How does the CR-90 stack up these days? The tourney I want to do has a requirement to have minimum 3 epic points per 300 point list. So being a rebel, I can run 2 transports or run a CR-90. The pros of GR-75s are more fighters, but the con is lower firepower. CR-90 seems like it can be a huuuge point sink and then less fighters.

What do you guys think?

If 3 epic points are the requirements of your tournament then I would recomment not going down the 2 transports route. We are currently in our 2nd season of epic play and from what I have seen so far, the combinationf of 2 transports in epic play simply does not work. If your opponent can field a Raider or Corvette then he'll position it so that one of the transport will be useless for the first 5 to 6 rounds (usually long enough for the first transport to blow up). So while you try to get the 2nd transport into play it will actually limit the movements of your troops.

That's just my 2 cents.

If you have to field the epic points, do the CR90. I just don't see how two transports are useful.

If you have to field the epic points, do the CR90. I just don't see how two transports are useful.

Sadly, with no guns, it is hard to use effectively. The GR-75 is probably another casualty of the "first released, so better things were developed" process.

If you have to field the epic points, do the CR90. I just don't see how two transports are useful.

Sadly, with no guns, it is hard to use effectively. The GR-75 is probably another casualty of the "first released, so better things were developed" process.

I dunno. The GR-75 can be quite mean as a support ship - and I don't mean ramming. I like making a portable action efficiency machine for my fighters - comms boosters, targeting coordinators, and Bright Hope title so it can take a beating. Friend of mine loves the Duty Free title so he can jam ships out at range 3 creating a massive stress creation mechanic. Neither of these ships are particularly expensive to put in the field but can in fact shift the tide of the battle.

Ok, initially these were pretty hard to use, as were all the epic ships, due to the poor action efficiency, but the upgrades released with the Gozanti really did fix that for the transport. Advanced Protocols is a MUST for the GR-75 to work.

If you have to field the epic points, do the CR90. I just don't see how two transports are useful.

Double transports are awesome. Other is Jamming with Frequency jammer and dutyfree and other is slicing those stressed ships.

Those two transports killed more enemy ships by slicing and ramming than any fighter in our epic game.

And if your enemy goes for the transports your fighters have free time killing theirs.

What's a good points limit for a CR-90?

I do see the benefits of 2x transports for all their support capability and having like 70 or so more squad points in fighters.

You have to learn how to fly the CR-90. I need more experience with it, though. I often get put on the Imperial side. I want to run it as a fast ship that gives broadsides. There are a number of upgrades you can take that will help you go fast and maybe get energy from going straight. If you can circle around the enemy, you are doing good. The Raider is only forward facing, so if you can get on it's side, you are doing well. Your main guns can fire further than the Raider. A Single Turbo Laser is also good. Don't knock them vs. smaller ships with less than 3 agility. I've killed X-wings with them.

It is also smart to think about the rest of your list, as well. I would highly recommend Ion Torpedoes for the enemy small ships. If your ship is trying to outfly your enemy, you won't be able to really stop the small ships. If you have a couple of ships that have Ion Torpedoes, you can really manage large groups of enemy ships. If you zip past while they are forced 1 straight, it could take them a couple turns to get back into firing range.

As stated, I haven't really gotten to try it out as much as I would like.

I've never even played epic but this tournament seems like a great excuse to start!

I would maybe start with something like this:

Do you guys like the single turbo laser better than ion cannons?

I prefer Ion myself, it's cheaper, can fire at targets closer in, and has a better chance of hitting fighters... and its 1 critical damage is still of impact against Imperial fighters. Ion is useful for anti-capital ship work as well as each ion token prevents the big ship regenerating 1 energy.

That said... I'm looking at the turbolasers and wondering if it would be a good choice on the corvette simply because it can turn and give a broadside just about immediately to good effect on any non-agile opponent.

I've yet to make an effective gunship of a cruiser though...

Do you guys like the single turbo laser better than ion cannons?

In my Raider configuration, I have a single turbo laser on the front and a quad laser and ion cannon on the side. What usually happens is that during the first few rounds, I focus fire low agility ships, usually destroying one per round with the Raider while my escort runs interference.

When the enemy then tries to flank my Raider (or bank in order to avoid crashing into it), my side batteries open fire. Since I have tactician as well, an elite ship can find itself tripple stressed + 1 ion if it makes the mistake of being at range 2. The usual thinning of the enemy fleet in the first few rounds followed by this strategy usually wins the game.

Ion torpedoes are indeed excellent. Fire one per round at an enemy huge ship and ionise everything within range with the splash effect.

CR90 with single turbolasers will wreck huge ships at long range, but needs close fighter support. Some method to remove red target locks would help against raiders and bombers: is there any usable way to do this?

An ordnance Raider will kill a CR90 or any large ship within one round, generally, but needs to be closer and facing the right way.

Do you guys like the single turbo laser better than ion cannons?

I like Ion Batteries on the Raider, but Singles on a CR90.

I've never even played epic but this tournament seems like a great excuse to start!

Once you go Epic, you'll never go back!

I like the Single Turbo on a CR90 that is build to get away and around. You want to see a CR90 die fast? Steer it towards a Raider...or let the Raider come to it. You might do some damage, but not as much as it does to you.

The CR90 I showed is set up to put Energy on the Single Turbo, but still have energy left over for refreshing shields, engine boost, the repair bot, or saving for next turn. You might be able to swap out the Engineering team for Gunnery team and use that extra energy to correct your guns firing.

I've never even played epic but this tournament seems like a great excuse to start!

Once you go Epic, you'll never go back!

Until you play against Howlrunner, Jonus and 7x Glaive with Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness, 2x Glaive with Tractor Beam + Ruthlessness.

They killed 5-6 ships in the first round. Having a Raider ourselves we had Raider and 3 Tie Advanced left after the first round of firing.

It was team epic with 200+200 lists. That game killed Epic for me, at least in tournament format. There was literally nothing you could do to prevent that.

And you could just throw in naked Gozanti for 40p instead of one Ion Glaive if a huge ship is a must

But anyway. I usually play 3 single turbolasers on CR90. Maximum firepower and fighter screen will protect Range 1-2 if it gets to that.

CR90 with single turbolasers will wreck huge ships at long range, but needs close fighter support. Some method to remove red target locks would help against raiders and bombers: is there any usable way to do this?

Janson. Black One title on a T-70. Toryn Farr.

I don't think anything beyond those three can help either epic ship lose target locks on it.

If you have to field the epic points, do the CR90. I just don't see how two transports are useful.

Double transports are awesome. Other is Jamming with Frequency jammer and dutyfree and other is slicing those stressed ships.

Those two transports killed more enemy ships by slicing and ramming than any fighter in our epic game.

And if your enemy goes for the transports your fighters have free time killing theirs.

And that combo would STILL cost less than a naked CR-90 (and survive longer).

But seriously, you need to have a specific plan in mind for your ENTIRE LIST when considering what to field, not just the individual ships.

On a basic level, the GR-75s are great for starfighter support and cheap - so you can field plenty of fighters alongside them, but they're not going to heavily punish enemy huge ships. In that instance, you build your list for space superiority - take out the enemy's support fighters first, then target their Epic ships once they're on their own.

For the CR-90, the reverse is true - they can field (lots of) punishing long range weaponry. So you'd want to assemble a list that can strike enemy Epic ships hard and fast, take down the capitals, then mop up the starfighters.

There's much more to it than that, of course (and no strategy survives enemy action), but having a clear idea of how you want your epic ships to work in conjunction with the rest of your fleet is a great starting point.

Personally I'd go for the dual Transports, especially if this is your first rodeo. Then not all your eggs are in one basket, and you can field enough numbers to cause problems for enemy fighters.

For example:

GR-75 Medium Transport - Duty Free, Frequency Jammer, Automated Protocols (41)

GR-75 Medium Transport - Bright Hope, Slicer Tools, Automated Protocols (47)

Keep them close together, but throw them right into the thick of things and cause as much disruption as possible, and fill the rest of your list up with as many ships as possible.

Until you play against Howlrunner, Jonus and 7x Glaive with Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness, 2x Glaive with Tractor Beam + Ruthlessness.

They killed 5-6 ships in the first round. Having a Raider ourselves we had Raider and 3 Tie Advanced left after the first round of firing.

It was team epic with 200+200 lists. That game killed Epic for me, at least in tournament format. There was literally nothing you could do to prevent that.

And you could just throw in naked Gozanti for 40p instead of one Ion Glaive if a huge ship is a must

Wow. That Ruthlessness combo is terrifying. I'm trying to figure out what I would do to counter it if I knew that's what my opponent was bringing.

The best I can come up with so far is a bunch of VI Gamma Squadron Veterans with Assault Missiles and Guidance Chips, along with Captain Jonus + Adaptability. They've got PS 7, so they can fire their missiles before the Glaives shoot. And you can fit a whole 11 Vets + Jonus into a Team Epic setup with at least 70 points spare for other ships or upgrades. If enough Glaives get splash damaged to death in the first volley, the Bombers MIGHT win.

A player tried to abuse the ruthlessness combo last season using tie fighters. The opposing player just flew his Y-Wings with TLT one at a time in the middle of it all. Ruthlessness ended up causing more damage to the Empire's swarm than it did the Y-Wings

Until you play against Howlrunner, Jonus and 7x Glaive with Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness, 2x Glaive with Tractor Beam + Ruthlessness...

I agree that's pretty gruesome. But that's why you add the "minimum 3 Epic points" clause.

We resolved things differently in our case for the current epic seaons with the following rule:

- Each army must have a "general" and "Lieutenant"

- The General must be a huge ship with unique upgrade (title or character) or a large unique pilot.

- The lieutenant must be a large unique pilotor a small unique pilot.

- The combined points of general and lieutenant must be 80 points or higher

- The general must be worth more than the lieutenant.

That way, scum armies could still be played (or other "swarm" type armies), but they had to invest the equivalent of a huge ship into a few elites. So far, it worked out pretty well and we had some nice feedback.

Until you play against Howlrunner, Jonus and 7x Glaive with Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness, 2x Glaive with Tractor Beam + Ruthlessness...

I agree that's pretty gruesome. But that's why you add the "minimum 3 Epic points" clause.

I hope FFG updates their tournament rules with that clause now that Scum has an epic ship... Or something to provide a points balance (a list without 3 epic points pays 25 points of their list to a penalty for each epic point less than 3?)