This was my first game using Howlrunner. She's awesome!

For Wedge, a hard 2 or 3 to the right would have kept him on the board. Probably would have gotten blasted, but would not have flown off.

So what's the verdict with the Falcon? For it to be viable you need to have it escorted with enough low cost ships?

For Wedge, a hard 2 or 3 to the right would have kept him on the board. Probably would have gotten blasted, but would not have flown off.

I didn't even consider that at the time. Was so annoyed with myself for setting the wrong direction on Wedge's dial -- first time I've made that mistake -- then when it came time for the next round, I got it in my head that a hard 1 was the only option that would keep him on the play area that it didn't occur to me that a hard 2 or 3 might do the job.

Ah, well. It wasn't my day. Granted, the list was just a theme squad I threw together, and I wasn't expecting it to perform great. Which isn't to take away anything from Stormtrooper721; I've tried very hard multiple times in multiple games to beat him, and I've yet to pull out a win. Still looking forward to our next match.

For Wedge, a hard 2 or 3 to the right would have kept him on the board. Probably would have gotten blasted, but would not have flown off.

I didn't even consider that at the time. Was so annoyed with myself for setting the wrong direction on Wedge's dial -- first time I've made that mistake -- then when it came time for the next round, I got it in my head that a hard 1 was the only option that would keep him on the play area that it didn't occur to me that a hard 2 or 3 might do the job.

Ah, well. It wasn't my day. Granted, the list was just a theme squad I threw together, and I wasn't expecting it to perform great. Which isn't to take away anything from Stormtrooper721; I've tried very hard multiple times in multiple games to beat him, and I've yet to pull out a win. Still looking forward to our next match.

You, sir, are a great sportsman and, as this was a friendly game, I should have been a better sportsman and let you change that dial. You did pull off some unexpected maneuvers in that game. I would suggest using Biggs with Stealth to fly escort for your Falcon.

Quite the overwhelming force against those two Rebel ships. Thanks for the report!

I would say that is the worst possible asteroid set-up for the rebel player. It allows an easy avenue for the tie fighters to maintain their formation and focus their fire. For the Millenium Falcon to have any chance to excel in the game it has to use its 360 degree arc in conjunction with the asteroids to fire on and disrupt the pursuit formation. Stay on the periphery of the asteroid field (make it as dense in the center as possible) and force the ties to fly through it. That said, swarms are still a tough match up for most squads, so you need every little edge you can get, so that is just one thing to consider.

The other problem that I see right away w/the Rebel ships is their set up. Having the two ships so far apart totally negates Lando's ability. Its turn 4 before the two finally get w/in Range 1 of each other. They should be flying in formation together so that Wedge can Target Lock, then perform a free Focus from Lando. Then Wedge should be using a Photon Torpedo to blow something to bits. In this case, Howlrunner should be his primary target b/c it ruins the Imps whole build.

The other problem that I see right away w/the Rebel ships is their set up. Having the two ships so far apart totally negates Lando's ability. Its turn 4 before the two finally get w/in Range 1 of each other. They should be flying in formation together so that Wedge can Target Lock, then perform a free Focus from Lando. Then Wedge should be using a Photon Torpedo to blow something to bits. In this case, Howlrunner should be his primary target b/c it ruins the Imps whole build.

Having Wedge and Lando start apart was a planned misdirection!

The plan did not work out so well.

That's not entirely true. Stormtrooper721 mentioned a few times that he was surprised by some of the moves I made, so I did succeed in my bluffs. It's debatable whether or not that helped, or if he would have blown me out of the sky all the sooner had I played a bit more conventional.

Going after the lone TIE off to the side was a mistake though. I'm not familiar enough of with the Imperial figures to have realised that Howlrunner would be such a boon, and thought I could pick off Dark Curse nice and quick before having to deal with the rest. Also, I had the Falcon kitted out with cluster missiles as opposed to assault missiles, and I'm sure that would have changed my strategy a bit.

I'm sure Sun Tzu has something to say about reading your opponent's stat cards before entering the battle.

Ah well, the battle was lost, but the war rages on.

Stormtrooper721 mentioned a few times that he was surprised by some of the moves I made, so I did succeed in my bluffs.

Absolutely true!

In that battle I rarely had a clue what you were doing or what you were going to do next and that is actually incredibly unusual and unsettling for me!

One of the reasons I split Dark Curse off all by himself in most battles is so I can anticipate my opponent's moves. It usually breaks up my opponent's squads. Suddenly, half his squad is chasing just 19 points (DC with Stealth) of mine, allowing 81 points of my squad to beat the crap out of about 50 points of his. My bait, Dark Curse, however, is no easy kill. I have never lost Dark Curse and the merry chase he leads has always been futile for the enemy and most advantageous for me as it allows my other TIEs to vector in on their targets virtually unopposed.

Even when my opponent keeps his squadron together, he or she often zeroes in on Dark Curse because he is all alone and seems to be easy pickings, allowing me to know exactly where my opponent is going to move and allowing the rest of my TIEs to vector in on predetermined flight paths from the flank and out of the firing arcs of most of the opposing ships.

In this battle, however, you did fool me right off the hop by placing the Falcon off by itself and then suddenly turning to the right in the next turn to help Wedge go after Dark Curse. There were a few other times in the battle as well when you did not move where I expected you to and seemed to be one step ahead of me.

Having Wedge and Lando start apart was a planned misdirection!

The plan did not work out so well.

No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

That's not entirely true. Stormtrooper721 mentioned a few times that he was surprised by some of the moves I made, so I did succeed in my bluffs. It's debatable whether or not that helped, or if he would have blown me out of the sky all the sooner had I played a bit more conventional.

I'm just saying that if you design your squadron around a ship with a range-based ability, that ability is wasted points if you don't use it and gives your opponent the upper hand. If you want to be unpredictable, by all means go for it! Chewie and Han are just better choices for that though. Hell, the best part about flying the Falcon (and Slave I) is that you /can/ make those unexpected moves and still be able to get off a shot. There's nothing better in this game than when your opponent expects you to go left and you go right - right out of his firing arcs that is!

Going after the lone TIE off to the side was a mistake though. I'm not familiar enough of with the Imperial figures to have realised that Howlrunner would be such a boon, and thought I could pick off Dark Curse nice and quick before having to deal with the rest. Also, I had the Falcon kitted out with cluster missiles as opposed to assault missiles, and I'm sure that would have changed my strategy a bit.

I'd prefer to go after Howlrunner with those Cluster Missiles than the Assault Missiles. The AOE dmg from the AM won't knock-out Howl's Stealth generator, so you may as well roll a lot of attack dice and hope that you get lucky. If your Falcon has Gunner - which it should ALWAYS! - then you basically get 3 chances at taking her out before those TIEs get to shoot at you.