Agreed. Ion Torpedoes aren't easy to use, but can be amazing when they work.

Also, technically, there are worse options than seismic torpedoes; clearing the road with cheap torpedo-carriers to let something else pass through a space cleanly - huge ships take an automatic face-up damage card on hitting a rock, so even the risk of losing a shield from a too-close seismic torp burst is acceptable.

This might be totaly crazy. What do you think about it:

TIE Punisher: · "Redline" (27)
Extra Munitions (2)
Plasma Torpedoes (3)
Homing Missiles (5)
Adv. Homing Missiles (3)
Fire Control System (2)
Guidance Chips (0)
TIE Punisher: Cutlass Squadron Pilot (21)
Extra Munitions (2)
Plasma Torpedoes (3)
Assault Missiles (5)
Guidance Chips (0)
TIE Punisher: Cutlass Squadron Pilot (21)
Extra Munitions (2)
Plasma Torpedoes (3)
Assault Missiles (5)
Guidance Chips (0)
Upsilon-class Shuttle: · Major Stridan (32)
Collision Detector (0)
Weapons Engineer (3)
Systems officer (2)
Targeting Synchronizer (3)
TIE Defender: Glaive Squadron Pilot (34)
Ruthlessness (3)
Tractor Beam (1)
TIE/D (0)
TIE Defender: Glaive Squadron Pilot (34)
Ruthlessness (3)
Tractor Beam (1)
TIE/D (0)
TIE Interceptor: Alpha Squadron Pilot (18)
Autothrusters (2)
TIE Interceptor: Alpha Squadron Pilot (18)
Autothrusters (2)
TIE Interceptor: Alpha Squadron Pilot (18)
Autothrusters (2)
TIE Interceptor: Alpha Squadron Pilot (18)
Autothrusters (2)
-- TOTAL ------- 300p. --

• I think there's no way in hell Redline is going to successfully launch even half of his ordnance before he dies. 2 missiles or torpedos and extra munitions is probably enough, maybe even 1 if you think he's going to be a priority target.
• The Cutlass pilots may have trouble picking up target locks due to their low pilot skill. Yes, they can use Major Stridan's target locks.....but he's not especially far up the pilot skill chain either. Again, you may not manage to empty the tubes before they die. You certainly won't manage to empty the tubes before ending up at close quarters, so if you must have paired missiles, pack cluster missiles you can use at range 1 for one of them; Cluster Missiles + Accuracy Corrector is a TIE Advanced/TIE Punisher party piece.
• I get the weapons engineer/targeting synchroniser pairing. But to an extent you're wasting Stridan doing it, because if he's spending his action acquiring a target lock and the TIE punishers are using them, you're letting that lovely 4-dice primary weapon go to waste. Equally, if you want him to be a target lock factory, for the love of the force find 2 points for a fire control system to keep replenishing his own for free.
• If I wanted to create a support shuttle, I'd consider instead taking Long Range Scanners on the Cutlasses so they can get their locks despite low pilot skill, and using a shuttle to provide them with focus (a TIE shuttle with a fleet officer can do this for cheap, or an Upsilon with General Hux generates a third focus for the shuttle's own big guns).
• The TIE defenders and TIE interceptors are an interesting matchup. As noted, I'm not sure how well a Ruthlessness wing pairs with fragile blockers, because you don't want to take splash damage on your own guys. However, with you using Tractor Beams instead of Ion Cannons, it may work; you can barrel roll your victim somewhere to ensure there is an enemy ship to take the ruthlessness damage - which in turn also leaves the blocker no longer in contact with the target and hopefully able to deliver a range 1 shot of their own.

I've run a lot of epic games, and I usually run Empire. I have one thing to add to this discussion.

Grand Moff Tarkin is always worth 6 points.

The ability at start of combat to add or remove a focus token out to range 4 is huge.

Tie Punishers with Sensor Jammer aren't a bad option in Epic since epic ships can't use a Focus. Especially true on Redline. I might recommend Light Weight Frame, as well.

I've never had luck with Interceptors whether Epic or standard play! But 4 Alphas with the Defenders is intriguing. Has anyone ever run, or thought of running, a TIE Striker squad in Epic? An Imperial Trainee with Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame is a point cheaper than an Alpha with Autothrusters.

11 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

there's no way in hell Redline is going to successfully launch even half of his ordnance

Having run Redline in an Epic I suffered the fate of being continually Ion Cannoned by a CR90 and Jammed by the GR-75. Not one piece of ordnance unloaded. Think that was the last time I ran a Punisher but this Saturday Bomblet Generator needs to be tried also not run them with LWF yet

6 minutes ago, Sasajak said:

Think that was the last time I ran a Punisher but this Saturday Bomblet Generator needs to be tried also not run them with LWF yet

The last time a flew a punisher with bomblet gen in a standard casual it dusted ps8 poe and rex in sabines tie. That was fun!

EDIT: I am eagerly waiting for one or better two titles for the punisher in wave 12 #fingers crossed#

Just now, SOLAR FLARE said:

The last time a flew a punisher with bomblet gen in a standard casual it dusted ps8 poe and rex in sabines tie. That was fun!

I'm just a wee bit excited to get the Punisher out again and for the first time trying Deathrain. It's been in the box more than 6 months as I had an affair with the Bombers those Gamma Vet strips phoar!

I realy like Punishers for their looks and boost. It can be a great ship. Its my second favorite, right after Interceptors. Now guess whats in my favorite list.

4 minutes ago, SOLAR FLARE said:

I realy like Punishers for their looks and boost. It can be a great ship. Its my second favorite, right after Interceptors. Now guess whats in my favorite list.

Did you see the Tie Punisher mission I did that requires 4 Tie Punishers? Much fun...

1 minute ago, SOLAR FLARE said:

I realy like Punishers for their looks and boost. It can be a great ship. Its my second favorite, right after Interceptors. Now guess whats in my favorite list.

Good memories of boost and Twin Ion Engine MkII on Redline . I remember a Y-Wing trying to chase me down to get the points and it could stress me. I kept on doing 3 banks clearing the stress and a boost running away. In the end I had to show the TIE MkII card to the other player! He hated it - especially when he went so far over the board, was isolated and my 2 TIE/FO slooped and hunted the Y-Wing to destruction!

26 minutes ago, heychadwick said:

Did you see the Tie Punisher mission I did that requires 4 Tie Punishers? Much fun...

Mission? 4 Punishers? You got my attention to its fullest extent.

EDIT: Since this topic is derailing quite heavily ive created a new one called PUNISHER FANCLUB. Enjoy!

15 minutes ago, Sasajak said:

I've never had luck with Interceptors whether Epic or standard play! But 4 Alphas with the Defenders is intriguing. Has anyone ever run, or thought of running, a TIE Striker squad in Epic? An Imperial Trainee with Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame is a point cheaper than an Alpha with Autothrusters.

After running 5 TIE strikers at Store Championships, I have been meaning to try them in epic. My biggest hang ups are that I like the look of TIE interceptors better, and TIE strikers can't dock with the TIE carrier.

I regularly use 4 Alphas without Autothrusters loaded on a Gozanti. Being able to surgically launch these ships at effectively PS 12 is really good! They can almost always end up with a range-1 shot with a focus token. They don't need Autothrusters because there are usually bigger threats, and if my opponent shoots my Alphas instead of Howlrunner or Palp-Jendon, I'm fine with that.

Taking a full squadron of strikers would be a hell of a thing to see on the board!

For that matter, since you can (if you're feeling suicidal) unbolt the Lightweight Frame modification from the TIE striker, you can pack a full 12-ship squadron of Imperial Trainees in a hair over 200 points.

Yes, only agility 2.

Yes, PS1.

Yes, you're going to loose a shed-load of them.

But that's 12 3-dice attack ships - and enough spare points for a swarm of escorting TIE shuttles with support officers.

1 minute ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Taking a full squadron of strikers would be a hell of a thing to see on the board!

For that matter, since you can (if you're feeling suicidal) unbolt the Lightweight Frame modification from the TIE striker, you can pack a full 12-ship squadron of Imperial Trainees in a hair over 200 points.

I'm drooling. Why do I suddenly feel like I need this in my life?! Gotta say, the one thing strikers have over interceptors is that they are a whole lot more interesting to maneuver with. Just going with knee-jerk squad building reaction, I'd put these 12 with a support Gozanti (Comms Booster x2, Fleet Officer, and maybe Grand Moff Tarkin, too) and Captain Kagi to protect them from target locks. I don't think I'll ever see it happen, but it's glorious to dream about!

45 minutes ago, Parakitor said:

I'm drooling. Why do I suddenly feel like I need this in my life?! Gotta say, the one thing strikers have over interceptors is that they are a whole lot more interesting to maneuver with.

Both agree and disagree - which I think is an indication that the Striker is a very nicely balanced ship. It compares to the Autothruster Alpha Squadron Pilot very nicely in my books:

• The Interceptor is better at slow speeds - speed 1 turns, especially speed 1 turns followed by barrel roll, are a godsend in tight obstacle clusters, and it can make a speed 2 straight or bank, whilst the slowest the Striker can manage is speed 3 (equivalent)
• Both are equivalent at fast straights, managing speed 5. The Interceptor can use boost to make an effective speed 7, but only at a cost of losing tokens - which if it gets caught in range unexpectedly can be catastrophic.
• The Striker is much more effective at long, sweeping turns - which is incredible in a nice, open board.
• In turn-around moves, matters sort of reverse - the TIE interceptor goes fast (speed 5 koiogran turn and speed 4 straight and speed 2 turns and banks to recover) whilst the striker is manoeuvrable but slow (effective speed 4 koiogran and incredibly flexible speed 3-and-a-bit segnor, with speed 1 moves to recover).
• At close-to-medium range, the Striker's extra hull makes it tougher whilst at long range the extra green dice and autothrusters make the interceptor tougher.

Personally I love flying 5 strikers - I don't have 5 interceptors to compare (and the only ones I do own are crimson Royal Guard ones - I don't actually have an Alpha Squadron Pilot card) but often wonder if it might be a nice experience for a change.

Alternative to the Trainees, by the way - considering my own comments about pilot skill:

• Black Squadron Scout - Adaptive Ailerons, Adaptability, Lightweight Frame x 12
• Captain Yorr - Electronic Baffle, Inspiring Recruit, Inspiring Recruit, Hull Upgrade
• 6 point initiative bid

Every point of damage on Yorr can be traded for allowing 3 TIE/sk to pull off red moves and come out the other end unstressed....

I was digging around for Epic threads;

Anything newer than this?

What's the status of Epic Play. The C-ROC and the other Epic ships keep me coming back to X-Wing, but the difference between standard dogfight style and Epic is pretty bad for Epic ships.

Is there an 'alternative' style of play of X-Wing that adds freedom of map size (beyond 3x3 for standard games and beyond 4x4 for Epic?)

I've always felt that X-Wing in general downplays the importance of range and speed to dogfighting (I guess in favor of quicker games), but I'm an amateur.

11 hours ago, heliodorus04 said:

I was digging around for Epic threads;

Anything newer than this?

What's the status of Epic Play. The C-ROC and the other Epic ships keep me coming back to X-Wing, but the difference between standard dogfight style and Epic is pretty bad for Epic ships.

Is there an 'alternative' style of play of X-Wing that adds freedom of map size (beyond 3x3 for standard games and beyond 4x4 for Epic ?)

I've always felt that X-Wing in general downplays the importance of range and speed to dogfighting (I guess in favor of quicker games), but I'm an amateur.

The status of Epic Play is they continue to make Huge ships. Beyond that, you are looking for fan support.

Also, Epic is played on 3x6, not 4x4. It makes a huge difference. . .with that much lateral room, there can be theaters of battle, battles within battles, and squadrons coming to the rescue. If you play long ways (6' run to engagement), you get the feel of an advance strike and a rear guard.

In the past year, I would say a lot of people have expressed boredom with the 100/6 template. Unfortunately, FFG has basically said they won't be supporting the game in any way other than designing ships (which means for 100/6), so you need to get creative.

I have posted a handful of scenarios (search [Mission]) that are designed for play at the 300 point mark. I have more ideas in the works, but I do try to playtest them so that I can feel like they are not too imbalanced. Since I only get to play c. 1x monthly, this does take a while

There are more threads, BTW, but people aren't very good at tagging. An Epic Subforum wouldn't hurt, either.