The imperial Small Epic, the gozanti carries limited conventional firepower, but the ability to protect and support up to a 4 ship alpha strike is a signature ability. It can also function much as the rebel transport, relying on Coordinate, Comm Booster, Jamming, and Slicer Tools to control the nearby battlefield. And it carries a hardpoint, giving it long range firepower or an unlimited missile arsonal.

What builds should be watched out for, what unique twists have you discovered? Discuss!

Clamps

Automated protocols

Dual laser turret

Courier droid.

Basically 50 pts for a generic large base turret that locks after the aces move. Competitive only through being a cheap* tank with an ok gun... and freeing up 250 pts for all the gunboats and lambdas.

Cygnus spaceworks display squadron cannons (300/300)
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Gozanti-class Cruiser: Gozanti-class Cruiser (40 + 11)
+ Courier Droid (0)
+ Dual Laser Turret (5)
+ IG-RM Thug Droids (1)
+ Automated Protocols (5)
Lambda-class Shuttle: Omicron Group Pilot (21 + 12)
+ Fire Control System (2)
+ Heavy Laser Cannon (7)
+ Courier Droid (0)
+ Weapons Engineer (3)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)
Alpha-class Star Wing: Nu Squadron Pilot (18 + 9)
+ Xg-1 Assault Configuration (1)
+ Advanced SLAM (2)
+ Flechette Cannon (2)
+ "Mangler" Cannon (4)

Example of it in a list. Can swap thug droids and weapons engineer out to make one of the nus into a karsabi with

wired

xg1

mangler

linked

You're all expecting it anyway, so here is my atypical, yet highly effective Gozanti build:

Gozanti-class cruiser (40)
- Targeting Coordinator (4)
- Grand Moff Tarkin (6)
- Suppressor (6)
- Comms Booster (4)
- Docking Clamps (0)
- Sensor Team (4)
- Automated Protocols (5)
TOTAL: 69

It's expensive, but it makes "10 men feel like 100." With no weapon, it is often discounted as unimportant. But it strips tokens from enemies and grants tokens to friendlies like nobody's business. Suppressor + Targeting Coordinator is a great combo. Works especially great with starfighters that rely on Target Locks like ordnance carriers and TIE advanced with Advanced Targeting Computer.

To reiterate - this is way more expensive than I am usually comfortable with, but I have 5W-1L with the squad in which I use this Gozanti build.

2 hours ago, Parakitor said:

You're all expecting it anyway, so here is my atypical, yet highly effective Gozanti build:

Gozanti-class cruiser (40)
- Targeting Coordinator (4)
- Grand Moff Tarkin (6)
- Suppressor (6)
- Comms Booster (4)
- Docking Clamps (0)
- Sensor Team (4)
- Automated Protocols (5)
TOTAL: 69

It's expensive, but it makes "10 men feel like 100." With no weapon, it is often discounted as unimportant. But it strips tokens from enemies and grants tokens to friendlies like nobody's business. Suppressor + Targeting Coordinator is a great combo. Works especially great with starfighters that rely on Target Locks like ordnance carriers and TIE advanced with Advanced Targeting Computer.

To reiterate - this is way more expensive than I am usually comfortable with , but I have 5W-1L with the squad in which I use this Gozanti build.

But sometimes you get what you pay for.

These 3 builds presuppose the use of the Title:

VECTOR

Ramming speed!!

60 points

Gozanti-class Cruiser (60)
Gozanti-Class Cruiser (40), Rear Admiral Chiraneau (3), Shield Technician (1), Ion Cannon Battery (6), Docking Clamps (0), Engine Booster (3), Vector (2), Optimised Generators (5)

REQUIEM

90 points

Gozanti-class Cruiser (63)
Gozanti-Class Cruiser (40), Shield Technician (1), Fleet Officer (3), Dual Laser Turret (5), Ordnance Experts (5), Docking Clamps (0), Requiem (4), Automated Protocols (5)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)
TIE Bomber (16), Plasma Torpedoes (3), Assault Missiles (5), Thermal Detonators (3), Guidance Chips (0)

SUPPRESSOR

69 points

Gozanti-class Cruiser (69)
Gozanti-Class Cruiser (40), Shield Technician (1), Grand Moff Tarkin (6), Dual Laser Turret (5), Sensor Team (4), Broadcast Array (2), Suppressor (6), Automated Protocols (5)

Suppressor is awesome for crippling aces or large ships (it's less useful on huge ships, because it moves before the corvettes which really suffer if you take away their tokens).

• I would suggest that the two most important crew for it are Grand Moff Tarkin (because taking away a focus on top of the Suppressor's own ability is awesome) and then either a Weapons Engineer or Targeting Co-Ordinator, who help the Suppressor get the target locks it needs to do its thing.
• Sensor Team is an easy choice, letting you screw with people's life choices from long range,
• I'm less convinced about Broadcast Array - if you're target locking, you don't want to be wasting actions jamming.
• Automated Protocols - definitely. You're not that energy-hungry and your primary responsibility is to not die, but you can't just spend your actions reinforcing.
• Basically, give or take the guns, listen to @Parakitor ; that crazy Squint Pilot knows what he's talking about.

Requiem gives you cheap PS8 ships. It basically mandates making the ship a carrier, and to capitalise on a one-round punch, demands bombers loaded aboard.

• PS is less of an issue for a docked ship anyway because you deploy and perform your action after even PS12 ships move.
• It does mean you'll shoot before generics, though.
• I think Bombers are a good call, but I'd avoid multi-loading ordnance onto bombers; this is epic - things tend to be settled in one or at most two shooting phases, and front-loading damage is the most important thing.
  • Generic Scimitars with Harpoon Missiles would be only 20 points, meaning 80 points for a full ship's load.
  • Note that with the Requiem title, not the Vector Title, you're stuck with only 2 launches per turn. For a real killing blow, you want a full-deck scramble, so Engine Booster or Rear Admiral Chiraneau to let you do and extra maneuver, and hence an extra two launches!
• Ordnance Experts is a good buy.
• If you've got deadeye bombers, consider a fleet officer.

Vector gives you the ability to deploy 4 ships - which isn't as easy as it sounds.

• I agree it's best with Engine Booster and Chiraneau - letting the Vector move as far as possible in a turn and then dumping off its ships all behind it.
• There's some argument for loading it with interceptors - a high-speed run followed by deploying 4 interceptors with speed 5 straights (1 boosts, 2 barrel roll, one doesn't reposition) could slingshot a quartet of fighters a huge distance, and they can then Push The Limit to generate focus tokens. The problem is that it's not like the carrier's movements aren't predictable, even if it does happen after everone else.

• The best 'deploy all' set of moves I've seen is:
  • Ship #1 performs bank 3 and barrel rolls left
  • Ship #2 performs bank 3 and barrel rolls right
  • Ship #3 performs bank 3
  • Ship #4 performs bank 1
  • Gives you a 'T-shape' deployment from the front of the carrier.
  • If you take 4 bombers, having the back one be Fleet Officer/Systems Officer Captain Jonus, and #1 and #2 be gamma squadron veterans with Deadeye means you've got 3 bombers with pretty decent modifiers without needing any help from the carrier.

Other things to note:

• By standard rules, you can load TIE/fo and TIE/sf onto a carrier if you've a hankering for a First Order fleet.
• Unloading 4 TIE/sf allows for some serious jank - imagine accuracy corrector/crack shot/cluster missiles/guidance chips omega specialists whaling on a capital ship, for example.

I know this is going to look a little weird, but I think its fun. I only keep 2 Interceptors on the Cruiser to deploy should it start to get swarmed, or if I'm in a good postion to drop some flankers

Gozanti-class Cruiser (40)
Targeting Coordinator (4)
Shield Technician (1)
Dual Laser Turret (5)
Sensor Team (4)
Comms Booster (4)
Docking Clamps (0)
Automated Protocols (5)
Suppressor (6)

Royal Guard Pilot (22)
Predator (3)
Shield Upgrade (4)
Autothrusters (2)
Royal Guard TIE (0)

Royal Guard Pilot (22)
Predator (3)
Shield Upgrade (4)
Autothrusters (2)
Royal Guard TIE (0)

Total: 131

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I am also a fan of a more expensive Suppressor build - in total 73 points.

Thematically I am fond of the idea of having a huge command and support ship. In my epic games so far it also turned out to be quite effective. Inofficial title: "most annoying ship of the day".

Gozanti-Class Cruiser (73)
Gozanti-Class Cruiser (40), Grand Moff Tarkin (6), Targeting Coordinator (4), Dual Laser Turret (5), Engineering Team (4), Backup Shield Generator (3), Docking Clamps (0), Suppressor (6), Automated Protocols (5)

On a normal turn my "action economy" looks like:

• Optional: launch docked fighters
• 1 Energy: Target Lock with Targeting Coordintor triggering Suppressor (usually pass the token to a fighter) - particularly useful to take away the target lock from an ordnance carrier (or even the focus if it has deadeye)
• Normal action: Coordinate for a focus, target lock or whatever is needed on a fighter
• 1 Energy: Automated Protocols for reinforce for basic defense and to avoid random damage
• 1 Energy: Firing the Dual Laser Turret (remember it's a secondary so you cover a huge area with the turret at range 3)
• 1 Energy: Recover one shield with the backup shield generator and remedy trickle damage and stay relevant
• Hand out or strip one focus token with Tarkin from an own or enemy ship up to range 4 (crippling aces or the opponents deadeye ordnance carrier)

1-2 tokens stipped to cripple enemy ships where needed the most , 2-3 tokens granted to own fighters (to maximize damage where needed),- most of them can even be given to stressed or bumped fighters, moderate offense and solid defense.

With the engineering team as soon as you are in battle range, you can use the one or two forward move to gain 3-4 energy per round, which covers your quite high energy consumption and keeps your energy for the turn, when you need to recover your shields fully. The suppressor title helps a lot as it also grants 2 extra energy (so 6 total).

I prefer to run this Gozanti setup with docked Interceptors (usually 2) - either:

Royal Guard Pilot (23)
TIE Interceptor (22), Crack Shot (1)

Saber Squadron Pilot (22)
TIE Interceptor (21), Crack Shot (1)

... or with Carnor Jax if I feel it's time for an ace:

Carnor Jax (30)
TIE Interceptor (26), Juke (2), Autothrusters (2)

If launched from the Gozanti these interceptors should have fully modded 4 dice range 1 attacks with target lock & focus & crack shot, as they are launched before the Gozanti starts handing out its tokens. Carnor Jax adds further token denial in range 1 and Juke acts as reusable Crack Shot.

Additionally I like to add deadeye ordnance carriers to the epic list - particularly Tarkin can greatly support these at range 4 even while still making your simultaneously launched interceptors a deadly force. And his focus tokens always works, even if they got stressed and without the need to add a fleet officer tie bomber shuttle or something like that to the mix. E.g.

Rho Squadron Veteran (31)
Alpha-class Star Wing (21), Deadeye (1), Proton Torpedoes (4), Assault Missiles (5), Guidance Chips (0)

Gamma Squadron Veteran (25)
TIE Bomber (19), Deadeye (1), Plasma Torpedoes (3), Extra Munitions (2), Guidance Chips (0)