Why not just play the two factions that already have astromechs? For Imps, astromechs would help most ships being crew.

There is no reason for Imperial Astromechs in Xwing. None of the Empire fighters have Astromechs. The Eta-2 and Arc170 are not Imperial ships. They are Republic ships. Imperial forces used them only until they got their own ships. At that point they were phased out. No need for them in this game. As has been stated above, any Imperial Astromechs should be crew, but even then they are unnecessary. I like the "fill in the blank officer" Imperial only crew that we have gotten so far. Just keep that going.

... As has been stated above, any Imperial Astromechs should be crew, but even then they are unnecessary. I like the "fill in the blank officer" Imperial only crew that we have gotten so far. Just keep that going.

I rather wish the 'construction droid' with the Gozanti had instead been named something like 'Fleet Astromech' or simply 'Repair Droid', and been depicted as an imperial astromech.

Ok, let's get some things straight.

The end of Ep 3 and beginning of Ep 4 are separated by 19 years. Not 20. Not 23-24. 19 years.

Asaaj Ventress did not survive past the Clone Wars but has been included as a pilot in this game.

And Vader in an Eta-2 is awesome and needs to be in this game. I don't even care if an astromech slot is included or not, but if so then it could be a mod or something. V-Wing can be scum, and ARC can remain with rebels, but Eta-2 needs a home in this game as the tiniest space ship that might have to be rescaled.

Assaj still doesn't make sense. She's not even connected to the Shadow Caster in a way that makes sense, let alone the right time frame. By several metric it doesnt make sense.

Also i wasnt aware of an official 19 years difference, i was merely making some approximations around Catalyst. At least i wasnt too far off. Even still, it's at least a 16-18 year difference between when Vader flew his Eta-2 and the actually start of Ep. IV, so probably about.... 10 years before the Rebel Alliance actually was a paramilitary entity.

Don't get me wrong, i love the Eta-2, but unless we want more Assaj Ventress-like chronological faults...

Well, actually, in some cut material from the end of TCW and in Dark Disciple, I believe Asajj flies her own Lancer-class vessel, which is where Rebels got the concept art to reuse from. I think I heard somewhere that LFL actually suggested her as a pilot to FFG. The time frame is completely messed up though, to be sure.

Neverminding that you have what others have said, Eta-2 and V-Wing are neat ships and all, but they are very much proto-TIEs, and would offer very little to imperials they don't already have in terms of ship space. I mean, the Eta would what, be an interceptor with Cannon and Astro slots? Probably with more red on it's dial akin to the ARC? The V-Wing has even less going for it - A slightly heavier TIE with maybe an Astro (again, because Q7s were pretty unique to the V-Wing)? The ARC very much at least has a strong unique space because it combines Crew and Astromech options and has the rear arc.

+1 to the Crew route from me.

That's how we see them in the movie.

This is a good point:

I rather wish the 'construction droid' with the Gozanti had instead been named something like 'Fleet Astromech' or simply 'Repair Droid', and been depicted as an imperial astromech.

Likewise, the mention of the mouse druid.

Ok, let's get some things straight.

The end of Ep 3 and beginning of Ep 4 are separated by 19 years. Not 20. Not 23-24. 19 years.

Asaaj Ventress did not survive past the Clone Wars but has been included as a pilot in this game.

And Vader in an Eta-2 is awesome and needs to be in this game. I don't even care if an astromech slot is included or not, but if so then it could be a mod or something. V-Wing can be scum, and ARC can remain with rebels, but Eta-2 needs a home in this game as the tiniest space ship that might have to be rescaled.

Assaj still doesn't make sense. She's not even connected to the Shadow Caster in a way that makes sense, let alone the right time frame. By several metric it doesnt make sense.

Also i wasnt aware of an official 19 years difference, i was merely making some approximations around Catalyst. At least i wasnt too far off. Even still, it's at least a 16-18 year difference between when Vader flew his Eta-2 and the actually start of Ep. IV, so probably about.... 10 years before the Rebel Alliance actually was a paramilitary entity.

Don't get me wrong, i love the Eta-2, but unless we want more Assaj Ventress-like chronological faults...

Like UnitOmega mentioned the Lancer was a ship that was to be used during the Dark Disciple arc by Ventress and instead of just scrapingt he art they ended up modifying the concept art and used it in Rebels. There are no other canonical pilots other than Ketsu, with Sabine being assumed since she worked with Ketsu which left a free slot so they probably just went with the only other known pilot.

As for the Eta-2 they could just deal with the astromech role as some title or modification for the ship rather than using the actual upgrade or making one up for it. It would probably also make sense to just make the Eta-2 like the ARC-170 with four unique pilots, so Vader and maybe the three inquisitors from the second season of Rebels.

If (and it's a big if) the Eta-2 were to make it into the game, rather than worrying about errataing the existing mechs, why not restrict the Eta-2?

Create it with a minimal upgrade bar, maybe just cannon. Then, create a title:

Your upgrade bar gains the <astromech> icon. You must equip an astromech with the "Imperial Only" Restriction.

The only risk (and it seems like a small risk) is if future movies or TV shows give us new Imperial ships with astromech slots, in which case it might start getting a little awkward.

If (and it's a big if) the Eta-2 were to make it into the game, rather than worrying about errataing the existing mechs, why not restrict the Eta-2?

Create it with a minimal upgrade bar, maybe just cannon. Then, create a title:

Your upgrade bar gains the <astromech> icon. You must equip an astromech with the "Imperial Only" Restriction.

The only risk (and it seems like a small risk) is if future movies or TV shows give us new Imperial ships with astromech slots, in which case it might start getting a little awkward.

If you're going to create "imperial only" astromechs, then you might as well make a new icon for them.

It's not a bad idea, but I'd suggest a slight modification:

Modification/Title (whichever suits the V-wing better depending on what else you want to give it) - Astromech Interface

Add [Astromech] to this ship's upgrade bar. You may not equip unique astromechs..

0 Points

I don't mind the Empire having R2 astromechs or Targeting Astromechs, or whatever. (it explains why there are R2-compatible dataports at the right height everywhere). I just mind them having R2-D2, BB-8, etc.

That way the V-wing can still have generic R2, R3, R5, R7, and Targeting Astromechs (which is fine), plus any non-unique "Imperial Only" astromech you care to come up with.

Wondering if the Empire ever used Delta-7Bs for their elite pilots, or just scrapped/sold off what few they had, like those poor, poor Y-wings. Speaking of which-

Imperial Y-wings! They can even be the BTL-B model with slightly different stats, to further the distinction between factions.

Or just released the GUNBOAT since it obviously replaced the Y-wing in the Imperial starfighter forces (despite the 90s sims stating that it was the most recently designed imperial starfighter immediately before ANH). With Rebels 'introducing' the Interceptor AND Defender before ANH, as well as the shielded and hyperspace capable Advanced TIEs 5 years before ANH, that puts the GUNBOAT much, much earlier in the development timeline, perhaps being the first Imperial designed starfighter to start supplanting the Republic designs and before the more popular modular TIE series won all the contracts.

Y-wing-->GUNBOAT-->TIE Defender. Yeah I can totally see the progression, with about 5-10 years between rollout of the progressive models.

Yeah, I think about these types of things way too much.

If (and it's a big if) the Eta-2 were to make it into the game, rather than worrying about errataing the existing mechs, why not restrict the Eta-2?

Create it with a minimal upgrade bar, maybe just cannon. Then, create a title:Your upgrade bar gains the <astromech> icon. You must equip an astromech with the "Imperial Only" Restriction.

The only risk (and it seems like a small risk) is if future movies or TV shows give us new Imperial ships with astromech slots, in which case it might start getting a little awkward.

If you're going to create "imperial only" astromechs, then you might as well make a new icon for them.

It's not a bad idea, but I'd suggest a slight modification:

Modification/Title (whichever suits the V-wing better depending on what else you want to give it) - Astromech Interface

Add [Astromech] to this ship's upgrade bar. You may not equip unique astromechs..

0 Points

I don't mind the Empire having R2 astromechs or Targeting Astromechs, or whatever. (it explains why there are R2-compatible dataports at the right height everywhere). I just mind them having R2-D2, BB-8, etc.

That way the V-wing can still have generic R2, R3, R5, R7, and Targeting Astromechs (which is fine), plus any non-unique "Imperial Only" astromech you care to come up with.

I've advocated the 'non-unique' title myself before as a way to show that the Empire didn't place much importance on astromechs and would have wiped their memories regularly to avoid the quirky personality 'problems' that arise with the more colorful Rebel and Scum droids. Imperial procedures, you know.

How to get Imperial Astromechs in the Game

A crew card would be nice too. I'd originally suggested a (unique) Imperial Astromech with essentially the same functionality as an R2 astromech as a crew card as a way to make the Lambda shuttle a bit better (although you'd now need to allow for the substantially superior upsilon dial - maybe make all red maneuvers white?)

Or, just include a card that allows an astromech icon to be added to your upgrade bar and add some neat:

Those things are just plain sexy looking.

Or, have a title that says you may equip an astromech. You cannot equip unique astromechs.

If (and it's a big if) the Eta-2 were to make it into the game, rather than worrying about errataing the existing mechs, why not restrict the Eta-2?

Create it with a minimal upgrade bar, maybe just cannon. Then, create a title:

Your upgrade bar gains the <astromech> icon. You must equip an astromech with the "Imperial Only" Restriction.

The only risk (and it seems like a small risk) is if future movies or TV shows give us new Imperial ships with astromech slots, in which case it might start getting a little awkward.

If you're going to create "imperial only" astromechs, then you might as well make a new icon for them.

It's not a bad idea, but I'd suggest a slight modification:

Modification/Title (whichever suits the V-wing better depending on what else you want to give it) - Astromech Interface

Add [Astromech] to this ship's upgrade bar. You may not equip unique astromechs..

0 Points

I don't mind the Empire having R2 astromechs or Targeting Astromechs, or whatever. (it explains why there are R2-compatible dataports at the right height everywhere). I just mind them having R2-D2, BB-8, etc.

That way the V-wing can still have generic R2, R3, R5, R7, and Targeting Astromechs (which is fine), plus any non-unique "Imperial Only" astromech you care to come up with.

Ehhh, the idea is sound but really what's the value, there?

Like, if R2 needs to be used on an Eta-2, the dial isn't good enough, R3 is NEVER going to be valuable, R5 would be worthless on an Eta-2, Targeting Astromech wasnt used on ships that actually needed action efficiency. R7 is the only somewhat useful one, and what's an arc-dodging high-agility, well-modded, palpatine-accessable interceptor need? More dice mods...

The fact that people in this thread think 10-20 years for military equipment is a long time and everything active from that time would be long gone and out of service in an organization as large as the empire was is mind boggling.

The fact the prequel movies added tons of ships that somehow disappeared in that time is stupid sand we can only blame Lucas for that.

But to think those old ships were not being used by backwater imperial locations is anything if not idiotic. Sure they may not be in use in Vader's fleet or the death Star protection fleet that makes sense they would get the new hardware first.

On top of the logical conclusion the empire still was using them there would be massive amounts of clone war era ships on the black market only ~20 years after the end of the clone wars.

I don't think allot of you realise how short 20 years is.

ETA-2 painted in VADER colors is my #1 ship wish (I have a painter looking into a shape-ways one). Seriously.

1

3

2

2

Cannon slot, droid slot, Awing-esque dial with white k-turn(?), Unique only pilots. Make it the Rebel/Imperial Version of Most Wanted with: Yoda, Obi-Wan, Jedi Ace and Vader, Inquisitor, and Dark Acolyte.

It becomes a Scyk...kinda...except they are all PS 5+ with awesome abilities.

Vader- could stay the same or be a crew-ish style version where he does damage when attacking. PS 9, ept

Inquisitor 626- Rolls extra dice vs. opponents with tokens. PS 7, ept

Dark Acolyte- Set a dial during deployment, may choose to take the assigned maneuver before first round. PS 6

Yoda- No idea, PS8, ept

Obi-Wan- Something about allies, PS 6-7, ept

Jedi Ace- sure, ept

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Back to Astromechs though... would any of the current astromechs be useful to any imperial ships? How about as crew? Shuttle would love them and probably suddenly see play. Bomber crew? Nothing really jumps out except the uniques.

I'm not sure Imperials need astromechs. TIE fighter variants are meant to be cheap and efficient. That's kind of what defines the Empire. Starfighter astromechs have always felt like a Rebel thing to me. Giving Imperials starfighter astromechs begins to blur the lines between the factions.