Might be some fringe utility for Ion pulse OS-1s

Since xg1 can't ion through weps disabled, might as well go for OG

Again worried about the TL restriction, but it is pretty bloody obnoxious to have infinte ion missiles that can oneshot ion large ships too. Well, that and it's a tad pricey

http://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v4!s!269:220,-1,53:61:16:U.-1,U.241&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=

23 minutes ago, ficklegreendice said:

Might be some fringe utility for Ion pulse OS-1s

Since xg1 can't ion through weps disabled, might as well go for OG

Again worried about the TL restriction, but it is pretty bloody obnoxious to have infinte ion missiles that can oneshot ion large ships too

Oh snap, a full build of os1 ion pulse gunboats would be troll central........ you take 3 generics and focus a target till 1 hits, the remaining boats primary or reload....... and walk eveything off the board.

For extra suck wriggle in a tactician shuttle and deny actions after the ion while you're at it.

That is gonna bring tears, especially for 2 ship lists

20 minutes ago, ficklegreendice said:

Might be some fringe utility for Ion pulse OS-1s

Since xg1 can't ion through weps disabled, might as well go for OG

Again worried about the TL restriction, but it is pretty bloody obnoxious to have infinte ion missiles that can oneshot ion large ships too. Well, that and it's a tad pricey

http://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v4!s!269:220,-1,53:61:16:U.-1,U.241&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=

I'd go for harpoon over cruize missiles as your secondary weapon, since an ionized ship isnt going very fast and you want to stay well behind them to keep them in arc.

http://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v4!s!270:-1,53:61:16:U.-1,U.243;270:-1,53:61:16:U.-1,U.243;79:27,36,61:-1:9:&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=

What are the best mods for a GUNBOAT?

Chips, LRS, or ASLAM?

Karsabi probably wants Chips, but correct me if I'm wrong.

I actually had a good number of builds and posted some of my first impressions in another thread, but I'll add some of my favorites here.

Nu Squadron Pilot (18)

• LRS (0), XG-1 (1), Linked Beam (2), HLC (7)

Nu Squadron Pilot (18)

• LRS (0), XG-1 (1), Linked Beam (2), Mangler (4)

Lt. Karsabi (24)

• Adv SLAM (2), OS-1 (2), Wired (1), Ion Pulse Missile (3), Conc Missiles (4)

Lt. Karsabi (24)

• Adv SLAM (2), XG-1 (2), Wired (1), Linked Beam (2), HLC (7)

Maj. Vynder (26)

• Adv SLAM (2), OS-1 (2), Saturation Salvo (1), Homing Missile (5), Cluster Missiles (4)

The lower PS pilots will have so much trouble acquiring target locks while maintaining arc that I believe they are best suited for cannon builds. The first does some consistent damage, comes with a soft reroll and you're going to focus every turn for either offense or defense. Flys pretty straightforward and punches holes in things. The second Nu build is the same thing, but 25 points so you could run a swarm of 4. Lt. Kar I see as flexible enough to run with either list, and should be running Adv SLAM since you can drop that disabled token basically for free. Wired for doubled up synergy. Statistically, he is also the most defensive pilot of the list while equipped with Wired. Since the light cannons suck by comparison, I think Vynder is more suited for the OS title. For ease of use, I'd strongly recommend having a missile that does not spend your target lock and saving that for a round you need to reload. Without Chips, concussion missiles and proton torps and their soft mods are going to be the most consistent damage, and EM gives you more mileage before needing to reload for next to no points. There's really no way to go less than high 30s for points for either named pilot though.

Bonus troll build - 2 Rho's with LRS, OS-1, Expertise, Ion pulse and Conc Missiles. Add in LWF, Snapshot, Tactician Rhymer for some stupid "run them all off the board" shenanigans.

10 hours ago, Captain Pellaeon said:

Karsabi + ASLAM doesn't work.

Maneouver -> SLAM action -> gain WD token -> Karsabi's ability exchanges WD token to stress token -> You can't perform the free action granted by ASLAM.

But please someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'd love this to work.

I think this should work actually. I don't know where the ruling is and it's possible I imagined it on a late night gaming binge, but I'll try to find it and edit this post later. Both the pilot ability and Adv SLAM have the same trigger timing in this case. As the controller of the ship presented with the simultaneous trigger for multiple abilities, I think you can choose what order to resolve them in.

Edit: So, this is from the FAQ, pg. 6, under the header "Resolving Simultaneous Effects":

If a player has simultaneous effects that resolve from the same trigger, that player resolves the entirety of one effect (and any subsequent effects from that trigger) before resolving the others. For example, if a ship overlaps multiple cluster mine tokens at the same time, the controlling player resolves one of the cluster mines (rolling for damage and removing it) before resolving any remaining effects (even if the ship was already destroyed).

I believe this means that you resolve the SLAM in its entirety, including gaining the weapons disabled token, and that can't be interrupted by either effect. Adv SLAM triggers after the SLAM assuming you didn't overlap anything and Lt. Kar's pilot ability would trigger at the conclusion of the effect that gave him the weapons disabled token; which is after the SLAM or reload that gave you the token. Since these abilities are concurrent, you get to choose which one to resolve in its entirety before doing the other.

9 hours ago, HolySorcerer said:

Saturation Salvo doesn't trigger until step 8, TLT and Clusters don't go to step 8 until after both attacks have been resolved and damage has been dealt. To trigger Saturation Salvo off of Cluster Missiles you would have to miss both times, and even if you did miss both times, because you only do step 8 once, you only do Salvo once.

If you want to cheese Saturation Salvo use Cruise Missiles, they're only a one die missile, so they'll miss a lot.

This I also believe to be incorrect. It is treated as two separate attacks and when used with FCS allows you to gain a new target lock between these attacks. While yes both attacks must miss for the purposes of Gunner, Munitions Failsafe and Double Edge, it should work just fine with salvo. The FAQ is pretty clear about it with "Cluster Missiles is treated as two separate attacks against the same target. During the second attack, the “Declare Defender and Weapon” step is skipped."

7 minutes ago, Jimbawa said:

This I also believe to be incorrect. It is treated as two separate attacks and when used with FCS allows you to gain a new target lock between these attacks. While yes both attacks must miss for the purposes of Gunner, Munitions Failsafe and Double Edge, it should work just fine with salvo. The FAQ is pretty clear about it with "Cluster Missiles is treated as two separate attacks against the same target. During the second attack, the “Declare Defender and Weapon” step is skipped."

FCS doesn't trigger til after the second attack.

Neither will saturation.

Redline was an unfortunate victim in the rule rewrite, but at such a high price I'm not sure he stood much chance anyway.

31 minutes ago, Reiver said:

FCS doesn't trigger til after the second attack.

Neither will saturation.

Redline was an unfortunate victim in the rule rewrite, but at such a high price I'm not sure he stood much chance anyway.

Thanks for updating me! I was not aware of that rewrite, but I'll be sure to take that into account. Is it somewhere like an FAQ for FCS that I can read it? I'm sure it'll come up at my local store and it'd be nice to have the fine print to show off.

Edit: I found it. Thats a bummer, but it should certainly only trigger after the second attack to be consistent with all the other effects that trigger after a missed attack.

7 hours ago, Ralgon said:

Oh snap, a full build of os1 ion pulse gunboats would be troll central........ you take 3 generics and focus a target till 1 hits, the remaining boats primary or reload....... and walk eveything off the board.

For extra suck wriggle in a tactician shuttle and deny actions after the ion while you're at it.

That is gonna bring tears, especially for 2 ship lists

That's just evil. I'm gonna have to do it.

Something like this

Few people mentioned about alpha striking and even removing a JM5K in the opening salvo but no one seems to be mentioning Fair Ship?

Even with the GLORIOUS-BOAT finally hitting the scene, it still has to tackle the Biggs/Low combo and put out at least six damage (spread out across three separate attacks) to kill Biggs before you lose a ship, which is likely.

How do people foresee handling such a list?

21 minutes ago, Viktus106 said:

Few people mentioned about alpha striking and even removing a JM5K in the opening salvo but no one seems to be mentioning Fair Ship?

Even with the GLORIOUS-BOAT finally hitting the scene, it still has to tackle the Biggs/Low combo and put out at least six damage (spread out across three separate attacks) to kill Biggs before you lose a ship, which is likely.

How do people foresee handling such a list?

Target locks can bypass Biggs, right?

If so, the real question is who to focus down first...

Just now, Reiver said:

Target locks can bypass Biggs, right?

If so, the real question is who to focus down first...

That is true but only when firing torps/missiles, lot of people using cannons, which will be forced to target Biggs.

Plus you still have Selflessness and that Reinforce token going on.

11 hours ago, ficklegreendice said:

Since xg1 can't ion through weps disabled, might as well go for OG

Would quite like to see a viable Ion Cannon Gunboat build, if only for the sake of tradition.

The closest I can think of would be Xg-1 Ion Cannon / Linked Batteries Karsabi, but you're paying through the nose to get there.

An ion cannon Rho is a decent chunk to fit into a list. 25 points with LRS XG1 Ion Cannon, 27 if you add Linked, season with EPT to taste,probably AS2S or Crack Shot. But the trouble is fitting it into a list - the obvious wingmates would be Vader and QD, but it's a little too expensive to go along with the current missile-alpha build of those two, especially if they're upping to Harpoons from Cruise.

Why would it need to be Rho? The 3pts tax on the Rho over the Nu is pretty steep.

2 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

Why would it need to be Rho? The 3pts tax on the Rho over the Nu is pretty steep.

The EPT, basically. And moving.shooting after Scouts.

But yeah, good point well made.

Nu Squadron Pilot (18)
Ion Cannon (3)
Long-Range Scanners (0)
XG-1 Assault Configuration (1)

Darth Vader (29)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Advanced Targeting Computer (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
TIE/x1 (0)

"Quickdraw" (29)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Lightweight Frame (2)
Special Ops Training (0)

Total: 99

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Leaves you a point shy of a useful Tech on QD or of Linked Batteries, though. And AS2S OL is almost certainly better.

Why I don't like Major Vynder... there's no way these things should be ranking up in cost as quickly as they are.

12 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

Why I don't like Major Vynder... there's no way these things should be ranking up in cost as quickly as they are.

it's rank up is closer to a tie bomber, which should say something right there...........

How on earth Inq is still the best pilot in the TAP I just don't know.

4 minutes ago, Ralgon said:

it's rank up is closer to a tie bomber, which should say something right there...........

I think Rhymer may be the only pilot with a +10 cost on base?

Just now, thespaceinvader said:

How on earth Inq is still the best pilot in the TAP I just don't know.

+1 red dice (and 1 less green dice at R3) =/= 3pts

1 minute ago, thespaceinvader said:

How on earth Inq is still the best pilot in the TAP I just don't know.

I thought the Inquisitor was the ONLY pilot in the TAP?

(although I vaguely remember seeing a Rudor build recently...)

Again with the meaningless distinctions

(Though, I've seen Cruise Missile generics being pretty mean a few times on Vassal)

I remember a podcast with one of the Howards and they said Valen was the best pilot for the TAP until the combat timing chart messed him up. I don't remember the details of how it did so, but they were all ready to take over the world with Valen Rudor and the FAQ smashed him down as collateral damage to R4 Agromech.