I love the new card packs, but I bet a lot of people were disappointed that our favorite pilots and crew from the expanded universe didn't make it in. That gave me the idea of card packs based around popular pieces of extended universe content.

The recent Alphabet Squadron/ Tie Fighter comic crossover is a perfect example. A pack centered around the characters from these stories would be great. It could include the named tie pilots (with built in nicknames and pilot ability ideas) plus one extra pilot for the 5 rebel ships and a handful of crew option for each faction. Since its unlikely either OG faction will be getting new ships any time soon this could fit right in any wave. Lost Stars, the Aftermath trilogy, and the Thrawn trilogy would all make great theme packs.

I see absolutely no reason why we won't see more card packs in the future. Every pilot we're getting is for a ship that will have released in the first 5 waves of Second Edition... which is basically why we don't see RZ-1 A-Wing pilots in there (though why we don't have a few Rebel Y-wing pilots in there is beyond me). I'm hoping we don't have to wait another 5 waves to see a second pilot card pack, though!

My disappointment was based solely on the Aces and hotshot pack. It was an upgrade pack, not a pilot expansion pack. What else irks me is that there was a complete lack of balancing in the pilots. The Scum got a JM5K, a Scyk and a Z95. 3 ships that never see competitive play, versus say the Rebels, Leia in a 1300 and 2 A wings, the A wings not seeing play because of low Int. This pack could fix that for Rebels, who by the way aren’t lacking in options already.

I like the idea, just poor execution.

I expect to see more cards pack !

Morna Kee was first in Armada and now we have her for X-Wing !

I expect Ciena Ree for Tie Interceptor and Hondo for the Firespray since they are here too from Armada.

10 hours ago, Archangelspiv said:

My disappointment was based solely on the Aces and hotshot pack. It was an upgrade pack, not a pilot expansion pack. What else irks me is that there was a complete lack of balancing in the pilots. The Scum got a JM5K, a Scyk and a Z95. 3 ships that never see competitive play, versus say the Rebels, Leia in a 1300 and 2 A wings, the A wings not seeing play because of low Int. This pack could fix that for Rebels, who by the way aren’t lacking in options already.

I like the idea, just poor execution.

The A-Wing pilots being added are for the Resistance RZ-2, not the Rebel RZ-1.

"This pack contains the following ship cards:

• Rebel Alliance:
  • Gina Moonsong (A/SF-01 B-Wing)
  • K-2SO (UT-60D U-Wing)
  • Leia Organa (Modified YT-1300)
  • Alexsandr Kallus (VCX-100)
• Galactic Empire:
  • Fifth Brother (TIE Advanced v1)
  • "Vagabond" (TIE/sk Striker)
  • Morna Kee (VT-49 Decimator)
• Scum:
  • Nom Lumb (JumpMaster 5000)
  • G4R-GOR V/M (M3-A Interceptor)
  • Bossk (Z-95-AF4 Headhunter)
• Resistance:
  • Paige Tico (MG-100 StarFortress)
  • Ronith Blario (RZ-2 A-Wing)
  • Zizi Tlo (RZ-2 A-Wing)
• First Order:
  • Captain Phasma (TIE/sf Fighter)
  • Lieutenant LeHuse (TIE/sf Fighter)
  • "Rush" (TIE/vn Silencer)"

10 hours ago, Archangelspiv said:

My disappointment was based solely on the Aces and hotshot pack. It was an upgrade pack, not a pilot expansion pack. What else irks me is that there was a complete lack of balancing in the pilots. The Scum got a JM5K, a Scyk and a Z95. 3 ships that never see competitive play, versus say the Rebels, Leia in a 1300 and 2 A wings, the A wings not seeing play because of low Int. This pack could fix that for Rebels, who by the way aren’t lacking in options already.

I like the idea, just poor execution.

You're wrong on a few things here, actually. First is the aforementioned A-Wing misunderstanding; the RZ-2s (that got the new pilots) are seeing tons of play, even the ones at lower initiative. RZ-1s didn't get any new pilots.

Second, "lack of balancing in the pilots" is a kind of weird charge to make since we haven't even seen the scum pilots yet. We do know that a single pilot can make a ship entriely playable (Just look at Soontir). Suppose we didn't have Soontir yet and the TIE interceptor was doing badly, but then we got soontir in a pilot pack? People would be complaining that we "just got another pilot for a bad ship." Anyway there's nothing inherently bad about the Scyk and Z-95. The only problem is that they and their critical upgrades (missiles, illicits, and cannons) are overpriced right now. That will quite possibly change at the end of the year before these packs are even out anyway. And if the JM5K pilot has a stress mitigation ability, they would singlehandedly bring the chassis back into the limelight.

I do agree that it's disappointing that so much space was taken up with upgrade reprints; I would have bought those separately anyway. I also would have preferred separate packs per faction, but I don't mind as much since I'm in 5 out of 7; others will object more. I hope future packs will focus more on the pilots and new upgrades, and that catch-up upgrade packs will be separate. As it is, you have to buy all three packs to catch up on upgrades. When it was released I thought it would be:

1) Hotshots and aces: New pilots and new upgrades

2) Catch-up upgrades, devices, and obstacles for all the factions that haven't been able to get them yet

3) New obstacles and new scenario play

This would allow most people to just buy the second one, while people like me would likely buy all 3 because we want the new and interesting options. Oh well 😕

I see these as the prototype. I suspect the next batch will look different. Theme packs would be logical. They could cover a major battle from each trilogy and shoehorn some scum in.

24 minutes ago, ClassicalMoser said:

I do agree that it's disappointing that so much space was taken up with upgrade reprints

The single biggest piss and moan on these boards is buying ship expacs "out of faction" or "that I don't want" just for upgrade cards.

FFG fixes that for a piddly cost of $15 featuring tons o' upgrades and even some new material, and still no one is happy.

Sheesh.

24 minutes ago, ClassicalMoser said:

That will quite possibly change at the end of the year before these packs are even out anyway.

Next Jan is the next planned points update. There might be some small adjustments at the drop of Wave 5, Epic and Huge ships to the field, but I'm not holding out any hope it'll be anything other than another nerf hammer to something problematic.

From the Jan 2019 points update article: " Welcome to the game's first points cost update! We will be publishing these updates biannually, in January and July, each time attempting to restore equilibrium to the game's ever-changing collection of ships, pilots, and upgrades. Because the game is so new, this first one is a doozy."

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/1/28/balance-in-the-force/

1 hour ago, reqent said:

I see these as the prototype. I suspect the next batch will look different. Theme packs would be logical. They could cover a major battle from each trilogy and shoehorn some scum in.

Packs from big battles would be great. The Battle of Jakku springs to mind. It has appeared in so many different mediums from different perspectives and each can all provide a few cards. A couple rebel versions of inferno squad from Battlefront II, pilots and crew from Aftermath, some scavengers for scum.

52 minutes ago, kogtim said:

Packs from big battles would be great. The Battle of Jakku springs to mind. It has appeared in so many different mediums from different perspectives and each can all provide a few cards. A couple rebel versions of inferno squad from Battlefront II, pilots and crew from Aftermath, some scavengers for scum.

This would be awesome.

I'd love a Trench Run pack--complete with Pops, Tiree, more Red Squadron aces, and rules for Turbolaser Emplacements. Even if it didn't provide an official Trench Run scenario, having all the gear would be sweet.

1 hour ago, kogtim said:

Packs from big battles would be great.

Scarif! Although we got K2SO now, we still could get Antoc Merrick, fresh blood for the Reaper, Y-wings and Strikers, official rules for the shield gate. One can dream.

On 8/9/2019 at 3:42 PM, Managarmr said:

Scarif! Although we got K2SO now, we still could get Antoc Merrick, fresh blood for the Reaper, Y-wings and Strikers, official rules for the shield gate. One can dream.

The Shield Gate would practically be a map unto itself.

Actually, a couple of themed maps like the Shield Gate, Death Star Trench, or the Scarrif Ground Battle could be a lot of fun.

On 8/9/2019 at 6:10 PM, Archangelspiv said:

My disappointment was based solely on the Aces and hotshot pack. It was an upgrade pack, not a pilot expansion pack. What else irks me is that there was a complete lack of balancing in the pilots. The Scum got a JM5K, a Scyk and a Z95. 3 ships that never see competitive play, versus say the Rebels, Leia in a 1300 and 2 A wings, the A wings not seeing play because of low Int. This pack could fix that for Rebels, who by the way aren’t lacking in options already.

I like the idea, just poor execution.

Well said. My feeling also. Due to lack of balance for pilots it depends on what factions you play whether the pilots are anything to get excited about. My first reaction to scums allocation of pilots in thus card pack? Meh... scum got screwed again... first time was at very first points adjustment... then at second points adjustment they were mostly ignored... cheaper contraband cybernetics was one if the few bright spots... shadowcaster title reduced from 6 to 3 was the other...

On 8/9/2019 at 12:28 PM, Darth Meanie said:

FFG fixes that for a piddly cost of $15 featuring tons o' upgrades and even some new material, and still no one is happy.

Sheesh.

Welcome to the Internet

Since these packs will be a thing, I could see the next round of packs being more specific to a given faction with more pilots and the upgrades coming in a separate version of “fully loaded” in the future. Ironically, the complainers will find some reason to complain then as well when they’re getting what they want based off the current responses.

Then again, with how many cards are in the card packs I’m not sure we’d see “all cards are just pilots for one faction” because that could be a lot to rest through at once.

4 hours ago, ScummyRebel said:

Welcome to the Internet

Since these packs will be a thing, I could see the next round of packs being more specific to a given faction with more pilots and the upgrades coming in a separate version of “fully loaded” in the future. Ironically, the complainers will find some reason to complain then as well when they’re getting what they want based off the current responses.

Then again, with how many cards are in the card packs I’m not sure we’d see “all cards are just pilots for one faction” because that could be a lot to rest through at once.

In no particular order:

I do think FFG will refine the idea of what these packs are meant to do as time goes on. This is just round 1.

I think faction specific packs are a Bad Idea. First of all, it means that the devs are only able to focus on 1-3 factions, making those factions "pack ascendant." The other factions get left in the dust til the next release. Second, it will be very cost effective to split a pack with friends, AND more logical for vendors to open these packs and sell them piecemeal without a ship involved. Third, I think themed packs, based on a game mechanic or play scenario, can allow the devs to focus on design and development in a completely new way that is not SHIP-centric, allowing for a more creative process.

Furthermore, it would likely be far easier to create card concepts to go into a pack approaching it from "here's the concept, now how does that touch each faction?" instead of "hey, let's lay 35 new cards on Faction Z without screwing up game balance for every other faction."

I also think FFG needs to make these packs have a broad appeal across the player base. The R+D is the same, at a lower price point. They need people to want to pick these up, even if only for a couple of cards. This is why you'll likely see a fav (like K2SO this time) show up in a pack--to drive sales. When this grinds your gears, think about how K2 is going to set you back $15, but the Emperor once cost you $100.

Ultimately, I think these pack are going to be more like Magic boosters: you get a little of all aspects of the game at once. You can trade, store, or toss the extras if you're faction-focused. Or, just stick with ship releases and be more patient.

If I had to have a grievance, it would be that the pack contain recycled material: I would prefer all new stuff. But I also realize that there are players out there who don't collect everything in multiples and need the cards to play, and this is meant as a way to source those cards. In truth, once K2 is in a listbuilder, I really don't even need a card for him because I prefer to print and play. But I will be buying the packs for the IDEAS they contain.

I understand the frustration of recycled material as well - the majority of the upgrade cards in the ace pack are not that exciting for me and I have more than I need for them. Though I suppose they’re trying to make sure they follow the “all things available across factions without buying an old ship or out of faction”, which is kind of cool they’re finally back on that.

I do sort of wish that in their next wave of card boxes, there is an “upgrade” box that levels things for all factions, and then a separate pack with new pilots and cards only.

On 8/11/2019 at 11:13 AM, Darth Meanie said:

First of all, it means that the devs are only able to focus on 1-3 factions, making those factions "pack ascendant." The other factions get left in the dust til the next release.

4 of the factions are still getting expansions.

3 of the factions are not.

A similar amount of new content is reasonable to expect, even without new models.

The PT and ST factions wouldn't be getting "left in the dust." They're getting entirely new ships! 2/3 OT factions have gotten nothing since September of 2018 and won't until Jan-Mar 2020; possibly as much as 18 months with no releases. And when they do finally get a release, there's other factions' stuff in it, limiting the new stuff they can actually get? Why was this necessary?

16 minutes ago, ClassicalMoser said:

4 of the factions are still getting expansions.

3 of the factions are not.

A similar amount of new content is reasonable to expect, even without new models.

The PT and ST factions wouldn't be getting "left in the dust." They're getting entirely new ships! 2/3 OT factions have gotten nothing since September of 2018 and won't until Jan-Mar 2020; possibly as much as 18 months with no releases. And when they do finally get a release, there's other factions' stuff in it, limiting the new stuff they can actually get? Why was this necessary?

3 of the factions also had a massive head start on the other 4.

Personally, as an Imperial player, it's tough for me to begrudge First Order getting to share in the packs with their 4 ships when I remember that my faction already has 14.

1 hour ago, ClassicalMoser said:

4 of the factions are still getting expansions.

3 of the factions are not.

A similar amount of new content is reasonable to expect, even without new models.

The PT and ST factions wouldn't be getting "left in the dust." They're getting entirely new ships! 2/3 OT factions have gotten nothing since September of 2018 and won't until Jan-Mar 2020; possibly as much as 18 months with no releases. And when they do finally get a release, there's other factions' stuff in it, limiting the new stuff they can actually get? Why was this necessary?

Well, my "pack ascendant" comment assumed "all other things being equal." The OT factions are basically screwed for the now because:

1 hour ago, JJ48 said:

3 of the factions also had a massive head start on the other 4.

Personally, as an Imperial player, it's tough for me to begrudge First Order getting to share in the packs with their 4 ships when I remember that my faction already has 14.

Honestly, it's one of the reasons I stayed with 1.0 for so long: I had no interest in seeing the Imperials contract to a fraction of my previous choices, and then wait for years for them to crawl back out of the 2.0 primordial soup to get to where I once was.

In fact, I'm picking up Republic and Resistance so that my 2.0 game can grow as my faction does. Especially with Republic: being brand new, there of absolutely no preconceived notions of what I can have.

Quote

OT factions have gotten nothing since September of 2018 and won't until Jan-Mar 2020; possibly as much as 18 months with no releases.

I feel your pain, but it's kinda what I expected. . .

I'm just glad Epic is back on the menu. That was the loss that hurt the most for me. Despite, being an Epic-only player, being used to loooooooooonnnnnnggggg breaks between Huge ships.