So, I recently read the Tarkin Star Wars Novel, I liked it. So of course, I have been trying to fly Tarkin. I have had mixed results. I am posting my two most successful versions and really just looking for feedback and or suggestions.

It is a no squadron Fleet, wants to go Second but not so badly I am gonna bid for it. I have a number of upgrades that take advantage of Tarkin's free token mechanic trying to make the operations of the fleet smoother.

There is an Interdictor, whose job is to tank and hopefully lower shields and be a pain in the ***. A Victory II whose job is also to get in front and weaken targets and a Cymoon whose job is to come behind the Vic and Int and finish guys up. I am running intensify firepower and Defense Liasons officer upgrades.

My orignal build had a Vic 1 and I have had some success with it, but I find the VIC I a waste of offensive dice. I need the Vic to do damage at least to shields, so I went with a VIC II on the newest iteration.

Tarkin Strategy II
Author: Simpatikool

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 400/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Fire Lanes
Navigation Objective: Salvage Run

Interdictor-class Combat Refit (93 points)
- Interdictor ( 3 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Overload Pulse ( 8 points)
- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)
= 115 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit (112 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Avenger ( 5 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- H9 Turbolasers ( 8 points)
- Intensify Firepower! ( 6 points)
= 185 total ship cost

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
= 100 total ship cost

Alternatively, I have this other version in the mix, but it seems too gimmicky to me.

Tarkin Strategy III
Author: Simpatikool

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 399/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Fire Lanes
Navigation Objective: Salvage Run

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Overload Pulse ( 8 points)
= 106 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)
- Interdictor ( 3 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- MS-1 Ion Cannons ( 2 points)
- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)
- G-8 Experimental Projector ( 8 points)
= 111 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit (112 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Avenger ( 5 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- XX-9 Turbolasers ( 5 points)
- Intensify Firepower! ( 6 points)
= 182 total ship cost

Thanks folks. Lets work together to bring ORDER to the GALAXY!

Interdictors love Brunson see if you can find the points for her to make the dictor even more tanky

Also overload pulse and quadbattery turrets actually work well on Vic 2 as you can get the extra blue dice at red range to proc overload pulse earlier

You are right about that. I think I will tool around with that. My thought was put it on the Interdictor to force them to attack it (The Dictor).

The Combat Refit has very little reason to be used now that the Suppression refit can take disposable capacitors. Same price, better long range firepower, and an extra experimental retrofit. H9s and Olp + Avenger have some redundancy. I'd swap OlP for the less finicky and similarly priced HIEs, wherever you choose to put it. The liaisons are solid slicer defense and command flexibility, but wouldn't you rather have the benefit of those tokens and someone in the officer's chair? As posted above, Brunson rocks, there's Tua, IO, even SFO. This fleet can easily pop slicers anyway, and if Tarkin's just giving a command change on a key round, Thrawn is probably better. The dust clouds in Salvage Run can be effectively used against you without GSR, which I would absolutely run over the G-8. That also enables you to run Contested Outpost, which is untroubled by strategic squads (unlike Fire Lanes, which can be a nightmare) and pressures them to fly into your guns. Most Wanted has no good target and can be turned against you by some fleets. I don't currently see a perfect red, though. Opening Salvo, perhaps? CRIS?

Vics and slow Interdictors like Station Assault to bring the enemy to you.

Thats a possibility.

This just doesn't look like the most efficient use of Tarkin to me.

Tarkin is better the more activations you have in general. He is also way more efficient with Sovereign on the ISD over Avenger. I would try and get Engine Techs or Projection Experts on the Interdictor for even more Token efficiency. As others have said get Brunson on the Interdictor.

I love Tarkin but the trick is having token efficiency. The Defense Liason is a nice idea, I am just not sure if it is the most efficient choice. If I wasn't trying to do more with Rebels at the moment I have an idea for a new Tarkin List that has some combination of an Interdictor and 3 Arquitens all with ET.

On 10/17/2018 at 4:30 PM, The Jabbawookie said:

That also enables you to run Contested Outpost, which is untroubled by strategic squads (unlike Fire Lanes, which can be a nightmare) and pressures them to fly into your guns. Most Wanted has no good target and can be turned against you by some fleets. I don't currently see a perfect red, though. Opening Salvo, perhaps? CRIS?

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I ran a slightly modified version of my fleet above and won over the weekend. We ended up playing Fire Lanes and just being able to dominate those objectives really won it for me. However, I actually agree with what Jabbawookie is saying, I still am trying to find the sweet spot in terms of objectives for this fleet. The RED objective has been a mixed bag for me with this fleet idea (only 4 games so far) I am subbing in CLOSE RANGE intel scan for my next match. It is an objective that only benefits me and my fleet is all RED and BLUE dice anyway. Who knows.

Also, the reason I like the interaction of Tarkin and cards like Defense Liasons/Intensify firepower is it gives me something I like when flying a fleet. Consistent output in terms of firepower (Ships can dial in Concentrate Firepower Command Dials and the token from Tarkin if available for a solid shot. But ships that have the defence liason can opt for a NAV or ENG order if they really need it. I guess objectively, it is very similiar to Thrawn, but I have the ability to do it WHENEVER I want too.

Regarding Brunson and Engine Techs. Yes, I have used those ploys before. I actually own TWO interdictors and thematically, it is my favorite ship of the game. However, I am trying to do something a little different here. Even without Brunson, the Interdictor is still somewhat tanky, and the Liasons and the guaranteed token allow me to use my Interdictor how I want EVERY turn if needed.

So the below is likely what I will be running in the upcoming battle I have planned....

Tarkin Strategy III
Author: Simpatikool

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 400/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Close-Range Intel Scan
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Salvage Run

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Overload Pulse ( 8 points)
= 108 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)
- Interdictor ( 3 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Hardened Bulkheads ( 5 points)
- MS-1 Ion Cannons ( 2 points)
- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)
- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)
= 110 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit (112 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Avenger ( 5 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- XX-9 Turbolasers ( 5 points)
- Intensify Firepower! ( 6 points)
= 182 total ship cost

= 0 total squadron cost

On 10/23/2018 at 5:48 AM, simpatikool said:

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I ran a slightly modified version of my fleet above and won over the weekend. We ended up playing Fire Lanes and just being able to dominate those objectives really won it for me. However, I actually agree with what Jabbawookie is saying, I still am trying to find the sweet spot in terms of objectives for this fleet. The RED objective has been a mixed bag for me with this fleet idea (only 4 games so far) I am subbing in CLOSE RANGE intel scan for my next match. It is an objective that only benefits me and my fleet is all RED and BLUE dice anyway. Who knows.

Also, the reason I like the interaction of Tarkin and cards like Defense Liasons/Intensify firepower is it gives me something I like when flying a fleet. Consistent output in terms of firepower (Ships can dial in Concentrate Firepower Command Dials and the token from Tarkin if available for a solid shot. But ships that have the defence liason can opt for a NAV or ENG order if they really need it. I guess objectively, it is very similiar to Thrawn, but I have the ability to do it WHENEVER I want too.

Regarding Brunson and Engine Techs. Yes, I have used those ploys before. I actually own TWO interdictors and thematically, it is my favorite ship of the game. However, I am trying to do something a little different here. Even without Brunson, the Interdictor is still somewhat tanky, and the Liasons and the guaranteed token allow me to use my Interdictor how I want EVERY turn if needed.

So the below is likely what I will be running in the upcoming battle I have planned....

Tarkin Strategy III
Author: Simpatikool

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 400/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Close-Range Intel Scan
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Salvage Run

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Overload Pulse ( 8 points)
= 108 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)
- Interdictor ( 3 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Hardened Bulkheads ( 5 points)
- MS-1 Ion Cannons ( 2 points)
- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)
- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)
= 110 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit (112 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Avenger ( 5 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- XX-9 Turbolasers ( 5 points)
- Intensify Firepower! ( 6 points)
= 182 total ship cost

= 0 total squadron cost

First off, nice fleet! I love the idea of getting money out of the grand moff.

But I do have 1 note - I play a LOT of close range intel scan, and will say that it can really really shut you down here. Long range dice are incredibly susceptible to getting cancelled by someone hiding in the dust clouds. Especially if the opponent is using black dice ships that don't mind sacrificing their red/blue range shot in exchange for utter immunity to your expanded threat range.

I can see why you are struggling with reds - you really don't want to play any of them- but you really should be looking at Station Assault or Blockade Run. Both of these objectives give you tactical control of the battlefield and bestow a sort of advantage to you without a clear cut way for your opponent to turn it against you.

-Station Assault forces your enemy into your arcs but can be easy for them to score points off of using a flanker (swapping to grav shift and altering their position can help offset this some).

-In blockade run your dictor and vsd actually are incapable of scoring, but the deep battlefield plays heavily into your range advantage and fact you get to place all the objectives might end up being worth the fact that your opponent can only score by killing your ships.

Well, some more feedback.

So I am down to 5 games now with the above fleet and some of its iterations.

I have faced a couple different fleets and my overall opinion is this...

Against a rounded fleet or another big ship fleet, this Tarkin Battlegroup holds its own. The token interactions on this allow alot of flexibility, which is something that makes me comfortable when I play this game. Being able to make sure my ships are where they need to be and ready to fight how I like to battle. However, against a dedicated fleet with a Squadron strategy, like SATO or dedicated Bombers, it just does not get the job done for me. I don't know if it is hitting power or what.

I am going to take BrobaFett's advice here though and sub in Blockade Run. Why the heck not.