Hey guys, I'm getting ready to try running something different at my local shop, and wanted some input on my idea. And I realize this is probably really really crazy but I want to try it out. So any advice will be appreciated greatly. And it is centered around the silly premise that I can get these guys throwing ISD front arc dice, which probably seems scarier than it actually is.

Name: 'Bar Destroyers
Faction: Rebel
Commander: Admiral Ackbar

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Fire Lanes
Navigation: Solar Corona

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Admiral Ackbar (38)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 127 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 89 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 89 Points

GR-75 Combat Retrofits (24)
• Toryn Farr (7)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
= 36 Points

Squadrons:
• Shara Bey (17)
• Tycho Celchu (16)
• 2 x A-wing Squadron (22)
= 55 Points

Total Points: 396

1 hour ago, LegRT85 said:

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to try running something different at my local shop, and wanted some input on my idea. And I realize this is probably really really crazy but I want to try it out. So any advice will be appreciated greatly. And it is centered around the silly premise that I can get these guys throwing ISD front arc dice, which probably seems scarier than it actually is.

Name: 'Bar Destroyers
Faction: Rebel
Commander: Admiral Ackbar

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Fire Lanes
Navigation: Solar Corona

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Admiral Ackbar (38)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 127 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 89 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Early Warning System (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet (5)
= 89 Points

GR-75 Combat Retrofits (24)
• Toryn Farr (7)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
= 36 Points

Squadrons:
• Shara Bey (17)
• Tycho Celchu (16)
• 2 x A-wing Squadron (22)
= 55 Points

Total Points: 396

I see where you're going with the Fleet, but Exodus Fleet on MC30Cs.... not a good idea. When an MC30 starts taking damage to the point where it needs to repair, it's as good as dead. Running this many MC30s can be fun, but they really aren't designed to fight prolonged battles, but this is all my personal opinion. Setting that aside, you have a nice squadron screen. And the ships are outfitted well enough. They will certainly gut anything they shoot, if the dice so decree. Pretty much, you'll have to fly fast. Tag team large ships. Unfortunately, if you want to kill ships, you'll have to abandon your GR-75 at some point. The Frigates don't want to get held back by it once they've made their runs. No matter how anyone upgrades MC30s, they will always be glass cannons.

I wish you luck with this fleet.

I’ve run something similar with triple MC30s and found that this was putting out more damage on a consistent basis as compared to the enhanced armament torpedo variant :

MC30c Scout Frigate (69 points)
- Intel Officer ( 7 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
- External Racks ( 3 points)
= 86 total ship cost

They can be one-shotted by ISD2s and Cymoons on a semi-consistent basis though.

Paging @Ardaedhel

Quick question: no Ordnance Experts?

I'm also not sold on the Early Warning Systems on the MC30.

Also, was it @Ginkapo or @Blail Blerg that used to do Ackbar Star destroyers? Can't remember, but be prepared for lecturing on sensor teams

@Ginkapo used the Star Destroyers.

I prefer them with eithet Madine for dancing aroud ISDs, or Mothma for troll evades. Mothma Forelin is basically indestructible

55 minutes ago, Flengin said:

Also, was it @Ginkapo or @Blail Blerg that used to do Ackbar Star destroyers? Can't remember, but be prepared for lecturing on sensor teams

I am insulted

https://archiveofossus.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/ackbar-mc30-star-destroyers/

LegRT you have over upgraded your mc30s. Those titles and defence refits are waste of points. Also downgrade the combat flotilla. It gets no benefit from Ackbar or Toryn.

Warning: rather critical minor tirade incoming. Sorry. This beer is going to my head, but I was summoned.

Yup, those throw Star Destroyer levels of dice.

10 hours ago, LegRT85 said:

which probably seems scarier than it actually is.

Exactly this. How scared are you of an completely un-upgraded Star Destroyer, with no rerolls or anything? Because that's what you've got here: three Star Destroyers without Gunnery Teams, Leading Shots, OE, Vader, IF, XI7, Avenger, Devastator, or durability.

You don't have the resilience to mix it up with any other combat ship, which means you're relying heavily on outmaneuvering your opponents to get you meaningful shots. Once you do get into your optimal range--which, just like the ISD1/K you're trying to recreate, is still close by a wide margin--you are completely at the mercy of your dice for damage throughput. Not only that, but you've invested (38/3)+10 = 22 points into each ship to get three of the most fickle dice in the game.

If you're building this for casual games, yes, it will probably be a fun list to fly. It will probably even make for some awesome, memorable games--sometimes the dice will pull through for you and it'll feel awesome, and sometimes they'll go cold and hose you completely.

If you're building for a tournament, though, you need consistency, particularly with the MC30 where the game completely hinges on the outcome of those very few close range shots you're going to get. One cold roll can very easily cost you the entire tournament with an MC30 swarm, because whiffing against the wrong ship can very easily swing 10-1 to 1-10.

If you really want to do the Ackbar MC30 thing in a tournament list, I'd say do it Gink's way. Ackbar's not as good with a shrimp swarm as Mothma, Dodonna, or Rieekan, but he's definitely fun. Two MC30T's with TRC, OE, and ACM was my jam back in Wave 2, and I still like putting Ackbar/Home One/ACM 80-30-30 on the table on occasion, but it's not a really strong fleet by any measure.

1 hour ago, Flengin said:

I'm also not sold on the Early Warning Systems on the MC30.

I rather like it on Landmothmonition. It's like a nice happy security blanket when I go nose-to-nose with my LS/XI7 ISD2 nemeses. On other shrimp, I think it's situational whether or not it's worth the price. It makes a decent substitute for squadron defense if you're going squadronless, though it's a bit overkill to take them and Mothma. At least the way I run them.

2 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

I am insulted

Duly noted. But, well, you know...Gink....Blail....sometimes I can't really tell the difference.... (jking)

On a slightly more serious note, if I want a different point of view on something I'll call for Gink or Blail. If I just want someone who I already agree with I'll call for Dras or Ard ?

1 hour ago, Ardaedhel said:

3 hours ago, Flengin said:

I'm also not sold on the Early Warning Systems on the MC30.

I rather like it on Landmothmonition. It's like a nice happy security blanket when I go nose-to-nose with my LS/XI7 ISD2 nemeses. On other shrimp, I think it's situational whether or not it's worth the price. It makes a decent substitute for squadron defense if you're going squadronless, though it's a bit overkill to take them and Mothma. At least the way I run them.

Hmm, I can see what you mean in the case of your nemeses and with squads. How difficult do you find it to deny enemy ships the shot against an adjacent hull zone though?

Sensor teams!

11 hours ago, Flengin said:

Hmm, I can see what you mean in the case of your nemeses and with squads. How difficult do you find it to deny enemy ships the shot against an adjacent hull zone though?

Depends. Not too hard most of the time. Point that bow at the ISD and let 'er rip.

Most of the time, it's really only one ship you're worried about orienting it toward at the "flashpoint" (that round where you're moving into position for the shot, dropping into close of an ISD front arc, trying to survive to the next round to get your shot, etc). You're putting yourself into the threat range of one ship that could realistically one-shot you, and you should be controlling the pace of that engagement. There may be multiple ships with shots at you, but there shouldn't be multiple one-shot threats--if there are, you're doing it wrong. And only the one-shot threats matter, because by the time the second shot comes in you've already got your shot and are trading up anyway.

... Right?

You just have to follow The First Commandment of Shrimpbot: Be Bold. Don't run away from Star Destroyers, kill them instead. Don't skirmish with them, charge them. It's really easy to point just your front LoS dot at an ISD while still having arc out a side. It's much harder to do the same with a side arc while protecting your rear.

11 hours ago, Flengin said:

Duly noted. But, well, you know...Gink....Blail....sometimes I can't really tell the difference.... (jking)

Ha! I have that problem too.

Gents, while were on about triple 30s, what do you think about this?

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [114pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, H9 Turbolasers, Ordnance Experts, •Admonition, •General Cracken

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [88pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, H9 Turbolasers, Ordnance Experts, •Foresight

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [84pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, H9 Turbolasers, Ordnance Experts, •Lando Calrissian

GR-75 Medium Transports [22pts]: Repair Crews

Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette [49pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, Ordnance Experts, •Garel's Honor

A-Wing [33pts]: •Shara Bey, •Tycho Celchu

Assault Objective: Precision Strike

Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault

Navigation Objective: Solar Corona

++ Total: [390pts] ++

Cracken is completely new to me, but with the sudden popularity of EWS, he seems like a great fit for the shrimp. I used to run them with Mothma, but my meta has gonna on a fighter lite diet it seems. The transport could be slicer tools, but id like to keep the bid. Not exactly sure if i want the title or Jyn on the hammerhead, but id like to try it with something other than raddus. Any thoughts? Thanks all

I might consider dropping Foresight and Repair Crews. Also that’s a lot of points in H9s and you don’t need to hunt flotillas anymore with the FAQ. You might want to switch them to XI7s or perhaps drop them entirely. Also, you really really want to go first and 10 points may or may not get you that privilege.

What do you think about this (You could potentially drop a slicer for an even larger bid):

Faction: Rebel Alliance
Points: 385/400

Commander: General Cracken

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation Objective: Solar Corona

[ flagship ] MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63 points)
- General Cracken ( 26 points)
- Admonition ( 8 points)
- Lando Calrissian ( 4 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 110 total ship cost

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 72 total ship cost

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 72 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Quantum Storm ( 1 points)
- Slicer Tools ( 7 points)
= 26 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Slicer Tools ( 7 points)
= 25 total ship cost

Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette (36 points)
- Garel's Honor ( 4 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- External Racks ( 3 points)
= 47 total ship cost

1 Shara Bey ( 17 points)
1 Tycho Celchu ( 16 points)
= 33 total squadron cost

I'm toying with this one:

Faction: Rebel
Commander: Admiral Ackbar

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation: Solar Corona

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Walex Blissex (5)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (5)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
• Admonition (8)
= 95 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)
• Lando Carissian (4)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (5)
• Enhanced Armament (10)
= 86 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)
• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
• Jaina's Light (2)
= 53 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Slicer Tools (7)
• Bright Hope (2)
= 27 Points

MC30c Scout Frigate (69)
• Admiral Ackbar (38)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Foresight (8)
= 126 Points

Squadrons:
= 0 Points

Total Points: 387

Any thoughts?

@CommanderDave i tried your list against a buddy with Vader, BTavenger, demo, a goz, and a raider with a small fighter ball, and tabled him only losing garels honor (which did absolutely nothing). The extra activation was super handy, almost dictated the entire battle. Though if he wouldve ran a bomber ball or sloane, it probably wouldve gone south quickly. So with that in mind, i came up with this. @Stefan you might be interested in this as well since yours has no fighters. I love ackbars damage potential, but 30s are fragile and need all the help they can get to stay alive. Other than that, i love how punchy it looks.

CR90 Corvette B [42pts]: •Tantive IV

GR-75 Medium Transports [20pts]: Comms Net

GR-75 Medium Transports [20pts]: Comms Net

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [122pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, Early Warning System, Ordnance Experts, •Admonition, •Mon Mothma, •Walex Blissex

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [79pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, Early Warning System, Ordnance Experts

MC30c Torpedo Frigate [79pts]: Assault Proton Torpedoes, Early Warning System, Ordnance Experts

A-Wing [33pts]: •Shara Bey, •Tycho Celchu

Assault Objective: Precision Strike

Defense Objective: Capture the VIP

Navigation Objective: Dangerous Territory

++ Total: [395pts] ++

With that against his sloane list, sloane was a complete waste. He had 2 vic 1s, a quasar, a goz, and a fighter swarm (i think it was 134 on the dot). I lost my squads, but between mothma and EWS, his squads didnt flip a single token. The flotillas and tantive passed out manuver and engineer tokens, then the 90 double arced his goz proving its worth over the hammerhead again. I might dump the aces for generics to get a better bid, but most of the guys i play either go full 400 or a point or two for bid.

Glad it worked out! With Sloane or a Bomber ball, the slicer tools are essential for cutting off the squad commands. That lets you lay into the carriers for a round or two. Biggest weakness is probably rogue bomber types like Morna Kee.

Opening Salvo. Long range black crits

2 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

Opening Salvo. Long range black crits

Ohhhhh, thats good, its like Sato for a turn, but lets me keep mothma shenanigans. Thanks for that man