You really don't understand how a military (or any organisation) works: assuming 100 standardisation of logistics and procurement is like thinking every soldier goes into battle with ceremonial uniforms.

This is the schism between Star Wars fans in this respect:

Some think the Empire should be like a real military organization and be realistic, with plenty of providers, diverging opinions and tactics, and multiple idiosyncrasies, especially for a group that spans hundreds if not thousands of star systems.

Some think the Empire should be like the Foot Clan in TMNT or basically every evil organization where their assets and henchmen follow some aesthetics to the letter, that must be immediately recognizable, their members basically doubling as icons of their masters.

You've hit the nail on the head there, and these are very mutually exclusive options.

Honestly, I preferred flying my Avenger or Defender to the AGB.

I lerrrrrrved my Avenger.

Let's be honest, was there anytime someone would fly a ship other than the TIE Defender when given a chance? It did pretty much everything the Gunboat did except it was a LOT faster and more maneuverable while doing it and it packed more laser power besided.

If given the choice between the Avenger and the Gunboat I'd normally want the Avenger too because of it's increased speed, maneuverability, and quad lasers although if you absolutely had to capture something then you may need the Gunboat for the Ion Cannons.

Should definitely point out at this juncture that Gunboat fans are not looking for the Gunboat for reasons of epic overpowered Mary Sue crush-all-before-me competitiveness;

The thing was essentially an Imperial Y-Wing equivalent; packed a wallop, could take a wallop, but if your on your own against interceptors it was essentially a flying coffin.

Basically, the Gunboat would be there to give Imperials a bit of CHEAP multi-role utility and hit points on the board.

I know high health / low agility is essentially a Rebel trademark at this point, but at least they have regen.

I'm just waiting for the evil genius over at FFG to be like

"okay, guys, you want a gunboat?

you want something that's not a TIE?

fine, here's your gunboat...with the same dial as a Y-wing

bet you wish you could take Tie/mk2 now!"

That's pretty much what fans are asking for.

I'm just waiting for the evil genius over at FFG to be like

"okay, guys, you want a gunboat?

you want something that's not a TIE?

fine, here's your gunboat...with the same dial as a Y-wing

bet you wish you could take Tie/mk2 now!"

I'm fine with it flying like a y-wing.

Well I suppose there is valid reason for a patrol ship like Decimator to have plenty of viewports. Sensor jamming is a thing, so there's some use in being able to look out the window too.

Geth do not use Windows; structural weakness.

Transparisteel.

I'm just waiting for the evil genius over at FFG to be like

"okay, guys, you want a gunboat?

you want something that's not a TIE?

fine, here's your gunboat...with the same dial as a Y-wing

bet you wish you could take Tie/mk2 now!"

Like a Y-Wing but a Cannon slot instead of a Turret slot and missiles instead of torps (or one of each!) Actually that would be pretty close to what we'd actually be expecting.

I'm just waiting for the evil genius over at FFG to be like

"okay, guys, you want a gunboat?

you want something that's not a TIE?

fine, here's your gunboat...with the same dial as a Y-wing

bet you wish you could take Tie/mk2 now!"

Like a Y-Wing but a Cannon slot instead of a Turret slot and missiles instead of torps (or one of each!) Actually that would be pretty close to what we'd actually be expecting.

I'm torn between giving GUNBOAT a torp slot for the EM and LRS and keeping it with just two missile slots to preserve the fluff.

I'm just waiting for the evil genius over at FFG to be like

"okay, guys, you want a gunboat?

you want something that's not a TIE?

fine, here's your gunboat...with the same dial as a Y-wing

bet you wish you could take Tie/mk2 now!"

Like a Y-Wing but a Cannon slot instead of a Turret slot and missiles instead of torps (or one of each!) Actually that would be pretty close to what we'd actually be expecting.

I'm torn between giving GUNBOAT a torp slot for the EM and LRS and keeping it with just two missile slots to preserve the fluff.

nothing to be torn about, gameplay >>>>>>>>>>>> fluff by a country mile

the only reason to give two missile slots is if you're going to put the effort in to design a unique title or mod (or missile!) to make ordnance worth using on it

It wouldn't be unheard of that the gunboat carried torpedoes, rockets or heavy bombs. Launchers were configurable. What is listed in the Wookipedia is just the factory configuration.

Seeing as free titles to handle a ship's nonstandard game mechanics are becoming commonplace, how about a "Modular Launchers" title allowing you to replace your missile slots with torpedo or bomb slots.

Seeing as free titles to handle a ship's nonstandard game mechanics are becoming commonplace, how about a "Modular Launchers" title allowing you to replace your missile slots with torpedo or bomb slots.

That. Or interesting mechanics regarding the cannon slot in combination with the missile slots. The XG-1 thread is full with good suggestions.

The "Title since launch day" dynamic that FFG is following lately definitely opens up interesting design space that could allow a 2/2/3/3 ship to behave in a totally different way than another ship with identical stats.

If they wanted, FFG could deviate from the PC games and let that mounted cannon shoot in a 180 degrees arc, as it seems it could do if you look at the ship, perhaps a mobile firing arc for the cannon that can aim left, front, or right, even. Or a 180 degree special firing arc, you cannot shoot the primary weapon in that arc, only the cannon, like an inverse YV-666. That would make it feel much different from the TIE Defender.

Or make the title implement one of the hyperspace suggestions (alternate deployment rules).

Or one of the linked fire suggestions.

Or make it a tractor beam specialist for the Empire.

Or make it an anti-jouster jouster role that counters ultrajousters like the U-boat, by letting it equip some jamming beam that passively reduces attacks of enemies in your firing arc that have you in their firing arc.

Really, they can do one thousand things with this ship by playing with the title, and make it feel unique and bring something totally new to the tables.

Well I suppose there is valid reason for a patrol ship like Decimator to have plenty of viewports. Sensor jamming is a thing, so there's some use in being able to look out the window too.

Geth do not use Windows; structural weakness.

Transparisteel.

General Products Hull.

Well there's another inherent contradiction in lore. Why would an ideology that promotes conflict and a rule of two suddenly throw these principles out of the window for their procurement by allowing monopolies?

The whole galactic footclan argument also falls flat in the face of the fact you have corrupt grand admirals and grand Moffs who have their own armies and resource base and can (within reason) do what they please and use what they want. Which is why you see a CEC class cruiser and not a KDY cruiser trolling the rebels in Rebels.

The one size fits all argument just does not work, in lore or in common sense.

I still feel like there's an out-of-favor Imperial admiral in the galactic boonies who is stuck with V-19s, Acclimators and even Dreadnaughts, doing the best they can fighting local pirates and such with decades old stuff.

Well there's another inherent contradiction in lore. Why would an ideology that promotes conflict and a rule of two suddenly throw these principles out of the window for their procurement by allowing monopolies?

The whole galactic footclan argument also falls flat in the face of the fact you have corrupt grand admirals and grand Moffs who have their own armies and resource base and can (within reason) do what they please and use what they want. Which is why you see a CEC class cruiser and not a KDY cruiser trolling the rebels in Rebels.

The one size fits all argument just does not work, in lore or in common sense.

I still feel like there's an out-of-favor Imperial admiral in the galactic boonies who is stuck with V-19s, Acclimators and even Dreadnaughts, doing the best they can fighting local pirates and such with decades old stuff.

While I can see admirals on the fringe who have old hardware and outdated products, I honestly think the lore as of current shows the Empire as a unified entity by the time of a New Hope with the Emporer on top without question. The Emporer at that point sees the galaxy as his and looks to shape it in his perfect, unified vision. The forefront of that image of unification is the standardization of the military, all the same ships, same uniforms, same combat gear. So when you see it, you know it's the Empire and the Emporer's will coming against you.

Tarkin's special stealth ship is the only canon example of an out of norm design in the imperial navy or military.

Tarkin's special stealth ship is the only canon example of an out of norm design in the imperial navy or military.

And:

Carrack-Class Cruisers

Cr-90 Corvettes

CC-2200 Frigattes

CC-7700 Frigattes

Lancer-Class Frigattes

Well there's another inherent contradiction in lore. Why would an ideology that promotes conflict and a rule of two suddenly throw these principles out of the window for their procurement by allowing monopolies?

The whole galactic footclan argument also falls flat in the face of the fact you have corrupt grand admirals and grand Moffs who have their own armies and resource base and can (within reason) do what they please and use what they want. Which is why you see a CEC class cruiser and not a KDY cruiser trolling the rebels in Rebels.

The one size fits all argument just does not work, in lore or in common sense.

I still feel like there's an out-of-favor Imperial admiral in the galactic boonies who is stuck with V-19s, Acclimators and even Dreadnaughts, doing the best they can fighting local pirates and such with decades old stuff.

This is and has always been in my headcanon.

Back in the TIE Fighter days when the Acclamator wasn't a thing, it was Dreadnoughts.

The Acclamator, and Victory class Stardestroyers are my two very favourite Star Wars ships.

I don't think they will do the Gunboat any time soon, though, unless it gets into one of the new movies. With a new movie coming out each year and one tv show with new stuff, I see FFG making stuff for the current line of products. I don't see the Gunboat coming out any time soon.

Of course, if they polished up X-wing and Tie Fighter video games and re-released them, they would be a huge hit and it would generate tons of money, as well as interests.

It wouldn't play anything like a Lambda. It's a single-seat fighter, while the Lambda is all about hauling crew (read: Palpatine) around. Gameplay-wise it would be like a slightly more mobile Y-wing with no astromech.

So....it would be a small based ship that can't turn well that was a cannon platform? OK...sounds slightly different than the Lambda Shuttle, but not by a lot.

Because it's one of the few missing pieces from the classic X-wing games that's instantly recognizable (along with the TIE Avenger). Also, it's an Imperial fighter that's /not/ a TIE variant, but still is recognizably Imperial in design.

It's only instantly recognizable by those people who played Tie Fighter. I'm not sure how much of a percentage X-wing players are. I'm not saying there aren't thousands out there and perhaps more on these forums, but I'm not sure out of all the players of X-wing. I never played it.

Here's a point. I played X-wing before I played TIE.

I fought the Gunboats first time around, and as an imperial fanboy they fascinated me. skip forward to the summer of '95 me buying TIE Fighter and sitting at Woolworths top floor cafe in Leamington, looking at the screenshots. I was "I really can't wait to fly the Assault Gunboat and TIE Advanced" way more so than the unshielded TIEs. I didn't even know about the TIE Defender.

Course it must have took me an hour and a crash course in memmaker and emm386 to even get the ***** running. But still.

Well there's another inherent contradiction in lore. Why would an ideology that promotes conflict and a rule of two suddenly throw these principles out of the window for their procurement by allowing monopolies?

The whole galactic footclan argument also falls flat in the face of the fact you have corrupt grand admirals and grand Moffs who have their own armies and resource base and can (within reason) do what they please and use what they want. Which is why you see a CEC class cruiser and not a KDY cruiser trolling the rebels in Rebels.

The one size fits all argument just does not work, in lore or in common sense.

I still feel like there's an out-of-favor Imperial admiral in the galactic boonies who is stuck with V-19s, Acclimators and even Dreadnaughts, doing the best they can fighting local pirates and such with decades old stuff.

While I can see admirals on the fringe who have old hardware and outdated products, I honestly think the lore as of current shows the Empire as a unified entity by the time of a New Hope with the Emporer on top without question. The Emporer at that point sees the galaxy as his and looks to shape it in his perfect, unified vision. The forefront of that image of unification is the standardization of the military, all the same ships, same uniforms, same combat gear. So when you see it, you know it's the Empire and the Emporer's will coming against you.

Tarkin's special stealth ship is the only canon example of an out of norm design in the imperial navy or military.

Perhaps, but then again, the galaxy's a big place. In canon, we've seen what, a couple dozen inhabited worlds out of the thousands or millions out there? The movies and books are focusing on where the fighting is thickest, rather than showing us the daily lives of troops assigned to some remote outpost where the most danger comes from the risk of dying from boredom.

Additionally, it simply doesn't make sense to scrap all the old technology simply because something new comes out. The old may no longer be front-line equipment, but it can still be mighty potent. The best example I can think of (though admittedly non-canon) is the Katana fleet in the Thrawn trilogy. The ships were how old and everyone still realized how useful they could be? For real-life examples, consider the Soviets after World War 2. They developed the AK-47, but rather than immediately scrap all their existing firearms, they sent their Mosin-Nagants and SKS's to remote posts and satellite nations.

And we can see from new starship designs that the Empire is still doing research and development. It makes sense that some Admiral or Moff overseeing some research may think outside the box, either to try to carve out a little empire of his own, or in order to impress the Emperor and increase his own status within the Empire.

heychadwick - if you've never played any of the X-Wing PC games, do it.

Now. Do it now. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Get on over to GOG and get them downloaded! Lickety-split!

Shouldn't discount nostalgia - X-Wing: The Miniatures Game was originally built on nostalgia, using as it did the same name as the 90's PC games.

heychadwick - if you've never played any of the X-Wing PC games, do it.

Now. Do it now. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Get on over to GOG and get them downloaded! Lickety-split!

Shouldn't discount nostalgia - X-Wing: The Miniatures Game was originally built on nostalgia, using as it did the same name as the 90's PC games.

No joystick. I'm not flush with cash, either. Not a lot of time, too. I've got my xbox and not so keen on getting more equipment for my pc. I've thought about it, but decided to just skip it. I did play X-wing vs. Tie Fighter and that was awesome.

Buddy. You can play TIE AND X-wing collectors 95 with a mouse and keyboard, just fine. I've beat both with it. Just can't play the 97 ones based off of the x-wing engine.

Ignoring my retrogaming tendencies, I agree that as a fan you should experience these games at least once.

$20 for a cheap joystick that'll do just fine for classic games. It's not like you need a new video card or anything fancy to play the X-wing series.