What happens when Thrawn becomes a commander?

By Shadow345, in Star Wars: Armada

8 minutes ago, Democratus said:

Not sure if even JJ makes VSDs competitive. Have JJ VSDs won a regional yet?

Even looking at the top 4 for all regionals, there are no JJ VSDs.

Well, to be fair as well - There wasn't exactly a full season of JJ VSDs available, anyway.

5 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Well, to be fair as well - There wasn't exactly a full season of JJ VSDs available, anyway.

Who wants to be fair when pushing a narrative? :P

Oh, No-one, I'm sure.

This is the internet, after all.

Acknowledging ones own bias and presenting it in the case of fairness is simply the best way to be understood. Not just heard, understood. :)

I've always thought thrown should be something like:

at the start of the ship phase, select one ship. That ship immediately activates.

Works on either an enemy and friendly ship, and represents Thrawns ability to read the battlefield and predict his opponent's moves and capitalize on them. Powerful if used wisely, but not (I think) game breaking. Still requires careful strategizing and planning to use.

I have no clue what the cost should be.

*Cough Cough* Make him OP *Cough Cough*

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I think having any points cost attached to Thrawn is unfair to how good he's portrayed in a narrative. Clearly he's so good he should cost negative points and give a free 4 dice to every arc. He should also let me be able to kick my opponent in the face at least once a game. I am not a crackpot.

Why yes I have heard of Battlefleet Gothic, why do you ask?

4 hours ago, Shadow345 said:

Eventually it will happen.

A few possibilities.

1. He will have a strong ability but a very high point cost in the high 30's that will limit the amount of squads he is used in.

or

2. He will be designed in a fairly balanced way and many players will complain that he wasn't what they wanted or feels strong enough to represent him.

What do you think?

I think, look at the Defender for precedent.

When FFG really tries, the manage a good compromise.

1 hour ago, Herowannabe said:

I've always thought thrown should be something like:

at the start of the ship phase, select one ship. That ship immediately activates.

Works on either an enemy and friendly ship, and represents Thrawns ability to read the battlefield and predict his opponent's moves and capitalize on them. Powerful if used wisely, but not (I think) game breaking. Still requires careful strategizing and planning to use.

I have no clue what the cost should be.

This is a very interesting suggestion. It can mess with an opponents tactics without being an auto-win.

I really like it.

What if he increased his fleet's deployment to Distance 4 instead of Distance 3? Giving a significant advantage on the initial setup to represent his positional mastery? High points on this one for sure.

I really like the idea of a micro-jump, or other instances of his use of hyperspace tactics. Allowing one ship to take a maneuver before the game begins? The last ship deployment can be within distance 5 of the board edge? Deploy one ship at the beginning of the second round at distance 5 of your board edge?

"Your fleet could add up to 500 fleet points"

Costs: 100

:D

6 minutes ago, ovinomanc3r said:

"Your fleet could add up to 500 fleet points"

Costs: 100

:D

frees up 20-38 points though

At the beginning of the ship phase during rounds 3-6 you may change the top command dial on up to 3 friendly ships to a (navigate) or (concentrate fire) command.

Thrawn allows the enemy to begin their attack unimpeded while he strategizes, then when they are engaged, he shows his true brilliance in commanding his fleet.

As a rebel player, i agree that Thrawn should be added in Armada. He should have a great ability, but cost very much for it. He should always be balanced so that having a thrawn doesn't totally cripple a rebel player.

FFG has done a good job so far in not having any one officer be OP to the point of brokenness, so i'm sure that when they add him (and they will) he'll be acceptable. As a rebel player, if my opponent is playing Thrawn, i want to say "cool, this should be a good game" as opposed to saying "**** they have Thrawn! Time to maneuver all my ships off the map and go home" :D

2 hours ago, *Flare_22 said:

At the beginning of the ship phase during rounds 3-6 you may change the top command dial on up to 3 friendly ships to a (navigate) or (concentrate fire) command.

I Think this could be extremely good - if you let him adjust it to any command. Maybe only 2 ships and every turn - but it represents his ability as a commander to have his ships doing exactly what they need to be. Probably wouldnt be too expensive either. 25 ish points, but well representative and still powerful

29 minutes ago, Syleh Forge said:

I Think this could be extremely good - if you let him adjust it to any command. Maybe only 2 ships and every turn - but it represents his ability as a commander to have his ships doing exactly what they need to be. Probably wouldnt be too expensive either. 25 ish points, but well representative and still powerful

That'd be CRAZY expensive. I run Thrawn and 2 ISDs. 2 command 1 ISDs every turn. He'd have to be 50 points minimum for that I think.

When he becomes an Admiral as one of the only Imperial players in my area I'll get to say " This Rebellion ends today."

As for his ability and point cost I really don't care I'll make him work in a competitive list as that is what my life will be dedicated to as soon as he is revealed.

With reference to Thrawn negating the enemy commander;

I don't think it's a terrible idea. I would expect him to be the most expensive commander in the game. Call it 42 points. All he does is negate your commander. Now, I have spent more points than you, and neither of us get a commander ability. If you brought Ozzel or Dodonna, I've spent twice the commander points, to effectively have no commander. That's got to sting, at least a bit.

Since Thrawn does not enhance any of my cards, my fleet will have to be strictly generalist. A strictly generalist fleet up against a specialized fleet without the specialty, might be a fascinating game.

2 minutes ago, JgzMan said:

With reference to Thrawn negating the enemy commander;

I don't think it's a terrible idea. I would expect him to be the most expensive commander in the game. Call it 42 points. All he does is negate your commander. Now, I have spent more points than you, and neither of us get a commander ability. If you brought Ozzel or Dodonna, I've spent twice the commander points, to effectively have no commander. That's got to sting, at least a bit.

Since Thrawn does not enhance any of my cards, my fleet will have to be strictly generalist. A strictly generalist fleet up against a specialized fleet without the specialty, might be a fascinating game.

Play a game with no Commanders and tell us how it goes

Have done. It plays just fine.

But the situation is not analogous.

9 minutes ago, JgzMan said:

With reference to Thrawn negating the enemy commander;

I don't think it's a terrible idea. I would expect him to be the most expensive commander in the game. Call it 42 points. All he does is negate your commander. Now, I have spent more points than you, and neither of us get a commander ability. If you brought Ozzel or Dodonna, I've spent twice the commander points, to effectively have no commander. That's got to sting, at least a bit.

Since Thrawn does not enhance any of my cards, my fleet will have to be strictly generalist. A strictly generalist fleet up against a specialized fleet without the specialty, might be a fascinating game.

It might be fascinating, it might be broken as heck. Well, your ISD just rolls the CR90s under Rieekan, the ability to turn under Jerry, etc. It's taking a game of "look what my cool stuff can do versus yours" and makes it a game of "none of us can have nice things."

And I can guarantee that if I pay 38 for Ackbar or Tarkin, someone paying 4 more points to say "LOL NOPE" is gonna make me mad.

7 minutes ago, geek19 said:

It might be fascinating, it might be broken as heck.

It can be both.

And if it reduces the number of Rieekan Death-Corvette swarms, even by just one, I'll be happy enough.

9 minutes ago, geek19 said:

And I can guarantee that if I pay 38 for Ackbar or Tarkin, someone paying 4 more points to say "LOL NOPE" is gonna make me mad.

On the one hand, yes. Very.

On the other hand, while they are both quite powerful, they also don't seem to be the kind of thing that wrecks your fleet. An Ackbar fleet, for example, without Ackbar, will probably play much the same way, but with slightly less firepower.

7 hours ago, Lyraeus said:

You know what I want to see. I want Thrawn to be an Exhaust ability that lets you Exhaust him in place of activating a ship.

That made sense before Flotillas did exactly that... for 18 points.

(For the record, it's also exactly what the old Bail Organa card in Shipyards did.)

7 minutes ago, DiabloAzul said:

(For the record, it's also exactly what the old Bail Organa card in Shipyards did.)

As I quite regularly tell people.

I would observe, however, that a Flotilla is 18 victory points sitting over there, unguarded, while Bail Organa probably has an armored stateroom.

2 minutes ago, JgzMan said:

... while Bail Organa probably has an armored stateroom.

...on board a flotilla, most likely. :P

25 minutes ago, DiabloAzul said:

That made sense before Flotillas did exactly that... for 18 points.

(For the record, it's also exactly what the old Bail Organa card in Shipyards did.)

This is a counter to flotillas and can be varied such as by spending a command token or sacrificing a command dial