Twin Troopers: Competitive Fun with Heart of the Empire
Fun read! I believe that elite riots are confirmed at 7 per deployment. For darth vader, i'm going to be taking both parting blows and to the limit, while taking unshakable (you know, that card that no one uses) to clear of any stuns. As a brawler lover, I'm looking forward to this wave!
I think the biggest splash from this wave is going to be drokkatta though. I believe that she/he will shake things up alot! We haven't seen a reliable blast 2 since the days of original eSabs.
I'm also looking forward to adding clawdite shapeshifters to my imperial spy army for that juicy early support and potent later game attacker.
I JUST CAN"T WAIT! (but i must because i'm a cheap bastard who didn't want to pay for expedited shipping on his preorder)
That's a good read. Something that always bothered me about the riot shield stormtrooper in The Force Awakens and I finally realized what it is now with this game.
Full plate armor and a huge shield is redundant which is why shields were dropped in the 15th century by the upper classes.
A stormtrooper with a big shield violates that "lived in, really works" aesthetic that made ANH catch on so well in people's subconscious.
3 minutes ago, TauntaunScout said:That's a good read. Something that always bothered me about the riot shield stormtrooper in The Force Awakens and I finally realized what it is now with this game.
Full plate armor and a huge shield is redundant which is why shields were dropped in the 15th century by the upper classes.
A stormtrooper with a big shield violates that "lived in, really works" aesthetic that made ANH catch on so well in people's subconscious.
Except I'm happy to have my troopers look a little different from each other! 
I've been running the following Vader list vs. friends:
- Vader + Driven By Hat Red (13)
- Elite Jet Troopers x2 (14)
- Regular Jet Troopers (4)
- Elite Imp. Officer (5)
- Imp. Officer (2)
- Rule By Fear (1)
- Zillo Technique (1)
Having the Elite Imp. Officer gives Vader the chance to get 3 attacks in the 2nd round before he gets focus-fired to death. Between the Elite Jets & Vader, the regular Jets often get left to their own devices, which typically is running objectives.
I agree that Unshakable needs to be squeezed in there somewhere... I'd hate to lose the regular Imp. Officer (who gives Vader a good 2-square dash at the start of the game & is my preferred New Orders... orderer) but I have run into having a Stunned Vader at the start of round 2. That's no fun, friends.
I'm waiting to see what the final stats are for the Elite Sentry Droids so I know what my Jawa-based Droid list is going to look like next.
ALSO: I'm waiting to see if there's a skirmish attachment, command card or a specific Elite Deployment we haven't seen yet that utilizes the energy shield token that was introduced in the HotE campaign newspost.
Edited by cnemmickshields up!
Yeah I agree they need to look different. But it would have been cool if they'd worn lighter specialized riot armor to compensate for the shield.
Hoth troopers for example wear less armor than typical stormtroopers, apparently(?) because they need to carry extra survival gear.
How bout some Imperials that don't wear suits of armor at all? Why does it all have to be [xyz]troopers? Navy and army personnel would be great.
21 minutes ago, cnemmick said:ALSO: I'm waiting to see if there's a skirmish attachment, command card or a specific Elite Deployment we haven't seen yet that utilizes the energy shield token that was introduced in the HotE campaign newspost.
This! Brawlers are getting a huge boost, but if they could move up with cover, that would go a long way toward making them viable (especially in maps roughly the size of Texas--looking at you Nal Hutta!).
I'm most excited about Han and Drokkata, though Chewie, the AT DP, Palp, and Vader and not too far behind.
I cannot wait another week for this!
-ryanjamal
50 minutes ago, TauntaunScout said:Full plate armor and a huge shield is redundant which is why shields were dropped in the 15th century by the upper classes.
A stormtrooper with a big shield violates that "lived in, really works" aesthetic that made ANH catch on so well in people's subconscious.
Except storm trooper armor is nothing like "full plate", it is far lighter and much easier to move in
(source: watch how the move in the movies and go anywhere with a 501st presence)
Also do a google image search of "riot cops" and you'll find plenty of pictures of police in armor bulkier than a storm trooper carrying riot shields. There's probably your best example of "lived in really works."
Funny you should say "anywhere with a 501st presence".
When they did programs at a museum with real medieval armor, the opposite was demonstrated. Stormtrooper is lighter weight, but harder to move in. Some styles (prequel ones with lots of CGI were noted to be bad for this) preclude simple acts like sitting in chairs. This is because stormtrooper armor only had to be worn for a while in front of a camera, and medieval armor had to accommodate reality.
I see what you mean about the full suits of modern riot armor though. Seems like the cops wear a lot more of it than when I was a young man developing my instinctive notions of what riot armor is "supposed" to look like.
3 hours ago, cnemmick said:I've been running the following Vader list vs. friends:
- Vader + Driven By Hat Red (13)
- Elite Jet Troopers x2 (14)
- Regular Jet Troopers (4)
- Elite Imp. Officer (5)
- Imp. Officer (2)
- Rule By Fear (1)
- Zillo Technique (1)
Driven by Hat Red Vader should always appear in a list with a Royal Guard Champion.
2 hours ago, TauntaunScout said:
When they did programs at a museum with real medieval armor, the opposite was demonstrated. Stormtrooper is lighter weight, but harder to move in. Some styles (prequel ones with lots of CGI were noted to be bad for this) preclude simple acts like sitting in chairs. This is because stormtrooper armor only had to be worn for a while in front of a camera, and medieval armor had to accommodate reality.
Pardon me, I meant "in universe" it's easier to move in, and I say that because people in full plate commonly had to have spotters (source hanging with people who do Full Armor Jousting for a living) whereas Stormtroopers (in universe) did not.
Oh my. This is really derailing the thread. People in modern jousting armor have little to do with medieval combat armor. Heck even in the middle ages there were significant differences between combat and jousting armor. One of the biggest myths out there, including among reenactors, is that medieval armor was oppressively heavy. It wasn't. Source, me, I have a list of medieval publications to my name, if you want my credentials PM me.
I like the idea of using the riot troopers so that I can paint their shields all crazy. Like a big purple aurabesh character on the front of each shield or something.
As much as I was concerned with the repetition of another wookie, I'm curious if this one will go well with my Hoth army. Since all wookie models are inherently visually Hoth-compatible.
Great read and some interesting builds. I think Rebels get an awesome boost in this wave as do brawlers in general. I still think Imps are going to struggle but it won't be because of troops but cards. I was really hoping this wave would give IMPS something to help improve card draw in line with black market and jabba. Since the last wave cards are so very potent and without being able to boost their card draw I can't see how Imps can keep up with the short/brutal gamestate we have at the moment
Because of possible interactions with Rule by Fear and Zillo, I doubt that Imperials will get improved card draw options anytime soon.
Riot shields are for pushing people and a good fit with the level of violence appropriate for controling a riot. It's more for offensive maneuvers than strictly defensive. Also I'm a big fan of the original storm trooper concept art that had them with light sabers and big old shields. Stormtroopers are just militarized police. So police tactics and equipment repurposed for war feels right in my opinion.
23 hours ago, dietz057 said:
Another great article! Dude you're killing me! I can't wait to get my hands on this wave.
Yeah I really enjoyed the reeding!
On 07/10/2017 at 6:39 PM, DerBaer said:Because of possible interactions with Rule by Fear and Zillo, I doubt that Imperials will get improved card draw options anytime soon.
I like rule by fear but it's not in the ballpark of black market really. Same as imps would do well with a "vehicle tamer" option but I won't hold my breath
1 hour ago, beefcake4000 said:I like rule by fear but it's not in the ballpark of black market really.
Certainly not. But something like Black Market plus Zillo plus Rule By Fear would be too good...