This may be just because I come from games with allot more history but it kind of seems boring to constantly have an empire and rebel equivalent for each release. I don't think that the whole world will melt down if we don't have the exact same representation each release. Now I know that most of there releases run slightly differently but it just seems super boring.

I don't think the players have an obsession, it's FFG who makes the units and decides the release order. I'm sure there are some considerations about game balance and ensuring factions get the new upgrades at roughly the same time.

For one, it probably has to do with keeping the upgrade cards symmetrical, which helps the wallets of the players.

Two, I don't think they're as symmetrical as it seems. The ranks are symmetrical, but often as not, it seems to me, the units often perform very differently and/or fit very different aesthetic themes.

Until the force org chart mins and maxes are met/exceeded, keeping the ranks symmetrical makes sense to me.

Yeah, I don't think they're wholly symmetrical - we can see this with Deathtroopers/Krennic vs Jyn/Pathfinders. And honestly even as early as Snows vs Fleets. FFG hopefully doesn't want to unbalance the factions so that one group is playing with a new toy way longer than the other group, the month difference in a lot of releases already weirds some people out - imagine if say, Imperials got Snowtroopers one month then Fleet troopers waited another 6 months so rebels were stuck with only the same 3-6 corps guys for so long. The keywords and total design may be wildly different, but in general the Rank and upgrade slots (and thus, upgrades in the packs) tend to be the same.

Not obviously to start a seperate discussion in an unrelated topic, but I do think that this means there will be a imperial Creature Trooper announcement, because that's a whole new sub-set of unit which will have some of its own rules integration and it would be weird for imperial players to sit out of that for... god knows how long, they already have to wait like a month anyway. Same with not getting a new Corps, because I think Corps the third is a pretty big leap in terms of variation in the game.

The way I see it is that FFG is building a foundation on which they can then build the future game. We started with a core set that gave us something generic to start with. Basic rebels and stormtroopers, bikes and a chicken and a father and son rivalry. Then we got vehicles which changed the nature of the game somewhat, then another corps and commander. After this next wave, we will have quite a few choices to make for every slot in the list. Symmetry really helps early in the game when there are fewer choices to be made. Once we have every slot well padded out, I think we might start to see more "exotic" options and releases that don't exactly line up.

I remember when this all started and people were upset that they could not feasibly include every release in their army list, well I am really glad we have moved past that. We are even starting to see interesting synergy between units. Nobody except me, @Derrault, and a few other people seem to like T-47s right now, but who knows, maybe a force with Veterans and Tauntauns would go well with a swoopy air-friend. I think we are going to start to see distinct archetypal lists within each faction beyond just maxing corps or some leader combo. A Hoth themed force will play significantly different than an Endor themed force now. I just need more white helmet troopers for my "Revenge for Alderaan" force idea.

I hope that this branching of the factions stays unofficial though. The last thing we need is to start walling off units within the factions instead of letting synergistic unit combos be discovered organically.

4 hours ago, devin.pike.1989 said:

The way I see it is that FFG is building a foundation on which they can then build the future game. We started with a core set that gave us something generic to start with. Basic rebels and stormtroopers, bikes and a chicken and a father and son rivalry. Then we got vehicles which changed the nature of the game somewhat, then another corps and commander. After this next wave, we will have quite a few choices to make for every slot in the list. Symmetry really helps early in the game when there are fewer choices to be made. Once we have every slot well padded out, I think we might start to see more "exotic" options and releases that don't exactly line up.

I was just saying this in another thread, it's hard to release one thing for one faction but not for the other when there were so few options to begin with. Even in the mirrored or symmetrical releases so far, there are definitely different play styles and flavors that will make them even more different based on how the list is built and played.

What I see happening is FFG is covering a lot of the "bases" with the OT era (most of what has been seen on screen has been released or announced) while also "teasing" possibilities to come, i.e. the release of units from Rogue One and Sabine means they'll continue to pull from the anthologies and Rebels series in the future. All this has been set up before the release of the Clone Wars era units.

I can see them doing that; so while they begin to build up the foundations for the Clone Wars factions, they can start to sprinkle in more unique and "exotic" OT era units. But it will be interesting to see the release schedule for OT stuff once the Clone Wars start to become available. Im ready for my droid army!

Symmetrical releases mean the terrorists win.

Only the Empire should get new releases in the future.

4 hours ago, devin.pike.1989 said:

The way I see it is that FFG is building a foundation on which they can then build the future game. We started with a core set that gave us something generic to start with. Basic rebels and stormtroopers, bikes and a chicken and a father and son rivalry. Then we got vehicles which changed the nature of the game somewhat, then another corps and commander. After this next wave, we will have quite a few choices to make for every slot in the list. Symmetry really helps early in the game when there are fewer choices to be made. Once we have every slot well padded out, I think we might start to see more "exotic" options and releases that don't exactly line up.

I remember when this all started and people were upset that they could not feasibly include every release in their army list, well I am really glad we have moved past that. We are even starting to see interesting synergy between units. Nobody except me, @Derrault, and a few other people seem to like T-47s right now, but who knows, maybe a force with Veterans and Tauntauns would go well with a swoopy air-friend. I think we are going to start to see distinct archetypal lists within each faction beyond just maxing corps or some leader combo. A Hoth themed force will play significantly different than an Endor themed force now. I just need more white helmet troopers for my "Revenge for Alderaan" force idea.

I hope that this branching of the factions stays unofficial though. The last thing we need is to start walling off units within the factions instead of letting synergistic unit combos be discovered organically.

One thing I like about the Hoth themed force is that they’re all complimentary: Vets gets defense just for receiving orders, Tauntauns for activating, and 47s don’t even need to activate; it gives a clear order of priority. (Ie Order Troopers, pull random to try and get tauntauns, save the 47s for last/first as needed)

21 minutes ago, Derrault said:

One thing I like about the Hoth themed force is that they’re all complimentary: Vets gets defense just for receiving orders, Tauntauns for activating, and 47s don’t even need to activate; it gives a clear order of priority. (Ie Order Troopers, pull random to try and get tauntauns, save the 47s for last/first as needed)

An order to a Veteran is also a free order to an Emplacement at R1 also, which means they mesh with Laser Cannon(s)

1 hour ago, UnitOmega said:

An order to a Veteran is also a free order to an Emplacement at R1 also, which means they mesh with Laser Cannon(s)

True, but they come with an emplacement (although we don’t yet know if that takes a composition slot)

I think it's entirely based on the fact that the players have come to expect parallel releases. Having the upgrade cards come out near each other isn't bad either.

Show me an Imperial unit with Infiltrate and we'll talk symmetry.

22 minutes ago, Irokenics said:

Show me an Imperial unit with Infiltrate and we'll talk symmetry.

Im kinda hoping we get Probe droids as non unique operatives that have infiltrate. or something like that.

But yes. I agree it isn't as much symmetry as "similar" units that use similar equipment/upgrades.

You also have to look at the rules update that FFG puts out, if units were not close to symmetrical, you would have new rules on emplacement troopers while the other side is getting medical droids. So from a standpoint of slowly introducing new abilities and rules it makes sense as well.

Plus as others have said, its less symmetrical and more same force organization releases.

On 3/12/2019 at 1:56 PM, Irokenics said:

Show me an Imperial unit with Infiltrate and we'll talk symmetry.

Just wait for the Dewback Ninja release!

On 3/12/2019 at 1:56 PM, Irokenics said:

Show me an Imperial unit with Infiltrate and we'll talk symmetry.

Show me a Rebel unit with Bounty and we'll talk talk symmetry.

59 minutes ago, arnoldrew said:

Show me a Rebel unit with Bounty and we'll talk talk symmetry.

Show me an Imperial unit with Take Cover and we'll talk symmetry

On 3/11/2019 at 12:01 PM, Caimheul1313 said:

I don't think the players have an obsession, it's FFG who makes the units and decides the release order.

The player obsession (as I can tell) with symmetry is real but it’s mostly about using symmetry to divine the future like ancient astrologers. I don’t think they want symmetry as much as they want to use it for their arcane studies.

35 minutes ago, TauntaunScout said:

The player obsession (as I can tell) with symmetry is real but it’s mostly about using symmetry to divine the future like ancient astrologers. I don’t think they want symmetry as much as they want to use it for their arcane studies.

However, we the players would not be using symmetry as a diviner uses sheep intestines were it not for FFG's Legion history of releasing units that fulfilled similar roles, or at least had similar upgrade slots and filled the same section of the Force Org Chart. If FFG had released things semi randomly, and avoided any sense of symmetry by having completely different units for both currently existing factions, then the players wouldn't be quite as "obsessed."

If you don't know how to balance, symmetry is a crutch.

The units are only symmetrical in they have the same role but they are not equal units

13 hours ago, Caimheul1313 said:

However, we the players would not be using symmetry as a diviner uses sheep intestines were it not for FFG's Legion history of releasing units that fulfilled similar roles, or at least had similar upgrade slots and filled the same section of the Force Org Chart. If FFG had released things semi randomly, and avoided any sense of symmetry by having completely different units for both currently existing factions, then the players wouldn't be quite as "obsessed."

They keep a certain amount of symmetry in unit roles purely so we can get generic upgrades for both factions at close to the same time. It allows me to play Imperials without buying any filthy terrorists just to get cards.

I can see in the future when there are so many units already released that asymmetric releases occur. Though I get the feeling this will happen when there are more than two factions and most of the focus is on the newer factions and the two older ones just get thrown a bone every once in a while.

6 hours ago, Mep said:

I can see in the future when there are so many units already released that asymmetric releases occur. Though I get the feeling this will happen when there are more than two factions and most of the focus is on the newer factions and the two older ones just get thrown a bone every once in a while.

Yeah and there comes a time when a faction has enough stuff. Once the stuff that we actually saw on onscreen is out, it's going to be a safer bet (for sales) to releases stuff form the prequel movies, as opposed to dipping into Galactic Civil War EU stuff. Hollywood movies are the best advertising for anything.

Personally I don't actually need new releases to keep me into a game. There's always something new I can add to miniatures myself. New scenery, my own color schemes, new scenarios, etc.

Since I only play Imperial, but I want symmetry so I can get all the cool stuff the Rebels have...