What are thoughts on a unit or personnel upgrade having a deployable cover keyword which would allow them to place barricades or some other form of cover as they move on the battlefield?

I'd like to see a personnel upgrade with this ability. It could be an opportunity to get some new sculpts like the Death Star Gunner. Any other ideas on sculpts for an engineer?

I think I would let them place them upon deployment, not in the middle of the game. I just don't see a Star Warrior hauling enough materials to build a barricade under fire. It would be a neat sculpt and they could put new barricades in the squad box. Maybe a droid.

That'd be a fun keyword, kinda like Scout. "Engineer X - After deploying this unit place 1 barricade within range X of this unit"

...sappers can do it....

Maybe a droid, that has two states.

It can move and fight normally, or transform into a stationary turret that provides cover?

6 hours ago, lologrelol said:

Maybe a droid, that has two states.

It can move and fight normally, or transform into a stationary turret that provides cover?

Like... a droideka? What you are describing is basically a droideka.

They allready kinda have a mechanic like this with the smoke grenade, I feel like if they did do something like your describing they would just go the way if the smoke grenade and use a token or something.

7 hours ago, wintermoonwolf said:

...sappers can do it....

My point is more that it would be hard to model the figures believably unless it was setup on deployment.

I thought this was how the crates that came with the Tank would work.

This would be a great personnel expansion!

Engineer X

I'm imagining something like:

Engineer X: As a free action*, place 1 Wound token on this card to place 1 Light Barricade within Range 1 of this unit. Limit X tokens.

Light Barricades would of course only provide Light Cover, which seems appropriate to me if they are portable/deployable, and it seems less abusable if you can slap some permanent cover wherever you want mid-game if it's only light. And since FFG would almost definitely feel the need to include barricade models in the pack, seems like a good excuse to make new barricades.

*Maybe not a free action if that seems too good.

I'm in the vote to make it a pre-game ability, as stated building in a fire fight seems strange. though deployable cover isn't impossible.

That said I could see a defensive wall ability, where a unit (gungans come to mind) with shields can provide cover for units behind them.

I think this is a neat idea, but I'd make it do more too.

The idea of units hauling gear onto the battlefield isn't necessarily bad, but it'd take balancing I think.

I'm thinking something like:

Imperial field technicians
(36 points)

Stats:
corps
4 minis
1 Hp
1 courage
red defense dice
no surge value
movement speed 2

weapons:
melee/unarmed 1 white
range 1-3 E-11 blaster 1 white

Upgrades Bar:

Personnel:
-Imperial technician (9 points)

Heavy weapon:
-Deployable cover (36 points)
Unit gains keywords Deployable: cover, plodding

-Deployable turret (45)
Unit gains keywords Deployable: turret, plodding

Gear
Grenade

Deployable: X
During your activation you may spend two actions to place a deployable that matches the name specified by the Deployable keyword in base contact with the unit leader. Once the Deployable is placed add that deployable card to your unit cards, this unit loses Deployable: X and plodding keywords.


Cover (unit card)
1 mini
- hp
- courage
- defense
- no surge
- movement
- no weapon

Treat this as terrain that grants heavy cover.

Turret(unit card)
Mounted E-web heavy blaster
1 mini
-hp
-courage
-defense
-no surge
-movement

Treat this as terrain that grants light cover.

When a trooper unit with its unit leader in base contact attacks the unit leader mini may add the weapon on this card to the pool instead of it's own. The unit gains surge to crit during this attack if this weapon was added.

Weapon:
Range 1-3, 1 red 2 black 2 white, fixed front



The cover would just be a barricade, and the turret could be an unmanned e web on a 50mm base


Rebels would have a similar unit, droids and clones may need to workshop something else

On 11/26/2019 at 4:54 PM, TauntaunScout said:

I think I would let them place them upon deployment, not in the middle of the game. I just don't see a Star Warrior hauling enough materials to build a barricade under fire. It would be a neat sculpt and they could put new barricades in the squad box. Maybe a droid.

Deployable shield generators. Don’t need to build it just flip the on switch.

On 11/26/2019 at 4:54 PM, TauntaunScout said:

I think I would let them place them upon deployment, not in the middle of the game. I just don't see a Star Warrior hauling enough materials to build a barricade under fire. It would be a neat sculpt and they could put new barricades in the squad box. Maybe a droid.

Agreed here... the only time I've seen fortifications built in game was in Dirtside II and with the ground scale being so massive one might be able to envision earthworks of some sort being constructed in the midst of the battle. Not so much the short firefights that are the Legion skirmish game.

You could just have a cheap vehicle heavy or support that has no weapons, since vehicles provide cover.

On 11/28/2019 at 10:17 PM, DtLS said:

Deployable shield generators. Don’t need to build it just flip the on switch.

That's an interesting idea and not without precedent in the world of Star Wars wee litt'l doll games.

It would look really cool as a shield generator base that was moved around with the unit, that had a cross shaped slot modeled onto the top (looking kinda like the power box to the e-web) and you would place a piece of translucent plastic into it when it's turned on.