I was just reading the "recapture tie" thread, and made this comment: "Whenever I play around with imperial lists including a tie fighter, the option "title" which I am unable to select (unless you play as a rebel) makes me kinda sad."

Which got me thinking? We need a title for the imperial tie fighter, so what should it be? I my mind it should be something which rewards you for swarming with a list of tie fighters, which is what the Empire does best. Lots of cheap tie fighters in formation attacking the enemy head on in a joust.

Presently, we have Howlrunners ability to support that "tight" formation flying, and crack-shot has also helped the (black) tie-fighter swarm. And I guess the new swarm-leader card will bring some resurgence of some several ace+tie miniswarm list, but I am not sure it is enough in todays new meta.

So what should it be? Some form of mindlink variant? but as a tie-fighter title and perhaps with evades instead of focus?

"Cannon Fodder"

(-2) to cost.

Now you can deploy 10 TIEs.

**** those discount Scycks...

Technically, Sabine's Masterpiece is the title, and that's a unique effect - it reflects a standard TIE a mandalorian gadgeteer who probably took at least one imperial maintenance class in academy got under the hood of. Should some distinct variance of the standard TIE/LN appear, it might rate a "title".

The Captured TIE modification is an important part of making the Rebel TIE distinct - it allows you to have the ship play a dedicated support role without, say, needing to bring biggs do draw fire away from it, but still leaves the outs in the way it is discarded. There are several TIE only mods already, but Indeed, Imperial TIEs might benefit from a new mod which help their swarming efficiency. I'm not sure how exactly you would describe such a mod or title though - remember this still has to go through licensing, so LFL probably won't approve something without a solid basis in the setting. Rules are easy, what makes those rules is a bit more complex.

I really feel like it needs to be something that gives those 2 primary attack dice more bite. Maybe "If the opponent is in arc of two or more friendly ships, one of your [hit] results cannot be canceled by defense dice." Encourages formation flying and focus firing. Though, any TIE Fighter Only title is going to need to take into account the TIE/fo and TIE/sf. That title on Omega Leader might be a bit brutal (You basically take two guaranteed damage if Omega Leader rolls 2 damage). However, with how hard-hitting the meta is right now, I can see this maybe bringing back the TIE Fighter a little.

Edit: Aaand I just realized how brutal this idea can be. Soontir Fel would never be flown again. Three TIE Fighters have Soontir Fel in arc. Suddenly Soontir Fel is just not on the board. Eight TIE Fighters could bring down just about anything in a single round of firing. It would honestly be kind of terrifying.

I really feel like it needs to be something that gives those 2 primary attack dice more bite. Maybe "If the opponent is in arc of two or more friendly ships, one of your [hit] results cannot be canceled by defense dice." Encourages formation flying and focus firing. Though, any TIE Fighter Only title is going to need to take into account the TIE/fo and TIE/sf. That title on Omega Leader might be a bit brutal (You basically take two guaranteed damage if Omega Leader rolls 2 damage). However, with how hard-hitting the meta is right now, I can see this maybe bringing back the TIE Fighter a little.

Edit: Aaand I just realized how brutal this idea can be. Soontir Fel would never be flown again. Three TIE Fighters have Soontir Fel in arc. Suddenly Soontir Fel is just not on the board. Eight TIE Fighters could bring down just about anything in a single round of firing. It would honestly be kind of terrifying.

Also, the new General Hux card does something like this already - ships with the condition will get one unblockable result if they roll and spend a focus token - at the cost of no tokens for Defense. So "Fanatical Devotion" can already do this for TIEs, plus assign two more of them Focus tokens, but with much clearer drawbacks.

Eight TIE fighters should be terrifying. I'd think two or more titles would be applicable, depending on what role you wanted for them:

TIE Light Duty (Title, -2 points) - Cheap TIEs! 2 hull fighters are offset partially by the inability to receive critical hits.

Reduce your hull value by one. When you receive a critical hit card you may immediately discard it.

TIE Heavy Duty (Title, 3 points) Not super great, but it gives swarms a damage boost they sorely need against PTL+autothrusters aces.

When attacking, if another friendly ship at range 1 has the target in arc at range 1-3, you may treat the range of the attack as range 1.

TIE Ace (Title, 0 points) - Gives your named TIEs a chance at survival (Howlrunner with sensor Jammer?), or increased damage.

You may equip 1 [system], [crew] or [tech] upgrade. If you do so, increase its point cost by one. You can equip this card only if you have the [EPT] icon in you upgrade bar.

The trouble with giving a TIE/ln a direct firepower increase to ATT 3 is that it competes directly with the TIE interceptor, which is a fight its going to lose. Maybe:

Scatterfire (Title, 2 points) - It gives the TIE a decent power boost without overdoing it. Sort of like a 1-shot TLT.

Increase your attack value by one. If the attack hits, deal 1 critical hit to the the defender, then cancel all dice results.

Now if you gave TIE Fighters the /x7 title for a small cost, we'd be getting somewhere. They need that evade token more than Defenders do!

Given the different dial and flying style of TIE Fighters it's probably fine at 1pt. They can K-turn with evade but would then have to do a green move and likely not evade, and all those 1 turn & barrel rolls go out the window.

Technically, TIE/gt has a missile launcher, not a bomb rack. That should be a mod all TIEs can take anyway though, add a Missile slot. Something like this:

Since the M2 "Big Gun" was supposed to be Turbolasers, you might make that even more dangerous, like making it 4 attack or allowing the automatic focus to crit... but I don't know if the defender doubling agility like the Single Turbolaser hardpoint would help the TIE much.

Imperial Veteran

Imperial Only

Title

0 points

Your upgrade bar gains the EPT upgrade icon. You cannot equip this upgrade if you already have the EPT icon or your pilot skill is "4" or lower.

Done.

We need a title for the imperial tie fighter

Do we? Non-unique titles are a method to bolt on extra mechanics. The TIE fighter's a fairly straightforward ship. It gains complexity from numbers.

We need a title for the imperial tie fighter

Do we? Non-unique titles are a method to bolt on extra mechanics.

No, new titles to ships from older waves are a way to adjust these to todays meta.

We need a title for the imperial tie fighter

The TIE fighter's a fairly straightforward ship. It gains complexity from numbers.

..but it is not enough. It was a long time ago 8 academies could win worlds.

Something to do with swarms seems appropriate. "When attacking if 2 or more other TIE fighters have the defender in arc at range 1-3 the defender rolls 1 fewer defense die."

No, new titles to ships from older waves are a way to adjust these to todays meta.

Are they? The only flat buffs in the form of deliberately undercosted autoinclude titles are the ones received by the TIE advanced and the TIE defender. Those ships had issues from the moment they were released.

The other titles are sidegrades.

• The A-wing and the TIE interceptor receive additional slots under pilot skill conditions but they have to pay for the upgrades they put in those slots.
• The Y-wing and the TIE bomber titles are sidegrades that grant an ability at the cost of another.
• The Light Scyk title reduces the price of the Scyk at the cost of durability.

..but it is not enough. It was a long time ago 8 academies could win worlds.

TIE swarms are still powerful. They're much more mentally demanding due to far more moving parts and generally are passed over in favour of lists with fewer ships. They also received a powerful new card recently in the form of Swarm Leader: along with Crack Shot this helps them deal with agility tanks.

I love the idea of making the classic TIEs have a bit of a bump. And yes, swarms are very demanding of pilots; that's why swarm flying should get a reward in the TIEs ability to compete on the mat. Keep up the great ideas; well played OP.

Cheers!

The TIE fighter's the balance benchmark to which FFG attempts to calibrate the rest of the game. When the TIE fighter gets pushed out then FFG tends to look at nerfing rather than buffing. Otherwise we'd get into an endless loop of fix leapfrog.

And yes, swarms are very demanding of pilots; that's why swarm flying should get a reward in the TIEs ability to compete on the mat.

Overpowering difficult ships isn't a good way to achieve balance.

Swarms really are not that difficult to fly. As somebody who was originally put off by the all "ooooooh, it's a swarm! Swarms are Hard!" comments online, when I finally played one it was no more difficult to learn than anything else.

Set up correctly, learn a couple of rules, you're done.

The only hard part is reforming a swarm midgame once they've all been scattered.

Who says a TIE swarm can't compete? Especially now with a Swarm Leader who can get the extra attack dice when the swarm evades.

I would argue the reason you don't see them at worlds, or anywhere else, is the level of difficulty to master over the other options. People take the easier route with x7 defenders or Dengaroo and don't stop to do the mental work needed in taking out a full swarm.

The TIE fighter's the balance benchmark to which FFG attempts to calibrate the rest of the game. When the TIE fighter gets pushed out then FFG tends to look at nerfing rather than buffing. Otherwise we'd get into an endless loop of fix leapfrog.

Where does FFG say that the TIE fighter is the benchmark to which FFG attempts to calibrate the rest of the game?

Swarms really are not that difficult to fly.

Once, no. Tournaments however involve playing a very large number of games consecutively which for some is quite draining. Hence people flying lists with many ships in formation blocks whereever possible and the high popularity of two and three ship squads.

It's not that swarms are prohibitively difficult, it's that things like fat turrets are a quicker and easier path.

you mean a TIEtle?

Where does FFG say that the TIE fighter is the benchmark to which FFG attempts to calibrate the rest of the game?

Alex Davy said it in one of the many interviews.

Technically, TIE/gt has a missile launcher, not a bomb rack.

Yeah, but that doesn't make a lot of sense given that it's a ground targeting bomber.

you mean a TIEtle?

Where does FFG say that the TIE fighter is the benchmark to which FFG attempts to calibrate the rest of the game?

Alex Davy said it in one of the many interviews.

Do you have a link? or a source to that?