

19 would be flyable. Perhaps not perfect, but 5 with titles in a single squad would demand respect, at least.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

Isn't the Fang the one we know has a red 2-sloop? So I'm guessing it won't have 2 turns. Do they put 6 moves at a speed on anything else?

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Tell that to the contracted scout

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

Isn't the Fang the one we know has a red 2-sloop? So I'm guessing it won't have 2 turns. Do they put 6 moves at a speed on anything else?

The Fang is going to have 2 speed T-Rolls.The T-70 has all the 3 normal speed maneuvers plus T-Rolls.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

Isn't the Fang the one we know has a red 2-sloop? So I'm guessing it won't have 2 turns. Do they put 6 moves at a speed on anything else?

The Fang is going to have 2 speed T-Rolls.The T-70 has all the 3 normal speed maneuvers plus T-Rolls.

Mercs have problems with 3-hard-turns.

It can be seen only on YV-666 among the true merc ships.

Those hoping for 17 points are wishful thinking, I feel.

FFG has a thing that even with their understanding of balance in hindsight, they're careful not to make things 'obviously' better. PS1 Interceptors are 18 points. They might suck, but the Fang is a whole hitpoint extra - so if you priced it a point cheaper, there's no way to justify the price of the Alpha Squadron ship at all.

Price it a single point extra though, and you've maintained the polite illusion, accurate or not.

Price it at 20, and you've made another Kithraxz, albeit one whose top pilot will at least have a place (assuming there's a green turn in there somewhere).

I'm actually really starting to hope for a dial like this:

(With Talon rolls, sloops, and K-turns to taste, and probably a white 5 straight if I'm being honest)

It'd be a very scummy dial (looking like both a Scyk and a Kithraxz), but with hard turns they so desperately want to be a Totally Not An Interceptor, Honest. And that many greens would give it some excellent options when they come to shedding stress, that many of the proto-jousters seem to want to fly with.

I really hope it has all 5 one speed maneuvers, I'd give up some green and high speed maneuvers for that. If they give it a full stop I think I'll flip out (with joy).

Full stop is the province of the lumbering, not the swift.

I'd be thrilled if it had the 1-straight too, but this would leave it with a very Inquisitor-ish dial, and I quietly suspect they'll try to be more 'creative' than that. Simply having speed 1 banks and turns is more than most of the Interceptors can boast, after all.

It's moving so quick that it just looks like it's standing still.

I'd be disappointed to not have a 1 straight on it. I really love the combo of 1 turns and 1 straights on the Starviper. I'd rather have a great knife-fighting dial and okay greens than a go-faster dial and great greens,

It would be cool if it had a 5 K-Turn to go with it's 2 speed T-rolls. I'd be fine with it having no 5 straight.