Ion Theory

By DuloWilkain, in Star Wars: Legion

On 2/28/2019 at 12:31 PM, TauntaunScout said:

Observation: droid models are already out and aren't affected by ion tokens.

Currently the droids in game are not full fledged combat units, and are running around with their meat shield allies.

On 2/28/2019 at 1:10 PM, Winged Gundark said:

I think it could be a tool in the toolbox but not really a fix. It's more expensive and cost you extra actions too. I can say that it's allot easier to remove an action from a corp unit then a heavy vehicle. Unless we get some kind of support piece that can throw out recover actions I don't see Ion becoming popular.

As noted, ion weapons do damage and add ion tokens. Perhaps the droid popper grenade will cost the same as every grenade but will NOT do damage, only add ion tokens?

On 2/28/2019 at 4:33 PM, DarkTrooperZero said:

Even if ion is good versus droids, it's still on overcosted exhaust weapons so unless there is a fix for that no-one is using them for a 1/4 chance they face droids

With a potential faction upcoming, built on nothing but droids, it may be more prevalent. And common. Current weapons do both damage AND ion. Perhaps weapons, like I mention above, that don't do damage, and only do ion (and close range at that) may NOT be exhaustable. If droid popper grenades did no damage, only ion, and used a white die, that could offset the cost.

Now, with theory crafting, lets discuss how it would work if the CIS corps/units had vehicle damage instead of morale.

We have to make some assumptions here. The classic corps/trooper cohesion method will not work, BUT, if a B1 corps unit had multiple units on a single large base, and thus moved as a single piece it could work, but will be very different. They would be a trooper that moved like a vehicle.

Now, vehicle damage if done as above would certainly apply to this methodology.

A corps/trooper unit without morale, that moves like a vehicle could theoretically work. I am not saying it is viable, but it could work.

It does make SOME sense though to easily represent the multitudes troops marching headlong into enemy fire, and the overwhelming numbers.

Even if done like a standard corps unit the idea of vehicle damage works. All you have to do is this: give the rule for a B1 (or whatever) squad has one health for every model in the squad. Lose enough models, and you get the vehicle token.

Weapon disruption is easily the worst, as half damage of a wounded unit is harsh, but if the unit rolls two white dice for the basic troop, it still works.

Damaged easily stays the same, giving one less action potentially.

Disabled still works. Reverse has no effect, but two actions for a move certainly would.

Alternatively, a combinatiin of the trooper cohesion and vehicle could work if, the corps unit as a whole does NOT remove models when it takes damage. Again, the unit has a number of health equal to the number of models, this represents the overwhelming number of units that the cis fields. If they have a base size of 6 for a unit, the resilience can be 3. Adding more units just increases the health.

this has the advantage of representing the sheer numbers without actually fielding hundreds of models, which while it can be fun, is not practical. A jedi/character/corpd unit can still be surround in melee.

The larger corps becomes more resilient for the cis, but harder to give the unit cover as more models need to be behind (50% after all)

simply make a new keyword: Droid - that says allows ions affect them

Unique droids still get morale instead.

This would give the Seperatist army a different play style, without too much effort. Simply add a new keyword(s) droid (for ion effect), droid army, swarm, limitless, etc to explain how the corps is different. Add a sentence to how disabled works for corps and you you are done. The keyword will be described on the back of the unit card anyway for reference.

On 2/28/2019 at 12:35 PM, Hawkstrike said:

They’re non-combatants, though, in units that can be suppressed.

So what? Non-combatant humans aren't immune to bullets. Droids are "ionizable" (or whatever the correct term is!) or they aren't. If they wanted to they could have made the droid get ion tokens in addition to the unit getting suppression and set the points-cost for those droids accordingly.

Edited by TauntaunScout
On 3/5/2019 at 8:35 AM, TauntaunScout said:

So what? Non-combatant humans aren't immune to bullets. Droids are "ionizable" (or whatever the correct term is!) or they aren't. If they wanted to they could have made the droid get ion tokens in addition to the unit getting suppression and set the points-cost for those droids accordingly.

It is not simply setting the cost. Ion removed an action from a unit. If a unit, such as rebel troops, had a medical droid, what is the point cost for a unit of organic beings being penalized and losing an action because the droid got ionized. Or do you just apply it to that model? How does that work?

No, it is easier from a game standpoint to disregard the effect in this case. No, not realistic, but this is not a realistic game by intent. It is meant to be fast and easy.

2 hours ago, That Blasted Samophlange said:

Or do you just apply it to that model? How does that work?

Yes. That model's special abilities are held ransom by ion tokens.

2 hours ago, That Blasted Samophlange said:

No, it is easier from a game standpoint to disregard the effect in this case.

If that's too hard for someone, heaven help them.

1 hour ago, TauntaunScout said:

Yes. That model's special abilities are held ransom by ion tokens.

If that's too hard for someone, heaven help them.

If they had the droid as a stand alone unit or solo that would be fine but since it's in a unit of none droids it wouldn't make sense to have the unit lose both of it's actions because it is susceptible to both Ion and Suppression. I would argue the same thing if they ever allowed a organic to join a droid unit. (Highly doubt this would happen.)

25 minutes ago, Winged Gundark said:

If they had the droid as a stand alone unit or solo that would be fine but since it's in a unit of none droids it wouldn't make sense to have the unit lose both of it's actions because it is susceptible to both Ion and Suppression. I would argue the same thing if they ever allowed a organic to join a droid unit. (Highly doubt this would happen.)

You don't (in this theory) lose all your unit's actions, just the option to use the droid's special abilities. Until the squad uses an action to "reboot" their droid or whatever. As it is, if droids aren't susceptible to ion, fine. Let battle droids either be suppressed like squads of troops or damaged like squads of vehicles.

Even if ion IS the droid-squad version of suppression someday, I don't think future Clone Wars plans impacted the price of the ion gun. Since the stormtroopers faced a similar non-ion heavy pricing problem.