hey guys, i tested some of the Jabba's realm list today in a friendly skirmish, I have started to notice a trend with me. I always back off and hide, try to save my figures, and i end up being swamped and flanked and beaten. Whatever list i play i naturally tend to retreat no matter the list. I find some of the objectives help me to be brave.

but i guess the question is , when is it good to be aggressive and push units into the fray? are the noticeable signs on the board that come up that hint? (like in Xwing, break up the swarms in the asteroids)

i guess just some of your strategies aswell would be helpful.

thanks

I think it depends on your list vs your opponents list, as well as what the mission is.

You look at the map and consider how you will win, what mission objectives you might want to score, and what figures you'll need to add to that to hit 40pts.

Then look at your opponents list, for example if he's running Double eJets with Vader's Finest, he's likely to be slow out of the blocks (likely focus first turn) and if you push hard you can either a.) force him not to focus or b.) gain some early momentum and positioning. (Stay 7 spaces away from these guys if possible to avoid the fly by)

Or if he's running Gideon and C3PO with Echo Base Troopers, you might want to push hard again as if you leave him to hang back, he's focusing two figures a turn before jumping into the fray with 4-6 figures focused instead of 2.

Also things like who has initiative, normally combat will begin in earnest turn 2, but if you have initiative turn 1 you may want to hang back more and begin your assault turn 3, when you have initiative (and if the mission allows you to play that way)

There's so many variables I think it's difficult to cover every scenario and mission, it's likely something that will come with experience.

Hopefully that helps, apologies I can't go into more depth without further info really

Rich

Some good suggestions RR.

I often have the opposite problem: I play too aggressively and overextend. The solution I've found (and that could work for you) is to play a one-two punch: commit part of my force to do as much damage as possible, then send on the remainder to clean up.

This is why I really like the Bantha, as it is capable of doing massive damage before it dies and then my remaining force can clean up and/or focus on objectives while the other player is distracted by my massive super cow.

This principle can work with other lists as well: incorporate an aggressive element into your list. Jedi Luke and eEchoes do this well for Rebels, and eJet Troopers are great at it in Imperial.

I think that RoyalRich's suggestions earlier are excellent!

I think this kind of question really does entirely depend upon you. It seems like your natural tendency is to retreat, so the answer is probably to try risking a few more aggressive maneuvers or attacks if it could make a significant kill. The fact is that this is a skirmish game, so you're going to lose figures...the key is to make sure that your opponent loses them too, and preferably that he loses more figures (or more valuable figures) than you do. Myself, I have the opposite tendency: I am usually too aggressive, and not patient enough.

In addition, I would suggest some post-game analysis.

I usually stop and analyze my own games afterward (especially after a loss) to see what I should've done differently. However, that's only marginally effective, since I'm the guy trying to give me some advice. Regardless, this practice is still helpful.

But it might be even more helpful to video-record a couple of your games and then ask a better player to help you analyze your gameplay to see what you could've done differently. It could be that your squad itself needs some help because it's trying to do too many things or it's not flexible enough to effectively handle a number of different situations. Or it could be that you're not seizing golden opportunities to strike, or whatever. These are things that a stronger player would probably be able to notice, but that you might not otherwise notice on your own.

Post game analysis is a great tool, especially when learning. What did I do wrong? How could I have played better?

Sometimes you just get outplayed by some massive combo of cards and a strong figure, sometimes it's the simple mistakes that really hurt.
Something as simple as putting a figure in a corridor, and blocking all your other shooting can have a massive effect.

Here's an example. Last night my opponent placed a weequay just around a corner. The corridor was very long but had one blocking square. So the weequay took a shot, did a few damage.
Except now, that weequay was in the perfect spot to block the rest of his list shooting. Bossk could still get around but would have to go deep and he's got short range. All the other stuff had long range and couldn't shoot.

So that means, not only do I have to take less damage from some HKs this turn, but it also allows me to move up.
I was running fast, melee heavy list, so I needed to rush forward. The positioning error made it possible for me to get across the map without taking much damage. Usually by this stage Obi-wan would have taken a sever beating.

Once my melee stuff was in position to strike, that's when the real aggressiveness started.

Knowing what is and ins't likely to kill your figures is a key part of planning your attack. For example. I know that Bossk can't kill Jedi Luke in one shot. My opponent had initiative, step around the corner, shot Luke. Cool. I take some damage and then Luke jumps deep and kills both HKs before they can activate. Not only have I taken out a whole activation, but I've also significantly reduced the damage that Luke will take for the rest of the turn.

I think there's two main points about being aggressive.

1)

Do it only when you are sure you'll come out better - Don't go deep with that Bantha or Rancor or Vader just to kill two troopers and then die. That's not worth it. It doesn't have to be points based either. In the example above, even though Luke is 12 and the HKs are 8... taking out a whole activation and two strong attacks is a pretty good deal. depends how the rest of the game is going of course, but generally I'd be happy with that trade had Luke died straight after. Know your opponents strong points and go for those.
As a side note - know what your figures are good against and what they are bad against. Don't shoot troopers at the Dianoga. They'll do 2 damage each max. Ignore it and punish the opponents force instead.
And in a similar way, know what your figures minimum and average range is. Nothing makes me smile more when an opponent misses a medium to long range shot. That's a completely wasted attack. Sometimes you just have nothing else you can do, sure, but usually just getting better positioning for later, or shooting something else is more beneficial. Most figures will get 2-3 attacks per game. Wasting one completely (be it on something tough to hurt or something hard to hit) is wasting 33% of that unit's killing power.

2)

When you go aggressive. Go full aggressive. Pick your time to strike, and go hard. You might be waiting for a good setup, or for initiative, or for a good combo of command cards. But when that opportunity is there, go for it. Don't just throw your one strong guy in there. Give him full support. Bring everyone in, overwhelm your opponent. Even if that means distracting somewhere else, or baiting them into activating something in a less favorable order.

Basically when you spring your trap or enact your plan... do it fully. The game doesn't last long enough and there aren't enough turns for a do-over.

thanks for all the suggestions.

2nd for Inquisitorz' suggestion.

I also run a melee heavy list. I run Jyn with them. My entire strategy is to mess around until late in Round 2, and then rush as many figures in as I can. Suddenly, you are looking at a focused Jyn watching your team from a corner behind Jedi Luke. If I do it right (which is not all the time, still learning) it shatters opponent's game plans, forces them to start activating figures out of order, etc.

Going aggressive is something you'll have to learn to do when you have short range and melee units. Stacking your command deck with movement cards can really help set those moments up earlier.

Another example I recently posted, I was running a Vader/Weiss/eOfficer list vs HKs that normally would have given me trouble. However, due to a little luck (drawing Urgency and Force Rush in the opening hand), I was able to put Vader in their midst end of turn one and he wrecked them.