It's the first ship in the game with 7 hit points (specifically, 4 hull, 3 shields). Previously, we would jump from 6 (Bomber, Defender, TIE/sf, T-70) to 8 (Y-Wing, B-Wing, Aggressor, G-1A, U-Wing). Weird, uh? With 46 non-Huge ships in the game, only one clocks at 7 life.

Why is it nicknamed Gunboat, by the way? I'm not familiar with the videogames, but in the Star Wars: Clone Wars series, a gunboat was a troop transport for the clones (EDIT: untrue, that's also a gunship). Wookieepedia confirms this use of the term for the similar "gunship", which also applies to the only instance of it in the game, the Auzituck Gunship. This one is a fighter, though. What gives?

11 minutes ago, Kumagoro said:

It's the first ship in the game with 7 hit points (specifically, 4 hull, 3 shields). Previously, we would jump from 6 (Bomber, Defender, TIE/sf, T-70) to 8 (Y-Wing, B-Wing, Aggressor, G-1A, U-Wing). Weird, uh? With 46 non-Huge ships in the game, only one clocks at 7 life.

Why is it nicknamed Gunboat, by the way? I'm not familiar with the videogames, but in the Star Wars: Clone Wars series, a gunboat was a troop transport for the clones. Wookieepedia confirms this use of the term for the similar "gunship", which also applies to the only instance of it in the game, the Auzituck Gunship. This one is a fighter, though. What gives?

It was the gunboat as far back as 1993... Way before any of the later models. And it was a gunboat because it had a cubic ton of weaponry on board compared to other fighters.

I really like the fact that it's the first ship with seven health. Slightly healthier than a Bomber without the same crit aversion.

As for the "Assault Gunboat" moniker I can't really say except that's just what it's called in the space sim games. It was always an informal name but certainly seemed appropriate given the tendancy for Gunboat missions to centre around attacking platforms, space stations, and capital ships.

On a personal note I'm hoping the cannon card next to the Jamming Beam is called Linked Batteries so I can take four Assault Configuration Xg-1s and call it Assault and Battery.

T-70s with integrated astromech have 7 health ...

The term Assault Gunboat is the moniker given it. Similar to how the A-10 is called the Warthog, while it's official name is the Thunderbolt II.

The name if the expansion pack should definitely have been the Assault Gunboat Expansion Pack, but the name of the ship should still be the Alpha Class Star Wing, because that's what the ship is actually called.

2 hours ago, Hawkstrike said:

T-70s with integrated astromech have 7 health ...

No, that's six health and an integrated

Ditching the Astro makes it VERY different

Assault Gunboat is more like a general role for the ship, like Interceptor or Bomber. The Xg-1 had shields, hyperdrive, Laser and Ion cannons and warhead launchers, as well as expansions for beam weapons. If that doesn't sound like it can carry out an Assault, I don't know what. And it's got so many weapons systems that Gunboat certainly fits.

I suppose that FFG could be laughing over the name; after all, we didn't get the YT-1300 Expansion Pack, or the VCX-100 Expansion Pack. Maybe they were just bound and determined that the forums cries for the Gunboat Expansion should go forever unanswered, and by releasing the ship as the XG-1 Alpha Star Wing, they make certain that there will never be an Assault Gunboat Expansion...

Damned Satanic game developers! (Oh, wait, wouldn't the middle fin have to be on the bottom to be a Satanic Star Wing???)

Yeah...but really. I think, The Cult of Gunboat is happy with what's been achieved.

After 3 years of campaigning (pleading) to the awesome FFG powers that be, our Saviour has arrived.

I think...there was some fear and doomsaying about our Saviour being called a Customs Patrol Boat...but really, I personally wouldn't have minded.

And I don't think Benny (Lego) would have minded because: GUNBOAT!!!

According to the Cult of Gunboat Prophet FTS Gecko, FFG has previously released the Gunboat in the LCG Star Wars game:

So, it's not that it's without precedence or that we didn't know what might've happened.

6 hours ago, Hawkstrike said:

T-70s with integrated astromech have 7 health ...

They can have 8 if they stop a direct hit, so they only have 6 with the capacity to stop more. Not to mention a Major Explosion Critorama.

1 hour ago, Archangelspiv said:

They can have 8 if they stop a direct hit, so they only have 6 with the capacity to stop more. Not to mention a Major Explosion Critorama.

It's like a super shield in which you can pick your crit to cancel.

then again it costs the price of your astromech......

Just now, Quadjumper King said:

It's like a super shield in which you can pick your crit to cancel.

then again it costs the price of your astromech......

That's what I was saying, it doesn't give an X Wing 1 extra health, it can give it a lot more than 1.

13 minutes ago, Archangelspiv said:

That's what I was saying, it doesn't give an X Wing 1 extra health, it can give it a lot more than 1.

I agree.

It's a cool mechanic that allows for some interesting flexibility. I love how thematic it is too, the astromech works its *** off to regenerate your shields and keep you alive, then when it can do no more its ejected into the line of fire (at least in my head canon :P)

6 hours ago, ficklegreendice said:

No, that's six health and an integrated

Ditching the Astro makes it VERY different

Not to mention, EVERY ship can take Hull Upgrade or Shield Upgrade. That objection was entirely meaningless, I was very obviously talking of basic stats, not what happens during a game. Then a ship with R2-D2 has infinite health. Or 7, should they choose to use it only so far.

I realized after posting (which lead to a bit of editing) that I was mixing up the terms "gunship" and "gunboat". I can't grasp what the semantic difference should be, but apparently they're used in two very different ways. Might be real life military jargon?

You can do diplomacy with a gunboat, but not with a gunship.

46 minutes ago, Hawkstrike said:

You can do diplomacy with a gunboat, but not with a gunship.

Well Played