Ok, went on a different track for these ones.

Scramjet Variant: This is directly porting over the title from the new TIE Striker. The initial reaction to the Striker was somewhat underwhelming for such a cool new ability to be added to the game, and I think this is because its joining the Imperial faction which already has a lot of really effective mobile ships. Scum, in contrast, really don't have an effective mobile fighter, and I think this could fill that role nicely. Lore-wise, this reflects the very large wing attachments that look to me like ramjets or scramjets. Points-wise, its got the same 0 cost as the Striker, which I think is very comparable as a ship and already 3 points cheaper, so I'm ok leaving this as 0. It is a bit of a drawback as well, as with the ship's dial the minimum effective distance forward it can move in a turn becomes 4. Giving it this title gives it a hell of a lot of vroom, which could be tricky to really effectively use, which I like for the idea of an overcharged, souped up scum ship. I also think it will be a lot of fun.

Vaksai Variant: This probably seems like you're getting a lot for the cost. Twice the effect of a hull upgrade, plus a regen ability comparable to the rebel regen options, is a lot for 5 points. However, this is I think balanced by the fact that the ship was already pretty significantly overcosted for what it could do, and this title does not really fix the big issue of this ship, which is maneuverability. Instead of mitigating the weaknesses, this makes the ship a bit less susceptible to them. What it gives the scum is a really rugged fighter that can go the distance as a support ship. Regen-wise, its probably slightly less effective than R2-D2, because even though the trigger is easier to achieve, it happens after the combat phase, and more significantly the Kihraxz's max shield of 1 means that it cannot retreat for several rounds to build back a stock of shields. For the lore, the Vaksai was a heavy-duty version of the Kihraxz, so I think it fits.

Vectored Deflectors: The game really doesn't favour all-purpose fighters or jousting ships right now, so this is an attempt to boost the joust a bit. Its a better version of the Concord Protectorate title, but where that ship wants to be right in at knife range and has the maneuverability and defense to get there, the Kihraxz it hoping to be exchanging long to medium range head to head fire. It takes up the missile slot, so taking this will mean sacrificing the ordinance role. The Kihraxz will be entirely reliant on being able to get into jousting situations. Given that, and that you're already paying for the missile upgrade slot, I think its a fair 0-cost alternative.
This isn't Kihraxz-only, so given the restrictions the other ships that can take it are the A-Wing, K-Wing, Z-95 and Scyk. For the A-Wing, I think this actually presents a pretty interesting choice with the Chardaan refit. The K-Wing gives up a lot in not being able to equip ordinance, but would still be possible to use with a turret. However, the K-Wing really doesn't want to be jousting, especially with a turret, so I don't think this would overbalance it. The Scyk certainly needs all the help it can get, so I'm not concerned there. The Z-95 is the only potential concern then among the other ships, as swarming them with this defensive buff might get out of hand. I'm not sure though, and the Headhunter already has less defense than the swarmable TIE. Still not sure.

So what do you all think of these?

Jakku Gunrunner (15)

K4 Security Droid (3)

Targeting Synchronizer (3)

Black Market Slicer Tools (1)

Spacetug Tractor Array (2)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Yea, Binayars do it better.

How do the binaries even shoot their missiles before exploding? They never gonna have a target lock against anything with higher PS before ships start exploding and you are in the middle of a brawl.

Jakku Gunrunner (15)

K4 Security Droid (3)

Targeting Synchronizer (3)

Black Market Slicer Tools (1)

Spacetug Tractor Array (2)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Binayre Pirate (12)

Homing Missiles (5)

Scavenger Crane (2)

Guidance Chips (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Yea, Binayars do it better.

How do the binaries even shoot their missiles before exploding? They never gonna have a target lock against anything with higher PS before ships start exploding and you are in the middle of a brawl.

The gunrunner goes in first with a speed 3 K4 security droid, and uses Targeting Synchronizer to paint a target Lock that all the binares can use to fire, using their focus and chips but not the TL reroll to save the TL for the next pirate missile.

Ulf, I love your Vaksai title. It would make the 4 Cartel Marauder list a lot of fun and replace the 5 CM list.

I'm not so keen on the other titles, perhaps if Vectored Deflectors had a penalty on defending against shots from behind? Eg one less green die rolled. And a choice of when to use it which is a free action.

/list snip

How do the binaries even shoot their missiles before exploding? They never gonna have a target lock against anything with higher PS before ships start exploding and you are in the middle of a brawl.

The gunrunner goes in first with a speed 3 K4 security droid, and uses Targeting Synchronizer to paint a target Lock that all the binares can use to fire, using their focus and chips but not the TL reroll to save the TL for the next pirate missile.

I would be surprised if the Gunrunner doesn't get blown up immediately... Maybe it can work both for getting distance but also to get extra security by putting the Cloaking Device on the Gunrunner? Either skip the tractor array (as great as it is) or maybe downgrade a missile to Ion Pulse or Advanced Homing to get it in there. You'll almost double the range you go with the Gunrunner if you do a 3 straight, plus if you can't Tractor someone you can cloak after getting your free Target Lock.

I'll definitely try putting Cloaking Device on my bumper car xD

I like the Vaksai title, too, and the reasoning behind the cost, taking into account how the K is already overcosted. This emphasizes the primary attack values, keeps the ace strong while making the lower PS pilots viable as either glass ordnance carriers that can sting close in or durable fighters. It takes into account the model and carves out a singular role for it. The Scavenger Crane is just too iffy to be the Fix.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

The khirakxyz screams astromech to me. There are not enough ships that use them, and it seems like a place where that long overdue scum aces SKU can rip open some design space, seeing as how scum already has the crew slot covered in spades. The rouge's gallery (sic, pun intended) of low cost game changers would make it tough for it to be an illicit upgrade that grants an astromech, however.

More upgrade options wouldn't really solve their fundamental problems - they're a jouster with no other tricks... and they're not a very good (ie, cost effective) jouster to start with.

So either they need more tricks, or better jousting. We'll see which way FFG goes with this, but I note idly that, as already mentioned in the thread, the Scyk and Protectorate are already in similar spots... as jousters with tricks.

So perhaps we need to start thinking about the classic jousting once more.

Well, it does have some tricks - the Illicit slot is its big 'trick' - glitterstim is a nice one, but salvage claw and guidance chips makes it into a disconcertingly good missile boat - especially the Black Sun Ace, who can pack Deadeye too.

Equally, Vectored Thrusters and Cloaking Device gives Talonbane Cobra some pretty impressive dancing ability. Anyone who dismisses such a ship as 'just a jouster' is in for a nasty shock.

True Mangus, Cobra, if flown well, wrecks ships that are even close to his footing. The above build is good, real good. He works pretty well with PTL and Engine too; though it's hard not to take a Glitter stick, 'cause he can really beat someone with it.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Agreed, it's an awesome list, plus I feel like I rescued stray Kihraxzs who were only bought for their Crackshots and then left out on the shelf.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

That seems much too potent... perhaps if it was:

"When attacking, for each other friendly ship with Title that has defender in arc at range 1-2 you may change one [eye] to a [hit]."

Then:

"When defending, for each other friendly ship with Title that is in the attackers arc at range 1-2 you may change one [eye] to a [hit]."

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

That seems much too potent... perhaps if it was:

"When attacking, for each other friendly ship with Title that has defender in arc at range 1-2 you may change one [eye] to a [hit]."

Then:

"When defending, for each other friendly ship with Title that is in the attackers arc at range 1-2 you may change one [eye] to a [hit]."

(but even then, that feels a little too good for 0pts)

- - - - -

Your suggestion has put me straight to mind of the Thach Weave - and an ability based on that would be nifty (especially since the Kihxarz is a perfect analog to a Wildcat compared to a Fang/TIE-Int as a Zero).

So, something along the lines of:

"When attacking, if the defender has another other friendly ship with Title in its firing arc at range 1-2, you may (roll 1 additional attack die OR change one [symbol?] to a [symbol?] OR add 1 [Crit] result to your roll)."

"When defending, if the attacker is in the arc and at range 1-2 of another other friendly ship with Title you may (roll 1 additional defense die OR change one [symbol?] to a [symbol?])."

(ranges should to 1-2 to emphasis the dog-fighting aspect, ensure you keep your flying tighter to benefit, and reduce the potential points cost)

See, I wondered if it was too potent as well and I don't think it is.

Think of it this way: what are jousters good at? Jousting. So why should any ship survive jousting against jousters?

They'll still be vulnerable to what they've always been vulnerable too: arc-dodging and PWT's.

All this title does is give jousters a license to be better at what they're designed to be good.

Edit: Interestingly enough, my initial title text called out range 1-2 as well. It's like when you're negotiating a price - always start low so you can bid up to your actual desired price.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

If you flew into range of five Kihraxzs and got arced by all of them you deserve to get lit up. In practice the title would probably only give the user one or two ships that get extra die if their opponent is playing smart.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

If you flew into range of five Kihraxzs and got arced by all of them you deserve to get lit up. In practice the title would probably only give the user one or two ships that get extra die if their opponent is playing smart.

Hey, is not so easy to dodge a swarm. Not a lot of ships can do that. Even 3 ships means 5(6) attack dice for ship.

It's totally broken.

But as a player of 5 Kihraxz, there's one simple title that have the power to push up the ps2 swarm imho:

0 points, Kihraxz only.

"During the combat phase, treat your pilot skill as 12"

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

If you flew into range of five Kihraxzs and got arced by all of them you deserve to get lit up. In practice the title would probably only give the user one or two ships that get extra die if their opponent is playing smart.

Hey, is not so easy to dodge a swarm. Not a lot of ships can do that. Even 3 ships means 5(6) attack dice for ship.

It's totally broken.

But as a player of 5 Kihraxz, there's one simple title that have the power to push up the ps2 swarm imho:

0 points, Kihraxz only.

"During the combat phase, treat your pilot skill as 12"

Edit: Ops, pressed the wrong button xD

That would be pretty crazy too if you ask me. Not as crazy, but still really good. Would probably make 5 PS2's better than 4 PS5's, even with Crack Shot. Maybe it could be fair as a "One use" thing.

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

If you flew into range of five Kihraxzs and got arced by all of them you deserve to get lit up. In practice the title would probably only give the user one or two ships that get extra die if their opponent is playing smart.

Hey, is not so easy to dodge a swarm. Not a lot of ships can do that. Even 3 ships means 5(6) attack dice for ship.

It's totally broken.

But as a player of 5 Kihraxz, there's one simple title that have the power to push up the ps2 swarm imho:

0 points, Kihraxz only.

"During the combat phase, treat your pilot skill as 12"

Edit: Ops, pressed the wrong button xD

That would be pretty crazy too if you ask me. Not as crazy, but still really good. Would probably make 5 PS2's better than 4 PS5's, even with Crack Shot. Maybe it could be fair as a "One use" thing.

How 'bout this then:

"During the combat phase, increase your PS by 2 for every friendly ship also equipped with Title within range 1."

That said, I think jousters need to hit harder - improving their activation order will help... but with so many dice mods available it may not matter if all they have are three red dice and focus.

How 'bout this then:

"During the combat phase, increase your PS by 2 for every friendly ship also equipped with Title within range 1."

That said, I think jousters need to hit harder - improving their activation order will help... but with so many dice mods available it may not matter if all they have are three red dice and focus.

That exact wording might still be a problem, because "during the combat phase" one or more of those ships be destroyed, and your PS will keep getting revised downward - especially in situations of reaction attacks (revenge-bot, Dengar, Quickdraw).

I'm big on flying 5x Cartel Marauders - it's entertaining and challenging. I'd love to see a title that emphasizes this type of play:

Title

0 Pts

Kihraxz Only

Gain one red die for every other friendly ship with Title that has the defender in arc, at range 1-3.

Gain one green die for every other friendly ship with Title that the defender has in arc, at range 1-3.

I think you could potentially strip the 'Kihraxz Only' line and put in something like 'PS3 or less' and allow it to be used on any ship. It could get a little ridiculous with an 8-ship Tie swarm... but I would risk it just so that list could be competitive again.

Am I reading this right that it would give 5 Kihraxz flying in during the opening engagement 7-dice primarily attacks each? That is way far on the potent side.

If you flew into range of five Kihraxzs and got arced by all of them you deserve to get lit up. In practice the title would probably only give the user one or two ships that get extra die if their opponent is playing smart.

Hey, is not so easy to dodge a swarm. Not a lot of ships can do that. Even 3 ships means 5(6) attack dice for ship.

It's totally broken.

But as a player of 5 Kihraxz, there's one simple title that have the power to push up the ps2 swarm imho:

0 points, Kihraxz only.

"During the combat phase, treat your pilot skill as 12"

Edit: Ops, pressed the wrong button xD

That would be pretty crazy too if you ask me. Not as crazy, but still really good. Would probably make 5 PS2's better than 4 PS5's, even with Crack Shot. Maybe it could be fair as a "One use" thing.

Mmm I'm not sure about that. You still activating at PS2, so they still "dodgable". Well, not five maybe but almost 1-3 ships, yes.

Maybe change it in PS9 or 10

If you're really looking for a simple fix to the Kihraxz, give it a 2-point Title that adds Boost to its action bar.

1) It's costed equally to the Heavy Scyk (2 pts for something that other ships pay 4 pts for)

2) It solves their problem with not having anything reasonable (read: working towards fixing their primary problem, survivability) to do with a second action most of the time, even if you actually do get some action economy out of them (like, PTL or Mindlink)

3) It gives them some sorely needed re-positioning ability while not sending their cost through the roof (relatively speaking)

4) It opens up the Mod slot for Autothrusters, if you're so inclined (significantly improving both named pilots while being potentially interesting for the generics)

If you really wanted, you could also add a different benefit to it (like, an evade token after boosting and bumping the cost up to 3), but I don't think it's actually necessary, this would fix the ship just fine (and would prefer to keep the fix title's cost as low as possible, for reasons of swarminess.

edit: clearly, you call the title Vaksai.

If you're really looking for a simple fix to the Kihraxz, give it a 2-point Title that adds Boost to its action bar.

Ye gods, no .

The solution to a ship's problems is not just 'give it boost'. It's painfully unimaginative for one, and fails both to aptly represent the ship (there's no precedent for the Kihraxz in particular to have it) or to make it unique or interesting - or even worth taking when compared with the Protectorate Fighter, in the Kihraxz's case.

It's likewise true for the X-Wing - just giving it boost as a 'fix' fails to make it distinct from the T-70 and is thus pointless.

(there's no precedent for the Kihraxz in particular to have it)

This is why mentioning the Vaksai name is important - that was an improvement of the Kihraxz frame (from a light to medium fighter) which included among other improvements the ability to mount much heavier engines on the frame. It's not perfectly thematic, but it is a reasonably solid foundation for an idea.

Also I hope to god nobody is saying to give regular Xs boost, that literally is just the T-70, +3 point cost for the effects of a Shield and Engine Upgrade is a great discount if that's really what you wanted.

The main problem with the Klingon (aka Kihrax) is that they are the Scum equivalent of the X-wing in a meta where the X-wing is not doing so well. There needs to be an illicit (or something related to an illicit) to make it worthwhile much like X-wing needed an astromech (or modifications that uses astromech) to make it worthwhile. Right now there is no illicit or missile upgrade that wouldn't serve better on a different ship.

I've been playing with the titles I posted on the last page, and they've made a huge difference. Genuinely fun to play, makes them viable, but not at all overpowered.

The solution to a ship's problems is not just 'give it boost'. It's painfully unimaginative for one, and fails both to aptly represent the ship (there's no precedent for the Kihraxz in particular to have it) or to make it unique or interesting - or even worth taking when compared with the Protectorate Fighter, in the Kihraxz's case.

A good solution is one that uses the most of what's already in the game, while being minimally disruptive and not increasing complexity unnecessarily. "Imaginative" isn't mandatory - does the Heavy Scyk FAQ fix strike you as imaginative? It wasn't, and yet it was exactly what the ship needed; it's really good now.

As for Kihraxz over Fang with this hypothetical upgrade, there's still reasons: Missiles over Torps, Illicit, one extra shield. The green 1-banks aren't exactly punishment, either. Sure, Fang is a better ship overall, but the goal here is to just make the decision less of a clear-cut thing -just to make sure there's reasons for taking Kihraxzes beyond "I love the model".

If you don't like giving it boost, fine - Missiles + Scavenger Crane seems interesting for the ship, so maybe the title could further emphasize an ordnance-carrier role for the ship (unlike Fangs, which scream "get me to range 1 standoffs and keep me there"). Deadeye effect? Extra Munitions token on any missiles carried? There's a ton of ways you could go with that, even without dreaming up new, outlandish, super-complicated mechanics. Vaksais were known for having both stronger engines (that's where my boost idea came from originally, btw) and more room for ordnance and other mods - work with that without going overboard on the cost aspect, to maintain the usefulness of the generic Kihraxzes.

Of course, I'd still prefer to get the boost as the main thing for reasons mentioned above, maybe just adding a small ordnance thing on top of it. The biggest thing for me is being able to pack autothrusters, as sticking around at range 3 is something the ship is decent at, and it would feed into both the unique pilots and the missiles angle.

Simple Kiraxz fix? Since it suppose to be light and fast, it can perform a extra speed 1 or 2 maneuver on its dial. Or a free boost if it perform a white maneuver