So,

I am going through the endless task of better organizing my IA cardboard pieces. It occurred to me that there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the deployment cards you get in boxed sets. The core and early sets came with precisely enough cards to field all the models at once: sometimes this means you get a regular card, sometimes a regular and an elite, or sometimes two regulars and one elite, depending on how many models there are. Then in the later boxes you seem to get enough regular cards for all the troops plus one elite card per troop type.

This probably doesn't come as news to anyone. But given FFG's reputation for not including pieces, does it sound like I'm missing any deployment cards to you guys? I realized this all as I sat down to remove all duplicate deployment cards from the deck I carry around to game nights.

7 hours ago, TauntaunScout said:

So,

I am going through the endless task of better organizing my IA cardboard pieces. It occurred to me that there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the deployment cards you get in boxed sets. The core and early sets came with precisely enough cards to field all the models at once: sometimes this means you get a regular card, sometimes a regular and an elite, or sometimes two regulars and one elite, depending on how many models there are. Then in the later boxes you seem to get enough regular cards for all the troops plus one elite card per troop type.

This probably doesn't come as news to anyone. But given FFG's reputation for not including pieces, does it sound like I'm missing any deployment cards to you guys? I realized this all as I sat down to remove all duplicate deployment cards from the deck I carry around to game nights.

Nope, that's what you should expect. Broadly there are three categories of situation that dictate how many cards you get;

- If you don't get figs, but do get cardboard tokens for figs that are required in a mission or two (like Rebel Saboteurs in the Core set) you only get 1 Regular deployment card, the Elite only comes in the expansion pack.

- Other non-unique figs that are included (like the original Stormtroopers) come with enough deployment cards to use exactly as many figures as you have, one of these will be Elite, the rest Regular (so either 2xR and 1xE, or 1 of each). This has been the case until...

- After Bespin, all non-unique figs have included 2 Regular deployment cards, and an Elite deployment card, even where you only get enough figs to actually deploy 2 sets, so that Skirmish players can get the max number of deployment cards out of 2 copies of the box. No more buying 4 Core Sets for 4 Royal Guard units, for example.

It's something FFG started doing in Bespin Gambit. Makes those Ugnaught Swarms a lot cheaper. Wish they did it for elite units. They could just stamp the skirmish icon on one copy and the campaign would be safe.

1 hour ago, Tvboy said:

It's something FFG started doing in Bespin Gambit. Makes those Ugnaught Swarms a lot cheaper. Wish they did it for elite units. They could just stamp the skirmish icon on one copy and the campaign would be safe.

I will say this for the ugnaught swarm: FFG made the best ugnaught mini to date, in my opinion. Including the proxying of small toys by various manufacturers as miniatures. I don't know much about IA to be honest but I know more than anyone should about small, unposeable Star Wars characters. These are the best wee ugnaught toys to date.

I dunno why so many companies skimp on cards and counters and the like. Over they years I've gradually decided to believe that it just costs more than we think to put them in.

2 hours ago, TauntaunScout said:

I dunno why so many companies skimp on cards and counters and the like. Over they years I've gradually decided to believe that it just costs more than we think to put them in.

That last sentence is generally true, but in the case of shorting us on deployment cards, it really is just to force competitive skirmish players to double up on their purchases.

I understand not giving out Elite cards all around, cause they're supposed to be, y'know, elite. But then the max. number allowed on the field should reflect that. Very odd.