How about this, when you get hit with an ion token 2 things can happen but the first possible is what transpires. The effects would be the standard 1 straight, cancel attack step. The token resolves and goes away when the effect is satisfied and it adds strategic options to when you ion someone. It also favors movement control for aces who move late and allows low ps pilots to remain mobile but puts them on defense by neutering their attack.

This of course translates to large base too just substitute 2 ions for 1

Side note conners would always neuter the guns. Kinda cool.

Nm, read this three times and finally dawned on me outside conner it will always work like it does now. Herm. Maybe the ionizer could get to choose which happens and no ship can have more ion tokens than 1 for small and 2 for big.

Ion Cannon and Turrets both have the same general problem: the odds to hit are generally the same as a primary weapon attack, but it costs 3 or 5 points to make that attack. That's not usually a great trade off for the chance to ionize a ship.

Simply increasing the attack value wouldn't really work- it would make it easier to control Squints, but basically be an auto hit against X-Wings or Y-Wings.

My thought, if we would be interested in redoing the cards all together, would be to give these weapons an attack value of "defender's agility +1".

Another thought: would Feedback Array get more use if the attacker and defender results were reversed? Or if it was simply both ships get an ion token?

Honestly, the ion penalty itself is fine. The problem is that the opportunity cost of applying that penalty is too high. Simply making ionization hurt more wouldn't make it easier to apply the ionization to the ships most in need of indirect control- high Agility ships that rely on their movement dial. Instead, those ships would still be the least likely to be effected by the weapons, but low agility tanky ships would be further nerfed.

Thematically, I'd agree. But gameplay over fluff, always.

I'd much sooner plead for a skip of the action step.

I like this, but then Conners get nerfed a little. Only reason to take them is to get an action bomb (which probably wouldn't change the fact that they are my favorite bomb).

Yeah, I don't think ion tokens need a buff. They already have a pretty dangerous function, it's just really hard to stick an ion attack on a palp ace. It's kind of the reason why the tractor cannon is a non-starter- sticking the tractor token on a palp ace is insanely difficult, and with other ships it's not worth giving up the shot.

Yeah, I don't think ion tokens need a buff. They already have a pretty dangerous function, it's just really hard to stick an ion attack on a palp ace. It's kind of the reason why the tractor cannon is a non-starter- sticking the tractor token on a palp ace is insanely difficult, and with other ships it's not worth giving up the shot.

It's not _just_ Palp Aces, this problem has been around since Wave 2. Y-Wings with Ion turrets were supposed to be awesome against TIE Interceptors, but somehow never quite got there. That's one of the reasons the YT-1300 was so popular for so long...

this can be made to happen if done the way it was in the movies. how many Ion Torps did it take?

I would make it a extra condition when a small ship receives 4(?) Ion Tokens and a Large Ship receives 6(?) the defender would receives "Blinded Pilot" like affect

that could make it work

but that is what mag pulse weapons are going to be for

Then how about reduce 1 red dice or remove 1 shield?

Ion Pulse Missiles already cause 1 damage and put 2 ion tokens on the target. Ion torpedoes are "in theory" less effective than they should be but FFG could say they are balanced given they are intended for swarms and breaking up formations. They are over costed compared with Ion Pulse Missiles but I think during the initial waves of the game (upto 4) there was a larger swarm presence so Advanced Protons et al where seen as an option to allow small lists to deal with swarms.

What if Ion had another additional effect, that is, disable attack phase - cannot perform attack this round?

First time a ship receives a ion it can't attack this round. It would make ion torpedoes and ion turrets more used in 100p fights. And it's costly enough with 5 points.

If you guys say "Can't happen" then I guess you all have missed what the Y-Wings did to Star Destroyer in Rouge One.

Remember that a star destroyer is a very large ship and if you look at the rules for Huge ships and Ion, you will see that ion weapons are the only way to shoot those guys. It basically deprives them of the energy they need to do anything other than move..Adding an effect that like what you suggest to a 100 point game means that all we will see is Ion weaponry or re position type ships. everything else would be out of the meta.

What if Ion had another additional effect, that is, disable attack phase - cannot perform attack this round?

First time a ship receives a ion it can't attack this round. It would make ion torpedoes and ion turrets more used in 100p fights. And it's costly enough with 5 points.

If you guys say "Can't happen" then I guess you all have missed what the Y-Wings did to Star Destroyer in Rouge One.

Remember that a star destroyer is a very large ship and if you look at the rules for Huge ships and Ion, you will see that ion weapons are the only way to shoot those guys. It basically deprives them of the energy they need to do anything other than move..Adding an effect that like what you suggest to a 100 point game means that all we will see is Ion weaponry or re position type ships. everything else would be out of the meta.

Taking that a step further.... During the evacuation of Hoth (in know, citing a film...) one Imperial Star Destroyer is disabled by ion hits. The ISD is hit by (I believe it's 3) shots from a Planetary Defense Ion Cannon with all the power that requires.

In Armada Ion weaponry forces your opponent to discard command dials or reduce token effectiveness, a couple of the Ion upgrades allow additional attack output. So at a "dog fight" level the 1 straight penalty seems fairly appropriate. You could remove the action as well (token removes at end of activation phase) but.... Tractor Beam has the ability to throw people around, you could have Ion also remove shields, but the Empire fighters are less concerned about that.

If you use the "can't attack this round"... against a high PS ship, if you're a low PS ship.... they aren't so fussed. If you miss you next attack (to allow it to effect high PS) then you run the risk of swapping TLT's for Ion Turrets. It's only 1 damage you say... but if 4 Y-wings all land their first shot... you're in trouble unless you have more ships than they do, once your ships are all going 1 forward without shooting.... Y-wings and Hwk's become surprisingly agile...

I agree that it is not the ion token that is flawed but the means to give enemy ships ion tokens.

Against large ships, you need 2 attacks to ionize a ship and against most PWT ships it is rather useless (you can use it to get into Dashs donut hole but that's pretty much it). (I would be ok with ion tokens making out of arc shots worse)

Against high agility ships, it is hard to get a token and pretty much impossible to stack them in consecutive turns.

if we ever get this mechanic it would be Mag Pulse, not Ion. Both because its an insanely powerful ability to negate another's attack for a round but tacking that on TOP of screwing over their maneuver? really jimbon? thats ludicrously broken.

What if you called it "Advanced" Ion Cannon/Torpedo/Pulse Missile/Bomb?

They do.

Huge Ship Rules page 4

... when a huge ship gains energy in the gain energy step phase reduce the amount of energy it gains by 1 then remove all ion tokens.

Ship doesn't gain energy, ship can't charge the hardpoints that use energy. Weapons are disabled.