I wonder about using Colonel Jendon with the ST-321 title and your pack of bombers. He'll let you lock beyond long range and then pass it off to one of the bombers which was out of range when it acted. Playing with a squad builder you could get:

Colonel Jendon + Fire Control + ST-321 (31)

3x Sciminar Squadron Pilot (16x3 = 48)

leaving 21 points for ordinance (7 each?) to hand out to the bombers.

I am beginning to think bombs are the way to go with these guys. Especially Proton Bombs. Two of these babies and a BH with gunner and a proton bomb would be nasty.

You could even use proton bombs and seismic charges, 1 of each on each bomber to keep the cost down. Or use Proximity mines to choke the field of play.

In the case of mines, 2 cheap bombers would be 28 pts each with 2 mines. Then add other ships as you see fit, probably a couple of highly maneuverable squints to get into positions that will force your opponent to take fire or move over mines or asteroids to fire back at the squints.

2 x Basic Bomber with 2 Proximity Mines each.

1 x Alpha Squad Squint with Stealth Device.

1 x Avenger Squad squint with Stealth Device

100 pts

you can only have one bomb upgrade

@ Picasso

You are correct of course, but I was responding to the OP who suggested a 4 Scimitar build. You pointed out possible solutions to the problems (due to having all 4 Scimitar Pilots) that I was trying to bring to his attention.

Also, Jedi Moose did an excellent job of pointing out why this is still not a satisfactory answer for 3 or 4 TIE Bombers with such heavy loadouts.

Of all of the possibilities, multiple Cluster Missiles with Captain Jonus providing rerolls is probably the most terrifying for people to face at close range. With multiple, accurate attacks the defender is going to run out of focus/evade tokens in quite a hurry and start taking major damage.

My suggestion for a TIE Bomber flight would be:

Captain Jonus (Squad Leader, Concussion Missile)

3 x Scimitar Squadron (Proton Torpedoes, Cluster Missiles)

At range 3 you will probably get 2 shots, Jonus' Concussion Missile and a Scimitar Pilot's extremely painful Proton Torpedo (Target Locked with Squad Leader and taking advantage of Jonus' rerolls). The next turn, it will be nearly impossible for your opponent to stay out of range 1 or 2, and your Cluster Missiles will lay a ferocious beating on him. If you are facing a swarm with PS 1 pilots you have access to a massive 1 Concussion, 3 Proton Torpedo (with rerolls) Alpha strike, which could go an awful long way towards knocking down their numbers.

I've been thinking about lists like:

Colonel Jendon (26) + ST-321 (3) + Weapons Engineer (3) - 32
Captain Jonus (22) + Concussion Missile (4) - 26
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16) + Assault Missile (5) - 21
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16) + Assault Missile (5) - 21

Total - 100

Colonel Jendon (26) + ST-321 (3) + Weapons Engineer (3) + Anti-Pursuit Lasers (2) - 34
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16) + Advanced Proton Torpedo (6) - 22
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16) + Advanced Proton Torpedo (6) - 22
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16) + Advanced Proton Torpedo (6) - 22

Total - 100

No idea how they'll work in practice though (if at all!) until we see the relevant dials.

@KO,

I agree.

I think the Concussion Missile is just as good with the reroll and changing a blank to a hit. just depends on what you like to use. I'm a missile guy. With the concussion You are giving up the crit tho unless you roll it.

I do think bombers will be to slow and clanky for it to matter much. four rookies with shield upgrades and flown well should win more often then not against four bombers regardless of missiles.

I generally prefer Concussion Missiles to Proton Torpedoes as well, but I am thinking that since Scimitar Pilots fire at PS 2, and are likely to get the PT/Conc off later, the combination of the PT's free mini-marksman for crits with Jonus' rerolls would be better than the Concussion Missiles free blank to hit conversion. They are pretty close either way.

The 4 rookies with shields would be an awfully bad matchup for a 4 TIE Bomber squadron of any type, including this one. On the other hand, if the 4 X-Wings were unfortunate enough to have the initiative there is a good chance they would eat the entire 3 PT + Concussion Alpha strike at range 3 on that first pass. That would be a decisive swing. You could pretty confidently expect to kill one X-Wing and cripple a second, maybe even kill 2 X-Wings outright, without losing a singe TIE. The Rebel player would need to be very careful to avoid this exchange. Even if he managed to make that first shot occur at range 2 he is likely to only kill one TIE in return. Assuming that TIE is Captain Jonus the 3 remaining TIEs should be able to put their cluster missiles into the two survivors at a later time and win the game. If the TIEs have initiative, this should be a win for the X-Wings since it will be very difficult for the TIEs to get the Target Locks they need to be effective.

Agree. If what I just read is true about the dials tho. Forget it they are a rough flight for sure.

Agree. If what I just read is true about the dials tho. Forget it they are a rough flight for sure.

Really? I was thinking that it looks like they got a pretty good dial considering their stats and roll.

I think they might be A-wing bait. X-wing for sure. I think I can out maneuver them with a yt-100.

Given the 360 fire arc of the turret and the great no-action abilities you can have (gunner) you can pretty much out-manuever anything with a YT-1300, but I get your point.

Agree. If what I just read is true about the dials tho. Forget it they are a rough flight for sure.

Really? I was thinking that it looks like they got a pretty good dial considering their stats and roll.

I think they might be A-wing bait. X-wing for sure. I think I can out maneuver them with a yt-100.

So are we thinking they are good or bad???

Definitely at slower speed even the YT can out turn them and they don't seem to have a 5 straight to get out of Dodge.

For bombing and shooting something they are good. Dogfighting they are terrible. I dogfight fight with my Yts not skim the outside of the play area and shoot inside. In the end their inability to make tight turns will hurt them. Any A-wing will hurt them. Think about how devastating a missile is to an X-wing with only two evade dice.

Bombers and B-wings will be great for shooting down those big ships. Not so good mixing it up with TIEs, Squints, and A-wings.

Squint being??? Tie Interceptors?

Squint being??? Tie Interceptors?

Yes, it's slang from the EU Rogue/Wraith Squadron books.

I have been looking at the maneuver dials, and I am coming to think that maybe we are underestimating the TIE Bombers ability to dogfight. Its high speed dial (3 turns and 5 K-Turn) means that 2 turns after that first pass, when most ships would be facing one another at Range 1, the TIE Bombers will instead be facing their opponents at Range 2 or 3. This plays to their large ordnance loadout very well.

We will see, but I think that with a little practice TIE Bombers will be very capable of maneuvering. They will do it differently, and it will take a little practice, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will do it badly.

Dupes are tie bombers

Dupes are tie bombers

???

Dupes are tie bombers

???

It's from the X-Wing series of Star Wars novels, many of which are written by Michael A. Stackpole, who also wrote many BattleTech novels.

Dupes are tie bombers

???

Tie Fighters look a bit like they are eyes, so Rebel pilots have give the different designations nicknames, Dupes are Bombers, Brights are Advanced, Squints are Interceptors.

I feel like I'm speaking a new language.

Trust me, this lingo is much easier to pick up than conversational Klingon!

Pilots have been giving nicknames to enemy aircraft since WW2. For example the Japanese A6M Zero had the code name Zeke. You can look up online and see the codenames NATO gave Soviet aircraft during the cold war.

Yep, we used to have playing cards with the aircraft on them to help people learn them.

Conversational Klingon, now that made me smile...

Dupes, Squints, and Brights. I may have to make note though you don't see many Brights outside of Lord Vader and he may be crew.

Eyeballs are the standar Tie Fighter btw, to add to your lexicon. I believe Tie Defenders are Trips. Not sure what the Avengers are nicknamed.

Blur was a nickname used for the prototype TIE Reconnaissance Fighter.