Personally, I'm anti-Intensity in 2e. I think it was reasonable and healthy action economy mostly only by comparison to nutty 1e action economy. Granted, it was more of an action time-machine than action economy, but still.

Anyhow, Poll.

https://strawpoll.com/c7ah761b

I wouldn’t mind seeing it just as long as it was given the 2.0 linked action treatment: “After you perform a boost or barrel roll action, you may perform a red focus or red evade action, then flip this card...”

In 2e Intensity would have a single charge on it with text similar to "after you perform a boost or barrel roll action you may spend a charge to assign a focus or evade token to your ship." That would be followed by "At the end of the combat phase you may spend a focus or evade token to gain a charge"

I don't think it is needed in 2e and would be against it popping back up. As you said, the only reason it was fine in first edition is because it was an ok upgrade in a broken environment with multiple options that were much better.

2e is in a good enough position right now and I think bringing back upgrades like this would be a step in the wrong direction. In the end though we know they will choose the direction that makes them the most money, worrying about balance impact much later.

Its too powerful since 2nd edition gave most ships sudo PTL. It gets super broken with ships that have a boost /roll + linked action. Fenn can boost into range 1, get an evade from intensity, then linked to a focus. Soontir is now turtling up flying away from people. Guri is gaining an evade/focus from adv sensors boost/roll. Intensity is too powerful in 2e. It would have to be made for certain ships.

I could maybe see it as a configuration for the Ewing, that only has boost + lock linked action. That way it can kind of have a boost + focus linked action and maybe be playable for its points.

@wurms that E wing idea is great! I really like it. The E wing seems to be designed as a slasher, but with terrible linked actions, and that would certainly help it a lot.
though if it didn't fill the talent slot, FCS R3 Juke e wings might be a bit strong... cuz that juke is powered by a reposition...

but maybe the e wing needs that much help.

or maybe... config "advanced combat system" 1 recurring charge, and after you boost/barrel roll you can spend the charge to gain a calculate.

why are you asking this specific of a question?

No, it doesn't fit in 2e.

Add the "non-limited pilot only" restriction and sure, for 5+ points.

I don't want it. Thanks.

This enables the evade token to a lot of pilots that don't have it and opens new broken combos everywhere.

Even with the second edition treatment (make a red action) I don't think this will be good for a health game.

Boba with boost and evade in to Han with perceptive copilot! Yes please. It would need to be priced high. I don’t want to see it in second ed though.

I'd say it's gotta be about 4 second edition points.

I'd prefer not to see this back, at least in its 1.0 form.

It seems like it would be extremely strong on platforms that have boost or barrel roll as part of a linked action or pilot ability, or who can generate focus or evade tokens. Especially since it's not an action and can therefore be used when stressed or to double up tokens. It would allow Jedi to bank an evade token they can use without spending an extra Force after Fine-tuned (because what we really need is more ways for Jedi to bank defensive resources that they can run off and regenerate). On pilots with double talent slots it could also enable Juke.

Consider, if you will, recently announced RZ-2 pilot Zizi Tlo equipped with Intensity:

Quote

After you defend or perform an attack, you may spend 1 [Recurring charge] to gain 1 focus or evade token.

Evade action -> Boost -> Intensity token -> Shoot at I5 and get third token, also you can have Juke (assuming they get two talents like the other RZ-2s), and shoot backwards. Eww.

but what if we didn't give every ship force?

6 hours ago, Blail Blerg said:

why are you asking this specific of a question?

No, it doesn't fit in 2e.

Just saw folks talking about Intensity in a different thread, and I got curious what others would think about it.

//

The more I think about it, my already mostly anti-Intensity opinion has hardened and intensified. It really has no place in 2e, particularly with linked actions.

Which is really interesting to me. If Intensity was the only action economy talent in 1e, that would have been great.

I really like the idea of giving up an EPT for another pseudo linked action.

Make it only focus, and perform red focus action? Spend at end phase to flip back up?

requires focus action to equip?

Instead of being a recurring charge, I think it might make more sense as a 2 or 3 charge card.

I don't think I love the idea of it as it was in 2.0.

42 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

Which is really interesting to me. If Intensity was the only action economy talent in 1e, that would have been great.

It still worked well - because it didn't generate stress, unlike the more ubiquitous Push The Limit - but it was tied to a very niche set of users because of the need to roll or boost to trigger the thing.

I can't recall ever seeing it on a pilot other than Poe Dameron or Guri (who were given to much repositioning and either generated a free focus or didn't spend their normal one, meaning the cost was usually irrelevant, and couldn't evade naturally, making the benefit much greater).

9 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

It still worked well - because it didn't generate stress, unlike the more ubiquitous Push The Limit - but it was tied to a very niche set of users because of the need to roll or boost to trigger the thing.

I can't recall ever seeing it on a pilot other than Poe Dameron or Guri (who were given to much repositioning and either generated a free focus or didn't spend their normal one, meaning the cost was usually irrelevant, and couldn't evade naturally, making the benefit much greater).

I used it a little on TIE Defenders with /x7, but whether that would be better than PTL Duchess or Expertise was debatable. I liked that I could turn up my mobility a bit, and Defenders could be so predictable that giving them some mobility options was pretty handy. I know there were also folks who swore by Snap Wexley with it.

Basically, anyone who got either a free token, a frequently unspent token, or a free movement action, was at least a decent candidate for it.

Making it a red linked action off a white boost or barrel roll would fix most of the worst offenders. Soontir can already evade then boost, letting him boost then evade isnt all that different. Making it an action prevents adv sensor shenanigans. Fenn could boost evade, but then cant focus.

1 hour ago, theBitterFig said:

I know there were also folks who swore by Snap Wexley with it.

Hello, that's me.

Snap with Intensity and Comm Relay was my favorite build.
I'd waltz into combat with an evade, a focus, and either another focus or a lock.

Plus a regen droid...

That does seem to be a bit much for 2e, but I sure had a lot of fun with it.

I really enjoyed 1e Intensity on Jake Farrell, another pilot who generated his own actions/tokens.

I like some of the adaptations people have suggested involving making it a red action, but at the same time it kind of feels more like 2.0 PTL at that point. Perhaps something that involves Jam, Strain, or Deplete tokens?

Was absolutely shocked not to see a “7-9” or “10-14” option.

I’m not sure which would be more appropriate, but it’s somewhere between Juke and Vader crew. VASTLY more powerful than Outmaneuver or Lone Wolf.

I think putting a charge or 2 on it would really reel it in in 2e. I think making it a red linked action would be too much of a 1e mentality for me. There are also a lot of ships that have some kind of native linked action combo anyway, and a card like that would take away from the ship designs. I do think there could be a balanced iteration that could work for 2e if it were charged based. Afterburners comes to mind in terms of a close example.

Maybe 2 charges and "After you perform a white boost or barrel roll, you may spend a charge to perform a red focus or evade action. If you performed an action you do not have on your action bar, suffer 1 damage."

I think the 'take a damage if you can't natively do something' would hopefully balance it out and maintain some chassis identity for the most part.

6-7pts??

I loved Intensity in First Edition, but honestly we don't need it in Second. There is action economy enough out there. If people think Guri is broken now, wait until they see how stupid good she gets when she has an evade that she can nearly always replenish. I'd honestly pay 8-10 on her for it.