I played for a while after the game launched, and the last game I played was for the Wave 2 pre-release. (I won Home One!)

I've been picking up stuff ever since, but haven't had time to play.

I have a wide variety of stuff, but I'm not sure what to build, because I have questions. I think I get it, but can someone explain the benefit/appeal of the flotillas to me? I just want to be sure that I get it... after seeing so many builds that run 3+ of them, I feel like I might be missing something.

I'm going to be playing Imperials for a while, here's what I have:

ISD
ISD
Chimaera
VSD
VSD
VSD
Gladiator
Gladiator
Raider
Raider
Raider
Rogues & Villains
Rogues & Villains
Rogues & Villains
Rogues & Villains
Gozanti
Gozanti
Light Cruiser
Fighters
Fighters II
Light Carrier
Corellian Conflict

Any suggestions?
I was leaning towards maxing out the fighter build with mercs... and then not really having to worry about squadron commands.

Thanks so much for any answers and insights you might offer.

J

the benefit of flotillas is simple they give you extra activatios, they are great little carriers to push bombing wings and fighter screens, there flack can contribute pretty significantly to the squadron game, and the support they can give to your fleet with the fleet support slot and officers they can take.

It’s probably wise to steer clear of Imperial rogues. Rebel bombers and especially Sloane lists just outclass them, and it’s an uphill battle to prevent them from alpha striking or outmaneuvering and hitting ships. Luckily,

11 minutes ago, xero989 said:

the benefit of flotillas is simple: they give you extra activations, they are great little carriers

Gozantis are a staple. 2 Gozantis and a 6-TIE screen is a perfectly acceptable antisquad force, leaving the rest of the list wide open while contributing 2 activations. Add comms net, and it can even help with fleet support.

That's a shame about the rogues... I wonder if they'll ever do anything about it.

Are they (Gozantis) still considered small for things like Motti?

Is this terrible?

1 • Gozanti-class Assault Carriers - Instructor Goran - Jamming Field (37)
2 • Gozanti-class Assault Carriers - Comms Net (30)
3 • Dengar Punishing One (20)
4 • Black Squadron TIE Fighter Squadron (9)
5 • IG-88 IG-2000 (21)
6 • Aggressor Assault Fighter (16)
7 • Aggressor Assault Fighter (16)
8 • Aggressor Assault Fighter (16)
9 • Soontir Fel TIE Interceptor Squadron (18)
10 • Raider II-class corvette - Darth Vader - Impetuous (55)
11 • Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit - Admiral Motti - Minister Tua - Gunnery Team - Redundant Shields - H9 Turbolasers (161)

Firesprays are better regarded than the Aggressors, the extra 2 health is pretty important.

Reinforced Blastdoors is better than redundant shields.

I thought as much on the blast doors, thank you for the confirmation.

For the Aggressors, I was looking to stack the Counter bonus... no good?

It's not terrible... Aggressors are the closest thing to a viable rogue fighter. The problem is they aren't cost efficient, and Interceptors are better for counter shenanigans. You have 116(?) points in fighters, but compare it to this, which is what I bring in my Sloane list:

Dengar

Howlrunner

2 Lambdas

8 TIEs

130 pts.

Or this deadlier complement, which is what normal people bring in their Sloane lists:

Jendon

Maarek Stele

Ciena Ree

Howlrunner

Valen Rudor

Dengar

Mauler Mithel

Saber Squadron

134 pts.

Assuming you don't have godly squadron skills, these will shred any Imperial rogues. The Aggressors are outsped and outgunned (their counter is 0-4 due to Howlrunner+Dengar.) The speed 4-5 Sloane aces get to choose how, when and sometimes whether to engage. On the other hand, if they aren't committed to a squadron build, they should be able to outgun 1 Cymoon and 1 raider (e.g. 2 ISDs, multiple mc30s, an MSU). The Aggressors, lacking bomber, will do "meh" damage with their black die, after you kill their screen.

The issue is rogues aren't in themselves an effective path to victory. The real question is: what is your overall goal? Do you want to commit to (commanded) squadrons, or commit to warships (which *can* allow a light rogue screen)? I'm happy to assist with either, if you want.

Back in the day, I did enjoy a triple VSD list...

I guess I'm not sure that I understand what you mean when you say " The Aggressors are outsped and outgunned (their counter is 0-4 due to Howlrunner+Dengar.) " (I get the outsped... but what do you mean by 0-4?)

I do understand about not having enough punch. I figured they'd be able to clear the skies and wouldn't be immediate targets with a large counter value. (boosted by Dengar and Goran) but I suppose I could get that with Interceptors. I just liked not having to rely on activations to get them moving.

Are Firesprays terrible?

Does it really matter which Gozantis I take?

I love triple VSD (there are a few haters, but they're all wrong .)

Sorry, that was a confusing sentence. Every Sloane ace except Jendon has speed 4 or 5 vs the Agressor's 3. Every Sloane Aces has multiple counter buffs in play; their counter strength ranges from 0 (Dengar) to counter 4 (Ciena.) Due to swarm rerolls, Howlrunner and sometimes Flight Controllers, the aces can all roll 5-6 dice. There's sort of a hierarchy. Commanded Squadrons > Rogues > "Uncommanded" Squadrons. This is because no matter what your activation order is, Commanded Squadrons will hit Rogues first and hopefully kill things.

Firesprays are the least uncommon rogue, because each one is basically a pair of fused, low-maintenance TIE bombers. They fill a niche.

The cheaper "cruisers" are most common, but the red dice "Assault Carriers" like certain objectives (Jonus + Close-range Intel Scan, Most Wanted, Opening Salvo.)

Can I use the Corruptor to move my Firesprays faster?

[ EMPIRE FLEET (397 points)
1 • Gozanti-class Assault Carriers - Comms Net (30)
2 • Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit - Admiral Motti - Minister Tua - Gunnery Team - Reinforced Blast Doors - XX-9 Turbolasers (155)
3 • Victory II-class Star Destroyer - Darth Vader - Leading Shots - XX-9 Turbolasers - Corrupter (102)
4 • Boba Fett Slave 1 (26)
5 • Firespray-31 (18)
6 • Firespray-31 (18)
7 • Firespray-31 (18)
8 • Black Squadron TIE Fighter Squadron (9)
9 • Maarek Stele TIE Defender Squadron (21)

(110/134) squads

Better? Worse?

Definitely better. Disposable Capacitors are so amazing as to be practically stapled to VSD2s, and it warrants a Gunnery Team of its own. Corruptor only speeds up Firesprays if you command them, which leads to the question "Why not just use TIE Defenders/bombers?," which paradoxically leads to the question "why use Corruptor?" A Bomber Command Center would really help consistent bomber damage. Even with 14 hull, ECM stands tall as the best "Large Ship" defensive retrofit. Using brace once a round will save more damage most of the time. Finally, Intel is a big deal. Firesprays can hurt ships, but they're bad at avoiding fighters or shooting them.

This is probably the best Armada Resource I know of. Part blog, part encyclopedia, all reliable. What I recommend doing is going through each entry for everything in your list, and seeing how effective they're generally perceived to be.

http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/

Hope that helps.