So I am wanting to go to my first store tournament soon as for the last year I have gradually been getting into it. I used to just play with my brother put as our friends have been getting into it so have we. Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me any flying techniques, how to decide which ships to focus fire and any other flying tips that will help me out.

If it helps I think I am going to fly Bossk with Asajj.

I know the Golden Rule of Focus fire and that not focus firing is the biggest mistake you can make but whats the best way to decide the ship to focus? The least Health? The most Points?

And is it best to stick the ships together? Any help is wanted. Please reply.

You wrap them up.

There isn't really a rule of the thumb for focus fire other than: A bad decision is still better then no decision at all.

I'd go with targeting what you perceive as the biggest threat.

11 minutes ago, Dengars Toilet Paper said:

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me any flying techniques, how to decide which ships to focus fire and any other flying tips that will help me out.

• In any game, the key questions are:
  • Do tight-packed rocks favour me or my opponent more?
    • Against a 7-ship TIE fighter swarm all wanting to stay at range 1 of a given wing leader, or TIE strikers with an effective minimum speed of '3', tight-packed rocks are a big problem.
    • Against Dash Rendar, or Primed Thrusters/Intensity Poe Dameron, debris is an annoyance at best.
    • Rebel ships like the Y-wing, X-wing or Auzituck hate tight-packed asteroids because they lack a speed 1 turn.
    • Scum ships like the khiraxz, scyk and starviper often hate large asteroid or debris markers because they lack a speed 3 turn.
    • On a scale, are obstacles more or less of a problem for you than your opponent?
      • Try to spread out or compact the rocks as you see fit depending on your answer.
      • Less maneuverable ships like rocks placed in straight lines to produce 'channels' along which they can fly.
        • Place rocks to block off channels if you think your ships can cope, or along a line if they can't
        • Remember that a channel can just as easily be at an angle to the board edges.
      • If planning to deploy in a corner, try placing one obstacle at just under range 3 in from your board edge and the side edge. Because no other rock can be placed within range 1, and no obstacle can be within range 2 of a table edge, you get a range 2-and-a-bit wide triangle of 'clear space' to deploy in.
  • What do I want the opening engagement to look like?
    • Range?
      • Against Ordnance-heavy lists capable of brutalising you at range 2-3, you want to move up slowly to just-outside-range-3 then hit the gas and get into range 1.
        • This goes double for Cruise Missile lists which need to set up a speed 4 straight 'attack run' to get the most bang for their bucks.
      • Against close-quarter lists (say, Fenn Rau & Talonbane Cobra), you want to try and aim for the long end of range 2, because at range 3 you probably can't hit them (bonus green dice, autothrusters, rubbish like that) whilst at range 1 they'll murder you and at the close end of range 2 they can boost into range 1.
    • Head-on joust versus weaving in the rocks versus running away?
      • Broadly speaking, you can set up in one corner facing up the board, in one corner facing along your edge, or in the middle, again facing your opponent or the side.
      • If you outgun them, set up in a side 'channel' - either they set up to face you or you've got 'clear space' to deploy in and get your formation around to face them.
      • If they outgun you, or you want to break up their formation, deny them actions, or whatever, deploying facing along your board edge gives you the chance to draw them through the obstacles.
        • You can always do a speed 1 or speed 2 turn back to face them instead.
      • Against opponents who aren't immensely tough but like to run away (Dash Rendar is a prime example) there is some argument for breaking your squad up into a 'dragnet' across 1/2 to 1/3 of your board edge so you have some ships coming in from behind, some to the side and some getting ahead of them to come in from ahead.
    • As a rule, you want higher PS ships to deploy on the 'outside' and 'behind' lower PS ones, so the ship 'inside' a turn will move first and make space for the one moving afterwards.
    • You want to concentrate arcs of fire, not ships. Don't feel you have to nail ships base-edge-to-base-edge - spreading out means more space to weave round obstacles, vary manouvres without colliding, etc, especially since both ships have a 180' arc and can engage 'broadside on'. But stick within about range 1-2 of one another unless you have a good reason not to.
      • The thing you don't want is your one of your two ships being at a longer range (unless they ignore it due to a cannon or something) - or even one of them completely out of range - whilst your opponent can fire all their attacks at a single one of your units at the same range.
    • A lot of the time it's worth a 'slow move' for the first turn whilst you feel out your opponent's strategy. Once you start turning between rocks, you tend to be committed to that approach unless you want to do (comparatively slow) turns and/or mess up your formation and/or give up actions by crossing obstacles, boosting and barrel rolling.
      • Don't assume this is always a great plan. Generally, if your opponent has a 'charge up' ability like Gonk, Rey, or Moldy Crow, bringing them to battle faster is good.
  • What do I want the 'end-game' to look like?
    • You can't plan for the mid-game. Too much is dependent on luck, and your opponent's actions. But you can keep in mind your goals.
      • Who do I need to bring down first?
        • You need to find a balance between the following criteria:
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad absolutely cannot under any circumstances be my opponent in a final one-on-one fight?
          • Lone Wolf R2-D2 Luke Skywalker, Omega Leader, etc.
          • If you only have 2 3-dice attacks, any ship capable of shield regeneration is next to untouchable once you lose your first ship.
          • Given that you have Assaj Ventress (presumably with Latts Razzi), then any push-the-limit ace is nowhere near as scary as it would be for any other opponent:
            • You have a 180' "primary" arc which largely ignores autothrusters
            • Anyone sensitive to stress cannot function within range 2 in your mobile arc
          • So a Soontir Fel/Norra Wexley equivalent is nowhere near as scary for you as it would be to someone else.
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad can cause the maximum damage (or disruption) in the opening engagement that I can realistically kill before a significant chunk of that damage (or disruption) is done?
          • 4-5 ships can kill Nym in a couple of shooting phases. Less....probably not, and you might be better served chopping up the other guy.
          • Targeting a cruise missile-armed ship is sensible - it's fragile and well armed. Veteran Instincts Cruise Missile Inquisitor, however, will probably have already launched his cruise missiles at by the time either Bossk or Assaj gets to shoot - at which point, damage done and he's just a TIE fighter with delusions of grandeur.
        • Who do I want to have from my side in the end game?
          • Of your two ships, Bossk is good at dealing damage, Assaj at surviving it.
          • Bossk is less manouvrable and struggles with someone getting behind him.
          • Therefore you ideally want to throw Bossk in aggressively and 'trade' him for the ship or ships you don't think Assaj can handle in a fair fight.

Thanks for the awesome post this will definitely come in handy and will be taking this post to the tournament. Just a quick question... What category would the Ghost come under as I don't know if it's a DPS or a Tank, I think it comes under "If they outgun you, or you want to break up their formation, deny them actions, or whatever, deploying facing along your board edge gives you the chance to draw them through the obstacles." But how can you split up a build that mainly consists of one beast of a ship? This is what my brother plays the most so also want to know this to beat his Ghost . Thanks again.

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

In any game, the key questions are:

Wow! Fantastic strategy guide @Magnus Grendel - probably be best collection of advice in one concise article that I have ever seen. Seriously, well done!

I nominate that this post be added to the Stategy Guides section of the Index of Useful Links thread, perhaps with a little tweaking to make it more general rather than advice for one specific list.

@MajorJuggler

2 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

• In any game, the key questions are:
  • Do tight-packed rocks favour me or my opponent more?
    • Against a 7-ship TIE fighter swarm all wanting to stay at range 1 of a given wing leader, or TIE strikers with an effective minimum speed of '3', tight-packed rocks are a big problem.
    • Against Dash Rendar, or Primed Thrusters/Intensity Poe Dameron, debris is an annoyance at best.
    • Rebel ships like the Y-wing, X-wing or Auzituck hate tight-packed asteroids because they lack a speed 1 turn.
    • Scum ships like the khiraxz, scyk and starviper often hate large asteroid or debris markers because they lack a speed 3 turn.
    • On a scale, are obstacles more or less of a problem for you than your opponent?
      • Try to spread out or compact the rocks as you see fit depending on your answer.
      • Less maneuverable ships like rocks placed in straight lines to produce 'channels' along which they can fly.
        • Place rocks to block off channels if you think your ships can cope, or along a line if they can't
        • Remember that a channel can just as easily be at an angle to the board edges.
      • If planning to deploy in a corner, try placing one obstacle at just under range 3 in from your board edge and the side edge. Because no other rock can be placed within range 1, and no obstacle can be within range 2 of a table edge, you get a range 2-and-a-bit wide triangle of 'clear space' to deploy in.
  • What do I want the opening engagement to look like?
    • Range?
      • Against Ordnance-heavy lists capable of brutalising you at range 2-3, you want to move up slowly to just-outside-range-3 then hit the gas and get into range 1.
        • This goes double for Cruise Missile lists which need to set up a speed 4 straight 'attack run' to get the most bang for their bucks.
      • Against close-quarter lists (say, Fenn Rau & Talonbane Cobra), you want to try and aim for the long end of range 2, because at range 3 you probably can't hit them (bonus green dice, autothrusters, rubbish like that) whilst at range 1 they'll murder you and at the close end of range 2 they can boost into range 1.
    • Head-on joust versus weaving in the rocks versus running away?
      • Broadly speaking, you can set up in one corner facing up the board, in one corner facing along your edge, or in the middle, again facing your opponent or the side.
      • If you outgun them, set up in a side 'channel' - either they set up to face you or you've got 'clear space' to deploy in and get your formation around to face them.
      • If they outgun you, or you want to break up their formation, deny them actions, or whatever, deploying facing along your board edge gives you the chance to draw them through the obstacles.
        • You can always do a speed 1 or speed 2 turn back to face them instead.
      • Against opponents who aren't immensely tough but like to run away (Dash Rendar is a prime example) there is some argument for breaking your squad up into a 'dragnet' across 1/2 to 1/3 of your board edge so you have some ships coming in from behind, some to the side and some getting ahead of them to come in from ahead.
    • As a rule, you want higher PS ships to deploy on the 'outside' and 'behind' lower PS ones, so the ship 'inside' a turn will move first and make space for the one moving afterwards.
    • You want to concentrate arcs of fire, not ships. Don't feel you have to nail ships base-edge-to-base-edge - spreading out means more space to weave round obstacles, vary manouvres without colliding, etc, especially since both ships have a 180' arc and can engage 'broadside on'. But stick within about range 1-2 of one another unless you have a good reason not to.
      • The thing you don't want is your one of your two ships being at a longer range (unless they ignore it due to a cannon or something) - or even one of them completely out of range - whilst your opponent can fire all their attacks at a single one of your units at the same range.
    • A lot of the time it's worth a 'slow move' for the first turn whilst you feel out your opponent's strategy. Once you start turning between rocks, you tend to be committed to that approach unless you want to do (comparatively slow) turns and/or mess up your formation and/or give up actions by crossing obstacles, boosting and barrel rolling.
      • Don't assume this is always a great plan. Generally, if your opponent has a 'charge up' ability like Gonk, Rey, or Moldy Crow, bringing them to battle faster is good.
  • What do I want the 'end-game' to look like?
    • You can't plan for the mid-game. Too much is dependent on luck, and your opponent's actions. But you can keep in mind your goals.
      • Who do I need to bring down first?
        • You need to find a balance between the following criteria:
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad absolutely cannot under any circumstances be my opponent in a final one-on-one fight?
          • Lone Wolf R2-D2 Luke Skywalker, Omega Leader, etc.
          • If you only have 2 3-dice attacks, any ship capable of shield regeneration is next to untouchable once you lose your first ship.
          • Given that you have Assaj Ventress (presumably with Latts Razzi), then any push-the-limit ace is nowhere near as scary as it would be for any other opponent:
            • You have a 180' "primary" arc which largely ignores autothrusters
            • Anyone sensitive to stress cannot function within range 2 in your mobile arc
          • So a Soontir Fel/Norra Wexley equivalent is nowhere near as scary for you as it would be to someone else.
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad can cause the maximum damage (or disruption) in the opening engagement that I can realistically kill before a significant chunk of that damage (or disruption) is done?
          • 4-5 ships can kill Nym in a couple of shooting phases. Less....probably not, and you might be better served chopping up the other guy.
          • Targeting a cruise missile-armed ship is sensible - it's fragile and well armed. Veteran Instincts Cruise Missile Inquisitor, however, will probably have already launched his cruise missiles at by the time either Bossk or Assaj gets to shoot - at which point, damage done and he's just a TIE fighter with delusions of grandeur.
        • Who do I want to have from my side in the end game?
          • Of your two ships, Bossk is good at dealing damage, Assaj at surviving it.
          • Bossk is less manouvrable and struggles with someone getting behind him.
          • Therefore you ideally want to throw Bossk in aggressively and 'trade' him for the ship or ships you don't think Assaj can handle in a fair fight.

^^! This is probably the best post I've read on the forum! Clear, concise and extremely helpful. THANK YOU!

Butt *** nekid! Nothing gives you a bigger advantage, well unless you're prepared to hire a stripper and find four pounds of shrimp.

2 hours ago, Stoneface said:

^^! This is probably the best post I've read on the forum! Clear, concise and extremely helpful. THANK YOU!

And if it didn't overwhelm you, @Dengars Toilet Paper , you'll do fine!

Casual.

Go pantsless.

Seriously, Magnus Grendel there did a fine writeup. I'm going to cut n paste that for my archive.

Don’t cheat on stream.

I usually think in terms of which ship can I kill first or which ship can I get a favorable trade for.
If I kill Omega Leader and lose Biggs thats probably a good trade.
But if I lose Quickdraw and only get half damage on Dengar thats probably not a good trade.

I'd say you have three main types of approaches that can be used with the list.

1) Slow roll Bossk and bait with Assaj. The idea is that your opponent likely wants to kill Assaj first and takes up chase - preferably through some rocks. In the best of worlds this allows Assaj to arc dodge a bit and otherwise turle, denies your opponent actions and shots, and keeps your opponents away from Bossks behind, allowing him to casually follow the chasers and take valuable shots.

2) Throw Bossk in the opponents face. The idea is to let Bossk do some serious early damage and for him to soak the opponents fire. In the best of worlds, Bossk survives the initial engagement and is placed in a position to block your oppoents K-turns. He will need a few turns to get back in the game, but your opponent is likely going to be splitting fire and having trouble manouvering around Bossk. Assaj will be in a good position when the dust settles and the endgame begins.

3) Straight up joust. The idea here is to avoid being outplayed by keeping things simple. Go slowly, keep your ships close and in the same range band. Keep Bossk close to the board edge in order to make it as hard as possible for your opponent to get behind him.

I would personally opt for nr 1 in most matchups.

4 hours ago, Hobojebus said:

Butt *** nekid! Nothing gives you a bigger advantage, well unless you're prepared to hire a stripper and find four pounds of shrimp.

I think the stripper is the way to go. It does have several drawbacks though.

1) Draws a crowd which can cause distractions.

2) You NEED Zen like concentration.

3) Ah, I forgot where I was going with this.

Speaking from experience, if you lose, it's not going to do anything to you. I came in dead last in a Store Championship this Summer (35th out of 35). I was beat by a nine year old and that didn't break me either. (Just goes to show that age has little to do with skill.)

If anything, I came out with a new perspective: Winning isn't everything; having a good time out & enjoying the game for what it is, IS. That may not be enough for some, but to each their own.

Now instead of trying to chase the meta and stress about winning, it's more about flying lists that I like and setting up cool card combos or other jank. That's been a great tool for learning a new side of ships and abilities that I had ignored previously. And when I decide to "get serious" again, those lessons will be in my back pocket.

Play fair and shoot straight!

1 hour ago, Force Majeure said:

Speaking from experience, if you lose, it's not going to do anything to you. I came in dead last in a Store Championship this Summer (35th out of 35). I was beat by a nine year old and that didn't break me either. (Just goes to show that age has little to do with skill.)

If anything, I came out with a new perspective: Winning isn't everything; having a good time out & enjoying the game for what it is, IS. That may not be enough for some, but to each their own.

Now instead of trying to chase the meta and stress about winning, it's more about flying lists that I like and setting up cool card combos or other jank. That's been a great tool for learning a new side of ships and abilities that I had ignored previously. And when I decide to "get serious" again, those lessons will be in my back pocket.

Play fair and shoot straight!

This is excellent advice, and is the approach I always take with tournaments. I personally have never taken a list to a tournament that I’ve seen someone else fly- I’ve always taken something of my own composition, and I’ve always had a blast. And I even managed to win a store championship once, so hey.

But more than anything, take a list that you enjoy flying, win or lose. One tournament I went to I took a list that was basically Biggs + Hera with Autoblaster Turret, Accuracy Corrector, intel agent, and a few other things, including a docked Attack Shuttle with the title. It was a beast of a list- Hera had an amazing ability to get just about anywhere she wanted, and when she got in range 1 of a ship it was 4 unblockable damage to them.

But, as I came to discover, it wasn’t very much fun to fly. The games that I won were games where I just crushed my opponent, often times because they weren’t even fully aware of how Autoblaster Turret works. The 2 games that I lost were actually the most fun, because it was a thought challenge for both my opponent and me and I was straight-up outflown. But all the games I won... not so much. I always felt dirty afterwards. Since then I have shelved that list and never flown it again.

So take something you enjoy flying and go to have fun. And when you win a game or two, that’ll just be an added bonus.

13 hours ago, Herowannabe said:

Wow! Fantastic strategy guide @Magnus Grendel - probably be best collection of advice in one concise article that I have ever seen. Seriously, well done!

I nominate that this post be added to the Stategy Guides section of the Index of Useful Links thread, perhaps with a little tweaking to make it more general rather than advice for one specific list.

@MajorJuggler

Done!

Thanks.

18 hours ago, Dengars Toilet Paper said:

Thanks for the awesome post this will definitely come in handy and will be taking this post to the tournament. Just a quick question... What category would the Ghost come under as I don't know if it's a DPS or a Tank, I think it comes under "If they outgun you, or you want to break up their formation, deny them actions, or whatever, deploying facing along your board edge gives you the chance to draw them through the obstacles." But how can you split up a build that mainly consists of one beast of a ship? This is what my brother plays the most so also want to know this to beat his Ghost . Thanks again.

• you're correct - you can't 'split up' a formation made of a single ship. But:
  • The Ghost (unless expensively upgraded) doesn't have the ability to boost (and I think can never currently gain the ability to barrel roll)
  • It's dial is pretty so-so. It can be built to largely ignore the stress from the red bits of its dial but that takes a lot of points and slots (probably Fire Control System, Hera Syndulla, Ezra Bridger), and it can't simultaneously take the stuff to make it especially durable (Recon Specialist, Jan Ors, R2-D2, Reinforced Deflectors, Evade Actions)
  • It still can't get an action if it hits a rock and can't shoot if it lands on top of one
  • It's on a large base, so fitting through gaps between tight-packed rocks isn't easy and tends to require some canny flying, which means its nose is probably not pointed the right way to engage the enemy.
  • Unlike (say) an Outrider or Millennium Falcon it doesn't have a 360' Primary Weapon. It can be equipped with a Twin Laser Turret or similar to give it firepower out of arc, but if it's relying on that it's not getting to use that 4-dice beating-stick of a primary weapon.
  • Every turret upgrade has a blind spot - either at range 1, range 3 or range 2-3, depending on the turret.
  • You also have large based ships but you can shoot broadside on.
• If he's got a Ghost + Phantom and X, there's still value in breaking up the formation depending on what X is.
• I would probably try and avoid engaging the ghost head-on. It's easy to hit but durable - even if Bossk and Assaj fire and hit with every single die fired, it'll take 3 turns of 6 hits per turn to bring down the Ghost. In three turns of firing primary plus turret, it can do more than enough damage to make you regret a head-on engagement.

10 hours ago, Stoneface said:

I think the stripper is the way to go. It does have several drawbacks though.

1) Draws a crowd which can cause distractions.

2) You NEED Zen like concentration.

3) Ah, I forgot where I was going with this.

Strippers can have that effect.

10 hours ago, Force Majeure said:

Speaking from experience, if you lose, it's not going to do anything to you. I came in dead last in a Store Championship this Summer (35th out of 35). I was beat by a nine year old and that didn't break me either. (Just goes to show that age has little to do with skill.)

If anything, I came out with a new perspective: Winning isn't everything; having a good time out & enjoying the game for what it is, IS. That may not be enough for some, but to each their own.

Now instead of trying to chase the meta and stress about winning, it's more about flying lists that I like and setting up cool card combos or other jank. That's been a great tool for learning a new side of ships and abilities that I had ignored previously. And when I decide to "get serious" again, those lessons will be in my back pocket.

Play fair and shoot straight!

Definitely.

• Playing a squad you like (because it will be less mentally draining to use something you enjoy) and have practice with outclasses going on meta-wing and copying 'that list off teh interwebz' a dozen times over.
  • The fact that you aren't varying your squad doesn't mean you don't change the way you play.
    • You should have a broad 'plan' for any general category of opponent.
  • Any good squad generally comes with 'a plan' - and that plan will have things it can't cope with.
  • No squad has an instant auto-loss against another, but there are always scissors-paper-stone matchups where you're instantly at the bottom end of a big difficulty gradient.
• Any time you play a game and lose (and it will happen) try and understand why you lost.
  • Do not use the answer of 'the dice'.
  • Yes, you rolled no evades. But your choices, and your opponent's choices, created a situation where he had a range 1 shot and you didn't have an evade token. What could you have done differently?

Any chance these tips could be updated to 2.0 and the newer factions?

On 11/6/2017 at 5:19 AM, Magnus Grendel said:

• In any game, the key questions are:
  • Do tight-packed rocks favour me or my opponent more?
    • Against a 7-ship TIE fighter swarm all wanting to stay at range 1 of a given wing leader, or TIE strikers with an effective minimum speed of '3', tight-packed rocks are a big problem.
    • Against Dash Rendar, or Primed Thrusters/Intensity Poe Dameron, debris is an annoyance at best.
    • Rebel ships like the Y-wing, X-wing or Auzituck hate tight-packed asteroids because they lack a speed 1 turn.
    • Scum ships like the khiraxz, scyk and starviper often hate large asteroid or debris markers because they lack a speed 3 turn.
    • On a scale, are obstacles more or less of a problem for you than your opponent?
      • Try to spread out or compact the rocks as you see fit depending on your answer.
      • Less maneuverable ships like rocks placed in straight lines to produce 'channels' along which they can fly.
        • Place rocks to block off channels if you think your ships can cope, or along a line if they can't
        • Remember that a channel can just as easily be at an angle to the board edges.
      • If planning to deploy in a corner, try placing one obstacle at just under range 3 in from your board edge and the side edge. Because no other rock can be placed within range 1, and no obstacle can be within range 2 of a table edge, you get a range 2-and-a-bit wide triangle of 'clear space' to deploy in.
  • What do I want the opening engagement to look like?
    • Range?
      • Against Ordnance-heavy lists capable of brutalising you at range 2-3, you want to move up slowly to just-outside-range-3 then hit the gas and get into range 1.
        • This goes double for Cruise Missile lists which need to set up a speed 4 straight 'attack run' to get the most bang for their bucks.
      • Against close-quarter lists (say, Fenn Rau & Talonbane Cobra), you want to try and aim for the long end of range 2, because at range 3 you probably can't hit them (bonus green dice, autothrusters, rubbish like that) whilst at range 1 they'll murder you and at the close end of range 2 they can boost into range 1.
    • Head-on joust versus weaving in the rocks versus running away?
      • Broadly speaking, you can set up in one corner facing up the board, in one corner facing along your edge, or in the middle, again facing your opponent or the side.
      • If you outgun them, set up in a side 'channel' - either they set up to face you or you've got 'clear space' to deploy in and get your formation around to face them.
      • If they outgun you, or you want to break up their formation, deny them actions, or whatever, deploying facing along your board edge gives you the chance to draw them through the obstacles.
        • You can always do a speed 1 or speed 2 turn back to face them instead.
      • Against opponents who aren't immensely tough but like to run away (Dash Rendar is a prime example) there is some argument for breaking your squad up into a 'dragnet' across 1/2 to 1/3 of your board edge so you have some ships coming in from behind, some to the side and some getting ahead of them to come in from ahead.
    • As a rule, you want higher PS ships to deploy on the 'outside' and 'behind' lower PS ones, so the ship 'inside' a turn will move first and make space for the one moving afterwards.
    • You want to concentrate arcs of fire, not ships. Don't feel you have to nail ships base-edge-to-base-edge - spreading out means more space to weave round obstacles, vary manouvres without colliding, etc, especially since both ships have a 180' arc and can engage 'broadside on'. But stick within about range 1-2 of one another unless you have a good reason not to.
      • The thing you don't want is your one of your two ships being at a longer range (unless they ignore it due to a cannon or something) - or even one of them completely out of range - whilst your opponent can fire all their attacks at a single one of your units at the same range.
    • A lot of the time it's worth a 'slow move' for the first turn whilst you feel out your opponent's strategy. Once you start turning between rocks, you tend to be committed to that approach unless you want to do (comparatively slow) turns and/or mess up your formation and/or give up actions by crossing obstacles, boosting and barrel rolling.
      • Don't assume this is always a great plan. Generally, if your opponent has a 'charge up' ability like Gonk, Rey, or Moldy Crow, bringing them to battle faster is good.
  • What do I want the 'end-game' to look like?
    • You can't plan for the mid-game. Too much is dependent on luck, and your opponent's actions. But you can keep in mind your goals.
      • Who do I need to bring down first?
        • You need to find a balance between the following criteria:
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad absolutely cannot under any circumstances be my opponent in a final one-on-one fight?
          • Lone Wolf R2-D2 Luke Skywalker, Omega Leader, etc.
          • If you only have 2 3-dice attacks, any ship capable of shield regeneration is next to untouchable once you lose your first ship.
          • Given that you have Assaj Ventress (presumably with Latts Razzi), then any push-the-limit ace is nowhere near as scary as it would be for any other opponent:
            • You have a 180' "primary" arc which largely ignores autothrusters
            • Anyone sensitive to stress cannot function within range 2 in your mobile arc
          • So a Soontir Fel/Norra Wexley equivalent is nowhere near as scary for you as it would be to someone else.
        • Which ship in my opponent's squad can cause the maximum damage (or disruption) in the opening engagement that I can realistically kill before a significant chunk of that damage (or disruption) is done?
          • 4-5 ships can kill Nym in a couple of shooting phases. Less....probably not, and you might be better served chopping up the other guy.
          • Targeting a cruise missile-armed ship is sensible - it's fragile and well armed. Veteran Instincts Cruise Missile Inquisitor, however, will probably have already launched his cruise missiles at by the time either Bossk or Assaj gets to shoot - at which point, damage done and he's just a TIE fighter with delusions of grandeur.
        • Who do I want to have from my side in the end game?
          • Of your two ships, Bossk is good at dealing damage, Assaj at surviving it.
          • Bossk is less manouvrable and struggles with someone getting behind him.
          • Therefore you ideally want to throw Bossk in aggressively and 'trade' him for the ship or ships you don't think Assaj can handle in a fair fight.

what is a cruise missile? what is veteran instincts?

14 hours ago, Cav Scout said:

Any chance these tips could be updated to 2.0 and the newer factions?

Not sure if they need to be updated. The tips are basic enough that it's true for 1st edition and 2nd edition.

49 minutes ago, pakirby said:

what is a cruise missile? what is veteran instincts?

1st edition cards, I think.

Always attempt to take off from the ground first.

And of course the key to flight is how one starts. You must master the art of falling to the ground and missing. This is done by becoming so distracted during the fall that you forget about the impending impact. Naturally enough, this is a difficult thing to achieve.