Rho Squadron Veteran (21)
Predator (3)
Linked Battery (2)
Heavy Laser Cannon (7)
XG-1 Assault Configuration (1)

Rho Squadron Veteran (21)
Predator (3)
Linked Battery (2)
Heavy Laser Cannon (7)
XG-1 Assault Configuration (1)

Rho Squadron Veteran (21)
Predator (3)
Linked Battery (2)
"Mangler" Cannon (4)
XG-1 Assault Configuration (1)

Total: 99

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Not sure if this is a good idea or not, you can't really use the title, but here is the thought:

Essentially, you can have two HLC shots that will have 2 rerolls (predator and linked battery) no matter what (stressed, bumped, etc.), followed up by a mangler shot with two rerolls to hopefully push a crit through.

Just move and focus, and you will be sending 11 red dice with decent mods every single round, and your opponent will not have range bonus at range 3.

I am not convinced by this tbh. While I respect the desire for many dice with respectable modifications, Alphas will need SLAMs to reposition, and that will mean they just can't shoot. I would also be more inclined to see double mods rather than double rerolls, ie Expertise/Linked Battery.

LRS is also not bad for cannon builds. Like you said, you'll ideally want to focus each round to maintain a good average damage, and during the first engagement, most opponents will try to have maximum mods to their defense roll if they're expecting you to throw a dozen dice in their face. You won't spend that target lock probably ever unless you really tank your rolls, but LRS gives you at least that first opportunity to go in with full mods, and something to do if you ever end up at R3 out of arc or needed to SLAM to gain distance and get away the round before.

You could also look for a defensive EPT option that really highlights the alpha's strengths. You have a ton of shields and could reasonably fly in formation, so what about having Draw their Fire? That'd let you run HLCs on all 3, with a single reroll each attack and hopefully a focus to fully mod your shots. It takes no action on your part, doesn't care about stress or obstacles or who is in arc. And you have a ton of shields. With the prevalence of harpoons and crit fishing going on, being able to move that crit someplace else can be a huge game changer. Another option could be something like Elusiveness. Sure, your green moves kinda suck, but your green dice suck harder. Making your opponent roll away that hit/crit can do wonders to keeping you alive longer, and it makes their reroll capability a little less effective.

Predator is overkill with Linked Batteries.

Getting a first reroll is great. The second one is of far lower value. I'd get rid of either Predator or Linked Batteries. Ditching Linked would free up points and a slot for 2-point cannons, like Flechette or Tractor Beam. It would be 33 points for a Rho with Predator, HLC, Tractor, XG-1 and LRS--that would be 4-dice a lot of the time, "shots" after a SLAM, always at least one reroll, and a TL to open the fight.

12 hours ago, theBitterFig said:

Predator is overkill with Linked Batteries.

Getting a first reroll is great. The second one is of far lower value. I'd get rid of either Predator or Linked Batteries. Ditching Linked would free up points and a slot for 2-point cannons, like Flechette or Tractor Beam. It would be 33 points for a Rho with Predator, HLC, Tractor, XG-1 and LRS--that would be 4-dice a lot of the time, "shots" after a SLAM, always at least one reroll, and a TL to open the fight.

I disagree with this assessment. Needing 2 re-rolls comes up quite a lot. The best thing about it is the fact that you don't have to use them both at once.

For example, let's say you have a focus token, predator (or lone wolf) and linked battery. Let's say you roll 1+ hits, 1 blank and 1 eye (and let's be honest here, 1 blank + 1 eye comes up a lot!). With predator and linked battery, you have some options how you tackle this 'average result'. First, you use linked battery to re-roll the blank. If it comes up eye, hit or crit, then you can spend your focus and maximize your hits. Awesome! But if it comes up blank, you can then use predator to re-roll the eye and hope for a 2nd hit. While saving your focus token for defense. I haven't used the Starwing much yet, but this little option helped me at least twice in my game last night.

Anyway, as to the list itself, I'm not convinced its the best way to go. So far, I've found 2 really good Star-wing builds and both of them use the XG-1 title because frankly, I find the other title to be a bit garbage. Once again, its a case where the game designers just don't seem to understand the nuances of the game and can't put a proper cost on an upgrade card due to ignorance (or it seems to me).

So I'll share these two builds:

---Karsabi w/ EPT*, XG-1, HLC, linked & LRS = 34 (plus EPT)

* I think the best EPT options are: lone wolf, wired or A score to settle.

---Rho w/ lightning reflexes, XG-1, flechette cannon, linked, harpoon missile, extra munitions & LRS = 33

So the two main problems for the Starwing are: 1) turning around & 2) action economy. One of the first things you realize once you get a chance to use this bad boy is that it needs to slam. ALOT! You may not have to slam every single turn, but you will be slamming multiple times per battle. The cool thing about Slam on the Starwing is its kind of similar to Adaptive Ailerons on the striker, only it allows the potential for even longer, sweeping moves. So anyone comfortable with flying strikers should feel fine with these babies once you get used to all the extra movement options. But of course, if you are slamming a lot, you lose dice mods, so you have to be careful there. But that's where Long range scanners and Linked battery help out.

Extra munitions is a 'must have' because you simply cannot get the actions you need after launching a harpoon because you need 3 things: 1) slam to come around again, 2) reload, 3) get a new TL because you most likely spent it on the first shot. So at least with extra munitions, you get a 2nd harpoon shot without needing to worry about the reload. And that's why this Rho build works well. All of its upgrades free up your actions so you only are thinking between the two: slam/focus when in combat, OR slam/TL when out of combat range.

And don't underestimate the value of Lightning Reflexes on these guys! They desperately need to turn around at times, and sometimes the SLAM just won't cut it due to the positioning of enemies. Lightning Reflexes really increases their time-on-target (something they need, because they are a bit squishy and can't afford to be dicking around out of the combat for too long!)

You can't reroll a die that has already been rerolled

9 minutes ago, Greebwahn said:

You can't reroll a die that has already been rerolled

Read more carefully. That's not what I suggested in my post.

Hmm. Yeah. 2 rerolls is nice, but I guess you would lose a lot mobility.

What about just one HLC/Predator/Linked in a list? Comes in at 34 point, but it would hit pretty hard.

I know what you mean about action efficiency problems. You cannot take guidance chips without dropping advanced slam.

What about a PTL/Advanced Slam Missile Loadout guy? That way, you can slam, target lock, and focus, and shoot missiles all in one turn. Without guidance chips, you probably do not want plasmas, likely stick to Cruise, Homing, or Harpoon. That way, you have a four dice attack with a TL and focus. Almost 4 hits guaranteed.

Major Vynder (26)
Push the Limit (3)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Cluster Missiles (4)
Advanced SLAM (2)
Os-1 Arsenal Loadout (2)

Total: 41

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Okay this guy is really expensive lol...probably throw in extra munitions, too, like you suggested.

1 hour ago, blade_mercurial said:

I disagree with this assessment. Needing 2 re-rolls comes up quite a lot. The best thing about it is the fact that you don't have to use them both at once.

For example, let's say you have a focus token, predator (or lone wolf) and linked battery. Let's say you roll 1+ hits, 1 blank and 1 eye (and let's be honest here, 1 blank + 1 eye comes up a lot!). With predator and linked battery, you have some options how you tackle this 'average result'. First, you use linked battery to re-roll the blank. If it comes up eye, hit or crit, then you can spend your focus and maximize your hits. Awesome! But if it comes up blank, you can then use predator to re-roll the eye and hope for a 2nd hit. While saving your focus token for defense. I haven't used the Starwing much yet, but this little option helped me at least twice in my game last night.

[...]

And don't underestimate the value of Lightning Reflexes on these guys! They desperately need to turn around at times, and sometimes the SLAM just won't cut it due to the positioning of enemies. Lightning Reflexes really increases their time-on-target (something they need, because they are a bit squishy and can't afford to be dicking around out of the combat for too long!)

Overkill might be an overstatement, but I think the general concept that going Predator & Linked Batteries is a fairly inefficient use of points will be backed up by the math. Having an HLC and a focus token averages about 3 hits (31% chance of 4). Adding one reroll brings the average to 3.5 hits (63% chance of 4). Adding a second reroll brings the average to about 3.75 hits (77% chance of 4). There is a much bigger benefit for the first reroll than the second (half a hit, double the chance of 4 hits). If Predator is your source for the second reroll, you'd be spending 3 points for a bit less than 0.25 damage increase per attack. Crack Shot would be better damage (on average) until you get four attacks off per Star Wing, and it costs 1/3rd as many points. Lighting Reflexes can get more shots, which is also more damage. Taking out Linked Batteries frees the cannon instead of Elite slot, which can add shots after slams with Tractor Beam or Flechette Cannon.

I think any of those would be a bit better than getting two sources of rerolls. Particularly Crack Shot, if you just want to push damage.

//

I kinda like the Rho build, but it could also be trimmed down to a 25pt Nu build by getting rid of Lighting Reflexes, Linked Batteries, and Extra Munitions. Four Nu with Harpoon, XG-1, LRS, and Flechette seems nice. Weaker per ship, but you get an extra one. I don't think they'd me that much more likely to be PS killed (since most things which PS kill a Nu will also PS kill a Rho).

31 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

Overkill might be an overstatement, but I think the general concept that going Predator & Linked Batteries is a fairly inefficient use of points will be backed up by the math. Having an HLC and a focus token averages about 3 hits (31% chance of 4). Adding one reroll brings the average to 3.5 hits (63% chance of 4). Adding a second reroll brings the average to about 3.75 hits (77% chance of 4). There is a much bigger benefit for the first reroll than the second (half a hit, double the chance of 4 hits). If Predator is your source for the second reroll, you'd be spending 3 points for a bit less than 0.25 damage increase per attack. Crack Shot would be better damage (on average) until you get four attacks off per Star Wing, and it costs 1/3rd as many points. Lighting Reflexes can get more shots, which is also more damage. Taking out Linked Batteries frees the cannon instead of Elite slot, which can add shots after slams with Tractor Beam or Flechette Cannon.

I think any of those would be a bit better than getting two sources of rerolls. Particularly Crack Shot, if you just want to push damage.

//

I kinda like the Rho build, but it could also be trimmed down to a 25pt Nu build by getting rid of Lighting Reflexes, Linked Batteries, and Extra Munitions. Four Nu with Harpoon, XG-1, LRS, and Flechette seems nice. Weaker per ship, but you get an extra one. I don't think they'd me that much more likely to be PS killed (since most things which PS kill a Nu will also PS kill a Rho).

Its ok. You don't see the value of two separate re-rolls which can be activated independently of each other to allow more efficient use of your focus token. I realize not everyone gets these kinds of nuances and that's fine. There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say.

But just to be clear, I'm not specifically saying that predator is a 'go-to' EPT for the starwing. I'm saying that 2 sources of re-rolls on the star-wing in particular is really handy! You get those two sources from: TL (Long-range scanners), linked battery, or EPT (predator, lone wolf or wired). Taking any two of those is totally worth it on the star-wing based on my experiences using it so far because you declare using one to re-roll a single die and based on that result, you can decide whether to use another re-roll on another die (or dice that you haven't re-rolled yet) or use your focus token. And that adds to efficiency right there because you aren't wasting a focus token on a bad shot.

As for trimming the Rho build down to 4 Nu's, I don't think it will work very well. Its not a case of losing Pilot Skill. Its a case of losing essential upgrades to put a 'deal-with-all-comers' list on the table. If you haven't had a chance to fly the starwing yet, then I can see why you wouldn't understand the necessity of those particular upgrades. But getting rid of them cripples the list, frankly. Get it on the table, give it a go, and then I'm sure you'll see how important Lightning Reflexes, Linked battery and Extra Munitions becomes. At least if you are flying only Gunboats and nothing else. If you were to take one of these guys to supplement a list, then sure, I could see altering the build to suit that particular list's needs...

29 minutes ago, HanScottFirst said:

What about a PTL/Advanced Slam Missile Loadout guy? That way, you can slam, target lock, and focus, and shoot missiles all in one turn. Without guidance chips, you probably do not want plasmas, likely stick to Cruise, Homing, or Harpoon. That way, you have a four dice attack with a TL and focus. Almost 4 hits guaranteed.

Major Vynder (26)
Push the Limit (3)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Cluster Missiles (4)
Advanced SLAM (2)
Os-1 Arsenal Loadout (2)

Total: 41

As you say, that is a super expensive ship and will struggle with higher PS opponents. The OS-1 title is dumb, frankly. Its a trap choice. Unless you are taking it for a very specific build, I would not bother with it. Its totally not worth 2 points to be able to fire ordnance after SLAM when you can just take the XG-1 title without meaningful loss in effectiveness.

I can see a value to two sources of rerolls.

I just think that value is lower than the value added by a different use of points.

And since you're also suggesting a list which doesn't use two sources of rerolls, I'd say that the relative benefit of not doubling-down on rerolls is pretty clear.

2 minutes ago, blade_mercurial said:

If you haven't had a chance to fly the starwing yet, then I can see why you wouldn't understand the necessity of those particular upgrades.

Dude. Snarky like this about a ship which hasn't even been released yet ? The 4x trim vs 3x loaded has always been something discussed and worth discussing in X-Wing.

31 minutes ago, blade_mercurial said:

The OS-1 title is dumb, frankly. Its a trap choice. Unless you are taking it for a very specific build, I would not bother with it. Its totally not worth 2 points to be able to fire ordnance after SLAM when you can just take the XG-1 title without meaningful loss in effectiveness.

I would respectfully disagree here. The ability to fire (or threaten to fire) ordnance after SLAM (or reload) is huge for ordnance-heavy builds (especially given the fact that Harpoons don't spend target lock). I think that XG1 that gets a similar type of performance would be more expensive ( by at least several points)

1 hour ago, theBitterFig said:

I can see a value to two sources of rerolls.

I just think that value is lower than the value added by a different use of points.

And since you're also suggesting a list which doesn't use two sources of rerolls, I'd say that the relative benefit of not doubling-down on rerolls is pretty clear.

Dude. Snarky like this about a ship which hasn't even been released yet ? The 4x trim vs 3x loaded has always been something discussed and worth discussing in X-Wing.

I apologize if I sounded snarky. I play a lot on VASSAL (where the gunboat is seeing lots of action). But both of the builds I posted have multiple sources of re-rolls: Target Lock and Linked Battery (and for Karsabi, either Lone Wolf or Wired provides a 3rd source).

37 minutes ago, PT106 said:

I would respectfully disagree here. The ability to fire (or threaten to fire) ordnance after SLAM (or reload) is huge for ordnance-heavy builds (especially given the fact that Harpoons don't spend target lock). I think that XG1 that gets a similar type of performance would be more expensive ( by at least several points)

Its not really huge. I mean, we've had ordnance carrying ships since forever and none of them relied on SLAM to get their ordnance off. Admittedly its not always easy to fire ordnance against certain builds, but I don't think having SLAM changes that (other than the fact that you might catch some players by surprise, especially those not used to the SLAM possibilities).

XG-1 pretty much DOES get a little more expensive all in all, so I agree there. But what exactly does OS-1 get you for 2 points? The ability to fire after slamming, plus a bonus missile/torp slot. I think everyone can agree that a bonus torp/missile is not very useful on a ship that can already equip extra munitions OR has the reload action at no cost! So, you are basically paying 2 points to fire ordnance after a SLAM. After playing with it a bit, I am convinced that you can fire your ordnance just fine without the need for slamming. And the vast majority of the time, after you fire the initial ordnance you carried on your gunboat, it is extremely difficult to get off a second shot for reasons I posted above (needing 3 actions, essentially: TL, reload & SLAM). Extra munitions drops that requirement to 2.

Here are two 'basic' Nu builds:

OS Nu: harpoon, OS-1 & LRS = 24

XG Nu: harpoon, XG-1, flechette cannon, linked & LRS = 27

For 3 points more, the XG Nu has: equal damage output, same action economy, but much greater tactical flexibility in the form of stress control and better primary/cannon accuracy from linked battery. That's a great deal for 3 points. Both ships can fire after slamming. The only difference is the OS gets to fire a missile (assuming its locked and loaded and ready to fire.....not a guarantee!). Whereas the XG Nu gets to fire a cannon after slamming (with a re-roll, so its not unmodified).

12 minutes ago, blade_mercurial said:

XG-1 pretty much DOES get a little more expensive all in all, so I agree there. But what exactly does OS-1 get you for 2 points? The ability to fire after slamming, plus a bonus missile/torp slot.

It is a good analysis overall, however I think it misses one more application of OS-1 title: the ability to fire a missile after reload. This is relevant, because for example a Harpoon attack with focus and guidance chips has 46% chance of dealing 4 hits without spending TL. Also, lets not forget that OS-1 is the only way to perform attack that deals more than 1 damage after slamming.

I still think that OS1 is a better title for cheap alpha-stike gunboats (and extra 3 points are a lot for 25 pts ship, as for example XG1 Nu would need to compete with deadeye Gamma Squad with harpoons and extra munitions)

19 minutes ago, PT106 said:

I still think that OS1 is a better title for cheap alpha-stike gunboats (and extra 3 points are a lot for 25 pts ship, as for example XG1 Nu would need to compete with deadeye Gamma Squad with harpoons and extra munitions)

Based on my experience and observations of others playing with it, I'm not convinced Nu is going to do well competitively. There are too many problems to overcome to make it an easy build to fly. And even in the hands of someone that becomes experienced with it, 4 Nu's (regardless of what title you bring) are going to have more bad matchups than 3 Rho's because they lose some of the tools needed to help deal with their difficult enemy ships.

Another problem is PS 2. PS 3 is not going anywhere just because of the Jump master nerf. Lok Revenant is quickly moving in to fill its place, in particular, the deadeye + harpoon build (I'm seeing a lot of it on VASSAL and I have no doubt its going to gain even more traction in the upcoming tournament season). Rho with harpoon trumps it nicely though...

46 minutes ago, blade_mercurial said:

Based on my experience and observations of others playing with it, I'm not convinced Nu is going to do well competitively. There are too many problems to overcome to make it an easy build to fly. And even in the hands of someone that becomes experienced with it, 4 Nu's (regardless of what title you bring) are going to have more bad matchups than 3 Rho's because they lose some of the tools needed to help deal with their difficult enemy ships.

Another problem is PS 2. PS 3 is not going anywhere just because of the Jump master nerf. Lok Revenant is quickly moving in to fill its place, in particular, the deadeye + harpoon build (I'm seeing a lot of it on VASSAL and I have no doubt its going to gain even more traction in the upcoming tournament season). Rho with harpoon trumps it nicely though...

All good points (esp about PS3 Revenants, as this is definitely something that needs to be considered). I'm still split on Nu builds and wonder if their toolset can be fine-tuned by ordnance selection. The way I see it, the main advantage of Nu builds over Rho builds is in the raw hp stat (as 4 Nu boats have 28 hull+shields to chew through, so may afford to PS-lose one of the boats at some point.

Hmm. 7 HP behind 2 green die won't last horribly long against alpha strike. Maybe VI on Vynder w/Adv Slam, XG-1, and Flechette and Linked or something? Only problem is damage output would be lacking.

Also, I still like PTL w/Advanced Slam. The greens aren't the best, but slamming and getting two actions is not bad. It would really increase offensive output, too.

Or, Expertise could be nice. That way you can use the focus for defense, or slam if you need to, etc. Between Expertise and Adv. Slam, you can do some damage I would bet. Especially with Cluster Missiles.

Two examples together:

Rho Squadron Veteran (21)
Push the Limit (3)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Cluster Missiles (4)
Advanced SLAM (2)
Os-1 Arsenal Loadout (2)

Rho Squadron Veteran (21)
Expertise (4)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Cluster Missiles (4)
Advanced SLAM (2)
Os-1 Arsenal Loadout (2)

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

2 hours ago, blade_mercurial said:

I apologize if I sounded snarky. I play a lot on VASSAL (where the gunboat is seeing lots of action).

It's all good. There's a lot to learn from on-table/VASSAL experience with any ship, and experience counts. Knowing how they behave, and their limitations and the things necessary to overcome that is important. I got hung up on the phrasing, but it's useful information.

It's just so tempting to run four ships, though. Personally, I can't wait to zoom about with four Advanced Slam, Linked Batteries Flechette Nus. It'll be bad, since the damage really won't be there. But I look forward to it all the same.

As to PS 3, there's also Wookiee Liberators. I haven't seen too many Scurrgs around in my local, but there are a few Auzituck players (myself included).

43 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

It's all good. There's a lot to learn from on-table/VASSAL experience with any ship, and experience counts. Knowing how they behave, and their limitations and the things necessary to overcome that is important. I got hung up on the phrasing, but it's useful information.

It's just so tempting to run four ships, though. Personally, I can't wait to zoom about with four Advanced Slam, Linked Batteries Flechette Nus. It'll be bad, since the damage really won't be there. But I look forward to it all the same.

As to PS 3, there's also Wookiee Liberators. I haven't seen too many Scurrgs around in my local, but there are a few Auzituck players (myself included).

Haha, those 4 Nu's were the first thing I tried! Although I dropped one flechette for a tractor beam hoping that the -1 agility would somehow make the damage 'ok'. Unfortunately, its a very 'wet noodle' list! It is cool that the 4 ships can SLAM all over the place. Its kind of like TIE Strikers on steroids. And while they aren't super tough, they aren't total wimps neither. The 4 hull + 3 shields behind 2 agility is somewhat similar to a TIE Defender in terms of durability (NO X-7 title), but they are cheaper! So yeah, didn't go well because the firepower is totally lacking...

Next I tried this:

2 Nu's w/ XG-1, flechette cannon, linked, ion pulse missiles & LRS = 26 x 2

2 Nu's w/ OS-1, harpoon missiles & LRS = 24 x 2

100

That's where I discovered the problems with reloading and slamming. It was nigh impossible to get a 2nd missile off from any ship. The list was very difficult to fly though. Getting the right approach is tricky (partly because I don't fly in tight formation and partly because of telegraphing the locks from LRS).

So I like the idea of having the harpoons, and I think LRS is still worth it (even if it can get tricky), but I find extra munitions totally worth the 2 points. Here's another build that I haven't tried yet, so I cannot endorse it as 'effective'. But I am skeptical about it because I think the Scimitar makes a superior rocket carrier:

2 Nu's w/ OS-1, unguided rockets & advanced SLAM = 24 x 2

2 Nu's w/ OS-1, harpoon missiles, extra munitions & LRS = 26 x 2

100

Also I think I prefer the flechette cannons + linked battery because the stress control (as limited as it is) does help, especially against those pesky mobile large bases that would otherwise be hard to keep in arc. It also shuts down most k-turns/s-loops, allowing you to take good advantage of Lightning Reflexes and keep the pressure up. And with the triple Rho's, you get an extra Harpoon missile in addition to the control elements. For those reasons, I rather prefer the Rho's...

Did you try much OG-1/A.SLAM?

On paper, it's SLAM and reload, then SLAM and TL. That's 4 points, though, so a Nu could only carry a single 3-point torpedo... Plasma? That's four unmodified dice, though. Variance much? Cruise would really limit moves but might be the "best" option, since a two-speed is 3 dice with a TL, which is kinda better than 4 dice plain. Ion Pulse have the same kind of a problem as Flechette Cannons in that they don't really do much damage, but Ion control can be really nasty.

4x Nu with OG-1/Advanced SLAM/Advanced Homing Missiles would be hilarious. But so bad. But so **** hilarious.

//

*edit* Unguided seems rough on action economy, since you'll have to have a TL you can't spend if you want to fire while weapons disabled, and you can't fire UGR without a Focus token.

53 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

Did you try much OG-1/A.SLAM?

*edit* Unguided seems rough on action economy, since you'll have to have a TL you can't spend if you want to fire while weapons disabled, and you can't fire UGR without a Focus token.

In the few times I did, I never got a chance to fire after slamming. Either because I fired before and needed to reload, or just fired without needing to slam. Not saying it its useless, just that its not something that comes up all the time. That's why I find it questionable at 2 points. If the title were 1 point (like the XG-1), I think it would be more palatable.

And you're probably right about unguided rockets. It runs into action economy issues, but that's seems to be the common theme for the Gunboat...

Ok, I just got a game in using the OS-1 title. The biggest problem is trying to get all the actions you need for the Gunboat to keep up a steady stream of missiles. I decided that Targeting Synchronizer can really help with this issue, and I was right!

Here's the list I used:

The Nu Starkiller Generation!

Starkiller Base Pilot w/ FCS, gunner, tactician, target synch, kylo's shuttle & engine = 48

2 Nu Squad Pilots w/ OS-1, harpoon missiles, extra munitions & Long-range Scanners = 26 x 2

100

The reason I chose Upsilon is because with engine upgrade, it has no problem keeping up with Slamming Gunboats. And its the only large-based Imperial Ship that can take Targeting Synch at the moment.

My opponent flew a variation on Paratanni:

Ventress w/ Mindlink & Latts

Fenn w/ mindlink, title & thrusters

Karthaak Pirate w/ harpoon & long-range scanners

I won't bother with a detailed report, but basically, my list worked exactly as I had hoped. I was able to put target locks on Fenn to scare him and still fire harpoons at the karthaak pirate later on when I needed to thanks to the Targeting Synch. My dice were really cold early on (3 hits out of 12 red dice in the first turn of shooting!). But I had no difficulty controlling range and getting the engagements I wanted thanks to being able to zoom quite fast and simultaneously neuter the opponent's movement with 2 sources of stress from the Upsilon. The match was still super close though and could've gone either way, but honestly, I think that was mainly due to how bad my dice were. If I had even gotten average dice, it would've been a decisive victory for me.

I also managed to fire 5 harpoons through the course of the game! Only one of them was after slamming, and my dice were so bad on that attack that it was almost not worth it, but that was just bad luck. I can see how it could be useful in other matchups. Plus, the 'threat' of slam + missile launch really inhibited how my opponent flew (he was probably more cautious than he might otherwise have been). And that also helped contribute to my being able to dominate the dice trades (and that definitely made up for my below average hits).

So I'll modify my earlier assessment of the OS-1 title. Its not exactly a dumb choice, but I don't think you can just spam a bunch of OS-1 Gunboats and expect to do well competitively. Unfortunately the only Target Synch enabled ships at the moment are Upsilon, TIE/fo and TIE/sf. And of the the three, only the Upsilon can realistically keep up with slamming gunboats. Perhaps the TIE silencer will provide another option when it releases, but for now, I really like this list and I think I'll use it again...

12 minutes ago, blade_mercurial said:

Ok, I just got a game in using the OS-1 title. The biggest problem is trying to get all the actions you need for the Gunboat to keep up a steady stream of missiles. I decided that Targeting Synchronizer can really help with this issue, and I was right!

Interesting! I thought about using TS with OS-1 gunboats and decided against it due to a fact that TS target lock doesn't work with a title (so boats can't reload and shoot the same round). Was it ever an issue in that game? (although having extra munitions does help in that regard).

Did you try using tracers? I played Nu squad with tracers several times and it seems to be a solid option (as ships can reload and shoot by getting TL from tracers, so extra munitions and LRS can be dropped)

13 minutes ago, PT106 said:

Interesting! I thought about using TS with OS-1 gunboats and decided against it due to a fact that TS target lock doesn't work with a title (so boats can't reload and shoot the same round). Was it ever an issue in that game? (although having extra munitions does help in that regard).

Did you try using tracers? I played Nu squad with tracers several times and it seems to be a solid option (as ships can reload and shoot by getting TL from tracers, so extra munitions and LRS can be dropped)

No because I only fired one harpoon after slamming, and it was a kill shot on a double stressed Fenn (whom I had target locked at the start of the game).

I have not tried tracers yet....

Edit: thinking about this some more:

Nu w/ OS-1, harpoons, thread tracers & Adv. SLAM = 27

So you can easily run 3 of those together, plus 19 points for either a TIE striker Trainee as blocker, or perhaps a support shuttle? But you are at the mercy of bad dice. If you get some bad rolls, those tracers will miss (perhaps Systems Officer and Intel agent on a shuttle to help with that?)

Alternatively:

Rho w/ crackshot, OS-1, harpoons, thread tracers & Adv. SLAM = 31

Now you can only fit 2 in a list, but still, 38 points to add a 3rd ship is decent. Imperials have lots of options in that price range, and crackshot makes it easier to make the tracers stick initially...