Hi everyone!

I know this sort of thing gets asked a lot, so I’d really appreciate it if you can find a moment to help me out a bit.

I’m teaching a new player later today. I was thinking we do the learning scenario first, and then if he’s interested and we have time, I’d have two 300 point lists ready to go and he could pick the one he prefers. The problem is that I’m pretty new myself, so a) I have a pretty limited collection and b) I haven’t yet developed a good sense of list building and balance.

I’ve made two lists here, and I would very much like to hear your thoughts about them. They don’t need to be perfectly equal, but I’d rather his first game didn’t turn into a complete bloodbath one way or the other. I just want to show a couple of different ships and have a fun game. I’ve tried to keep them pretty light on upgrades and decided not to include any unique squadrons, but one or two could probably be added if you think it helps. I was also thinking we skip objectives for now and alternate initiative every round.

Oh, and here’s what I own at the moment: Core set, Gladiator, Arquitens, Assault Frigate, MC30, Rogues & Villains, and one each of both Wave 1 squadron packs.

The lists:

Faction: Rebel Alliance
Points: 300/300

Commander: General Dodonna

[ flagship ] Assault Frigate Mark II B (72 points)
- General Dodonna ( 20 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Enhanced Armament ( 10 points)
= 109 total ship cost

Nebulon-B Escort Frigate (57 points)
= 57 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 51 total ship cost

3 X-Wing Squadrons ( 39 points)
2 B-Wing Squadrons ( 28 points)
1 YT-2400 ( 16 points)

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 300/300

Commander: Admiral Screed

[ flagship ] Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Admiral Screed ( 26 points)
- Expanded Hangar Bay ( 5 points)
= 116 total ship cost

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Assault Concussion Missiles ( 7 points)
= 71 total ship cost

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
= 59 total ship cost

2 TIE Interceptor Squadrons ( 22 points)
4 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 32 points)

Any thoughts? Have I missed some glaring imbalance that will inevitably lead to one side getting completely stomped? I realise that Screed would prefer a Vic I, but I thought it might be too difficult to get into black range and it's no fun not getting to shoot at all. Also, I haven't really wrapped my head around the squadron game yet so that's pretty much a shot in the dark, but I tried to keep it fairly simple while still showcasing a few different options.

Play the 200pt Taskforce variant! =) All the same rules basically, but 3x3 and 4 rocks.

But anyway, you got the right idea. And your lists are fine and look good and simple.

Imo, objectives and just keeping initiative the same is kind of easier than flip flopping.

12 minutes ago, Blail Blerg said:

Play the 200pt Taskforce variant! =) All the same rules basically, but 3x3 and 4 rocks.

But anyway, you got the right idea. And your lists are fine and look good and simple.

Imo, objectives and just keeping initiative the same is kind of easier than flip flopping.

Thanks! I just kind of wanted to have the three different ships on each side so 300 seemed natural. We are indeed playing on a somewhat smaller table though, so it might be smart to thin it out a bit. Reducing obstacles is an excellent point.

The main thing with objectives is that I haven't played with them a whole lot myself yet either, so I don't really know what to pick. I guess we could draw random ones and let the second player pick or something, but I don't know. The other people I've played with so far have been a bit intimidated by the added strategy and wall-of-textiness of some of them. Could you maybe recommend a good simple one we could try that isn't a complete nightmare scenario for either side?

11 minutes ago, Villakarvarousku said:

Thanks! I just kind of wanted to have the three different ships on each side so 300 seemed natural. We are indeed playing on a somewhat smaller table though, so it might be smart to thin it out a bit. Reducing obstacles is an excellent point.

The main thing with objectives is that I haven't played with them a whole lot myself yet either, so I don't really know what to pick. I guess we could draw random ones and let the second player pick or something, but I don't know. The other people I've played with so far have been a bit intimidated by the added strategy and wall-of-textiness of some of them. Could you maybe recommend a good simple one we could try that isn't a complete nightmare scenario for either side?

Literally pick one at random that doesn't seem super confusing.

Intel Sweep, Most Wanted, Contested Outpost, Dangerous Territory, Precision Strike, Adv Gunnery, Superior Positions

Remove engine techs since navigating is complex enough for beginners. Add Command modifying officers to demo and the frigate, so beginners can correct mistakes. "Nav" guy for 6 points on demo or the "Change all dials" guy on Frigate. I printed copies of those guys just for intro games.

Add Demo if the Imp is the beginner, so he can have some fun with those black dice, and see the big difference between move-shoot and shoot-move.

48 minutes ago, Xeletor said:

Remove engine techs since navigating is complex enough for beginners. Add Command modifying officers to demo and the frigate, so beginners can correct mistakes. "Nav" guy for 6 points on demo or the "Change all dials" guy on Frigate. I printed copies of those guys just for intro games.

Add Demo if the Imp is the beginner, so he can have some fun with those black dice, and see the big difference between move-shoot and shoot-move.

Thank you for the advice! I like the command officers, but I feel a bit weird about proxying in a teaching game. That's probably just me. Very good point about ET though, I'll definitely consider swapping it out for Demo (and ACM for APT to make up the points) in case he wants the Imps.