Here we are, another weird list!

Trying to imagine some sort of build to hunt down a Starhawk based Rebel build, I brought this. Since the arrive of Romodi, I've renewed my interest in an twice ISD build, and this might be interesting...might. In MY opinion, ISD I its an interesting platform if loaded with some stuff from Wave 8, I think that Romodi makes short-ranged ISDs good hunting ships, but rather then Kuat, The ISD I can fully benefit from the new commander because of its Turbolaser Slot, combined with Leading Shots in the Ion Slot for some rerolls.

I know that Cymoon can actually outgun ISD I at long range, but without an effective reroll source like Leading Shots, Krennic or Vader, it become more susceptible to randomness, with only Gunnery Chief Varnillian to give a little help to mitigate the bad luck, and you cannot have them all. On the other side, Kuat would roll less reds than ISD1 and Cymoon, and need to trigger something like APT or ACM to be devastating. Defensively, ISD1 and Cymoon share the same lacking of Defensive Retrofit Slot, but if you take Cymoons probably you would also load Fleet Commands, because this is the a good reason that makes Cymoon good, and this will screw some good points for the first player bid, wich is vital, also the side arcs damage output of the Cymmon its quite lower compared to ISD1.

Anyway, this is the Basic Idea of a twice ISD1 based list, with the simple task of charging the enemy throught any possible obstruction, but I'll be glad if someone would share some opinions or suggestions about it to develop the concept further!

"Romodi's Assault Force" (2 X ISD I) ☆General Romodi☆

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 388/400

Commander: General Romodi

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation Objective: Doomed Station

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- 7th Fleet Star Destroyer ( 5 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Local Fire Control ( 4 points)
- Spinal Armament ( 9 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 136 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- General Romodi ( 20 points)
- 7th Fleet Star Destroyer ( 5 points)
- Minister Tua ( 2 points)
- Local Fire Control ( 4 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- Spinal Armament ( 9 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 161 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Assault Carriers (28 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 30 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Assault Carriers (28 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 30 total ship cost

1 Black Squadron ( 9 points)
1 Valen Rudor ( 13 points)
1 TIE Bomber Squadron ( 9 points)
= 31 total squadron cost

All that analysis on which ISD to use, and you never talked about the ISD-II...

My advice? Use two ISD-IIs. Drop Spinal Armaments, Minister Tua, and the 7th Fleet titles. That’s 30 points. Change ISD-Is for ISD-IIs, add in a second ECM. You still have 3 extra points, and a choice:

Either drop Black Squadron and the TIE Bomber, and add Ciena Ree (Valen & Ciena are about the only worthwhile squadron group for less than 40 points), OR

Drop one of those Gozantis, and get some more fighters in there (still, get rid of that TIE Bomber; it’s not going to do you much good), OR

Drop the fighters entirely, add upgrades/get a bid, OR

Drop the fighters and a Gozanti, and get another combat ship in there (Arquitens or Raider).

Finally, a note on squadron builds: You can go small (say, 70 points or less) on squadrons if you want to, but if you do, a good general rule is that EVERY squadron in your build better be optimized for anti-squadron dogfighting. Bombers are never going to get to their targets until you eliminate the opponent’s fighter screen, so that lone TIE Bomber in your list is dead weight, and not particularly threatening to an enemy A-Wing or X-Wing. If that were a lone TIE Fighter, at least it would be a threat to the opponent’s fighter screens or bomber wing.

The time to bring bombers (especially for the Empire) is when you have a list that’s pretty full of squadrons, and you have a dedicated anti-squad wing and a dedicated bomber wing. The Rebels are a bit more fortunate in their fighter options, in that they have a lot of multirole fighters; indeed, all of the “lettered” series fighters... B, X, Y, and E, with the exception of A-Wings, have the Bomber keyword. And though the A-Wing lacks it, it still throws a perfectly respectable single black die at ships! Imperial squadrons are more specialized (and a bit cheaper on average; but when they get a multirole fighter, they pay a premium for it... see the TIE Defender & Firespray-31).

There are exceptions to these general rules—Sloane, Ruthless Strategists, Advanced Transponder Network, and other cards can change the functionality of Imperial fighters drastically—but those cards are a bit outside the scope of this discussion.

6 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Firespray-31

Which is a pretty questionable multirole fighter. It's 2 TIE Bombers smashed together in terms of cost and damage.

2 minutes ago, The Jabbawookie said:

Which is a pretty questionable multirole fighter. It's 2 TIE Bombers smashed together in terms of cost and damage.

True. Though it is a Rogue, which is not zero.

12 hours ago, Cpt ObVus said:

All that analysis on which ISD to use, and you never talked about the ISD-II...

My advice? Use two ISD-IIs. Drop Spinal Armaments, Minister Tua, and the 7th Fleet titles. That’s 30 points. Change ISD-Is for ISD-IIs, add in a second ECM. You still have 3 extra points, and a choice:

Either drop Black Squadron and the TIE Bomber, and add Ciena Ree (Valen & Ciena are about the only worthwhile squadron group for less than 40 points), OR

Drop one of those Gozantis, and get some more fighters in there (still, get rid of that TIE Bomber; it’s not going to do you much good), OR

Drop the fighters entirely, add upgrades/get a bid, OR

Drop the fighters and a Gozanti, and get another combat ship in there (Arquitens or Raider).

Finally, a note on squadron builds: You can go small (say, 70 points or less) on squadrons if you want to, but if you do, a good general rule is that EVERY squadron in your build better be optimized for anti-squadron dogfighting. Bombers are never going to get to their targets until you eliminate the opponent’s fighter screen, so that lone TIE Bomber in your list is dead weight, and not particularly threatening to an enemy A-Wing or X-Wing. If that were a lone TIE Fighter, at least it would be a threat to the opponent’s fighter screens or bomber wing.

The time to bring bombers (especially for the Empire) is when you have a list that’s pretty full of squadrons, and you have a dedicated anti-squad wing and a dedicated bomber wing. The Rebels are a bit more fortunate in their fighter options, in that they have a lot of multirole fighters; indeed, all of the “lettered” series fighters... B, X, Y, and E, with the exception of A-Wings, have the Bomber keyword. And though the A-Wing lacks it, it still throws a perfectly respectable single black die at ships! Imperial squadrons are more specialized (and a bit cheaper on average; but when they get a multirole fighter, they pay a premium for it... see the TIE Defender & Firespray-31).

There are exceptions to these general rules—Sloane, Ruthless Strategists, Advanced Transponder Network, and other cards can change the functionality of Imperial fighters drastically—but those cards are a bit outside the scope of this discussion.

Ok, first of all, let me say thanks for reading and answering to my post, I'm always pleased when people share opinions. To explain why my discussion its all about ISD1, Cymoon and Kuat, I can tell you this, ISD II its for sure a well rounded ship, the perfect multipurpose platform, from ranged combat, to squadrons command ship, and probably would be the best choice in most situations, so why ISD1? The answer its pretty easy, in first place the cost, an ISD II with ECM starts at 127 points, because you wont leave the Defensive Retrofit Slot empty, and other choices are weaker. so it is 17 points more for each ship that you cut from the bid, and in my case I NEED to be the first player, exploiting the number of activations, in second place the damage output, if I can manage to get at close range with double arcs, I can deal a significant blow to the beast, cause the Starhawk is the target. I do really love black diced ships, but to be effective i must get last-first to activate, and then run after striking hard. Basically I will navigate for first half of the game, trying to get in a perfect position to charge head on, If I'm able to get the side of the Starhawk, I think that most of the job has been done. These are the reasons also for my upgrades selection, 7th Fleet SD can absorb some long range damage or a squadron hit, while approaching. Spinal is for maximizing Romodi at long range, but I can swap them with anything else, maybe XI7, or H9, this can be easly adjusted. Another interesting characteristic of ISD1 is the double Offensive Retrofit Slot, wich can let you bring in battle useful anti-squadron stuff like PDR or QLT, not mentioning Hardened Bulkheads for a double ramming action with your ISDs. As I said, this build is a work in progress, and every feedback could be useful. About squadrons selection you're right, and I'm thinking about trading the Bomber e Black Squadron for a standard TIE Fighter and a TIE Adv....but its just an idea to make them "holding the line" a bit more... Obviously the Gozantis are Token Feeders for the ISDs, but most important, are merely two good activations, and if they can get at medium range behind something....Romodi will make them better. In my area high number of activation its imperative because many players fly 5 activations, 6 if Rebels, but in the case of a Starhawk based list, I'm sure that this wont happen, that's why for SA on the second ISD, but maybe I can sacrifice Tua and ECM on the flagship for an Intel Officer for example... As you can see, I'm an unconventional player who loves unexpected builds!

I like the general direction you are taking and if you are hunting Starhawks and not facing other lists I think you will do OK.The secret to taking down a Starhawk is being able to overwhelm it's defense tokens and then inflict massive damage.

The ISD-I has a build that is made for this.

Imperial I Class Star Destroyer

Avenger, Boarding Troopers, Expanded Hangar Bay, Leading Shots, Spinal Armaments.

You can use Brunson or Tua/ECM's as a defensive set up.

With Romodi, that is 5 red dice from the front arc at long range (six with a CF), which is not to shabby. More importantly though, you can negate 5 defense tokens with Avenger/BT's/Expanded Hangar Bay as EHB's increase your squadron value by one.

That means that on the strike, you will get 3 Black, 2 blue, 4-6 red all of which will face zero defense tokens, maybe a Salvo and that will blast a hole even in a Starhawk, plus you'll be double arcing to add a few more hits. If you pair that with a Krennic Cymoon or a Onager, you can start and punish that Starhawk early and badly.

If you add a Gozanti Assault craft with Tua/ECM's, Suppressor and Slicer tools you have a ship to shoot through, that is an absolute nightmare to kill and will take out a defense token and mess up the SH command dials.

3 hours ago, Kieran Rexer said:

About squadrons selection you're right, and I'm thinking about trading the Bomber e Black Squadron for a standard TIE Fighter and a TIE Adv....but its just an idea to make them "holding the line" a bit more... Obviously the Gozantis are Token Feeders for the ISDs, but most important, are merely two good activations, and if they can get at medium range behind something....Romodi will make them better. In my area high number of activation its imperative because many players fly 5 activations, 6 if Rebels, but in the case of a Starhawk based list, I'm sure that this wont happen, that's why for SA on the second ISD, but maybe I can sacrifice Tua and ECM on the flagship for an Intel Officer for example... As you can see, I'm an unconventional player who loves unexpected builds!

I’m generally on board with what you’re doing... it’s just that the squadron selection is really not going to do what you’re hoping it will do. Valen, TIE Fighter, TIE Advanced is not a good fighter mix. You either want to spring a few more points free, and make a slightly larger, more cohesive fighter wing (for example, Howlrunner and 3 TIE Fighters. 40 points, and if you get the first punch in, you may at least get some of your points back, and they’ll at least serve as a small speed bump), or cash in the 31 points you have invested now, get out of the squadron game, and turn one of the Gozantis into a better ship (or, as a EnglishPete suggested, give one of them Suppressor, Slicer Tools, Tua, & ECMs. It’s a great ship, and super difficult to kill, especially for big ship lists, since it’s difficult to attack the thing multiple times in one turn to burn that Scatter).

As for the ISD-I, I’m intrigued. I don’t think I’ve taken that ship seriously since the release of the Quasar Fire... and once we got the Kuat ISD, I think I forgot the ISD-I existed. Let me know how it goes!

Ok! Thanks guys! You gave me some stuff to work with, I'm going to modify the original build using a couple of your ideas, before planning the first test!

Just stay tuned!

I couldn't wait to edit the list ... I tried to implement most of your suggestions, this is what came out at the moment, trying to keep the same bid and the same number of activations. I decided to replace the two Spinals with DTT in order to have some long range rerolls, and strengthened the Fighter Screen.

Now with Suppressor on the field I need to modify the initial approach, I guess, flying it more aggressively than a normal Gozanti.

Probably this new version of the build its more intriguing than the original one...

"Romodi's Assault Force" (2 X ISD I) ☆General Romodi☆ Vol. 2
Author: keyran rexer
Points: 387/400

Commander: General Romodi

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation Objective: Doomed Station

[ flagship ] Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- General Romodi ( 20 points)
- Avenger ( 5 points)
- Captain Brunson ( 5 points)
- Boarding Troopers ( 3 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 152 total ship cost

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- Strategic Adviser ( 4 points)
- Local Fire Control ( 4 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 127 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Suppressor ( 4 points)
- Minister Tua ( 2 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- Slicer Tools ( 7 points)
= 43 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost

1 Howlrunner ( 16 points)
3 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 24 points)
= 40 total squadron cost

MUCH better, to my eyes. Just don’t count on that fighter screen to do all the work; it’s still pretty flimsy. But if you time the assault correctly, and fight under cover of your own flak, you should be able to make it work.

I do have a couple of suggestions. First, Dual Turbolaser Turrets are ok, but Linked Turbolaser Towers are only two points more, and they can do some pretty awesome stuff against a particularly troublesome enemy squadron, and that helps shore up two of your weaknesses. Consider finding room for them instead of DTTs. Second, cough up one point and put Officer Vader on the Comms Net Gozanti. He’s amazing!

I like Local Fire Control a lot, but dropping it and the two DTTs pays for two LTTs (Vader is only one point). Either way, looking good!