STAR WARS: IMPERIAL TACTICS EPISODE II: BOBA FETT
Ok Pilots! Welcome back. Some portions of this will repeat ideas discussed during Episode I. As always, I am not an expert authority on X-Wing. Just offering my perspective to start a hopefully gameplay focused conversation about a specific pilot. This is not a “statement of fact” on any particular item.
I view Boba Fett primarily as a High Customization Hunter Killer. He is the X-Wing equivalent to a bottle of Jagermeister. If you dont know what that is ask the OCX guys. In a nicely thematic way, you can build him to destroy a specific ship or archetype. Its difficult and perhaps impossible to find a build that works consistently against “all possible” matchups but as a purpose built Bounty Hunter to overkill Nym or Han Solo for instance, he can work. He just typically struggles against the field without a bit of luck and near perfect flying or decision making.
On to the Content!
Hit Crit Overview:
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Hit:
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Fun and uniquely challenging flight behavior with a front/rear primary arc
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High customization with access to: Cannons, Missiles, Torpedoes, and Bombs
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Single ship alpha strike capable with high PS and Extra Munitions
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High Speed Dial with fast Turns and a four speed K-Turn
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Imperial Crew Upgrade
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Evade Action
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Amazingly Detailed Model
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Built in "mini" Stay On Target Pilot Ability
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Crit:
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High Point Cost, easily exceeds 50-60 pts fully built out
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Fragile Defense that can be mitigated but not so much that he becomes a point fortress
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No Built In Action Efficiency
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Two Big Blind Spots on the sides
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Focus Tokens
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These are valid comments and complaints that we can get out of the way early.
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Yes, the Scum version is better in many but not all ways.
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Yes, its dial and stat line make it look like a gigantic T-65 X-Wing with a rear arc on paper
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Yes, Tacos are better than Burritos and KFC is better than Boston Market
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Pilot Card:
Dial:
EPT Upgrade:
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Veteran Instincts / Adaptability
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PS9 or 10 gives Boba a few more rare opportunities to use that niche pilot ability
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High PS makes Cruise Missiles slightly easier to set up
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PS10 helps you leverage the art of a Rear Arc Arc Dodger
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Boba is hungry for action economy. VI only helps a very little bit with that by giving you clearer choices on actions
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PS9 or PS7 with Adaptability is worth considering if you are trying to fit Boba into a list that needs the pts or you are looking to use Action Bombs
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Overall there are typically better options unless your building around high PS to specifically hunt and kill something that's bothering you ( aka Whisper, Nym, etc )
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Expertise
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My favorite EPT for Boba by far.
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Opens things up to other key actions like Target Lock, Evade, and Boost
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Really helps you get the most from his rear Arc, Beware Stress.
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Lone Wolf
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My second favorite EPT for Boba
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One reroll on offense and another on Defense if you are not within Range 1-2 of a wingman
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Definitely boosts Boba's defensive capabilities especially if you make good choices with Focus/Evade tokens
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Paired with Recon Spec and Countermeasures Lone Wolf can greatly improve your ability to frustrate concentrated fire.
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It can get you to the end game and any lone wolf ship left for last can surprise alot of "better" ships.
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Predator
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An excellent offensive boost for Boba without the "range" dependency of Lone Wolf
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Same deal as Expertise he is "action" hungry, and predator is a baby Target Lock.
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Sort of helps on defense since you can take Evades or Boosts instead of TL
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Push the Limit
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Not ideal for Boba given his limited access to green maneuvers
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Triggers off Ysanne Issard Crew Evade tokens which is fun and unexpected
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A Score to Settle
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Zero points for a better chance at pushing through Kylo Crits from the Forward and Rear Arc.Nice option if you are running Kylo Crew. However, Boba has 6 hull and those crits will come back to bite!
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Calculation
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Only ever experimented with this as a way to improve crit generation for Kylo
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Ultimately I find Mangler cannon is reliable enough on that end that its hard to justify Calculation even at 1 pt
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Rage
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Any ship that has access to a crew upgrade and some green moves can make use of Rage
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Target lock and focus all in one for the cost of 2 stress you can clear with one green move if you have Inspiring Recruit Crew
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Same problem as Push the Limit.....only 3 green moves
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Expert Handling
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Gives Boba a barrel roll action and just....feels right thematically
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Barrel Roll is a huge deal on any ship with a rear arc....especially a big ship.
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Stress is a problem with limited greens and once again it limits your offensive actions
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Great fun and the ability to toss off a Target Lock is nothing to shake a crit at
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Dare Devil
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Same club as Expert handling
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Hard 1 Turns are amazing for both arcs....but the stress is a consistent problem
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Ruthlessnes
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Something to consider if you are seeing alot of tanky rebel formations (*cough Biggs)
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With the right missiles and bombs Ruthlessness on Boba can work
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Swarm Leader
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Access to two firing arcs makes this slightly easier to set up.
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Pair Boba with 2 other ships that can get an evade like some strikers and start tossing 5 dice out your rear arc with Tail Gunner
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Better options of course, but still rewarding when you get it to work
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Outmaneuver
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Works best in conjunction with the rear arc
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If you also have Tail Gunner you can reduce a 2 dice ships agility to Zero which your opponent will love
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Cannon Upgrade
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Mangler Cannon
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My favorite cannon for Boba, just ahead of Heavy Laser Cannon
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Kylo Crew and Expertise can push Critical Crits through in the early game
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Even without Kylo this cannon does solid work for the 4pts
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Denying the R3 dice against 1-2 dice ships is key
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Heavy Laser Cannon
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I have used this alot just because its so much fun to throw 4 dice with Boba at all ranges of its forward arc without having to take a TL first.
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Using Expertise and a TL is pretty nice and puts pressure on your opponent.
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Obviously it costs 7 pts and it can be argued that the # of times per game you actually get to use it would be better spent on some Missiles with Extra Munitions ( typically 5 pts )
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Still dont ignore it as an option. If you find ways to use it 3 or 4 times in a game your definitely getting some value out of it!
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All low green dice ship like the Falcon, Nym, etc....do not like to see HLC across the table from them.
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Paired with Recon Spec a bit of dice luck makes this a scary weapon.
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Side note, only the initial role gets changed to hits, you can get crits from rerolls and other cards.
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Tractor Beam
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At 1 point this can maybe qualify as filler...
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This very rarely sees use because Boba doesnt have a way to use this and a primary in one turn like Defenders
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Flechette Cannon
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Not a great option unless your hunting Whisper or some other ship maybe with Expertise that truly hates Stress
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MIght have a place against Miranda to help mitigate the Action Slam Bomb madness that Boba fears as much as a Hungry Sarlacc
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Ion Cannon
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Fun especially if you pair it with other Ion mechanics in Boba's kit...like Ion Bombs.
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Still for 3 points if I am looking for Ion Tokens....I typically bring Ion Pulse Missiles.
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Auto Blaster Cannon
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Because Boba can throw 4 dice at Range 1....I have rarely seen the need to run this.
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Might have some merit though against a Biggs/Lowhrick turtle.
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Bomb Upgrade
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Bomblet Generator
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Infinite Bombs with this and the Andrasta title makes a near auto include if you can fit the pts
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Sometimes can conflict with Boba's tendency to want other ships to "chase him" while shooting from his rear arc, but its always provided value for me.
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It at minimum changes the way your opponent has to fly around you which makes them slightly more predictable which can be worth it on its own.
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Any time I have used this it has done a handful of damage with no action cost
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Think of this as semi automatic "bonus" damage outside of the combat phase
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Conner Net
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After bomblets this is my second favorite for Boba but I often ignore it simply because its 4 pts and can completely miss
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You can carry two with Extra Munitions Torp Upgrade from the Slave 1 Title.
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With practice you can cripple an opponent's biggest threat for at least 1 round
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Added benefit of being an "Action Bomb" so you can drop this on people higher PS than you with a clear view of the board.
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Cluster Mines
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Similar to Conner net in how you use it....but more damage oriented.
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Given my general lack of comfort with bombs, I have never found a way to really get these things to be effective on Boba
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Ion Bombs
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2x Ion Tokens are not something your opponent can ignore....but they will sometimes forget you have them.
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Saving these the right time when they are distracted like any bomb can absolutely win a few games
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Forcing your opponent to fly a ship off the board might be the most satisfying thing in the game.... especially if you send Kanan or RAC off the table.
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Easily avoided by any opponent who is paying attention
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Must admit outside of Bomblets I am not well practiced with Bomber Boba, maybe something someone else can really elaborate on. His pilot ability seems somewhat valuable in this role.
Modification
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Engine Upgrade
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By far my favorite modification for Boba ( And maybe any ship that can use it?)
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Lets you control your approach and your escape to range or behind rocks
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Really helps maintain favorable range with your rear arc as people chase you.
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You might not use it often but when you need to use it and dont have it you die
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Counter Measures
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Extremely solid and can help you survive at least 1 extra round.
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Toss a Target Lock and add 1 green dice for a round
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Pair this with Recon Spec, Rebel Captive, Lone Wolf, or Expert Handling and you have the beginnings of a slightly more "tanky" Boba.
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Still prefer Engine Upgrade since I would rather avoid a bad situation then try to roll my way out of it
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Guidance Chips
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At zero pts this turns Boba into a mini missile/torp alpha strike platform
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If your running ordinance its always worth consideration, and remember with 3 attack dice Boba gets to change a result to a crit not just a hit
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Super relevant for early game Kylo Ren ISTDs Crits
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Long Range Scanners
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Another zero point beast for Boba.
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Lets you set the stage for the initial engagement.
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Tactical Jammer
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Allows boba to obstruct enemy attacks for other ships in your list...rarely have found a practical use for this given how fast Boba flys
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Experimental Interface
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Good fun with a Stress EPT like Daredevil or Expert Handling followed by an action followed by Inspiring Recruit crew to clear both stress after 1 green.
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Unfortunately we dont get a system upgrade for Advanced Sensors, so this is a definitely limited use case modification
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Stealth Device
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I have rarely found a consistent use for this since that big base presents an easy target in the early game.
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Crew
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Tail Gunner
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You know how cool Wedge's Pilot Ability is?
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Well this gives Boba that, denying a green dice when attacking from rear arc.
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Speaks for itself but does not help solve Boba's fragile defense beyond encouraging you to fly away more often
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Inspiring Recruit
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As mentioned above allows you to do fun things with Rage and Experimental Interface, rarely used though due to limited green moves
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Intel Agent
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Looking at your opponents dial during the activiation phase sounds fair, actually pairs very well with Boba's Pilot Ability!
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See something you dont like......bank a different direction....and pray they dont change the terms of the deal with Boosts/Barrel Rolls/Slams
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Agent Kallus
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Possibly decent for Boba since its a mini focus token against one ship. Personally never used this but maybe better on Boba then I give it credit, particularly if we're sticking to the hunter killer theme.
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System Officer
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Kinda fun if you have another ship nearby that wants a Target Lock...think Tie Strikers
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Hard to stay close though!
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Darth Vader
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Give Boba a Hull Upgrade and you are up to 11 HP.
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Its fun but only really effective if you dont use it outside of moments where you know for sure it will help you more than it hurts
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Best part of this crew is imagining Boba and Vader both sitting in the Firespray drinking PBR and fighting over the controls to decide between left or right Bank maneuvers.
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And of course if you miss a shot you can just say Vader ordered no disintegrations
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Kylo Ren
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Bottom line Kylo Ren is a fundamental part of Imperial Tactics even outside of tournaments.
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If there is a turret on the table (spoiler there is) you need to seriously consider this crew particularly to compensate for Boba's various issues
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Is Boba a better platform for RAC for this function? No. But he still wrecks 2 low green dice ships.
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Kylo is my 2nd favorite Crew for Boba simply because he helps even the score against all the 360 turrets and high PS ships out there.
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With Mangler Cannon and Vader as a wingmen it works consistently enough with practice
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Navigator
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Change the speed of your chosen maneuver.
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With VI and Boba's Pilot Ability and Engine Upgrade.....yea this is amazing fun and pairs nicely with Action Bombs.
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Rebel Captive
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One of my favorite Boba Fett Crew, at least equal to Recon Spec or Kylo Ren.
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Keeps Fett on the board longer as it genuinely discourages early game focus fire
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Its fantastic for boosting his survivability purely by delaying shots
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Expertise Rey or Dengar hate this
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Recon Spec
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Excellent low cost crew for Boba Fett. This with just Adaptability or VI can form the foundation of a fairly capable low cost Boba
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Helps with concentrated fire and TLT
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Obviously doesn't help you if you don't do a focus action...
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Weapons Engineer
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Struggling to choose that Target Lock action when you know you need to boost or evade instead but are losing the HP countdown?
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Bring Weapons Engineer and Long Range Scanner and spoil yourself with choices
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Just be careful of switching your targets to much before something is off the board.
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Ysanne Isard
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I have only ever used this in combination with PTL because its fun and people dont see it coming after his shields go down
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Basically gives you an evade at the start of combat if you have no shields
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This results in funny situations like....everyone moved....and now Boba is gonna do Boba things like boost or action bomb etc.
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Gunner
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A strong card but without some native dice modification not always as effective as you want it to be. Pairs well with Expertise or Predator or Lone Wolf.
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Added benefit of imagining an "Evil" Wookie crammed inside the Firespray with Boba.
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Title
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Andrasta
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Adds an extra bomb upgrade. aka….The Bomblet Generator Title
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Slave 1
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9 times out of 10 I take this for one of 2 reasons......because of course I do its Slave 1......and for Extra Munitions on a missile or connert net bomb.
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Many torps require you to spend a TL to use them which complicates things for Boba's already starved action economy. This is often the Extra Munitions title.
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Favorite Wingman
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Whisper
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Discussed during the last episode at length.
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Bottom line Boba is an imperial crew carrier that can push crits through.
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That gives him a symbiotic relationship with any 30-40 pt Imperial Aces who really like to have Kylo around
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Whisper specifically is a great ship to use with Lone Wolf Boba since she kind of wants to do her own thing anyway
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If you use these two together.....don't be surprised if Lone Wolf Boba Fett occasionally ends up as your last ship on the board if they go for Whisper first
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Darth Vader
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At PS11 and rocking both Engine Upgrade & Cruise Missiles....
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Give Boba 2x Cruise Missiles with Kylo and a Mangler and your gonna crush some low green dice ships no question.
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If I have vader around I am probably using Expertise on Boba but PS10 Boba and PS11 Vader can cause issues for alot of lists
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Probably my favorite ship to pair with Boba simply because its so **** thematic and the characters are cool together.
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Kylo Ren
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Throw Rebel Captive on Boba and watch the world burn as your opponent tries to decide who to shoot first.
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This can be effective but its a tricky pair since Kylo isnt easy to keep on target without Expert Handling or Daredevil....and smart players are going to be out of arc on Boba alot.
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I know of at least one store championship that was one with a pairing similar to this.
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Targeting Synch is huge here especially if you have FCS on Kylo as it works on his primary weapon to and solves a big problem for Boba which is action economy
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Kath Scarlet
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Flying 2x Firesprays is fun.
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Although I must admit I have very limited experience with multiple Firesprays outside of using 3 Generic Bounty hunters to beat 4x Wookie Commando Wookie Wagons that one time
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Either way you can fly them in a kind of sweeping formation of doom or a windmill which will be lightly explained below and configure them in alot of different ways to handle specific ships
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RAC
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It is possible to fit a low point cost Expertise Boba with RAC
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Flying both ships in a "windmill" basically circles in a corner typically around a big rock you can create a kind of no fly zone for your opponent.
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It works and is alot of health. Its effective agains the usual things that RAC/Kylo is effective against.
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Used RAC/Boba to beat Miranda/Nym once.....not sure if thats an even or uneven matchup....but yea its alot of health at least
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Quick Draw or Backdraft
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Something feels right about flying one of these guys with Boba
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Basically mini-me with those rear arcs and you can fly in some pretty fun sweeping formations against your opponent.
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Keeping the two close together is not always easy because of how fast Boba is.
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Tail Gunner Boba + Backdraft is good fun
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Rebel Cap Boba + QD is about making your opponent make poor choices
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QD can fill the PS11 Cruise Missile Vader role pretty well to, which allows for a 2 ship 10 dice Alpha attack with proper planning
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There are plenty more but.....I will leave that to suggestions from others who have built around Boba Fett specifically over a longer period of time then me
General Tips
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Here is a quick break down of a highly unlikely glorious "Boba Fett" attack run against more than 1 ship.
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If your opponent lets you do this enjoy it because its not gonna happen often
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Slow Roll with a 1 straight to set up the lane
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Slow Roll again to set up a R3 ordinance or cannon shot with TL + Expertise
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Slow Roll again to get a R1 shot
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Drift past your opponent for a 4 dice R1 Primary Rear Arc shot
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Keeping a TL from the prior turn K-Turn to throw a 5 dice cruise missile against something that might have turned around already.
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Other way to approach this is to keep Boba Fett flying in circles in one corner or around one rock, often transitioning into figure eight patterns as necessary
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His hard 3 turns are so fast that paired with a boost you can basically circle a rock attack and circle back for an extra green
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If your opponent doesnt drive in close to bomb you or alpha you this can be pretty effective
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With Kath or RAC they can swim the opposite direction or post up in a nearby corner.
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Use that Rear Arc it lets you fly Boba as a gigantic unpredictable Arc Dodger.
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If your opponent chases you let them chase you for as long as possible from R3 and pick away at them before a K-Turn
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Drop Bomblets out using Tail Gunner or w/e you have to attack
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Hard Turns are your friend
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I can't tell you how many times I have surprised an opponent flying a superior ship just by turning away from combat when they dont expect it.
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You still get a shot with the arc but with Engine Upgrade you can often end up out of arc and put them in an awkard spot
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When you are stressed dont auto pick a green move. Pick a move that makes sense.
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Do whatever you can to keep people out of your blind spot. This is critical
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You dont have a turret or an Illicit Slam to protect you. If they go there. You are in trouble. Avoid it!
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These arcs demand your attention not just this round but 2 rounds ahead as well.
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Don't let people tell you that his Pilot Ability is useless. Its is only mostly useless
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Avoid bumping as much as possible, Boba is already action starved dont make it worse on him
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I usually measure the success of a game with Boba based on the total # of turns I go without shooting. If its >1 mistakes were made and I almost definitely lost.
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Get used to flying around rocks at speed, you need that extra green dice.
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His dial is not slow and he doesn't have a barrel roll. This aint Dash.
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Landing on Rocks is a problem with the pilot, it is not the Firesprays fault.
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Hard turns and banks around rocks are always a bit tricky, practice that.
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If your in a bad situation throw down a 4 speed and a boost and get the **** out of there.
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Then K-turn from safety and get back into a slow roll red dice cannon or missile run
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Worst Matchups
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Nym
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Get to PS10 with a bid and you can put pressure on him
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Expertise + Cruise Missiles, with another 4-5 dice ship nearby and you can table him....if he lets you.
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Kylo Ren/Mangler and a way to get some focus or reroll action should PS0 Nym in the early game
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Stress him with Reb Captive or Fletchette or Tactician
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Ion Nym to death with Missiles, Bombs, or Cannons.
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Remember Advanced Sensors does not work on a ship with an Ion Token.
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Lone Wolf/Recon Spec helps considerably with TLT
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Miranda
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See Nym
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This is actually a harder matchup then Nym in my opinion since regardless of Miranda's PS level she is dangerous
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Basically Boba's big base makes him extremely vulnerable to Advanced Slam bombs.
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Remember Miranda players are "always" planning their next slam attack.
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The options are terrible with TLT killing you at Range and Bombs murdering you in close followed by regen
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So yea Blind her with Kylo or Alpha her of the board as soon as possible
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Ion her to remove the slam options
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Lone Wolf/Recon Spec helps considerably with TLT
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Stress her out with Reb Captive or Fletchette or Tactician.
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Heavy Laser Cannon against 1 green dice is a nice matchup
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Dengar
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Its basically like fighting against a firespray with no blind spot
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Typically has Expertise so Rebel Captive is your friend
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Low Green dice makes all the same rules apply that you have against Nym/Miranda
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With the added concern of staying out of the front arc always
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Dash
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The nice thing about this matchup is Boba is sometimes fast enough with EU to keep up with Dash and stay close
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Once again your choices are limited.....but do w/e you can to stay in his donut hole and you can get it done
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Heavy Laser Cannon hurts dash and of course....Kylo does to.
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The funny thing about this match up is it can devolve into a “I can run away better than you fight.” Spoiler...HLC Dash wins that dance off.
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Swarms
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So these can be a problem.
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Boba's defense is not great so alot of 2 dice attacks are going to kill you quick
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Especially if your facing snap shot. When thats the case you need to be extra careful of Range 1 at all times!
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Once again this is why I like Lone Wolf Recon Spec Counter Measures or Reb Captive so much since it lets you deal with or deter at least a couple more shots than usual
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VCX
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Short and sweet here....your options are Kylo, Alpha, or Ion.
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Boba is to big to stay inside the very small blind spot on a VCX so the only "safe" place is bumping it or blinding it
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Unfortunately the blind only effects one of the 2 TLT shots these things typically take
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Stay the **** out of the front range 1
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I prefer using as many Ion Tokens as possible on this thing since its both funny and rewarding
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Any High PS Arc Dodger
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So these present a problem if your at PS8
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They can spend all day in your blind spots on the side and nip away at you until your gone, so dont let them.
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If you see that coming 4 straight out of there and come back at them on your terms
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Against these guys your rear arc is your best friend. Dont get into boost / barrel roll battle with them but do use your hard turns to crush them.
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Questions for the Real Experts:
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Do you have a preferred predetermined flight pattern that you use with Boba?
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What did I get wrong above?
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How do you compensate for his poor native action economy?
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How do you maximize the use of bombs with Boba Fett and his Pilot Ability?
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Any Firespray specific practice tips?
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Are Boba Fett and Darth Vader best friends?
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Which of the below GIFs best summarizes how you feel about Imperial Boba Fett?
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