Power Creep ballance...is it possible to see-saw with the fat kid?

By clanofwolves, in X-Wing

We can all remember trying to see-saw with the fat kid right? Well, unless you were him, it was frustrating. So, if power creep is inevitable, how do we at least minimizing its weight on the game? How do we bring some lower output ships (for their cost) up just a bit? Well, for a start, release something for multiple factions at the same time. Now this is a weird idea, but I'm talking selling squadron card packs as upgrades...no ships. I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of squad flying where the ships are of the same type and giving them a boost. Imagine a somewhat competitive list of three X-Wings? Four Interceptors? Five Scyks? Eight TIEs? It would only work while the whole squad is the same ship and when there are at least two ships left, and they are in range one of each other. Here’s my idea, in a fighter squadron modification card example:

A-Wing Squadron

(your ship gains 1 modification slot)

Add one Attack dice to your primary weapon attack when all other squad ships are of the same type and one or more are at range one of you.

Here’s the ships that should have a squadron card for it, I think:

A-Wing, B-Wing, X-Wing, Y-Wing, E-Wing, Z-95 Headhunter, ARC-170, TIE Advanced, TIE Adv. Prototype, TIE Fighter TIE/fo Fighter, TIE Interceptor, TIE Striker, TIE Bomber, TIE Punisher, Kihraxz Fighter, M3-A Scyk Interceptor, Protectorate Starfighter, StarViper.

Plus, FFG could produce some cool looking squadron cards for each faction and ship type and sell them….could be awesome!

I've been wanting to see something to help promote synergies between ships of the same model type for a while, especially if it's something that grants bonuses to the non-unique pilots.

While I like the idea...you still get an issue of power creep. Besides, this isn't just like assigning one upgrade to a ship, this is a squadron wide effect meaning the cost would have to scale depending how many ships you have in a fleet and there will inevitably be a sweet spot where it is not worth it and where it is so good there's no reason NOT to do it.