One of my favorite expansion types from X-Wing 1.0 was the Aces packs. These would take old fighters that had fallen behind in usability and offer them some useful upgrades to make them better suited for the current game. They also had new paint schemes. I know we'll never get them (They have done a much better job of adding upgrades to new content like RitR, Arquitenz, and Imperial Light Carrier, expansions.), apart from the Chimera Expansion that effectively was this. But what would you include in an Aces pack?

Rebel Aces

1 Hammerhead with a blue and white paint scheme like the CR-90's from Sato's fleet.

1 MC-30 with a paint scheme like the MC-75.

1 copy of each of the generic titles: TFA, TFO, and MCDF (THis would make it easier for players to get three copies of these titles without having to buy repeats of content.

About 17 other cards that are a mix of unique titles and other helpful upgrades.

A more expensive beefed up ship card for each to add a third variant.

Imperial Aces

1 Arquitenz with battle damage paint scheme.

1 Gladiator with markings to designate it as being part of the 7th Fleet.

1 Copy of 7th Fleet

3 Copies of a generic title called Outer Rim Defense Force that hurts ship to ship combat, but increases Anti-Squadron Combat.

About 16 more Upgrades

A Stripped Down, Remnant of the Republic/ Backwater variant of Arquitenz.

A Prototype Gladiator with more dice in the sides, and fewer in the front.

I painted my ships myself to give them individual identities. But I would like to have expansion packs like the Chimaera was for ISDs with new ship tokens that bring variety to older miniatures and some new titles.

I’d like some aces for fighters. An alternate Vader fighter as the current one just doesn’t work thematically, and a new Defender ace to mix things up a bit.

While I would love to see more titles and Aces (it can be reasonably assessed that we will be getting Squadron Pack 2 Aces in the future) in a campaign or card upgrade pack, I really don't want to have buy another ship that I have plenty of just to get some upgrade cards and an alternate paint scheme. I would like to think that the Chimaera expansion was a one-off that was very beneficial to seeing even more of one of the most iconic Imperial ships on the table in different variants, not to mention a new commander, new Imperial squadrons, etc.

These would somewhat be more aimed at the less devoted player. Such as the one who wants to run the very effective 3 Hammerheads without having to buy 2 packs of the Hammerhead expansion to do so. I also paint my ships, but that doesn't mean that all players do, and they may want alternate paint schemes. Ultimately, I doubt this will ever happen.

Assault Frigate Mark I expansion pack

On 4/17/2020 at 10:41 AM, Felswrath said:

These would somewhat be more aimed at the less devoted player. Such as the one who wants to run the very effective 3 Hammerheads without having to buy 2 packs of the Hammerhead expansion to do so. I also paint my ships, but that doesn't mean that all players do, and they may want alternate paint schemes. Ultimately, I doubt this will ever happen.

I’ve been playing this game a long time. When the Hammerhead premiered, I got 3 sets of them, for a total of 6, thinking grand thoughts about massed lists of them.

I’ve since found that the correct number of Hammerheads to run in a list is almost always zero, unless you’re planning on dropping one out of the Profundity. Since when are 3 Hammerheads “very effective?”

I’m asking sincerely, because I’d love to find a use for mine, but in my experience they just explode like hydrogen balloons as soon as an opponent looks at them funny.

10 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

I’ve been playing this game a long time. When the Hammerhead premiered, I got 3 sets of them, for a total of 6, thinking grand thoughts about massed lists of them.

I’ve since found that the correct number of Hammerheads to run in a list is almost always zero, unless you’re planning on dropping one out of the Profundity. Since when are 3 Hammerheads “very effective?”

I’m asking sincerely, because I’d love to find a use for mine, but in my experience they just explode like hydrogen balloons as soon as an opponent looks at them funny.

Run 2 Scouts with Slaved Turrets and Organa with a torpedo corvette for a nice long range gun line cheap. Plus they are pretty tanky at long range.

10 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

Run 2 Scouts with Slaved Turrets and Organa with a torpedo corvette for a nice long range gun line cheap. Plus they are pretty tanky at long range.

I’ll have to give it another go, but I’ve tried that sort of thing a few times, with disappointing results. And I don’t think the subsequent advent of the Onager bodes well for them.

On 4/17/2020 at 2:35 PM, Admiral Calkins said:

While I would love to see more titles and Aces (it can be reasonably assessed that we will be getting Squadron Pack 2 Aces in the future) in a campaign or card upgrade pack, I really don't want to have buy another ship that I have plenty of just to get some upgrade cards and an alternate paint scheme. I would like to think that the Chimaera expansion was a one-off that was very beneficial to seeing even more of one of the most iconic Imperial ships on the table in different variants, not to mention a new commander, new Imperial squadrons, etc.

If only the Mandalorian Gauntlets hadn't been set to Warp Factor Suck.

52 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

I’ve been playing this game a long time. When the Hammerhead premiered, I got 3 sets of them, for a total of 6, thinking grand thoughts about massed lists of them.

I’ve since found that the correct number of Hammerheads to run in a list is almost always zero, unless you’re planning on dropping one out of the Profundity. Since when are 3 Hammerheads “very effective?”

I’m asking sincerely, because I’d love to find a use for mine, but in my experience they just explode like hydrogen balloons as soon as an opponent looks at them funny.

Scout corvettes with Ordnance Experts and Sato? 2 rerollable black dice at long range for 45pts. Or the torpedo corvette with Assault Proton Torpedoes and OE for faceup damage japes at long range for 45pts.

4 hours ago, Cpt ObVus said:

I’ve been playing this game a long time. When the Hammerhead premiered, I got 3 sets of them, for a total of 6, thinking grand thoughts about massed lists of them.

I’ve since found that the correct number of Hammerheads to run in a list is almost always zero, unless you’re planning on dropping one out of the Profundity. Since when are 3 Hammerheads “very effective?”

I’m asking sincerely, because I’d love to find a use for mine, but in my experience they just explode like hydrogen balloons as soon as an opponent looks at them funny.

In my eyes the right number of hammerheads is 1 or 3. With three you can bring a "Task Force" title and will have some cheap activations. I had a lot of fun with a Sato-MC75 and 3 Torpedo Hammerheads. With OE they are also quite good in bringing squads down. (I played 1 tournament with this list and reached the middle place.)

1 Hammerhead can give you a quite cheap activation and maybe a ram together with "Garel's Honor".

The problem is, that the Hammerhead is in no regard as fast and nimble as the CR90. At long range I would always prefer one or more CR90s over the Hammerheads. They unfold their full potential in close range but won't survive very long. It needs more luck and more esteem to play them right. If you bring and rely at 3 hammerheads a failure will lead to a devastating loss. If your plan succeeds you will see grown man cry when your little hammerheads pop their unvulnerable ISDs. But the meta shifted to more long range attacks with squadrons and big ships what is a quite unhealthy surrounding for these little brawlers.

If I were you, I would try to sell 3 of your 6 hammerheads and make someone happy who's deserately looking for some stuff to buy.

4 hours ago, flatpackhamster said:

Scout corvettes with Ordnance Experts and Sato? 2 rerollable black dice at long range for 45pts. Or the torpedo corvette with Assault Proton Torpedoes and OE for faceup damage japes at long range for 45pts.

Yep, tried both of those, they were seriously mediocre.

39 minutes ago, Triangular said:

The problem is, that the Hammerhead is in no regard as fast and nimble as the CR90. At long range I would always prefer one or more CR90s over the Hammerheads. They unfold their full potential in close range but won't survive very long...

...the meta shifted to more long range attacks with squadrons and big ships what is a quite unhealthy surrounding for these little brawlers.

And that’s the main problem. There’s almost no situation in which I don’t prefer the faster, dodgier, far-better-at-long range CR90 with Turbolaser Reroute Circuits for ~6 more points. And as time has gone on, the SSD & Onager have made it even less viable to run Hammerheads. They’re just far too fragile.

But I don’t really want to derail the OP’s thread, so back to your regularly-scheduled discussion about alt-paint ships. 🙂

Personally @Felswrath I would go for a Pelta and Hammerhead with a Phoenix Cell task force that works on Peltas, HH, and CR-90s. Pelta could use a boost here and there more than the MC-30.

Totally down for a cheaper Arquitens and another gladiator variant. Maybe a blue die Ion cannon variant would be cool.