What tactics do you employ to make Flight Commander work?

I've tried the Flight Commander + Fighter Coordination Team (with B-wings) combo now in a couple of games, and I see the value in the FCT, but I've yet to encounter a situation where Flight Commander would have given me any value.

I think it may be my positioning tactics or the fact that I run the slower fighters. The fighters haven't ever gotten so far away from the FCT ship that I needed to move the ship up to establish coordination range before executing the squadron maneuver.

The opposite is occurring -- I'm running the fighters to the front or flank of the carrier, and moving the ship first risks running into the fighters, which then puts them out of position because my opponent puts them behind my ship and the B-wings then can't get in range to shoot quickly.

I've thought it might be better to put FC on the supporting flotilla and leave FCT on the carrier (the flotilla is commanding some squadrons too), but in the games I've played the situation still didn't come up where FC was any value.

So what should I be doing to make this combination work?

I see FC most useful in two ways. One is when your opponent's squadrons are close to dead and a round of shots from the ship might clear up your squads to attack ships or engage other squadrons. The other is in messing with your opponent's defense tokens. If they spend a Brace on the 5 damage hit from my Command Cruiser, they are going to have a tough decision when the 3 damage hit comes from a B-Wing. Armada is a game of forcing your opponent I to tough decisions whenever you can.

The specific case for Rebels is allowing Yavaris to get that distance 1 movement to have better options for double taps. I've considered Mauler and Fett for similar reasons with the Imperials.

See it the other way around. The Fighter Coordination Team (FCT) increase the reltive speed of your squadrons. You can get further with these. And your opponent has to react to this. Not only for bomber to reach a ship, but also for fighter to intercept other squadrons.

A B-Wing has a Speed of 2. But with FCT, your B-Wing is even a bit faster than speed 3. You can use this fact to cover a bigger area with your squadron.

Other example would be an A-Wing. With FCT they can cover a really huge area of the map.

And you could even use a FCT twice. On different ships. And move your squadron by one with the first ship, than bye one with the second ship. and after this send them in with a squadron command.

Or even, again another way around, send them in with a squadron command to attack a ship and move them out again after it with the FCT. Maybe out of range of the opponents squadrons.

I find this Team really interessting and cheap (for only 3 points). And it can give a great strategic impact.

Also allows you to take your AA shots before resolving your fighter command

Thanks comatose. Those are reasons I hadn't considered.

Tokra: FCTs I'm sold on and can use effectively; FC still needs to justify its 3 points to me.

Oh, my fault. I thought the other way around.

Flight Commander has as well the bonus, that you can get the range of the boosted comms for less points.

If you use the squadron commando after the move, you might be closer to the squadrons that you moved away a turn earlier.

And you can fire first on the ship and finish it with your squadrons. Sometimes it is better this way around.

Beside the mentioned part with the anti squadron attack of the ship before you attack with the squadrons.

But i see less use in the FC compared to the FCT as well.

But most likely because of the many alternatives on the officer slot.

I'm rarely using them on their own... The fact that they have the same timing window is all the gravy for me.

Getting to use Yavaris' AS shots before you activate your Bs is really nice. Stick Toryn near by and anyone jamming with Ties is going to see them evaporate fast.

The real value in it, in my opinion, is being able to keep your carrier further back when you activate squadrons. Really good if your carrier is somewhat fragile. Also, its nice to use your squadrons after a carrier has stripped some shields away. For 3 points, I don't really see the downside.

The real value in it, in my opinion, is being able to keep your carrier further back when you activate squadrons. Really good if your carrier is somewhat fragile. Also, its nice to use your squadrons after a carrier has stripped some shields away. For 3 points, I don't really see the downside.

Really, the only downside is that taking it, removes the possibility of using:

Wing Commander for Insurance

Adar Tallon

Raymus Antilles.

Of course, that's until and on Phoenix Home........... Muahahahahahaha

Gallant Haven...

Seriously, being able to make sure your squadrons are within that tiny bubble after you move can't be understated.

It lets you run expanded hangers on VSDs and still get the range of boosted comms with smart maneuvering and speed control, where before you had to pick one or the other. Or a ISD-1 can have a tractor beam and expanded hangers now instead of boosted comms and again still have more activation range.

Or slap them on a Flotilla with Expanded Hangers and throw your Speed 5 intercepters into the wind. Don't worry. You'll catch up.

The number one value is definitely the range boost. With all but the ISD1 having no more than a single Offensive Retrofit slot, this can be used in place of boosted comms if the slot is already taken and even on a ship with no OR at all.

It cam also pair well with ships that may have a strong AA punch to first weaken enemy squadrons. A Ruthless Strategist AF2A for example will get to put as much as 3 damage onto enemy ships, and may even trigger defensive tokens in advance of your squadron punch.

Im using them on transports with expanded hangar bays to keep up with awings. Its kind of a round about way of getting an extra squadron cmd in with the range benefits of boosted comms

I'm rarely using them on their own... The fact that they have the same timing window is all the gravy for me.

Just necro-ing this thread rather than start a new one. I got the DC FCT combo to the table last night with Independence and a swarm of Bs. Loved it.

However it only occurred to me after the game: am I right in saying that because they have the same timing window, you can resolve them in any order?

That would allow me to move the out of engagement (with Intel) then do the FCT shuffle.

I'm sure this has been well covered. I just ran a forum search for the first relevant topic to piggyback.

Yes, you can resolve them in any order. It's a wonderfully flexible combo.

Thanks. That is truly excellent. I'm now looking at an Independence B Swarm as a tournament viable list. It's certainly fun, either way.

Enjoy. I'm a long time user of Independence, but I've started replacing it with Defiance and the FC/FCT combo. I like them both for different reasons. I just don't have the points for Independence and FC/FCT at the same time.

Yeah. I found that I was really wanting for dice modification. I did my usually trick if ruling a fist full of nothing with the MC-80 side arc.

What are we're you running your Indy with? I put a couple of transports then a Torp Frigate for a credible threat.

...and how do you find Bs without Indy? Is. The FC FCT combo sufficient?

My Indy used to be Boosted Comms, Leading Shots, and ECM. Since Wave III, I've gone without Leading Shots and instead relied on a concentrate token from a Comms Relay. I'm now trying Defiance with Boosted Comms, ECM, and FC/FCT. I should mention I've gotten hardly any table time with it. However, I've mainly been playing a B-Wing heavy list with Liberty, Flight Controllers, and FC/FCT. In that case, the FC/FCT has been sufficient so long as Yavaris slow rolls its approach (meaning it starts either a bit back in the deployment zone or at speed 2)

In a 3 VSD + Rhymer ball fleet I have 2 Ships with boosted comms and these activate the bombers.

I have one ship with flight controllers and expanded hangar so this is where I put a Flight Commander. He lets the Tie Interceptors roam far forwards knowing the ship can catch up and still activate them and give them each 5 dice plus a swarm reroll.

My Indy used to be Boosted Comms, Leading Shots, and ECM. Since Wave III, I've gone without Leading Shots and instead relied on a concentrate token from a Comms Relay. I'm now trying Defiance with Boosted Comms, ECM, and FC/FCT. I should mention I've gotten hardly any table time with it. However, I've mainly been playing a B-Wing heavy list with Liberty, Flight Controllers, and FC/FCT. In that case, the FC/FCT has been sufficient so long as Yavaris slow rolls its approach (meaning it starts either a bit back in the deployment zone or at speed 2)

I feel like defiance really wants you to put leading shots back on there, if you can afford it.

Until you wrote out that combo, I hadn't realised that the Weapons team slot means you could take all 3 on the Liberty. That suddenly makes the Liberty title make much more sense; being able to activate 4 squadrons (with an additional Comms Net token). Shame that you lose Boosted Comms but it's not the end if the world. Just requires tighter play.

I feel like defiance really wants you to put leading shots back on there, if you can afford it.

It really does, but I'm not sure where to find those points. Except for the occasional horrible roll, the Comms Relay has been passable, but sometimes you just NEED Leading Shots.

Until you wrote out that combo, I hadn't realised that the Weapons team slot means you could take all 3 on the Liberty. That suddenly makes the Liberty title make much more sense; being able to activate 4 squadrons (with an additional Comms Net token). Shame that you lose Boosted Comms but it's not the end if the world. Just requires tighter play.

It works for Liberty because it's flying along the main axis of approach, meaning it's right at the point of attack with the squadrons. The Command Cruisers need those Boosted Comms since it tends to get perpendicular to the avenue of approach.