The 181st fighter wing, under Evir Derricote, was a squadron of rejects and those who had fallen out of favor with their superiors. This "One Eighty Worst" idled away, waiting for Command to find a mission both embarrasing and lethal enough to finish them off once and for all.
This changed after Soontier Fel was assigned to Evir's command. While he was training them into a fighting force to be reckoned with, Derricote covered up the evidence of their improvement, to avoid drawing attention from their political enemies. The 181st officially became the elite squadron we know today when Soontier led a victory against a rebel fleet on the same day the DeathStar was destroyed at Yavin, and the Imperial propaganda machine latched onto his achievements to avoid talking about Tarkin's misadventures.
The 181st survived Endor, and even invited Maarak Steele into their ranks- The Tie Interceptor may be a step down for the noted pilot, but surely flying with the likes of Soontier Fel and Turr Phennir was worth it.
In addition, those trained by Soontier Fel resist falling prey to stress. Lt Lorir and Tetran Cowall (who studied for the role) both benefit from the removal of stress from their abilities, and all interceptors have at least the gamble for a white Kturn- and if you're not a gambling person, the Tie Interceptor is hardly the right fighter for you.
On the other hand, the Red stripe of the 181st has no place on a Royal Guard interceptor, competing for the Title slot, and Soontier Fel's ability just makes up for failing the stress canceling roll. Having to choose between Autothrusters or the 4th defence die makes him vulnerable to the 4 and 5 die attacks that are showing up, that can simply overpower his 3 green dice, making Soontier less durable than his normal build.
The 181st's ability to manage stress also plays into another option for all Ties...
The bomb laying aspect for my old punisher fix was well liked, so I kept it. Instead of a special missile fix, though, I open the punisher up to taking ALL the fixes. Guidance chips is an easy choice, Long range sensors is an option, Quadranium solar panels (above) are a defensive bonus with little to no drawback, and there's still a slot for Autothrusters or Lightened frame.
Usable by any Tie with either a TL action or the ability to run Deadeye, this upgrade add a missile slot and Guidance chips in the same slot. (this should stack with the Punisher's extra modifictions, but this card denies Autothrusters, Lighened Frame, or Vectored Thrusters)
4 points for a proton rocket tie fighter, 5 points for a pair of Advanced Homing missiles on Marrak Steele (Advance or defender version), 9 points for a pair of homing missiles on any of TAP, Advance, Defender, or /SF. Tie Bombers and Tie Punishers get 6 Cluster missiles (including EM) for 11 points, or 6 homing missiles for 14 points, practically doubling their point cost for a really heavy ordinance load.
"What might a Tie Advance take over ATC, with the proper build, that a Tie punisher would also want?"
Since this same pack offers the Advance the chance to field a pair of chipped Concussion Missiles or Cluster missiles, offering something to missiles that's worth a
whopping 4 points
Nerfed to 2 point value for something intrinsically limited use seemed a decent option.
Double
crackshot on missiles only, twice, seems reasonable on all missile-armed ships with a system slot. The Torpedo effect is a bone thrown to the rebels, while giving the Tie Punisher even more options in exchange for that
2 point surcharge. While the missile effect doesnt do anything to boost the missile's damage, only it's accuracy, the Torpedo effect doesnt improve accuracy, but does improve damage in a way that promotes firing torpedos without doubled actions. The only ship with both Torpedos, Missiles, and System Slot is the Tie Punisher- only it gains the full benifit from this card.
(All pilots should have boost instead of barrel roll, because Strange Eons is Strange)
A Low PS pilot with superdeadeye. I wrote this one well before Long Range Targeting, so he may require review.
Your feedback is well appreciated. The 181st title card has already been under several revisions, as have several of the punisher cards. Let me know what else feels "off."