tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254652666902125262024-03-13T04:50:18.002-07:00Stay On The LeaderStay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-43397689005351689022023-11-01T05:22:00.002-07:002023-11-01T05:22:37.719-07:00The Other Games - What I've Played When I'm Not Playing X-Wing<p style="text-align: justify;">For a long time I was a one-game kinda guy. I played Magic, then I played World of Warcraft, then I played Netrunner, then I played Game of Thrones, then I played X-Wing... I moved on but I always kept one game as my focus.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Since lockdown that hasn't been the case and I've been trying to my hand at quite a few different games alongside X-Wing. I wanted to share my journey through those games, what are they like, and did I have fun?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2021 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eIkhiViVCUOKGpM-kTY8nGAGXPmNAIbSsx8c30M12YK1UtXX1A8XqWSKuaBSMrXW-D5Tpomhs4Nd2hFQ382A4f2Axq5qv07c0i5JtPUTF61M_xc_WIYvtMHKyB4B7-Le_ZGINuWtX_aYDfSXXS0kTnMOMQ720bugMK1Bg6OIWrO6CKY03GZhZX8qT_vV/s1050/mc01_anc_slider.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1050" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eIkhiViVCUOKGpM-kTY8nGAGXPmNAIbSsx8c30M12YK1UtXX1A8XqWSKuaBSMrXW-D5Tpomhs4Nd2hFQ382A4f2Axq5qv07c0i5JtPUTF61M_xc_WIYvtMHKyB4B7-Le_ZGINuWtX_aYDfSXXS0kTnMOMQ720bugMK1Bg6OIWrO6CKY03GZhZX8qT_vV/w640-h182/mc01_anc_slider.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s fair to say that 2020 was an odd year for everyone. This was when a whole ton of X-Wing play moved online to Tabletop Simulator and has never really looked back. I tried Tabletop Simulator but quickly decided it wasn’t for me, I probably didn’t manage a dozen games before I gave up on it. Moving digital ships around a digital tabletop and waggling my cursor around to try and communicate with my opponent was not how I wanted to spend my evening. I figured out if I wanted to stare at a screen I’d rather be playing on my PS4, and if I wanted to do something with X-Wing I’d rather be doing it on an actual tabletop so in the second half of the year I was mostly playing games against myself and cracking through painting lots and lots (and lots!) of ships.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iAeuneMqEvsxgPxReekrxDdPvOctkkIxLfsI6FqrkCzQbK-gPjnGJS80ydtJoyvMEZe4UUjFrJFIrxkQPr2hjDZlQhqNgs6su2oM0FHO7ZZcIG9KFsNZrpjiwuDR_uX7ppYABDfH86Td6v9Z8b_FAKxex1kn2vA5Nh1kpQ8cstIUxgBFsGfpWuxAD2L1/s833/2020%20poaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="833" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iAeuneMqEvsxgPxReekrxDdPvOctkkIxLfsI6FqrkCzQbK-gPjnGJS80ydtJoyvMEZe4UUjFrJFIrxkQPr2hjDZlQhqNgs6su2oM0FHO7ZZcIG9KFsNZrpjiwuDR_uX7ppYABDfH86Td6v9Z8b_FAKxex1kn2vA5Nh1kpQ8cstIUxgBFsGfpWuxAD2L1/w640-h332/2020%20poaint.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But as 2020 turned into 2021 and the lockdown and social distancing seemed to have no signs of slowing down I decided to look beyond X-Wing (which I wasn't actually getting to play much anyway) and the thing that caught my eye was Marvel Champions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>It’s Marvel. I like Marvel superheroes.</li><li>It’s a card game. I used to be a hardcore Magic player. I like card games</li><li>It’s one of FFG’s Living Card Games. I used to play Netrunner. I understand the LCG model.</li><li>It’s solo-playable. Perfect for those long socially-distanced evenings.</li></ul><div>Ok, let's stick that on the christmas list and see if Santa brings it to me!</div><div><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>What Is Marvel Champions?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marvel Champions sees groups of 1 to 4 players come together as superheroes to defeat a villain’s dastardly plans, with the game mechanics running the villain’s side of the table and the players all working together to save the day. It's got a really neat mechanic that sees you having to balance time in your superhero persona - where you get to fight bad guys and disrupt their plans, but get attacked and can't heal - with time spent on your everyday alter-ego persona where the villain can't attack you and you can recover, but the villain is free to work towards their evil scheme unhindered. It's a really nice hook that helps to capture the personality of the heroes as well as just their abilities.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Captain America, for instance, will want to spend most of his time in hero mode and using his shield to avoid taking damage from attacks...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6czgjnao4wOxapNHUVFZgGG-_Vrc4mAq_DXA4fALQkKx9NrN-RTBeLnMqNpQiCAAyS7sPLYlXslb744nrQrhkzCWPNOUj25YFgeSS-tXeki32W9VUV6sWd0W2K13XX2EiHIuogUYfS8ja_M7XMUd4y_1C50ANVr_hg7LAle9Kfeo6u7N3RJjwFzkeae1B/s719/Cap-1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="719" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6czgjnao4wOxapNHUVFZgGG-_Vrc4mAq_DXA4fALQkKx9NrN-RTBeLnMqNpQiCAAyS7sPLYlXslb744nrQrhkzCWPNOUj25YFgeSS-tXeki32W9VUV6sWd0W2K13XX2EiHIuogUYfS8ja_M7XMUd4y_1C50ANVr_hg7LAle9Kfeo6u7N3RJjwFzkeae1B/w400-h189/Cap-1.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">...while Ms Marvel gets a tremendous benefit from going to Alter-Ego frequently and as Kamala Khan having her friends and family around helps her to prepare for the next time she gets to be Ms Marvel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFpLLRJywAieekQZB-FxsY4fOSkZkbQukoPQUrRfuyVeB6ba-dlf6wCaZJtn8Yga18eFzsCmFTxJmxmIahEyqoYrG_PbyChAqpja4zZFPkFupOJlMxYHxBSgvqu6hAddggCwYo0My71kZVUZFjZBUBStdp_5bJDsEeyCoGkraq2365Lq-87E7L3BLSS57/s719/Ms-1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="719" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFpLLRJywAieekQZB-FxsY4fOSkZkbQukoPQUrRfuyVeB6ba-dlf6wCaZJtn8Yga18eFzsCmFTxJmxmIahEyqoYrG_PbyChAqpja4zZFPkFupOJlMxYHxBSgvqu6hAddggCwYo0My71kZVUZFjZBUBStdp_5bJDsEeyCoGkraq2365Lq-87E7L3BLSS57/w400-h188/Ms-1.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And Marvel Champions scales nicely across the player counts although I very rapidly found that 1 single hero was quite dull and not very balanced but it was easy enough for a single player to run 2 heroes at once and that was a much better experience. That ‘dual-wielding’ mode is popular with solo players and it’s how I wound up playing 99% of my games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOsTPNbnzDCn0Vl2QcAunvE8OGsl5Z1zlI4itofSySac8mEp-WODRF4jpHfUwV6MPd2V92iQEOaT3leLFgA6A97gxd2-c_GSG75Khw7qb_nGUPSzXKlOuN0LXTJdjBKjc7xsuKJAi4XT3MZwfmpiypBppXLRQD1pnMvuVNtoyECsS3yOdOJVCXXxxSktg/s1438/Ronan%20game.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1438" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOsTPNbnzDCn0Vl2QcAunvE8OGsl5Z1zlI4itofSySac8mEp-WODRF4jpHfUwV6MPd2V92iQEOaT3leLFgA6A97gxd2-c_GSG75Khw7qb_nGUPSzXKlOuN0LXTJdjBKjc7xsuKJAi4XT3MZwfmpiypBppXLRQD1pnMvuVNtoyECsS3yOdOJVCXXxxSktg/w640-h456/Ronan%20game.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The design of FFG’s Living Card Game range is entirely modular – you buy the core set and can there’s then a steady stream of small releases which you can buy as many or as few of as you like. In Marvel Champions most of those small expansions are in the form of adding a new hero to your collection, so if you want to play as Captain America you buy the Captain America expansion, if you want to play as Wolverine you buy the Wolverine expansion. In theory, at least. In reality FFG know their stuff and continually dangle just enough really good cards in each expansion that you’ll feel like there’s something you want in the box even if you don’t want to play as Captain America or Wolverine. Because so much of the appeal of the game comes in customising your hero’s deck of cards to do exactly what you want it to do to defeat the next villain you’re going to face you’re going to keep being tempted to dig out your wallet for just that one more card you really want.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>BTW, if you’re interested in reading more I actually set up a blog like this one for Marvel Champions which ran for pretty much the whole of 2021: <a href="https://have-at-thee-lcg.blogspot.com/"><b>Have At Thee</b></a>.</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">The first couple of expansion waves were focused around building the Avengers heroes, then the game pivoted into space for Guardians of the Galaxy adventures before returning to earth for Spiderverse characters and then moving on into the X-Men. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMd62wcdIg9L6jvRoy5BGEnM5RMnNrwZSffQ9l2LCxUOIgMe4wE5D6IrqWhFq6k4HpseLs4nc_dZtt30qi9M5wIu_FIvgHhyp0mFUP9QjTwPaA0tBHUBg81kkbLIroPw0SvTZU7mBUktkZ-2g8s7OY0O5mpjgXXK_hWrpZpbKYltx9F5cl4DJ0u19W5oA/s1200/cyclops-hed.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMd62wcdIg9L6jvRoy5BGEnM5RMnNrwZSffQ9l2LCxUOIgMe4wE5D6IrqWhFq6k4HpseLs4nc_dZtt30qi9M5wIu_FIvgHhyp0mFUP9QjTwPaA0tBHUBg81kkbLIroPw0SvTZU7mBUktkZ-2g8s7OY0O5mpjgXXK_hWrpZpbKYltx9F5cl4DJ0u19W5oA/w400-h225/cyclops-hed.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was fully complete right through until about 18 months ago but then I started to feel like there was diminishing returns in continuing to buy stuff. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When you buy the Core Set your card pool to design decks from is very small and a lot of the cards are actually not very good. Your first dozen expansions or so that you buy see you cycling the bad cards out of your decks to put better cards in that you just bought. The next dozen expansions or so hit a sweet spot for me where I started to have multiple ‘good cards’ and was able to choose the one that would work best with the hero I wanted to play. I love building decks/squads and optimising them and so around this time the game was really smashing it out of the park and I loved it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO7HbgASdM15BQNrVhb7c7ukrmARpB1_H4gMMHcqKiJRdSb884WwaxLCkLOKuKnBfsnJh3wPdiKuZr3UIBl-CJkon1XrjilbmcWh6aP6QcmV3qHeLb3dU2uGMMpA8QV-Iz4Jo83_z07Jbv_-6YZ3ea7KIMUiQPKFUKJ7NRcNxkv4KqnHHwsG1KTzcfH0Z/s1107/27023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="804" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO7HbgASdM15BQNrVhb7c7ukrmARpB1_H4gMMHcqKiJRdSb884WwaxLCkLOKuKnBfsnJh3wPdiKuZr3UIBl-CJkon1XrjilbmcWh6aP6QcmV3qHeLb3dU2uGMMpA8QV-Iz4Jo83_z07Jbv_-6YZ3ea7KIMUiQPKFUKJ7NRcNxkv4KqnHHwsG1KTzcfH0Z/w145-h200/27023.png" width="145" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xIqSy_pPPw7S_2K-7n5Uo68j8vXtmWTtwJ_HwKHin8rfOPaZRzwNDzP0Mj3CuZYQ8niCa4DPh7hyMdSVnDm3vfj2SayyU-zcf7rZGiSdR3aGe5BE31BnzQppza9sW4WgdG0T4hTKz023wWTCg_7EQUDyLPoekn7Av11c20BKnCYyl3ECV5g8WAvpLGlx/s1043/27049.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="727" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xIqSy_pPPw7S_2K-7n5Uo68j8vXtmWTtwJ_HwKHin8rfOPaZRzwNDzP0Mj3CuZYQ8niCa4DPh7hyMdSVnDm3vfj2SayyU-zcf7rZGiSdR3aGe5BE31BnzQppza9sW4WgdG0T4hTKz023wWTCg_7EQUDyLPoekn7Av11c20BKnCYyl3ECV5g8WAvpLGlx/w139-h200/27049.png" width="139" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXlnTHhVRYXaZMDDDBTok4gO-KqyPePJ29GNQXAuRgkg6Tm2qEJ9bczngP9GAfLF4s5dYGi_OHyjlHEJYGTf1URwqkXOLbPLvutYvWf4J_lkX6ub1eGlba1ed-eHe318b3l7Ry9_HLlf2XYE_NGLSCkVvdqAUQQrC0D0QKnnJU49csWrbBQ4HL9DiEAbc/s418/thwip_thwip_17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXlnTHhVRYXaZMDDDBTok4gO-KqyPePJ29GNQXAuRgkg6Tm2qEJ9bczngP9GAfLF4s5dYGi_OHyjlHEJYGTf1URwqkXOLbPLvutYvWf4J_lkX6ub1eGlba1ed-eHe318b3l7Ry9_HLlf2XYE_NGLSCkVvdqAUQQrC0D0QKnnJU49csWrbBQ4HL9DiEAbc/w144-h200/thwip_thwip_17.png" width="144" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Spiderverse wave is where I started to feel like I wasn’t really getting much value out of the new cards, and the game design turned quite insular around this time – so many of the Spiderverse cards only interacted with other Spiderverse cards that I wasn’t gaining new toys for any of my other characters to play with. My interest was cooling off and so when I found the same experience from the X-Men wave – insular design, less value from incremental purchases – I stopped buying expansions and as IRL X-Wing play started to pick back up again I put Marvel Champions back up onto the shelf.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did I Like it?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yeah, I loved it. I think I should have stopped buying about 6 months before I did and just left the X-Men wave in the store but even though I haven’t touched Champions in a year I have fond memories and many of my favourite heroes are still fully built and ready to go. What really killed Marvel Champions off, for me, was that those solitary evenings where I’d play a game of Champions turned into a solitary evening where I’d be busy painting miniatures for my next hobby…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2022 - Star Wars Legion</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMU-H4oggeys0Jo8429QhcdXgEiDfLd3sdni2GjksFIk3ioSDegc6FwoxTbhlnfB6e9nzWb31Gt6jzoGmwHoC55t3X7T-EkNQ90x6KGwWlVPi1hP44qS8yLd0ALHdKBiy7ctmBgH6kTH0xhwueEMiCMUoqXq_ER-UrZrYza0DMbrJXY1IXztSaTfdGmWR/s1050/Star_Wars_Legion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1050" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMU-H4oggeys0Jo8429QhcdXgEiDfLd3sdni2GjksFIk3ioSDegc6FwoxTbhlnfB6e9nzWb31Gt6jzoGmwHoC55t3X7T-EkNQ90x6KGwWlVPi1hP44qS8yLd0ALHdKBiy7ctmBgH6kTH0xhwueEMiCMUoqXq_ER-UrZrYza0DMbrJXY1IXztSaTfdGmWR/w640-h182/Star_Wars_Legion.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><p style="text-align: justify;">IRL X-Wing play was back at the end of 2021, but attendances were definitely down and all the fuss about 2.5 wasn’t helping. My regular Friday night games store nights were basically just me and one friend playing against each other every week. When, one week he said to me “I’ve just bought into Star Wars Legion. It’s not that bad, £150 got me set up with an army” I could tell that the writing was on the wall for Friday X-Wing nights. So I bought into Legion too. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">He was wrong about how much I’d spend, though. By a whole digit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>What Is Star Wars Legion?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">You've almost certainly seen it around but if you haven't: Legion is Warhammer 40k set in the Star Wars universe. Except if you say that to any Legion player who used to play Warhammer they’ll turn a bright shade of red before telling you all the reasons why it’s not just Warhammer 40k. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But from any sort of distance, if you squint… it’s Warhammer 40k set in the Star Wars universe. You play on a big table, just like Warhammer. You have dozens of models, just like Warhammer. You buy overpriced boxes with not many figures inside that you have to glue together and paint, just like Warhammer. You move and shoot at each other and roll lots of dice, just like Warhammer. And yes there’s lots of reasons why it’s also not just Warhammer, but you have to be pretty familiar with both games to work out what they are.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx4cGBfkCW29GHe_q3vF7mrZjTzWVbYDMlZ_VwsIwWXKWWGpJgZj1B6_mhUvn15Bd4F5bXBFuoSfEHc2XCSzlh68HSU6V_BcgfWHQxmcnnpI4324YhzW7WntKgS5ZssAJB6dxhjWykgyOuMHFdu2WY8VYeZ9adDjzeJjiduMb-HC8ekLLKF91f036Wqy6/s2048/123192321_1263244260711414_6295884974624269052_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx4cGBfkCW29GHe_q3vF7mrZjTzWVbYDMlZ_VwsIwWXKWWGpJgZj1B6_mhUvn15Bd4F5bXBFuoSfEHc2XCSzlh68HSU6V_BcgfWHQxmcnnpI4324YhzW7WntKgS5ZssAJB6dxhjWykgyOuMHFdu2WY8VYeZ9adDjzeJjiduMb-HC8ekLLKF91f036Wqy6/w640-h480/123192321_1263244260711414_6295884974624269052_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I jumped in with both feet. I didn’t intend to - I only planned on dipping a toe in the water – but, yeah... as the meme goes, mistakes were made.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In hindsight the mistakes that were made were actually the huge warning signs that I needed to stop and get out. I kept buying stuff because I wasn’t enjoying playing the game with what I had, but that other unit looked like maybe it would be better or different and I’d enjoy playing the game if I had that unit. So my limited little Imperial force that I’d planned to build, based around Krennic and Deathtroopers, morphed into me systematically buying everything the Empire could play with as I tried to chase units and armies that I would actually enjoy playing with. That became buying some Rebels instead because I gave up on enjoying playing as Empire, then that became buying everything in Rebels because I sort of felt like maybe I was starting to enjoy the game and just needed some different Rebels and then I’d really like it. And then I bought Droids too, because there was a deal on. And maybe the reason I didn’t enjoy playing with the droids was because I didn’t have *those* units, *those* units would be the ones that I would want to play.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm_lrcM2o6Z9fU52kNRQPOJNiXrDTfrEUyK-jQJNiAkULxfYb57VYghyZkLHsolFQQFyo04-S3QfXDtsnbsQLCYnve3Zu-S3wlW6QTaw6B_tSAMsXCkSZU4MPfJ4ra4UDC64nzH52ozFG_ZpFTOy-QWl54IClzI0CUpwYXHQxDhdhhP_UGYPy-gwaZ9oo/s750/w3keybsxq7tz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="750" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm_lrcM2o6Z9fU52kNRQPOJNiXrDTfrEUyK-jQJNiAkULxfYb57VYghyZkLHsolFQQFyo04-S3QfXDtsnbsQLCYnve3Zu-S3wlW6QTaw6B_tSAMsXCkSZU4MPfJ4ra4UDC64nzH52ozFG_ZpFTOy-QWl54IClzI0CUpwYXHQxDhdhhP_UGYPy-gwaZ9oo/s320/w3keybsxq7tz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did I Like It?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Hell, no. I tried REALLY FUCKING HARD to like Legion. I threw so much money and time and effort at liking Legion and eventually I just had to give up and accept I really didn’t like the game. And it wasn’t me, it was the game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The short form of why I don’t like Legion is this: I felt like the rules were constantly getting in the way of playing the game. The game is good, in principle - it’s Star Wars pew pew, I should love it. There’s a fun subgame around setup and choosing scenarios and deployment and stuff. The alternating activations adds more depth and strategy than you’d expect at first, and choosing which tactics cards to play each turn could be decisive moments for outplaying opponents. And the rules are all designed to be straightforward and less fiddly than Warhammer (I’m assured by people who know) so the game flows a bit more quickly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDA9EkmYm-wJer19k7KxmoqzOsOaKx97h0ug-DD6i9lY4ifQs27Kl08t_Qdk5naM5qdzekOmC0_ZihPm-evLUNg17MlMcNr7epBaS4TO0_H-kmj09HnK2av6EgH3ZSoYXFAmcwmArGZHYhIHEluu7pX7ixXTGDkFNOWPE0T1tOtCqKp1ZhTkjf94Mi_CK/s828/Baddies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="828" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDA9EkmYm-wJer19k7KxmoqzOsOaKx97h0ug-DD6i9lY4ifQs27Kl08t_Qdk5naM5qdzekOmC0_ZihPm-evLUNg17MlMcNr7epBaS4TO0_H-kmj09HnK2av6EgH3ZSoYXFAmcwmArGZHYhIHEluu7pX7ixXTGDkFNOWPE0T1tOtCqKp1ZhTkjf94Mi_CK/w400-h215/Baddies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But the rules… all those quick and simple rules. All the cut corners and smoothed out edges. Each rule is simple and makes sense in isolation but frequently adds together with other simple rules to make nonsensical and counter-intuitive things happen. Those counter-intuitive interactions also create lots of opportunities for gamey people who’ve memorised every bullet point of the rulebook to find all the hidden abuses and maximise them. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was trying to play the game as it appeared on the tabletop but that wasn’t what was actually happening when the rules took over. Sometimes the exact position of a figure on the table would matter down to the millimetre with tremendous importance, and other times the characters behaved as though they weren’t actually standing where their figure was, that was just like the centre of a gaussian probability distribution for where they actually were when they wanted to do something. And the fun stuff like setting up scenarios at the start – it turned out that’s often used to ensure games are functionally over before they begin by bidding so deep in your army list (remember bidding? Remember how good it was to get rid of it?) that you could create a Hobson’s Choice for your opponent where every scenario was skewed massively in favour of the type of army you’ve decided to make. And the importance of those tactics cards you play each turn? They’re actually wombo combo generators that can easily take over the game and make everything else irrelevant. Or so it felt as I struggled to just turn up with things I liked and play a game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXjn4KT_uxgGAQ3LelxJU1NiM4ZvUi3rJ4vrWfbZ2-L4-XMjslVz3NkDjrjpcCGQP2JTLZK8PMTV3QQ50mw1imPEPvCqfxXPmHM4Rj0FeB6pqQGho_lad52J8mSXXOhK1kmBb-YqEhXDRiuBlmDyo5YjvA6N8VRoCxu0k7yFoySccM76BRp-R6PcmNASw/s830/gooodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="830" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXjn4KT_uxgGAQ3LelxJU1NiM4ZvUi3rJ4vrWfbZ2-L4-XMjslVz3NkDjrjpcCGQP2JTLZK8PMTV3QQ50mw1imPEPvCqfxXPmHM4Rj0FeB6pqQGho_lad52J8mSXXOhK1kmBb-YqEhXDRiuBlmDyo5YjvA6N8VRoCxu0k7yFoySccM76BRp-R6PcmNASw/w640-h336/gooodies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, and it was an FFG game and I could see so many of the same DNA strands of what had gone wrong in 1st Edition X-Wing present in what was going wrong in Legion during the time I was playing it. Increasingly overpowered offense requiring them to print overpowered defense which then required them to print even more overpowered offense… that death wobble of power creep, hyper-modified dice and token-stacking was well underway. I mean, it’s a game where unpreventable damage (which X-Wing learned was a feelsbad experience) is a celebrated core mechanic. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rather than try to convince all the people who like Legion that it’s actually a bad game I’ll stop there and end with the three things pop into my head first when I see the Star Wars Legion logo.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li>I had a great time collecting and building and painting my armies. It’s Star Wars and I learned a lot from painting them (I hadn’t done Warhammer in 30 years) and planning and collecting my forces was a lot of fun. That fun ended when I got to the table but the prep time was evenings well spent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14F7XDMCvKnqdC3Z5UmDLudUQL3kQvv9asA88QrJ6YyqZgL1Qq5YzmkB4Xnd6g5J-jEiqa4NMUROkAIrlZ5uzpgfavqzsObfwSy9fAkEHkRYWUvaWFa2ZK2Xcwyli1pVSJ5fx3O-kC1bgId09pgUqVTCR_10upKgv7Hc-nnlCr6GBsJPGhDJSAVM4omBD/s826/droids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="826" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14F7XDMCvKnqdC3Z5UmDLudUQL3kQvv9asA88QrJ6YyqZgL1Qq5YzmkB4Xnd6g5J-jEiqa4NMUROkAIrlZ5uzpgfavqzsObfwSy9fAkEHkRYWUvaWFa2ZK2Xcwyli1pVSJ5fx3O-kC1bgId09pgUqVTCR_10upKgv7Hc-nnlCr6GBsJPGhDJSAVM4omBD/w400-h206/droids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>The rules making no sense is encapsulated by the time that my Han Solo shot at his Darth Vader and wound up killing a trooper who neither Han or Darth could see because he was standing behind a house about 12" away from anyone involved. Each rule was correctly applied and the end result was ridiculous as Han's blaster shot apparently bounced around several corners to hit this guy.<br /><br /></li><li>I had my breakthrough game where I felt like I finally got the rules, felt fully engaged with them rather than have them get in the way, made good good decisions, won the game. Then when I discussed that great game experience with another player it turned out that we only had the satisfying game that we’d had because we’d been getting several rules wrong. The rules SHOULD have spoiled our game and the only reason we had fun was because we accidentally ignored them.</li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My last throw of the dice trying to like Legion was to join a mini-league and force myself to play a faction a bunch of times in proper games. I played my last game of that league between Christmas and New Year in 2022. I didn’t intend that to be my last ever game but I’ve actually not looked at Legion for a heartbeat since and I’ve not missed it one bit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2023 - Actually just X-Wing for a bit</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I blogged my way through this period but the reason I put a hard stop on Legion at end of 2022 was so that I could focus on playing X-Wing ahead of my trip to the World Championships. So from January to April I was pretty hardcore about being X-Wing focused. It was great to return to the game in a more dedicated way even if I kept managing to miss out on playing as much as I'd hoped to prepare.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Prep was great, worlds was great. I came back and flew some jank I'd been waiting to play and that was great. And then about 5 minutes into this latest iteration of points my enthusiasm for X-Wing was virtually entirely snuffed out. My last X-Wing tournament was several months ago, I dropped out halfway through because I wasn't having fun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXbzzFt_Tf5YiPkT4Ah2km3ZthYLR78sgN_YcsB1TwDU4ZfQ1tSR7yZBC-sMsxW0vePdNAHLWK3a6t4BiWzxLDRttsNIzSWpn22SyPjfbr0ZV5hCoXYodfCt0rVyaG4GbiVw8eMxqJ2YEkTyLhZ8XFMUtf1QDMOBecmkRNR8OvsOUUrTpWH8cZyFO0lma/s830/Worlds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="830" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXbzzFt_Tf5YiPkT4Ah2km3ZthYLR78sgN_YcsB1TwDU4ZfQ1tSR7yZBC-sMsxW0vePdNAHLWK3a6t4BiWzxLDRttsNIzSWpn22SyPjfbr0ZV5hCoXYodfCt0rVyaG4GbiVw8eMxqJ2YEkTyLhZ8XFMUtf1QDMOBecmkRNR8OvsOUUrTpWH8cZyFO0lma/w400-h250/Worlds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I still play X-Wing about half the weeks at my FLGS, I keep my eye in and play my lists and try not to worry too much about how many Falcons and Lukes and T-70s I see on the tables around me. But my desire to play it more often has gone right now, and I've gone back to switching X-Wing up with a second game for the rest of the year...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2023 - Blood Bowl</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW1SSbeSPMY7oUZ_cW0ZgHWCyTXuvil0TFjEmfcu_cxqc2bPcCnegRh0estxA8-L95Dx8CuLyePqMOKE6bc_L-DnovgG7hW8Wbp_9rDMfwt9q50UfCqJut1WFqikRDiU3BDMHCrckYP3u3X3VS8LdaM5TeYPP5All9WertzCKN_N_jQ7tOl9MxEoYxAQ0/s616/capsule_616x353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW1SSbeSPMY7oUZ_cW0ZgHWCyTXuvil0TFjEmfcu_cxqc2bPcCnegRh0estxA8-L95Dx8CuLyePqMOKE6bc_L-DnovgG7hW8Wbp_9rDMfwt9q50UfCqJut1WFqikRDiU3BDMHCrckYP3u3X3VS8LdaM5TeYPP5All9WertzCKN_N_jQ7tOl9MxEoYxAQ0/w640-h366/capsule_616x353.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As it happens, the World Championships at Adepticon was where I accidentally fell into the game that I have tried out for the past six months: Blood Bowl. While Adepticon was closing up I wandered the traders hall. The last few dollars I’d got out for spending money burning a hole in my pocket but I knew I had limited space in my suitcase to take home anything I would buy. The compromise I came to was to buy a nice 3rd party Blood Bowl team. It was relatively high value but small and easy to pack and I figured I’d try to sell it when I got home and if I couldn’t sell them I could at least have a fun painting project.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I actually used to play Blood Bowl waayyyy back before I went to university, and I’d actually bought and half-painted an Old World Alliance team in 2020 as a lockdown project. One of the world’s longest-running Blood Bowl leagues actually meets in my FLGS on the same night as X-Wing night so I always saw people playing it. So I grabbed a rulebook, a board and some dice and together with another local X-Wing player I set about dabbling in Blood Bowl again. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u3a0LG3ohVEbIJt9FFG1nlcEfcZ6C9CO1GGDdhH24BiKS3eRBEAoHwGYsrJvfdcfYaFDiQrRL0wJNGoq_xIk55wwZjae5HzaDrHkALqj5hQwkxx4q-WvX6TGuqVm5UJ9Dz-NCk7o4u2uCKXJJH0yHPVD8xCNTZSwgvjMSHq1Z-BrGYYblyhGyKi6nwzO/s828/OWA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="828" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u3a0LG3ohVEbIJt9FFG1nlcEfcZ6C9CO1GGDdhH24BiKS3eRBEAoHwGYsrJvfdcfYaFDiQrRL0wJNGoq_xIk55wwZjae5HzaDrHkALqj5hQwkxx4q-WvX6TGuqVm5UJ9Dz-NCk7o4u2uCKXJJH0yHPVD8xCNTZSwgvjMSHq1Z-BrGYYblyhGyKi6nwzO/w640-h374/OWA2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I painted up my Old World team, I painted up my new 3rd party team….</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvir2wYAZQ9vEeR9e-ONxZ4cL7-6E-navP-bZsPJWzW8Aa9K2wNK1cuAozn91KSKbyx2b5Dj_fOp6j3yc1UOmtcwMWgBxx3Jbf1E7BwaMTEKHV-P3axYsmD3XaY4ti9DTSwH_KnjemqK1ntj1gxL6Dq8JcXMr0JlE8_HjQgX3FLEWw4PtG6va6C1p6xZp/s830/ORcs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="830" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvir2wYAZQ9vEeR9e-ONxZ4cL7-6E-navP-bZsPJWzW8Aa9K2wNK1cuAozn91KSKbyx2b5Dj_fOp6j3yc1UOmtcwMWgBxx3Jbf1E7BwaMTEKHV-P3axYsmD3XaY4ti9DTSwH_KnjemqK1ntj1gxL6Dq8JcXMr0JlE8_HjQgX3FLEWw4PtG6va6C1p6xZp/w640-h326/ORcs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> I kind of got the bug and painted up a Chaos team as well. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjOkVblpzyFWDdH0lomp4_jnmyjyXEQrUCIizQ_4WkV26bAfyNr5Z8NC2smrOc37_x_XyucxJAA0xQVjgSuCzxqpRvLQMEoByOA03OGeLzn174IX3kZ3R_58XIsunFa2cvQZLFLxzfp8ACzC664nrv_ssa6KaHU1EyRQyA9ow_oe7haHQzaKbYbeMvAvs/s830/Chaos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="830" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjOkVblpzyFWDdH0lomp4_jnmyjyXEQrUCIizQ_4WkV26bAfyNr5Z8NC2smrOc37_x_XyucxJAA0xQVjgSuCzxqpRvLQMEoByOA03OGeLzn174IX3kZ3R_58XIsunFa2cvQZLFLxzfp8ACzC664nrv_ssa6KaHU1EyRQyA9ow_oe7haHQzaKbYbeMvAvs/w640-h350/Chaos.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And then I hacked up some Ewoks and Wookiees from Legion and made another team. For a while I had more Blood Bowl teams than games of Blood Bowl I’d played!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is Blood Bowl?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Are you serious? It’s Blood Bowl. A light Games Workshop game of fantasy football (the American version) featuring Orcs and Elves beating each other up while trying to score touchdowns. Games are high in variance but a lot of the enjoyment of the game comes from how your teams and players develop and learn skills, pickup injuries, are born, live and die… all during the course of one or more Blood Bowl league seasons. For a Games Workshop game it’s incredibly cheap to get into as you only really need like 15-16 models, which is probably one reason why Games Workshop hide it away in the furthest darkest corner of their store while shining a spotlight on their new Tyranid army box and all the stuff they actually want to sell you.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did I Like It?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Disappointingly… no. I have incredibly fond memories of playing Blood Bowl as a teen and was really looking forward to it. My first few games with that fellow X-Wing player saw us relearning the game together and having a great time. Then we decided we were ready to move on up to play proper players and joined an offshoot of the local league and my enjoyment of the game almost immediately hit a brick wall.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What I learned is that when<i><b> bad </b></i>players play Blood Bowl it’s really fun and exciting and loads is happening as the action wobbles all over the pitch. Each badly-executed turn opens up an opportunity for the opponent to punish your mistakes, which you in turn can punish on your turn. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMMy7wDjYwH5TFgKN_zNCdwwS0GiJBwQ1ccsxMFX1UNCPv39Gfivsly0JhKMhB4S4M1W-C8xuPQeBAf9GTYNW-8BYvir2eqEd1Rfk0Vv6suKCKLGODHZPkzosUsh2GB_HmQAayEy9XSCKoorIrrmwvnK_zOz5qYFmq9PouDUn5s6C4VRNR9QIWYts_SII/s830/OWA3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="830" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMMy7wDjYwH5TFgKN_zNCdwwS0GiJBwQ1ccsxMFX1UNCPv39Gfivsly0JhKMhB4S4M1W-C8xuPQeBAf9GTYNW-8BYvir2eqEd1Rfk0Vv6suKCKLGODHZPkzosUsh2GB_HmQAayEy9XSCKoorIrrmwvnK_zOz5qYFmq9PouDUn5s6C4VRNR9QIWYts_SII/w640-h364/OWA3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">When *good* players play Blood Bowl, especially good players who’ve been playing every week for 20 years, it’s a very different experience. Blood Bowl becomes cerebral, slow, mathematical, risk-averse and very deliberate… and Jesus Christ, I was bored. I got tired of watching my opponents turns helplessly and hoping for the Blood Bowl variance slot machine (that only had a 3% chance of my opponent failing an action) to finally come up as triple cherries and let me actually do something.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think I would probably like bad Blood Bowl but good Blood Bowl is not my cup of tea at all. I have a couple more games to play to see out my obligations in the local league but then I'm going to be finished with it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2024 – Marvel Crisis Protocol?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0Ubn4iTSQQWHVP_BWebUx7uDstEeOGuftv_MBtTfkSN_EVtGUn2eJVheKr5k0-zyI_BtBAF3F7ljc7XT5_l89qq2dX4UQaYkpBb2CnitKt_oQZ4N1-3FyYilQncuJOuQdpEBex9enFw23reDSqBgVt7TjK167p_wPGV7ch_YEmSJOtt-KcyKtxt2dbuj/s970/d87c1d2c-0f79-4a3e-8adf-52cf0a8bef2f.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0Ubn4iTSQQWHVP_BWebUx7uDstEeOGuftv_MBtTfkSN_EVtGUn2eJVheKr5k0-zyI_BtBAF3F7ljc7XT5_l89qq2dX4UQaYkpBb2CnitKt_oQZ4N1-3FyYilQncuJOuQdpEBex9enFw23reDSqBgVt7TjK167p_wPGV7ch_YEmSJOtt-KcyKtxt2dbuj/w640-h198/d87c1d2c-0f79-4a3e-8adf-52cf0a8bef2f.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a few detours I’m back at square one. X-Wing isn’t as all-consuming for me as it once was. In person play is still at a low ebb and online play still doesn’t interest me. There’s Shatterpoint, but I’m backing away from that one for a couple of reasons: I’m still stinging from how badly my time with Legion went and though Shatterpoint is different it’s maybe a bit too close to Legion, and I also feel like Shatterpoint is a bit of a doomed game. It doesn’t seem like many people around me are playing it, possibly precisely because X-Wing, Warhammer and Legion are so strong here that everyone has already had a game to play and didn’t look at Shatterpoint.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But then I remembered something… I’d already bought Marvel Crisis Protocol!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFf2ygwP5qr-f1IQx7_CiDcrs5_-IIyhjHS6HnewNrjNKUKt7biwJW0S9BJNpMRVDHc4nL-7blBRJl0sCXbvb4L9dhjfx20d0GEDUlAWl2_CX2JkSAhBiXmOcJxiQ4fGA3g5JFs98b6tL1vCVsONcj5jHrduwOUj7aemT6BeQvlCkLv-x8cImFOyUdZBu/s500/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFf2ygwP5qr-f1IQx7_CiDcrs5_-IIyhjHS6HnewNrjNKUKt7biwJW0S9BJNpMRVDHc4nL-7blBRJl0sCXbvb4L9dhjfx20d0GEDUlAWl2_CX2JkSAhBiXmOcJxiQ4fGA3g5JFs98b6tL1vCVsONcj5jHrduwOUj7aemT6BeQvlCkLv-x8cImFOyUdZBu/s16000/giphy.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Duh. How do you forget buying a whole game?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’d bought MCP early last year when there was a core set on a good deal. I’d primed the minis and painted a couple of them then Legion had taken over my time and Crisis Protocol got shunted to a bottom shelf of my collection and started to gather dust.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is Marvel Crisis Protocol?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">MCP is another Atomic Mass Games game and the more I look into it the more I can see the DNA strands that they’ve been pulling into X-Wing with their rules and scenario changes and with Standardised Loadout cards. I can even see the beginnings of what they could do if they travelled further in this direction with X-Wing for a proper ‘3rd Edition’. In Marvel Crisis Protocol you start by picking a roster of 10 heroes, then you decide the scenario (or ‘Crisis’) that will be played and that determines the points value that will be played in this game and you pick characters from your roster up to that points level, reacting at the table to the 10 characters you can see your opponent has available in their roster. I can see that sort of approach working for X-Wing. But anyway... I digress.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4oDkr5tfOqN2cGx6Htrb1PXin8BOE7pMG7rGbmCW3qcahw_oWlmFTaHxcOgy4xLvcCdhJVJt0VoH6dYhfoBHMeD3OAGFGQ_kqvqGotMIZmNCQVxrnL_DIACyj8d8KjWigu-r0mKHPn9RxYvpKQLOcN4r-1-wFSM9Ytna9239ZHOV9_Y6iF4lTi6tG4-V/s4032/1098104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="4032" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4oDkr5tfOqN2cGx6Htrb1PXin8BOE7pMG7rGbmCW3qcahw_oWlmFTaHxcOgy4xLvcCdhJVJt0VoH6dYhfoBHMeD3OAGFGQ_kqvqGotMIZmNCQVxrnL_DIACyj8d8KjWigu-r0mKHPn9RxYvpKQLOcN4r-1-wFSM9Ytna9239ZHOV9_Y6iF4lTi6tG4-V/w640-h285/1098104.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The two things I’ve been told most consistently about MCP as I’ve been getting into it has been: 1) you can play whatever heroes you like (people always say this when you’re learning a game, it’s never true) and 2) there’s a ton of dice variance involved. I’m not so sure about 1) being any more correct in MCP than it is in X-Wing, it seems like some characters are ‘good’ and some characters are ’less good’ just as has always been true in every other game I’ve played but there seems to be a lot of room for surprising opponents with offbeat choices or unexpected synergies and interactions. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa8hO0XfwWgnwfU45aWQ8xQdsa2mi0xyeagoaoRGZyc71KxbWqGNhOtj6ME7cTFW-Yzw8hDnyeqU4hmcoUEfjACUXFpB-QWk8wI_MGZFhR9w3BUCIP-cyuWfveABcJO90OQJn5jxlMZrYOcT1wuCzd4WeIP4vzSjZZBsJmRhFEBj_ELJ7b1VjAlW4MTMK/s1200/71ecot-V-iL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1200" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa8hO0XfwWgnwfU45aWQ8xQdsa2mi0xyeagoaoRGZyc71KxbWqGNhOtj6ME7cTFW-Yzw8hDnyeqU4hmcoUEfjACUXFpB-QWk8wI_MGZFhR9w3BUCIP-cyuWfveABcJO90OQJn5jxlMZrYOcT1wuCzd4WeIP4vzSjZZBsJmRhFEBj_ELJ7b1VjAlW4MTMK/s320/71ecot-V-iL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I can see that 2) is probably right, though – all the various effects of all the heroes and their superpowers are channeled through dice very much like X-Wing’s attack/defence dice, but instead of having four results possible (blank, focus, hit, crit) the MCP dice have 6 different results and so each dice roll is capable of heading off in wildly different directions. Accepting those whims of fate and responding to them seems a key skill for MCP and I can imagine it would frustrate some players but I actually kind of like it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I know the designers of MCP used to play X-Wing and I can see how X-Wing informed some of their decisions. And I can see how it's now looping back into X-Wing as they come back and take it under their wing. X-Wing and MCP are like brothers, even though maybe one of them is adopted.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHNBNvQTe9l51d5yR7DuAftIIkg1n_F2YNGFhWaBSzr0G9w6c-Qm6npMNx67nVqgVVpA1rpfaUU8D-nyMtbwxhjoTcfP8RNOMbQlw59WWewzCJKXfdAMxN3M_Wp5nf3foJBNljz96WVWGLs8sTrxM1Jcbbz0M38p_LCecFKTkztvOj40Fc9Xp48tSIU41/s400/a3c564f1-d402-4035-aef6-b36b09c68592_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHNBNvQTe9l51d5yR7DuAftIIkg1n_F2YNGFhWaBSzr0G9w6c-Qm6npMNx67nVqgVVpA1rpfaUU8D-nyMtbwxhjoTcfP8RNOMbQlw59WWewzCJKXfdAMxN3M_Wp5nf3foJBNljz96WVWGLs8sTrxM1Jcbbz0M38p_LCecFKTkztvOj40Fc9Xp48tSIU41/s16000/a3c564f1-d402-4035-aef6-b36b09c68592_text.gif" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did I Like It?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s too early to tell. I’m optimistic, though.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the last month I’ve been enjoying painting up the core set miniatures and then started to gradually research the game and the affiliations and slowly assemble a team. I thought the sculpts were going to be too advanced for my level of painting but actually I’ve had a good time tackling them and I’m proud of how a lot of them look. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M37Km7dHcbaD-KufOe1rKjNZn9QWd971rSWw1NmLtINVI_6cRGnk1uO0qMdpIilqhd3Hp2WDqazZWn3GK3u-7PFBpI-tBk-4_LprI74WHX1aZ6-6Uhcpulbrwt0_1FyMMSg1lMapEJ0e9RIfl3WHlCuRhKpLMNEpKlDVtCMXkpEKSLwcLHACG8jzBfdk/s832/MCP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="832" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M37Km7dHcbaD-KufOe1rKjNZn9QWd971rSWw1NmLtINVI_6cRGnk1uO0qMdpIilqhd3Hp2WDqazZWn3GK3u-7PFBpI-tBk-4_LprI74WHX1aZ6-6Uhcpulbrwt0_1FyMMSg1lMapEJ0e9RIfl3WHlCuRhKpLMNEpKlDVtCMXkpEKSLwcLHACG8jzBfdk/w640-h316/MCP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve also played my first game of Marvel Crisis Protocol, against one of my old X-Wing friends who had migrated over onto MCP last year. And… it was fun. Dice were wild and all sorts of things happened but my big takeaway from the game was how thematic all the wild things seemed to actually be. Black Panther was a blur, leaping from opponent to opponent. Iron Man took a beating but deflecting his reflector beam off Cap’s shield to take down Star-Lord was a cinematic piece of teamwork. Cap turtled up behind his shield and was an absolute tank, while on the other side of the table She-Hulk smashed up scenery and opponents in equal measure with the final coup de grace being a beautiful moment of clonking Nebula and Drax’s heads together to take them both out in one attack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVV8_imJzvmAvnvfnydlj6lQg3nDnM7FjHgy67R_yCVVaVEi_1feK0JqJh0Q_vhPSnVgSbwik7BboLaKzUzYiZDALmZVnhOh6UmRePBtDE05J9QImpgFK1fiehlaFDIbCVVhj1IFloAfkCR9nwlZ0TeHqafX1k8TDn3jF-ou9vwrR9MwTFskOhOhu83SUU/s540/tumblr_0a5be5be2b36ab81f4091456f5640d48_49eadfbe_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVV8_imJzvmAvnvfnydlj6lQg3nDnM7FjHgy67R_yCVVaVEi_1feK0JqJh0Q_vhPSnVgSbwik7BboLaKzUzYiZDALmZVnhOh6UmRePBtDE05J9QImpgFK1fiehlaFDIbCVVhj1IFloAfkCR9nwlZ0TeHqafX1k8TDn3jF-ou9vwrR9MwTFskOhOhu83SUU/s16000/tumblr_0a5be5be2b36ab81f4091456f5640d48_49eadfbe_540.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So I think I’m in to try MCP out properly. I’ve no idea which characters are ‘good’ in MCP but I know which Marvel superheroes and villains I like the most so I’m letting that lead me on most of the decisions. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve got to be really careful, though. MCP works around an overlapping system of character loyalties called ‘Affiliations’ rather than the rigid ‘Factions’ I’ve had in X-Wing and Legion. When you buy War Machine he’s linked to the Avengers affiliation but he’s also linked to SHIELD. So now you’ve got one foot in SHIELD and if you just added Nick Fury you could play a SHIELD list… and if you’ve got Black Panther then you’ve got the Wakanda leader and he’s come with Killmonger so you’re actually close to playing a Wakandan team if you add Okoye and Shuri… and Okoye can work with A-Force alongside She-Hulk and Black Widow that you’ve already got from the Avengers. It’s a slippery slope and I can see how hard it may be to pull those blinkers down and say your collection is finished and you don’t need anything else. The next thing you could add is always going to placed juuuuust within your reach to tempt you. I’m definitely going to stick with Avengers though. And maybe SHIELD as an option within my 10-man roster. Or A-Force. Or Wakanda. I’m definitely not going to get into Spidey-Foes. Definitely.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And I’m mindful that I’ve been here before. I don’t want to remake the mistakes I made in chasing that I would enjoy playing Legion, or take for granted that I’ll still enjoy the game once I get into playing it properly as happened for Blood Bowl.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I Think I Did A Learn</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Writing this blog has helped me to maybe crystallise what it is that I like and don't like about the games I'm playing, which I'd not noticed until I put them all side by side like this. X-Wing is a very intuitive game to play and experience - by and large what is happening in the game is what it *looks like* is happening on the table. It's thematic and it makes sense, you could get into the flow of what is happening with each move and dice roll.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In its own way Marvel Champions is like this, it may all be cardboard but you can very well understand what is actually happening in the game. It's not just a calculator moving around numbers, it's thematic and narrative and it tells a story.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Legion was not like that, and the fact that the rules kept ignoring what the game state *looked like* was happening to make artificial and arbitrary decisions in order to keep the game moving along and determine a winner was a continuing stumbling block for me. I had a game where I'd killed all but 4 more of my opponents models but three of those models were standing in contact with crates while the dozens of soldiers I had left were only standing *near* to crates. So I lost. It's the rules but it's counter-intuitive, or feels so to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-hpf-mn7R2Y0HXb-UfoVhzsbMQ8OHIZMQr4tpV1B37-Z75xMjYgVWfshy649OAcHdXIuH0fDbdl5IU-PUnmvzUfUzDjTCeYmwujPJoHlwznIWzKG0PvyDwR4zCPX8YBukhim7vcRoavcQMd-XcePhkSJcScRohzVBxOp9ZkQn1N7wT7gUNEsxS3OFxWC/s498/star-wars-echo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-hpf-mn7R2Y0HXb-UfoVhzsbMQ8OHIZMQr4tpV1B37-Z75xMjYgVWfshy649OAcHdXIuH0fDbdl5IU-PUnmvzUfUzDjTCeYmwujPJoHlwznIWzKG0PvyDwR4zCPX8YBukhim7vcRoavcQMd-XcePhkSJcScRohzVBxOp9ZkQn1N7wT7gUNEsxS3OFxWC/s16000/star-wars-echo.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And Blood Bowl as well, once you played it properly it looked like a chaotic frenzy of action and violence but was in fact more like playing Minesweeper. That dissonance between the concept and the reality left me cold.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So Crisis Protocol, where my first experience of the game was one of "wow, this is all mega thematic and I can picture what's happening"... that's hopefully a good start for appealing to what *I* like about games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnQJEVnCulR3mznT1ETMzXywKtBbLJwMiJLT5y_GpFVRUaK4GBMl3J17YFecT00FGKCb_iJRnMkPU8ZipamcpacV7i_gvqLt3gATC4F0eatj7q-JbNQLeYhpDXf1utUM7LJ1pbxEqQTfb00KOia8-_I0AprEk9R80YHx3eVIA65Q43uuKTPj_WdXGa9Dg/s540/1558166447756.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnQJEVnCulR3mznT1ETMzXywKtBbLJwMiJLT5y_GpFVRUaK4GBMl3J17YFecT00FGKCb_iJRnMkPU8ZipamcpacV7i_gvqLt3gATC4F0eatj7q-JbNQLeYhpDXf1utUM7LJ1pbxEqQTfb00KOia8-_I0AprEk9R80YHx3eVIA65Q43uuKTPj_WdXGa9Dg/s16000/1558166447756.gif" /></a></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-20640570678925982022023-07-03T14:20:00.000-07:002023-07-03T14:20:50.885-07:00Begun, the Initiative Wars Have<p style="text-align: justify;">Ooh, I’m in a funk about X-Wing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I like my blog to be positive and optimistic so usually when I’m in a funk about X-Wing (which does happen from time to time) I’ll just not write a blog about it. In this case I really want to just get it out of my system and hopefully there’ll be some catharsis in this, I’ll shake it off and be right back to feeling chipper about the game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXVIGbFSyKxwrnDtQ4KQSYO50XNYW2XrwLpYcxCjJimHZqpxK7uxrsBqXGOHd88Sdk6RdoX6gyfLG7uZERX2X4Wlitq7q75kytzIkNHA8gwQIpq3KpuaBrF76xAwcG-HlyG6xq8tIpa3WF9iH1C_9A0GJVRMXFsJVikZEqWsbxXIhe9V9SgsYAdAsWTWO/s400/ed83fe89-8407-4327-94ce-0228e69dab6c_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXVIGbFSyKxwrnDtQ4KQSYO50XNYW2XrwLpYcxCjJimHZqpxK7uxrsBqXGOHd88Sdk6RdoX6gyfLG7uZERX2X4Wlitq7q75kytzIkNHA8gwQIpq3KpuaBrF76xAwcG-HlyG6xq8tIpa3WF9iH1C_9A0GJVRMXFsJVikZEqWsbxXIhe9V9SgsYAdAsWTWO/w400-h225/ed83fe89-8407-4327-94ce-0228e69dab6c_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So, <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/05/mental-health-awareness-week-gollum-and.html">my last blog</a> saw me navel-gazing about the prospect of going to the UK Games Expo regional national world championship qualifier whatever event under the old points regime. Fortunately my problem was solved moments after I wrote that blog because we got the new points update, and so I was able to swiftly switch gears and start looking at what new nastiness I could brew up in a short space of time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m one of those people who LOVES it when something new lands and shakes a game up. I always have been, right back in playing Magic: The Gathering in the 1990s the new blocks, new expansions, new formats were always where I got to stretch my deckbuilding/squadbuilding wings and try to get out ahead of the competition for a brief period. So the new points landed for X-Wing and I was like…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzhlq_SNaLkkgGWPjQFMj1aatET7LDEQWvLYDpr8Vlufb5TNG6rZW-W0X1mvoOZD8LNYsPM2Ewrb8kvFqT6jmWI6GYj4ZzdUDwVw4Ta22TqyNpbqnugDjn87U1_pZoq2bNPoSEcifk2Elay8Squb7lxdHw59p717ocDemXOI8pZct5K9uVuY5Rtms-G34/s889/excited-giggling-boy-cmo72qo8mmtdg6ps.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="889" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzhlq_SNaLkkgGWPjQFMj1aatET7LDEQWvLYDpr8Vlufb5TNG6rZW-W0X1mvoOZD8LNYsPM2Ewrb8kvFqT6jmWI6GYj4ZzdUDwVw4Ta22TqyNpbqnugDjn87U1_pZoq2bNPoSEcifk2Elay8Squb7lxdHw59p717ocDemXOI8pZct5K9uVuY5Rtms-G34/w400-h225/excited-giggling-boy-cmo72qo8mmtdg6ps.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But then pretty soon I was like…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOEQG7_fHcREbXUyiEVYsVFKGVWvoiUPAG1RXkQ0xKPfi7nM8h_azohe5ONRjgIXQN0-LftY8_wgCwe515p98ZhZ1bsuz1Ghm-hE0xrZ8UnEBEJ2n-av9ckghhQKSXPVnu_dqNWNx6SolSTXivfAGtJYcpArmvxxgQIpKnP_MEXpg4EtZpelbLHUb9G7f/s500/2NoJ.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="500" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOEQG7_fHcREbXUyiEVYsVFKGVWvoiUPAG1RXkQ0xKPfi7nM8h_azohe5ONRjgIXQN0-LftY8_wgCwe515p98ZhZ1bsuz1Ghm-hE0xrZ8UnEBEJ2n-av9ckghhQKSXPVnu_dqNWNx6SolSTXivfAGtJYcpArmvxxgQIpKnP_MEXpg4EtZpelbLHUb9G7f/w400-h196/2NoJ.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And now I’m like…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcm9EfDsXxh8gG_HIIu7ZM6gX7_PCoCHc7d_bbCvU1W_JpMv2Bo-RjcLlVo73A2lYIwpTcrYdlF0-k6B3k5Oq7UOrO0urJuX9IVSymoHTPDLTy2M-xwQUYpxyu5hW3ZWsdUtibjBgwvy9ILf6XZeKMNN2Wwd8kCy7BvYmsfxz8GCneWOMx36Y5k1DdKAD/s220/dr-katz-concern.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="220" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcm9EfDsXxh8gG_HIIu7ZM6gX7_PCoCHc7d_bbCvU1W_JpMv2Bo-RjcLlVo73A2lYIwpTcrYdlF0-k6B3k5Oq7UOrO0urJuX9IVSymoHTPDLTy2M-xwQUYpxyu5hW3ZWsdUtibjBgwvy9ILf6XZeKMNN2Wwd8kCy7BvYmsfxz8GCneWOMx36Y5k1DdKAD/w400-h271/dr-katz-concern.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I like almost everything about X-Wing 2.5. I like ROAD, I like bumping with focus, I like objectives, I like the split points squadbuilding, I like the asteroid rules… to varying degrees I think Atomic Mass have done an excellent job in putting their mark on the game with a clear vision of how different the game could be and still be basically the same. I’ve stood up and championed AMG in various places around the internet, not because I need to support them but because I think they’ve been getting things right. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I worry a lot about the impact these new points are having.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">GAME FUNDAMENTALS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">X-Wing is a game that has survived for a decade and proven very popular and successful. For most of that time the most commonly played format of game has been within pretty well-defined and unchanging parameters: a 3x3 game area, played with squads of 100pts of ships (that then became 200pts of ships, but ships cost twice as much as they used to). I would suggest that some of the fundamental game mechanics are balanced around situations that occur on a 3x3 table with 100/200pts of ships, by which I mean things like how fast ships move, how long a range ruler is, how wide firing arcs are, how many turns ships survive can incoming shots and their points cost relative to that. Those are the situations the game was balanced around.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the start of the year we were already playing lists that were probably more like 250-270pts in old money. I felt like the game system was starting to stretch at the seams, but at the same time the move to objectives had meant those 250 points actually tended to be spread around the table a little bit more widely, so often it was more like you were playing two 125pt games at the same time and the effect of that points inflation wasn’t being felt too badly. At the same time, though, I was very clear on what I thought the next round of points change should be – the good stuff like Vader, Scorch, Boba etc needed to get a bit more expensive, so that the rest of the game could close the gap and be considered worth playing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OlN1rKeMFaRbERaItDhQNMwgbcPMBoL2IxQ52Mm9Wl7GpDKJOX7odK_LgZVgF8hZ8u9VuLRNqQXt7YCTB8zaK6naMVcuWEJSCjCSzWULydV6F_qjK_BhRRy8C61Ypc08e_QZgeyoK5p2pyL-5p4e7KLxCKfmwmlh85dgON6num0fqH-dGg7D-9y18oiB/s498/obi-wan-obi-wan-kenobi.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OlN1rKeMFaRbERaItDhQNMwgbcPMBoL2IxQ52Mm9Wl7GpDKJOX7odK_LgZVgF8hZ8u9VuLRNqQXt7YCTB8zaK6naMVcuWEJSCjCSzWULydV6F_qjK_BhRRy8C61Ypc08e_QZgeyoK5p2pyL-5p4e7KLxCKfmwmlh85dgON6num0fqH-dGg7D-9y18oiB/w400-h225/obi-wan-obi-wan-kenobi.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">What we actually got was the opposite. Instead of a deflationary points change we actually saw points inflation turbo-charged to the extent that very few of the things that were good in March could still keep up with the pace that was being set in May. From being a ~250pts game it was now pretty reasonable to be fielding around ~300pts of value on the table.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think that’s right at the red line limit of breaking the game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When the opponent can field ~300pts of efficient damage-dealing ships, especially when they can do it at a high Initiative, it becomes almost impossible to cost a lot of ships where they’re playable. There’s 50% more lasers sitting across the table now than there was in 2020, but your ships don’t have 50% more Hull and Shields, they just melt faster. And when that fire is all coming in at I5-I6 your ships could well be melting before they even get to attack. What’s an attractive cost for a ship that will never fire and just gives the opponent 20% of their win condition when you put it into the table? There isn’t one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_lPzsIKRoZI2uFKxUBYlhSKcB97Iihb1YvQkbhZa6Vhm3Ym-4GEVPcgOf583wFz__PoD6Dwc__Yu4XkfNU2yYHPup-vajF_OsxZQ_w2EwAcLXu_7K8I0B5gmgysuQ91huGs9KhIaEr4y8a-6xgkSMXCB0RUgqCQBMHtSK9ic5zU0-6CA7QYnwI24rHGU/s400/25061262-61c1-4204-a043-a4e2071146a1_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="400" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_lPzsIKRoZI2uFKxUBYlhSKcB97Iihb1YvQkbhZa6Vhm3Ym-4GEVPcgOf583wFz__PoD6Dwc__Yu4XkfNU2yYHPup-vajF_OsxZQ_w2EwAcLXu_7K8I0B5gmgysuQ91huGs9KhIaEr4y8a-6xgkSMXCB0RUgqCQBMHtSK9ic5zU0-6CA7QYnwI24rHGU/w400-h170/25061262-61c1-4204-a043-a4e2071146a1_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This has been a very theoretical fear that I’ve held ever since I saw how aggressively the points were being pushed, and to be honest I was a bit surprised that we didn’t already hit this problem in the last points iteration. Potentially we actually did start to hit it and I didn’t notice it personally because I was playing the good stuff – if you look back at the old points there was a lot of stuff that was simply pushed out of the game. But I also think that the way the efficiency point seemed to pivot around I4 ships that were primarily jousters meant the game retained a decent amount of balance and flexibility. There was still room for I5 and I6 ships to ace their way around the table against the I4 jousting blocks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojlWmInQ3vEbf-nlTIZ1K2UU1-FH7dL1LFYT_gPc7VIwfPdZOeS1mwO0K_WMEuW9OamSR5CnD18JCHTyEXqty1XKqZ2BIlQaYukF9HBxLtx2S4RSiETi6xSol33N1H5FIqAA4Zq231JS9gSA9fW4secZVsslZozF_chyMHDg7aHh-333bSdhRFkX_Xskh/s460/John-Cleese-Ronnie-Barker-008.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojlWmInQ3vEbf-nlTIZ1K2UU1-FH7dL1LFYT_gPc7VIwfPdZOeS1mwO0K_WMEuW9OamSR5CnD18JCHTyEXqty1XKqZ2BIlQaYukF9HBxLtx2S4RSiETi6xSol33N1H5FIqAA4Zq231JS9gSA9fW4secZVsslZozF_chyMHDg7aHh-333bSdhRFkX_Xskh/w400-h240/John-Cleese-Ronnie-Barker-008.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In the new points it seems like the efficiency of I4 has gone and there’s no longer any real brakes on the Initiative inflation – you can bring ship-melting firepower at I5 and I6, you don’t have to play I4 at all. And that seems to be shrinking the available pool of options exponentially vs what we had just a few months ago. I think the initial response of players was to go “oh wow, everything got cheaper, I can add an extra ship!” but that has quickly turned into “oh wow, everything got cheaper, now I can just play higher initiatives!”. The reality of using those extra points to buy more ships turned out to be that you were just feeding points to the guys who used them to buy high initiative sledgehammers instead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Personal opinion, which may be wrong and you are free to disagree with – I find it difficult to justify playing any ships of Initiative 1-4 at present (aside from obvious stuff like the TIE Bombers), because they’re just going to get initiative-killed. As players increasingly move towards big Initiative numbers it feels like in the majority of games it seems like an I4 pilot may as well be I1.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl0lFBwZeJ1VOxw5Pfv8GhozWpr6epSMK1O7Y4yc6wHwWkbLT8sJ3-xJB-eD9BdNG6X7E6WXtOFvvvcJUvqehEeDdx_yk5lf3mHFbvYa71o_NMj9jcMcpjcAwdBiazDDArZwJLKvNOqvHEjsVYxg3z4v0QmDfyFCzb1iL7EikiR9zgc3I6RuSPiNez37R/s330/ricky-bobby.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="330" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl0lFBwZeJ1VOxw5Pfv8GhozWpr6epSMK1O7Y4yc6wHwWkbLT8sJ3-xJB-eD9BdNG6X7E6WXtOFvvvcJUvqehEeDdx_yk5lf3mHFbvYa71o_NMj9jcMcpjcAwdBiazDDArZwJLKvNOqvHEjsVYxg3z4v0QmDfyFCzb1iL7EikiR9zgc3I6RuSPiNez37R/w400-h310/ricky-bobby.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And I think the problems start to compound each other very rapidly once it becomes too easy to bring a lot of I5+ firepower. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>You degrade the effectiveness of another massive chunk of pilots at I4, who used to be able to trade shots but now are quite likely to die without firing. <br /><br /></li><li>You degrade the value of arc-dodging and positional aces at I5. More of the time they’re going to be moving first against the big guns across the table and can’t rely on being able to arc dodge an I4 jousting block.<br /><br /></li><li>The more the game consolidates onto I5-I6 the more the ROAD roll will come to be pivotal in who moves first and decide more games. And that matters A LOT more when players are tied at I5 than it did when you were tied at I4 because the I5 ships tend to include more aces with positioning/positional abilities.<br /><br /></li><li>The more that I5-I6 jousting blocks come to be dominantly successful the more we pull back from the advantages of spreading those squad points over a wide table and the more we see the consolidated firepower of 300pts brought to bear on a single spot. </li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQXMSgPBqo0H6S8lxWFtkGFO0qbcI2hVRMqgYOjGN_Q0T0B-pjmnVdPHciSyhlbADldoopsji3YanddTJS224uWYsF92OF4ZcZtuPJ5X-2zKB-c0PYHP8a43_LVgCyKckXXPOw5UKho5CS7XEuJTPT3iSHDgyq4ta_QmAp3pJzHKXax2H2huLNhsoNcm0/s400/c712e1f7-cf6f-4711-a8f1-6f831dfe7f93_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="400" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQXMSgPBqo0H6S8lxWFtkGFO0qbcI2hVRMqgYOjGN_Q0T0B-pjmnVdPHciSyhlbADldoopsji3YanddTJS224uWYsF92OF4ZcZtuPJ5X-2zKB-c0PYHP8a43_LVgCyKckXXPOw5UKho5CS7XEuJTPT3iSHDgyq4ta_QmAp3pJzHKXax2H2huLNhsoNcm0/w400-h170/c712e1f7-cf6f-4711-a8f1-6f831dfe7f93_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>We've seen the variation of 3-ship to 6-ship squads pretty much entirely gone in favour 4-5 ship squads of high initiative pilots. So as much as high-ship count efficiency lists are being removed by initiative kills I also think it makes things much harder for low ship count ‘murder lists’ to work. A big ship like Rey or Boba usually had the advantage of knowing where the opponent was to arc-dodge and the advantage of being able to initiative-kill opponents, all to offset the natural disadvantages of bringing a lower ship count.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, and another thing. The lower loadout points. That’s something I didn’t expect to be annoyed by but actually it’s really pissed me off because just as the game as hardened into a tough problem that I’d usually set out to try and crack creatively, I’ve had a lot of my choices for how to be creative with B-Tier ships taken away by their reduced opportunity for customisation. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><i>I didn't know where to stick that loadout gripe into the narrative flow of this blog so I just hurled it there. Sorry!</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SOME METAGAME STATS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I wanted to add some wider context to my own personal experiences, so I turned to Listfortress and Metawing. I pulled all the recent tournament results, sorted by Pilot, and then I compared them to what was being played in April and May until the points changed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the crudest level, I looked at how each Initiative tier was performing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3HKVYFI2t4NjUvt48p6epzOtyaXpOHg99nVEIWiqMo3hVKwbGL3YoNW6KX1XhepKJxtZFeUP1tvfP66eoLQrtIpmf03myaCISGjB7Chc7RMdWUbOFfb9QL3qMJBpyh6YtA5vm0gACyN0YDivhNa5AXKgyXO0XA2LVJbMIKZo_F-zNu3dRgFc4r1MA9eb/s531/Old%20Points.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="531" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3HKVYFI2t4NjUvt48p6epzOtyaXpOHg99nVEIWiqMo3hVKwbGL3YoNW6KX1XhepKJxtZFeUP1tvfP66eoLQrtIpmf03myaCISGjB7Chc7RMdWUbOFfb9QL3qMJBpyh6YtA5vm0gACyN0YDivhNa5AXKgyXO0XA2LVJbMIKZo_F-zNu3dRgFc4r1MA9eb/w400-h238/Old%20Points.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In the old points you could see the impact of that I4 jousting efficiency that I talked about and the variation of successful and unsuccessful initiative values as you moved up through the tiers. In the new points the story is sadly a lot clearer – every Initiative does better, on average, than the one below it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOGLSBrXKAJ5p-iQTLi-cXiC8wfGLBFRdBvSZ31w-L-qUM4OQdNVz-sJR67_jdTx-d4gXmhqBis_kAVQuHLOYWBHALEFfUyquZVRXzRRXLbmxA7B3YOiulKPh_xeklGDjiaa8xScNP69jRSyVQJe3fV8_tKmKxun2WP-QEZr73Ox_GFrLi3g_xhEjMqmX/s525/New%20Points.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="525" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOGLSBrXKAJ5p-iQTLi-cXiC8wfGLBFRdBvSZ31w-L-qUM4OQdNVz-sJR67_jdTx-d4gXmhqBis_kAVQuHLOYWBHALEFfUyquZVRXzRRXLbmxA7B3YOiulKPh_xeklGDjiaa8xScNP69jRSyVQJe3fV8_tKmKxun2WP-QEZr73Ox_GFrLi3g_xhEjMqmX/w400-h239/New%20Points.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">There’s a further detail here, actually, which I want to point out – I3 and I4 are very close to each other on the face of it. The only reason I3 is so close to I4 is one pilot – Keo Venzee, who tends to crop up next to Han Solo in the big Rebel lists we see around. If you take Keo out of the mix then the whole of the rest of the I3 pilots drop away from the I4 pilots and sit a lot closer to I2. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBorsMLAFvYYHqlGEH0ZZD1C2qBAnl4hemUtMtR0oTSGLK2tJdiUBnawI_bj836U5zLBHSguWRHwlQ9eGTSa08VZm0DQNps35G1ZYa39SjwI9wIaevciBo4Cv7njBYIihViAO_Qjyyuwp3Zdovf_Gb8Yp1thhAEBNKDqD9O_p2geoubiSJb72YABWNIw3/s529/New%20Points%20No%20Keo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="529" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBorsMLAFvYYHqlGEH0ZZD1C2qBAnl4hemUtMtR0oTSGLK2tJdiUBnawI_bj836U5zLBHSguWRHwlQ9eGTSa08VZm0DQNps35G1ZYa39SjwI9wIaevciBo4Cv7njBYIihViAO_Qjyyuwp3Zdovf_Gb8Yp1thhAEBNKDqD9O_p2geoubiSJb72YABWNIw3/w400-h201/New%20Points%20No%20Keo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So does that mean Keo is really good? He’s played all the time and has a high win rate. Well, before the points change Keo was also played a lot but had a very low win rate. I would suggest Keo is a small cog in a big machine and his win rate is not about what Keo himself does, but about how good all the I5 and I6 pilots around him are.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ14Sl4DCgFDZn8NuqLpM_PQLLOB3Gr9oo_PFBsNsymwjwH8XxHN0kHc5WbSHEMq-gJjubIj2v_gPTrXercIKdpxjkh3RVMZgs5ldazeQi53YwVNQelTiobqSwAKJft9A23ryJQucaYSBblJjI3ZQpV4BCgSuxG-wXoM03V5LxG60XqLFYXvT9VkX4OQO/s662/Old%20I3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="662" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ14Sl4DCgFDZn8NuqLpM_PQLLOB3Gr9oo_PFBsNsymwjwH8XxHN0kHc5WbSHEMq-gJjubIj2v_gPTrXercIKdpxjkh3RVMZgs5ldazeQi53YwVNQelTiobqSwAKJft9A23ryJQucaYSBblJjI3ZQpV4BCgSuxG-wXoM03V5LxG60XqLFYXvT9VkX4OQO/w400-h175/Old%20I3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I3 Pilots in the old points</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToZYQ0bP209KdsThcDAq-UQfDILz3Y7Imi4p_Dj5KpmL5vzx2bdawDwMeeWh5_6RPK7TdwjkNLsOicn1rEj9SBEC6y_Y-98tXq8aaZGe-qXtXzO73iji3Wn75oGj5E5FQrfiARdnHwzzvQH9RCq1aEd4AQSzC46xf3PBw68Z89DHYWXBq_gzlHG4msjMa/s659/New%20I3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="659" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToZYQ0bP209KdsThcDAq-UQfDILz3Y7Imi4p_Dj5KpmL5vzx2bdawDwMeeWh5_6RPK7TdwjkNLsOicn1rEj9SBEC6y_Y-98tXq8aaZGe-qXtXzO73iji3Wn75oGj5E5FQrfiARdnHwzzvQH9RCq1aEd4AQSzC46xf3PBw68Z89DHYWXBq_gzlHG4msjMa/w400-h190/New%20I3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I3 Pilots in the new points</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">So is playing more I6 pilots really the easy answer? It’s always more complicated than that, but I’d like to share the journey I’ve been on in the few games of X-Wing that I’ve played in the new points.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At first I played a melange of I3-I5 pilots, but found myself losing ships to being initiative killed too often. So I made a Republic list with four I5 pilots and Anakin as an I6. And that was fun for a couple of weeks but then there was a noticeable change in the lists I was playing against as my opponents adjusted to play more I5 and I6 pilots themselves. My initiative advantage was removed and replaced, in the first instance, by the fact that ROAD now mattered hugely as I was trying to land a lot of positional effects at I5 (CLT arcs, Chopper R1 bubbles etc). The another week or two went by, and now my opponents were bringing multiple I6 pilots and simply moving after me and countering my positioning abilities.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOtdiZxQek3I_Y9Sa8-ZcWuXCZdvXEEB2JZLbjZ7fzOqTOs0KYZOjiCnqreleccFZFIuCBSa2wprePoZMzqTs_npAH8v0i69iUmtwsV5ggn_ge4NA0ig6e7wqL5ljXktz3QDgSZvd6v_Hsk4kl2zmo1D5C8tDDHN3z01YxcFsQaLhTTYNQikEfbwx6vb9/s400/c66c9b47-a41c-436a-8a68-8950d2127dc1_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="400" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOtdiZxQek3I_Y9Sa8-ZcWuXCZdvXEEB2JZLbjZ7fzOqTOs0KYZOjiCnqreleccFZFIuCBSa2wprePoZMzqTs_npAH8v0i69iUmtwsV5ggn_ge4NA0ig6e7wqL5ljXktz3QDgSZvd6v_Hsk4kl2zmo1D5C8tDDHN3z01YxcFsQaLhTTYNQikEfbwx6vb9/w400-h171/c66c9b47-a41c-436a-8a68-8950d2127dc1_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So I played with one I6 pilot and lost to the list with two I6 pilots. I learned my lesson and a fortnight later I played with three I6 pilots instead and beat the list with two I6 pilots. This past weekend I saw multiple lists capable of making 4 or 5 attacks at I6, all to get ahead of the other I5 and I6 lists. It seems like a lot of players are in a race of trying to scramble over each other for who fires first and hardest… and that’s a race where we’re going to hit the ceiling pretty damn soon because there’s not that many ways of firing 4 or 5 times at I6.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">So far the movement of pilots through the initiative is quite gradual - about 4% of I1 to I3 pilots have moved up to I4+, but that trend is accelerating and I expect it to continue as the store championship season cements players into the most successful archetypes.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH2je9svsJT7cddPQ5NQ8PByssea6sX24GzmYoFzeE7HeUMdU_zRsrdl2PO7UwH2d5O5DW6jisoJL2WaemwCNWWBeIcovc6j_Q6z34RrvlvrhmcyUGJd786ZCeWWESi2RQeeNvHnAmGjkhinjg6GdmG7aVpTJHWFj9G2I1lZ5Cg4cZhwFkw4MGhDNq9cz/s700/Swarm_Tactics.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="700" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH2je9svsJT7cddPQ5NQ8PByssea6sX24GzmYoFzeE7HeUMdU_zRsrdl2PO7UwH2d5O5DW6jisoJL2WaemwCNWWBeIcovc6j_Q6z34RrvlvrhmcyUGJd786ZCeWWESi2RQeeNvHnAmGjkhinjg6GdmG7aVpTJHWFj9G2I1lZ5Cg4cZhwFkw4MGhDNq9cz/s320/Swarm_Tactics.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There's another smoking gun to watch the rise of in this metagame: Swarm Tactics. In First Edition we had periods of time when Veteran Instincts became an essential Pilot Talent upgrade because of how fierce the Initiative wars were. We don't Veteran Instincts around any more (thankfully) but we do have Swarm Tactics as a crutch that players can use to bring even more guns to bear at high initiative phases of combat. In the old points Swarm Tactics was in 5% of squads (basically just the Midnight/Whirlwind combo that Chrispy popularised) while in the new points it's already in over 8% of squads and being used by multiple factions, especially Rebels.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikJZun1lVGQWY4erC0fHVhQ46lIXWXsyZXHrD_aQ_lp3bNPK9pVZbW6-ztMiJZ-ChtHSa8L9xxURLu-8GTm-FBwldsxZ2SzAKzrtb4bHI2ubQGN7n_exJjGpwFITO-PteBGkFoz6ml7SfL_CD8ArcZVGl1O3TtM0RXkfm2L7jfus6R0IAr7kI91FbNK7j/s608/Initi%20Wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="608" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikJZun1lVGQWY4erC0fHVhQ46lIXWXsyZXHrD_aQ_lp3bNPK9pVZbW6-ztMiJZ-ChtHSa8L9xxURLu-8GTm-FBwldsxZ2SzAKzrtb4bHI2ubQGN7n_exJjGpwFITO-PteBGkFoz6ml7SfL_CD8ArcZVGl1O3TtM0RXkfm2L7jfus6R0IAr7kI91FbNK7j/w400-h279/Initi%20Wars.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT TO DO?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We've been here before, of course. Sometimes the X-Wing competitive metagame makes me happy and sometimes it doesn't. In the past I've always been happy to duck away from competition for a while (eg. pretty much the whole of 2017!) and just go and pootle around with some janky stuff on the kitchen tablex, play tournaments only now and then. It's frustrating that I can't really do that because the loadouts have been so culled, and it's not helping that the power level of the high initative ships is so strong that it can't really be bridged by a smattering of cunning tricks and a can-do attitude. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCA1xGHXOhbrakAEIz9NbbcJbJBShuM97_E9Xibe1jwzFCYGHQnFW8G7fj3RsQ-fJPruU-6Yj1kI3VHgj6r5sLWCK60eDMzRDw3szdgCsdk4ntRreX7wrDMfxhgGzrzCjnPH0Suw6yx7XdxgipPYdAacGw7GjBLsEQ_le_yvsV4IWjE1DQ5iykbBVEj34/s640/blackadder-baldrick.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCA1xGHXOhbrakAEIz9NbbcJbJBShuM97_E9Xibe1jwzFCYGHQnFW8G7fj3RsQ-fJPruU-6Yj1kI3VHgj6r5sLWCK60eDMzRDw3szdgCsdk4ntRreX7wrDMfxhgGzrzCjnPH0Suw6yx7XdxgipPYdAacGw7GjBLsEQ_le_yvsV4IWjE1DQ5iykbBVEj34/s320/blackadder-baldrick.gif" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So… I’m in a proper funk with X-Wing. My squad builder has never been used so little because the idea of trying to build a squad to solve this problem seems largely futile. If I1-I4 pilots are mostly bad then I’m immediately building my list almost entirely from a much smaller pool of I5-I6 pilots. I’ve got less pilots to choose from and less points to customise them with. For the first time in the entire six years of my playing X-Wing I’ve simply built a squad, put it in a box and then forgotten about squadbuilding and just taken the same thing everywhere.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But on the bright side... if you look at List Fortress there’s FAR more squads registered in the new points than there was in the old points, even though there’s a bigger time span in the old points. The relaunch of proper official Organised Play tracks has seen activity pick up massively. It’s great to see that many events of X-Wing being made, that many games being played. Great that so many people who had been turned off 2.5 are coming back to it and finding it’s not what they feared it was. Even if I'm personally in a funk as it happens.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uiCCkR7yo-qweWN9G1sB1suhfT4N_Wi9VjS7ffGQ6t4-nDOH6CmhNjVRVcnG_uwQaMLq-YmWtBl6fsif-8dWPB5EryJ5Vnn3CcvQI8DmJhncF55laZOSjYsrLX2hoYnOOdXDBIWyM7ftvFEdxxsa0wwENCeNFsgRwNQEubXOgGaOjEOQrkaPeLhilk7a/s400/b6c.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="400" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uiCCkR7yo-qweWN9G1sB1suhfT4N_Wi9VjS7ffGQ6t4-nDOH6CmhNjVRVcnG_uwQaMLq-YmWtBl6fsif-8dWPB5EryJ5Vnn3CcvQI8DmJhncF55laZOSjYsrLX2hoYnOOdXDBIWyM7ftvFEdxxsa0wwENCeNFsgRwNQEubXOgGaOjEOQrkaPeLhilk7a/w400-h250/b6c.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m just a bit concerned that they’re returning just as so many of the things they worried about are finally coming true. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Granularity of points *shouldn’t* be an issue in a game with a two-tiered points system because you can compensate for one with the other, but at the moment it feels like the expensive ships have been brought down in cost so much that the points are less granular in 2.5 than they’ve ever been and the dynamic range for ship costing is narrower than it’s ever been.</li></ul><ul><li>It feels like the random variance of ROAD rolls matter more than ever as we’re all cramming ourselves onto an Initiative system with basically only three settings (I6, I5, Everything Else) and we’re all overlapping, and overlapping with pilots and ships where the timing can really matter. I played 2.5 from day one and I’ve complained more about ROAD influencing games in the last month than I have in the whole time leading up to it.</li></ul><ul><li>Squadbuilding decision-making is being simplified to moving a few Duplo blocks around for maybe the first time in 2.5. We’re still not in a world where we’re being forced to take Standardised Loadout versions of pilots and there’s no customisation, but the potential for customisation has been cut thinner than we’ve ever had it.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">All though all the hoo-ha about X-Wing 2.5 and the transition to Atomic Mass Games my advice to people who didn’t like what was happening to X-Wing was simple: stop playing X-Wing and do something else instead. And so that’s what I’m finding myself increasingly doing… I’m doing something else. I’ve got my squad, I can leave it in a box and not worry about it and not have to open my squadbuilder and not have to think about X-Wing or talk about X-Wing because right now X-Wing isn’t holding my attention. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFVElzM9AQtA1bQAUx_XDTkQMpnIUDX8_nDA4LqKJZcfHxAbn6BzofXJ3OlqwIGkh2RgvWco25ozxPHQIQbQK3ZF3IDHfo4AoLYAE4xgE8NqgPIcr9w35LijW4Q561GZYMuCAnIFudwuIGmlMt7TF5a_daSG6pEvczni7LwHdZjB3oCq8PdaA-9qkncHR/s3801/IMG_4860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2650" data-original-width="3801" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFVElzM9AQtA1bQAUx_XDTkQMpnIUDX8_nDA4LqKJZcfHxAbn6BzofXJ3OlqwIGkh2RgvWco25ozxPHQIQbQK3ZF3IDHfo4AoLYAE4xgE8NqgPIcr9w35LijW4Q561GZYMuCAnIFudwuIGmlMt7TF5a_daSG6pEvczni7LwHdZjB3oCq8PdaA-9qkncHR/w640-h446/IMG_4860.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Right now I’m actually playing Blood Bowl for the first time since 1995, and I’m waiting for my Kickstartered copy of the Apex Legends game to arrive, and those are happily filling the gap that X-Wing has left.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvCdRQNj2P3M1pKH9lQ2OyduBgXTlIv3oBznuiBWAch3NbEbcS0p0A4DNFI0i4qF1VU9dUrnn94qkRk8BBTpMjYNZrkky8NvthSmwQRKaXtdVn7H0T3DlC-h4Nw7TZ9LErsuMQAphwjLV0lvpuZZqwXyb5JDJEEgsBCYipY6Y6PneUzOe1cSwHAqJYxE2/s400/fcf31334-326b-4202-ba14-776a15fd009b_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="400" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvCdRQNj2P3M1pKH9lQ2OyduBgXTlIv3oBznuiBWAch3NbEbcS0p0A4DNFI0i4qF1VU9dUrnn94qkRk8BBTpMjYNZrkky8NvthSmwQRKaXtdVn7H0T3DlC-h4Nw7TZ9LErsuMQAphwjLV0lvpuZZqwXyb5JDJEEgsBCYipY6Y6PneUzOe1cSwHAqJYxE2/w400-h171/fcf31334-326b-4202-ba14-776a15fd009b_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>So, it’s kinda sad that I’m feeling disappointed when a Blood Bowl game falls through and I *have* to play X-Wing instead. But also if I’m having fun doing something else instead then it’s kinda positive too. <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I hope that the next iteration of X-Wing points reverses a lot of what has happened. Or that somebody cleverer than me finds a way to pivot this I5-I6 dominated metagame on its head and reopen up squadbuilding and game play. And while everyone else seems to be having loads of fun playing X-Wing then clearly something is going right. I'm happy to be at the thin end of the wedge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even if, right now, I’m in a proper funk about X-Wing.</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-55395645943702109412023-05-16T08:43:00.001-07:002023-05-16T08:43:07.669-07:00Mental Health Awareness Week - Gollum and Me<p style="text-align: justify;"> This is mental health awareness week and so I’m going to write a bit of an odd blog about something that is a current issue for me and is affecting my approach to the UK Games Expo..</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><i>First, though. I’m not a person who usually ever talks or write about mental health. I’m 46 years old and right at the tail end of the generation that just reckons you should suck it up and get on with things, and so even when I have in past struggled with mental health I’ve virtually never sought help or support, I’ve just sucked it up and got on with things. It’s always been a completely inadequate solution to a complex and protracted problem, and a solution that may well make things worse over time, but it’s how I was raised so that’s what I did. I’m mentioning this only because if somewhere in here it sounds like a very poorly-worded and badly phrased or mishandled attempt at dealing with mental health that’s because I come from a generation famed for their mishandling of mental health issues.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Gollum and Me</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I touched on this subject before, <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/im-humble-jack-and-thats-ok.html">when I began prepping for Worlds in January</a>: I have something I call my Gollum – a mean and cruel inner voice. My Gollum believes I’m the best at anything I do and so it demands that I have to win at every game I play, I have to be champion of every tournament I enter, I have to prove I’m better than anyone else. Gollum believes and demands all these things despite the complete lack of any evidence for believing that I *am* the best at anything I do (I‘m not), or that I *will* be champion (I never am). And when Gollum doesn’t get what it wants it can get very angry with me for failing to secure the prize it wanted.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA0p-QWIdfrfgpfiewum_2Hrby8NDnAj5j_KQQtgZG61rIN1qEQkSBDwi7pxJq9b_NrE2ZK2fZvnmFjkuRpTApj6CvYpcqcZuCGFUxgkDXtbvsW7djqSMhvydcxQjXmc63wx-y35wHrg0LZ-CR_38l0IYMM8LPT7S2KQirB2wlDDcia7x981K9f3dBw/s660/gollum.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="660" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA0p-QWIdfrfgpfiewum_2Hrby8NDnAj5j_KQQtgZG61rIN1qEQkSBDwi7pxJq9b_NrE2ZK2fZvnmFjkuRpTApj6CvYpcqcZuCGFUxgkDXtbvsW7djqSMhvydcxQjXmc63wx-y35wHrg0LZ-CR_38l0IYMM8LPT7S2KQirB2wlDDcia7x981K9f3dBw/w640-h390/gollum.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Gollum is a poisonous presence, once he comes out. He twists how I think about the games I play, how I think about the results of playing. It’s usual gradual and insidious, beginning with expectations of success, becoming a need and a hunger to achieve it, becoming a twisted self-hatred and sense of injustice around the reasons why I didn’t succeed, ultimately become a need for revenge/redemption through achieving even greater success next time. A vicious cycle of the emotional stakes being inexorably raised, and my failure to achieve success creating deeper and deeper moods.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>It's probably worth underling that none of this is rational or reasonable.</b> Gollum doesn’t care about the fact my opponents might be really good at the games too, and he certainly doesn’t care about the fact that dice have multiples sides and some of those sides are blank. Gollum demands results and there’s only two possible outcomes – I fail and Gollum gets angry, or I actually succeed and Gollum raises the bar for the next event. Gollum will never be happy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s probably also worth saying that at no point does Gollum affect anybody but myself, at least not directly. The only impact Gollum really has is on creating a toxic relationship between myself and the games I play. But when Gollum has a hold of my mood he indirectly affects people around me, like my wife, who have to deal with me being snappy and bitter with Gollum being at the wheel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvMgQjbT7zR5b6wkwJD2N-4R8hIFqc1Jjz5LZzDSzNndB_jLMNi5p1oKOqk4Eo4uEsycMLDj6XzYf7A3Isz7YXdSVvAwjllmoJGTtx8xQtmzcXLgNdo3q5LSeEqt7q4VlrzVZs55M0Z-L7iYnEZWASJ_ZfEWgRP0AskALNwOa5qnbKIWVxUJuOA00eQ/s480/nobody-likes-you-gollum.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="480" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvMgQjbT7zR5b6wkwJD2N-4R8hIFqc1Jjz5LZzDSzNndB_jLMNi5p1oKOqk4Eo4uEsycMLDj6XzYf7A3Isz7YXdSVvAwjllmoJGTtx8xQtmzcXLgNdo3q5LSeEqt7q4VlrzVZs55M0Z-L7iYnEZWASJ_ZfEWgRP0AskALNwOa5qnbKIWVxUJuOA00eQ/w400-h169/nobody-likes-you-gollum.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, without externalising this to anyone I did the ‘suck it up and get on with it’ thing, and just bottled Gollum up and developed some coping strategies. One of the key methods by which I do this is deliberately hamstringing myself whenever I play an event, which is also something I’ve talked about before. If I don’t try my absolute best to win an event then I have a handy excuse to point to when I don’t win it, and I can keep Gollum happy: yes, Gollum, we would have won if we’d really tried. We’d have crushed them all. You can go back to sleep now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCgHnjKE-MJVBjkF5iRL5nDK09Nj1jxh5xbL4ob6qQfiMz9HFfDUvQiPc1FyLGLpGOPLDHUB5c1rFLl7IvoOOSTgO3rJXZAkthNibPPuZGKo0AMhIKrpquN4N9w5ikT-afQ4-VZjYVGmkqH6TKO8B80U1-4XIYZMNYeNZ_xbPxu9ONDUImqH8S1nChQ/s498/gollum-lord-of-the-rings.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCgHnjKE-MJVBjkF5iRL5nDK09Nj1jxh5xbL4ob6qQfiMz9HFfDUvQiPc1FyLGLpGOPLDHUB5c1rFLl7IvoOOSTgO3rJXZAkthNibPPuZGKo0AMhIKrpquN4N9w5ikT-afQ4-VZjYVGmkqH6TKO8B80U1-4XIYZMNYeNZ_xbPxu9ONDUImqH8S1nChQ/s16000/gollum-lord-of-the-rings.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve probably been coping like this with Gollum for 20 years or more, striking a balance between being as interested in competitive games as I can be because that sort of thing is my jam, while also making this just enough more difficult for myself so that I have an excuse for losing. Playing a list I’ve never played before, playing a list I’ve made myself, playing a janky combo just to see if I can, playing something that I know has a bad matchup into the best lists… these are all ways that I can get my ‘fun’ out of the game without ever riling up Gollum. I could be the Dread Pirate Roberts, fighting and losing with my left hand and being ok with losing, because I never have to find out if I would <i>also</i> have lost using my right hand.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qcEjLB0-khwS1-E3XXYpQ1V_G3xtbgBA4ugli9c83Pxd0fJglQOqzyAHq75zIyjghwb9i10C2LzfNJKvO4dXbxhLRZU7cw29joVhhpTMvh-FSbOUnRLDTx-94RFJawOx1CqCyXKMT_R7ikYn6iJhV78PoXpRspk57JIbw8hT2vI8bW6JrTtqMOHqRg/s400/d80c772a-f71e-41d8-97f9-a7b17f6a46ad_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qcEjLB0-khwS1-E3XXYpQ1V_G3xtbgBA4ugli9c83Pxd0fJglQOqzyAHq75zIyjghwb9i10C2LzfNJKvO4dXbxhLRZU7cw29joVhhpTMvh-FSbOUnRLDTx-94RFJawOx1CqCyXKMT_R7ikYn6iJhV78PoXpRspk57JIbw8hT2vI8bW6JrTtqMOHqRg/s16000/d80c772a-f71e-41d8-97f9-a7b17f6a46ad_text.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">By and large, it’s worked at keeping Gollum in check. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But it’s been a rocky road learning how to manage this issue and X-Wing is maybe my 3rd or 4th attempt at keeping Gollum in check and I’ve left other games because I let him get out. Gollum is why I quit with the World of Warcraft TCG and he’s why I quit Netrunner - in both cases I went to a fairly big event and did pretty well but came away twisted up about the fact that I hadn’t won. I deserved to win. I was the best. I had the bet deck. I understood the game better. Nobody deserved to be ahead of me… and that’s Gollum being at the wheel, not me. I know from my time playing Magic: The Gathering that letting Gollum drive the bus for any length of time can turn into a serious mental health issue, so in both cases I quit the game and took a break from playing anything competitive.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Gollum and X-Wing</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Pretty much my entire involvement in X-Wing tournaments, right from when I started in 2016, has been about managing Gollum. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">From the outset I was playing non-meta lists that I’d made myself, often lists I’d deliberately refused to practice with. Yes, I tried to make my lists as strong as I could because understanding a game and trying to exploit what I know is what I get from playing games, but so long as I was on the outside looking in I had an excuse. I didn’t play a Crack Swarm I played my Slaughterhouse Five. I didn’t play Triple Scouts, I didn’t play Paratanni I played Bobatanni (because I knew it was worse). I never played aces, or big ships, or TLT, or Miranda, or whatever the best list was. Not because I wanted to be a special snowflake, but because it wasn’t safe for me to pick up a meta list and play that. So I played Snap Shot A-Wings, or A Score To Settle Quickdraw, I championed Quadjumpers and 4-LOM at the start of Second Edition, Scimitar Bombers, C1-1OP, Cartel Spacers and Alpha Squadron Interceptors. Whatever the proven hot stuff was at the time I made damn sure I wasn’t playing it. Playing a good list means I’m trying to win and trying to win means Gollum is going to start paying an unwanted interest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEBSWLyJfSdVJ--wLoiSDeCsNuNVv9wSE5NfzbszQEqshH6bdlQPPqnO2eb4AZ8_YjIOUSbrcQd-O2MHquX-LPiilX_ugl-qn8_aVVt7KFq_3ydALUfDxj2ijkJLxXsNCjVYA07xsJfEp9QP8j8neMTbxggie9ASd7qw-j1JVP0c-SrufH2qBtRSocQ/s500/tumblr_lw7u2089kD1qeegbeo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEBSWLyJfSdVJ--wLoiSDeCsNuNVv9wSE5NfzbszQEqshH6bdlQPPqnO2eb4AZ8_YjIOUSbrcQd-O2MHquX-LPiilX_ugl-qn8_aVVt7KFq_3ydALUfDxj2ijkJLxXsNCjVYA07xsJfEp9QP8j8neMTbxggie9ASd7qw-j1JVP0c-SrufH2qBtRSocQ/w640-h272/tumblr_lw7u2089kD1qeegbeo1_500.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Committing to attending Worlds this year was a calculated risk. I couldn’t justify the expense of going to Worlds without at least TRYING to do well (even with Asmodee picking up most of the bill the trip still ran up a bill as the most expensive tournament I’ve attended since Grand Prix Toronto in 2010). Spending three months practicing and iterating my First Order list 6for Worlds makes my Worlds list the most games I’ve ever played with a single squad. Usually by 10 games with a squad, maximum, I’m getting ready to tap out and try some other bad ideas, but I played nearly 50 games with 6FO.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I went into the practice period very concerned about how Gollum would react, but in truth he was refreshingly quiet. I think the fact that I was heading to the World Championships and that I would playing in the toughest room for X-Wing I’d likely ever be in had tamed even Gollum. I played a list that I’d made myself, but which I was confident was good because it was running parallel to what other groups had found to be very good. But there was still a huge question mark over where I would stack up against that caliber or players and so when I emerged in 25th place at the end of road I was genuinely delighted, and as I flew back with my arms full of swag even Gollum had to accept that I’d done pretty well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPH6vv5twcwvQY7QXd_JBCByasZSuOsaUuMnhpLsAGWnP4sh_CQxSqD_W3XJECVcT6K8wByh42wW9ANvPwNqUsCXgAoDUhsCNmiXRYQm_qupGTZ8ALxxRoPTFzwA5A0zCqKAf5E7QI29S_9igWA5v-oadE0ChpEAR2MjrjEPG5RzlGG9kpFsuxNw4TqA/s400/590b3a46-9849-4dd0-86d3-417ab19b18c7_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="400" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPH6vv5twcwvQY7QXd_JBCByasZSuOsaUuMnhpLsAGWnP4sh_CQxSqD_W3XJECVcT6K8wByh42wW9ANvPwNqUsCXgAoDUhsCNmiXRYQm_qupGTZ8ALxxRoPTFzwA5A0zCqKAf5E7QI29S_9igWA5v-oadE0ChpEAR2MjrjEPG5RzlGG9kpFsuxNw4TqA/w400-h165/590b3a46-9849-4dd0-86d3-417ab19b18c7_text.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">There, and Back Again</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And then it started.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJE8uNGStHuVETAb_wUTHEl2Hiea4iCDnm45LFRWchz4pD9Cfo1dwY3GofNLBMIyfPqBTo6DbixMEqPSVEFHSmwgOHuprlnT90xGNRq30FF91Z_WDFrbdpNKcrhyXlKc4Ix4OXS7Gr24AkXQFxcX1vc9ikD7zPlHF0uXmObSi4yIeYnt0vhpI8eA6cIQ/s500/giphy%20(4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="500" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJE8uNGStHuVETAb_wUTHEl2Hiea4iCDnm45LFRWchz4pD9Cfo1dwY3GofNLBMIyfPqBTo6DbixMEqPSVEFHSmwgOHuprlnT90xGNRq30FF91Z_WDFrbdpNKcrhyXlKc4Ix4OXS7Gr24AkXQFxcX1vc9ikD7zPlHF0uXmObSi4yIeYnt0vhpI8eA6cIQ/w640-h268/giphy%20(4).gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">25th at Worlds was really good. But hadn’t I thrown away one of my games by being an idiot? And hadn’t I been terribly unlucky to lose another one? And hadn’t a list very much like mine actually won Worlds?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>Why hadn’t I won Worlds? I could have done. I should have done.</i></blockquote><p style="font-style: normal;"><i>For April I pushed the intrusive thoughts away, picked up some janky lists and had fun. And then the Regional at the UK Games Expo was announced, and I decided to play in it. And there’s a Worlds invite on the line. And really nice template trays. A lot like the ones I should have won at Worlds but failed to get.</i></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><i>I was 25th at Worlds. 3rd highest UK player. There’s 4 template trays at the UKGE. That template try is mine.</i></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><p><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCrFVJ99AGQSQr8r9ZITPXWXUyT9GWpvb4oven5PphSA1yUj9wJ00Ab-o73PFTjX9ZVJEnNk6Hibx574QYoIv6-GOzoCd7JquPYU862v7mlsWow1VaC7JinC1mfs_Tq83Kz2loIao4D8jcrdKNH7Y0Mog3OSTBxmkBKuGkayH_g5IQGuNEHYPwTUWwA/s478/FBq9zl8XIAATQzL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="478" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCrFVJ99AGQSQr8r9ZITPXWXUyT9GWpvb4oven5PphSA1yUj9wJ00Ab-o73PFTjX9ZVJEnNk6Hibx574QYoIv6-GOzoCd7JquPYU862v7mlsWow1VaC7JinC1mfs_Tq83Kz2loIao4D8jcrdKNH7Y0Mog3OSTBxmkBKuGkayH_g5IQGuNEHYPwTUWwA/w640-h358/FBq9zl8XIAATQzL.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And then the expectation that we’d be using new points gave way to probably using the same points we currently have. I could fly 6FO. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>I'm going going to crush everyone. I'm not going to repeat my mistake in the game I threw away, I'm not going to get screwed over the by the dice. I'm going to win the UKGE and prove that I should have won Worlds.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I could fly the 6FO that I should have won Worlds with. Anything other than winning the UKGE will be a failure. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsbXRIlFlOGiQHOzAU1LYPL8okOSyf8lrjN8p3mvc3WUl3FAI6OoHGkwsVX4rDC5GV-81NMJwSZWOxvzsW2uHfmDFSJBFMEN2uCXYACkNPiEPXZ_b0-nWV7qXb_JEm_XTINmC85NzJuWxHD2FS56Rdslqb_b6YLAYb9HFVBw_-LKtepbK8gLbDGlXPA/s498/main-qimg-4abdcaecd30bb8ff691e1f05359d7c18.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsbXRIlFlOGiQHOzAU1LYPL8okOSyf8lrjN8p3mvc3WUl3FAI6OoHGkwsVX4rDC5GV-81NMJwSZWOxvzsW2uHfmDFSJBFMEN2uCXYACkNPiEPXZ_b0-nWV7qXb_JEm_XTINmC85NzJuWxHD2FS56Rdslqb_b6YLAYb9HFVBw_-LKtepbK8gLbDGlXPA/s16000/main-qimg-4abdcaecd30bb8ff691e1f05359d7c18.webp" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And again, none of this is reasonable or rational. I threw a game away because I'm entirely capable of throwing games away. I lost to the dice in a game because I'm playing a dice game and sometimes you lose to the dice... I probably won my fair share of games with hot dice too. It’s not a reasonable thing to think that I will win UKGE. It’s not a rational thing to think. But Gollum is driving the bus now, at some point over the last couple of weeks he snuck past me and has a hand on the wheel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m writing this blog on the 16th of May. The list submission deadline for UKGE is the 19th of May. I had every intention of flying my Worlds list one last time but I’m no longer sure if I can actually do that and maintain the right frame of mind. I don’t like how I’m visualising the UKGE, and specifically I don’t like how I’m visualising using 6FO in that event. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8EIqwMY_PoFmrmPhCSc4AbcVSevYFpKCLOfkS1xi81GABAl7x_lmzQ56zD1GVIqFOW9qmRVn_KWyiEWtl4APfh8-iLn2yB48uK_6VqP55DbQvyh30bbt2GUlJ1L63eUQhBKyvsPLiIPeFovMhqaH8uzkYUVNO0hGOuE0E0AXEd0LgrU5fV5T__H8uw/s250/tumblr_pl94x6vT9E1w2jyj9o8_r1_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8EIqwMY_PoFmrmPhCSc4AbcVSevYFpKCLOfkS1xi81GABAl7x_lmzQ56zD1GVIqFOW9qmRVn_KWyiEWtl4APfh8-iLn2yB48uK_6VqP55DbQvyh30bbt2GUlJ1L63eUQhBKyvsPLiIPeFovMhqaH8uzkYUVNO0hGOuE0E0AXEd0LgrU5fV5T__H8uw/w400-h400/tumblr_pl94x6vT9E1w2jyj9o8_r1_250.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It was one thing to go into a big event at Worlds when I didn’t know where I stacked vs the other players and I didn’t know how good my list was, it’s another thing to go into the UKGE ‘knowing’ that I’m the 3rd best player in the UK (based on the results of this one event, which is fucking ridiculous to use as a measure but then this isn’t about being rational), and ‘knowing’ that I’m playing THE GREATEST SQUAD THAT’S EVER EXISTED IN X-WING (also ridiculous). Gollum doesn’t care. Gollum demands results.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ98lahgfjeZRzLcojEcCZ_MaV4yfALlQmKHGdclElTQXVYqmAHM1hAQyYxHs7qNjYYcM5SZAnwvPsc33uUg1YWBTaD55Yr9fE6xplqtkKVJytTln-xL55wntara8M8czg6h-3rjMNXjmSVJb-OzPTagjtCbFdDDUOziXMQDK7dIa-bqQpmg3QV0dgbg/s400/58ed8cee-840f-4135-b4db-d14066c0fabe_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ98lahgfjeZRzLcojEcCZ_MaV4yfALlQmKHGdclElTQXVYqmAHM1hAQyYxHs7qNjYYcM5SZAnwvPsc33uUg1YWBTaD55Yr9fE6xplqtkKVJytTln-xL55wntara8M8czg6h-3rjMNXjmSVJb-OzPTagjtCbFdDDUOziXMQDK7dIa-bqQpmg3QV0dgbg/s16000/58ed8cee-840f-4135-b4db-d14066c0fabe_text.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So in the next four days I have to pick my squad. I *want* to fly 6FO but I may not be able to. I may have to take back control and play something else instead, something that I know has a ceiling so that I can sit back and be happy with coming 22nd.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I do want that template tray, though. Or do I? I don’t think I do - I’ve never cared about prizes and swag before, really. I think Gollum wants it, but it’s been a bit harder to separate the two of us this week</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">So...</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If this has felt a bit rambling it’s probably because I don’t really have a neatly tied-up narrative flow for this problem. I don’t have a solution to tie it up into a neat bow at the end. And as I badged it up as a mental health thing I think a healthy dose of perspective is needed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1w1u2sPdb3kHZv1ulv6Hmn3M2WP-b3L1n52WPSe_F5WVUsxMZ7Z59sgsURXg64AsJE5BFo4cXapCSMcDp6fyBI1l3ItkeI5ixlqV9S0DLWu-vkX6qFmN0WONfl24CjA-GVada14ioBQcwGCErMo0WsYHSfSALYIwA0ZyTVLT6ATEHY1XyxkpuuqfFA/s377/MHAW-logo-2023-English-black-hashtag-landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1w1u2sPdb3kHZv1ulv6Hmn3M2WP-b3L1n52WPSe_F5WVUsxMZ7Z59sgsURXg64AsJE5BFo4cXapCSMcDp6fyBI1l3ItkeI5ixlqV9S0DLWu-vkX6qFmN0WONfl24CjA-GVada14ioBQcwGCErMo0WsYHSfSALYIwA0ZyTVLT6ATEHY1XyxkpuuqfFA/s16000/MHAW-logo-2023-English-black-hashtag-landscape.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Not knowing which plastic ships you should choose to play with in a Star Wars game seems like such a meaningless thing to have as an issue. </b> How can I even bundle something like this up into ‘mental health’ alongside all the much bigger problems that people have to deal with and which has a much bigger impact on their lives? But I think to an extent that’s what makes mental health issues into mental health issues – the scale of the impacts don’t have rational connections to the scale of the causes. So it's about plastic spaceships but also it's about that I’ve spent decades running away from these issues. I'm unable to fully embrace what *I* want to do because I’m afraid of how it can and will spiral out of my control, and how much it can and will affect people around me if I let that happen.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Plus I know that I can always pull the plug on Gollum if need to by just doing what I did to World of Warcraft TCG and Netrunner, and just slamming the door on him and walking away. But if I can avoid doing that then I will, I think at this point I've managed to sustain playing X-Wing longer than any other game, maybe even including Magic. I don't want to, but I know I can go cold turkey, and lots of people with 'real' mental health problems don't have that escape hatch.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Gollum is part of who I am. Maybe he comes from being raised by a family of teachers so I whizzed through my school years expecting gold stars and merit badges and the real world has come up short in terms of the external validation that Gollum craves. I don’t crave it (I think I’ve a long history of self-sabotage on social media platforms to demonstrate the lengths to which I’ll sometimes go to ensure I don’t get external validation) but Gollum does. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_tHiAwBHiPX8QlQvljZelnKTdIUh6MhYE2Y8P38TK5-FX4pN8Nsj8RDM8wyktASuyIIoPwQroA-2kn3eEIIXCRZUUux0ptjTjkZPs2uYohFRNEqQi4HeMOOSPS89sZTv0Q38zhqF61nCExtuJ-CloHCHlcV9_11zvuqsHN5pMs0zX93wkVjhnRit1g/s500/tumblr_a6d956a414f6eb2ff269a23a53637645_137d1e83_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="500" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_tHiAwBHiPX8QlQvljZelnKTdIUh6MhYE2Y8P38TK5-FX4pN8Nsj8RDM8wyktASuyIIoPwQroA-2kn3eEIIXCRZUUux0ptjTjkZPs2uYohFRNEqQi4HeMOOSPS89sZTv0Q38zhqF61nCExtuJ-CloHCHlcV9_11zvuqsHN5pMs0zX93wkVjhnRit1g/w640-h258/tumblr_a6d956a414f6eb2ff269a23a53637645_137d1e83_500.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Gollum is part of who I am, but I don’t have to like him and I don’t have to let him win. And sometimes that’s a bigger struggle to manage that at other times. This week, which happens to also be Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s on my mind a lot. And this time I decided to share how my wacko mind works sometimes. Thanks for reading</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-60731568202349512542023-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:002023-04-12T15:12:19.362-07:002 FAT 2 CURIOUS - "More fun" rhymes with "Tor Phun"<p style="text-align: justify;">The World Championships has basically consumed a quarter of my X-Wing year. I wrapped up my participation in a little Star Wars: Legion league in between Christmas and New Year then from January 1st I had my gaming mind fixed on Chicago pretty much right up to the moment when I wrapped up my last game of Adepticon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The blank slate of being able to do whatever I wanted and play whatever I wanted spread out before me like a glorious fresh canvas. I could play any squad I wanted, any bad idea or janky combo that came to mind. Hell, I didn't even have to play X-Wing I could go back to Legion (a cursory glance at Legion Worlds results told me it's not a good time to do that, unfortunately - me no likey Blizzard spam or Dark Troopers) or I could finally get the games of Bolt Action in that I'd promised to my dad.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But really, after a week of hardcore playing X-Wing at the end of three monrths of hardcore thinking about X-Wing all I really wanted to do was... uh... softcore playing X-Wing? Is that a thing? Is that the right turn of phrase? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-rEaJI2eMpbl6DfzPbjLDwdw_mCxaVcmsCVZLJlao14HGt7ha-Hvl-eJln1UpGEq6hGoqiqXplawXslpGXShKLqqsEU_0d0oZpJKNxzUaNf6FLPeIhIHR60EfO6em6p98whDg8l1pv-T8tn03lHRjhaQJfG76LnoT1a2cuyU5i5_YjyDidqd5d_rvw/s498/jank-tantacrul.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-rEaJI2eMpbl6DfzPbjLDwdw_mCxaVcmsCVZLJlao14HGt7ha-Hvl-eJln1UpGEq6hGoqiqXplawXslpGXShKLqqsEU_0d0oZpJKNxzUaNf6FLPeIhIHR60EfO6em6p98whDg8l1pv-T8tn03lHRjhaQJfG76LnoT1a2cuyU5i5_YjyDidqd5d_rvw/w640-h360/jank-tantacrul.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Yeah, jank. That's what I'm talking about.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">J<b>ANKING AIN'T EASY</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I had a backlog of bad ideas built up over the first three months of the year, so for my first FLGS play session after Worlds I wanted to explore a bunch of them. I wound up taking three lists each built around a different ace pilot that happened to begin with the letter R...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIBm1ywdeMKnWMndemAOV6wU7fw6xpDglN5v8_O9JRxhSNDqdJpFisBiZMcEp5oH31kMZ0zxa0j2SPAroq9ZvTi3slndRoLwfgT5okiiGtxuzUebLBdJ1XeW5-QswiT1WsgUgsTkiQQQO_4Bu76nVaoLg6HMNSq5ufYouA9MqTZ8uWU-rJCrJLVrXvQ/s640/0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIBm1ywdeMKnWMndemAOV6wU7fw6xpDglN5v8_O9JRxhSNDqdJpFisBiZMcEp5oH31kMZ0zxa0j2SPAroq9ZvTi3slndRoLwfgT5okiiGtxuzUebLBdJ1XeW5-QswiT1WsgUgsTkiQQQO_4Bu76nVaoLg6HMNSq5ufYouA9MqTZ8uWU-rJCrJLVrXvQ/w640-h360/0123.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Opponents got a choice of Ric, Rush or Rau!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPxrdwvP6SdJYK9cOwwOyOMXJJvpwRQ8zSOCzzCRSE2nT0DC0NzxbeCYh0zDbvhqtCMcks5PsT6cAujM26tip-59IboZGJrNj3krMRDC6NjpyzEJRmnabN1VEh-Q87mXORCMR_WoUfB-KIqC9pg00joB7nwcOlAZnLIqZTSm30CkVUiY9sNsMOLBlbw/s418/Swz17_fenn-rau.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPxrdwvP6SdJYK9cOwwOyOMXJJvpwRQ8zSOCzzCRSE2nT0DC0NzxbeCYh0zDbvhqtCMcks5PsT6cAujM26tip-59IboZGJrNj3krMRDC6NjpyzEJRmnabN1VEh-Q87mXORCMR_WoUfB-KIqC9pg00joB7nwcOlAZnLIqZTSm30CkVUiY9sNsMOLBlbw/w144-h200/Swz17_fenn-rau.webp" width="144" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjbjmxzakLgFQ1_aeFAX4eLeSbmrqx0RTJ8oZGnW3Av0FD3kRMPTSJXAEGTrENI-4XY_SRp7kH9Uuihrsq7qoCKq1E0TCdfPEMTdUUg98ACRjLPtt1dN6pXxU9jv4X4aPDZJE_m1f9btkHOW4VYpt8re-fDP15RzIrSdcVfLBa8OOsTI9ah_RbfHJAA/s418/Swz40_ric-olie.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjbjmxzakLgFQ1_aeFAX4eLeSbmrqx0RTJ8oZGnW3Av0FD3kRMPTSJXAEGTrENI-4XY_SRp7kH9Uuihrsq7qoCKq1E0TCdfPEMTdUUg98ACRjLPtt1dN6pXxU9jv4X4aPDZJE_m1f9btkHOW4VYpt8re-fDP15RzIrSdcVfLBa8OOsTI9ah_RbfHJAA/w144-h200/Swz40_ric-olie.webp" width="144" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM75pMbpSW80MoHUTz1oAb6SBYB_ClT4mLt3dXCmpbEs56_CbzQBoEuuzaGw6WW6cgTmrSrGT6HobmPxBv6Z37AXKQ9zJh2puD5fnhbyYlPJocs_rxpz7SRD-8ocHie4GhXlQJdNuJz99FoeUFbXXWRt5cLRtm3OEEXLO67V1iDcl5i24fN4GaBTd60g/s418/Swz66_rush.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM75pMbpSW80MoHUTz1oAb6SBYB_ClT4mLt3dXCmpbEs56_CbzQBoEuuzaGw6WW6cgTmrSrGT6HobmPxBv6Z37AXKQ9zJh2puD5fnhbyYlPJocs_rxpz7SRD-8ocHie4GhXlQJdNuJz99FoeUFbXXWRt5cLRtm3OEEXLO67V1iDcl5i24fN4GaBTd60g/w144-h200/Swz66_rush.webp" width="144" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I had a Republic list built with the intention of getting <b>Ric Olie</b> into position to fire an Advanced Proton Torpedo with 6 red dice (the 5 plus his abillity adding one) with double mods from a nearby Synched Console.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I had a First Order list that used Concussion Bombs to damage <b>Rush </b>on the first turn and make him into an I6 super-ace.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And finally I had a long shot plan for a Debris Gambit on <b>Fenn Rau</b>, with Gamut Key supporting Fenn to stack both Focus and Evade then keep them into the next turn so he could survive that tricky approach turn.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One by one I put my janky aces onto the table and one by one I learned pretty much the same thing - they weren't worth the effort.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">First to fall was Ric Olie, whose 6-dice APT plan fell apart before I even got the table when I actually read his ability properly and realised it only works on primary attacks. The list was ok because all the other pieces were solid and I won my game with it, but the spark of trying to get a big hit off was gone and Ric swept around the table mostly ineffectively.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fenn Rau managed to lose his engagement joust against Contrail, by which time he was now too far ahead of Gamut to get further coordinate support, and anyway he was stressed. My glass cannon had to fly so defensively he achieved nothing before dying - the rest of the squad won me the game but Fenn himself was a bust.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeUXv4T4kKDc6s3FfC61ekFg71yQ_jF5Q4InbX0XLwrOIMGPKJ3kNdpvrhYGtcRCypIJHA6huV8_CyluJKKPwAfrr-e5g0YbVS0B3FvlXBUsvYSRJXRyfeoBHz-RaRazdrp6SNc48G8c-s9HvZM6h_RGF6wfwG6gbwdsJkGGmmK05Q4_uKm8579CsYA/s813/Rusbomb.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="813" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeUXv4T4kKDc6s3FfC61ekFg71yQ_jF5Q4InbX0XLwrOIMGPKJ3kNdpvrhYGtcRCypIJHA6huV8_CyluJKKPwAfrr-e5g0YbVS0B3FvlXBUsvYSRJXRyfeoBHz-RaRazdrp6SNc48G8c-s9HvZM6h_RGF6wfwG6gbwdsJkGGmmK05Q4_uKm8579CsYA/w640-h482/Rusbomb.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The only one of my 'aces' who actually aced successfully was Rush and the bomb thing worked just fine. But once you've made an I6 with 5HP and linked autothrusters you do kind of wonder why you didn't just play Soontir Fel to begin with and have, like, multiple talent slots and a good ability to actually achieve stuff with (and 4 squad points not tied into a bomber). And the list still had DT and Scorch and an FO Bomber in so didn't feel like I'd changed the channel enough from my 6FO Worlds list.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGll0RJcyu4K0H8wS5GVlb8Xj8J7eNBiQdQfPU9fzXwpz8HPY2CVIdyzgte-3ClFIVdqkcXtAwziufnBgpMViT5cdHXImnAGBLJgi708fModFr86MRcQX54r4DxerwaRzwWDfu07d_heZF1aSbkmb4fgtBTybAfBk45WG9HvBD7F-5SHnCrCwpV8KIA/s498/zendaya-mj.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGll0RJcyu4K0H8wS5GVlb8Xj8J7eNBiQdQfPU9fzXwpz8HPY2CVIdyzgte-3ClFIVdqkcXtAwziufnBgpMViT5cdHXImnAGBLJgi708fModFr86MRcQX54r4DxerwaRzwWDfu07d_heZF1aSbkmb4fgtBTybAfBk45WG9HvBD7F-5SHnCrCwpV8KIA/s16000/zendaya-mj.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Back to the drawing board.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2 FAT 2 CURIOUS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Although none of my aces had really worked the session hadn't been a total bust... I had liked all the other stuff I had in my Fenn Rau list, so for round two I decided to riff on that and see what I could get.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Stealing with pride, the list already featured the version of Q9-0 that Dimitris Stavlopoulos had almost won a Worlds Qualifier with last year and now to replace Fenn Rau's little Fang Fighter I added to it the Doctor Aphra build that had taken Jerremy Chalameau to 47tth at Worlds. I really like both the builds here because of the synergies they have in their loadout so I want to stop and talk about them for a second because I think they're great examples of finding solid combos.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><b>Q9-0</b> (ST-70 Assault Ship) - IG-88D, Lando Calrissian, Heavy Laser Cannon, Electronic Baffle, Razorcrest, Contraband Cybernetics</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GAC3ZljtZayPPdC0Vkof38N3fuAC8z6FqMzuJ4BVRNSG9UxuQjUg61FyoLcWd-vrVqzB_BPmYSNRguuHRDCEw7qqPfO4n166_LmJmW1HyCWodq8EXeIa3r7CNMUYpRj--wNXJpgBiisyNCFFqeTE7HNiPO9wkm_TNgi6VLRcwte1KQw8iOhF_Ehr2g/s773/Q90.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GAC3ZljtZayPPdC0Vkof38N3fuAC8z6FqMzuJ4BVRNSG9UxuQjUg61FyoLcWd-vrVqzB_BPmYSNRguuHRDCEw7qqPfO4n166_LmJmW1HyCWodq8EXeIa3r7CNMUYpRj--wNXJpgBiisyNCFFqeTE7HNiPO9wkm_TNgi6VLRcwte1KQw8iOhF_Ehr2g/s320/Q90.webp" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAmOIBw9vwjDauzbb1E18Kba1gS7mtT4k85xPp4iZm0VVFmh0hCxsXUuCdQD1JXl5QWsLlbY7CyWkdvhO0F1T8v1MEfQLA69fZvZsdr1RlomXSH9wGunz7FkrO2VNi0UREPCVMIcgLFYgaOIJsgEJ7wKfUGbYFctNZv5TMcIgCRkR2MrOPZAHxm1T7w/s418/Swz04_lando-calrissian.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAmOIBw9vwjDauzbb1E18Kba1gS7mtT4k85xPp4iZm0VVFmh0hCxsXUuCdQD1JXl5QWsLlbY7CyWkdvhO0F1T8v1MEfQLA69fZvZsdr1RlomXSH9wGunz7FkrO2VNi0UREPCVMIcgLFYgaOIJsgEJ7wKfUGbYFctNZv5TMcIgCRkR2MrOPZAHxm1T7w/w200-h144/Swz04_lando-calrissian.webp" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoLEkLvVYdg7FYDSHPK4OFhTIxZXoq4tC7a58564809guIRl3_qNX-0UddBZdDtXzXQbDt39uo6LatipyNBAPvkG8FMC25u46VR6yqVE4qmNgNGaeleTEMOUqTr3uwZ98oPRoJd-bSQcufRLuChPdn38Ob5EbOYXY_L9EmaVCI22nkVVqMlN-Hbxghg/s419/Swz08-ig-88d-crew.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="419" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoLEkLvVYdg7FYDSHPK4OFhTIxZXoq4tC7a58564809guIRl3_qNX-0UddBZdDtXzXQbDt39uo6LatipyNBAPvkG8FMC25u46VR6yqVE4qmNgNGaeleTEMOUqTr3uwZ98oPRoJd-bSQcufRLuChPdn38Ob5EbOYXY_L9EmaVCI22nkVVqMlN-Hbxghg/w200-h143/Swz08-ig-88d-crew.webp" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Q9-0, IG-88D and Lando form a virtuous triangle of effects. IG-88D is like a cheap Perceptive Copilot and gives you two Calculate tokens. Lando crew can spend one of those calculate tokens to reroll 2 attack or defence dice so the fact that you've got two of them to spend means Q9-0 can be pretty well-modded on attack of defence with just a single action. It also then chains into Q9-0's pilot ability to take a calculate action after he k-turns or t-rolls, meaning you can turn the Razorcrest around and STILL be double-modded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Is that all? Hell no! You've got a whopping Heavy Laser Cannon bullseye arc to line up and benefit from those double mods with, and the Razorcrest title gives him a linked Evade-Barrel Roll action and, hey, isn't that Evade also a green token for Lando to spend on offensive dice mods if he has to barrel roll to line up the HLC shot? Sure it's not double mods but mods are mods.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And Contraband Cybernetics and Electronic Baffle help you to manage those red moves and actions profitably. It's a really nice little self-sufficient synergetic package of a ship for just 6pts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Doctor Aphra </b>(YV-666 Freighter) - Rook Kast, Fenn Rau, Han Solo</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjUWGjVSSR3bMdEdLsG9Cx9wCRPCVBd0kX-rNHg0yDUNSvPkKXdwvXyEb_qiLXoGU8SdW4cQ-H_7QAZvO_ourvGIjPOQhpymeJC0mlt_zZASJiYrSuioQGBQJET4hIoTXwYBUOEg_s6DWJA9KPdlB7Hl9ii8uN4pCV9FdeDdP-jLsSwavxEHoITgDcg/s964/Fennrau-crew.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="964" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjUWGjVSSR3bMdEdLsG9Cx9wCRPCVBd0kX-rNHg0yDUNSvPkKXdwvXyEb_qiLXoGU8SdW4cQ-H_7QAZvO_ourvGIjPOQhpymeJC0mlt_zZASJiYrSuioQGBQJET4hIoTXwYBUOEg_s6DWJA9KPdlB7Hl9ii8uN4pCV9FdeDdP-jLsSwavxEHoITgDcg/w200-h142/Fennrau-crew.webp" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgH-_CwhVpXzOBh6sWLoDI5SUlr6i0XMWBGEaGXE2IKNV4Q-EH1l2L4CjoDCB-hL_srntPS8L0vnNeI0ZccDnSop4kQuYR7cTEj55MB7x2zARIQr99HBCyIsvM7eP8fxnMAjAXh_JJyGO3PgH-XaOniWTfQfxZWBHjQxELy0WEkUg5NkhpIRpl6DehQ/s418/Han_Solo_Gunner_Scum.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgH-_CwhVpXzOBh6sWLoDI5SUlr6i0XMWBGEaGXE2IKNV4Q-EH1l2L4CjoDCB-hL_srntPS8L0vnNeI0ZccDnSop4kQuYR7cTEj55MB7x2zARIQr99HBCyIsvM7eP8fxnMAjAXh_JJyGO3PgH-XaOniWTfQfxZWBHjQxELy0WEkUg5NkhpIRpl6DehQ/w200-h144/Han_Solo_Gunner_Scum.webp" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36LPyCpqbeyxSYKUEPM80drRlF3UoMqj6VU6nA2rrrpmSPUbeksK2EzCsGnj0h65YZhKWgdCMczL4XXnY_P2YAJ-D4PP_aPVhVxKH0Vpyr8M4cso2qfVYIht1fY6nx0OTvzmHu7K70FoQJLavqAEdQKN6C9ecTjergTzHgWI4o8fFJD-WR6b7BUmXrg/s966/Rookkastcrew.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="966" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36LPyCpqbeyxSYKUEPM80drRlF3UoMqj6VU6nA2rrrpmSPUbeksK2EzCsGnj0h65YZhKWgdCMczL4XXnY_P2YAJ-D4PP_aPVhVxKH0Vpyr8M4cso2qfVYIht1fY6nx0OTvzmHu7K70FoQJLavqAEdQKN6C9ecTjergTzHgWI4o8fFJD-WR6b7BUmXrg/s320/Rookkastcrew.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Doctor Aphra's pilot ability isn't completely wasted but this is all about the virtuous triangle of the three crew options she's taking into battle with her.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Han Solo lets you take a red Focus action when you engage. When you perform a red action Rook Kast lets you also take a strain token. If you've got a strain token she'll then let you turn a blank red dice into a hit, meaning that from a standing start of no mods your red focus action from Han sees you shipping maximum hits 85% of the time at R2-3 and still 75% of the time at R1. And because you're not taking that strain token until you engage at I3 you've both got a good chance of not being shot while it's there AND there's no chance the opponent could shoot it out from under you and turn Rook's dice mod back off. Oh, and Fenn Rau? Well it turns out that he triggers with the same timing as Han Solo and so you can make him resolve second and immediately clear the stress that Han gives you for the red focus (if all his requirements are met).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So now you've got a YV-666 that takea a Reinforce action most turns and then double mods its attack anyway, usually for no cost. That's pretty sweet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh, and Fenn Rau crew also really helps out Q9-0 with all his k-turning and barrel rolling and Contrabanding? Nice.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0v15smzLa-5B41wDxevGOqHtvYHKHL90BJvWiz_vEr81SF4cU1-Hf37bLARs9p4i7gghlXZHtuwzdAcDicPg8OpQlc7vnOKekOPifWuDmL7IsKotME4-pnrChubLtAtdvE7A-ihJLuaVbhltQQxjJndyHLzRswYyhX6RgUTtHQSPHMaFhavaepp2-A/s360/Durge.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0v15smzLa-5B41wDxevGOqHtvYHKHL90BJvWiz_vEr81SF4cU1-Hf37bLARs9p4i7gghlXZHtuwzdAcDicPg8OpQlc7vnOKekOPifWuDmL7IsKotME4-pnrChubLtAtdvE7A-ihJLuaVbhltQQxjJndyHLzRswYyhX6RgUTtHQSPHMaFhavaepp2-A/s320/Durge.webp" width="227" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvJBGE1-Q78OLQPKBbD-6GyTpz3MIKdfDxMMPPTOU8pI8pMHUuiCVodTwoZx7boSxrrWkJkO4BmyENLPQRPhRrzILDc7rPPhdmZKcibHc66Se1tvOLjFcKmmuMKkwigmkR18UyjO0KNSER8mk8TLw1tu69lZU1dnkck9YHyhsgWIdj7cPxkg_JAd2Hw/s1048/Torphun.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="742" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvJBGE1-Q78OLQPKBbD-6GyTpz3MIKdfDxMMPPTOU8pI8pMHUuiCVodTwoZx7boSxrrWkJkO4BmyENLPQRPhRrzILDc7rPPhdmZKcibHc66Se1tvOLjFcKmmuMKkwigmkR18UyjO0KNSER8mk8TLw1tu69lZU1dnkck9YHyhsgWIdj7cPxkg_JAd2Hw/s320/Torphun.webp" width="227" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On top of those two excellent ship designs that I've blatantly poached from more creative Scum players than myself I added the Tor Phun that I enjoyed trying to out in my 'if I crap out at Worlds at least I can have fun playing this' Scum list: Mandalorian Optics for aggressive mods and Elusive to have my Fang be a bit less vulnerable to just exploding for no gain. I've had a lot of phun with Tor Fun and I was happy to use him again. Then to finish the list off the ever-present Durge. Yeah, Scum Durge isn't a patch on CIS Durge but I still enjoy the challenge of lining up those lethal Proton Cannon shots.</div><p style="text-align: justify;">So my final Scum list was...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span>2 Fat 2 Curious</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Q9-0</b><span> </span>(ST-70 Assault Ship) - IG-88D, Lando Calrissian, Heavy Laser Cannon, Electronic Baffle, Razorcrest, Contraband Cybernetics</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Doctor Aphra </b>(YV-666 Freighter) - Rook Kast, Fenn Rau, Han Solo</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tor Phun</b> (Fang Fighter) - Elusive, Mandalorian Optics</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Durge </b>(Rogue-Class) - Marksmanship, Lone Wolf, Proton Cannons</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And even in Tor Phun and Durge theres's nice little interactions. Like Mandalorian Optics assigns a Target Lock but isn't a TL action, so if Tor Phun destroys his target he can still take a TL action ahead of his bonus attack. And if you can keep him out hunting on the flank so Lone Wolf is active it helps Durge to reroll those Proton Cannon shots, which something like Predator or Crack Shot can't do. Line that bullseye up and it's like hitting jackpot on the slots and everything lights up - 4 dice, crits from Marksmanship and Proton Cannons and the opponent can't mod his dice from Dead To Rights. Lets-a-go!</div><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh. And does Fenn Rau crew ALSO help out Tor Phun and Durge a lot with their linked red actions?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguExzFilvt9ZDzC8G70lArbtiaxlgpN_h5cS9oARXBR08LyXpPXCSRES5pG7I7Ar0OgU7fWgkXrBXLulhMFSeZ1IKZKE1U1HcD3W55YXkWNPqK5k9z49AaR6ZGblXTZ-HD0mOUaz-XHX_qETGw3ALdJH0_R-oDA0IZbPODj0LuaICEUsOhdUx0XcUkUA/s375/9781508191643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguExzFilvt9ZDzC8G70lArbtiaxlgpN_h5cS9oARXBR08LyXpPXCSRES5pG7I7Ar0OgU7fWgkXrBXLulhMFSeZ1IKZKE1U1HcD3W55YXkWNPqK5k9z49AaR6ZGblXTZ-HD0mOUaz-XHX_qETGw3ALdJH0_R-oDA0IZbPODj0LuaICEUsOhdUx0XcUkUA/w334-h400/9781508191643.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I gave this list a spin earlier this week and *loved* it (full disclosure, I didn't have Lone Wolf so that's value TBC right now). I still find Fenn Rau crew to be a lot tougher to get to trigger than you'd actually expect but with all 4 ships looking for him at times he paid off his 4pts pretty quickly. I dunno what it is with him, like each clause of his ability seems pretty plausible to pull off and yet there's so many of those little hoops to jump through that you wind up missing one of them a lot more often than you'd think.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87pBzOCHYsmZRwYJCi14FKkE2clttZrlIi656xRy1SLUbnBXa0lKKZd16BUa5Lpo4Q2Dp6Q1sbXYJGgEIzvcgM17QbwAOWpYzrLWkmULSHbEmK1sYNPH_o9Z-KdhBmF2Lj_ISnV-CuYi3HxjjN1UVJWfEokZ1JKuhTTOdEyFN9nO6B9uOEwQiAmJ3YA/s817/asaonsf.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="817" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87pBzOCHYsmZRwYJCi14FKkE2clttZrlIi656xRy1SLUbnBXa0lKKZd16BUa5Lpo4Q2Dp6Q1sbXYJGgEIzvcgM17QbwAOWpYzrLWkmULSHbEmK1sYNPH_o9Z-KdhBmF2Lj_ISnV-CuYi3HxjjN1UVJWfEokZ1JKuhTTOdEyFN9nO6B9uOEwQiAmJ3YA/w640-h640/asaonsf.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But, yeah, other than never actually managing to Fenn Rau the strress off Aphra when Han gave it to her everything else worked. Aphra's gun was super-reliable and I could definitely see myself deciding to go full Party Bus like it's 2016 and adding 4-LOM crew in place of Fenn Rau. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1ma-O85uUnRh20-NtP7RkOF5tVZ3Tn9b-OM43zn-S9vwURMLjLpIdGcuSkyhhuv0tDpy_SL2ecjSvnziUb-cJrcgiY1ymvSDu2dn6OUdNrTUwghwf3NOaTGdYufCUNMysfqUu6iNuAJrh1xXu0scATcacURMlKZw2zoIPFQSapYe5Ps8co2XPLpZhg/s1070/4-lomparty.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="786" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1ma-O85uUnRh20-NtP7RkOF5tVZ3Tn9b-OM43zn-S9vwURMLjLpIdGcuSkyhhuv0tDpy_SL2ecjSvnziUb-cJrcgiY1ymvSDu2dn6OUdNrTUwghwf3NOaTGdYufCUNMysfqUu6iNuAJrh1xXu0scATcacURMlKZw2zoIPFQSapYe5Ps8co2XPLpZhg/w294-h400/4-lomparty.gif" width="294" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Q9-0's HLC was ripping into things repeatedly. I got the Evade->Barrel Roll attack into Obi Wan Kenobi with Lando's offensive reroll at range 1. I tallon-rolled into a double-modded HLC shot onto an ETA-Actis... it would all have been picture perfect if a Wounded Pilot crit hadn't double-stressed me on the t-roll and then the Razorcrest's crappy blue maneuvers finally kicked in to cramp my style. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I even managed to get a bonus attack off with Tor Phun, who used Mandalorian Optics to lock and kill Obi Wan for the last bit of damage then Target Locked another ship for his second attack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtyAhmOJ_6gzGBUiKOv6UoJPmkUkDZJ2Y4xhwESz6OFJ7ivLLN4zjAujDxnU8lW6OC_OAGnfDt5yx4oNNg59UOiD5Tl9ZOrQLZPAH9UOfUXsedfRv1sBknBIEpjHjGczM-QbrjpRVkErfNb_eadqo-QoIUD9uw1xLApujtudPBneiacdC24gvSZjGwA/s600/1520257199863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtyAhmOJ_6gzGBUiKOv6UoJPmkUkDZJ2Y4xhwESz6OFJ7ivLLN4zjAujDxnU8lW6OC_OAGnfDt5yx4oNNg59UOiD5Tl9ZOrQLZPAH9UOfUXsedfRv1sBknBIEpjHjGczM-QbrjpRVkErfNb_eadqo-QoIUD9uw1xLApujtudPBneiacdC24gvSZjGwA/w400-h215/1520257199863.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh yeah, and Durge was... Durge was ok. Which is why I'm fiddling with his loadout to try Lone Wolf. He's cheap, he did a job and he certainly wasn't *bad*... but I wanted more fireworks than I got.</div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'll take it as a win. I mean... I did win the game so technically it was a win, but I'm also going to take the listbuilding success and ensuing fun as a bigger win.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">KEEP IT SIMPLE</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, that's it really. I made a list and I liked it. It was fun. It was a nice change of pace to not be trying to murderkill everything with 6FO like I've been doing for the last three months.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And I also hope that in these ships you can find something you might want to try out yourself, because I know Scum players are always on the hunt for the next wacky combo of effects they can string together!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I didn't just play Aphra and Q9-0, there was also a CIS list with Pre Vizsla, but that's one that I want to try again before I'm sure I can recommend it. There's definitely something good in Pre Vizsla's ability to throw extra attack dice, but I think unlike the Q9-0 and Aphra examples his loadout probably adds up to less than the sum of its parts rather than more. There just aren't the crew options in CIS that Scum has, I think. I'll keep tinkering, though, and maybe you'll be reading about that one soon after all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZCEY26Kz4M3Onl5aw-UV6fLDya2YtfDvNlMA8WR1zEkakwkit3EvbdD2dtBnTK6B4Drp-H71_Zss7lH23xEGhwpdlg1Ld74Wtllu7ON8eYzNgKMDAyufkoIRBUD6iLIiv_Mn2Ed9u7xaVJdIi55gFysu-6UoxDD8BUicA9WzmYexC_Z0sgL3xWGo8g/s1650/GauntletTatooine-SoR.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1650" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZCEY26Kz4M3Onl5aw-UV6fLDya2YtfDvNlMA8WR1zEkakwkit3EvbdD2dtBnTK6B4Drp-H71_Zss7lH23xEGhwpdlg1Ld74Wtllu7ON8eYzNgKMDAyufkoIRBUD6iLIiv_Mn2Ed9u7xaVJdIi55gFysu-6UoxDD8BUicA9WzmYexC_Z0sgL3xWGo8g/w640-h248/GauntletTatooine-SoR.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Until then, Fly (a bit) Casual!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">=====================================</p><p style="text-align: justify;">PS. Have an X-Wing haiku...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Requirement: more fun</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Hurt itself in confusion</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A new friend, Tor Phun</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nice.</p></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-246147760455295272023-04-03T05:17:00.003-07:002023-04-03T05:42:29.026-07:002023 X-Wing World Championships - Tournament Report (25th with 6FO)<p style="text-align: justify;">How the heck are you supposed to write about the World Championships? I manage to fill a blog with just a four round tournament that takes half a day and I was in Chicago for a week!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To avoid this being the longest blog in the world ever I'm going to try really hard to keep it brief and tight as much as I can. You might still want to go and have a wee before you start this, though...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE STORY SO FAR...</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've not been following my blogs this year then they've laid out my journey in preparing for the World Championships. I started by reflecting on how <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/im-humble-jack-and-thats-ok.html">I'd need to raise my game</a> if I wanted to play in Worlds, then worked to <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/worlds-prep-i-infinite-possibilities.html">quickly hone in my squad choices onto First Order</a>. From there I found a squad I liked in what has become known as 6FO which I played through the <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/worlds-prep-ii-wampa-warm-up.html">Wampa Warm-Up</a> and <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/03/worlds-prep-iv-sith-taker-open-2023.html">Sith Taker Open</a> with good results.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What I'd settled on was a six-ship First Order squad with Ember and Grudge. Aggressive and tough, I was confident that I'd found ships that were significantly undercosted and that in Grudge I had the 'X-factor' that opponents wouldn't be prepared for and which could turn matchups my way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/O0GAj18.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="800" height="410" src="https://i.imgur.com/O0GAj18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/oFhYz64.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/oFhYz64.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And because I was the only person in the world who seemed to like Blazer Bomb I included the rules for it on my squadlist that I printed out to take to Worlds. It didn't save me much time - I had to explain Blazer Bomb to everyone anyway!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We flew out of Manchester early on <b>Monday</b> morning, heading via Dublin for the friendly pre-clearance at US Immigration treatment. The 'we' at this point was myself and fellow Sith Takers Time King and Liam Baker, both of whom you will know well from the Sith Takers Snapshots Podcast. In Dublin were we joined by Conor Holmes and then it was onto the long leg of the flight to the US.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In-flight entertainment: House of Dragons, which I've not watched but reminded me how good Game of Thrones was before the end, before the dark times. And also Bullet Train, which I enjoyed FAR FAR more than I expected to and thoroughly recommend. It's a bit like if Edgar Wright had directed The Raid, something like that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We landed stateside and headed for a completely hilariously over-portioned BBQ platter with some of the other UK players who arrived early. Then it was time for bed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/6bLzAwy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/6bLzAwy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I had <b>Tuesday</b> marked off a day for clearing jetlag so I basically spent it entirely solo and just wandered around near the hotel. I went to IHOP for breakfast that was so big I didn't have lunch, meandered around the nearby mall, watched Ant-Man: Quantumania at the AMC while bravely fending off sleep in their reclining seats, and finally in the evening felt sociable enough to join a rapidly-swelling contingent of players for delicious Chicago-style pizza at Giordano's.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/iVUF47w.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="583" height="640" src="https://i.imgur.com/iVUF47w.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Wednesday</b> was another IHOP/skip breakfast combo, and then on returning to the hotel the X-Wing finally began. The tables in the lobby had been taken over by X-Wing players and I whiled away the afternoon watching a bit of X-Wing and playing a bit with my janky fun list. I watched Chrispy wombo-combo his Whirlwind Cluster Missiles into somebody who foolishly jousted him in the face, and I also looked over Bartosz Wojcicki's A-Wing list. I liked what he'd done with it in bringing HLC and Proton Rockets to punch through 3 green dice, but I told him I still thought he was going to struggle with it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">HAHHAAHAHAHAHA.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oops.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then it was time to head to the Adepticon venue and grab out badges in the early pickup queue. The early pickup queue was looooooooooooooooooooong. The smart money was on sitting in the bar upstairs and sipping your beers while somebody standing in the queue below you for two hours sent you updates on how it was moving. I was the chump standing downstairs in the queue for two hours. FFS.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>Aside/whinge: the queue felt a little bit shambolically slow and it was only when you got right to the front that it made sense why. One big long queue got split into three alphabetical queues that in turn got split into two smaller queues, like the 'S-Z queue' turned into 'surnames S-T' and 'surnames U-Z'. When they cleared through a batch of people they'd go back out into the main queue and call in the next lot of people to sort alphabetically, but because the S-T queue had a gazillion people in it and the U-Z queue was basically non-existent it meant the whole Adepticon queue was being held up by the slowest-moving alphabetical subsection. So everyone outside stood in line because the guy handing out U-Z badges had nothing to do but look bored and twiddle his thumbs while the S-T queue extended out of sight. But everyone got their badges in the end so I guess it's no big deal in the grand scheme of things.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thursday</b> was LCQ day. I wasn't LCQing but I was along bright and early to support those who were, take in the rest of Adepticon, and then there was little practice warm-up tournament that I'd signed up for in the afternoon. I spent most of the morning mooching around the stalls and deciding that I probably wasn't going to buy very much even though everything looked great - one of the blessings of flying to something like Adepticon is that your spending impulses are tempered by how much you can fit in your luggage. It turns out Adepticom is, like, a big deal or something. I'd been so laser-focused on coming to 'the X-Wing World Championships' that I hadn't really taken in that we were a small part of something much much bigger. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/6ujbVqJ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/6ujbVqJ.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/1D6UTXo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/1D6UTXo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/WVqsbSt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/WVqsbSt.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://i.imgur.com/oGUzIyN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/oGUzIyN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">By the time I'd finished mooching and got back to the X-Wing section it was becoming clear that the LCQ was serious business and ultimately a lot of great players never even made it into Day One of worlds, sadly including our own Liam Baker who missed out on the last round. For my part I finally got to dig out my First Order ships and play some games in the Worlds Warm Up. I lost the first to some crazy dice variance, which happens, then won the next two games. They were meaningless games in the wider scheme of things, but they settled my nerves tremendously - I'd flown across the world to the biggest tournament of the year but my FO list was still really good and I still played it well and that still turned into wins just the way it had at home. Phew!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Time for dinner and bed. The real work started in the morning.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">INTO BATTLE – THE 2023 X-WING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">DAY ONE</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/BmRrRvZ.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/BmRrRvZ.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ready to go!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><b><div><br /></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND 1 – Assault</b><br />vs Florent Barbare – Resistance – Ello/Nien/Kaz/Jarek/Finn</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve come across Resistance lists similar to this in the past and I’ve always been able to out-trade them thanks to the ridiculous efficiency of my TIE/fos. Of all the things I could encounter in Round One at worlds this was something I was very happy to see because I felt like I matched into it very well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/2Q1hQxg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://i.imgur.com/2Q1hQxg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Ultimately that’s how it broke down against Florent but it took a long time to get there and was incredibly close – I’d initially planned on bagging Ello Asty as my main prize but every time I threw lasers at him he came back with double natural evades. This game was incredibly close as I lost Ember very early so instead of pulling ahead with a quick T-70 kill. That meant Florent and I ran virtually neck-and-neck through the scoring and it was only in the final turn that I significantly pulled ahead as 4 or 5 turns of gradually chipping away at Kaz and pinning him down with an Ion Cannon finally paid off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN: 18-14</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>That was my first taste of Worlds. I’d won but holy cow that was close and Florent had flown really well in taking me to the edge. And that was into a matchup that I was sure I was better in! Worlds was clearly going to be tough… but I had my winning start.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND 2 – Scramble<br /></b>Vs Stephen Consoli – Republic – Anakin/Contrail/Kickback/Wolfe/Boost</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Stephen’s Republic list completely ripped me apart as I underestimated just how much he had specced his list to deal maximum damage and tear apart ships like mine.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One key element was that Stephen had brought Anakin in the full Delta-7B Aethersprite and equipped him with Outmaneuver, where many players would pick something like a Shield Upgrade or R2-D2. I completely failed to adjust my approach for this change, assuming I could leave Anakin to flank and just eat the damage he dealt while I out-jousted the rest of his squad. The second key element was that in taking things like Boost with a Proton Rocket and even little choices like Crack Shot on Contrail, he was better at jousting me in the face than I had been used to from Republic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/Ud4SGwX.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/Ud4SGwX.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So what I probably should have done was fake the joust and then turn my ships into Anakin and blow him apart – removing the threat of Outmaneuver and punishing Stephen’s decision to not bring a Shield Upgrade.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That’s not what I did, though. What I did was fly straight into the teeth of his jousting block which used Born For This to mitigate my attack then blasted back at me with bullseye arcs while Anakin prowled around behind me deleting TIE Fighters as though they were younglings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/2tlpEzy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/2tlpEzy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Complete incompetence on my part, which Stephen took full advantage of.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS: 7-20</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Balls. I have to be better than that. I scraped a win against a good matchup in Round One and got dumpstered immediately in a tough matchup. Worlds was tough!</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND 3 – Salvage<br /></b>Vs Alexander Oehler – First Order – Hask Xi/Ember/Mal/Galek/DT/Scorch</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>I got a brief fright at the start of this round. It came after the lunch break so Alex had chance to have checked my list out online before he got to table, so he was surprised to see I was using Blazer Bombs as apparently my registered list had Thermal Detonators on Grudge instead!!! Fortunately head TO Chris Allen swooped in to solve the problem – I had all the blog posts and Instagram feed showing my love for Blazer Bombs and after he’d checked with my round 1 & 2 opponents that I had indeed used Blazer he was happy to correct the list I’d registered. Phew! If he’d asked me to use Thermal Detonators I had a problem as I didn’t have any with me, I’ve not used them since January. I think what happened is that the original Worlds list entries got deleted and when I resubmitted I just grabbed the list out of LBN and pasted it in really quickly without checking it properly, and obviously pasted in an old version. Yikes, that was close.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Onto the game itself: this game started out as almost a mirror match – I had Grudge while Alex had the Xi Shuttle – and I expected a very tight duel between our TIE Fighters. I didn’t get one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alex set up in an unusual formation where he lined DT & Scorch up at a 45 degree angle… then on his first turn he did a 5-straight with Scorch and ran him right onto a piece of debris! By the time Scorch was able to get off the debris Grudge and dropped his Electro-Chaff Cloud right behind it and my whole squad and converged to pounce on the stressed and vulnerable TIE and finish it off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I don’t think Alex ever quite got himself back onto an even footing from that original mistake. The way I’d swept my forces in off my left flank to attack Scorch had left his Xi Shuttle isolated and ineffective away from the fight and he didn’t have the mass of firepower pointing in one place to really punish any of my ships with Galek’s Tractor Beam so he was pretty badly outgunned in the central dogfight where it really mattered. I killed a second TIE Fighter next turn and now held 2 crates to Alex’s 1 and my lead widened to 12-4.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/rHwbNVK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://i.imgur.com/rHwbNVK.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">A couple of slow turns where we traded shots but only scored equal crates gradually brought me nearer to the 20 points that I needed and with a final kill, which I think was the Xi Shuttle judging by that photo, I hauled myself over the line.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN: 21-9</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ok, that was better. I felt in control of this one pretty much the whole way from the moment Alex dumped Scorch onto a rock. I’d played well and executed the opportunity he gave me without leaving anything hanging.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND 4 – Chance Engagement<br /></b>Vs James Johansen – Empire – Vader/Morna/Oicunn</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Double Decimators at Worlds!!! I’m going to start this match at the end, because I lose this game and it’s the one that I “should have won”.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve played against Decimator big hull lists in the past with my First Order squad and dealt with them all easily enough – both Double Decimator and Decimator/Reaper combinations. James is bringing them in a slightly unusual configuration that I think really helped him out in this matchup, as both his Decimators are quite sparingly loaded out because they’ve had to find points to bring Cluster Mines. You’ll usually find Decimators bringing some form of bombs to protect their ass with but it’s usually something like a Proton Bomb or Seismic Charge and my TIEs are happy to eat that 1 damage in order to keep piling the pressure on and remove a Decimator from the table. Cluster Mines change that a bit because I don’t want to run through them if I can possibly avoid it, and although it takes a while to get there the Cluster Mines turn out to be critical.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So anyway. James lines his Decimators up on my right flank and I set up full to joust him, with Grudge holding the centre ground – he’s going to try and slow Vader’s flanking action down a bit to buy time for the TIEs to eat up the Decimators.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At first it’s going pretty much exactly to plan – I lay fire into Oicunn with everything I’ve got and he doesn’t last long. Long enough to drop the first set of Cluster Mines and that pulls my TIEs out of position because I didn’t feel like I could k—turn or s-loop over the back of the Decimator as I might normally like. But Oicunn dies anyway, and then we turn to start on Morna Kee and even strip shields of Darth Vader as he sweeps into my rear. I’m bleeding out half TIEs every turn and James is steadily scoring points from me by taking off half TIEs each turn, but with Oicunn’s 7pts already banked I’m well ahead.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/dYylkGn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/dYylkGn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Then comes the pivotal moment. Most of my TIEs are chasing Morna Kee but we’re now behind her and I know the Cluster Mines are coming, so I need to break off the chase for a turn. I see where James has put his Darth Vader and I’m pretty certain that he’s going to 2-turn and come in behind where he expects my TIEs to be as they chase Morna Kee. I’m also pretty sure that Scorch can get to a position where he will bump Vader onto an asteroid. Malarus is behind Morna and stressed from her ability, but she’s also in place to cut back the other direction and surprise Vader with a volley of Cluster Missiles. It will mean eating a couple of Cluster Mines but if I use a 1-turn I will stay stressed and won’t be able to push damage into Vader. I think I have the perfect trap and I pull the trigger.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Morna Kee drops her Cluster Mines. Most of my TIEs scatter to avoid them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Scorch does a 3 straight to block Vader and sits right where I need him to be.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Malarus 2-turns to her right, flying over 2 Cluster Mines on her way to intercepting Vader. She rolls 4 hits and dies on the spot.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Vader 2-turns, Scorch bumps him onto an asteroid. Vader takes 2 damage.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Vader is on an asteroid with 1 hull and 1 force and I can’t shoot at him because Malarus dies to a 6% chance of taking 4 damage from Cluster Mines.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/n5sI5W6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://i.imgur.com/n5sI5W6.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">If I kill Vader there I would win the game 20-10, but with Malarus dead we instead play on three more turns and James continues to grind points out of my TIEs. He ultimately steals the win with the final shot of the game when he scores half of Grudge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS 19-20</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>I lose 19-20 in a game I arguably should have won 20-10. Bugger. Now I was just one loss away from failing to make Day Two, and I REALLY wanted to make Day Two.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND 5 – Scramble <br /></b>Vs Andrew Oehler – Empire – Vader/Morna/Moff Gideon/Feroph</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another bloody Decimator!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At first I thought I’d need this round to be repaired when I saw my opponent's name as I’d already played Andrew in round 3, but that was Alex Oehler and now his brother has the opportunity to take revenge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately for Andrew he fell into almost exactly the same mistake that Alex made against me. If you recall Alex had rocked his own Scorch to hand me a head start in the third round. In this game Andrew 3-turned his Morna Kee towards my incoming TIE Fighters but missed out on bumping any of by thiiiiiis much… but <i>did</i> manage to clip the corner of an asteroid by thiiiiiis much instead. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/dyEYLqG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="800" height="470" src="https://i.imgur.com/dyEYLqG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">That was a massive problem for Andrew. Instead of being double-reinforced with one my TIEs at range 0 and returning fire, Morna takes two damage from the asteroid and is single-reinforced with all my ships at range 1 and unable to fire.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Morna limped away from turn 2 with just 3 hull left, which I swiftly finished off, and Andrew conceded the game. His chances of making Day Two have been ended by that tiny misjudgement with Morna and I think he just doesn’t want to have it dragged out over the next hour.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 20-0</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I accepted Andrew’s concession with a huge sigh of relief – I’d made it to Day Two! Bouncing around right in the middle with my W-L-W-L-W pattern meant I’d never actually felt any sort of positivity all day, it had always felt like being really under the hammer right from that tight first round game against Florent Barbare. If I’d strung a couple of back to back wins together maybe my mood would have lifted but from a competitive standpoint this first day of Worlds had been really hard work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Job done, though. And now I started to look ahead to a second day. If I wanted to make Top-8 then I’d need to have a perfect day and go 5-0, and coming off the back of a 3-2 first day that seemed like a long shot (even if you assume 50/50 chance in each game I’ve only got a 3% chance of ending on 5-0). On the other hand, my round 4 defeat to those blasted Cluster Mines had been extremely narrow, convert that to a win and I’d have been on 4-1 so it wasn’t impossible… it was just that all the better players were ahead of me and the more I won the harder my route would be.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But for that evening I could really just be satisfied that I’d managed to deliver my one true goal coming into these World Championships in qualifying for Day Two. There were a lot of great players who didn’t make that cut, or who hadn’t even made it through the LCQ the day before. Even if I crapped out tomorrow I’d be ahead of some great players. That meant it was time for a celebratory steak and a nice big sleep!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">DAY TWO</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ok. So my first goal was achieved. I just needed to be perfect. Back to the tournament I went but this time with no genuine expectations on me - I would just keep playing X-Wing until somebody told me stop, and see where that got me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 6 – Salvage<br /></b>Vs Chris Patrick – First Order – Midnight/Whirlwind/Hask/Wrath/Malarus</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Day two started with a huge test against one of the most recognisable First Order specialists: Chrispy. Chris was using his signature blend of Cluster Missile wombo-comboness, with Midnight using Targeting Synchroniser and Swarm Tactics to raise Whirlwind up to I6 for a devasting initial Cluster Missile barrage.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I still felt like this was a list that I was matched up favourably against and my first target was clear: kill Midnight. Without Midnight’s Swarm Tactics Whirlwind drops to an I3 and I can kill him before he stacks up on focus tokens. Order of operation: Kill Midnight -> Kill Whirlwind -> Kill whatever is next -> Champagne and medals in the officer’s mess. All too easy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/wPVsp3u.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/wPVsp3u.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Chrispy lined up his Whirlwind block (WW, Midnight, Hask) on my far right flank and the other two ships inside-left. I deployed initially across my whole right side, then on turn 2 everything converged onto his Whirlwind block and I went for the kill with every gun I had. I had almost exactly the engagement that I wanted, with my full list jousting just half of Chrispy’s list.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Half of Chrispy’s list blew the absolute shit out of my full list.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I lost round 2 against Stephen Consoli I’d got the engagement horribly wrong and I still don’t think that’s what happened here. There was a couple of miscalculations – mainly that I got a bit spooked by Chrispy stealing two objectives with Malarus and Wrath and I decided that Galek had to grab one back instead of focusing for the engagement, while Malarus barrel rolled out of Whirlwind’s bullseye arc. That sounded clever until it became clear I’d just handed him an obvious secondary target for his Cluster Missiles and Galek died at I6.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/XDsGSUu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/XDsGSUu.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ultimately, though, that mistake with Galek only played into the fact that the dice swung favourably for Chrispy on the initial engagement. Not completely absurdly, but enough to mean that I lost Galek before he fired and failed to push the 4th damage into Midnight and kill him in return. And that, pretty much, was that. I’d swung everything to break Chrispy’s combo and failed, and as Wrath and Malarus pulled in behind my forces I just got eaten alive in a few turns and conceded to cut the misery short for my brave troops.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS 0-20</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>I came into Day Two needing to be perfect in order to make Top-8 and I’d thrown it away within two turns. That really stung. But I’d lost by such a hilariously large margin that I could only shrug as it was well deserved. Now all that remained was to play out my remaining games just for the hell of it. I may never get to play in another World Championship so I was going to squeeze every minute I could out the time I had left in the tournament.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 7 – Chance Engagement<br /></b>Vs Carrie (Jedi Autobot) – Resistance – Poe Falcon, Ello, Nien, Finn</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you’d have asked me at the start of the day I would have said that the pressure was already off having made Day Two, but I clearly would have been lying because now that the faint possibility of Top-8 was gone it felt like every lightbulb in the room had suddenly got a little brighter. The pressure was REALLY off now and I had a very enjoyable joust-off against Carrie, a Chicago local whose World Championships had started two days ago at the LCQ. Like me, Carrie was determined she was going to play out every damn round of Worlds and she was going nowhere!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I said at the start of my Round One report that I’m used to bullying Resistance lists and unfortunately for Carrie I think I kind of did that here. IIRC I used Grudge in the centre of the table to threaten the lanes that Poe was about to come in on, and that led to Carrie sending Poe aaaaaaaaaaall the way around the outside of the table from my left flank and through my deployment area before he really got into the fight. With Poe out of the fight I was able to smash through Ello Asty pretty quickly, and Carrie had even found herself trapped so deep on her own side by my 5-straight opening that she fighting without anybody at Range 2 of the centre objective.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/HOmeZJY.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="800" height="469" src="https://i.imgur.com/HOmeZJY.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I racked up the points to rapidly build a lead and although it all got more even going once Poe finally joined the fight I was able to coast over the line to 20 as Ember destroyed Finn despite his stack of Focus tokens.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 20-11</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 8 – Assault<br /></b>Vs John Wetherspoon – CIS – Jango, Grievous, Durge, Baktoid Prototype</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Somehow I’d managed to go through 8 rounds before meeting my first Firespray, but here at last was Daddy Fett.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">John split his forces on deployment, with Grievous on my left flank and Jango and Durge on my right. I decided I was going to go for Grievous so I swept my forces over to his side of the table, leaving Grudge to drop a Chaff cloud in front of Jango and Durge to slow their pursuit. The Chaff Cloud had a really nice little extra benefit this time – Durge had cloaked on the first turn to get in behind me faster as I’d gone after Grievous, but the Chaff Cloud blocked his forward decloak! That pushed Durge further away from the fight than ever has he had to decloak even further onto the flank.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/sJ7lY00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://i.imgur.com/sJ7lY00.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I hurled a ton of lasers at Grievous and John had to send the General onto the defensive for the right of the game while I had Ember in hot pursuit. It took a few turns but Ember finally got his kill, and the Baktoid Prototype was eaten by my TIEs a turn later. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’d felt ahead all the time because of board position for our ships, but the scoreboard said we were virtually neck and neck right up to the point where I got Grievous and could open up a lead. John immediately started to pull that lead back in by killing my own ships but by then I’d gotten to the point where all I needed to do was squat on a couple of objectives to guarantee hitting 20 points and winning the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 20-17</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>And that, in round 8, was the first time I’d managed to string together back-to-back wins at Worlds!</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 9 – Chance Engagement<br /></b>Vs Marcel Manzano – First Order – Nightfall, Whirlwind, Malarus, Galek, DT, Scorch</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve heard of this guy! Marcel was bringing another variant of the 6FO list I was playing, but this time with two TIE Whispers. I knew that this was probably going to be an incredibly tight match against a good player, and so it proved. It also proved to be a really sloooooow match and we barely finished Turn 4 before time was called, meaning it would all rest on the outcome of Turn 5.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/buIdGd3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/buIdGd3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I managed to fake out most of Marcel’s squad on the initial engagement – he’d kind of set up his forces to have 3 mini-jousts across the table, but I swung in to have all my forces come to bear on what he had in the middle, leaving a bunch of his ships pointing at empty space. Grudge then did a stellar job and his Electro-Chaff Cloud was the difference as both Marcel’s heavy guns in the centre, which I was targeting, – DT and Scorch – entered the fight jammed and stressed from coming through the chaff. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/6v86Sjk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/6v86Sjk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And then the Blazer Bomb that I could merrily drop into the ensuing melee dealt critical points of damage to Marcel’s TIEs and set me up to get vital objective points as everything devolved into a mad knife fight of bumping TIE Fighters and dice been thrown in every direction. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/JHXwmms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/JHXwmms.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The game finished 9-6 in my favour. Because of the nature of our squads we both rolled a ton of dice in this game and the outcome of any one of those dice rolls could have swung the game in either direction. But with dice luck being even I think this was one of the many games of the weekend where Grudge really earned his corn and was the vital edge I needed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 9-6</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Three wins back to back! And against a big time player as well! This was crazy. I checked the standings for the first time all weekend and found I was sitting in 57th place. That was a long way away from the possibility of Top-32 and a little extra in prizes and I figured that even if I won the last round I’d be no higher than 38th or so.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 10 – Salvage<br /></b>Vs Steen Jensen – CIS – Jango, Grievous, Durge, Bombardment Drone</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Riding high off three wins my final match at Worlds would be almost a straight repeat of my game against John Wetherspoon in round 8.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My strategy had worked well enough first time so I used it again, focusing on General Grievous and using Grudge to delay the approach of Jango and Durge. It worked again, and this time even more spectacularly than it had done in round 8!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The speed and directness of my assault really caught Steen out, I think. I again forced Grievous onto the defensive straight away, but this time we were playing Salvage not Assault and Steen didn’t feel like he could spare any actions to collect crates as he was working so hard just to tread water in the combat. I killed Grievous even more quickly this tim, and the Bombardment Drone followed on the next turn. With those kills in my pocket, and ahead on crates with Steen not having collected a single one, I was 13-0 ahead and the game was almost certainly over.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/0MOAd9P.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://i.imgur.com/0MOAd9P.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Steen was resigned to his fate by this point, but like me he wasn’t going to leave the World Championships without a fight and we battled on to the end. He picked up a couple of kills to avoid a whitewash as my TIEs just grabbed the crates and ran for the farthest corner of the board like the cowardly First Order dogs they are.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 21-6</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW-tqlqiS3vaqlWFGWSFQH9lQHONNkQnvJkrxw-3_1aOxkXOpXIBm72sCr8hEOoTKvdXxXEFGciXOeCY_njDSyx7h59eXjHWtrWA7A6yOt77O4ya0Pc6wtWyOauHGafDg4pJEy79dztffBMKDaooc_CHKZK-ULPbkbvtCCoebEi0XUxOJCvpmvg4i8A/s498/finished-elijah-wood.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW-tqlqiS3vaqlWFGWSFQH9lQHONNkQnvJkrxw-3_1aOxkXOpXIBm72sCr8hEOoTKvdXxXEFGciXOeCY_njDSyx7h59eXjHWtrWA7A6yOt77O4ya0Pc6wtWyOauHGafDg4pJEy79dztffBMKDaooc_CHKZK-ULPbkbvtCCoebEi0XUxOJCvpmvg4i8A/s16000/finished-elijah-wood.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">That was the end of my World Championships and we’d been among the first games to finish. I checked the standings and saw I was now 37th, pretty much exactly where I'd expected to be. Then, as the results from other games came in, my Strength of Schedule tiebreaker got better. And better. And better again… I was 26th? No, wait, I was 25th!?!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was 25th!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>I was 25th at Worlds!!!</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/GBfg01Z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="584" height="640" src="https://i.imgur.com/GBfg01Z.jpg" width="467" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Because of the way my results had fallen early on: Win-Loss-Win-Loss all the way, I’d never felt like I was anywhere close to the top end of the tournament. I’d just put my head down and played the games that were in front of me, especially after suffering that knockout blow so decisively against Chrispy at the very start of Day Two. I’d never had a hope that I might finish anywhere near where I did. I was delighted. 25th at Worlds and 3rd highest placed UK player (behind Oliver Pocknell and Dom Flannigan). I will take that. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Not bad for a humble Jack!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">FILTHY HOBBITSES</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And so, I was left with the what-ifs. I lost two games very heavily but the third defeat, against the double Decimators where I’d lost Commander Malarus so unfortunately to the quadruple Cluster Mines damage… that one now stuck out as the game I needed to have won, and probably should have won. Win that and I’d have been Top-8. And then I could have made the final with 6FO just like Niklas God did. And I could have been World Champion. I <i>would</i> have been World Champion. My list was better than Niklas’ list. Grudge would have been my MVP in the final and I’d have won it easily. I’d have won it 20-0. And everyone would have had to bow before me and recognise my greatness, recognise my genius in choosing Grudge and Blazer Bombs!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8rwpNcU7elm1v2bRd9M6Ci1e1wUUYP4WVlpJDPhy4wRcNFZyZ1mKtC-F3RLqUhdNZKDnvTX0PPIcZL3JA534Bfu5eqKqSLTdo1WTxHvE-lPq_22x6f3MI3DOAtwZ28zcGAGElZxYuqffDKoO0-ejCidvROyfLSiKTY3cWH19jVpuVWEje873AvBhLw/s2541/x1080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2541" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8rwpNcU7elm1v2bRd9M6Ci1e1wUUYP4WVlpJDPhy4wRcNFZyZ1mKtC-F3RLqUhdNZKDnvTX0PPIcZL3JA534Bfu5eqKqSLTdo1WTxHvE-lPq_22x6f3MI3DOAtwZ28zcGAGElZxYuqffDKoO0-ejCidvROyfLSiKTY3cWH19jVpuVWEje873AvBhLw/w640-h272/x1080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This was my inner Gollum, crawling up onto my shoulder and hissing in my ear. It ssshould have won itsss tournament. It ssshould have been champion. The dice robbed ussssss.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, frankly Gollum: you can fuck off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I wasn’t going to let my inner Gollum spoil this for me. If I’d won that game against James Johansen I would have been drawn against tougher opponents in every round thereafter. The chances are I would have eaten another big loss somewhere along the lines just like I did against Chrispy. Indeed a lot of the players who had been riding higher than me during the tournament were now sitting behind me in the rankings. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I pushed my Gollum back into his box and closed the lid. All I needed to know was that 7-3 was a fantastic result and I’d probably been fortunate to submarine my way to that sort of finish on a late charge of wins that I’d never managed to string together while I was still in contention for a Top-8 spot.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'll tell you what I did notice, though... aside from the two rounds that I lost by a huge margin I was only behind on THREE turns in the other eight games, and for a total of just four points across those three turns. And I wasn't behind for a single turn in rounds 7-10!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjkheC8AGuUaV1K6QByfg2RFPd0fKoJd9yUoSgLiuYuG2TxV5lKMoESMXVq_u3BQ9cIaH-xhNF57ivDDf9zU-qQ6SgRLEKZoyUUusYQf_x3sLtrKSVkoys60LSJENMg_Jix958iCms5TwFig-ZQUpKkmsoYh6elH656LsVe8Y_7xtPmxIbfnq0xRp0g/s483/grpah1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="483" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjkheC8AGuUaV1K6QByfg2RFPd0fKoJd9yUoSgLiuYuG2TxV5lKMoESMXVq_u3BQ9cIaH-xhNF57ivDDf9zU-qQ6SgRLEKZoyUUusYQf_x3sLtrKSVkoys60LSJENMg_Jix958iCms5TwFig-ZQUpKkmsoYh6elH656LsVe8Y_7xtPmxIbfnq0xRp0g/w200-h119/grpah1.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYLZ7sLVb2mKw3VK3DKxUOZd6-jgoFskAhVsNYqfdvAc70xaSkbc5oYi_Iyh7sGe6DCI17iNdfSRhXI6Qz_rj93v8w9D1LRZlCqRLd25qIr8BjItohAmmcq2bcgkJ4lwGMKxxYgbkqKSS7u4NVsDrrAn8Q7m-gN8EhZk2NCt--AypswZPooXLvnaQUw/s483/graph%202.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="483" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-eGbHzhKibU44a6njV3fr__1XKcjgIMH9U-R1QUJvYl6iMbNb41aydUXSNWTI9-_kw9K3zaxr-jHLUTfgPamqXiYfv-BSXfqTWzES-in2gtDp9H7R3ySCrnsKyUYG2M0RjoOW0yXsXUwsLExrvZsfiiXHi502c1kOCIMsblzDbpnO4fOhfmduGhQ7Q/w200-h119/graph8.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1QIvEi106GH4TyQwASd_J-_ikejw7YEN8WBFNWY4YgsX7f0rvmubSeBivDNHWRsn2FPkHpCbdCXXCB95lml18XwPR_Bnymw35FObj-9T1esu4K8HTIMYa01JiEQIjv1flBUuq2O5OX0U6Ey4TCyOJhZsh1UcQss1e4572DAzaUzKvgsO-VCAL5t4cQ/s483/graph9.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="483" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1QIvEi106GH4TyQwASd_J-_ikejw7YEN8WBFNWY4YgsX7f0rvmubSeBivDNHWRsn2FPkHpCbdCXXCB95lml18XwPR_Bnymw35FObj-9T1esu4K8HTIMYa01JiEQIjv1flBUuq2O5OX0U6Ey4TCyOJhZsh1UcQss1e4572DAzaUzKvgsO-VCAL5t4cQ/w200-h119/graph9.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSXUPYF3oNZAvmyuc8gqTls1pAiJxoy3iTQrsIL29X1qdf6sKhv0yf5KgkMEMlelqUDaNYB0c4ss_8a6jNnE0nuE5UNi9xLAJTda7OeK82eL50G37as0vBI1jA0deKF-4kc6U3f0HMqIkjr5yQiP7lp6Tlx46MpF8MyHYLB4H-_xRMCL2aISSbAAbnA/s483/graph10.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="483" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSXUPYF3oNZAvmyuc8gqTls1pAiJxoy3iTQrsIL29X1qdf6sKhv0yf5KgkMEMlelqUDaNYB0c4ss_8a6jNnE0nuE5UNi9xLAJTda7OeK82eL50G37as0vBI1jA0deKF-4kc6U3f0HMqIkjr5yQiP7lp6Tlx46MpF8MyHYLB4H-_xRMCL2aISSbAAbnA/w200-h119/graph10.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My squad was clearly extremely good, and I was right there rooting for Niklas God and his very similar 6FO list in the final. Ember deserved the win, she's been such a fantastic ship to add to the lineup and so many people don't really know about her at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">His lissst would have been better sssstill if he'd use Grudge, my preciousssss...</div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SWAG</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There was so much stuff. SO MUCH STUFF!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/XHDS9tz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://i.imgur.com/XHDS9tz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Most of this was participation prizes - playmat, templates, the Phoenix Cell kit, the swanky phoenix tokens... you got all that just for turning up.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The red alt art cards came out to play on Day Two and then the Phoenix damage deck was my Top-32 prize.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm not really a swag kind of guy, I tend to give most of it away at some point. That these commemorate my one trip to Worlds means I feel a little differently about these so maybe I'll hang onto them. Maybe I'll even make a dreadful Phoenix Cell list to use those cards in!</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THANKS</span></b><br /><br />This is a list that will almost certainly be too short. Thanks to all the Sith Takers and other UK folks that I travelled out with, especially Tim, Liam, Elliot, Steve, Alex, Conor and Dom. Thanks to the Sith Takers we left at home but who had helped me to prepare along the way, especially Rich, and to the non-Sith Takers who I leaned on for First Order chat, especially Dale. And thanks to all the people on my little Discord who had put up with me talking FO nonstop for three months, especial Daniel, Nicholas and Greg (who I finally got to put a face to the username with over dinner at Worlds).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tim and Liam will be talking about their Worlds experience on the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-882750498">Sith Takers Snapshots podcast</a> in the next couple of days so make sure you check that out too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF6hASjKQJhtwWoYj7SpbTUFl-aHvO-rYJaFLIDWgCvxtdM0nu4VRcMRhBebX7SorZeMRhBY-xqmnu9OzvGTqkNNaCS-fV4o-g25P8ynkJZfYoEQI2TkTUV6u5xKEjIXPKPRvkuqIGCeQrPhi_RcQ9wITJoPXUifqsJmmHlG6Y1G0n8BmzMObTg4ltA/s1500/32oo22hmg3w_2048x2048.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF6hASjKQJhtwWoYj7SpbTUFl-aHvO-rYJaFLIDWgCvxtdM0nu4VRcMRhBebX7SorZeMRhBY-xqmnu9OzvGTqkNNaCS-fV4o-g25P8ynkJZfYoEQI2TkTUV6u5xKEjIXPKPRvkuqIGCeQrPhi_RcQ9wITJoPXUifqsJmmHlG6Y1G0n8BmzMObTg4ltA/w640-h640/32oo22hmg3w_2048x2048.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to the Kraytcord and everyone there who worked on First Order lists or the Worlds prep in general. We disagreed on a lot of details but the fact that so many were hot on 6FO kept me confident that what I was finding locally with Ember & Grudge wasn't too far wide of the mark. I genuinely found the Kraytcord a tremendous help to bounce ideas back and forth, probably the best online community I've been part of for actually helping improve performance. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Huge thanks to the TO team - Chris, Kris, Tim, Dee, Phil and anyone else I've forgottten - for running the event so smoothly and getting over the few inevitable speed bumps so well.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to all the people I met for the first time for being really friendly. It was great to put faces to so many usernames. Sorry to the ones that I was too socially inept to go up and talk to even when I should have done - you can be quite daunting you know! Thanks to Mark Myers for telling me not to be a shithead, which is always good advice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Biggest thanks saved for last to my wife</b> for agreeing to me leaving the country to play with plastic spaceships for a week (she agreed long before she really appreciated what that would mean for her in volunteering to be a single parent). She's been desperate to get out of the country ever since we locked down for Covid and now had to put up with me jetting off without her. If I want to do Worlds 2024 I might have to start getting back into her good books straight away and rebuild that line of credit!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/UduBwI2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://i.imgur.com/UduBwI2.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And lastly: congratulations to all the Top-8, especially our <b>new World Champion Niklas God</b>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fxsnlv1SjfLdF5ooSK0_UEzGVZWiTqh-tAUvuoUWaTSHvzk97S6OfMv4SBe-8B5J_zihWtayDKM8471LnpRQMQlAVlrAMLoPd-Z1gU3z2XbkuJVo5U_XvfETeDdtcXWv9AzdkFPKe-Yzzf_luZonYK-7UCGb9blrDINnAvkmWcN8-O9EutNgFn9zMg/s400/665a69c9-68fc-48a4-b008-e8994a091ed1_text%20(1).gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="400" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fxsnlv1SjfLdF5ooSK0_UEzGVZWiTqh-tAUvuoUWaTSHvzk97S6OfMv4SBe-8B5J_zihWtayDKM8471LnpRQMQlAVlrAMLoPd-Z1gU3z2XbkuJVo5U_XvfETeDdtcXWv9AzdkFPKe-Yzzf_luZonYK-7UCGb9blrDINnAvkmWcN8-O9EutNgFn9zMg/w640-h269/665a69c9-68fc-48a4-b008-e8994a091ed1_text%20(1).gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We had a really diverse Top-8 with almost every faction represented and Bartosz proved that I knew naff all about A-Wings compared to him by missing out so cruelly on being in the final himself. Rebels almost won Worlds? Who knew!?!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And commiserations to Chrispy, who charged as hard as he could through the Saturday to finish 9th and was the only player to miss the Top-8 cut on an 8-2 record.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT'S NEXT?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jank. I haven't played a single list for as much time as this in the whole time I've played X-Wing and after three months of solid 6FO I think I'm about tired of it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I love this list and I've enjoyed playing it, but I think it's time to retire 6FO and do something else. I'm leaving it with a combined record (in tournaments and practice games) of 41-5, which I think is an incredible score.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And one of those losses was only because Tom Reed cheated. So it doesn't count.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm going to slap Fenn Rau onto the table and face-joust people with Fearless for a bit, or Concussion Bomb my own Rush. I've got three months of bad ideas for squads backed up, after all!</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-54792953382422856272023-03-01T03:30:00.001-08:002023-03-01T06:00:55.615-08:00WORLDS PREP IV - Sith Taker Open 2023<div style="text-align: justify;">This past weekend was the long-awaited Sith Taker Open, a large event held by my local team (the Sith Takers) at Element Games in Stockport. The STO had already become a fixture on the UK tournament pre-Covid, but in the absence of any major official organised play events it's now the biggest event in the UK calendar. With 105 players it's also bigger than the recent Las Vegas Open in the US and will be, until the World Championships at Adepticon, the biggest 'X-Wing 2.5' tournament ever held. And because it's positioned right before Worlds it's also attracted lots of big name players from across Europe looking to practice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, what did I take in order to beat the best players in Europe?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I took Blazer Bombs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWhZ-NOMrEYJP0RdDycRKbcskba8XDmSqHnv9lDR0tZ_V2w5KPCYgyqxVnvxf_wTH9VCMiUn-m3NfW5pnQscX9EO-ZE4MYbVJVeMYBny_Gu2ICpFOy5wMDAkAb_SucbTL1Nt-LEsREG_gNOwZ-v86chkCAnzxFhXiN2uQmWKODnp-MIlGG0TySc8_Wg/s489/yeehaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWhZ-NOMrEYJP0RdDycRKbcskba8XDmSqHnv9lDR0tZ_V2w5KPCYgyqxVnvxf_wTH9VCMiUn-m3NfW5pnQscX9EO-ZE4MYbVJVeMYBny_Gu2ICpFOy5wMDAkAb_SucbTL1Nt-LEsREG_gNOwZ-v86chkCAnzxFhXiN2uQmWKODnp-MIlGG0TySc8_Wg/s16000/yeehaw.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you're unfamiliar with the upgrade voted both 'Worst Bomb of 2021' and 'Worst Bomb of 2022' by the readers of TIME magazine then let me remind you of what it does...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kMJ3DIb-CeBiuaE6DEtcpguZuDhXWD2YKPxfs0v0HWZAC3T_008UkowyAhK6d8oUzx0mrx9cP7LuocviHW49ZK4H3nNH_MqYuRUllTX9yYBrCN_7X0Hlcz__eWyjq5ypdHfydzRWMzp9Q5071lRwokGZIepqZlPZyD9Vk1aWI_SAUXvGShjODytfYQ/s500/s-l500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="500" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kMJ3DIb-CeBiuaE6DEtcpguZuDhXWD2YKPxfs0v0HWZAC3T_008UkowyAhK6d8oUzx0mrx9cP7LuocviHW49ZK4H3nNH_MqYuRUllTX9yYBrCN_7X0Hlcz__eWyjq5ypdHfydzRWMzp9Q5071lRwokGZIepqZlPZyD9Vk1aWI_SAUXvGShjODytfYQ/w400-h275/s-l500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPet6L1dtpvd1RDIU9_BLtnaglrGBlR30sji5uJaOoTp9HzXgpaHClbRbrljufi-U4rQlhu0tRJVjHbGrVhxK5QUgbxxj-wtveIsP2UAZX71XpQwPnuOrPz_W27JzCd3H3JRLK7bONJhBMUyB15HZrtv9lt8yjpDBHVvohgG_gI1W0Kh2plafDk2MQ/s595/Blazer_Bomb.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="352" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPet6L1dtpvd1RDIU9_BLtnaglrGBlR30sji5uJaOoTp9HzXgpaHClbRbrljufi-U4rQlhu0tRJVjHbGrVhxK5QUgbxxj-wtveIsP2UAZX71XpQwPnuOrPz_W27JzCd3H3JRLK7bONJhBMUyB15HZrtv9lt8yjpDBHVvohgG_gI1W0Kh2plafDk2MQ/w236-h400/Blazer_Bomb.webp" width="236" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPet6L1dtpvd1RDIU9_BLtnaglrGBlR30sji5uJaOoTp9HzXgpaHClbRbrljufi-U4rQlhu0tRJVjHbGrVhxK5QUgbxxj-wtveIsP2UAZX71XpQwPnuOrPz_W27JzCd3H3JRLK7bONJhBMUyB15HZrtv9lt8yjpDBHVvohgG_gI1W0Kh2plafDk2MQ/s595/Blazer_Bomb.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPet6L1dtpvd1RDIU9_BLtnaglrGBlR30sji5uJaOoTp9HzXgpaHClbRbrljufi-U4rQlhu0tRJVjHbGrVhxK5QUgbxxj-wtveIsP2UAZX71XpQwPnuOrPz_W27JzCd3H3JRLK7bONJhBMUyB15HZrtv9lt8yjpDBHVvohgG_gI1W0Kh2plafDk2MQ/s595/Blazer_Bomb.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp4i-ZKdFLGje_s46FMviFzYNzezKxJH5fPdPJSkuLTYqwv0QCQLvW-OICXkXI1_PZ3PACQ4LnXKkw8viEUPwQUdfv4pKVsYpHESAW2iyJMtrJJEIk-lquNmfX5_AAZoEyxaxMlqZyHQl_1UCQrQY9mAfILxmTlflxhb9kssKhZMoWgtLSIu2HyUYVg/s343/blaze.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="54" data-original-width="343" height="63" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp4i-ZKdFLGje_s46FMviFzYNzezKxJH5fPdPJSkuLTYqwv0QCQLvW-OICXkXI1_PZ3PACQ4LnXKkw8viEUPwQUdfv4pKVsYpHESAW2iyJMtrJJEIk-lquNmfX5_AAZoEyxaxMlqZyHQl_1UCQrQY9mAfILxmTlflxhb9kssKhZMoWgtLSIu2HyUYVg/w400-h63/blaze.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's a lot wrong with the Blazer Bomb: you get a template like the Proximity Mine but you don't place it immediately in the System Phase so it's much harder to hit people with it. You also get a Range 1 detonation like a Thermal Detonator but because it's only 1 red dice and doesn't do critical damage it's not actually that painful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it's hard to hit people with and doesn't hurt them much when you do. So why am I using it?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJpWFH-qMHs57f1cA5e7PvpLj6h__VWVqG0-hnUMEmCYSfrrbi47tdLwcNcslV5_vfPLMfTp4EK5RBwcT32rgaxLc8_p9sqNIEo30_Irc9TvWRozvukpURmooY8MKsHj5pyXW_J3iwHGuZpYBssOoZJ58Bw0uhHDWlPg8okf3QxjqPQ5AcFoRnZZWTg/s577/Grudge%20(1).webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJpWFH-qMHs57f1cA5e7PvpLj6h__VWVqG0-hnUMEmCYSfrrbi47tdLwcNcslV5_vfPLMfTp4EK5RBwcT32rgaxLc8_p9sqNIEo30_Irc9TvWRozvukpURmooY8MKsHj5pyXW_J3iwHGuZpYBssOoZJ58Bw0uhHDWlPg8okf3QxjqPQ5AcFoRnZZWTg/s320/Grudge%20(1).webp" width="227" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The answer is Grudge. His ability to reroll that 1 red dice from Blazer Bomb restores its potency while simultaneously protecting my own ships from the flames. Grudge turns Blazer Bomb into a lopsided effect where the opponent takes 3x more damage it than I do. At this point the fact that the Blazer Bomb is weak actually becomes an advantage. It's so weak I'm usually happy to drop it all over my own team and take the small chance of eating a damage from it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I did that same thing with Thermal Detonators the results were much more painful for me because there's twice as many dice AND because it has the potential to Strain me as well there's more results on the dice that I don't want to see.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My experience of using Grudge with Thermal Detonators was that he had two modes - a Chaff mode where I push him forwards to launch Electro-Chaff but can't afford to use bombs on my own team, and a Thermal Detonator mode where he hangs back to blow up the space where opponents want to k-turn behind me but is then too far away to usefully use Electro-Chaff. Blazer Bomb lets me do both.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Literally nobody could give me a good Blazer Bomb story as encouragement but my Spider-Sense kept tingling that I should use it. To put the issue to rest I played three practice games with Blazer Bomb on Tuesday night before the Sith Taker Open and expected it to be a 'well, I tried it but yeah they're bad' and instead they were good in all three game and I was happy to give them a punt for the Sith Taker Open.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>With Grudge and Blazer Bombs settled on my full list for the Sith Taker Open was this:</div><div><ul><li><b>Commander Malarus </b>– Cluster Missiles</li><li><b>Lieutenant Galek</b> – Proud Tradition, <span>Ion Cannon</span></li><li><b>Scorch </b>– Shield Upgrade</li><li><b>DT-796 </b>– Shield Upgrade</li><li><b>Ember </b>– Elusive, Pattern Analyser</li><li><span><b>Grudge </b>– Electro-Chaff Missile, Blazer Bomb, Fanatical</span></li></ul></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This list has torn up everything I'd put up against it in practice, but practice games are practice games and aren't always representative of how it will fare against opponents who are really trying to beat you in ways that you've not seen before.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I really like my list and enjoyed flying it, but I was ready to find out it wasn't as good as I thought it was and was braced for something like a 3-2 result that would see me fail to make cut to the second day.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND ONE – Assault on the Satellite Array</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Martyn Chivers – 7-ship Crack Swarm</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This was a hell of a way to kick off the day: a game against the player and squad that won the last major event held in the UK. This is very scary list for me to sit opposite because it absolutely has the firepower to hurt me and I can expect that Martyn knows exactly how to bring that firepower to bear.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">BUT</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s also a matchup where I can immediately be most pleased that I have Grudge with his Chaff cloud and Blazer Bombs. That’s a massive toolbox to bring to this matchup must surely transform how we approach each other.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Before we get to the frenzied shooting part there’s one piece of information that will turn out to be very important. During setting up objectives I notice Martyn being careful to measure exactly range 2 between two the Satellites near his deployment zone “aha!” I think, “he’s being really clever here because he knows that he can park one of his Academy Pilots in the spot between those two satellites and score both of them at once. I need to watch out for that”. Remember this for later.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZINy5Um7u77TAozdSe8EHTSWUL-ycdZ2fkg1RbFnWJqhgTcQAQ3Yz15sMAWqFSRFbZeNvnDBKvHj9azkTl_tgSkjJ1piPiNZHDrXr7FWhQLVjUBXNIkOmLNWa2TDLp7qAwtwSz6bPobJUtdaCM8NJZo4UKgBJa_WfoF0uso_Ni20z_N1q-k1xZuofg/s2048/rnd1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZINy5Um7u77TAozdSe8EHTSWUL-ycdZ2fkg1RbFnWJqhgTcQAQ3Yz15sMAWqFSRFbZeNvnDBKvHj9azkTl_tgSkjJ1piPiNZHDrXr7FWhQLVjUBXNIkOmLNWa2TDLp7qAwtwSz6bPobJUtdaCM8NJZo4UKgBJa_WfoF0uso_Ni20z_N1q-k1xZuofg/w640-h480/rnd1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We slam into each other on turn 3. Grudge lays his chaff out and Martyn decides that he’s just going to take it on the chin and speeds through the cloud so most of his TIE Fighters arrive in the fight jammed and without focus tokens. This is perfect for me, but I’ve made a mistake that means I can’t capitalise on it fully. On my first turn both Malarus and Galek opened with a 5-straight but to bring Galek’s arc around into the fight I need to bank and the 5-straight has put her too close to an asteroid, so she has to turn instead. If Galek has to do a turn then Malarus will need to do a 3-bank instead of a 2-bank. I think there’s room for a 3-bank but actually Malarus just clips the back of Scorch’ base and she bumps. That’s no Target Lock action and no Cluster Missiles, a critical drop in firepower for this vital turn.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Martyn’s TIE Fighters light me up – they might not have focus tokens but with bullseye Scourge Skuta and range 1 Mauler and Howlrunner and Moff Gideon he hits like a truck anyway, while I do nowhere near enough damage back after having to spend Focus just staying on the table. Nothing dies on either side but I come off worse from the turn and with my big Chaff play spent to no effect I figure I’ve blown my chance.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">From here the middle of the table turns into an almighty scrum as 12 TIE Fighters all try to hard-1 and s-loop and k-turn to get shots on each other. The only ship not joining this melee is Grudge, who drops his Blazer Bomb into the pack and scoots away from everyone else. The Blazer Bomb explodes to critical effect, with Grudge’s rerolls meaning that it nets 4 damage to Martyn’s TIEs and 0 damage to my own. Those little chips of damage set up wounded TIEs that I can then finish off, meaning I can keep pace with Martyn as he starts to finish off my own wounded TIEs. Emotionally I feel like I’ve been getting pummelled ever since I screwed up the initial engagement, but the points tally says that I’m actually one point ahead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Super-Grudge to the rescue!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivV9-SbT2R8DmsHBRnrXIwE4Ob9uYSBDbvWvbMRE165QvSWaSZiF8jSZtwPn-MkQ39U93RhZQQgRNnA-g4hYg0Vsp4DDX84f0Vl-q7Pl2t-tB5lymV6NFB8qgnl4m3rVpM1vg8Po1UNBLC8bb9cJ5JSzY1TNxknIY18VM4cHD7nlwQyPLFTzAGaGFXrQ/s2048/rnda.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivV9-SbT2R8DmsHBRnrXIwE4Ob9uYSBDbvWvbMRE165QvSWaSZiF8jSZtwPn-MkQ39U93RhZQQgRNnA-g4hYg0Vsp4DDX84f0Vl-q7Pl2t-tB5lymV6NFB8qgnl4m3rVpM1vg8Po1UNBLC8bb9cJ5JSzY1TNxknIY18VM4cHD7nlwQyPLFTzAGaGFXrQ/w640-h480/rnda.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>BTW: we should have removed the chaff, if you're wondering. We must have forgotten.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">On what turned out to be the final turn I was looking at how to boost-turn Grudge around and get him back into the fight when I realised that a 2-turn without boost would probably put him in exactly the spot that I was worried Martyn’s Academy Pilot would sit to score two objectives. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It wins me the game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the big melee more red dice bounce off more green dice and nothing dies, Martyn claims the centre objective because he has an extra body on the table but because Grudge is single-handedly holding two Satellites at once I match him on objectives for theturn and hold my slender 1pt lead as time is called on the round.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN – 13-12</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><i>Aside: I’ve had some discussion about this game online, with the gist it being that a game that ends 13-12 on turn 5 must mean that we were playing really slowly, or that we both brought bad lists that couldn’t deal damage. I’m not sure either of that is true – there’s certainly no problem in either my or Martyn’s list dealing damage, I think we just nullified each other in a lot of ways – and although we only got through 5 turns we did manage to move 60 ships and make something like 35 attacks in that time because we had 13 ships on the table and pitched straight into a mass duel on the second turn, which is probably as many moves and attacks as two four ship lists would manage in a full 12 turns.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND TWO - Scramble the Transmission</span><br /></b>Darth Sparkles – Morna Kee & 3 Reapers</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A Decimator and three Reapers. This is a lot of hull to work through, but I played against something a bit like this at the Wampa Warm Up and I managed to get through it in time so I’m confident I just have too much firepower for him to handle.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The key thing I feel like I need to manage is that I need to focus all my fire onto one thing and ensure I kill it, so while I deploy quite spread out in a way that encourages my opponent to do the same, I plan all along to fold in on the centre of the table and kill Morna Kee as quickly as possible. At first this plan seems to be going flawlessly – I pull Feroph out of the fight on my right flank by switching those TIE Fighters in towards the centre, and Grudge uses his Chaff cloud to strip away Morna Kee’s banked reinforce to leave her vulnerable. But even down to one Reinforce token the damage isn’t stacking up on Morna as quickly as I’d like and on the third turn my opponent managed to sweep Vermeil in from my left flank to join the fight.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwZFg6FDuc9mudHTves22mn76fvkupzYZRSxT8qZ5qRBkSas_Donm3qFbXPuBRXGQap2OaI-lmbgiM_Foafj7_UB0zYm4l8gpqeWfJnC68nRSFfeeMzYJDUOtv7gPbtwiaHc_KDFrRbvIhjH2Kna_E5_Hdy71XWVej4YLnEbEyXhB8b-d_zQRawC6cQ/s2048/rnd2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwZFg6FDuc9mudHTves22mn76fvkupzYZRSxT8qZ5qRBkSas_Donm3qFbXPuBRXGQap2OaI-lmbgiM_Foafj7_UB0zYm4l8gpqeWfJnC68nRSFfeeMzYJDUOtv7gPbtwiaHc_KDFrRbvIhjH2Kna_E5_Hdy71XWVej4YLnEbEyXhB8b-d_zQRawC6cQ/w640-h480/rnd2.jpg" width="640" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's always a joy to play on this mat. Not!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">I was now in real danger of being trapped between the hammer & anvil of Vermeil and Morna and most of my ships took evasive action to escape the kill box, while I left Ember to doggedly chase Morna Kee down as she tried to flee.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With that emerging killbox dodged my TIEs are safe once again and although I’d planned to bring an overwhelming weight of fire to bear it turns out to be a steady application of pressure that wins the day. Grudge slips in behind Vizier and chips him down over three turns, while Ember chases Morna into a corner she can’t escape from to finish the game off.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0JEEuRpD4xbzL2C5nc5wlvxm-zMssIJw4nIx8jbzztFdmW92LZBDHhDliMIUSgeNtF3614NyHTLVhcZdd3xDqjIdPLt55BRi9FEqRVQucE6iSJ0CqWRP2ebXZUZAs2jEyWauEOQutAJGJ3UO2_VGqcCNQlfQoMBrDXrqKOYXUwG0H6z3FxO5qej8fA/s2048/rnd2b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0JEEuRpD4xbzL2C5nc5wlvxm-zMssIJw4nIx8jbzztFdmW92LZBDHhDliMIUSgeNtF3614NyHTLVhcZdd3xDqjIdPLt55BRi9FEqRVQucE6iSJ0CqWRP2ebXZUZAs2jEyWauEOQutAJGJ3UO2_VGqcCNQlfQoMBrDXrqKOYXUwG0H6z3FxO5qej8fA/w640-h480/rnd2b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That glittering cloud of space dust used to be Morna Kee</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN – 20-9</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Talking about it after the game Darth Sparkles says he was wrong to spread his forces out like he did and given how little he managed to do with Feroph on my right flank I think I agree. Because Feroph raced forward on one flank and Vizier hung back on the other I was able to spend most of the game just fighting Morna Kee and Major Vermeil for the middle objective. So long as I didn’t sit one of my ships where both could shoot at it I don’t think he ever got enough firing arcs pointing at the same thing to really punch through my agility and kill things.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND THREE – Salvage Mission</span></b><br />Jannis Fritsch – YT-Poe, Zizi, Lulo, Zay Version</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Salvage feels like a good mission to hit Jannis’ list in as pretty much all his ships love a Boost action and that’s ultimately how it played out. To cut a long story short I think there was two critical decision points in this game – one mine, one Jannis’ – that handed me the win.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first decision point was mine. In every other matchup I would have spent turn 2 looking to engage my opponent with a fierce volley of fire and start destroying ships but in this game I made every effort to get my ships into position where I could grab four of the five crates. That left my ships out of position for any fighting and without any dice mods for the shots Jannis took at me, but I felt it was a risk that I could afford to take to secure a big lead on the scenario objective. Lulo managed to immediately shoot Galek’s crate off her but I held onto the other three crates for the rest of the game and I had a 12-7 lead on objective points by the end.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iNxHH-wnFcLWT4mk9iRD21hHkRUmyUE4H64bzbZvPAhvc4V1SLH7Cy6m2GTv8WUp31EpnZMFCzfoabUB4lAAU4cyW_3KKpG-9N4CoBbImQbBuFY10uTdOzx-b0p0GHYGE7EiKsJ3_D5AvrROw2OkZe6j3m1kZp_VENWqYD-K9G1_rS84OkP_6vYFMQ/s941/Poedameron-scavengedyt1300.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iNxHH-wnFcLWT4mk9iRD21hHkRUmyUE4H64bzbZvPAhvc4V1SLH7Cy6m2GTv8WUp31EpnZMFCzfoabUB4lAAU4cyW_3KKpG-9N4CoBbImQbBuFY10uTdOzx-b0p0GHYGE7EiKsJ3_D5AvrROw2OkZe6j3m1kZp_VENWqYD-K9G1_rS84OkP_6vYFMQ/s320/Poedameron-scavengedyt1300.webp" width="225" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The second decision point was Jannis’. He couldn’t afford to take my TIEs on in a head to head fight and had to be evasive in his piloting, especially with Poe carrying 7 victory points in his YT-1300. After grabbing crates my TIEs started to converge on Poe and Jannis decided to 2-turn away from the centre of the table back towards his deployment zone. The mistake I think he made was that he then followed that up with a Boost action. The Boost action committed Poe to which corner of the table he was going to run into and I knew immediately where I needed my ships to be in two turns in order to kill Poe. If Jannis hadn’t boosted then next turn Poe could have run in either direction and I wouldn’t have known where to go. That 45-degree shift gave Poe an attack he wouldn’t otherwise have got to make, which is probably what Jannis was thinking about when he did it, but also signed his death warrant.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN – 24-10</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND FOUR – Chance Encounter</span><br /></b>Kester Smith – Kylo, Wrath, Malarus, Scorch, DT</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If I wasn’t so fully happy and committed to play 6 ships than Kester’s list may well be what I would be flying as <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/worlds-prep-ii-wampa-warm-up.html">I’ve frequently proclaimed my love of the TIE Whisper</a>, and of Kylo and Wrath in particular.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This match played out the Firecast Focus stream so <a href="https://m.twitch.tv/videos/1748570338">you can watch it if you jump to about 6 hours 5 minutes in</a>, but unfortunately I can’t recommend it as one to watch. The regular Firecast commentators were playing in the main event and mine and Kester’s audio doesn’t go out so it’s silent, then because I have no sense of showmanship we ended up driving a joust through the end of the table farthest from the camera so it's a hard watch too. But if you enjoy squinting at some red pixels fighting agsainst some black and white pixels in the far distance then this may be the stream that you’ve been waiting for!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXopYEWvtV_TXctKpH_l32_gsZ5SpcqFCc4YnhVjhMB6gixubQLMbiemPmMbw6zgXrclq8TlHw3zLPWWybLF-BOtqlsYPxRZHa847fNbTprUAyts_KAOp-_nPeZS0yG_J_nlNe80GHOcFyE-_ouBSUrY78xu-tFWaRMPQB-DOBx-sABj8h36euyS4AYA/s1517/Round%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1517" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXopYEWvtV_TXctKpH_l32_gsZ5SpcqFCc4YnhVjhMB6gixubQLMbiemPmMbw6zgXrclq8TlHw3zLPWWybLF-BOtqlsYPxRZHa847fNbTprUAyts_KAOp-_nPeZS0yG_J_nlNe80GHOcFyE-_ouBSUrY78xu-tFWaRMPQB-DOBx-sABj8h36euyS4AYA/w640-h362/Round%204.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>I also cheated in quite an important way. </b> I didn’t realise I’d cheated until I watched the stream back and caught what observers were saying into the chat. I jousted Kester’s DT and Scorch down my left flank and hurled a chaff cloud into their face so that he came in jammed with no focus tokens and I could really do some damage. Kester wound up sitting both of his TIEs actually on the chaff cloud instead of flying through it, and then I merrily target locked them with Ember and Malarus and went to town. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is cheating.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’d read this part of the Electro-Chaff Cloud effects…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwuUmTRiAEQZKPePjwOzExB1Ixr7YrSLviHQOnOis0RAphKJvThRuDSHxrG8Z8vDrMh-_nOR-srWNi3YPz8Q00yr2fUqNFUj6V0ylQ9xcXMwgvEZx1xy4AosZj6DgCibcPr7iUozM2ExHzurXd8eHg43zpv8MKMjzR3UWiNrMEN6uMH06lilvkPOt7w/s623/Chaff1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="623" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwuUmTRiAEQZKPePjwOzExB1Ixr7YrSLviHQOnOis0RAphKJvThRuDSHxrG8Z8vDrMh-_nOR-srWNi3YPz8Q00yr2fUqNFUj6V0ylQ9xcXMwgvEZx1xy4AosZj6DgCibcPr7iUozM2ExHzurXd8eHg43zpv8MKMjzR3UWiNrMEN6uMH06lilvkPOt7w/s320/Chaff1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">But I’d not read this part…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U6aGsT3_whBgQQUb6yRFbnctz5WNAkrnbswsWms9ElTiFwrobAjzcGerMiydw_nfVKs_OarsmOJoFAwNr-uny_2iZtc2XwJwlEF0CUZqGw8ToYJ2qWdONOuSbsYlLEHw1j9ss_Jgvbvul8_pvYHhnTTTBYDUVUMTrrRifR9KC2BF6r_RxFa4co1eAw/s611/Chaff2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="611" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U6aGsT3_whBgQQUb6yRFbnctz5WNAkrnbswsWms9ElTiFwrobAjzcGerMiydw_nfVKs_OarsmOJoFAwNr-uny_2iZtc2XwJwlEF0CUZqGw8ToYJ2qWdONOuSbsYlLEHw1j9ss_Jgvbvul8_pvYHhnTTTBYDUVUMTrrRifR9KC2BF6r_RxFa4co1eAw/s320/Chaff2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Usually when you don’t know what something does it hurts you as you plan for something to happen and get told it doesn’t work that way. It’s unfortunate that this time it worked out in my favour because neither myself or Kester caught it and I merrily Cluster Missiled his ships with Malarus instead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That said, this wasn’t the only mistake we made during the game and while it hurt Kester to eat those Cluster Missiles I think he managed to hurt himself even more when he dialled a k-turn for Kylo Ren that hit an asteroid he’d been sure wasn’t in the way. Kylo lost two shields and my ships pounced on his sudden vulnerability to grab those victory points. As a last act Kester managed to swing 6 hits from his Cluster Missile attacks into 6 blank green dice and kill two TIEs and make the score look pretty close.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN – 21-14</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>So much had gone wrong for Kester in this match, though. He’d deployed quite spread out with Kylo way over on my far right side and the speed of my closing engagement seemed to catch him on the hop. Then I cheated with Cluster Missiles. Then he ran Kylo over a rock... End result was that for various reasons it wasn’t a clean game and I think if we met again the outcome could be very different. I like his squad a lot and I think I was lucky to get away from it as easily as I did.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND FIVE – Salvage Mission</span><br /></b>Liam Baker – Jango, Durge, Volan Das, Phlacc-Arphocc</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With both of us on 4-0 and sitting on a presumably healthy Strength of Schedule, the pressure was off for this final round of the first day as we were both guaranteed a spot in the Top-16. Liam is a fellow Sith Taker and has been extolling the virtues of his Tri-Fighters in the team chat for a while. I was pretty comfortable in my TIEs ability to throw lasers in their direction, but Volan Das in particular was a serious threat thanks to Outmaneuver.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This game turned out to be another where it was Grudge’s time to shine. I deployed most of my ships on my right side and Grudge central, while Liam deployed centrally with everything apart from Volan Das, who was going to run down the opposite flank to my main force. It was time for Grudge to switch into skirmish mode and he went out hunting for Volan Das in order to frustrate him with chaff and bombs. Liam sensibly swung Durge and the other Tri-Fighter away from my incoming joust to chase the lone Grudge but the bomber managed to slip that net and I think Blazer Bomb disrupted the Tri-Fighters movement choices enough that they became quite predictable targets. My TIEs fell on the Tri-Fighters and both exploded in one turn, while Jango nailed Ember in return.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4K4sSaVZ6unDORFhsZNdjDJuk9f9m5_MyjhAJnE-yU9-NmkjefkXlotaEYlt6TiG6ZeCBXArgjmUv6GS-X8-_16E53VFcBkggJ3SLnh15KsSjRZSD4C6ZqUpknEh6YWux3bsBraUHsfrZhXJbUlsDlLEx95Kh8rLghQWuCvadlw1cnGnUe-JUnZbEw/s2048/rnd5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4K4sSaVZ6unDORFhsZNdjDJuk9f9m5_MyjhAJnE-yU9-NmkjefkXlotaEYlt6TiG6ZeCBXArgjmUv6GS-X8-_16E53VFcBkggJ3SLnh15KsSjRZSD4C6ZqUpknEh6YWux3bsBraUHsfrZhXJbUlsDlLEx95Kh8rLghQWuCvadlw1cnGnUe-JUnZbEw/w480-h640/rnd5.jpg" width="480" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Grudge evades Durge while the Tri-Fighters fly into bad spots to avoid Blazer Bomb</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">But that was just the shooting. What I hadn’t identified in Turn 0 was that Liam’s was another list, just like Jannis Fritsch’ list in Round Three, that liked boosting too much to pick up crates. Midgame I figured it out and leaned into that, so what had started with a 2-0 advantage in crate ownership became a 4-0 lead and I just protected those crates until the end of the game. I won the objective scoring 15-0 while the actual shooting was a much closer 8-7 in my favour.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN 23-7</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Well then! I finished the first day as one of only two players on 5-0, alongside Dom Flannigan and his well-proven CIS squad, with a couple of undefeated Imperial lists (4 and a draw) sitting right behind us.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>At this point I've already got everything I want from the Sith Taker Open. My Worlds list is set. Ember and Grudge have big ticks next to them, Blazer Bomb has a tick next to it. I'm set.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>I hadn't been expecting to do so well in a tough room so I gratefully accepted a friend's offer of a place to stay the night just around the corner from the tournament venue and we headed off into the night for dinner, drinks, board games and chat. I think the staff of Mister Ali's curry house were a bit baffled by the fact an extra 30 people they hadn't been expecting all descended on them within a 20 minute window on Saturday evening. And that they all arrived in little groups, but all seemed to know each other...</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Actually, worth spending a moment on this. I don't often extol the virtues of the X-Wing community the way so many people do and in part that's because this isn't my first time around the block: my version of that sense of community that so many have came 25 years ago in the mid/late-90s Magic; The Gathering scene, where I made a lot of lifelong friends. So I always feel a bit removed from the X-Wing community: I'm older than most, and I'd rather sit back and let you all enjoy it than try too hard to artificially recreate something that's decades into my past.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>But it was good to see everyone, good to chat to the people I got to chat to. It was good to see so many faces back and that the game is still clearly worth the candle after all the noisy naysayers have left.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>There you go, that's about as soppy as I'm prepared to get in public. Now back to your scheduled programming...</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">TOP-16 – Chance Encounter</span><br /></b>Tom Reed – Boba, Rook, Kanan</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My blogging journey to Worlds starting by explaining <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/im-humble-jack-and-thats-ok.html">why I consider myself to be a Jack not an Ace</a> and was quite prophetic in places….</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"></span></p><blockquote><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">"Even the times when I was having a good day and got within touching distance of a something important, like qualifiying for Worlds, there would always be a King or an Ace standing between me and the big prize, like a Jack Mooney, </span><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/10/hyperspace-trial-runner-up-iq-games.html" style="background-color: white; color: #992211; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">Stuart Blucke</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"> or Tom Reed. Because they're better than me."</span></blockquote><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Hi, Tom.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, is this going to be played out as a Chance Encounter, probably the single scenario I least want to face Tom’s list on? Perfect.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Plan A: kill Rook if I get the chance</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tom deploys his I3s before most of my list. I set up to joust them in the face. Boba Fett lines up a little inside them, facing lane in the middle of the table. Turn 1 I race forward while Tom 0-stops with Kanan and Rook, while Boba moves up the lane between two asteroids. I guess that’s Plan A gone.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Plan B: kill Boba</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you’re going to try and kill something in this list you have to throw everything you can at it. I chaff Boba’s approach and the rest of my squad swoops on to blast the Firespray out of the sky. We do some damage but not enough. I wanted to at least make Boba feel in danger and like he had to run away, but I’ve not succeeded in that. Galek got pretty cooked but everything is still alive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAzU8Z1JRrVsBKLwYCo4JCfUsBs-VhFz0wdYtG2HNvy_LZ3X0YTl0JvSGlhAss7ePPwmDfR7M2bO4Y90bcDP3tvv7KNxPbbaVWOZojEytyCiDw0yjvMA8e7t38usODvrcC1oDFe0GjYItmvv7UI2H6-tdjNzIhMusRFtPgIcKN0qI66jdlO99cuO4tA/s2048/t16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAzU8Z1JRrVsBKLwYCo4JCfUsBs-VhFz0wdYtG2HNvy_LZ3X0YTl0JvSGlhAss7ePPwmDfR7M2bO4Y90bcDP3tvv7KNxPbbaVWOZojEytyCiDw0yjvMA8e7t38usODvrcC1oDFe0GjYItmvv7UI2H6-tdjNzIhMusRFtPgIcKN0qI66jdlO99cuO4tA/w640-h480/t16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Plan A: turn and kill Rook. But the positioning just isn’t right, I can’t get enough guns onto him and Boba is still here.</li></ul><ul><li>Plan B: hit Boba again.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We k-turn, we sloop, we hard-1, we throw everything we have at Boba again. We get half points. Tom got half of Galek on the second turn and he picks up half of Scorch this turn, but with half of the Firesprays points scored I’m 6-4 ahead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Plan A: can we hit Rook yet? No.</li></ul><ul><li>Plan B: can we hit Boba again? Risky, he’s getting close to initiative-sweeping some of my TIEs off the board and I need to protect my guns. I’ve spent too long in his range 1 bubble already.</li></ul><ul><li>Plan C: disengage, play it safe, get ready for another pass</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s a weak turn from me and Ember gives up half points. It’s 7-7</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Plan A: kill Rook</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevrMZRWmLiHOj0doO50U2MUw0ioX83CQRl6RpjtqgCA9lIpbBdFbZ1eOBnILPUUcxdkQsL-CKEkY_9HyfFefm8CPVwf6sdoDQ2NaIkElkRLCNVX0DsMLIBWu1NBKuJsuD1JpaxjBBiOOpFqLtVjKYA2Bnb4P2wgFlv6a-h_qEFAM0f7_c0Y7yOcApgw/s2048/t16b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevrMZRWmLiHOj0doO50U2MUw0ioX83CQRl6RpjtqgCA9lIpbBdFbZ1eOBnILPUUcxdkQsL-CKEkY_9HyfFefm8CPVwf6sdoDQ2NaIkElkRLCNVX0DsMLIBWu1NBKuJsuD1JpaxjBBiOOpFqLtVjKYA2Bnb4P2wgFlv6a-h_qEFAM0f7_c0Y7yOcApgw/w640-h480/t16b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>FINALLY I can do what I came here to do. With 4 hull remaining Tom cycles Boba out of the fight and suddenly Rook is caught in the killbox I’ve been patiently waiting to spring but GODDAMNIT that thing only rolls evades on its two green dice every time I shoot at it so it's not going down quickly. And… OH FOR FUCKS SAKE writing this blog I just this second realised we never once decided who got Merciless Pursuit from The Child. That would have been really important for DT & Scorch. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So yeah, long story short: bad beats, blah blah, green dice blah blah, nobody cares own your target priority choices, blah blah, lost 16-17 with Rook on 2 hull blah blah Merciless Pursuit GOD FUCKING DAMNIT blah blah.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS 16-17</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I guess that was karma coming back round my way after I Cluster Missiled Kester’s TIEs on the first day. My gosh, karma works fast these days.</p><p></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>For avoidance of doubt: I am 100% certain Tom did not deliberately ‘forget’ to give my ships Merciless Pursuit. Tom is a good mate who doesn’t play much any more and has sold his collection so I’d loaned him his list for the weekend – ships, cards etc - and the only thing I couldn’t find for him was the Merciless Pursuit condition cards. So if I don’t give the cards to Tom then Tom doesn’t have that reminder to hand them out!</i></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGF0zff-3PBoAtItoxOvsfDElJ0ahiFPbUOUkL3TYPdFm7xIAs6cmG8ZMg0zMhNKFGLaqalYG0Tbj2Oo3EydAx6yUYzjzslmOljTqiDIY536LLxgiACKi32oYNqCOqyTdMq1-4aucmygJYkc-GVjQsmjI1zyMANWek9gVj81-Xh2t5MVmS5-WPmNRyw/s550/2p0bmt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGF0zff-3PBoAtItoxOvsfDElJ0ahiFPbUOUkL3TYPdFm7xIAs6cmG8ZMg0zMhNKFGLaqalYG0Tbj2Oo3EydAx6yUYzjzslmOljTqiDIY536LLxgiACKi32oYNqCOqyTdMq1-4aucmygJYkc-GVjQsmjI1zyMANWek9gVj81-Xh2t5MVmS5-WPmNRyw/s16000/2p0bmt.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tom went on to beat Oliver Pocknell in the Top-8 and Liam Baker (my roung 5 opponent) in Top-4 before his run was finally ended by some newbie who I'm sure fluked their way to the win with beginners luck.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1Oq-GTOg7xkja2vHg339H1Tsw6AyhjdDMh79rUG9decPSf_x8MeK0wtNCFb1l9WVcfa5_YeTMvwpHm39waLOt7ajyyt7DgOgynJEqs-4i6z5EgWEmhmykK-U5x1aqjoKW5K8phTSeHnjVLsxQWkqc0DJs3cySYXCVW6B3k8E3jrYVwjHyksv5VVtqA/s526/333877603_595486195432340_1472227562776473086_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1Oq-GTOg7xkja2vHg339H1Tsw6AyhjdDMh79rUG9decPSf_x8MeK0wtNCFb1l9WVcfa5_YeTMvwpHm39waLOt7ajyyt7DgOgynJEqs-4i6z5EgWEmhmykK-U5x1aqjoKW5K8phTSeHnjVLsxQWkqc0DJs3cySYXCVW6B3k8E3jrYVwjHyksv5VVtqA/w400-h400/333877603_595486195432340_1472227562776473086_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Congratulations to<b> Faan Langelaan</b>, who recovered from a massive first round drubbing (4-22!) to then not drop another game all weekend and claim the title!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sith Taker Open 2023</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So that's the Sith Taker Open boxed off and... it was great!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://longshanks.org/event/7240/"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>See Results from STO 2023 on Longshanks</b></span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkzr0yiXYkM1woKwPINNN-2jdWSb872el8cDiQm8DkTtFGaVH9YkeNwsbfbrDk2o1ssbzz5AC1BAhPGV-Kt4Ms-xgbLpuH1uoQGwt_Ze8YXMaVawbyzN3zwLCXi2xHWN8LuMUYMClLs6qg2tPkhrMrEHKGolRT40Y7JHwKT64xxRiPUufPksdtdkInw/s1280/STO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1280" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkzr0yiXYkM1woKwPINNN-2jdWSb872el8cDiQm8DkTtFGaVH9YkeNwsbfbrDk2o1ssbzz5AC1BAhPGV-Kt4Ms-xgbLpuH1uoQGwt_Ze8YXMaVawbyzN3zwLCXi2xHWN8LuMUYMClLs6qg2tPkhrMrEHKGolRT40Y7JHwKT64xxRiPUufPksdtdkInw/w640-h344/STO.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The organisation was pretty much flawless. We used Longshanks and it all seemed to work very well. We got underway on time and although there was one redraw it got handled quickly. Massive props to debut Tournament Organisers Richard Polley, Sean Milligan and Jonathan Hall. Usually Tim King is the steady hand at the tiller of Sith Taker events but Tim wanted to play ahead of Worlds and the other stepped in. I know they were really nervous about hosting such a big event but it all went great. Big tick.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">I played lots of games of X-Wing. This is always a big tick.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">I enjoyed them all, win lose or draw they were all exciting games I was fully engaged with the entire time. Big tick.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">I got to chat to people I don't usually get to chat to, maybe gradually rebuild some more bridges. Big tick.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Nobody once griped to me about Legacy or old X-Wing or scenarios or points or anything. It seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves playing a great game. Big tick.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">I'm set on my Worlds list. Big tick.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSHaGUbL22_kP40BPG4QpXp5y3Esp_mxKeOGy3d_zAPKSVLnhYzlY20XjEvWgh9ICzSNEUX6xJaVKhooL7koQZN-1JHr1MzIAEu7lHFeWKQviD6b0NEVJbMy78Ah6HMn4-DRnPAjdtGzW8IPA5Q993Q4b291Vmt7ez00EX8z6RzT2aC6aHBESIwqPag/s640/Worlds%20Timeline%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="640" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSHaGUbL22_kP40BPG4QpXp5y3Esp_mxKeOGy3d_zAPKSVLnhYzlY20XjEvWgh9ICzSNEUX6xJaVKhooL7koQZN-1JHr1MzIAEu7lHFeWKQviD6b0NEVJbMy78Ah6HMn4-DRnPAjdtGzW8IPA5Q993Q4b291Vmt7ez00EX8z6RzT2aC6aHBESIwqPag/w640-h158/Worlds%20Timeline%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ticks all round! And that's the last big gate passed on my Worlds journey - the next gate I need to hit is the Departure Gate at the airport!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In three weeks.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jesus, Worlds is only three weeks away!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRdT8xrcbWf7S1IloHfwCsgR81nb41D66jJz361DfhMgvP3vareTwBSQ_44vR1aRHHjOYsXM1bR0vLMinopEJhfobRbqz8EGsvpvf78NanU0LZ7HfAU3PWTi2eT1bbAGJb07IUj6Z2LOS7zi7qWG-t3l1fBLh8sJ7RY-BFHzxqOws5VNtouh-0HvQ8Q/s498/panic-mainwaring.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRdT8xrcbWf7S1IloHfwCsgR81nb41D66jJz361DfhMgvP3vareTwBSQ_44vR1aRHHjOYsXM1bR0vLMinopEJhfobRbqz8EGsvpvf78NanU0LZ7HfAU3PWTi2eT1bbAGJb07IUj6Z2LOS7zi7qWG-t3l1fBLh8sJ7RY-BFHzxqOws5VNtouh-0HvQ8Q/s16000/panic-mainwaring.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-3751538835913404252023-02-14T06:42:00.001-08:002023-02-15T01:10:30.183-08:00WORLDS PREP III - Unscheduled Downtime<p style="text-align: justify;">There’s been a bit of break in my regular blog updates on Worlds Prep because, well… there’s been a bit of a break in my Worlds prep. A couple of weekly game nights have come and gone without me getting a chance to play and so I’m actually not very much further on than I was at the end of the Wampa Warm-Up despite that fact that my second 'gate' is fast approaching in the form of the Sith Taker Open.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32QVHqRHs2EWk0HNbENADA9V0lJ-jcOKdDh2w-eeRMohZfoop7O395rEpTE4mnz8M0ixEONQFb5-qUiaiFqbyNZnx3GSfEgb2CUoFlNYOOMIC4u7tMTyatwhQDgy9ZpobpXMDJ3nJBtEr1zI0sQlsFvtK8R63M_HL33werOKdWiDtIE0voyYy9G2Ug/s1280/screen-shot-2019-01-09-at-3.32.49-pm.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1280" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32QVHqRHs2EWk0HNbENADA9V0lJ-jcOKdDh2w-eeRMohZfoop7O395rEpTE4mnz8M0ixEONQFb5-qUiaiFqbyNZnx3GSfEgb2CUoFlNYOOMIC4u7tMTyatwhQDgy9ZpobpXMDJ3nJBtEr1zI0sQlsFvtK8R63M_HL33werOKdWiDtIE0voyYy9G2Ug/w640-h344/screen-shot-2019-01-09-at-3.32.49-pm.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Just like in the Resistance cartoon: not a lot has been happening.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">This is clearly bad news, but it’s not as bad as it could be for two main reasons:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li>My post-Wampa plan was to experiment with a couple of wildcard options that I probably would have discarded anyway</li><li>The results from recent tournaments like the Las Vegas Open have supported that my main plan for Worlds is probably fine and wildcard options aren't needed..</li></ol><p style="text-align: justify;">Missing out on play sessions is not good, but I’m very lucky to be in the position that I’m in – settled on a broad list that other people also are using and doing well with – as it means I can absorb that loss of playtime more easily. I can catch up on most of the lost time by just deciding to ignore all the wacky ideas I had and focusing down on the core list that I'm pretty happy with and spend my time on fine-tuning details, and make sure all my decisions have good thought processes behind them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Devil’s In The Details</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here is the list that I flew to victory (through some close games!) in the Wampa Warm-Up. In <b>Bold</b> are cards that I’m pretty certain are in my finished Worlds list, and in <span style="color: red;">red</span> are cards that I’m actively looking at options for.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><b>Commander Malarus – Cluster Missiles</b></li><li><b>Lieutenant Galek – Proud Tradition,</b> <span style="color: red;">Ion Cannon</span></li><li><b>Scorch – Shield Upgrade</b></li><li><b>DT-796 – Shield Upgrade</b></li><li><b>Ember – Elusive, Pattern Analyser</b></li><li><span style="color: red;">Grudge – Electro-Chaff Missile, Thermal Detonators, Delayed Fuses</span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The central Core of the list is set – the four TIE/fo that all throw 3 red dice for just 3 squad points. They’re super-efficient, quick, tough to kill, and can punch above their weight. If you got four First Order players into the room and asked them to rank those four TIE/fo pilots from best to worst I think you’ll probably come out with four different lists, but thankfully we don’t have to decide which to use because they’re all great and we can just bring all of them!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlDUQay05L_vvRSPBktYNHJveNZJT_hpoqm-2lDvjwafQi5zyhgFd60kdTTdLvlgj3OVU392RP3Po1D5G6rwicrUSXtY8lKtcgCbOHC6U8a_KDjELPD7lyA9_IEbmoFNOP-53l3tERrEExKR9ZMkeEiV3-q7qZTLF4Ml1oIwYm1X_pPxE2tHmTPjYhQ/s1024/3552096eb88f4528eb909654cc9b34e1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlDUQay05L_vvRSPBktYNHJveNZJT_hpoqm-2lDvjwafQi5zyhgFd60kdTTdLvlgj3OVU392RP3Po1D5G6rwicrUSXtY8lKtcgCbOHC6U8a_KDjELPD7lyA9_IEbmoFNOP-53l3tERrEExKR9ZMkeEiV3-q7qZTLF4Ml1oIwYm1X_pPxE2tHmTPjYhQ/w640-h360/3552096eb88f4528eb909654cc9b34e1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m happy with my loadout choices on most of these ships, although there are different ways of kitting them out. Malarus can bring Mag-Pulse or Ion Missiles instead of Clusters, and both Scorch and DT-796 can be equipped either for maximum damage output (Advanced Optics) or maximum survivability (Shield Upgrade) and while there’s arguments in favour of both I’ve never regretted having Shield Updgrade. For me the payoff on Shield Upgrade is any time that the opponent has finally spent several turns pouring shots into Scorch and finally kill him, only to find he was only worth 3pts anyway. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">You have to put way more than 3pts worth of effort into killing either of these guys, which is basically the whole point of them and just an updated version of <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/12/rule-32-enjoy-little-things.html">what we first discovered about Epsilon Squadron Cadets back in 2019</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Choosing the ships to run alongside the four TIE/fo is where the real decisions are being made and then some other decisions cascade from there. So I think my full decision tree looks something like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP13zfn6GviDubc6-2WYu8gUf0Q3V7wQHMmvomEmkcrloNIOJ9rXEBV4raTvqEKZVKroBtPfKIkAwujgBIh2PW7yzMAjB8sz-ai6z_atG2ld7ocKTrj1uUfkJCysaMTFB0fd_lqmi0BO91oQJv_SHDJ5tw3Dqfo18jgF8NXS351IQXYGSX0uRmHK2NYA/s777/FO%20tree.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="777" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP13zfn6GviDubc6-2WYu8gUf0Q3V7wQHMmvomEmkcrloNIOJ9rXEBV4raTvqEKZVKroBtPfKIkAwujgBIh2PW7yzMAjB8sz-ai6z_atG2ld7ocKTrj1uUfkJCysaMTFB0fd_lqmi0BO91oQJv_SHDJ5tw3Dqfo18jgF8NXS351IQXYGSX0uRmHK2NYA/w640-h396/FO%20tree.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It all hinges on whether you feel Ember brings more glass or more cannon. I like Ember a lot and I fly her in a way that I think protects her a little bit from being picked on – she’s definitely not the tip of my spear – and so my default stance is that I’m just looking for the right 4pt ship to pair with Ember. But there are a lot of First Order players who don’t like Ember and feel like she’s an easy target for the opponent to come after, while Recoil’s TIE Silencer may cost 5pts instead of Ember’s 4, but he’s harder to bag those points from. That’s undeniably true – it’s 5.3 average attacks to kill a Silencer vs 3.7 to kill a TIE/ba, which even at Recoil’s higher cost pays out 0.9 pts per attack vs 1.1 pts per attack on Ember.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i-crzpw7kmz668DmY8SytaUPIgGH8DqObj5T-laNpt-QxE6Uoc40K9EcPMZsKwZ6zY6aNmsfj3pB8cZW32bVEmnzlCChb_KxF6rbG09kX_0lk8ME3QiCFu1fX9RtBy4cttpiA767zsz-38vSHmdKeRxIIWIIKAUESyg9wgu2DfAlHBUBBj3Ntplkuw/s523/Silencer_Recoil.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i-crzpw7kmz668DmY8SytaUPIgGH8DqObj5T-laNpt-QxE6Uoc40K9EcPMZsKwZ6zY6aNmsfj3pB8cZW32bVEmnzlCChb_KxF6rbG09kX_0lk8ME3QiCFu1fX9RtBy4cttpiA767zsz-38vSHmdKeRxIIWIIKAUESyg9wgu2DfAlHBUBBj3Ntplkuw/s320/Silencer_Recoil.webp" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVqoYqZkjkPDCqab986F23Tk_rT-tdmo6c5-LT3ZSRSi1e6EecPpXU60a45GBEd-diEiRt_AJHo0Bd5pQpulWzaUIYvOOlCreC75V9YwYckGV6Sp52RWEjVLNiPSpfrKLzvW-LSLrmswZYaZ4BdndkPlM_KEn4SdAF3UDRjCn-4vW7J04xOUXOEP6qA/s418/Swz62_card_ember.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVqoYqZkjkPDCqab986F23Tk_rT-tdmo6c5-LT3ZSRSi1e6EecPpXU60a45GBEd-diEiRt_AJHo0Bd5pQpulWzaUIYvOOlCreC75V9YwYckGV6Sp52RWEjVLNiPSpfrKLzvW-LSLrmswZYaZ4BdndkPlM_KEn4SdAF3UDRjCn-4vW7J04xOUXOEP6qA/s320/Swz62_card_ember.webp" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Those kind of raw maths are very simplistic but they’re a starting point, and on top of that Recoil can probably cut & run from a fight he’s losing more easily than Ember can. And yet… I think Elusive closes the survivability gap significantly, and then you get into looking at the extra things you get from Ember like Pattern Analyser, target locks for rerolls at all ranges, and her ability to snipe wounded targets. And as much as you can do the maths that Ember returns points for the opponent about 25% more quickly than Recoil does (1.1 per shot vs 0.9), he also outputs hits about 50% more quickly than Recoil does until Recoil gets into Range 1 and gets Predator online (when Ember is still 10% better).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVgQYdnd-Z6Qn6n0S9Wyc12qx6UxvaMMexMi6DUjaQMXnUE_xCaXtZtsZfvGk6Wm3hCQsJXG4O7HrT0rHAMPWYdS109P9JsYxbom9Ha5k-g7CM85OD76SzVmGS0Je8s4p6KcqQhQ62mGjHBqr9A0XVUAscuMeBgz6poigChx-t5bt3QarXnz-iv2b-Q/s320/emberdice.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="320" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVgQYdnd-Z6Qn6n0S9Wyc12qx6UxvaMMexMi6DUjaQMXnUE_xCaXtZtsZfvGk6Wm3hCQsJXG4O7HrT0rHAMPWYdS109P9JsYxbom9Ha5k-g7CM85OD76SzVmGS0Je8s4p6KcqQhQ62mGjHBqr9A0XVUAscuMeBgz6poigChx-t5bt3QarXnz-iv2b-Q/s1600/emberdice.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ember brings both glass and cannon. I’v been happy enough with my cannon thus far.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you go the Ember route the question becomes what 4pt ship to pair with her. I’ve tried and discarded a TIE/sf twice now, and I’m comfortable that regardless of what anyone else is managing to get out of them they’re not for me. In my head filling the spot next to Ember is a straight shootout between two ships that both offer a tool for matchups against incoming target locks and alpha strikes – Nightfall’s Sensor Scramblers and Jam actions vs Grudge’s Electro-Chaff Missiles.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxvFx3ryD914pNUPSw0qp9OCWH6-2kEE78kuh89uC8V098xp6w1zhxyu6QE_XodItNqmTyKFHL0zT7WetXNbpcK9xNPSEN5yhkggCbwnvRx3LkgDSqtdRgBaDMN69X1hdYdHfzw_btd8ptPOUx3s8Sg1AvT0Ag7ItUg5mIyV8xpmrNrMT-FXT7Nd4Rw/s577/Grudge.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxvFx3ryD914pNUPSw0qp9OCWH6-2kEE78kuh89uC8V098xp6w1zhxyu6QE_XodItNqmTyKFHL0zT7WetXNbpcK9xNPSEN5yhkggCbwnvRx3LkgDSqtdRgBaDMN69X1hdYdHfzw_btd8ptPOUx3s8Sg1AvT0Ag7ItUg5mIyV8xpmrNrMT-FXT7Nd4Rw/s320/Grudge.webp" width="227" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mYsSjZi1YwYPRrjhLGjBmtApNxe34Wg_FUbPPFfnBQ1EIblW7SpRwufD7lNKHn0VkT86plprYQ5ZXkG7EbyBRWgVNbPO4r4gE26G2RHXKbfcbzTgRAbRrTVYiHSqshSiVDBGaSJYtMBuXI4wOxhzP3dI7OohykOipcAxA72Ebp2oQ-FSuRhRp2rC8w/s577/Nightfall.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mYsSjZi1YwYPRrjhLGjBmtApNxe34Wg_FUbPPFfnBQ1EIblW7SpRwufD7lNKHn0VkT86plprYQ5ZXkG7EbyBRWgVNbPO4r4gE26G2RHXKbfcbzTgRAbRrTVYiHSqshSiVDBGaSJYtMBuXI4wOxhzP3dI7OohykOipcAxA72Ebp2oQ-FSuRhRp2rC8w/s320/Nightfall.webp" width="227" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I<i> want</i> to pick the TIE Whisper and yet it’s been quite awkward the last few times I’ve used it. I really want to use Pattern Analyser on Nightfall, the Whisper has great red maneuvers and being able to chain Jam-Focus, Boost-Focus etc off of them is phenomenal and it also helps you keep the dangerous bullseye arc pointing at the enemy. Without that I think the TIE Whisper switches to rotating its turret a lot more often and that drops your offence and moves you away from the fight instead of staying engaged. But without Sensor Scramblers it’s much more dangerous for Nightfall to approach and Jam the alpha strike lists that I really want him to deal with. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I find Nightfall’s loadout incredibly frustrating – if I take Sensor Scramblers I compromise unacceptably on what the Whisper does in order to get into position to do it, but if I take Pattern Analyser the Whisper may never live long enough to get where it can be dangerous.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hut66F8xxy-6oN0CCDZToM4ZuOG34JOcLl-alKhQSCKB7WDz38zx5jqccPA12khhJnJSQRkzfHOPLmMcaPhAL-5mUyPiyyyoC1-NmPKDELozEf_LMp_wPZsOCNNWdQ-bjD_9WS0bYQglhYaGJAO75yw09BdTonSQWshr2o0KIZ7IB5me3zHc0zuRzA/s1150/First-Order-TIE-bomber-SWA-1.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="1150" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hut66F8xxy-6oN0CCDZToM4ZuOG34JOcLl-alKhQSCKB7WDz38zx5jqccPA12khhJnJSQRkzfHOPLmMcaPhAL-5mUyPiyyyoC1-NmPKDELozEf_LMp_wPZsOCNNWdQ-bjD_9WS0bYQglhYaGJAO75yw09BdTonSQWshr2o0KIZ7IB5me3zHc0zuRzA/w640-h234/First-Order-TIE-bomber-SWA-1.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I <i>WANT</i> to pick Nightfall, but while Nightfall's loadout gives me a headache Grudge has just been a solid little workhorse in every game I’ve tried him. Unspectacular. No 4-dice bullseye shots into jammed targets like Nightfall gets, no dramatic 5ks over the enemy to set up a killbox. But the Electro-Chaff blunts a lot of attacks and with his boost and 3-speed turns Grudge puts in a real shift getting around the table and doing objectives for me. If Grudge disappoints me at any point I’ll go running back to Nightfall, but for now its Grudge’s spot to lose. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">My only real decision for Grudge is that maybe, just maaaaaaaaybe, he can make use of Blazer Bombs? Blazer Bombs are crap. Everyone knows they are crap. But Grudge can boost before dropping it, his ability means the 1 red dice you roll may actually hurt when it explodes, and unlike Proximity Mines they can be reloaded to cover more of the table in fiery circles. I want Proximity Mines but I can’t afford Proximity Mines, so are positional Blazer Bombs better than hurling Thermal Detonators into space and hoping they hit something? Almost certainly not… but maybe? I’ll have a look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b_N8AudkrNDqEAaYicrTDNpFzsQ_X4KcQEPoTwc-RTtSSw9s75Vd6sZp9Gfq_dNcOFW2fdpLWBr_jZQ6MAVpaDF-5l1st2-XBKx4cxGkrT4hMlpyZN-OWJrbmdPMTSOmqfimEsrJHtM1KKBBMR_EexDE3heckl_USMWsVxAefffqRqBj4aNUaArKTQ/s447/Blazertokens.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="447" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b_N8AudkrNDqEAaYicrTDNpFzsQ_X4KcQEPoTwc-RTtSSw9s75Vd6sZp9Gfq_dNcOFW2fdpLWBr_jZQ6MAVpaDF-5l1st2-XBKx4cxGkrT4hMlpyZN-OWJrbmdPMTSOmqfimEsrJHtM1KKBBMR_EexDE3heckl_USMWsVxAefffqRqBj4aNUaArKTQ/s320/Blazertokens.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The other side of the decision tree is where you go if you decide that Ember is more glass than she is cannon. Here we find the successful list from the Las Vegas Open, which had Recoil and Static with Tractor Beam on Lieutenant Galek. Because I came from the 4pt side of the faction (playing 5x 4pt ships all last year) I was slow to see the value in Recoil but I have given him a game or two and he’s better than I thought. I’m still not sold on Recoil, though, in large part because of how much he gets locked into those 2-speed blue maneuvers once the fighting starts and that can be tough to keep turning around and finding range 1 shots on things, where my solutions like Ember or Nightfall can keep the pressure on with Pattern Analyser.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmZmcja9Wi4S5NNP8-UuaG2qXlEDXJtMmUJzPcd4GANs7elCGPVcXKxbRauSPly-g5RGYDv5HJwry_470bPT0LSjSBpjgaAGtYj4YRZCTuQR07yfasnJko23sxZcsUk9HawHWz_rhj5YCOpyfDCUILekkYICyZ3OI_JP83PvzlTQino9gshyjvAP29w/s577/Wrath.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmZmcja9Wi4S5NNP8-UuaG2qXlEDXJtMmUJzPcd4GANs7elCGPVcXKxbRauSPly-g5RGYDv5HJwry_470bPT0LSjSBpjgaAGtYj4YRZCTuQR07yfasnJko23sxZcsUk9HawHWz_rhj5YCOpyfDCUILekkYICyZ3OI_JP83PvzlTQino9gshyjvAP29w/s320/Wrath.webp" width="227" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">If I do go to the 5pt ship route I may actually pick another wildcard and use Wrath, even though he faces many of the problems Nightfall faces at the 4pt level. I just really like having the higher Iniative on the Whisper for hunting out those bullseye shots, and having an Ion Cannon as well gives him strong attacks across his whole front arc. Wrath definitely isn’t my first choice, but I might pick well him ahead of Recoil.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnnKEYj86h1ldk_Nq5JdBRmJ5woQ6-tn325lFCSnoqo0WlaQPSv0orTEkD4hrL3S5Y7JNqrEHml8SjvS0ewsomlb712sL7B302v0KPdeSQH6bl3EsKSJfohYN418VYI3omoDdCUC32KTwflre8Vq9jhbLHlp82Hw7eUsSaNtJW15BnB59G0vjRBIPnw/s1673/Worlds%20Timeline.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="1673" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnnKEYj86h1ldk_Nq5JdBRmJ5woQ6-tn325lFCSnoqo0WlaQPSv0orTEkD4hrL3S5Y7JNqrEHml8SjvS0ewsomlb712sL7B302v0KPdeSQH6bl3EsKSJfohYN418VYI3omoDdCUC32KTwflre8Vq9jhbLHlp82Hw7eUsSaNtJW15BnB59G0vjRBIPnw/w640-h158/Worlds%20Timeline.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">If Worlds was tomorrow I would be playing Ember & Grudge, and that’s likely to be what I play into my second ‘gate’ at the Sith Taker Open in two weekend’s time. The result of that will tell me how likely I am to fall off the Ember plan entirely and move to 5-3-3-3-3-3. But, to be honest, with a couple of days in Chicago to cram some playtesting in ahead of Worlds Day One I’m highly likely to be packing every option into my bag and deciding when I get there! It’s not like I’m having to bring two or three completely different squads in different factions, it’s all circling the same plastic miniatures.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>First Order Army List</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>4-5 TIE/fo</li><li>0-1 TIE Silencer</li><li>0-1 TIE Whisper</li><li>0-1 TIE/se Bomber</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Simples!</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-20098507359977763272023-01-26T06:07:00.003-08:002023-02-03T08:29:13.315-08:00WORLDS PREP II - The Wampa Warm-Up<p style="text-align: justify;">In <a href="http://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/worlds-prep-i-infinite-possibilities.html">the last blog</a> I shared how I’d quickly managed to cut my virtually infinite World Championships squad options down from being ‘faction-agnostic’ to being able to commit (almost) fully to First Order, as I was confident I could find something in that faction that I would like and feel comfortable with.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hY35GpdK03szOwf1VDBvk9LyOxD0ZFLqGSfVJOD1Xyg2R_kaJ9I4leHu62Q0XVlwDhuBGWScqijvqGEynTjyoyuFteWGuPdWVijglycjtkM03gbWdsBcEI-i1G8cDY6xg5U5ghIHwB9-yBsMUl99SRVIzcRJaVxNe76YhQujiWpYiTqnQtpHw7AQzw/s960/wampa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="960" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hY35GpdK03szOwf1VDBvk9LyOxD0ZFLqGSfVJOD1Xyg2R_kaJ9I4leHu62Q0XVlwDhuBGWScqijvqGEynTjyoyuFteWGuPdWVijglycjtkM03gbWdsBcEI-i1G8cDY6xg5U5ghIHwB9-yBsMUl99SRVIzcRJaVxNe76YhQujiWpYiTqnQtpHw7AQzw/w640-h284/wampa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I want to share a bit of how that’s been going, and if you remember I shared my Worlds prep timeline with you and how there were three key gates I needed to pass through on the way, and the first of those was this past weekend: the Wampa Warm-Up at Element Games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhafSDPZunWvb6EurweM1XWh2yILNnBlRpACcg3esDxJLyDojWX2jXRoimZIOY8hOGitMSdNyQeyV3ue7yuPg64a4t7l3zx6u8sGI_ZZc3-CrRGA7DQoQwVshUq2IpF_raBCTQVAOhyonx5-AoN2325PMc293aIVY7Rjpn_TjsvwEUTLoJ8HZd0rUcKQ/s1673/Worlds%20Timeline.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="1673" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhafSDPZunWvb6EurweM1XWh2yILNnBlRpACcg3esDxJLyDojWX2jXRoimZIOY8hOGitMSdNyQeyV3ue7yuPg64a4t7l3zx6u8sGI_ZZc3-CrRGA7DQoQwVshUq2IpF_raBCTQVAOhyonx5-AoN2325PMc293aIVY7Rjpn_TjsvwEUTLoJ8HZd0rUcKQ/w640-h158/Worlds%20Timeline.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Before we get there, though, I had a couple of weeks of tinkering and testing to get in…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Firstest Orderest</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the reasons I settled on First Order so quickly was that I was already pretty familiar with the faction. I spent a lot of 2022 playing various First Order combinations, especially with the TIE Whisper and that’s probably my favourite ship in the game right now. I love the dynamic of hunting those bullseye arcs, I love the white linked jam actions, I love the synergy with Pattern Analyser (one of my favourite upgrades) to sloop and k-turn but stay aggressive with double linked white actions, and I also love the tactical options of being able to flip to the turret and go in unexpected directions to score objectives. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I actually enjoyed the TIE Whisper so much that I went out and found somebody who was willing to sell me theirs from the Fury of the First Order box so I own four of the spiky little death balls, which through the second half of 2022 I played in several different configurations:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G2omFYd9DuaI6Suw_suwKBIe6B0izIVjWPwhCVetDIa1xYo2HHceoDblg59Q2gkf7172L7hzFOkvsPP2bGvXd7KWhDILatx9b4XCukrMXzsX7B5y4DFK4ZsrdAYscjZA2tJ8mPuGr040Mi0fv5q4Tqya74EWPjCxfX7tBUhAAENv7hvnhS_0JfB9PQ/s818/whisper1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="818" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G2omFYd9DuaI6Suw_suwKBIe6B0izIVjWPwhCVetDIa1xYo2HHceoDblg59Q2gkf7172L7hzFOkvsPP2bGvXd7KWhDILatx9b4XCukrMXzsX7B5y4DFK4ZsrdAYscjZA2tJ8mPuGr040Mi0fv5q4Tqya74EWPjCxfX7tBUhAAENv7hvnhS_0JfB9PQ/w200-h149/whisper1.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAD1l3eXPPULk8gawU-jChQssFix2hCzLVEtdxlpEJ6DoExw4r54KgQjtyTECDUGBW4iqaClt-18UX62AyUYNgJR_GAZGaVdA--RWiwr7NX1MPNnNW8bXwAq9fPFcbNhUGAi5OxHa-dbBSs_C_ORByVkQrHtN3Tqr7PBr7zk9PlFX-qec8FzbyCKBeQ/s819/Whisper%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="819" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAD1l3eXPPULk8gawU-jChQssFix2hCzLVEtdxlpEJ6DoExw4r54KgQjtyTECDUGBW4iqaClt-18UX62AyUYNgJR_GAZGaVdA--RWiwr7NX1MPNnNW8bXwAq9fPFcbNhUGAi5OxHa-dbBSs_C_ORByVkQrHtN3Tqr7PBr7zk9PlFX-qec8FzbyCKBeQ/w200-h154/Whisper%204.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPydovFMZCvG5XaTl4MUKF-3oAI55t8SqePdPj8OmL1rSG8QHU8o2nkWEpjWAMVFSBbNMm2HyPMKeVZ610HIbI36aa8ewIdyWhx4XKI9FweIM6ziZ7ftnWJpjkkaGs-0iTZq1hyZ2WMTJyWjpnJMGUb8d97lcwmDEIgNfMY9aTXCMGP4N3OyjUOCfE_w/s815/Whsierp2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="815" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPydovFMZCvG5XaTl4MUKF-3oAI55t8SqePdPj8OmL1rSG8QHU8o2nkWEpjWAMVFSBbNMm2HyPMKeVZ610HIbI36aa8ewIdyWhx4XKI9FweIM6ziZ7ftnWJpjkkaGs-0iTZq1hyZ2WMTJyWjpnJMGUb8d97lcwmDEIgNfMY9aTXCMGP4N3OyjUOCfE_w/w200-h151/Whsierp2.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM1mZEbu1uR-Q78HcRzvLhur6iXNuHfcRfRYv3ImLBiI_FnO-FPQpfWsrsYuLRc6CuIaCNVq6YJHiC9466Fe9HU_GVEjyi4SgC6gkWmH4Uf8Ls3Ed97AI9iOjSSl2fYQZxlY8fWmHppf2VNlWb-EexVtysNPGymJJQlvN8gwRzFidGX3HcxaXibqBkA/s745/Whsiper3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="745" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLM1mZEbu1uR-Q78HcRzvLhur6iXNuHfcRfRYv3ImLBiI_FnO-FPQpfWsrsYuLRc6CuIaCNVq6YJHiC9466Fe9HU_GVEjyi4SgC6gkWmH4Uf8Ls3Ed97AI9iOjSSl2fYQZxlY8fWmHppf2VNlWb-EexVtysNPGymJJQlvN8gwRzFidGX3HcxaXibqBkA/w200-h177/Whsiper3.png" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You could have followed these exploits (but mostly just seen me show off things I painted) on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sotl_xwing/">my Instagram</a>. But if you aren't interested in squinting in at these photos I was mostly playing:<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>4x TIE Whisper & Grudge</li><li>4x TIE Whisper & Ember</li><li>3x TIE Whisper & Ember & Grudge</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was locked into the 4-4-4-4-4 formation (five ships of 4 squad points each) and really enjoying it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The other ship I knew I liked, even though I wasn’t playing it much, was the humble TIE/fo. I know Scorch, Malarus is obviously ever-present (even though I think Scorch is better) and even Static with an Ion Cannon was a solid pick. And now Hotshots & Aces II has given us ‘better Scorch’ in DT-798 and ‘better Static’ in Lieutenant Galek. There’s now five TIE/fos that can all throw 3 red dice while only costing 3 squad points.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOR0qKCzOsUv-d6EBzuiCaPBq7_uMBwpJxIFrcxGd3GQCOJs-sIeZVZxH4bmezUHi_W5oxwk1A8oZ_BLqW81Q9TH-ksAfS45ppczBsEOKWb7C53Ncxnsr5uSDbGwbjTZbpYBS_0jQzCibmgpc6keCojmf2OWvjeuNbX8dCGI0UrvPaMD86jPY3jl2jA/s941/Dt798.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOR0qKCzOsUv-d6EBzuiCaPBq7_uMBwpJxIFrcxGd3GQCOJs-sIeZVZxH4bmezUHi_W5oxwk1A8oZ_BLqW81Q9TH-ksAfS45ppczBsEOKWb7C53Ncxnsr5uSDbGwbjTZbpYBS_0jQzCibmgpc6keCojmf2OWvjeuNbX8dCGI0UrvPaMD86jPY3jl2jA/w141-h200/Dt798.webp" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_JjiENnliyKwo4TgQnWYNbrA0Sd3nYlZ8M62AdrLhLV0KR65nRwPLNVp86VjaMkpJyYApje-64N3B1nURDe23jmwwRV9tV5p_N51H0Q3RV3ix8kY7dEFSaHSwsH2-A3mF3U6bPGwfDfmY6AkyqJz84Onm54yweM0XpbuD9t4-m8iAPnYv_5zXUTA4g/s523/f7506ec739f5580d484ff0ee49b041f3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="376" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_JjiENnliyKwo4TgQnWYNbrA0Sd3nYlZ8M62AdrLhLV0KR65nRwPLNVp86VjaMkpJyYApje-64N3B1nURDe23jmwwRV9tV5p_N51H0Q3RV3ix8kY7dEFSaHSwsH2-A3mF3U6bPGwfDfmY6AkyqJz84Onm54yweM0XpbuD9t4-m8iAPnYv_5zXUTA4g/w144-h200/f7506ec739f5580d484ff0ee49b041f3.png" width="144" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OxUAZ8xwQMuitO1q9U_v3MmAqTyx7dw_CNHOzyv6Z5dLT-ogA21XhTmMkq65Ipu9tTPNVQPooJYryQw9ZWVIyDhhPdmzotMpAz_qARFUIm0ozTMaQcYjlnz2tTWKl8dZiX66-ZuMNvwV0Tr1BMyd-1cbF-RKY2Rf6XQAvG2BmkhiJE18ELJnrY95vQ/s940/lieutenantgalek.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OxUAZ8xwQMuitO1q9U_v3MmAqTyx7dw_CNHOzyv6Z5dLT-ogA21XhTmMkq65Ipu9tTPNVQPooJYryQw9ZWVIyDhhPdmzotMpAz_qARFUIm0ozTMaQcYjlnz2tTWKl8dZiX66-ZuMNvwV0Tr1BMyd-1cbF-RKY2Rf6XQAvG2BmkhiJE18ELJnrY95vQ/w141-h200/lieutenantgalek.png" width="141" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB94240c24XSrvzrElj2hi9kc4hlSU8ESliYaWu82klMLjsrXO3HycljxJYTbuIobYyvCOxLzbP_CCs6Bm0bhA35SSD12yJWnq54al-sbSA8BxPi7DDm8dVZL8ebKF9bpjtIOwGq9JJlbRMQCIg28tGotbl4y1cVaaoTRj5ivX9mdo5YNzIOlfbIceRA/s418/Swz26_a1_scorch.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB94240c24XSrvzrElj2hi9kc4hlSU8ESliYaWu82klMLjsrXO3HycljxJYTbuIobYyvCOxLzbP_CCs6Bm0bhA35SSD12yJWnq54al-sbSA8BxPi7DDm8dVZL8ebKF9bpjtIOwGq9JJlbRMQCIg28tGotbl4y1cVaaoTRj5ivX9mdo5YNzIOlfbIceRA/w144-h200/Swz26_a1_scorch.webp" width="144" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF-qFOswhaEuy4RxsnXMbIUt3dKTzFYv37dNAOqDlEAQUOORKk8QQ9UbnityTgLmIND_7F0gR8LK0PpEzRqllCR2s6f8mmHIcA4F9Tl5lvMfBzbZxKvU3CFlgLB2tYPavRi93uYYL8rd_PAH5hYYHFF_HNTSe-tCcFJjX1Mo0ouge7fTzoBW6e1WDCA/s418/Swz26_a1_static.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF-qFOswhaEuy4RxsnXMbIUt3dKTzFYv37dNAOqDlEAQUOORKk8QQ9UbnityTgLmIND_7F0gR8LK0PpEzRqllCR2s6f8mmHIcA4F9Tl5lvMfBzbZxKvU3CFlgLB2tYPavRi93uYYL8rd_PAH5hYYHFF_HNTSe-tCcFJjX1Mo0ouge7fTzoBW6e1WDCA/w144-h200/Swz26_a1_static.webp" width="144" /></a><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">That’s the stuff I knew pretty well and you can see a lot of it up in the top-right quadrant of my First Order pilots chart, which I shared in the last blog. Known quantities that, by and large, I knew I liked (with a question mark on Grudge after points changes took Proxy Mines off him).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8cwll2JzvVjVyoFjFfyoM__fIWej_myurzkKA-vm8gh2AVJA5AhmUc-JJRy0NAdZPgbd024ohpw_-JfDAzD-03fl9j3UYEU3dcN_m9Xsb0ZHZwmfq4iVeBLfqlvJYHFS_bWBZ_OkSOulua2dM8kpA1De34_AT5y09BwxBq_Kiz7PwuoIT7x4ZNZdlQ/s770/Quadrant%20FO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8cwll2JzvVjVyoFjFfyoM__fIWej_myurzkKA-vm8gh2AVJA5AhmUc-JJRy0NAdZPgbd024ohpw_-JfDAzD-03fl9j3UYEU3dcN_m9Xsb0ZHZwmfq4iVeBLfqlvJYHFS_bWBZ_OkSOulua2dM8kpA1De34_AT5y09BwxBq_Kiz7PwuoIT7x4ZNZdlQ/w640-h640/Quadrant%20FO.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">For my first bit of dedicated Worlds preparation and practice I decided I wanted to avoid as many of those known quantities as possible. I was going to pick up stuff I wasn’t familiar with, or thought was bad, and just double-check my assumptions that I was right to be avoiding them. With ships like Nightfall, Ember and Scorch safe in the bank I wanted to try the likes of Kylo Ren, Wrath, Captain Phasma and Recoil instead. My natural instincts are to reach for more ships and more red dice, but are the 5pt and 6pt ships worth losing 2 TIE/fos to bring a tougher or tankier ‘ace’?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">6-4-4-3-3 </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This shape of squad brings the 6pt Kylo Ren, two 4pt mid-level ships and two of the efficient 3pt TIE/fo fighters. Kylo in his TIE Whisper was probably the single pilot I most wanted to explore quickly and fully, because I was most confident that he would make it into my squad. He’s a TIE Whisper (great), he has higher Initiative to hunt bullseye arcs with (great), he has Force (great), and he brings Concussions Missiles to offset having a 2-dice arc outside of his bullseye (great). For a few weeks I basically stapled Kylo, DT-798 and Scorch together as the two pieces of bread in a sandwich and then rotated various 4pt elements into the filling to see if I liked the taste.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjt7OTa4QJwutVEa4i5HZvRDquXY7a3i0HsdH_l0p0yLjy9LE_nYPLysjehIvJnzVO08gJam8sNzfABkO_6IHrhOfIP8D-CCniGAIKADxlDJnxc_aYQXnTeS16oGwoWbX1DunnIk1J9u4CxYDr7lDosG451j8pdVETyTB1EWa21ihMezfsb6z5h4qcw/s577/KyloRen.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjt7OTa4QJwutVEa4i5HZvRDquXY7a3i0HsdH_l0p0yLjy9LE_nYPLysjehIvJnzVO08gJam8sNzfABkO_6IHrhOfIP8D-CCniGAIKADxlDJnxc_aYQXnTeS16oGwoWbX1DunnIk1J9u4CxYDr7lDosG451j8pdVETyTB1EWa21ihMezfsb6z5h4qcw/s320/KyloRen.webp" width="227" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9suUXe0t3soAVGnCXBSjHRhaThmWyCj0fGdAr17XYF8eHAtK8WIKi_7MpKxulAvHQfjdXVEfbRRDgTRSiPWnN62j6Ta_bljMFRLa4Jp3E6FKCfAGWrbm933Z2JLEUkYzahMt80lFnXkCnPR0tSszO6ngmYVQ77dWSrqhDK8TOLFYf9mDIg3w9mpIeWg/s418/Swz66_captain-phasma.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9suUXe0t3soAVGnCXBSjHRhaThmWyCj0fGdAr17XYF8eHAtK8WIKi_7MpKxulAvHQfjdXVEfbRRDgTRSiPWnN62j6Ta_bljMFRLa4Jp3E6FKCfAGWrbm933Z2JLEUkYzahMt80lFnXkCnPR0tSszO6ngmYVQ77dWSrqhDK8TOLFYf9mDIg3w9mpIeWg/s320/Swz66_captain-phasma.webp" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">First to go in was Captain Phasma and Backdraft. I’d really enjoyed the TIE/sf a lot, and Phasma in particular, until the TIE Whisper came along and took my attention away. I’d noticed the TIE/sf doing some good things at the Exegol Galaxies Championship toward the end of 2022 and was happy to give the /sf another try. They didn’t last long: I found the /sf required a more rigid approach and formation than I’d become used to playing with the TIE Whispers. I struggled to get Phasma to even keep arc on things and fire every turn!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This was clearly a ‘me’ thing - the TIE/sf shouldn’t be struggling to shoot at things because its not a particularly awkward ship to fly and use. But most important to me, given the short timeframe I was working within, was that it being a ‘me’ thing was a valid reason to cut Phasma out of my thoughts. The TIE/sf is working for people but it’s not working for the way I’m comfortable approaching scenarios, and how much I’ve been enjoying the tactical flexibility of the TIE Whisper to dynamically switch from objective to objective at short notice. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m glad I tried them out to settle a doubt from the mind but I quickly stuck all the TIE/sf pilots back on the shelf – if I wanted to take a TIE/sf I would pick a TIE Whisper instead. Which, to be honest, is exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 6 months anyway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pj1ggsAoS4krkIc3CtVIs3a9hIOgy0a-8WbwdEM91lrhOkVO46b4oSFE5zP_P_L0oNISBkLLV-uEz_9LGyp3_jKn2aQh0MypKFLha5h-LHxaj18b14AD5JqSfSk-JhW6JbFDA2ttlyageMUE3GU4Yk4SNUu0xuaNmXizacPThDiYZhW9ESKLxgvvdw/s540/tumblr_omwir2gIJ01tu7563o1_540.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="540" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pj1ggsAoS4krkIc3CtVIs3a9hIOgy0a-8WbwdEM91lrhOkVO46b4oSFE5zP_P_L0oNISBkLLV-uEz_9LGyp3_jKn2aQh0MypKFLha5h-LHxaj18b14AD5JqSfSk-JhW6JbFDA2ttlyageMUE3GU4Yk4SNUu0xuaNmXizacPThDiYZhW9ESKLxgvvdw/w400-h163/tumblr_omwir2gIJ01tu7563o1_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After moving the TIE/sf back out for ships I knew I liked: Nightfall with either Ember or Grudge alongside, I shifted my focus to what I thought about Kylo Ren’s TIE Whisper. And I thought he was pretty good! Having an I5 TIE Whisper was great, although I did decide early on that I wanted Instinctive Aim over Brilliant Evasion in order to fire Concussion Missiles, just because the TIE Whisper’s linked actions don’t interact with its Target Lock action, so I was never actually getting my locks out to fire the missiles. Kylo was good, but I was also finding he was a clear target for opponents to hunt and 6pts was a lot to have to give up if I didn’t play him defensively enough. I was really enjoying Kylo Ren, everything I thought would be great on him was, in fact, great. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But was he worth 6 squad points? Maaaaaybe? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">5-5-4-3-3</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I now had enough games under my belt with Kylo then I felt like I knew his strengths & weaknesses and where he ranked on the power level table. With my first gate looming – the Wampa Warm Up – I wanted to test out a different squad shape. 5-5-4-3-3 essentially trades Kylo Ren down for Wrath at 5 squad points, buying Recoil’s TIE Silencer in return with the pennies we’ve saved. I’ve not really been enamoured with any of the First Order’s 5pt ships, just because there’s so many really good 4pt ships that I enjoy using, and this was a chance to see if I was missing out on anything.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAP3SiydqcQdOKHHWuygVrWHLTQIvegY1lgPX-LLLd1PAWLFYffcOTFxL48JBhtTcVcfBx8SFh_OzYnpMpFMkqNGZMZGBmX9fFQWD2GypIDh64_G-gTJWtwQQcQ2y_m3XrIwV5R4RHxxY5UX-dObLRircUg2_PDQmgaAxMe28TqIDlpjGOCdD-lCwpA/s523/Silencer_Recoil.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAP3SiydqcQdOKHHWuygVrWHLTQIvegY1lgPX-LLLd1PAWLFYffcOTFxL48JBhtTcVcfBx8SFh_OzYnpMpFMkqNGZMZGBmX9fFQWD2GypIDh64_G-gTJWtwQQcQ2y_m3XrIwV5R4RHxxY5UX-dObLRircUg2_PDQmgaAxMe28TqIDlpjGOCdD-lCwpA/s320/Silencer_Recoil.webp" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GKevN6i_n-PiDvh1ABSUO1Sax3_14CyS_Yn_Mad-cNghi0bv4n9_JQLI6hRvD4rP8BcGJcrPA25B7FrP6hkSoIet8_epsgb7oP32GySwZDZdXvqfp6g69pEfFhobcGuSK_YmAIqMTTllTSjAJ24vlQqbowSaIuDkM4OdPlJHah09TDxlIo1onTBqtg/s577/Wrath.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GKevN6i_n-PiDvh1ABSUO1Sax3_14CyS_Yn_Mad-cNghi0bv4n9_JQLI6hRvD4rP8BcGJcrPA25B7FrP6hkSoIet8_epsgb7oP32GySwZDZdXvqfp6g69pEfFhobcGuSK_YmAIqMTTllTSjAJ24vlQqbowSaIuDkM4OdPlJHah09TDxlIo1onTBqtg/s320/Wrath.webp" width="227" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And the answer was… eh, they’re pretty good? Wrath felt pretty solid, I liked keeping Kylo Ren’s I5 TIE Whisper without paying 6 squad points for it, and I got his double tap attacks off profitably now and then. Recoil was solid but unspectacular, which I pretty much expected. He's another decent I4 gun but I have a reliable I4 gun in Ember that only costs 4pts. And, really, that was the biggest problem with this shape of squad… I’m already having trouble picking which of Nightfall/Ember/Grudge I need to leave at home when I’ve got room for two 4pt ships, so a structure that only brings one of them was just causing me more of a headache!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Warming Up For Wampas</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Testing time ahead of my first ‘gate’ was now up and I had to make a decision on what to play. It was time to reflect on what I’d learned in those few weeks and that meant digging out that handy dandy chart and updating it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJXzTrXCsKAKPYwOpVKw8XlQh8aVeGvZBuABUGG6hcDXhLxh-w6jG9AbXxbW1bWWZjMWWAxDqxJ_GpiuYimsZuINGwUGqRYOFKBm3qgnxphtVH3AYStQF1WeczqV3MguQpcrGuTnkXNo1mvKFfbgcNdYXM-cKNXb9ozSHgetS1_1Xn6_4Oo6HBnJSig/s610/FO%20Chart2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="609" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJXzTrXCsKAKPYwOpVKw8XlQh8aVeGvZBuABUGG6hcDXhLxh-w6jG9AbXxbW1bWWZjMWWAxDqxJ_GpiuYimsZuINGwUGqRYOFKBm3qgnxphtVH3AYStQF1WeczqV3MguQpcrGuTnkXNo1mvKFfbgcNdYXM-cKNXb9ozSHgetS1_1Xn6_4Oo6HBnJSig/w638-h640/FO%20Chart2.png" width="638" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I was really pleased with what this looked like. My testing was creating a clean separation between things I did/didn’t like and meant that I could happily cross them off from my thoughts and hone my choices in even further without feeling like I needed to keep checking behind me to see if I was missing out on something. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In that respect, at least, the testing was working. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Winners</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>DT-798 & Scorch are exceptional value for 3pts, and I was happy I’d picked the right upgrades for them both. Solid, rugged, quick, low maintenance, high damage output, and for all the effort it takes to kill them the opponent scores a measly 3 points.</li></ul><ul><li>Grudge is still good. I’d been on the fence about his value without Proximity Mines in his locker, but the Electro-Chaff had still been an incredible tool for forcing opponents to engage in sub-optimal ways, and he was still fast little runabout for picking up objectives with. The threat of him dealing damage was largely gone but he was still valuable.</li></ul><ul><li>Ember is bae. I’ve liked Ember more than most for a long time and I think she’s probably the most underrated ship in First Order. Because nobody else sings her praises I always feel like she’s a bit of a guilty pleasure and I’m waiting for it all to blow up in my face, but she continues to be reliable offence in a tidy little package with a great dial. In a list of single-modded attacks she’s my trusty completer-finisher that will actually put opponents into the ground if other dice rolls happen to whiff.</li></ul><ul><li>I5 Whispers are good – I’d enjoyed both Kylo Ren and Wrath when I tried them out, that little bit of extra initiative really helped them land their bullseyes usefully and importantly they also both bring a secondary weapon to mitigate the weaker 2 red dice turret. That’s important when you’re chasing a higher initiative ace and failing to land the bullseyes.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Losers</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>The TIE/sf was too rigid, dull, and slow for me to enjoy flying. I’m sure it’s a solid workhorse but it wasn’t for me and my more dynamic and instinctive style of play. Phasma, Backdraft and Quickdraw could all take off them flight suits, they would not be needed.</li></ul><ul><li>Kylo Silencer – I didn’t even play his Silencer and Kylo lost out! I think I learned enough about competing elements like the Kylo Whisper and the points ‘Tetris’ of making a First Order squad to know that I didn’t want to invest 7 squad points into an I5 ace. That’s not how I wanted to fly and I would have to give up too much in the rest of the list to make it happen.</li></ul><ul><li>Nightfall – wow, sad face. I did not expect this result but somewhere along the way I think I noticed Nightfall’s limitations and flaws for the first time. Sandwiched between how much I was enjoying Kylo & Wrath having the 3 dice front arc weapon but Nightfall didn’t have it, and how much Ember and Grudge were delivering at 4pts so I didn’t want to give up either… Nightfall was dropping from teacher’s pet to maybe actually being a problem? Surely not.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So for the Wampa Warm-Up I was picking from just three basic squad structures:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span><span> </span><b>6-4-4-3-3 </b>= Kylo, 2 from Grudge/Ember/Nightfall, 2 from Scorch/DT-798/Malarus</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span><span> </span><b>5-4-4-4-3</b> = Wrath, Grudge, Ember, Nightfall, 1 from Scorch/DT-798/Malarus</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <b> </b><b>4-4-3-3-3-3</b> = 2 from Grudge/Ember/Nightfall, DT-798, Scorch, Malarus, Galek</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think I would have been happy to take any of these choices, but what swung it for me was deciding that as much as the Wampa Warm-Up was a ‘gate’ on my journey to Worlds it was still primarily a learning opportunity, so I decided to continue testing the things I knew least about. The 4-4-3-3-3-3 list with all four TIE/fo pilots in had seemed so strong on paper that I’d never actually put it onto the table and I’d just taken for granted that it was good. Maybe it was time to put that to the test?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDjxckjfPXELsRKXWSCpbduD2FNTLyCSW5O3ZMrAcj0VqytOzPpAKiqFTHQ2ZTq_PO8e7lRYs8gRrF0-GmSYfs1vxw4qqg_fO6lhiECsW15Lf3rkTbXCzhHAW2Crs6U75l7PYAUtZPp1tEzYdTfMO-xzPJv1mxjMuFMepb0Lu9Zkh_LP6rNYs0g-wvA/s498/general-hux-star-wars.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="498" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDjxckjfPXELsRKXWSCpbduD2FNTLyCSW5O3ZMrAcj0VqytOzPpAKiqFTHQ2ZTq_PO8e7lRYs8gRrF0-GmSYfs1vxw4qqg_fO6lhiECsW15Lf3rkTbXCzhHAW2Crs6U75l7PYAUtZPp1tEzYdTfMO-xzPJv1mxjMuFMepb0Lu9Zkh_LP6rNYs0g-wvA/w640-h269/general-hux-star-wars.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’d also begun to focus more and more on how suitable my squad would be at facing into multiple I5/I6 aces that I needed to take points off, which the little bit of X-Wing I’d seen was suggesting that was where the game was moving. While my creative juices starting flowing around wildcards like Concussion Bombing my own Rush, or trying Midnight out again in order to play at I6 the more grounded and practical side of me just wanted to put more firing arcs onto the table and work the angles to pressurise those aces with blaster fire. That was a solid argument for moving towards a 6-ship list over a 5-ship list, it was a tick in the box of something like Galek’s Ion Cannon being a decent addition to the squad, and it was also cross against bringing the bullseye arcs of the TIE Whisper.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of which… I’d not actually played a single game with First Order that didn’t include a TIE Whisper since the day that Fury of the First Order was released. It seemed like high time to see what happened if I left my favourite ship out altogether.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCKgAOD_F0_spU7ys23O3y_PDcJDHHDF3tNlr29_9JcFBIiGbiYLA3HJQu67FwhSfR-kEUIuvxmQSVfS1dFLxP1H93T99vqpgwVu1r_eDlt2xW1zPQ6CmZGsr8cehYlkWs4nsIKWo_kO7qp0slrVfYxt_rRkHtsdTp8fWODA38QtNYzEEan5h-TGrkg/s600/BestEuphoricIcterinewarbler-size_restricted.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCKgAOD_F0_spU7ys23O3y_PDcJDHHDF3tNlr29_9JcFBIiGbiYLA3HJQu67FwhSfR-kEUIuvxmQSVfS1dFLxP1H93T99vqpgwVu1r_eDlt2xW1zPQ6CmZGsr8cehYlkWs4nsIKWo_kO7qp0slrVfYxt_rRkHtsdTp8fWODA38QtNYzEEan5h-TGrkg/w640-h266/BestEuphoricIcterinewarbler-size_restricted.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">(Briefly) The Wampa Warm-Up </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I won!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aof9CxC3z6wH9WMhRKLdcoSVtHshfzePkDOQRP-MIMbcAKGqG10UhoOJ5KhrUrOkG26jYgSpMya9-OU2MvS9KTQJZoeJvO3MpwIEJj23eDBtf5skf_FX8n-atDqaJkLOYp9-MpVOINCRbFq5EETs-TA9uTwuC7KIar56ozfbDR9pU9gqeaFXb_sSSQ/s1735/Malarus-Takes-a-Close-Up.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1735" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aof9CxC3z6wH9WMhRKLdcoSVtHshfzePkDOQRP-MIMbcAKGqG10UhoOJ5KhrUrOkG26jYgSpMya9-OU2MvS9KTQJZoeJvO3MpwIEJj23eDBtf5skf_FX8n-atDqaJkLOYp9-MpVOINCRbFq5EETs-TA9uTwuC7KIar56ozfbDR9pU9gqeaFXb_sSSQ/w640-h274/Malarus-Takes-a-Close-Up.webp" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">There was a modest 14 players, most of them quite local although several had travelled in from around the north of England, and it was a pretty decent mix of metagame lists and stuff people just liked flying. Two of us in the event had Worlds invites and were practising hard, while a third Worlds competitor sadly had to sit out and TO the event.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I played the six-ship variant and left Nightfall at home. Over four rounds of swiss I was the only player to go unbeaten and finish on 4-0, so in that respect it couldn’t have gone any better. But that apparently dominant result masked that three of the four games came down to pretty much the final dice roll and I could have lost any of them. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here’s a quick roundup of how they went…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 1: Dave Lever (Han, Wedge, Fenn, Airen)</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Grudge blunted his alpha strike a bit and the rest of my squad raced in and smashed Han down in two turns of firing. Then Wedge started gobbling up my TIE Fighters and Dave started to claw his way back into it. I think Dave would agree that he was dicing me pretty badly throughout this game and I was lucky to steal the win on the final roll of the dice: Ember hit Fenn Rau and pushed exactly lethal damage through because Fenn rolled double eyeballs and couldn’t spend Focus. If that sounds “wow, that was lucky!” then you’re right, but then those were the first time Fenn hadn’t just rolled straight evades against every attack in like three turns. It was that kind of game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">WIN 19-15 (Assault)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 2: Marc Rider (RAC, Ubbel, Oicunn)</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Wow, that’s a lot of hull!!! I have a lot of red dice, though, and that proved decisive as I could simply burn through Marc’s ships too quickly. Ubbel went down in one round to halve Marc’s damage output then we swarmed onto RAC to finish the game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">WIN 21-7 (Chance Encounter)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 3: Ewan Farr (Whylo, Malarus, Recoil, Blackout) </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> If you know Ewan you know he’s going to be playing TIE Silencers, and here we were as the two loyal First Order players (only FO in the room) fighting it out in the unbeaten bracket. There’s a saying that “top level X-Wing looks like low level X-Wing” and if that’s true then Ewan and I were both playing 4D chess as this game was rotten from both of us – Ewan voluntarily flying into rocks, me spending whole turns planning around a T-Rolling TIE Silencer because I’d forgotten it was ionized. I won 14-11 because Ewan made 14 mistakes and I only made 11.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">WIN 14-11 (Salvage)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round 4: Rich Polley (Ezra Gauntlet, Kulbee, Arvel, Keo, Derek Klivian)</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was relieved Rich was running Rebels instead of the ‘Republic refuses to take damage’ squad that has become popular in the team but as he was on 3-0 I clearly still had a lot to worry about in this game. I think I got the better of the initial engagement, encouraging Rich to stay out wide with most of his ships with a feint then diving back the other direction to pick on half his list with all of mine. That switch caught Rich out and I got ahead early, but on turn three my red dice and Keo’s green dice conspired to mean I’d effectively passed the whole turn to no effect and suddenly Rich was right back in the mix. Ezra finally made his way off the flank and into the middle of the table where he could dominate the fight, Rich bagged a couple of objectives and a dead TIE Fighter and was well and truly back in the game. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think I always felt like I was ahead and likely to win as we approached the end of the 75 minutes, but it was close enough that Rich had a couple of shots on the final round that could have bagged ships and pulled him ahead. I lost Grudge to being too brave with him but one kill wasn’t enough for Rich and I still edged it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">WIN 13-12 (Scramble)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRfHlYCYMWO7gLrYdn-yNZ4BfGbFDrYkA9nAhgv4LWNWRohpaWi1jyur6ikkwsc3QtcwiX5jyuB0RO0nEw26JBreMxSEsfGlLncsObDwxQXS-x3XLnX0AUFOvYOMJwC9xUapCRXO6O1-jqSJrfLS-CjG9vl5zJctffrb4m8OgiMRZlKNL6-bDUt6nxg/s2048/21-First-Order-Rally-1-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="2048" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRfHlYCYMWO7gLrYdn-yNZ4BfGbFDrYkA9nAhgv4LWNWRohpaWi1jyur6ikkwsc3QtcwiX5jyuB0RO0nEw26JBreMxSEsfGlLncsObDwxQXS-x3XLnX0AUFOvYOMJwC9xUapCRXO6O1-jqSJrfLS-CjG9vl5zJctffrb4m8OgiMRZlKNL6-bDUt6nxg/w640-h334/21-First-Order-Rally-1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Four good games, three of them extremely close. So what were my takeaways?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">DT and Scorch are S-tier. Don’t leave home without them. Malarus is good, Galek is clearly the 4th best TIE/fo but actually still fine. Grudge was very worthwhile all day, though I need to work on how to position him on approach as I had success in both hurling him forwards for the Electro-Chaff in some games, or holding him near my rear and using bombs to cover my ship’s rear as we move beyond the initial fight… but it’s difficult to do both because that needs him to be in two places at once. More attention needed on which mode I want to use.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I didn’t feel like I missed Nightfall at all. That was important. And I definitely felt like bringing all that critical mass of firepower had been decisive several times in removing ships ‘ahead of schedule’ and getting ahead in the early game. At the same point, I needed to work on maintaining focused pressure after the initial engagement – I had a bit of tendency for it all to break up a bit and struggle to extend those early leads into safe margins of victory. I’m a trading list and I *will* give up points over 5 or 6 turns and that midgame lull in my points scoring could be problematic.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But for a list I’ve never once played before I turned up with it… I went 4-0. It’s got to be a big thumbs up!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3To4DCFTavuU9hLWd-VptuoGwrw6xbiZF3ys8X5yLQYs9GE7DjyKc1GYDCAPvZY82fOr7BxV_04EDAQZ8xfp1wI8FxrrabSjtr-xlRxv8c3vOZ3F5HiQiUKKk7I4wUdkWN5ocWdg2ZZldho9BRsfW4Ow6s2awH1GgcBIUCzm0D2Z3mUV_nnC9HtCAA/s498/thumbs-up-kylo-ren.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3To4DCFTavuU9hLWd-VptuoGwrw6xbiZF3ys8X5yLQYs9GE7DjyKc1GYDCAPvZY82fOr7BxV_04EDAQZ8xfp1wI8FxrrabSjtr-xlRxv8c3vOZ3F5HiQiUKKk7I4wUdkWN5ocWdg2ZZldho9BRsfW4Ow6s2awH1GgcBIUCzm0D2Z3mUV_nnC9HtCAA/s16000/thumbs-up-kylo-ren.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, and what was my prize for winning the Wampa Warm-Up?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9zjjlu-ouVLDtvXwlYundm1QyyBNGhmkV5OgmRFXuaYQ-aWHs5g3__DlUI20j4D4G89EXsoanf3bQZK7tUFzL9YJZWXcQOMGo6qbh27Emri_jbuZXJ7FGJkJAL0BAuZis0CKAESObyz48hZomTPCvmvP5X1ZcLJnwlYLGBzggN9y68vEbO5XeKvv0A/s1024/Swz87_box.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9zjjlu-ouVLDtvXwlYundm1QyyBNGhmkV5OgmRFXuaYQ-aWHs5g3__DlUI20j4D4G89EXsoanf3bQZK7tUFzL9YJZWXcQOMGo6qbh27Emri_jbuZXJ7FGJkJAL0BAuZis0CKAESObyz48hZomTPCvmvP5X1ZcLJnwlYLGBzggN9y68vEbO5XeKvv0A/w400-h400/Swz87_box.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Perfection.</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-34596100276121074582023-01-11T04:06:00.004-08:002023-01-11T04:26:11.268-08:00WORLDS PREP I: Infinite Possibilities... But Not Infinite Time<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2023/01/im-humble-jack-and-thats-ok.html">I'm going to play in the World Championships of X-Wing</a> at the end of March, at Adepticon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is exciting, and because it's probably the biggest competitive event I've played in for a long time I want to be well prepared. I want to share some of the journey in that preparation with you, and along the way I'd appreciate any feedback and help I get back in return!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In one way this World Championships is landing at a perfect time: we've just had a points update and three expansions worth of new ships dropped into the game (Hotshots & Aces II, Battle of Yavin, Battle of Coruscant) so the metagame is swirling with uncertainty and unrealised potential. In another way, though, it feels like it's too close and coming at me altogether too quickly. I would always describe myself as being 'faction agnostic', meaning I play a bit of everything that takes my fancy across all seven factions, but that becomes a problem when all seven factions have just received new stuff at the same time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">How do I even know where to begin? Should I be looking at the new Han Solo? Should I be looking at Tri-Fighters? Having a new 4pt T-70 makes beefy Resistance look pretty scary, but is it scarier than a 4pt Wolffe in an ARC-170?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I feel like there is a galaxy of infinite possibilities stretching out in front of me... but I definitely don't have infinite time to explore them all!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaELqfGvh4n6cxCS4hbGzgzHEaUxuOHt3ggQKpL61fwRAswlaRoLOTIeBI-h614ga5rjVIvigYTc78pA4g3zKuWYAnIradSPB4zEd-srkD-BU1aJzAwKx_PfPYzN1xZao8bEL1dhRnGp6-BTCHn_vuTKvru6817S8oi3fXkRDp0c2pXPeS9ZmshK7rqw/s1280/map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="1280" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaELqfGvh4n6cxCS4hbGzgzHEaUxuOHt3ggQKpL61fwRAswlaRoLOTIeBI-h614ga5rjVIvigYTc78pA4g3zKuWYAnIradSPB4zEd-srkD-BU1aJzAwKx_PfPYzN1xZao8bEL1dhRnGp6-BTCHn_vuTKvru6817S8oi3fXkRDp0c2pXPeS9ZmshK7rqw/w640-h272/map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In actual fact, my timeline for getting ready for Worlds is very tight, and it's largely being dictated by three key gates I need to pass through along the way...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao3MUTtERvwzXKh1m-ExLvcAZNxiR5WWWsSHn2RfXZ0pdusfeSXN_KlptqC8Gpqv9Ay5T0x1bQj-GJyXGy2RignnpeC2-d-KVExNmNKcnDEteKFHvreiWEUpTVfUCPZDHOjVU_8erq6ZLeAhuXWLMYSUJzHPYf7cmqMuRc5FM1E0leXp06O51CKhnKw/s1673/Worlds%20Timeline.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="1673" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao3MUTtERvwzXKh1m-ExLvcAZNxiR5WWWsSHn2RfXZ0pdusfeSXN_KlptqC8Gpqv9Ay5T0x1bQj-GJyXGy2RignnpeC2-d-KVExNmNKcnDEteKFHvreiWEUpTVfUCPZDHOjVU_8erq6ZLeAhuXWLMYSUJzHPYf7cmqMuRc5FM1E0leXp06O51CKhnKw/w640-h158/Worlds%20Timeline.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">My first gate (at time of writing) is just ten days away, on the 21st of January. The Wampa Warm Up is a tournament being held at Element Games in Stockport to both kick off the new year of X-Wing but also (as the name suggests) function as a warm-up for anyone in the north of England who is going to Worlds.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A little over a month after that comes the second gate, which is the Sith Taker Open 2023. The STO is now an annual fixture in the UK events calendar and in the absence of large scale official organised play events has become the largest X-Wing tournament in the country. The 2023 date was set well befeore Worlds was announced to be taking place at Adepticon but it's given the STO a bit of an extra bite as it's likely to be the best chance anyone in the UK (and wider Europe) has to play in a proper big event before Worlds itself.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The final gate in my timeline is an actual literal gate... it's the departure gate at Manchester International Airport by when I'll need to have packed the ships and pilots and upgrades that I'm intending to play for an enture week in Chicago. There will be room for some spares and options to come along, but packing necessities will mean I need to be pretty close to locked in to my final squad list by then.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Four Corners of the Galaxy</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>I'm an average Joe. I work 9-to-5 five days a week, I have a daughter to look after and a wife to keep happy if I want to be able to take a week off parenting to go and play with plastic spaceships on the other side of the world. That's a lot of my X-Wing prep time gone already. I also don't use Vassal or TTS, I prefer to play in real life with actual ships and things. I tried TTS a bit during 2020 but it left me cold and I found I'd rather spend my evenings painting real ships I wasn't playing with that I would actually playing with digital ships. Right now I'm regretting that a bit, but I'm probably too far behind the curve on TTS to catch up and get a meaningful amount of practice and prep from it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>I play 2-3 games per week on a Tuesday evening, and I've got two tournaments ahead of me to get actual live combat practice in. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That's a long-winded way of saying that I felt like I needed to cut my options down dramatically so that I could focus my efforts to get maximum results quickly. Use the Wampa Warm-Up to get a check on my general direction of travel, between Wampa and STO would be my best time to make a dramatic course-correction if needed, then ideally I'd come out of the Sith Taker Open with a list that I liked enough I could get into details of tweaking upgrades and getting enough repetitions in that I wasn't missing triggers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>So how could I chop seven possible factions and ~infinity possible squadlists down to a manageable number?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFvLbTVFZScFQtU-cDxpYWw-juSSzS8kkYyebqncXR4M7AAt3vWZtS4lLYmPvKXETT7sMG-S_qZ1fjaXfI8LCU_TAY-8Fr92Lh0Vbhubh7utmT6C_lOUXWZaP9T7U-VlXOw71gntImkIY1yu8L1YLyYEi3ddDxC2Hj4_bl9npihingzf7RBDM2uxZqw/s599/z7mheqjbt6771.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFvLbTVFZScFQtU-cDxpYWw-juSSzS8kkYyebqncXR4M7AAt3vWZtS4lLYmPvKXETT7sMG-S_qZ1fjaXfI8LCU_TAY-8Fr92Lh0Vbhubh7utmT6C_lOUXWZaP9T7U-VlXOw71gntImkIY1yu8L1YLyYEi3ddDxC2Hj4_bl9npihingzf7RBDM2uxZqw/s16000/z7mheqjbt6771.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">How do I solve anything in life?</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>I opened an Excel spreadsheet.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWNQPDXqU0AGvCdxYeb558sLI2KLK3aSgVNTqXPw8ygmS--OAZcx0vxmfiPdZG3tpYc2_5zkg0IO5tMzYN_nDAOh6zG-p8hgB-mS2Chc2p0zoQ4opgxVCrUPKiPVpzDrPVNOYaJibDUZmpzFlwT7sp1jlKdrWWCylEi2TKCeIgyIl8nprMcA4i08ivw/s770/Quadrant%20Faction1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWNQPDXqU0AGvCdxYeb558sLI2KLK3aSgVNTqXPw8ygmS--OAZcx0vxmfiPdZG3tpYc2_5zkg0IO5tMzYN_nDAOh6zG-p8hgB-mS2Chc2p0zoQ4opgxVCrUPKiPVpzDrPVNOYaJibDUZmpzFlwT7sp1jlKdrWWCylEi2TKCeIgyIl8nprMcA4i08ivw/w640-h640/Quadrant%20Faction1.png" width="640" /></a></div>I cannot tell you how much that quadrant chart has helped me to put some list-building blinkers in and focus down onto my best chance of finding a list I like.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the Left-to-Right axis I rated factions by how familiar I was with them. I might say I'm faction agnostic but in reality there's some factions I've played a lot more of than others. On the far right is thte Empire, which is the faction I qualified for Worlds with, while on the far left is Separatists because every time I've put Vultures and calculate tokens onto the table they've been awful and made me want to throw them at the wall.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the Top-to-Bottom axis I rated factions by how much I was currently interested in flying them, before I started digging into list-building too deeply what was my surface level interest in them? At the top is First Order because I love their aggressive style and Tie Whispers are perhaps my favourite ship in the game right now, while at the bottom was Rebel and Scum because I felt like I'd be leaning into big base ships (which I don't play much) or alpha-strike synergies (which I personally find dull to play).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Anything in the top-right quadrant is something I think I want to play and I'm familiar with playing it,, while anything in the bottom-left quadrant is something that I'm not too interested in and think other people will play it better than me anyway.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Cutting this quadrant grid in half immediately chopped my options right down.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-N7jiyuiEUxA_F8SVqwHFnWv5PVGMxLCbaAT7ItfhWFyjWoRKKOh8_wl5J-dpo-Ewv-TmQAanrbxjNcL4Z5eC6CjBd3KeK-VNbPYzQi2DVrgCv5APzcRBwbnywcu_Sbz837ZAlulDSin1Iiwhnyud8SBG7YT-j4yeflcYLP-OAyKQMTpWrUwn1mpiew/s770/Quadrant%20Faction2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-N7jiyuiEUxA_F8SVqwHFnWv5PVGMxLCbaAT7ItfhWFyjWoRKKOh8_wl5J-dpo-Ewv-TmQAanrbxjNcL4Z5eC6CjBd3KeK-VNbPYzQi2DVrgCv5APzcRBwbnywcu_Sbz837ZAlulDSin1Iiwhnyud8SBG7YT-j4yeflcYLP-OAyKQMTpWrUwn1mpiew/w640-h640/Quadrant%20Faction2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I won't even open a squad builder for Rebels, Resistance or Scum. I'm sure there's good lists in those factions, and I'm sure I'll run into them at Worlds, but I'm not the right person to go dredging through those factions for the right combinations on a short timeline. I'd happily play them for funsies on a Tuesday night and see if anything clicks for me, but not while I'm trying to be serious for a minute.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The biggest sacrifice I think I made here was Separatist. I really like a lot of the new Separatist toys and I think I'd be able to make a squad that I liked in the faction. I actually had a CIS squad built and packed into my bag for yesterday evening before I made this chart and took it out, but two things have swayed me against spending time exploring in that direction.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><div style="text-align: justify;">I've been here before with CIS. It must be a good half a dozen times that I've looked at CIS and gone "yeah, I think this is gonna be really good I'll give it a try!" and every time I wind up picking up a Calculate token and waving it at my opponent and cursing how crap they are compared to Focus. CIS is the faction of underachieving my expectations and I could easily be about to get burned yet again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></li><li style="text-align: justify;">If I'm right and there IS something in CIS that's really good then lots of other people are ahead of me in being familiar with the faction. They'll find it first, they'll make better listbuilding choices than I would, and they'll fly it better on the table than I would. The faction is so far over to the left side of the Familiarity axis that I don't think I've got time to drag it over onto the right-hand side.</li></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Seven Becomes Three... Becomes One</span></b></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">The quadrant chart had been so helpful in looking at factions that I started to apply it within factions and sort through possible squad styles and pilot choices.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What became obvious quite rapidly was that I had a clear Plan A to focus on: First Order.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Because <a href="http://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/02/dr-sloanelove-how-i-learned-to-stop.html">I qualified for Worlds playing a Sloane Swarm</a> I'm emotionally attached to wanting to follow through on that and fly Imperials at Worlds at well. But it's a different game now and none of the pieces I flew in February 2020 would be with me at Adepticon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqxV0M2NamTj6SZWv8Hxg6eOw4BmqsUrbdh_BZDo-fmMCu-Uqw4CD9hOGkpyFoh7nDujhs2uIwcL7DQOA_Uei9IjuNfMMrS32ogAoLkVHTdnY7xPdeD0HTOUGIRdoMn-XN4nOCWbVS7SYwt-OLui1zfWiP5sKI_cJ7fCx9c5GsevtDKq09GQr2SWfUw/s640/soane.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqxV0M2NamTj6SZWv8Hxg6eOw4BmqsUrbdh_BZDo-fmMCu-Uqw4CD9hOGkpyFoh7nDujhs2uIwcL7DQOA_Uei9IjuNfMMrS32ogAoLkVHTdnY7xPdeD0HTOUGIRdoMn-XN4nOCWbVS7SYwt-OLui1zfWiP5sKI_cJ7fCx9c5GsevtDKq09GQr2SWfUw/w640-h480/soane.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Sloane is banned, generics are no longer enjoying the moment of efficiency and success that I'd struck upon three year ago... as much as I loved this list it was in the past and my options for the future in Empire weren't grabbing me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3tcNlPMti9_8VuLzZoaoC-pFJWFyabuzcS0bOQOlJEh-x0K_F67OVKyYcZXy4IQVR2wIOsIB2QDbG64vwz6batdwR339_vgaXipFoSCdUMUy5mDoZMg8XN0aUBZOI6YTRCX5S43pyKenvEGdpMj3pW9ErEVAMpybEE6RCiW3yYAbbts6a7iIm2V_ig/s770/Quadrant%20Empire.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3tcNlPMti9_8VuLzZoaoC-pFJWFyabuzcS0bOQOlJEh-x0K_F67OVKyYcZXy4IQVR2wIOsIB2QDbG64vwz6batdwR339_vgaXipFoSCdUMUy5mDoZMg8XN0aUBZOI6YTRCX5S43pyKenvEGdpMj3pW9ErEVAMpybEE6RCiW3yYAbbts6a7iIm2V_ig/w640-h640/Quadrant%20Empire.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I feel like an Empire list I made would be pivoting around a particular central piece to the strategy (much like how I'd pivoted around Admiral Sloane), and I either don't believe in them, or don't enjoy flying them.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've never believed in Defender Vader and I DEFINITELY don't believe in Battle of Yavin Vader. I tried a Howlrunner swarm last month and actually found it a bit boring and lacking in dial/repositioning options to keep me interested. I do believe in TIE/x1 Vader but I think other people will play an ace like that better than me and that he's a known quantity most opponents will understand how to play against him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJGkdkdvVzDxSTMiLX55KTkXkXpATlpUoX2oOoP8yj277AV0MqGs_zHtOUdJyHGc0g2CKp0NwdtkeOvVly9FsLLI-oXah40zrk2wQA1jIH5ZYzsslmq773kxKGb61MAZhV4X52_8FMjctrQY03LzjnUZO4hGz1E0AAQb2IhIbiNPAj492B7cndjy2_Q/s418/Morna.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJGkdkdvVzDxSTMiLX55KTkXkXpATlpUoX2oOoP8yj277AV0MqGs_zHtOUdJyHGc0g2CKp0NwdtkeOvVly9FsLLI-oXah40zrk2wQA1jIH5ZYzsslmq773kxKGb61MAZhV4X52_8FMjctrQY03LzjnUZO4hGz1E0AAQb2IhIbiNPAj492B7cndjy2_Q/s320/Morna.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The pilot I'm most likely to play in Empire is probably Morna Kee in her Decimator after I hit on a list I really liked for Morna just before all the new points and ships arrived at the end of last year. My initial reaction was that things like Rebel Alpha and Wolffe/Jag Republic lists would rise to the top and be a real problem for Morna to survive so I've not used her in a while,but as that doesn't seem to be happening (yet, it's too early to tell) maybe she can still work for me.. although I've not played Decimators much in general, hence why she's over on the left-hand side of the grid. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would happily be championing her at Worlds but Morna's a Plan B at best, and a Plan B that I feel I'd need to switch onto quite early.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcna7i8dP1izbxBUIdlzLYKj2KBCO7-7Xw7uCXDBwOoFDf28iK66aJlmHuajUcnZr1CJYTrJcR-mgiLuoGE9gYh0KKUkSd4MEgggK6lY0uEtynlaoSANFpwgxqyjd4NhxJgbuqWelvgkSJQ_DiVUhhHaTJMGgwbqbXnEHlpe_wV-ltUHXFK--h5meww/s770/Quadrant%20Republic.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcna7i8dP1izbxBUIdlzLYKj2KBCO7-7Xw7uCXDBwOoFDf28iK66aJlmHuajUcnZr1CJYTrJcR-mgiLuoGE9gYh0KKUkSd4MEgggK6lY0uEtynlaoSANFpwgxqyjd4NhxJgbuqWelvgkSJQ_DiVUhhHaTJMGgwbqbXnEHlpe_wV-ltUHXFK--h5meww/w640-h640/Quadrant%20Republic.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Galactic Republic was in a different boat, for me. I've flown Republic a lot less than I have Empire over the years but<a href="http://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/10/hyperspace-trial-runner-up-iq-games.html"> I nearly qualified for 2019 Worlds</a> with it, and I was an early adopter of the Calibrated Laser Targering/Seventh Fleet Gunner combination and have played that a lot over the last two years. But while I know that particular list style quite well the rest of the faction is pretty much an unknown for me - I've never flown Anakin as a top ace, I've never really embraced the Naboo Starfighter, and I've literally NEVER flown an Actis ETA because I was always so focused on having the CLT/7FG combo instead. There's a lot of cool looking stuff in Battle of Coruscant but it's all new and I'll need time to figure it out.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cI8aCjsRVqGAlhbRjaXcE5_-NTe6zL6fOaNVP3TBxTgV0T1Mtqi1xyR5s6JvSLv_J7kfDtf4-fV6Nk_SGUPlmN4W0bWqAr2PblmdV_KGHJshpUGlE4Wf8mwScTd0lbXTMsFlUQHjzDtrmSi-rvTV6os9KOesSS5_EaYPwh2o5y7vxkhRbI4Yfv1GOw/s418/7fg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cI8aCjsRVqGAlhbRjaXcE5_-NTe6zL6fOaNVP3TBxTgV0T1Mtqi1xyR5s6JvSLv_J7kfDtf4-fV6Nk_SGUPlmN4W0bWqAr2PblmdV_KGHJshpUGlE4Wf8mwScTd0lbXTMsFlUQHjzDtrmSi-rvTV6os9KOesSS5_EaYPwh2o5y7vxkhRbI4Yfv1GOw/s320/7fg.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So the whole Republic faction, for me, boils down to actually being the Seventh Fleet Gunner faction and I'm not sure that strategy is in a great place right now, especially after nerfs to the LAAT loadouts (thanks for nothing, Satine!).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm confident there's going to be very strong lists in Republic, but I'm not sure I know the new strong stuff well enough to play it at a high level. What was really telling to me was that, as with Empire, this quadrant chart didn't really place anything into the top-right box. The stuff I liked I didn't trust in the current metagame and the stuff I thought had the most value is stuff I wasn't familar with.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So with Republic joining Empire as a Plan B, we were down to one Plan A...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6v3SP2usT1fSHeVdKVfxkWiADnIvfYVFMa6dH6ojtgccgOE7SQIm-dfaxLpIPHQt-sd4kQMwdM0lUwbe1H4O97NQPbZsZsjwt_dcAzg-nxhnSGfrfC6hZeXPoD0Lr-fMfY_2DAL6TWdolODMa2XRA2cTz6xoCdiOcLTAlv-0eGBdO3XXkNQO0tsveSQ/s770/Quadrant%20FO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="770" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6v3SP2usT1fSHeVdKVfxkWiADnIvfYVFMa6dH6ojtgccgOE7SQIm-dfaxLpIPHQt-sd4kQMwdM0lUwbe1H4O97NQPbZsZsjwt_dcAzg-nxhnSGfrfC6hZeXPoD0Lr-fMfY_2DAL6TWdolODMa2XRA2cTz6xoCdiOcLTAlv-0eGBdO3XXkNQO0tsveSQ/w640-h640/Quadrant%20FO.png" width="640" /></a></div>I won't go through all my First Order options and thoughts right now because I think I'm going to be talking about them a lot more in the next two months, but I think that quadrant chart shows clearly why I'm happy to focus onto the faction.<div><br /></div><div>There's a lot of stuff that I'm confident is good AND I enjoy playing it AND I'm pretty experienced with it. That's a solid base for the faction and lets me work around and explore other options. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can look at pieces like Captain Phasma (which I know but think is probably not good) and see if I can move them up into the top-right quadrant. I've got time to look at pieces like Kylo Ren and see if I can get enough games with him to move him across into the top-right.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1-q6ZRA0wLZmaRWJuYbK9-8yaFhXVzyYYkJ3xLh4MnO-mHEl4dYLZsOUxgypXkU1q9v_mUPfHAiyoAErSnTrNLBLnzGS6-TzM1mr6KI4Byu9AtBLH7lgSK-nCyvdqxgLquq3On8can9lpWpLQkqdreG7xZs74zDWiX8-R5OS-Cgy6F78rFSYNcQC6g/s400/kyloren-starwars.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1-q6ZRA0wLZmaRWJuYbK9-8yaFhXVzyYYkJ3xLh4MnO-mHEl4dYLZsOUxgypXkU1q9v_mUPfHAiyoAErSnTrNLBLnzGS6-TzM1mr6KI4Byu9AtBLH7lgSK-nCyvdqxgLquq3On8can9lpWpLQkqdreG7xZs74zDWiX8-R5OS-Cgy6F78rFSYNcQC6g/s16000/kyloren-starwars.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>At some point I'll run the exercise of cutting this grid in half, like I did with the factions, but before I do that I'm going to spend some time moving pilots around this grid (and some other ones that I've left off for now so it's not too cluttered. And I'm confident that there's enough options that I like/know in First Order that I'll be able to find a list I can take to Worlds.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Morna Kee and Wolffe are still standing by, for now. The first real test will be the Wampa Warm-Up, where I'll be hoping to lock in to First Order at faction level or make the decision to change course completely.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What that First Order list will be? Unsure. Will it have six ships? Five ships? Four ships? Unsure. But using the quadrant charts has already massively helped me in focusing my energy away from the likes of Han Solo, General Grievious and Poe Dameron, which feels like a step in the right direction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Space Nazi's FTW!</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXStBR_imM5FvQYuCAiqfAyp8zV4LUZt_dD79wgZBEXjI1TIHjfhEJzZ4vDKFwIce68lwBjzW1emQu0vlyVHQ9nWoXDe__0X2iAkPNJpQ-7n2E9ITuRn8cGYLd9_mU8zmxRxP2wWWeyKfTtazrUegbw5v23e_Nz1RKdvgGN41f7Vqusjlp_VVWEZNEvA/s400/665a69c9-68fc-48a4-b008-e8994a091ed1_text.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="400" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXStBR_imM5FvQYuCAiqfAyp8zV4LUZt_dD79wgZBEXjI1TIHjfhEJzZ4vDKFwIce68lwBjzW1emQu0vlyVHQ9nWoXDe__0X2iAkPNJpQ-7n2E9ITuRn8cGYLd9_mU8zmxRxP2wWWeyKfTtazrUegbw5v23e_Nz1RKdvgGN41f7Vqusjlp_VVWEZNEvA/w640-h268/665a69c9-68fc-48a4-b008-e8994a091ed1_text.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-43812540866690599302023-01-01T16:47:00.005-08:002023-01-01T16:47:34.117-08:00I'm a humble Jack, and that's ok<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><br /></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><blockquote><b>Warning;</b> This blog is very self-centered. There's no metagame tips or strategy or any of that good stuff in here this time. But it's about being a gamer, about being competitive, about winning some games while losing others, and about coming to terms with all of that and finding an emotional balance point. I've been playing games competitively for nearly 30 years now and over that time I think I've found tools to give myself that essential emotional balance, but as my trip to the X-Wing World Championships in March approaches it's brought the struggle back to mind with a renewed focus. </blockquote><blockquote>I wanted to share the journey through which I achieved that balance because, who knows, maybe it'll resonate with somebody else out there.</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I'm a humble<span style="color: #2b00fe;">*</span> Jack...</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm a Jack.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What do I mean by that? Well, if you took out a deck of cards and had to place yourself somewhere in that deck based on how good you are at X-Wing, I'm pretty sure I'd be a Jack. A Jack is pretty good, it's one of the 'face' cards and it's better than a lot of other cards. Indeed, if you're playing Aces High (and this is X-Wing so aces have to be high) then there's 9 cards worse than a Jack and only 3 cards that are better. But, importantly, there are 3 cards that are definitely better.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe8lCPa_6esFRoXgUFJCIKyAaigBdMUZi7FFswzFFkID0153vXcpAULkSjug6qRYaQt0hIxsatAxIeT91xvKBIz6qrdhwRl60MIOZ9_3SuWMJtW_dCSPhFidVEbIDxB8mhaASGxBdHUAOw6oIfwdF6eumGaQckXNjYZ4dwf0AOXLO5a2k4s7O51YZ9w/s1600/Playing-cards-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe8lCPa_6esFRoXgUFJCIKyAaigBdMUZi7FFswzFFkID0153vXcpAULkSjug6qRYaQt0hIxsatAxIeT91xvKBIz6qrdhwRl60MIOZ9_3SuWMJtW_dCSPhFidVEbIDxB8mhaASGxBdHUAOw6oIfwdF6eumGaQckXNjYZ4dwf0AOXLO5a2k4s7O51YZ9w/w640-h360/Playing-cards-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So the experience of being a Jack is that you'll win a lot more games than you lose, and I do. I can only think of a handful of times when my win record at a tournament was 50-50 or worse, and I take for granted that I'll pretty much always be on the winning end of the scoring.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But the experience of being a Jack is <i>also</i> that when it comes to sharp end there's always goimg to be something better than you, because plenty of things *are* better than you. To get to the final and pick up the big prize you're going to have to face a Queen, or a King, or even an Ace, and you're probably going to lose that game. Like the England football team I've got "Quarter-Final Knockout Heartbreak" written all over me before I even start round one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuQNbCEjt5ZhNjo2wlCGpxnEblPGZ6ntTaePiCqaBonK8ei8M-MsAZ1nKmaf0BqvS5pP2EIbb_yG2B8y86evBXKtOThWibv5ZYax1xsL-qmi7KRdP5i5Y0c0NkynY2UwZ3xMfWsnxDqMV069zVk7pkV3FlsI6dlEpvVLaVC7DISUIg4WwN_xe6KMc5g/s632/england.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="632" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuQNbCEjt5ZhNjo2wlCGpxnEblPGZ6ntTaePiCqaBonK8ei8M-MsAZ1nKmaf0BqvS5pP2EIbb_yG2B8y86evBXKtOThWibv5ZYax1xsL-qmi7KRdP5i5Y0c0NkynY2UwZ3xMfWsnxDqMV069zVk7pkV3FlsI6dlEpvVLaVC7DISUIg4WwN_xe6KMc5g/w640-h384/england.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And this isn't just an X-Wing thing, by the way. 25 years ago when I was spending pretty much every waking moment thinking about Magic: The Gathering I was a Jack at that too. Then I was a Jack at the World of Warcraft TCG, and Netrunner too. Hell, I'm a Jack at video games too: Apex Legends, Mariokart, FIFA, Rocket League, Marvel Snap and probably countless others... Jacks all across the board. Playing football in real life? Jack. Writing? Jack. Excel skills? Jack. This list could go on much longer but I daren't ask my wife to contribute anything... maybe I'm the Jack of Hearts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think there's some aspects of the game - and of games in general - that I'm a lot better than a Jack at. Deckbuilding/squadbuilding was always my key strength and I was easily a King in that sphere. I've often had the 'proud father' experience of watching better players than me taking lists I'd made much further and higher than I ever could have taken it myself. And enough companies have paid me ridiculously well for my insight over the decades for me to believe that I'm probably a King in terms of high level strategic insight and seeing trends and truths that others who are more detail-oriented than me would miss. But when it comes to actually playing those lists and executing those strategies on the table it's probably exactly that lack of detail-oriented mindset that holds me back and makes me a Jack. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've often thought of it as like being in a racing team. I could design a fast car and fit it with a powerful engine. I could look at the circuit we were going to race on and make strategic decisions about gear ratios and wing settings and tyre strategy. I was good at all that stuff. But none of that stuff happens on the track and there was a lot of people who were much better drivers than me, who could make this split-second decisions better than I could, nail the apex better than I could. I had a role to play, and that role was usually pit crew, or being the second driver in the team and not the team lead. I've been part of a lot of teams over the years where I was simply proud to have played my part in getting success for the ace driver by adding that kind of planning and support.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqIabbsmxFjR4IGgeq7CvQghUFLr1OvVccWghI-8WUtaNmRH9iT7lqXHneItsqYz8O0Kb3kdBNubH1zuTzPc7aDhlGV7Uo8hcaDri_9Rp53LA-ks_l_5A-EEFv0oWzGnnqM56LXZcXQTZ77f2priPXwXnxAvS8Lql69zgOFZNSloiK6CSyoumxsC_9A/s1200/bottas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1200" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqIabbsmxFjR4IGgeq7CvQghUFLr1OvVccWghI-8WUtaNmRH9iT7lqXHneItsqYz8O0Kb3kdBNubH1zuTzPc7aDhlGV7Uo8hcaDri_9Rp53LA-ks_l_5A-EEFv0oWzGnnqM56LXZcXQTZ77f2priPXwXnxAvS8Lql69zgOFZNSloiK6CSyoumxsC_9A/w400-h229/bottas.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It's not all doom & gloom as a Jack, though. There will be times when the style of list I'm playing is particurly well-aligned to the zeitgeist of the metagame and I get to outperform my level for a while, and maybe pick up wins more like a Queen would. And maybe there's even some days when I'm playing particularly well and I can feel what it's like to be a King for the day. But I know I'll never be an Ace, even for one game let alone a whole day - I've been close enough to Aces to know that there's an X-factor involved that I simply don't have - so if I'm in a room with an Ace then at some point the pairings are going to put us onto the same table and I'm going to lose. And time and again that has been my experience in big X-Wing events, where I very reliably go deep enough to lose to somebody clearly better than me. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even the times when I was having a good day and got within touching distance of a something important, like qualifiying for Worlds, there would always be a King or an Ace standing between me and the big prize, like a Jack Mooney, <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/10/hyperspace-trial-runner-up-iq-games.html">Stuart Blucke</a> or Tom Reed. Because they're better than me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes it's quarter-final heartbreak. Sometimes it's semi-final heartbreak. Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, it'll be final heartbreak. But it's always likely to be heartbreak.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> =================</span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Looking back over the mists of time to when I played Magic it's completely clear that I was a Jack all along. My best friend, Neil, was always better at the game than I was, he just saw the web of interacting factors and subtle queues in a way that I never did and never will. </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Because I played literally thousands of hours of Magic with Neil I was under no illusions that he had something I didn't.</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i>When games hit a tipping point of complexity Neil would always make it more complex, knowing that he could solve the complex board state better than most opponents, while at the same tipping point I would always seek to simplify the board state and avoid hitting thte point that the mental maths in my head would break down and simply go "ah fuck it, attack with everything and see what happens". But even Neil was only a Queen - on his best day with a good deck he *could* be an Ace, he could (and did) face down the best players in the world and turn them inside out, which I could never have done. But on the few occasions that I did run deep into major Magic events or got to attend Pro Tours it was very clear there was probably another two tiers of players even above Neil.</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHD5Fm-vj2jWDnCupC8EL_J-bTlaO-TK7acDRQeKR4twKABuxdHoAxgEEln59rECmXJBcwoigsrWtoq383UJGUQX82aAbgdp_hGJjvmihTG0zcwUu_GI3jj82WM5OHXlokS0oP_zOCrm98JPe9d2ZR1ubnQh37PYKwB15VwS6HtMN2dYqki-7Vy2bD1Q/s765/PVDDR.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="765" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHD5Fm-vj2jWDnCupC8EL_J-bTlaO-TK7acDRQeKR4twKABuxdHoAxgEEln59rECmXJBcwoigsrWtoq383UJGUQX82aAbgdp_hGJjvmihTG0zcwUu_GI3jj82WM5OHXlokS0oP_zOCrm98JPe9d2ZR1ubnQh37PYKwB15VwS6HtMN2dYqki-7Vy2bD1Q/w640-h424/PVDDR.png" width="640" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PVDDR, definitely an Ace</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>There was the Aces, he guys who were winning all the big events. Then there was the Kings, the guys who weren't actually winning Pro Tours but were happily chugging away on the gravy train doing well enough to get invited to basically every major event and pick up their appearance money. There was guys like Neil, who was good enough to semi-regularly make it to the big events and occasionally run deep enough to win a nice pot of cash. Then there was me, and thousands of other people at my level.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> =================</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What The Deuce?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, why am I telling you this? And why now?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, to make it all a bit more relevant to current events: almost three years ago (THREE YEARS!!!) this Jack found himself playing in a World Championship Qualifier side event on the Sunday of the Milton Keynes System Open. And this Jack had been beavering away on Excel spreadsheets and had cornered the market on generic efficiency and was playing a good list, so he was performing like a Queen. And this Jack was also having one of his occasional good days when he was really on top of it and playing very well, so in that room at that event he was a King. And it so happened that this was a side event and most of the other Kings and Aces were still playing in the cut of the System Open. ,</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So for the first time this Jack wound up being the top trump in the deck and <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/02/dr-sloanelove-how-i-learned-to-stop.html">winning a ticket to the 2020 X-Wing World Championships</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUethRUgJwxi_5x9-iAr9AyNRHC2-IeCFaeKqr-Dx3e9CQCRcZA2GiyZxkvm7s7bKqVEYjcLoCr3ZgjHE_D5o57IbBkDPG04d4DV7LV7nJ4--IxTSSfxZEPEiLbQQiFiOh1hE-5isFZ4Yq1byhaOqAVYBWuDStINP2QFCSt00X210q48eIPK6mHC5dQ/s700/edwin-hooper_web.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUethRUgJwxi_5x9-iAr9AyNRHC2-IeCFaeKqr-Dx3e9CQCRcZA2GiyZxkvm7s7bKqVEYjcLoCr3ZgjHE_D5o57IbBkDPG04d4DV7LV7nJ4--IxTSSfxZEPEiLbQQiFiOh1hE-5isFZ4Yq1byhaOqAVYBWuDStINP2QFCSt00X210q48eIPK6mHC5dQ/w640-h426/edwin-hooper_web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">That was February 2020. Shortly afterwards a load of stuff happened.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then more stuff happened.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then EVEN MORE stuff happened after that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And in around 80 day's time this Jack is going to be getting on a plane to fly to NOT the 2020 World Championships in NOT Minnesota, organised by NOT Fantasy Flight Games and using NOT the rules that he won his ticket with.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And this Jack is going to be walking into a room almost exclusively filled with Queens, Kings and Aces. When you have an event that non-face cards aren't invited to then Jacks become the new Deuces.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This Jack is very nervous about this proposition. I'm not used to being a Deuce. I don't think I'm going to like it very much.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aJW9BznWTAks_-xlY_K31A6e-OztKzIiCkNxKxB9GJQH02oLrZCTu5Nzqhw4bhRJr4O46whB-Btb7r5lsxJ9PvQoON9iJ7LNL1WLxoelOiLH7f6HF0Of4zEXkGqEhfQ69rDQkYN0iQhu5CFD8mzL2RVvF0o2Vb8LOIC_peifxp7vdkaowkiQ3f9V6g/s640/montage-team.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aJW9BznWTAks_-xlY_K31A6e-OztKzIiCkNxKxB9GJQH02oLrZCTu5Nzqhw4bhRJr4O46whB-Btb7r5lsxJ9PvQoON9iJ7LNL1WLxoelOiLH7f6HF0Of4zEXkGqEhfQ69rDQkYN0iQhu5CFD8mzL2RVvF0o2Vb8LOIC_peifxp7vdkaowkiQ3f9V6g/s16000/montage-team.gif" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">So... if this was a film this would be the perfect time to cut to a training montage. I'd hit the X-Wing gym hardcore style, download TTS and there'd be shots of me playing TTS at home, at my desk, on the train, in the corner of a house party ignoring everyone else, just playing playing playing. Trudging through waist-high snow with a pair of Decimators held high above my head, sweating and grunting through calculating dice math and memorising trigger interactions. Maybe practising my 3-bank template placement while balancing on a log hammered into the sea as the sun sets behind me, Karate Kid style... "SLOOP THE LEG!".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yeah, in a movie I'd be stepping off the plane in Chicago in two months time as a secret King or Ace, ready to take down the world. They're never going to see me coming.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwknYG6cO4mnylgPcaR0WwSvbX-pe2WSbJkroTj7yvV4Jat-6MIQl9KqW4z91_qDm8H8DcIf05bhabLDQZd8T1Rg9Qo4ANskLvTl9_o7SNRyZw-a21A7LhY-mPQKjCCF11l83DrC1dm_T1GTaun5VUxhBd1TQpMBc7ecPg2T92AiAloRbJKxDbGXT1qg/s1920/nintchdbpict000341722695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwknYG6cO4mnylgPcaR0WwSvbX-pe2WSbJkroTj7yvV4Jat-6MIQl9KqW4z91_qDm8H8DcIf05bhabLDQZd8T1Rg9Qo4ANskLvTl9_o7SNRyZw-a21A7LhY-mPQKjCCF11l83DrC1dm_T1GTaun5VUxhBd1TQpMBc7ecPg2T92AiAloRbJKxDbGXT1qg/w640-h360/nintchdbpict000341722695.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Practice, study, raise your game, be the best that you can be. This is the ideal opportunity, seize it and prove yourself. There's no shortage of performance coaching theories and slogans to support this sort of thinking.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuoIEQybZxj3dzlzBmCUNeVebRloQ43CIGo3HrYK8jre79Al6IJO48-JTjd30UZN65T2uB_OAxAvcxZKnDn1N5vD8CmkHNTZZOooT-IvJjloCYJTXAEeFeKdalwjNi-4dVRKGl_VXJrcxDLL1fhiFab9kd_oeW5a3YTFGO_b143QuVx_iPiD3sYhwnw/s700/effort-equation-1%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="700" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuoIEQybZxj3dzlzBmCUNeVebRloQ43CIGo3HrYK8jre79Al6IJO48-JTjd30UZN65T2uB_OAxAvcxZKnDn1N5vD8CmkHNTZZOooT-IvJjloCYJTXAEeFeKdalwjNi-4dVRKGl_VXJrcxDLL1fhiFab9kd_oeW5a3YTFGO_b143QuVx_iPiD3sYhwnw/w640-h208/effort-equation-1%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ironically, it was too much effort for whoever made this to run it through spellcheck</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And if it was anyone else going through this situation instead of me then that's exactly what I'd be saying to them:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"You've gor two months, pick a list and get loads of practice with it, play as much as you can, watch what's happening in the metagame, build a gauntlet of top lists and practise against them relentlessly, seek out other players who are going to Worlds and see if you can team up and be stronger together. You've earned the ticket so you're obviously good enough, now focus and give yourself the best chance at being proud of what you do at Worlds. Don't accept being a Jack, you can be a King if you put the effort in!".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There's a problem with all that, though: I *like* being a Jack. I like it because it's an important defense mechanism for my mental health.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I'm a humble Jack... and that's ok!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've been here before. In 1998 I was playing Magic: The Gathering 40-50 hours a week after dropping out of university (because I was going to fail because I was playing Magic 40-50 hours a week) and for a little while this Jack cornered the market on a great deck nobody else had seen, and had some good days, and he had a run of playing at a King level. I won some Pro Tour Qualifiers, played in a Pro Tour, won some money at a Grand Prix, saw his friends winning big events... leaving 1998 and heading into 1999 I was doing really well and ready to kick on towards proving that I was an Ace.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq1A9wbLYzJdNHVWfIsmMpn5xHmJ98MgfuL8iOLQjjBZi4Q-3giadWo3VPHHNsmdz3_Vc3bPl-FzZvo8Ap261Rkxcx63JrXZZUvOdRHQtA4uMdXcdZPOU8uK7S5_BtBy_gAbMvvciPj0zH3Zs7AiN2FH3iGA_Yti_WJ497ScsNx6_t-FYwmzYuJ6jtQ/s480/twice%20the%20pride.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="480" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq1A9wbLYzJdNHVWfIsmMpn5xHmJ98MgfuL8iOLQjjBZi4Q-3giadWo3VPHHNsmdz3_Vc3bPl-FzZvo8Ap261Rkxcx63JrXZZUvOdRHQtA4uMdXcdZPOU8uK7S5_BtBy_gAbMvvciPj0zH3Zs7AiN2FH3iGA_Yti_WJ497ScsNx6_t-FYwmzYuJ6jtQ/w640-h278/twice%20the%20pride.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And then I reverted to the mean. I wasn't a King or an Ace I was a Jack who had been getting on a hot streak, and now I started playing like a Jack again.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I did not deal with this very well. Looking back I liken it to Smeagol turning into Gollum, a gradual and indidious poisoning of my mind and my outlook on the game and on life. I *had* to win. I *had* to prove I was something that I now know I wasn't. Every Quarter-Final knockout darkened my mood, but what was worse (I realise in hindsight) was that every victory darkened it even more because it doubled down that I had to win the next event as well to prove that this win wasn't a fluke. Down and down and down I went, more and more bitter and with more and more unrealistic goals to turn it around... like the gambler who doubles down to win his money back, only I was gambling with my mental health.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's not great when you finally run out of that particular line of credit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I crashed out of Magic altogether. I've got a great story about how close I was in my final Magic tournament - UK Nats 2001 - to finally achieving my goal and becoming National Champion and everyone recognising my greatness. It's a tale of how I was so powerful an so far ahead in my game that I made a simple error and then was wronged by a bad judge call that robbed me of glory. I tell it now and then but I'm genuinely not sure how true any of it actually is, or how much I've invented to keep my inner Gollum happy. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the twenty (20!) years since then I've seen other players fall into the same trap, and a lot of them get eaten up the same way. In my time away I gained a lot of perspective on what had happened to me, and I've learned how to live with my inner Gollum. You see, once you grow a Gollum it never goes away. It might sleep, it might be kept distracted and away from bothering you, but it will always be there. And I know he's there because failing to keep him under control is why I had to quit other games in the past, like the WoWTCG and Netrunner. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I got a bit of a taste of success in those games and decided that this was a small enough pond that I could try to be a big fish... Gollum would appear on my shoulder, demanding success and poisoning my attitude. I can tell you how my last WoWTCG and Netrunner tournaments ended, because one of Gollum's hallmarks is dwelling on how we were cruelly and unfairly denied what was rightfully ours.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFOzdIP4yQUWzs0bJkKKHyW3DRDbxJ9zf8nZ7WZ1MKuAClFhUBSaSjuAcdN4Mn9Z27gdXF86m7e38pmWXzvyIk6eAvy3KRtasyb20KmH3q-_irTLJATatnDuclHHogXk0cyZtSP3jSyFqstu6-8xogc2x5MeOXW7YPNyv5VuaaOG8Ej429PxN6aE1yQ/s400/20481170-4f7b-4644-a0fe-ca23f66050c0_text.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="400" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFOzdIP4yQUWzs0bJkKKHyW3DRDbxJ9zf8nZ7WZ1MKuAClFhUBSaSjuAcdN4Mn9Z27gdXF86m7e38pmWXzvyIk6eAvy3KRtasyb20KmH3q-_irTLJATatnDuclHHogXk0cyZtSP3jSyFqstu6-8xogc2x5MeOXW7YPNyv5VuaaOG8Ej429PxN6aE1yQ/w640-h264/20481170-4f7b-4644-a0fe-ca23f66050c0_text.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The way I learned to live with my Gollum was to never actually *try* to win. Not properly, not llike I was doing when I lived and breathed Magic. It's important that I always have an excuse for why I lost a game - I'm not taking it seriously, I'm playing a squad I've never played before, I've not practised, I'm playing a game where the prizes don't matter and aren't important to me. It's important that I've tied one hand behind my back somehow in preparing to play because then I can keep the Gollum off my back: "I lost because I wasn't really trying to win, go back to sleep, Gollum". </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I can't really tell you about any X-Wing events I've played where I remember how I lost, and that's deliberate on my part. As much as I get a kick out of anaysing X-Wing, thinking about how the game works, looking for the best ships, upgrades, pilots and lists... I don't really care about winning or losing a game of X-Wing. Or I try not to, at least. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqzthLVhYEbsTebltuzPs-Hu5gp_nUigQA_1-bvXhxtZ7SS5aBNidVoFPWWF2c1b3mALg2gLxaFyhHsVehU_8vzEBV-xx7v0ZP26xPuvlLJRjzIKWClJpatXtSGMZ6npyyihuANSFC2JcTdBJOIDtJcWxqX9xQ0CdbFkqlDYycwI8KpaoJ2nFIr1Irg/s500/4cc38f7bdf8f1a1e83dfa70105dd033f.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="500" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqzthLVhYEbsTebltuzPs-Hu5gp_nUigQA_1-bvXhxtZ7SS5aBNidVoFPWWF2c1b3mALg2gLxaFyhHsVehU_8vzEBV-xx7v0ZP26xPuvlLJRjzIKWClJpatXtSGMZ6npyyihuANSFC2JcTdBJOIDtJcWxqX9xQ0CdbFkqlDYycwI8KpaoJ2nFIr1Irg/w640-h264/4cc38f7bdf8f1a1e83dfa70105dd033f.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I don't always succeed and Gollum may get a hand on the wheel for a monent here or there, but after leaving WoWTCG and Netrunner inside 24 months I'm pleased that I've been in X-Wing for over 6 years. It's a testament to how succesfully I've maintained that balance and kept him away this time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For all those reasons a ticket to Worlds is an incredible achievement that I'm rightly proud of, but it's also a problem. A room full of Queens and Kings and Aces is a problem because it's disturbing a balance of wins and losses that I'm happy with and which keeps Gollum away.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I can't go into that room as a Jack so I need to put at least some effort into upping my game and getting prepared for the biggest day of X-Wing of my life, so that I don't get dunked on. But there's a delicate balance I need to strike because Gollum is going to be watching developments very closely.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cJPff4alFDqmmHHVmb8Aap87XpXzeuhjnT9Mv5-_bRyIKgOhP8H1PB5gk1JYTk7xVUAFo57Zh8pcZi1Khb84Ffb3oaOfGM5lSlAZUnrtAxmVngYzsz54qh0vUNsOWSHX0um0LAhCx_rXPEOE5uslCnRCUGmPFI84xBTE9tdhhxevKjJo98U-WH2lZA/s498/bilbo-baggins-bilbo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="498" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cJPff4alFDqmmHHVmb8Aap87XpXzeuhjnT9Mv5-_bRyIKgOhP8H1PB5gk1JYTk7xVUAFo57Zh8pcZi1Khb84Ffb3oaOfGM5lSlAZUnrtAxmVngYzsz54qh0vUNsOWSHX0um0LAhCx_rXPEOE5uslCnRCUGmPFI84xBTE9tdhhxevKjJo98U-WH2lZA/w640-h264/bilbo-baggins-bilbo.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Practice <i>a bit</i> more.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Try <i>a bit </i>harder.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Care <i>a bit </i>more.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But not too much more. Although I'm not sure quite where the line is between 'a bit more' and 'too much more'. Hopefully I'll recognise it as I cross it, instead of a decade later like I did for Magic.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm a Jack. I know I can't be an Ace, or even a King. And I know that trying to be an Ace will be very bad for me. But maybe Gollum will let me put in enough effort that I can at least be a Queen. Just for a day. Or if top cut is on Sunday, then maybe for a couple of days?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">* If you think calling myself a Jack, or anythting else in this blog, comes off as anything but humble then I'm only throwing humble in as a reference to Monty Python! Once I see the potential for a good line I can't leave it out.</span></i></p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-43878490160319489372021-11-15T09:11:00.002-08:002021-11-15T09:11:48.665-08:00My Shortest ROAD Blog<div style="text-align: justify;">I didn't set out to write a ROAD trilogy, but here we are.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first ROAD blog was 2,343 words, my second ROAD blog was even longer at 3,461 words. This, hopefully my final ROAD blog (though let's be honest, this one seems set to have more parts than the Wheel of Time) is going to be considerably shorter...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Go and listen to the latest Carolina Krayts podcast: "It's all going to be ok, promise".</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://carolinakrayts.libsyn.com/its-all-going-to-be-ok-promise"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the latest Carolina Krayts podcast.</span></b></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Listen to that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HdFAjJihVLo/YZKR1y75ajI/AAAAAAAAHv0/V7XdoKvQgY8HOUOdY3HMrIW97qDcZ_QjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/carolina-krayts-carolina-krayts-5myMK3HopED.1400x1400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HdFAjJihVLo/YZKR1y75ajI/AAAAAAAAHv0/V7XdoKvQgY8HOUOdY3HMrIW97qDcZ_QjgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/carolina-krayts-carolina-krayts-5myMK3HopED.1400x1400.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They discuss everything to do with ROAD - the changes themselves, the community response, the way AMG have communicated, the reasons for why changes are being made, what the possible impacts on competitive play and the metgame might be - and on every topic I think they absolutely nail it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They say what they like, they say what they don't like, they say what they're optimistic for, they say what they're worried about. On every topic I find that they're really grounded and level-headed and speak from experience and I found myself agreeing and nodding along with almost every word that was said. I share their optimism and I share their concerns.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like ROAD, listen to it. If you don't like ROAD, listen to it. If you don't know what to think about ROAD, or even what ROAD is... listen to it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That is all.</div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-18972901474407020002021-11-07T13:53:00.004-08:002021-11-08T00:57:17.368-08:00The ROAD WarriorNot long ago <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2021/11/hit-road-jack.html">I wrote a blog that was broadly very critical of AMG's proposed changes to X-Wing</a>, and what we know as ROAD (Random Order After Dials).<div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Quite a lot has changed for me over the past week, in what is increasingly looking like the post-apocalyptic wasteland of X-Wing.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div>Today I'm going to write a blog that is broadly pretty positive about AMG's proposed changes to X-Wing. If you don't want to read about why people might think ROAD is good then you can stop right here, or if you do want to read on then please remember all this is one person's personal point of view, not a manifesto.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aFrxtoUL5K0/YYfvkTM7gsI/AAAAAAAAHts/vwO3htqMJZ0XOklR4IGuam4TQDY-2NlsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s849/madmax2theroadwarrior1981b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="849" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aFrxtoUL5K0/YYfvkTM7gsI/AAAAAAAAHts/vwO3htqMJZ0XOklR4IGuam4TQDY-2NlsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h262/madmax2theroadwarrior1981b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT HAPPENED NEXT</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My last blog was met with a lot of nice words but far more importantly it triggered my involvement in a lot of interesting discussions across Facebook, Reddit and Discord which helped to hone my personal opinions on the best route forwards.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThT9_2b6u48/YYfwhq-3JAI/AAAAAAAAHt0/LbnkKiyJtuUeCA-gL17k7IHHWerK-n0ywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1231/ROAD%2BROBD.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="1231" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThT9_2b6u48/YYfwhq-3JAI/AAAAAAAAHt0/LbnkKiyJtuUeCA-gL17k7IHHWerK-n0ywCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h180/ROAD%2BROBD.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">If you read that blog you may remember this graphic, which had the sliding scale of possible options for X-Wing's future format that everyone was discussing. After I posted my blog I started to whittle a lot of these options down as we talked them through.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the left-hand side of the scale we have the rules that X-Wing currently runs to (Bidding determines initiative, bids are the last thing that get scored when MOV is calculated). As I prepared to play in an event that was the next option along - bidding but with your bid points being handed to the opponent for their MOV at the start of the game - I quickly came to the conclusion that the two options were *extremely* similar. The squad I wanted to use wanted to move second and was going to bid whatever I felt I needed to in order to force that situation in the majority of games. Whether my bid was the first thing the opponent scored, or the last thing, simply wasn't a significant contributing factor in my decision making. I think switching to deficit scoring is a quick & simple improvement on the current rules, but I'm happy to lump them together and say they're basically the same thing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the right-hand side of the scale were lots of options for how we could shift Initiative every turn over the course of the game, with ROAD (deciding after dials were set) being the most extreme version of this possible format. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If I'd had a favoured option at the point I wrote that blog it would have been Alternating initiative between players each turn but as we talked through how that would work I was quickly convinced it was a bad idea because it's too easy for players to 'game' that situation to their advantage. Imagine two alpha strike lists and the complicated positional dance they would have to do as both players tried to stall the engagement until a turn when they were the ones moving second and could get target locks for their torpedoes. Or imagine an aces dogfight where players take turns flying defensively and negatively then trying to win on 'their good turn' when they would move second. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wWQaUsicH9g/YYf4KtJuY0I/AAAAAAAAHuE/Ydt5_SF_cO0sH5vYVSuxOPaMCS2CTE5kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s462/200.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="462" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wWQaUsicH9g/YYf4KtJuY0I/AAAAAAAAHuE/Ydt5_SF_cO0sH5vYVSuxOPaMCS2CTE5kgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h278/200.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Games where players were only spending 50% of their time trying to move the game state forward sounded like a recipe for boring games where very little happened. Incredibly tactical games where the best players would almost certainly navigate planning ahead for initiative shifts better than their opponents... but also really fucking boring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pMjWmtVCVw/YYf5CyVp81I/AAAAAAAAHuM/XpRgWi7aMTkb4oFkv9v5Pge1R52yE5owQCLcBGAsYHQ/s416/72f.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="416" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pMjWmtVCVw/YYf5CyVp81I/AAAAAAAAHuM/XpRgWi7aMTkb4oFkv9v5Pge1R52yE5owQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h292/72f.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Many players seem to like the idea of ROBD (random order before dials) but I was also talked around to the idea that it was actually the worst of both worlds. You keep all the feelsbad of rolling for initiative and losing, but in ROAD you at least have the equality of having planned without knowing and thus your moment of bad variance may not be completely punished. In ROBD not only do you get the feelsbad of losing the dice roll but you also know that the opponent is now going to try and make that bad variance destroy your chances in the game as much as they possibly can. Rather than mitigating the problem with ROAD, I think ROBD actually doubles down on it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And, finally, I couldn't ignore that the vast majority of feedback that I saw about ROAD from people who had tried it was... actually pretty positive. X-Wing was still X-Wing, maneuvering still mattered, it affected a couple of turns but otherwise didn't make too much difference. I thought there was probably a correlation that the people who were first to try ROAD were probably those who had not been utterly disgusted by the concept of it and they were more likely to see positives in it as a result, but as I read more and more of the same type of feedback I felt like I couldn't really ignore it completely.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-132evv2OqHk/YYf6ZG8O78I/AAAAAAAAHuU/VDAULcub3BwyeWhSfZGwO7Fls3jEofhngCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/fetchimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-132evv2OqHk/YYf6ZG8O78I/AAAAAAAAHuU/VDAULcub3BwyeWhSfZGwO7Fls3jEofhngCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/fetchimage%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><blockquote>(Note: I've also since played a game with ROAD myself: the impact was much smaller than I expected, though we didn't use any of the additional rules changes AMG have hinted at that would make it more impactful. One game is a crappy sample size, though it's better than zero games, but so far I have to agree that ROAD isn't a big deal).</blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So... I was increasingly sure that ROAD was one of only three viable options - Current Rules, RPO decided in turn 0, or ROAD. I shifted my focus a little bit to trying think of what the major problems with ROAD were and how you could mitigate them. Mostly it came down to wanting to fly things with passive mods if possible - most of the time ROAD games would be exactly like normal games as you'd not even be overlapping initiative to make it an issue, in some games you'd be overlapping and have to cope with uncertainty about moving first, but the biggest issue would come in games where both of you wanted to be in the same place on the table and you didn't know who were get their first. It seemed like ROAD would create a lot more unavoidable/accidental bumps so having ships who weren't completely dependent on taking actions to survive had an advantage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bumps are a big deal in X-Wing, and as somebody who plays swarms a lot I know that landing a bump is often a matter of life of death and it can swing the results of games. It occured to me that in a ROAD world with lots more unavoidable bumps you might want to try to shrink the delta between being bumped and not being bumped. Maybe if you could take a red focus action or something? At least then every ship got access to some sort of mitigation for being bumped instead of being led towards including passive mods on everything when squadbuilding. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mb2kIbqUJ10/YYf2gQK9pqI/AAAAAAAAHt8/lEwgomnJzp0y3XAb64mKR8yVHcF6bO0swCLcBGAsYHQ/s1113/focus%2Bbump.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="1113" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mb2kIbqUJ10/YYf2gQK9pqI/AAAAAAAAHt8/lEwgomnJzp0y3XAb64mKR8yVHcF6bO0swCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h230/focus%2Bbump.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">But that was just blue sky thinking, kind of like a 'ROAD+' that made other changes to the game that would smooth out a lot of the biggest problems I could see ROAD causing. It wasn't real.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><blockquote>If the initial announcement about ROAD had left me at liking it with a score of just 1/10 then by the time I'd reflected enough to write my last blog I was up to 3/10, and the discussions that followed my blog being published chipped me up a little bit further to a 4/10. </blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SO... WHY ROAD?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of days ago AMG finally got to share the Livestream of playing a game with us, and during it they fielded some of the thousands of questions from the community while sharing more details about what they were going to change, and why they saw the need to change at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wf7h-XvYdkc/YYhAegr8kNI/AAAAAAAAHu8/2nPZ_ngVtLobvRhLljnyncXwrT2C12KMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1305/livestream.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1305" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wf7h-XvYdkc/YYhAegr8kNI/AAAAAAAAHu8/2nPZ_ngVtLobvRhLljnyncXwrT2C12KMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/livestream.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/atomicmassgames/video/1195994589"><b>Here's the link for the whole stream.</b></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><blockquote><a href="https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A4fb88788-80cb-425e-b4f7-82d32dd3f1b4&fbclid=IwAR2nzk9F-y2vf18bfSpttigZpv6z1ICtvbzwOsgzpZjvBaNArzGLwN7dHQI#pageNum=2">If you haven't watched the stream there are some fantastically clear notes from the stream that you can check out here. </a></blockquote></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's a lot in those notes but I've pulled out some of the bullet points that I think best encapsulate the new ethos of X-Wing that AMG are proposing:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Why Deficit Scoring? Because bidding hides points, that wasnt fun. And you should be incentivized to use ALL of your points </li></ul><ul><li>Why ROAD? Tried back and forth player order: didnt accomplish what they wanted the idea that x-wing needs to go back to its roots - it's a dogfighting and you are not supposed to have perfect information, They want you to have choices in the game that doesnt have perfect information.</li></ul><ul><li>You may not like this. Old x-wing may have been the game of your dreams. maybe you like tower defense games. That is not the game we belive it should be, and not the way of the future.</li></ul><div><ul><li>New OP and tournament scoring pushes the needle away from being conservative - less worrying about how many points you’re giving up, and rather how many you can score </li></ul></div><ul><li><b>The most fun and enjoyable for the widest range of people..</b> Wanted to lower the skill floor.</li></ul><div>As far as a declaration of intent goes, I could not agree more with every word of those bullet points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bidding wasn't fun, it may have been tactical and it may have rewarded people for making very tight decisions after spending a log of time watchng what everyone else was doing, but it wasn't *fun*. You should be able to build your squad and use all 200pts and not be punished for it, that's both more enjoyable and (coincidentally) it makes more sense from a games manufacturer to not have rules that incentivise people to not use the products they manufacture.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've already said that I feared Alternate initiative was just giving strong players even more information to outplay weaker players with and that's how AMG's designers feel too. Most of the time oilots with higher initiatives will move after lower initiative pilots with all the advantages they've ever enjoyed, but when initiatives are tied ROAD does leave both players in a similar state of uncertainty and I had already seen that was actually potentially a desirable trait, not a problem.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zHtq7PBl_k/YYg332iFOKI/AAAAAAAAHuc/Y4zEEeN7pFEBeXvpIRXgmZkKaq3Fk2hugCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/how-wude-rude.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="640" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zHtq7PBl_k/YYg332iFOKI/AAAAAAAAHuc/Y4zEEeN7pFEBeXvpIRXgmZkKaq3Fk2hugCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h285/how-wude-rude.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>A lot of people seem to have been offended by the Tower Defense remark, but if you look at some of the ways that a minority of players have exploited tournament rules to win games - stalling engagements, playing the clock, fortressing, sitting in your corner with StarVipers or Vulture Droids, diving in to score a half ship then running away... the Tower Defense remark seems pretty much on point. Every single one of those things has always felt distateful to me, personally, and if AMG feel the same way and are confident enough to come out and say as much so clearly... fuckin' A. They got my vote. I think the vast majority of X-Wing players didn't play the game this way and shouldn't have any reason to feel targeted by the Tower Defense comment... AMG are on our side on this one, chaps!</div><div><br /></div><div>And "the most fun and enjoyable for the widest range of people" really just makes it so simple. How can you disagree with that being the ultimate goal of game design? </div><div><br /></div><div>Make more people more happy. Boom.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50x9qR1gHJg/YYg4LyAJzlI/AAAAAAAAHuk/8fcnz3vddpYz84HvSH0lYt85qrLaPTkJACLcBGAsYHQ/s605/static-assets-upload46660110182087622.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="605" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50x9qR1gHJg/YYg4LyAJzlI/AAAAAAAAHuk/8fcnz3vddpYz84HvSH0lYt85qrLaPTkJACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h236/static-assets-upload46660110182087622.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I started out at a 1/10 with my opinion of ROAD and the changes AMG were proposing and after reading all that I was up to a 6/10, even before I got into the details of any extra changes they might talk about.. They may not be experienced in X-Wing, they maybe don't know the game very well and could be about to screw it up, but their head and heart is aligned 100% in the direction that mine is. </div><div><b><blockquote>The open, exciting, tactical and attacking X-Wing that AMG want people to play is the X-Wing that I want to play.</blockquote></b></div><div>But wait, what was that they also said?</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Possible Changes to Bumping and Range 0:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Looking at that you can still take actions if bumping, but it MUST be focus or calculate</li><li>Blocking was a discovered mechanic - there's limitations of a 3d game on a 2d plane. </li><li>Looking at allowing all ships to shoot range 0 (no range bonus)</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbQ2BmQuOss/YYg8XXqp--I/AAAAAAAAHus/HrlpcAaQPhwOJSjGuHUa64SNjuGVCbzBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s498/paul-rudd-look-at-us.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbQ2BmQuOss/YYg8XXqp--I/AAAAAAAAHus/HrlpcAaQPhwOJSjGuHUa64SNjuGVCbzBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/paul-rudd-look-at-us.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I agree with them completely on this, not only about changing bumping rules because it'll happen more often, but because bumping itself is an artificial interaction that only happens because two squares of plastic can't overlap on a 2D plane. Ships not being able to take actions or shoot at each other kind of ignores all the rest of the time that is supposed to have happening during the period that a turn represents - the ships didn't instantaneously crash into each other, there was a whole periodof time when they were flying at each other where acitons and shooting could happen. It makes perfect sense. I also remember the first time that the guy who was teaching me to play deliberately bumped my ships... it felt like cheating. I still remember that feeling 5 years later. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not only are mine and AMG's hearts in the same place about what the ideal style of X-Wing should be, but we were right in each other's heads about looking at reducing the impact of bumps now that ROAD would be generating them more often. That these changes were mentioned as being explored gave me a lot more confidence that the AMG design weren't desperately playing catch up in a game they didn't really understand, but that they were actually out front and leading the way with how they could be required to adapt the game to provide a better experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>I want to reserve final judgement until I see the rules they decide to implement: is it a white focus or red focus action? Is it for any bump? Is it only if you bump into an enemy ship? Is it only if you bump into an enemy ship of the same initiative? Bumping is a huge part of X-Wing strategy, and denying repositions and other actions means it still WILL be a huge part of X-Wing strategy going forwards should this rule come into the game. I'm comfortable with toning it down a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZjOvMoMsm8/YYg_PtB9KII/AAAAAAAAHu0/TXAXN2G3muItudhB5d78F0T9pEqPoLdegCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/e23de75d-8fee-4d95-9f81-76a79a01252b_text.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZjOvMoMsm8/YYg_PtB9KII/AAAAAAAAHu0/TXAXN2G3muItudhB5d78F0T9pEqPoLdegCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/e23de75d-8fee-4d95-9f81-76a79a01252b_text.gif" /></a></div><br /><div>But the end result of the AMG livestream moved me sceptical to cautiously hopeful. Excited, even. Mark me down as a 7/10 in favour of ROAD, and I'm hoping the detail of those rules changes will push me even higher.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">WHY CHANGE ANYTHING AT ALL?!?</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>This is the last outstanding question, really. If X-Wing isn't broke, why fix it? Why is AMG messing with it at all?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4x1gpFLaqg/YYhFoNJQduI/AAAAAAAAHvU/ZkD3muB3XRQn7gU07pc66kHRNk6UD6FrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/artwork-1636320636565-5916.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4x1gpFLaqg/YYhFoNJQduI/AAAAAAAAHvU/ZkD3muB3XRQn7gU07pc66kHRNk6UD6FrwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/artwork-1636320636565-5916.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I think this answer has two facets that take the discussion in two very different directions, and both get very contentious very quickly so I'm not going to do either in much depth because I think they're just lightning rods for disagreements.</div><div><br /></div><div>1) X-Wing may not have been broken, but it was probably bent. For all the reasons that I discussed above I think AMG are addressing things that aren't perfect in the current game, and often are exploited to reduce the enjoyment that average players get out of X-Wing. You may disagree. You may STRONGLY disagree. But I agree with that and AMG believe it's true too.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) As a product line, it's highly likely that X-Wing was dying. We used to be a big deal, we used to outsell basically everything but Warhammer 40k, but those days are a long long looooooooooong way back in the past. I think X-Wing has been in significant decline since as early as mid-2017, which has continued right through the Second Edition relaunch and then obviously wasn't helped at all by a global pandemic either. <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/01/x-wings-going-through-changes-wave-6.html">I've blogged about this before</a>, and I think we're still on the narrative that I outlined in that old blog. A key element, for me, is that the fates of competitive play and the sales revenue have long since disconnected and while competitive play is continuing in rude health sales have crashed. Hardcore tournament players may be playing the game as much as ever (more, arguably, thanks to TTS) but there's very little that they actually need to buy (again, partly due to TTS). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaGKLMwNqfM/YYhFAO7uV2I/AAAAAAAAHvE/41mmsF6sj-Aph5xO8UQVrFTuOQDRG5tVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s798/mwhe.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="798" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaGKLMwNqfM/YYhFAO7uV2I/AAAAAAAAHvE/41mmsF6sj-Aph5xO8UQVrFTuOQDRG5tVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mwhe.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Worse yet, I think pandering to that hardcore audience - of which I am a card-carrying member - has been an obstacle to any efforts FFG made to try and reinvigorate sales to the wider audience. Conversion Kits bridged us all into Second Edition but meant we didn't need to buy anything after we jumped on, while older ships being strong remained a big hurdle for newer players jumping in and for stores who might want to support X-Wing but couldn't stock the ships their customers wasnted to buy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hyperspace might have been intended to force us onto new ships and fix the problem but a lot of the community refused to really engage with that format and it failed. Serious hardcore tournament players aren't enemies of the game, but they're not exactly helping it very much either. Their opinions were arguably given far too much value by FFG and it's stood in the way of making major changes that were radical enough to at least stand a chance of turning around X-Wing's sales decline.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKmKA7miH8c/YYhFL7uZsII/AAAAAAAAHvI/bbpwCryUzpoCGsDrG-OH9CWFeS4XG6R8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault%2B%25284%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKmKA7miH8c/YYhFL7uZsII/AAAAAAAAHvI/bbpwCryUzpoCGsDrG-OH9CWFeS4XG6R8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/maxresdefault%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Will it work? Probably not. I think X-Wing is nearing the end of its useful economic life to Asmodee. But at least they're giving it a wild punt to see if it does work.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l09r4GB41FM/YYhI5B8VI8I/AAAAAAAAHvc/xRwmRFPE2ocBODKI26tFtE14zAX53rpxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1198/h5p3cdkb67i21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1198" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l09r4GB41FM/YYhI5B8VI8I/AAAAAAAAHvc/xRwmRFPE2ocBODKI26tFtE14zAX53rpxQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/h5p3cdkb67i21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>AMG seem very confident their changes are for the best. I don't think they're going to back down or will be made to back down. ROAD is going to be in the official rules very soon, tournament scoring will be uprooted, bumping will change, cats and dogs will get along... it's going to be wild. When ROAD was first announced there was a chance that they didn't really understand the scale of the changes they were making or that some people would really hate them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's much more clear that they knew this all along and were ready to piss a bunch of people off to make the significant changes to the game that they believe make it better.</div><div><br /></div><div>ROAD is going to be real, probably by the end of the year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only question that's really outstanding is what the community will do about it. Can the people who are really pissed off with ROAD assemble enough of a critical mass that they can launch a valid splinter group who remain on the old rules of X-Wing. I'm not sure if that's ever happened to a game before. There's been times when communities have kept games alive after manufacturers dropped them, like the Blood Bowl Living Rulebook, or the NISEI community for Netrunner, but I'm not sure there's been a time when anyone managed a successful breakaway while they still had to compete with the game's designers. The closest I'm even half aware of is Age of Sigmar vs Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and although I'm the wrong person to talk with much confidence about the state of Games Workshop AFAIK it's Age of Sigmar that's won that battle.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-js8sLmPe2Gk/YYhJpU2NDXI/AAAAAAAAHvo/nzBD_uKaUQMRYtq8cwAyqUlUlCgMghNUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/F890DA7B-43D9-4595-B394-B6E11D3BB600.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-js8sLmPe2Gk/YYhJpU2NDXI/AAAAAAAAHvo/nzBD_uKaUQMRYtq8cwAyqUlUlCgMghNUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/F890DA7B-43D9-4595-B394-B6E11D3BB600.gif" /></a></div><br /><div>I'm starting to believe that for 80-90% of the X-Wing playerbase the changes AMG are making will work out just fine, and maybe even make the game a better experience. The 10-20% of players at the top of the game - the players who are most committed and spend the most time on the game, often with the loudest voices, most followers and who wield the most sway... they need to decide what they're going to do. They've a choice either to head off ROAD coming in by breaking away, learning to deal with the changes to the game and remaining the best players in X-Wing's future, or in moving on to play something else instead.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm still on the fence, and I don't need to make a decision. I'm waiting to see what the final version of ROAD is but I'm confident I'll enjoy playing it so I'm not worrying about selling my ships. I know I enjoy playing the current X-Wing rules even though they're flawed so I'm happy to play in a breakaway too should one come about (though if I'm honest the idea of a breakaway led by players who specifically value & enjoy all the things about X-Wing that I don't necessarily enjoy isn't ideal).</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know how it plays out. But I do think the recent frenzied tempo of revelation and reaction should now calm down a lot and players can reflect and plan. AMG have shown us as much of their hand as they currently can and this little moment of calm will be good for everyone, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1NnQMIk9yI/YYhJbdN_aEI/AAAAAAAAHvk/Cx6xTFyLBLMwe3Y1WILHmPVBsEKGjfu8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/Star-Wars-The-Last-Jedi-concept-art-justin-sweet-Rey-Meditate-01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1800" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1NnQMIk9yI/YYhJbdN_aEI/AAAAAAAAHvk/Cx6xTFyLBLMwe3Y1WILHmPVBsEKGjfu8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h278/Star-Wars-The-Last-Jedi-concept-art-justin-sweet-Rey-Meditate-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-4390480396975666902021-11-01T16:14:00.007-07:002021-11-07T07:18:31.903-08:00Hit The ROAD, Jack!<p> So, how's about that <b>Random Player Order</b>, huh?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2wCmNKH6i2w/YYBesBURoII/AAAAAAAAHsU/WtNn4n9uBio5EksHqGga5nfEggoqyQTDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1120/tn745pqddtzoxoqgqysy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1120" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2wCmNKH6i2w/YYBesBURoII/AAAAAAAAHsU/WtNn4n9uBio5EksHqGga5nfEggoqyQTDwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/tn745pqddtzoxoqgqysy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In case the atomic explosion of X-Wing social media hasn't reached the rock you are living under, AMG shared their vision of what Random Player Order rules would be this week and, well... it did not go well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NizYLo_rHJY/YYBVy1gKXXI/AAAAAAAAHq8/lPpjE_j2ezUb9oZ41IySHBXB9pNte5rnACLcBGAsYHQ/s733/250276869_1138863706643080_6731619010630148676_n.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="733" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NizYLo_rHJY/YYBVy1gKXXI/AAAAAAAAHq8/lPpjE_j2ezUb9oZ41IySHBXB9pNte5rnACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h208/250276869_1138863706643080_6731619010630148676_n.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLf_MidqDZs/YYBVy5iq9_I/AAAAAAAAHrE/AUclrIp2HEsYeFQV4DuEYvU-J3QqEbxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s698/250862736_1138863699976414_7379969019102222926_n.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="698" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLf_MidqDZs/YYBVy5iq9_I/AAAAAAAAHrE/AUclrIp2HEsYeFQV4DuEYvU-J3QqEbxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h294/250862736_1138863699976414_7379969019102222926_n.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMSyQIZmsCg/YYBVyxrYZTI/AAAAAAAAHrA/xQPf_WOknzgJOVLQSEfLOV67NdG3jvdkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/250918986_1138863689976415_1119052274197257623_n.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="696" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMSyQIZmsCg/YYBVyxrYZTI/AAAAAAAAHrA/xQPf_WOknzgJOVLQSEfLOV67NdG3jvdkwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h140/250918986_1138863689976415_1119052274197257623_n.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE ROAD TO HELL</span></b></div><p style="text-align: justify;">What we had come to know as Random Player Order (RPO) has been replaced by Random Order After Dials (ROAD) and the general consensus among the Online X-Wing Community (OXWC) is that it's a bit of a SNAFU (Situation Negative: Al-Fresco Unicorn). AFAIK.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I thought the general response to this announcement was nicely summed up by this gif someone posted...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2xjfmhbMdQ/YYBWL0f2WBI/AAAAAAAAHrU/nlE3btXFWUIagwGTedSwng6Nn4-80fe7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s450/team-america.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="450" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2xjfmhbMdQ/YYBWL0f2WBI/AAAAAAAAHrU/nlE3btXFWUIagwGTedSwng6Nn4-80fe7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h268/team-america.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p>...while my own immediate response was along very similar lines.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tylJsQD2W8s/YYBWSCh3YLI/AAAAAAAAHrY/kd2KV3Ax-W4Pum5P39kUYyo_gspqKiiZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s639/road.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="639" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tylJsQD2W8s/YYBWSCh3YLI/AAAAAAAAHrY/kd2KV3Ax-W4Pum5P39kUYyo_gspqKiiZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h246/road.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can't remember the last time 103 people liked something I said, so it's a pretty good indicator that I was in line with how a lot of people were feeling. In that immedate moment I simply couldn't fathom how ROAD was the version that AMG wanted us to play. It honestly felt like a deliberate attack on X-Wing that was calculated to drive people out of the game and into Star Wars Legion, where the spend to play was much higher.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2021/09/points-changes-rules-changes-2-good-2.html">In my last blog I said a lot of very nice things about the idea of RPO</a>. I didn't have anything good to say about ROAD when I first saw it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know a lot of very prominent members of the community were very vocal with their dismay/disappointment/disgust at these proposed changes to the rules and it was immediately suggested that the OWXC should ignore it completely and splinter away from the official ruleset. That may well yet come to pass because I think AMG have truly underestimated the damage that these changes will do to the committed X-Wing playerbase. I'm not sure this is one they can just ride out and wait for it all to blow over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Personally, though, a day or two's distance from the initial announcement has given me some time to reflect and my stance on ROAD has softened. A least a little. A little little.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I said, at first take these new rules felt like an actual attack on the game, whether through ignorance on the part of the designers or a wilfull attempt to damage X-Wing, I just couldn't see how anything positive had been intended by moving to ROAD. I think I can see now what the designers are attempting to do, even if I still think it's ultimately misguided and extremely harmful to the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Picture two identical pilots in identical ships. Let's make them Alpha Squadron Pilots in their TIE Interceptors. </div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-djW8soMXD_0/YYBZ6JnCYoI/AAAAAAAAHrw/tZY_J0asWRIJDHtCNOjGHs2hPY6u1jWawCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Interceptor_Alpha.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-djW8soMXD_0/YYBZ6JnCYoI/AAAAAAAAHrw/tZY_J0asWRIJDHtCNOjGHs2hPY6u1jWawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Interceptor_Alpha.png" width="230" /></a> <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">VS </span></b> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vH7xAE-OyQw/YYBaAKUSCbI/AAAAAAAAHr4/eHYHDdtQ0hM9PWP9PTuwcz6OHIyEXrh5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Interceptor_Alpha.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vH7xAE-OyQw/YYBaAKUSCbI/AAAAAAAAHr4/eHYHDdtQ0hM9PWP9PTuwcz6OHIyEXrh5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Interceptor_Alpha.png" width="230" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you imagine the dogfight in space that X-Wing is supposed to be simulating then these ships are identical and the pilots are identical, but because X-Wing is a board game where each player takes turns doing things that simulation of space combat is imperfect and one of the two ships has to move first while the other moves second. Whichever ship moves first is an Alpha Squadron Pilot - they move with no information of what the opposing ship is doing and have to guess well in order to be at all effective, while whichever of the two ships moves second may as well be the ACE OF LEGEND that is Soontir Fel as they have perfect information on where the opponent is and what actions they took.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZbBWmbJjT8/YYBcwg8wSuI/AAAAAAAAHsE/MbxIsc0KB2YuRtK_SaRJ128fp63oqe4OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Interceptor_Alpha.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZbBWmbJjT8/YYBcwg8wSuI/AAAAAAAAHsE/MbxIsc0KB2YuRtK_SaRJ128fp63oqe4OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Interceptor_Alpha.png" width="230" /></a> <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">VS</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlDSTzMiL3I/YYBc1Hj_rsI/AAAAAAAAHsI/OfN2qDA3K6ouTvNt1zO77-zecYgCJUd2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz07-soontir-fel%2B%25282%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlDSTzMiL3I/YYBc1Hj_rsI/AAAAAAAAHsI/OfN2qDA3K6ouTvNt1zO77-zecYgCJUd2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz07-soontir-fel%2B%25282%2529.png" width="230" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As the player moving first you know that the deck is stacked against you and the opponent has a big advantage. But it's also entirely in your control how you respond to that situation and how you position your ships and take actions that will best allow you to fight uphill against the opponent and win the duel. It's not easy but it's skills you learn, and it's rewarding when you use those skills to overturn the odds and come out victorious despite being the underdog on paper. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For many of the people who are committed X-Wing players enough to play lots of events, collect lots of factions, buy lots of ships, and sink many hours into playing the game and talking about the game... this exact interaction of how you manage the dance between moving first and second, advantage and disadvantage, is probably one of the key elements that got you really hooked on the game. It was difficult, but you got good at it, and you like being good at it because it's skill-intensive and skill-rewarding.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></div></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;"></span></b></div></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">For many of the people who are committed X-Wing players... how you manage the dance between moving first and second, advantage and disadvantage, is probably one of the key elements that got you really hooked on the game. </span></b></div></blockquote><blockquote><p><b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">But if you're coming into the game as an outsider.... I think that dance looks a lot like abusing game mechanics.</span></span></b></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><p><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></span></i></b></p></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But if you're coming into the game as an outsider, as the AMG designers are, then I think the very same dance that is why committed X-Wing players love the game... I think that dance looks a lot like abusing game mechanics. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If they're both identical ships with identical pilots why is the experience of planning dials for these identical ships so completely different? It's a better simulation of space combat to try and create a situation where the two identical pilots in identical ships are faced with identical situations when you're deciding what maneuvers to plot in for them... and that means not knowing which of the two ships is going to move first when you're setting the dials. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBlKv8m7I-A/YYBqEt4fy0I/AAAAAAAAHs0/aZ7esXpI5uYhKbvTX7Gz3nb_lTcqyGdqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/fetchimage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBlKv8m7I-A/YYBqEt4fy0I/AAAAAAAAHs0/aZ7esXpI5uYhKbvTX7Gz3nb_lTcqyGdqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/fetchimage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not a desirable skill-intensive trait to be celebrated but a flaw in the game design to be removed to prevent players abusing it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And (I think) that's how you get to ROAD.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ROAD means an even playing field when pilots of the same initiative are meeting each other. Neither player has a big advantage or disadvantages that they can plan for and take advantage of. It's a better simulation of space combat and it's also the fairest system for both players.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trouble is: it's still shit.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE ROAD TO RACK AND RUIN</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can reason myself to a place where I can understand why somebody thinks ROAD might be a good idea. I can tell myself that in a lot of games it won't matter at all as I won't match initiatives with my opponent. I can believe that rolling 3 dice and looking for Crits isn't much more cumbersome than rolling 1 dice and doing 'hits or misses' and may be future-proofing for formats with more than 2 players. I can appreciate that it's levelled the playing field by meaning both players are in the same position when it comes to setting dials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But I can't make myself like it. And believe me: I've tried.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-We-k3RUflnc/YYBnbmQTANI/AAAAAAAAHsk/IuDOfXOJ834r45mitOPY6kZtl1mNQadgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1437/0_1nuWj8me40lFHI9h.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1437" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-We-k3RUflnc/YYBnbmQTANI/AAAAAAAAHsk/IuDOfXOJ834r45mitOPY6kZtl1mNQadgACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/0_1nuWj8me40lFHI9h.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd rather move first every turn and know I was moving first then roll the dice and not know. And worse yet: have to plan for what an opponent is going to do when they <i>also</i> don't know if they're moving first or second. Yes, both players are now in the same position when it comes to planning your turn but that position is worse for both players then it used to be when you knew what was going on, whether you moving first or second. This is Star Wars, overcoming greater odds is part of the deal, part of the appeal!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yes, this might make it a better 'simulation' of space combat, but it also makes it a much worse boardgame experience, and I think that's more important. X-Wing is a tactical miniatures game and ROAD directly impacts on player's abilities to actually apply tactics to the game instead of just saying two Hail Mary's and letting Jesus take the wheel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nR5TqlfzGU/YYBmhDpRRfI/AAAAAAAAHsc/L4TSauBvjCc6fjoirwOarRPU9XARwJ41ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/clint-eastwood-dirty-harry.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nR5TqlfzGU/YYBmhDpRRfI/AAAAAAAAHsc/L4TSauBvjCc6fjoirwOarRPU9XARwJ41ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/clint-eastwood-dirty-harry.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yes, maybe the designers see this as ironing out a flaw in X-Wing's original design, but that flaw is pretty much the entire reason why X-Wing has kept me interested for six years. That flaw is why I've played it for hundreds of hours and bought multiples of pretty much every expansion that has ever been released along the way, instead of going 'hum, it's fun enough, I guess' and putting X-Wing right back down again and just carrying on playing whatever boardgame people brought to that Monday night session.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like X-Wing. If you *really really* like X-Wing, then ROAD is only going to bring pain. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's replacing one of the most unique, intellectually challenging, and endorphin-supplyingly rewarding mechanics of the game with just fucking tossing a coin. I can't get past this. I personally stop right here: this is WHY I play I X-Wing. AMG aren't fiddling with some random little corner of the rules that I'm going to make a stink about because I don't like change... this actually cuts right to the heart of why X-Wing is such a compelling game that I keep wanting to come back to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjW8WSa1BBo/YYBoogCyasI/AAAAAAAAHss/U2gVmpXaKmMw_epPUg3nk_Fom8mHHCLKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/giphy%2B%25281%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjW8WSa1BBo/YYBoogCyasI/AAAAAAAAHss/U2gVmpXaKmMw_epPUg3nk_Fom8mHHCLKwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/giphy%2B%25281%2529.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's also going to lead to ENDLESS people fucking whining and moaning about how their games were decided by dice not skill. People already bitch about this and they're usually wrong, but once ROAD comes in there's going to be more salt than the Dead Sea, and worse of all (unlike today) a lot of it will be properly justified. When combat dice fuck you over then you rolled them often enough over the course of a game, or a tournament, that variance probably about evened itself out. But you're going to roll ROAD dice far less often and there's probably more riding on each individual roll than with combat dice. ROAD is a recipe for feelsbadman moments to happen far too often... and that's before you factor in that people are already primed to hate it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><blockquote><blockquote>I hate it. I think I understand what they're trying to do. I'm trying to be enlightened and see both sides. But I hate it. It's a visceral reaction I can't shake.</blockquote></blockquote><p> </p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">A FORK IN THE ROAD</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, we're probably at a critical junction for the game. AMG don't have years of goodwill accrued and they don't have the playerbase invested in their ongoing Organised Play schemes. Right now X-Wing players don't really need anything from AMG aside from new ships so I think it's possible that the competitive X-Wing just decides to say "thanks but no thanks" to ROAD and heads off in their own direction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><blockquote><blockquote>The scene is set for a revolution in a way that I think wouldn't have been true at all pre-Covid.</blockquote></blockquote></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKW_AGxe2k/YYByrmM40YI/AAAAAAAAHtU/xAUAP3pwwBM2swcIq8xtseywF84H97BDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/02new-miz3-jumbo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1024" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKW_AGxe2k/YYByrmM40YI/AAAAAAAAHtU/xAUAP3pwwBM2swcIq8xtseywF84H97BDACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/02new-miz3-jumbo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, because of the botched way that AMG have introduced this concept staggered over several different announcements that process has already begun: several major US tournament organisers had already moved to trialling a version of RPO after it was hinted at. Ostensibly they were testing out the system, or players wanted to get used to the idea of not having to keep bids and see just how the game changed. As I currently understand it those tournaments are going to continue to use RPO, at least for the time being.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />And they're not alone, the fact those major tournaments decided to unhitch their wagon from the official rules opened a pandora's box of tournament organisers deciding which rulesset they wanted to implement. My next event in real life will not use RPO, nor ROAD, nor even the current rules in the RRG around bidding for initiative - we're going to be keeping bids but taking the concept of deficit scoring from the intial hints around how RPO would work. Competitive X-Wing is already splintering into different formats and while I think nobody wants it to remain splintered for long and we'll all eventually coalesce around one or two rules sets, the momentum is currently entirely away from using the official RRG and in the direction of the X-Wing community deciding their own rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-EvqVs11E/YYBvbRrxTuI/AAAAAAAAHs8/ccq-yT_PT80wUSv22cAPu_hQmxyY_r-ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1231/ROAD%2BROBD.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="1231" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-EvqVs11E/YYBvbRrxTuI/AAAAAAAAHs8/ccq-yT_PT80wUSv22cAPu_hQmxyY_r-ewCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h180/ROAD%2BROBD.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Do you want to keep bids, or move to random initiative?</li><li>If you're keeping bids do you move to deficit scoring?</li><li>If you're doing random initiative how and when do you decide it? </li><li>Do you decide it at the start of the game? Do you decide it every turn before dials? Do you decide it every turn after dials?</li><li>Do you alternate initiative? </li><li>Does initiative change depending on game state - who is losing/winning?</li></ul><div>It's currently open season on rules, and this is a mess entirely of AMG's making.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-baKGgIlVHuc/YYByBjr4o5I/AAAAAAAAHtM/XBhkotcsQ90j1VKbm9RrkHDjF3CA4SQPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/CDC-diarrhea-pool-gif.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-baKGgIlVHuc/YYByBjr4o5I/AAAAAAAAHtM/XBhkotcsQ90j1VKbm9RrkHDjF3CA4SQPACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h336/CDC-diarrhea-pool-gif.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's into these waters that ROAD was dropped, like a turd dropped into a hot tub. It's currently hard to imagine that the most committed, high-profile and influential playes are going to accept ROAD, and it's equally hard to see what AMG are going to be able to offer that would encourage them to. We're 18 monts into a pandemic that has seen official Organised Play disappear and the community has stepped whole-heartedly into the breach. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AMG have some hard yards ahead of them. For a lot of players even a backtrack away from ROAD won't be enough - I think bridges have been burned that may never get rebuilt. If they decide to perservere with ROAD then the yards get harder still and I honestly think the momentum is entirely against them. If they don't recognise that then we may never again have the players and developers of this game reconciled onto the same ruleset.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ih8eWOTMkTg/YYB0JxjBDdI/AAAAAAAAHtc/o1eMB9_v49EIm4X2LFAmViHfCmsSt-A6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s498/star-wars-padme.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ih8eWOTMkTg/YYB0JxjBDdI/AAAAAAAAHtc/o1eMB9_v49EIm4X2LFAmViHfCmsSt-A6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h320/star-wars-padme.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">That's not something I could ever have imagined myself saying even 7 days ago, but with hindsight the seeds for this have been gradually planted all along the path from Hyperspace format, through Covid, to RPO and ROAD. The makers of X-Wing want to change something that many of the players of X-Wing don't want to have changed, and I think the balance of power may just have decisively shifted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't know what happens next. But I think a lot of players are on the edge with X-Wing and looking for something hopeful and positive to cling onto, and whoever offers that first will take the helm.</div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-22142468726923497322021-09-28T09:38:00.002-07:002021-09-28T09:43:29.727-07:00Points Changes & Rules Changes - 2 Good / 2 Bad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xAyncSNH1Ec/YVNBZyqRvvI/AAAAAAAAHlo/gx8vrqTy9H4y_Nj8eu1sENRS1o6X9VZjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s851/dc21yaq-5e67f94c-c682-4316-b78d-c89aa5bb70a5%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xAyncSNH1Ec/YVNBZyqRvvI/AAAAAAAAHlo/gx8vrqTy9H4y_Nj8eu1sENRS1o6X9VZjgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h236/dc21yaq-5e67f94c-c682-4316-b78d-c89aa5bb70a5%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The times, they are' a changin'. New points, new rules, new owners, new ships. I'm going to touch one some of the big winners and losers I can see in each faction after this latest points change, but first let's talk about a topic that is completely non-controversial and everyone can agree on.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Random Initiative</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">More words and blood have spilled on the internet over this topic since AMG announced their intention to change the rules than I care to think about. I don’t want to go into it on too much depth because I think it’s a bit pointless to do so – people’s opinions are pretty firmly entrenched on one side of the aisle or the other at this point. Personally, I’m in favour of the change, and here’s a few thoughts about why…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">It Never Made Sense – I dropped into the game with the Force Awakens core set and the bid system has always stuck out as an oddity. I get that the intention was to be that players would make tough decisions to sacrifice valuable upgrades to take the initiative but in reality the cost/benefit ratio was never well aligned and when movement order really mattered there wasn’t an upgrade in the world that you’d take instead of winning the bid by 1pt. You can imagine that AMG came into the game cold and had new eyes on everything. What was the point of an upgrade system that punished people for buying upgrades? </li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">It Made Too Much Difference – somebody did the maths that the benefit of moving second in matchups against the same initiative was 20-30% win rate – the difference between being 65/35 and likely to win or 35/65 and likely to lose. When the odds are flipping that wildly it says that you’re playing with a mechanic that is very potent and which is often overwhelming how you actually play on the table. Are we playing a game where the best player wins, or a game where the person who took off the most upgrades wins?</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AAFhqo6cAs/YVNCSnnloeI/AAAAAAAAHmA/uJoKhoDDVVg0XTZLAw4-KIa55CyJRfpYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1032/242631232_10157923079027001_3170430445114505628_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1032" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AAFhqo6cAs/YVNCSnnloeI/AAAAAAAAHmA/uJoKhoDDVVg0XTZLAw4-KIa55CyJRfpYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/242631232_10157923079027001_3170430445114505628_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><ul><li>It Was Getting Worse – In 1.0 we saw the important of initiative mainly as Veteran Instincts being overplayed, but in 2.0 the compression of the Initiative values led to bidding wars becoming deeper and deeper so it was a much bigger problem in 2.0 than it ever was in 1.0. You were more likely to match initiative with an opponent’s ship, and ships were more likely to have reposition actions to take advantage of moving second – it wasn’t just aces even Norra Wexley could barrel roll out of your arc in her Y-Wing if she moved second.</li></ul><ul><li>It Supported Imbalanced Squads – there’s some very subjective opinions in here, but I think that if you’ve built a squad that HAS to move second to have a good chance of success then that squad is not very well balanced or well rounded and you’ve only been able to make that squad work by leaning on the crutch of the bid system to give you a huge chance of moving second and securing the unfair advantage of doing so. I’ve been on both sides of this and my Rebel Aces list 100% abused the bid system to give me all the information before I had to make decisions – S-Foils, R2 regeneration, Target Locks, actions from Ahsoka, arc-dodging with impunity – I’d banked my whole list on 193 being a deep enough bid to move second. It didn’t have to be that way, and Oli Pocknell’s World Champion list is an example of building aces (with the same 6-5-5 initiative pattern as my Rebel Aces) that could move first happily. My squad was not well rounded and the deep bid was a vital crutch I was leaning on… that’s not necessarily healthy for the game.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXaqOhlDpYU/YVNEhVBbrGI/AAAAAAAAHmI/LYvv8EPD8JQs8kFKu6_xJMaUsukoFpV5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/becky-lynch-crutch.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXaqOhlDpYU/YVNEhVBbrGI/AAAAAAAAHmI/LYvv8EPD8JQs8kFKu6_xJMaUsukoFpV5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/becky-lynch-crutch.gif" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">It Prevented Aces Being Played – ironically I think removing bids will mean we see MORE aces played, not less. Dedicated aces lists will suffer if they don’t adapt but it’s now much more viable to include an I5 or I6 into a ‘normal’ squad without having to worry about leaving a chunky bid just to give them a chance. While there were a lot of aces running round with a deep bid nobody else could really afford to play an ace in their squad.</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">It Doesn’t Actually Make That Much Difference – wait, didn’t I just write a bullet about how it made too much difference? Well in how it can affect the outcome of any single game I think bidding and initiative order can have a huge impact (which is a bad thing), but over the course of a number of games the move from bidding for initiative to deciding it randomly with a dice roll… doesn’t actually make that much difference. If you’ve got an I6 pilot he’ll still move last in 82% of matches, yes it’s not 95% but it’s still a lot. And if your win percentage dropped 30% in those 13% of matches that flipped to you moving first… it’s going to change the result in about 1 game in 20. And that’s the worst case because you’ve now got points that you were going to spend on your bid to buy actual upgades with, so in fact it may only change the result in 1 game in 30. That’s not quite the “skill is dead in X-Wing” apocalypse that I read a lot of people worrying about.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXolP0f_VTs/YVNCDKDivpI/AAAAAAAAHl4/r_JnjiuE68kIUw46nkRDt92_-aq1LoM0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXolP0f_VTs/YVNCDKDivpI/AAAAAAAAHl4/r_JnjiuE68kIUw46nkRDt92_-aq1LoM0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/maxresdefault%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><ul><li>It’s A Distraction – the addition of sideboarding has been heavily hinted at by AMG and if that comes to pass then I guarantee it’s going to be 10x more impactful on X-Wing than anything they’re doing with initiative order. For a start the answer to the question “what happens when I face opposing I6 pilots and I may lose initiative 50% of the time” could be answered by sideboarding for that matchup more effectively than the opponent, but in truth sideboarding is going to hugely affect EVERY game you play. If they adopt the Marvel Crisis Protocol system then 200pt squad lists will be a thing of the past and we’ll be making 250pt squads then leaving 50pts on the sidelines every game. Do you bring specific tools for specific jobs? Do you leave whole pilots on the bench? Honestly, if we move to a world of objective play and sideboards then rolling dice for initiative is going to be the least of your worries and your win % is going to be determined far more by how you can react and think on your feet to deal with the opponent and task in front of you that round.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bring on random initiative. It's screw me over from time to time but I think the gains FAR outweigh the losses. And in the grand scheme of the changes coming to X-Wing it's just a little kink in the road and there's some much bigger bumps and bends ahead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">REBELS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first bit of good news for Rebel players is a surprise to nobody – it’s Dash Rendar. With both the pilot and his Outrider title getting a big discount this time around (a combined 15% price cut, from 99 to 84) I think it’s finally time for Dash to hit tables in a serious way. Along the way Dash has traded a gunner slot for a second crew slot and that’s a really good move – it’s good to break his reliance on the wombo-combo Bistan double tap trick that has so far been the only way to justify Dash’s cost, and that second crew slot gives you access to more goodies from the Rebel unique crew options, like Kanan, R2-D2, Magva Yarro etc. Dash is ready to prove his worth as an independent ship, not just as the output channel for 200pts worth of combolicious actions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiYlHo9VnAE/YVM3a2piU6I/AAAAAAAAHiA/HOZUZ2VNDY8BtV_a9WW49HVZg3x1b9AzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1067/Herasyndullabwing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiYlHo9VnAE/YVM3a2piU6I/AAAAAAAAHiA/HOZUZ2VNDY8BtV_a9WW49HVZg3x1b9AzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Herasyndullabwing.png" width="225" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UTZOz1R4NQ4/YVM3avGSq3I/AAAAAAAAHh8/DxlN_kwkZw0Ik6EFW9kTJFrFQ9cuqksLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/DashRendarPilotCard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UTZOz1R4NQ4/YVM3avGSq3I/AAAAAAAAHh8/DxlN_kwkZw0Ik6EFW9kTJFrFQ9cuqksLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DashRendarPilotCard.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">My second pick is Hera Syndulla in her B-Wing. I think by now we all understand that Hera’s pilot ability to share tokens is really great, but while the A-Wing version takes a big price hike the B-Wing version has come down to match it at 48pts. Here’s some homework: go and check how many B-Wing pilots cost the same as their A-Wing counterparts with similar initiative and report back to me with just how much of a bargain the B-Wing version of Hera now is.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dash is going to get a lot of table time and if that comes to pass I think it’s really going to shine a light on just how lacking the YT-1300 chassis is. It’s pretty much the least cost-effective way of putting red dice onto the table and now that Han’s 3 red dice cost the same as Dash’s 4 red dice that’s going to be more apparent than ever. I think there’s potential for the Falcon to benefit from the gunner slot now that it’s been removed from a bunch of ships and some of the best gunners have dropped in price, but I still think the Falcon is just not suited to dealing the amount of damage it really needs to be putting out. That’s only been cast into more sharp relief than ever by this round of changes to the YT-2400.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSoHuiljKAc/YVM3goQGp8I/AAAAAAAAHiI/6tDSTHUcG8IlGk1SudtJMw_ms6mu13hKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/HanSoloRebelPilotCard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSoHuiljKAc/YVM3goQGp8I/AAAAAAAAHiI/6tDSTHUcG8IlGk1SudtJMw_ms6mu13hKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/HanSoloRebelPilotCard.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPvXrXWhyLw/YVM3gUZJcAI/AAAAAAAAHiE/8spoD8hQO64GrciFcnoy-uucNlE0pnlCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Y-Wing_Gold.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPvXrXWhyLw/YVM3gUZJcAI/AAAAAAAAHiE/8spoD8hQO64GrciFcnoy-uucNlE0pnlCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Y-Wing_Gold.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Y-Wings in general still seem very lacklustre. Do you remember that brief moment with Veteran Turret Gunner cost next to nothing and the Y-Wing was actually good? Well that’s a long time in the rear view mirror and I’m not really sure what dropping their gunner slot for a missile slot (which competes directly with the existing Torpedo slot they didn’t use much) does to help the Y-Wing out. I think this ship still needs a clear sense of what it’s actually good for and I’m no clearer on what that is.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">IMPERIALS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve been banging on about TIE Aggressors almost as long as I’ve been banging on about Scyks and I’m not about to stop now. With so many of the key generic ships getting a price hike this time around I think the TIE Aggressor now stands almost unchallenged as the most efficient and effective generic ship in the game. At 26pts for just the raw chassis you get you’re at the cutting edge of a TIE/fo and outclassing the V-19 Torrent by having a much more flexible dial. Add a Dorsal turret for a bargain 2pts and you’re a 180 degree firing arc threat, and upgrade that turret to an Ion Cannon Turret at 31pts and you’re adding a whole 3rd red dice. At all three cost points the TIE Aggressor is best in class and if anybody thought these things were only making waves because of Admiral Sloane I think they’re going to find themselves given a rude awakening. Probably the best ‘little engine that could’ in the game right now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlvVk79v8-M/YVM37B9hj0I/AAAAAAAAHig/akRHEI5aXMEQZ0FGWp4k0bNOoB6C3IIHACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/TieAggressor_Sienar.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlvVk79v8-M/YVM37B9hj0I/AAAAAAAAHig/akRHEI5aXMEQZ0FGWp4k0bNOoB6C3IIHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/TieAggressor_Sienar.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tdHBZGvzdFQ/YVM36o3kobI/AAAAAAAAHic/dPj6mnTfw7Y0-R_WOPI5LA1dzVZZRD6OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz07-soontir-fel.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tdHBZGvzdFQ/YVM36o3kobI/AAAAAAAAHic/dPj6mnTfw7Y0-R_WOPI5LA1dzVZZRD6OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz07-soontir-fel.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Dust off your ACE OF LEGEND and get them ready for the table because I think Soontir Fel is coming back to play. He likes that most of the swarms are going, he likes that Fifth Brother has gone up in price a lot so there’s less Homing Missiles being flung around, and he likes that you don’t feel like you need to bid 8pts just to play him once we move to random initiative. Soontir will happily hunt any opposing I6 aces if the initiative roll goes your way but can run and hide effectively without wasting too many points in the games where you lose the dice roll and the opponent has to chase your ACE OF LEGEND. Removing the need to take a bid is like a 15% price cut to Soontir and I think he’ll be back to support tougher and more efficient Imperial ships with a little bit of finesse.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The humble TIE/ln has seen it’s better pilots get another round of price cuts… but I suspect it’s still not enough. The decision to keep Commander Malarus & 6 TIE/fos viable means that the original Imperial TIE Swarm is still going to come off badly in a straight fight against a list with more hull, more guns, and more tactical flexibility. The gap has closed a lot and I think you’ll see TIE Swarms much more than you have been used to, and even doing pretty well here and there, but that -1pt they knocked off Commander Malarus is felt very keenly over on Team Howlrunner.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yn6UbRHi8o/YVM4Femhc4I/AAAAAAAAHio/BFxZFRWzHWcCu72tzfWZ89AJpf72r_AbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1161/Iden_Versio_Pilot_Card.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="833" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yn6UbRHi8o/YVM4Femhc4I/AAAAAAAAHio/BFxZFRWzHWcCu72tzfWZ89AJpf72r_AbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Iden_Versio_Pilot_Card.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CkhQKviLRI/YVM4FP2QJtI/AAAAAAAAHik/I4cOCAXq7zAjB2U13di5XugCX2jwT8yOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Upgrade_tiedefenderelite.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CkhQKviLRI/YVM4FP2QJtI/AAAAAAAAHik/I4cOCAXq7zAjB2U13di5XugCX2jwT8yOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Upgrade_tiedefenderelite.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Defender Elite title now costs 0pts, coming down -2pts from the initial points cost. Now there’s only another 15pts left to come off before it’ll be worth playing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SCUM & VILLAINY</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s big changes in StarViper world, losing their coveted Sensor slot to gain the future-era Tech slot instead. That means they can look forward to whacking Automated Target Priority onto things for the extra free dice mods, but it also means Guri gets a lot cheaper. A Guri who could reliably S-Loop and reposition to get into range 1 used to cost 74pts (Guri & Advanced Sensors) but now only costs 65pts (Guri & Pattern Analyser). By Grabthar’s Hammer: what a savings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LE5qxMi3NEM/YVM4XGCzrXI/AAAAAAAAHi4/jf351eMzryEl37Q1_sXOO6qTxCZU4RRMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/False_transponder_codes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="418" height="227" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LE5qxMi3NEM/YVM4XGCzrXI/AAAAAAAAHi4/jf351eMzryEl37Q1_sXOO6qTxCZU4RRMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/False_transponder_codes.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WUe0qKQ_MN8/YVM4XH08YNI/AAAAAAAAHi8/Q48IcPiYxecF8i9dtkVQC1XMHNgLPdLxACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz08_a1_guri.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WUe0qKQ_MN8/YVM4XH08YNI/AAAAAAAAHi8/Q48IcPiYxecF8i9dtkVQC1XMHNgLPdLxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz08_a1_guri.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Illicit Slots in general still look really attractive for the sort of short burst of action economy that can decide games. False Transponder Codes may have gone up to 3pts but I expected more and they’re still good, while Overtuned Modulators look like a really attractive rework of the old Glitterstim. Scum still have the tools to produce big turns that really punish opponents.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It took 18 months but they finally stopped me from playing Cartel Spacers, at 27pts the extra bit of value I was scraping off has gone and I'm going to go looking elsewhere (see: Republic). Sunny Bounder is still unchanged value at 27pts so a lone Scyk in a list can be a really strong filler to round a squad out, but the days of my bringing a squad of seven Scyks to the table are behind me. Sad times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2ucMNuOSrE/YVM4zTfgVPI/AAAAAAAAHjE/v64BiEj9304IdVWsWPZJwikyGXErRC1AACLcBGAsYHQ/s512/oroqd0rbppd61.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="512" height="245" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2ucMNuOSrE/YVM4zTfgVPI/AAAAAAAAHjE/v64BiEj9304IdVWsWPZJwikyGXErRC1AACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h245/oroqd0rbppd61.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The whole Scum faction still looks a little bit unsure of what the future is. Every time a good Scum lists crops up it gets rapidly determined to be TOO good and gets whammed with a big hammer. Boba has been hit into unusability twice, the Torkil Swarm is gone, the Scyk Swarm is gone, the Jabba & Contraband combinations are gone, Zam Wesell is gone… the cupboards are looking a little bare. Scum players do love rising to a challenge of finding new ways to win, but by crikey I think they’re going to need to because they do seem to keep getting hit by the rough end of the stick.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">RESISTANCE</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Probably about two years ago I was trying to explain that Poe Dameron was overcosted at around his 68pts, and really if you benchmarked him against Wedge Antilles in another I6 X-Wing with a strong pilot ability he should probably cost around 60pts. We’re finally getting to that point, but in this round of price changes there was a BIG cut to the Heralds of Hope version of Poe and now he actually costs Wedge Antilles money! I think this Poe is a real steal at this price point, and he also makes a lot of sense to bring in the world of random initiative being decided as he’s happy to joust it out when he doesn’t have the drop on opposing I6 ships, or be a top ace if you do win the initiative roll. He makes Ello and Nien look sad and I think you’re going to see his white and orange T-70 around a lot.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8-euPZ3jIjk/YVM6KBh2AHI/AAAAAAAAHjQ/I9S4fRkA1LYmAg-iaCEhgLeuJU_ZPwkzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Swz_poe-dameron.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8-euPZ3jIjk/YVM6KBh2AHI/AAAAAAAAHjQ/I9S4fRkA1LYmAg-iaCEhgLeuJU_ZPwkzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz_poe-dameron.png" width="227" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8suAx4rAiN4/YVM6KPc8vSI/AAAAAAAAHjM/e0qb8u-VR_YWDtNaHlM6G-0_p2R3m8blwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz18_vennie_a3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8suAx4rAiN4/YVM6KPc8vSI/AAAAAAAAHjM/e0qb8u-VR_YWDtNaHlM6G-0_p2R3m8blwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz18_vennie_a3.png" width="230" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Is Vennie’s Starfortress ever going to stop going down in price? It’s happened again here, with the typical Vennie build benefitting from multiple savings on her pilot card itself, on Veteran Turret Gunner and on M9-G8. Vennie was once that oddity of a pilot who you rarely saw and could catch you out if you weren’t quite sure what she did… these days she’s probably just one of the single strongest pieces the Resistance can call on and there’s plenty of room for two strong pilots to run alongside her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think Rose Tico’s price increase may well be enough to push her out. In truth 28pts for her still isn’t a ridiculous amount to pay but I think I’d now put her behind Vi Moradi in the pecking order. Vi was always the unfairly ignored transport pod as Finn & Rose grabbed the headlines but with the incoming changes to the initiative rules I think Vi’s intelligence-gathering and ace-thwarting abilities gain a lot of value. Rose is going to the be the pilot who most often pays the price for Vi leapfrogging her in the queue.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQDAhi-8TwU/YVM6NYdOKyI/AAAAAAAAHjY/isVXnilnZ4wQ9Omcw6zxisx1O6nMasSSACLcBGAsYHQ/s580/star-wars-x-wing-resistance-y-wing-pilot-cards-580x326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="580" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQDAhi-8TwU/YVM6NYdOKyI/AAAAAAAAHjY/isVXnilnZ4wQ9Omcw6zxisx1O6nMasSSACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/star-wars-x-wing-resistance-y-wing-pilot-cards-580x326.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NodX3ErSjj0/YVM6NfAz4qI/AAAAAAAAHjU/3IxFK7kHbHYs6FnriEXK5cdpQODGqkgkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz45_rose-tico.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NodX3ErSjj0/YVM6NfAz4qI/AAAAAAAAHjU/3IxFK7kHbHYs6FnriEXK5cdpQODGqkgkwCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/Swz45_rose-tico.png" width="144" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I don’t get what the Rebel Y-Wings are for and unfortunately I feel very similarly about the Resistance Y-Wings… only moreso because for some reason they cost more points despite having worse stats. There’s a lot of pilots who all have a lot of words in their text box and to be honest with you I fell asleep before I could finish reading them all and trying to work out what they actually did. It’s possible there’s some secret sauce in here among the pilot abilities that makes them worthwhile… but it’s still a secret to me if that’s true!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">FIRST ORDER</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Midnight finally costs about the right amount! The I6 TIE/fo pilot has spent the last three years paying the price for what Omega Leader did in First Edition but she’s finally been let down from the naughty step with the same type of 15% price cut that all the other TIEs had enjoyed. It’s a nice little gift that Fanatical has also come down in price, and that being an I6 that doesn’ really want to take a massive bid has gained value with the move to random initiative. I’m not sure Midnight is going to ever become the terror that Omega Leader was as it’s still a defanged version of the original ablilty, but they’re now the correct price for what you get and you’ll see them around a lot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37r_m9B5Qyk/YVM6yy_lzxI/AAAAAAAAHjs/nu-7OgNHuWsbe-Kq1mvCVGwClsKrVtBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1067/Commander_malarus_xi.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37r_m9B5Qyk/YVM6yy_lzxI/AAAAAAAAHjs/nu-7OgNHuWsbe-Kq1mvCVGwClsKrVtBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Commander_malarus_xi.png" width="225" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHr38NdqX6A/YVM6ysL1LdI/AAAAAAAAHjo/soiu9qo5lMQzpd6Lgl_ayNZG1pnduYd7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz18_a1_midnight.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHr38NdqX6A/YVM6ysL1LdI/AAAAAAAAHjo/soiu9qo5lMQzpd6Lgl_ayNZG1pnduYd7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz18_a1_midnight.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Commander Malarus. What a difference a point makes. The decision to cut Malarus by -1pt has baffled me because it’s the difference between culling one of the most efficient and oppressive swarm lists (Malware) or allowing it to run rampant after most of its competition has been wiped out. I wouldn’t have done it, personally, and I think we may come to view this as a mistake but until then there’s no doubt that Commander Malarus and her accompanying TIE Swarm is going to be a big part of the coming metagame.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The First Order Bombers have been a long time coming and… I don’t get it. I love a Scimitar Bomber as much as almost anybody but the key to the Scimitar is that it’s super cheap for how hard they are to kill – the FO Bomber is no harder to kill and costs 15% more. Yes you’ve got that funky boost preposition but you’ve got to make that really work for you to make back the excess cost. The named FO Bombers close the points gap over the Imperial Bombers – Breach is only +1pt more than Tomax Bren at I5 – but the named Bombers have never really proven their worth anyway. I really wanted to like this ship but so far I don’t get what you’re doing with them that wouldn’t be better served as being a TIE/sf. Happy to be proven wrong!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGixJ1LOKR8/YVM63tarDPI/AAAAAAAAHjw/IyaFtdzWIPsnlG7f0KFni6iUjd25G_v-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s577/Dread.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGixJ1LOKR8/YVM63tarDPI/AAAAAAAAHjw/IyaFtdzWIPsnlG7f0KFni6iUjd25G_v-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dread.png" width="227" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j6vnSrhuGKY/YVM637RsazI/AAAAAAAAHj0/dV7kS-gSjI4-gqCIPNGaQd0nqjSTLw6qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz62_card_deuterium-power-cells.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j6vnSrhuGKY/YVM637RsazI/AAAAAAAAHj0/dV7kS-gSjI4-gqCIPNGaQd0nqjSTLw6qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz62_card_deuterium-power-cells.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Deuterium Power Cells… that’s not enough to come off this card. I want to see DPC as a valid option for Vonreg to make them a bit more reliable but at this cost it’s just not worth considering – a bad regen option at a bad cost.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">REPUBLIC</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If the TIE Aggressor has any real competition for the spot of being the best little ship in the game then that is surely going to come from… the V-Wing. The V-Wing? Seriously? Was that a typo? The Loyalist Volunteer came down a point to 26pts, it’s direct comparison is the TIE/fo who went up a point to the same 26pts. Except the V-Wing also has a boost action… not just that but a LINKED boost action into a target lock. And it’s also now got a completely free “Esk” configuration that adds the possibility of being an Ion threat as well. In a side-by-side comparison I think the V-Wing is a clear winner over the TIE/fo and the only thing holding the TIE/fo up is that it gets fire support from Commander Malarus for less than the V-Wing can get it from a LAAT or Sinker. You may never have seen a V-Wing on the table before, but I’d say you’re about to get all too used to them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0_OsxUoF8A/YVM7RdVA9dI/AAAAAAAAHkI/0IliOu3Defgp5fh6ckKOLArl5Xhq0jXjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Loyalist_volunteer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0_OsxUoF8A/YVM7RdVA9dI/AAAAAAAAHkI/0IliOu3Defgp5fh6ckKOLArl5Xhq0jXjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Loyalist_volunteer.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3djSDKoroEY/YVM7RvBy-tI/AAAAAAAAHkM/pTLrEBrad5k95vBmc1WMFtUYJ1nDx1ZdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz48_pilot-anakin-skywalker.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3djSDKoroEY/YVM7RvBy-tI/AAAAAAAAHkM/pTLrEBrad5k95vBmc1WMFtUYJ1nDx1ZdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz48_pilot-anakin-skywalker.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">AnakYn, Ynakin, AnYkin, however you’re used to nicknaming the Y-Wing version of Anakin Skywalker I think he’s now got a much bigger role to play in the game as he’s another I6 pilot who never really wanted to bid but was being held back by losing initiative to all the other I6’s who did want to bid. Anakin’s role in the Y-Wing is simple – fire Proton Torpedoes into the opponent’s aces until they’re gone, leaving Obi-Wan and Plo-Koon to mop up what’s left. Anakin has consistently dropped in points since his initial release and this latest round makes him better than ever just as the impending rules reference changes also play into his hands.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for the rest of the Jedi I’ve not got much good to say. The ETA-Actis was a badly conceived ship design that doesn’t really have the tools it need to fulfil any role – it can’t joust, its bad at arc-dodging, it’s not a good blocker etc. The one saving grace this ship had found was being able to punch above it’s weight thanks to equipping a cannon, and now that’s gone. I’m genuinely a bit staggered by this change and I’m not sure what the ETA pilots are supposed to use instead… harsh language? Maybe the Trick Shot/Scattering Shot build won’t just be a janky meme. I think it probably is though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2K657vG3kSM/YVM7ZF7zKJI/AAAAAAAAHkU/VBITospYO4oNEz6JzHosXl2aasqLlCpNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Delta-7_Kenobi.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2K657vG3kSM/YVM7ZF7zKJI/AAAAAAAAHkU/VBITospYO4oNEz6JzHosXl2aasqLlCpNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Delta-7_Kenobi.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UD4zj7VPB3Y/YVM7Y-ZiWyI/AAAAAAAAHkQ/HYzKMWaYvbQlb7kxltXreV7vtAAvIqj4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Obi-wan_eta-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UD4zj7VPB3Y/YVM7Y-ZiWyI/AAAAAAAAHkQ/HYzKMWaYvbQlb7kxltXreV7vtAAvIqj4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Obi-wan_eta-2.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And don’t be fooled by all those price cuts you can see on the Aethersprite versions of the Jedi, either, because they’ve been offset by increases to the CLT and Delta-7B titles that mean the cost of these ships has actually gone up! So the Jedi weren’t very good, the faction overall was struggling and relying on them as a crutch… and they got a price increase? Awesome.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SEPARATIST</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It’s been a while coming but is the Tri-Fighter finally going to make waves? Although the Colicoid Interceptor still looks pretty sad there’s some hefty discounts applied to the Phlacc-Arphocc Prototype and the Independent Calculations modification that could really shake things up. You’re now able to field an I5 Tri-Fighter with two calculate tokens for 38pts and that looks pretty nice compared to similar TIE Interceptors that are currently seeing play, like the I4 Saber Squadron Pilots at 36pts. I think the Tri-Fighter is another ship set to benefit from the changes to bidding – in the past these would cost 45pts and then you’d have to bid to give your flimsy I5 droid a chance of moving last and dodging arcs, where in future you’ll be able to bring them at 38pts and not worry about the bid at all. Definitely one to watch and I think they’ll open up new ground for CIS squad-building that’s not just a block of droids moving as one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yKEYSp3CMg/YVM7tEWUTkI/AAAAAAAAHks/T0Vw_CVdIAYtQzxAc1eDCk2JhGsCSiNXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz81_phlac-prototype_cutout.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yKEYSp3CMg/YVM7tEWUTkI/AAAAAAAAHks/T0Vw_CVdIAYtQzxAc1eDCk2JhGsCSiNXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz81_phlac-prototype_cutout.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JVQAoiif9is/YVM7tIjDFqI/AAAAAAAAHko/9_rFNUziO-8hIWRkGClrCQyy3JKXaOxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz81_upgrade_independent-calculations.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="418" height="227" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JVQAoiif9is/YVM7tIjDFqI/AAAAAAAAHko/9_rFNUziO-8hIWRkGClrCQyy3JKXaOxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz81_upgrade_independent-calculations.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Independent Calculations. I’ve mentioned it once but I think changing Independent Calculations to cost 0pts is huge for not just Tri-Fighters but for Vulture Droids too. Sitting on a stack of double the number of calculate tokens makes you a potent threat and now you can have your cake AND eat it. It also makes many of the costs that included Calculate tokens being spent that much more tolerable, like Discord Missiles or the K2-B4 tactical relay. I think Independent Calculations could be a massive change for droid squadbuilding, freeing them up to move independently of each other and activate powerful effects without going tokenless.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I understand that Nantex are a bit of a dirty word and that very few people have fond memories of the Stalgasin Hive Guard or Petranaki Arena Ace, but did they really need to be bombed back to the stone age with another 10% price increase? At 35pts the Stalgasin Hive Guard is the most expensive it’s ever been. A Stalgasin Hive Guard with Ensnare now costs 54 points… FIFTY FOUR! On release they were 44pts and not exactly dominating anything… and that was with the old Tractor rules. Stop it, they’re already dead!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byoH7H2dnhc/YVM7zLh3nWI/AAAAAAAAHk0/CkJx2zZYRT4I8qOfA8pnOApVMe9ofGYfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz30_darth-maul.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byoH7H2dnhc/YVM7zLh3nWI/AAAAAAAAHk0/CkJx2zZYRT4I8qOfA8pnOApVMe9ofGYfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz30_darth-maul.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8KlEL-OFfE/YVM7yz93rRI/AAAAAAAAHkw/6PhWyvDAy8IOZXWv82etvnoDI1yS9xMlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz47_cards-hive-guard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8KlEL-OFfE/YVM7yz93rRI/AAAAAAAAHkw/6PhWyvDAy8IOZXWv82etvnoDI1yS9xMlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz47_cards-hive-guard.png" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Sith Infiltrator got edged down in price but I think it’s got a long way to come yet. Stats-wise the chassis is the same as a Scurrg Bomber (3 red, 1 green, 10 hit points) but the base Dark Courier costs 6pts more and comes on the dreaded front-arc-only large base. That’s not a great starting position but even worse is the +14pts and +15pts you have to pile on top to get to Dooku or Maul. They simply aren’t worth the investment to get there and I could see another 6-8pts coming off those two villains before they really get back onto the table in a meaningful way.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">GENERIC UPGRADES</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 GOOD</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm actually a little bit nervous about the 50% discount we just got on Tactical Officer because I remember just how much we saw that guy when he was 2pts. X-Wing has moved on a long way from those early days of 2.0 so I may be worrying about nothing, but I'm sure there's going to be players putting him back into their U-Wings, Escape Crafts etc. Is there going to be some ridiculous Nodin Chavri action-spewing combo?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vr2VLaV7tas/YVM_qpbeRxI/AAAAAAAAHlI/kdBtG7ztg084q6YdYEC9GwiTaBHEiWlXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s350/Compassion.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="350" height="143" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vr2VLaV7tas/YVM_qpbeRxI/AAAAAAAAHlI/kdBtG7ztg084q6YdYEC9GwiTaBHEiWlXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h143/Compassion.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bLvK-_46co/YVM_qoA-YzI/AAAAAAAAHlM/4sq--CN7ha8FYjw1vaX6Ej8Ju3j2UVErACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz_tactical-officer_upgrade.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bLvK-_46co/YVM_qoA-YzI/AAAAAAAAHlM/4sq--CN7ha8FYjw1vaX6Ej8Ju3j2UVErACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h144/Swz_tactical-officer_upgrade.png" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">There's two side of the same coin in new force abilities from the Fury of the First Order expansion, and I'm pretty sure people are excited about the wrong one. Compassion may only trigger on 25% of the crits somebody receives, and may mean moving damage from another ship onto a fragile Jedi instead, but it only costs 1pt and if it keeps a ship on the table it'll be the best 1pt upgrade you bought since Crack Shot. With no need to bid in the new random initiative rules I think cheap little upgrades like this are the real beneficiaries - you'd have sacrificed them for a bid in the past because they were too niche, but now you can pay the little cost and wait for them to win you a game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 BAD</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;">And as much as I like Compassion because it's cheap I've got no time for Malice because it's expensive. Forget Malice as a force regen mechanic because it'll only trigger a tiny % of the time (they have to not dodge the attack, not have shields, then you've a 25% of hitting a Pilot crit) so what you're really buying for Malice's 6pts is the ability to deal crits. Unless you were slam-dunking Marksmanship and R7-A7 into squads at every chance you got I would suggest you're overpaying for the effect here. Compasson is a 2pt upgrade that costs 1pt, but Malice is a 3pt upgrade that costs 6pts. Avoid it 9 times out of 10 and take Sense instead.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vo2HRFKpKg/YVM_25CZhcI/AAAAAAAAHlU/E1DkykkVooExo-bQ0-4Ltr1SRd3fUAP5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s265/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="265" height="143" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vo2HRFKpKg/YVM_25CZhcI/AAAAAAAAHlU/E1DkykkVooExo-bQ0-4Ltr1SRd3fUAP5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h143/download.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl1-gVwNMfM/YVM_2jT3isI/AAAAAAAAHlQ/aml6MaKx_hA6qYBfgqi_lF7OoPe3PfZQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s577/Malice.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="577" height="142" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl1-gVwNMfM/YVM_2jT3isI/AAAAAAAAHlQ/aml6MaKx_hA6qYBfgqi_lF7OoPe3PfZQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h142/Malice.png" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Passive Sensors wasn't too bad for 2pts, 4pts for the luxury is a lot to pay and it's importantly no longer undercutting the Targeting Computer. It was an upgrade that shortcut a key skill-testing limitation of ordnance (actually maneuvering into range and getting the TL you want on the ship you want to fire at) and I'm glad to see it get punted a little further downrange.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So what do you reckon? Have I missed some absolute sitters? What are you looking forward to sifting out of the latest points change?</div><div><br /></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-50429034897055041222021-08-15T15:17:00.004-07:002021-08-15T15:17:45.816-07:00A Barrel of Laughs - Squadbuilding handcuffs for fun & profit (mostly fun)<p style="text-align: justify;">If you skim-read my blog you may wind up mistaking me for a hardcore competitive player because it's so often about tournaments or my trying to find a chink in the competitive metagame for a new squad to function. That's definitely part of who I am as a player, especially the part about analysing the metagame for a weakness because that tends to be the first step in launching a new squad idea, but although I may occasionally do well at a tournament or two it's usually despite my best efforts to sabotage my success. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Today I want to share one my favourite ways of forcing myself to shake up squadbuilding and play a bit less seriously: the Barrel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uYCKwXQF7w/YRmN1y65DCI/AAAAAAAAHSU/IN1lwX28SFoSoKsK_udMN9g_SMMMmAtQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/d81eb91dd7dd73ded6f04b60e5fd0fe9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="640" height="446" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uYCKwXQF7w/YRmN1y65DCI/AAAAAAAAHSU/IN1lwX28SFoSoKsK_udMN9g_SMMMmAtQgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h446/d81eb91dd7dd73ded6f04b60e5fd0fe9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">ENFORCED FUN</span></b><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">That hyper-competitive player is who I was maybe 20-25 years ago when I was tilting myself at breaking through onto the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour gravy train, but it's not who I am today. What my run at the Pro Tour taught me was twofold: the first was that I wasn't quite good enough because the guys who can make it onto the Pro Tour and stay there are exceptional talents and I don't have what it takes, the second was that trying to dominate the world and failing was twisting me up inside and making me very bitter and unhappy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTT6e_C6dbE/YRmJrMy9aNI/AAAAAAAAHRo/Gg_h52YhBg8J4-Yj-CSap2sDIpxcHqZcACLcBGAsYHQ/s750/DKODING-Gollum-Smeagol-relationship-Hollywood-DKODING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTT6e_C6dbE/YRmJrMy9aNI/AAAAAAAAHRo/Gg_h52YhBg8J4-Yj-CSap2sDIpxcHqZcACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/DKODING-Gollum-Smeagol-relationship-Hollywood-DKODING.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm a lot older and wiser now but while I've found more balance in my gaming I know that I always have to be on watch for the nasty side taking over again. One of my favourite ways of keeping him at bay is by creating my own squadbuilding 'rules' that ensure I'm always pulling my punches a bit... </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Have minimal practice with a squad before you use it. I'll often play something to the point where I know it's not awful, but ideally <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/10/hyperspace-trial-runner-up-iq-games.html">I'll have never used the squad before</a>.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/guns-lots-of-guns-taking-scyks-to.html">Don't play the same squad twice</a>. Six rounds is usually enough for me with a squad and then I get itchy feet and want to move on. Ever since <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2016/08/several-fighters-have-broken-off-from.html">I ran deep at UK Nationals 2016</a> there's been very few occasions where I've *ever* used the same X-Wing squad in more than one tournament.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Handcuff myself during squadbuilding. If I'm forcing myself to take suboptimal decisions and compromising with a squad then I'm happier to keep playing it multiple times. </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Deliberately sabotaging myself like this may seem a weird thing to do but I've it means that I've always got a handy excuse for why I was the bridesmaid and not the bride. Having that excuse to hand means the other guy will mostly leave me alone and not demand that I win everything in sight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uDmGYK7RhTA/YRmQ80EpLCI/AAAAAAAAHSo/OKPVugM5zrwZYt3jZk_1NwfbTeXmGbdpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s740/Hulk-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="740" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uDmGYK7RhTA/YRmQ80EpLCI/AAAAAAAAHSo/OKPVugM5zrwZYt3jZk_1NwfbTeXmGbdpwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h218/Hulk-meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">That third one, the squadbuilding handcuffs, is something <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2018/03/some-squads-what-i-wrote.html">that I've written about before</a>. In First Edition my go-to for this was what I called the 'Wretched Hive' format for Scum squads. The rules of the Wretched Hive were as follows:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Four ships. All named pilots.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">None of the pilots could be recognisably 'good' from a competitive standpoint</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Janky control effects - Ion, Bombs, Tractor etc - were a desirable trait.</li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That tended to leave me with some fairly silly but fun squads that were good enough to win >50% of games with but would never trouble the top tables of a proper tournament. Exactly where I wanted to be, in short.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zLvsZYm13c/YRmLII7CYRI/AAAAAAAAHRw/g_aWYU2F8A0VtD1WOq6rE3uSo4_Va_qEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1456/uEmqlNgr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1456" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zLvsZYm13c/YRmLII7CYRI/AAAAAAAAHRw/g_aWYU2F8A0VtD1WOq6rE3uSo4_Va_qEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/uEmqlNgr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Imagine my shock and horror (and yes, a little delight) when I discovered that virtually exactly the same ships and pilots from my janky First Edition 'Wretched Hive' squad were one of the first powerhouse squads of Second Edition and <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2018/11/herdy-gerdy-reporting-back-from-3rd-at.html">I accidentally nearly won a massive tournament</a>!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was clear that I needed a new janky template for Second Edition squadbuilding and during the last 18 months of lockdown I think I've found it. I want to introduce you to "The Barrel of <insert name here>"</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Barrel of <insert name here></span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My first and longest-running Barrel squad started life as a spin-off from my Sloane Swarm that I was playing as the walls closed in and the Covid pandemic started, and I called it the "Barrel of TIEs". The rules of the Barrel of TIEs were simple:</p><p></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;">Six ships</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Each ship has to be a different type</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE Fighter variants only</li></ol><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HijNm-X4E4Q/YRmCMER3SsI/AAAAAAAAHRc/cBpq7Dq82-oHmBjOUNeh7Vg4P99YL4g7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/nZ9OpZM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HijNm-X4E4Q/YRmCMER3SsI/AAAAAAAAHRc/cBpq7Dq82-oHmBjOUNeh7Vg4P99YL4g7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/nZ9OpZM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Look at that, isn't it magnificent? As a lifelong Imperial fan it's bringing out my inner Krennic just to look at it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq-1xOjZGAo/YRmCajxhwHI/AAAAAAAAHRg/9sntwaKd32Mopv_YmD0wBmAXgVSf1ffOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s498/orson-krennic-star-wars.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq-1xOjZGAo/YRmCajxhwHI/AAAAAAAAHRg/9sntwaKd32Mopv_YmD0wBmAXgVSf1ffOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/orson-krennic-star-wars.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Imperials are really well-placed to do something like this as there's so many cheap throwaway TIE variants: the TIE Fighter itself, the TIE Aggressor, the TIE/v1, the TIE Bomber, TIE Interceptor, TIE Striker... there's so many cheap models that it's easy to fit in something bigger as well, with room for a TIE Brute, TIE/x1, TIE Phantom, TIE Reaper or even a TIE Punisher.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've really enjoyed flying six ships with all their different capabilities and their six different dials. It may sound incredibly daunting at first but I found that as they were all base TIEs there was some maneuvering commonalities that helped you out, and once you had a few games under your belt the challenge in dealing with all these different ships quickly passed over to your opponent for them to try and work out what the hell you were going to do! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've flown lots of little iterations and variations on my Barrel o TIEs over the last 12 months but the current version is this one:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Barrel o TIEs</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><b>Lyttan Dree </b>(TIE Brute) - Synced Laser Cannons, Target-Assist MGK-300</li><li><b>Baron of the Empire </b>(TIE Aggressor) - Proton Rockets</li><li><b>Scimitar Squadron Pilot</b> (TIE Bomber) - XX-23 Thread Tracers, Bomblet Generator</li><li><b>Planetary Sentinel</b> (TIE Striker)</li><li><b>Alpha Squadron Pilot</b> (TIE Interceptor)</li><li><b>"Wampa" </b>(TIE Fighter)<br />(200)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do you often expect a janky handcuffs list to be able to roll 20 red dice in a turn? The key strength of this list is that in the Striker, Interceptor and Wampa I've got probably the three cheapest 3-red dice ships in the game. The key weakness is that almost all my ships are made of papier mache and the dreams of small children, and will crumple and die just as easily as either of those two things. Range control on the initial engagement is really important to mitigate that weakness, but if you can get in close without half your squad being destroyed then the raw firepower is here to mince up all but the strongest opponents.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've even managed to persuade somebody else to pick up the mantle of the Barrel o TIEs, and from their feedback in playing the list online it's done very well for them in a couple of tournaments and made the cut despite being a meme!</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZQrab-2NW4/YRmMKoEuaHI/AAAAAAAAHR4/A9C-q4b6b9QF2_0AxtCpXvJWNVqBDADfACLcBGAsYHQ/s425/71On6-ZM3WL._AC_SX425_.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="425" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZQrab-2NW4/YRmMKoEuaHI/AAAAAAAAHR4/A9C-q4b6b9QF2_0AxtCpXvJWNVqBDADfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/71On6-ZM3WL._AC_SX425_.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7gRYRd1FUA/YRmO78hGFdI/AAAAAAAAHSg/NT33Qi4rxm4z_HQ7SOzj6WBQid_OHzRZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/s-l300%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="300" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7gRYRd1FUA/YRmO78hGFdI/AAAAAAAAHSg/NT33Qi4rxm4z_HQ7SOzj6WBQid_OHzRZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/s-l300%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a><br /></div><i><blockquote>Tenuously, the Barrel of Monkeys is the original inspiration for why I call these squads Barrels. Although I thought it was also a Barrel of Soldiers and you tipped them out and they were all different shapes and poses but still all soldiers. It's actually a Bucket of Soldiers in Toy Story, though, so I screwed the name up right from the get-go.</blockquote></i><p style="text-align: justify;">For the longest time I stayed there and flew my Barrel of TIEs very happily, but now I'm spreading my horizons a little bit and I think there's probably a Barrel to be made in any faction, though First Order and Resistance may need to wait for the upcoming Fury of the First Order and Resistance Y-Wing expansion packs. Not every faction may be able to run a satisfying six-ship Barrel but I've expanded the rules to mean a five-ship Barrel is allowed when you can't make a fun six-ship Barrel (one of the perks of making up your own rules is you can decide to change them whenever you want).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've just taken to flying a five-ship "Barrel of Clones" as my new fun list and it was just as much fun as the Barrel of TIEs has been in the past:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Barrel o Clones</b><span style="color: red;">*</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><b>212th Battalion Pilot </b>(LAAT Gunship) - Seventh Fleet Gunner</li><li><b>104th Battalion Pilot</b> (ARC-170)</li><li><b>"Goji" </b>(BTL-B Y-Wing) - Ion Cannon Turret, Thermal Detonators, Delayed Fuses</li><li><b>Loyalist Volunteer </b>(V-Wing) - Alpha-3B "Besh", Thermal Detonator, Delayed Fuses</li><li><b>"Tucker"</b> (V-19 Torrent) - Ion Missiles<br />(200)</li></ul><div>In this squad I've leaned into two key things - the first was that as I was borderline forced to take a V-Wing I may as well try to abuse "Goji" with loads of extra green dice if possible, and the second was that I've long been a fan of Seventh Fleet Gunner on the LAAT to give my otherwise puny ships a bigger punch when I need it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've had a lot of fun with it, although getting "Goji" active has been tougher than I originally thought the bombs have also unwittingly also acted as bombs and dealt damage and controlled space (which I kind of forgot they would do, duh). It's a second time where a random assembly of ships & dials has created a really fun playing challenge for me, and what's more: the clones<span style="color: red;">*</span> may have been winning ugly but they've been winning!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pTP7uM9CxSU/YRmMYeFiDxI/AAAAAAAAHR8/BZkGPEUciS4Ei30kss89TwjAxCTBR3nsACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Clipboard01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pTP7uM9CxSU/YRmMYeFiDxI/AAAAAAAAHR8/BZkGPEUciS4Ei30kss89TwjAxCTBR3nsACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Clipboard01.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And it isn't going to stop with Clones. As soon as my beloved First Order faction get the TIE Whisper and their own Bomber I'm sure I'll be straight onto building them a "Barrel of Nazis" squad. A Barrel of Pirates, Barrel of Rebels, Barrel of Droids? It's all possible and hopefully before long I'll have had fun fielding a "Barrel of..." squad from each of the seven factions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Can I interest anyone in joining me for a barrel?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LiQ6kO2CTiA/YRmNxtMnHrI/AAAAAAAAHSQ/m2JtLZdrlYs3h_dbF3Yo9tMUedUqj2XRACLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Packing-of-the-Dwarves-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-33418039-2000-1334%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LiQ6kO2CTiA/YRmNxtMnHrI/AAAAAAAAHSQ/m2JtLZdrlYs3h_dbF3Yo9tMUedUqj2XRACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/Packing-of-the-Dwarves-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-33418039-2000-1334%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="color: red;">*</span> the first person to tell me that a Loyalist Volunteer isn't a clone gets a slap.</i></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-11541082908229739022021-08-10T08:14:00.003-07:002021-08-10T13:57:21.504-07:00SITH TAKER OPEN 2021 - Top-16 with Rebel Aces<p style="text-align: justify;">A very unusual thing happened this weekend: I played an X-Wing tournament. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Folx0nz-JoM/YRKIZKX6JBI/AAAAAAAAHOc/4fhxSD6WuSoHuufwiI591a5tJUYf0kiiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/image0%2B%25289%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Folx0nz-JoM/YRKIZKX6JBI/AAAAAAAAHOc/4fhxSD6WuSoHuufwiI591a5tJUYf0kiiQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image0%2B%25289%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: justify;">Even more unusually I played an X-Wing tournament with actual X-Wings!<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE SITH TAKER OPEN</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Sith Taker Open was held at Element Games in Stockport featuring actual real life human beings pushing actual plastic spaceships around an actual table. Just like you've seen on the popular video game 'Tabletop Simulator' but only it was really real and in 3D and everything. Before I get into all the hilarious jokes and phenomenal strategic insights that I'm renowned for there's a couple of things I want to touch on.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oqE8cIEyVo/YRKXgC07p5I/AAAAAAAAHRU/d-C46qALbU4ai6N_LRn1-fzNFNJFWi_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/162045495_2180497402086275_621518998763081526_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="960" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oqE8cIEyVo/YRKXgC07p5I/AAAAAAAAHRU/d-C46qALbU4ai6N_LRn1-fzNFNJFWi_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h206/162045495_2180497402086275_621518998763081526_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Firstly, a Sith Takers event can usually handle around 120+ players in the games space. The STO was first booked in a long time ago when we had strict social distancing measures in place in the UK so the decision was made to space everybody out a lot more and limit capacity at 64. In the end the event had 46 players which first of all made it, I think, the biggest post-lockdown event we've had in England (somebody will fact-check me on that if I'm wrong, I'm sure), and second of all shocked me a little bit that we only got that many. I played against people who had travelled the length and breadth of the UK to make it to the STO, I think it pulled people in from hundreds and hundreds of miles away... and despite a catchment area that stretched from Land's End to John O' Groats we still only got 46. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">There was whole chunks of people I'd normally expect to see at a Sith Takers event who weren't there. They were missed and their absence was a sobering reminder that times are still uncertain or hard for many many people.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpibKHOfojY/YRKJK7v2AqI/AAAAAAAAHOk/wxvCFL0bV74MbKe0gq0bHR5kf595b7AewCLcBGAsYHQ/s220/so-many-people-crowded.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="220" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpibKHOfojY/YRKJK7v2AqI/AAAAAAAAHOk/wxvCFL0bV74MbKe0gq0bHR5kf595b7AewCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/so-many-people-crowded.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Secondly, as I was walking up to the venue I fell in step with Martyn Purves and after saying "Hi" to each other I said that it was good to back after 18 months but that I was sure it would all feel very normal very soon. Somehow it never did. I've played X-Wing a few times since lockdown ended and each time it had seemed very natural to be back doing normal things, but somehow this weekend with that many people in that small a space was just a bigger step than I realised it was going to be... and that was with only 46 people not 120. When games were underway everything fell away and I was fine but in between rounds I spent the whole two days feeling nervous and uncomfortable. One minute I'd be fitfully putting a mask on my face then taking it off seconds later, feeling like wearing one between rounds but not during games was probably just pointless. Bleh. Did not like it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MScIXlavI1s/YRKJYFgZ7WI/AAAAAAAAHOo/IGEpqYC-d_I5x4u17RORkftrbyQyKQRvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Human-turtle_171781f6fcb_original-ratio.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MScIXlavI1s/YRKJYFgZ7WI/AAAAAAAAHOo/IGEpqYC-d_I5x4u17RORkftrbyQyKQRvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Human-turtle_171781f6fcb_original-ratio.gif" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But what I *can* tell you and want to double underline is I had a great time anyway. The games were great, seeing people I've not seen in the flesh for 18 months was great, meeting new people I'd never met before was great, putting faces to names I'd come to know during lockdown was great, the venue and the organisation was their ever-reliably great selves. I was really surprised that I felt the way I did and I wish I'd been more comfortable being there but that's on me not anybody else.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE SQUAD</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I played something I've literally never played before: triple Rebel Aces. I've played triple aces of the Imperial variety once in 2016 and the experience was so traumatic that I dropped out after two rounds and never played aces again for 3 more years, when I'd manage to fly two aces so long as they were supported by a bunch of grunts or something. Triple aces... never. And certainly not Rebel aces. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This was my list:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span> </span>XXA Rebel Aces</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><b>Wedge Antilles</b> - T-65 X-Wing - Servomotor S-Foils</li><li><b>Luke Skywalker</b> - T-65 X-Wing - Servomotor S-Foils, Proton Torpedoes, R2 Astromech, Shield Upgrade</li><li><b>Ahsoka Tano</b> - RZ-1 A-Wing - Concussion Missiles<br />(193)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mf6i8I-7Cws/YRKKpOscQmI/AAAAAAAAHO0/vsC_cSDadro-ZQicaXNkv41dmMe4fRh4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/image0%2B%252810%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mf6i8I-7Cws/YRKKpOscQmI/AAAAAAAAHO0/vsC_cSDadro-ZQicaXNkv41dmMe4fRh4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/image0%2B%252810%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd spent the week leading up to the tournament oscillating between taking this Wedge or a 'Hatchetman'-style Miranda Doni with Advanced Proton Torpedoes, Diamond Boron Missiles, Thermal Detonators and Jyn Erso. I really like that build and with Ahsoka to help Miranda get her Target Locks and double mod her big attacks it has real potential. I *wanted* to want to play Miranda but as the deadline for list submission loomed closer I couldn't ignore how much sense it made to play 6-5-5 initiatives instead of 5-5-4 and shut the door on all those Poe/Vader/Soontir/Jangos who would move after Luke & Ahsoka. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I owe a lot of thanks to Tom Reed for doing most of the legwork and playtesting with Miranda when I couldn't get the games in myself, and his feedback that Miranda was surprisingly good but hard work really helped cement the decision to leave her on the sidelines for the Sith Taker Open. I'll keep Miranda for my FLGS adventures but I'm 100% sure Wedge was the right move from a 'trying to win as many games as possible' perspective.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That I even wound up on Rebel Aces at all was the end result of a playtest session that systematically eliminated every good bad idea I had, leaving me only with bad good ideas. I've been playing generic ship spam for longer than I care to remember and I was right at the forefront of that in early 2020 with Scyks and Sloane Swarms. I was sure I was going to play something like that at the STO but a lengthy day getting repeatedly smashed in the face by Tom playing either Jango/Zam or Asajj/Bossk/Lando and all their dice mods conclusively persuaded me that I was no longer exploring the cutting edge of deck construction. I might have led the pack 18 months ago when the points had just changed but during lockdown the Peloton had caught up to my generic efficiency breakway and reeled me back in. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Accepting that I didn't have a good list of my own I was trying to choose which meme-ey fun list to accept going 3-3 with when for no good reason my brain decided to push Rebel Aces at me, which I'd never even thought about before. I don't really have good explanation for why I chose them even though I had basically zero games of practice with ahead of Round One.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of which...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE GAMES</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round One - Martin Purves</b><br />Resistance Kinda Beefy Kinda Thingy - Jarek Yeager, Rose, some generic T-70s</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd met Martin as we arrived and now he was my first opponent of the day. I felt broadly positive about the matchup as instead of investing in T-70s with built-in dice mods like Jess or Nimi, Martin had spent his points on some Swarm Tactics plans to fire at I4 and I5 which weren't actually going to matter much against my squad of higher initiatives. His T-70s wouldn't go down quickly but so long as I could avoid getting killboxed I had a good chance to gradually pick them off and not give Martin too many good shots.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICxGG3oZNoM/YRKK5hSyAiI/AAAAAAAAHO8/xElxZ--qnXAoLlgEL9eHZ5_dLzyj6LB1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/erXqLJq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICxGG3oZNoM/YRKK5hSyAiI/AAAAAAAAHO8/xElxZ--qnXAoLlgEL9eHZ5_dLzyj6LB1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/erXqLJq.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We deployed in opposite corners and I raced Luke forwards with 4-straight-boosts while Wedge and Ahsoka meandered around in my corner waiting to see what Martin would do. Martin started to turn his formation to follow Luke, but I kept him skirting around the outside until Luke he basically a big 'L' up the table and across the whole of Martin’s deployment zone to emerge in the corner Martin had deployed in. The threat I was presenting was to try and pick Yeager off the back of Martin’s formation with Luke's Proton Torpedoes and unfortunately for Martin I think the cardboard rust of not actually playing on a real table for so long caught up to him - he wanted Yeager to SLAM away from Luke but he actually bumped onto the back of Rose and ate a Proton Torpedo, then a second SLAM attempt got blocked the next turn and Yeager was gone.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6riLoWU8HM/YRKLCceWx2I/AAAAAAAAHPA/dUfUUXUh_K8D8N1zKNsjWjdGMsmVJ9ixACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/kiYFvJY.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6riLoWU8HM/YRKLCceWx2I/AAAAAAAAHPA/dUfUUXUh_K8D8N1zKNsjWjdGMsmVJ9ixACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/kiYFvJY.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This second bump ensured Jarek couldn't SLAM clear of Luke's killshot</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">It turned into a real dogfight from there, but one where my team always moved last with full knowledge of where Martin had moved to. I played it safe and kept Martin from firing most of the time, with Ahsoka able to throw reposition actions to Wedge to avoid him being trapped. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LHhGZL4FCvY/YRKLWU8fiZI/AAAAAAAAHPI/MJXm93zfdZ44KrpcOWh8YzORu8Po_I1GwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/GTdTXXQ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LHhGZL4FCvY/YRKLWU8fiZI/AAAAAAAAHPI/MJXm93zfdZ44KrpcOWh8YzORu8Po_I1GwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/GTdTXXQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Luke got a little cooked but then slipped away to recover his shields and get back full points, so even though Martin had got half points on Wedge and Ahsoka by the time the end of the round was called his efforts in chasing Luke had been fruitless and I was well ahead on points.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN <br />155-54</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round Two - Sean Milligan</b><br />Rey, Zizi, Poe</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This was a much more 'meta' opponent in Sean's squad, but once again my deep bid of 193 secured that my ships would be moving after his and put me in a strong position - so long as Wedge could keep Poe in check then Luke and Ahsoka were free to go hunting. I decided to really lean into my strong 'alpha strike' and lined my three aces up as a block and simply went hell-for-leather across the table into Sean's ships, which were trying to play for position a bit on his side of the table.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfzeBsEgMMY/YRKLhHzpXDI/AAAAAAAAHPM/g1X9cG4fF40-yFtCVGgu4ngDn4j6TMOWACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Up6LNDP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfzeBsEgMMY/YRKLhHzpXDI/AAAAAAAAHPM/g1X9cG4fF40-yFtCVGgu4ngDn4j6TMOWACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Up6LNDP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I think the speed and aggression of my charge may have surprised Sean and then the dreaded cardboard rust struck him too - he dropped Rey onto an asteroid as she tried to get away and I sensed blood in the water. All three of my ships pounced on her and the Falcon never really got back into the game as Luke & Ahsoka hounded Rey and finished her off. While that was happening Wedge had swept back out to keep Zizi from flanking in behind me and she found herself my next victim - trading shots with Wedge was unlikely to work out well for the A-Wing and so it proved. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6ZqzS-rqDo/YRKLtBhUhjI/AAAAAAAAHPU/idIF7Q354isrZgLeYsJW0GfnBeU6bfT3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/b75dj1W.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6ZqzS-rqDo/YRKLtBhUhjI/AAAAAAAAHPU/idIF7Q354isrZgLeYsJW0GfnBeU6bfT3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/b75dj1W.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat Concussion Missile, flyboy!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Poe dealt with Wedge in revenge for killing Zizi but Luke and Ahsoka combined to finish the trigger-happy flyboy off not long after.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN<br />200-54</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round Three - Chris Burnett</b><br />Rey & Vennie</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What the hell had I done to upset the Resistance so much?!? It was now three Resistance squads back to back for me, and after facing 'skinny' Rey in the game against Sean I was now facing a fully-loaded version alongside the surprisingly dangerous Vennie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAMGKvDaxOQ/YRKL63TDuMI/AAAAAAAAHPc/WWhNfrNEuGAEeopf0eA-wXz-g04uQ7_KACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/aQDQo8I.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAMGKvDaxOQ/YRKL63TDuMI/AAAAAAAAHPc/WWhNfrNEuGAEeopf0eA-wXz-g04uQ7_KACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/aQDQo8I.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'll be completely honest with you, I can barely remember this game. It came after we had taken a break for lunch and I think I was a little bit carbohydrate-drunk for this one. Being so unfamiliar with Rebel aces and T-65s I'd come into the day expecting to make loads of mistakes and forget S-Foils and things but in the first two games I had been dialled-in and playing really tight X-Wing. Not so in this game where I just couldn't get my head into the right place and missed a few trigger and important decisions (like dialling in a red maneuver when Luke was already stressed... very uncharacteristic rookie mistake). Something clearly wasn't right as I also have zero memory of anything else that happened in this game right up to the fateful moment when I screwed up and handed Chris the win.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I remember that bit with complete clarity, unfortunately.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We had traded blow for blow in the early game and now it was down to Luke (who had regenerated to 1 shield and not quite half points) vs Vennie (who had a little bit of damage on but wasn't quite on half points). We got caught in a tight little duel between the two as Luke tried to find a safe way to engage Vennie's dangerous double-tap arcs, while Chris couldn't really press for the kill on his side because Vennie had Blinded Pilot he needed to clear. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WP85jUWxsQ/YRKME6qnNkI/AAAAAAAAHPk/Zozjk3KuQDkBcCv-fMEUQ2BB7_EZQ1X-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hLFJkYJ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WP85jUWxsQ/YRKME6qnNkI/AAAAAAAAHPk/Zozjk3KuQDkBcCv-fMEUQ2BB7_EZQ1X-gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hLFJkYJ.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The fateful turn saw Vennie drop a Proton Bomb behind her then 2-turn to her left and take an action to clear her Blinded Pilot. Luke 1-banked into a position right by the rear-left corner of Vennie - I was in both her side and rear arc so he'd get to double tap AND I was range 1 of the Proton Bomb, but he also had no focus tokens so the shots were unmodded while I had 2 Force stacked. I looked at boosting but decided it only made things worse, so I took a Target Lock and decided to use the turn to really lay in the hurt on Vennie thinking I could tank the unmodded incoming shots with my Force.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li>The Proton Bomb exploded. Luke went down to 4 hull. </li><li>Chris rolled Hit-Hit-Crit, I rolled Blank-Eyeball and spent a Force. Down to 2 hull. </li><li>Chris rolled Hit-Hit-Crit, I rolled Blank-Eyeball and spent a Force. Luke was dead.</li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And it was only THEN that the words 'Barrel Roll' finally decided to wake up from their food coma and make it into my brain. Luke could have barrel rolled in behind Vennie as his action...out of range of the bomb and out of arc of Vennie so I wouldn't get shot at all. I'd spent so many turns boosting Luke around that Barrel Rolling him had literally not even begun to enter my brain as an option. Yes, Chris got lucky on his dice roll but I'd been a total chump and handed him the opportunity to get lucky.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Poo bum.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS<br />146-200</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Round Four - Tim Greenaway<br />Gideon Swarm</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This game was *desperately* close, but before it got to that stage it was also a game that swung enormously from one player to the other on the back of dice rolls.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A swarm of TIE/fo is possibly the single thing I least want to see with this squad - they're so good at blocking up space that my aces can't easily plot safe escape routes, and with 3 Agility and a focus token they're surprisingly tough to kill when you're bringing as few guns as I am. Basically, Tim was playing pretty much the squad that I'd spent the last 18 months believing made a triple aces squad unviable. I was glad he was bringing Gideon not Malarus, but otherwise this was pretty much my nightmare match and I had to try and handle them with extreme care.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr24gO3Ndu8/YRKMaJjKMSI/AAAAAAAAHPw/1dmuHW9XE9oFzD5VZwZbnA-8vviPoUu4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Ihj16rq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr24gO3Ndu8/YRKMaJjKMSI/AAAAAAAAHPw/1dmuHW9XE9oFzD5VZwZbnA-8vviPoUu4ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Ihj16rq.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The good news - I think I got my initial approach and engagement almost perfect, slipped his trap and got my ships into a great position.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The bad news - this is when it turned into a dice game. Tim responded to how agile and hard-to-catch my ships were by throwing a lot of s-loops and k-turns to get as many guns on target as he could. Even though Tim's ships were stressed and had no focus tokens I just could not deal damage to them - I think at one point we'd counted something like 14 natural evades on 16 green dice from his TIE/fos. And at the same time Wedge could not roll a wiggle to save his life... which was exactly why he needed them, so Wedge exploded instead.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUqTwjy-7u0/YRKMTpAfNkI/AAAAAAAAHPs/mA20vZE9jDcufa4CeCi5_zd9UChpNNVRACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/n1FS6eY.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUqTwjy-7u0/YRKMTpAfNkI/AAAAAAAAHPs/mA20vZE9jDcufa4CeCi5_zd9UChpNNVRACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/n1FS6eY.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I kept trying to eke a way back into it with Luke & Ahsoka but the run of Tim's amazing green dice luck continued so long that I basically gave up any hope of taking back initiative in the game I stopped trying to carefully plan my turns and get great shots and instead I just turned around and bumped and rolled some dice and waited for Tim to inevitably finish me off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The good news - the dice luck now flip-flopped back in my favour. Tim poured blaster fire into Luke but Luke ate it all with his Force tokens and went back to ask for more. It was like replaying the Core Set game all over again as Luke did the things Luke does to TIE Fighters. Then I killed a TIE Fighter. Then I killed another TIE Fighter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Te6UuIwFP8c/YRKNcaEW7oI/AAAAAAAAHP8/ps3JHDFczZctJfP9h5ecDFyV48WEuUtJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s478/200%2B%25282%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="478" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Te6UuIwFP8c/YRKNcaEW7oI/AAAAAAAAHP8/ps3JHDFczZctJfP9h5ecDFyV48WEuUtJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h268/200%2B%25282%2529.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Time was called as we were setting dials for one last turn. I was pretty sure I was ahead on points and I just needed to stay there - I set Luke to close his S-Foils and run away to regenerate a shield, then I set Ahsoka to stay at range and Evade as I figured Tim would throw another lot of S-Loops and try scrabble a killshot onto her and snatch the win.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tim revealed his first dial... it wasn't the S-Loop I expected, it was a 3 turn away from me and an Evade action... Tim thought *he* was ahead on points! All our ships flew away from each other and it was time to get out the calculators.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN<br />98-82</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Cripes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND FIVE - Ben Saunders</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dash, Ahsoka, Baby Wedge w/Outmaneuver</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I don't think Ben would be upset by my saying that this matchup hugely favoured my squad - the advantage I got from having every ship moving after Dash was too great. Ben knew that he was facing an uphill struggle so he tried something a bit daring to give himself a puncher's chance - as my forces raced across the table he feinted to run Wedge across his back line away from me, then 1-turned back towards me in the hope that I would overshoot him in a hurry to get after Dash and let the A-Wing get Outmaneuver online. Unfortunately for Ben I'd covered my bases and Baby Wedge went down before he could roll a red dice in anger.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDy7POTzJMM/YRKN10gH1FI/AAAAAAAAHQE/p_rzrbnHIQwLz9p_RmJeLzfNdOIJVbQ9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/tY9xLDo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDy7POTzJMM/YRKN10gH1FI/AAAAAAAAHQE/p_rzrbnHIQwLz9p_RmJeLzfNdOIJVbQ9gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/tY9xLDo.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">An uphill battle had became a mountain for Ben to climb. What's worse is that I still hate 1.0 Dash enough to take playing against 2.0 Dash extremely seriously and make zero mistakes. I paid Dash every bit of the respect he deserves in waiting for the right time to pounce and take him down.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN</b></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>200-54</b></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>ROUND SIX - Tom Reed</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Double CIS Firesprays</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've namechecked Tom a couple of times already for all the help he gave me in actually getting my list into shape for the tournament, but for those who are reading this and don't immediately recognise his name: Tom is basically the end game boss for X-Wing in northern England. Among his many achievements he's a System Open champion, a National champion, he's been in Top-8 at Worlds and he's also the reigning Sith Taker Open champion. While my long playtest session with Tom had been incredibly helpful in smashing all my existing lists to pieces and pointing me to Rebel Aces, Tom had also found it useful in cementing his choice to play Double Firesprays - the list fit him like a glove and he was unsurprisingly unbeaten with it thus far. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">That my Rebel Aces were bidding to 193 was entirely down to the fact that I knew Tom's Firesprays were at 194 - not specifically targeting Tom himself, but using his list as the benchmark for where I needed to be against anyone else bringing Firesprays. It did, incidentally, also make me perhaps the apex predator in the room as the squad most likely to be able to take a game off Tom.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5cd_IzOmmo/YRKN_eqrMII/AAAAAAAAHQI/RzmLDtj2qcMaocw3tiFYi0Jg_zaH-6grQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Hbl0hI5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5cd_IzOmmo/YRKN_eqrMII/AAAAAAAAHQI/RzmLDtj2qcMaocw3tiFYi0Jg_zaH-6grQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Hbl0hI5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">With nothing on the line for either of us - we'd both already made cut to the generous Top-16 on Sunday - this game probably isn't a great indicator of how I could expect it to go every time, but I was very happy with how clear my margin of victory was. Tom lined up his Firesprays across the table from me and we jousted it out, but my extra bid was vital in dodging his arcs and I managed to limit Zam Wessel to only firing once until I'd removed Jango from the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Taking Zam down proved to be a much tougher task - that girl can really hit! - and despite my big head start in the game Tom punched his way right back into the game and I thought it was going to slip away. I won with Ahsoka untouched but both my X-Wings had been scrapped by Zam before she gave up the fight. I knew any rematch in Sunday's Top-16 would be a much tougher affair, too.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WIN<br />200-138</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, wowsers. I finished the Swiss portion on a 5-1 record, coming 3rd in the standings and winning the prize for being the highest place Rebel player. I expected none of that at the start of the day when I was pitching a brand new squad in an archetype I'd never played before and a faction I don't particularly like! Finishing top of the Rebels earned me yet another RZ-1 A-Wing, this time a Hera Syndulla painted by local painting deity Jason Denton of Enigma Wargaming, who'd painted all the faction prizes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4nl2xkJ9ek/YRKPHDFpdUI/AAAAAAAAHQU/yqND9cmPjZw4D76VtuG4uVmO2NjHItN1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/232162835_1175324539616086_4353436734894236289_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="960" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4nl2xkJ9ek/YRKPHDFpdUI/AAAAAAAAHQU/yqND9cmPjZw4D76VtuG4uVmO2NjHItN1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h316/232162835_1175324539616086_4353436734894236289_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>All that remained was to go home and get some sleep so I could come back and do it all again on Sunday in the Top-16!<div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>==== DAY TWO ====</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Top-16 - Adam Freeman</b><br />AAAAX - Hera, Jake, Wedge, Arvel, Kulbee (R4/FTC)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Kulbee Sperado is an unusual choice as the T-65 pilot in this new archetype - it's usually Garven - but it's one that I quite like. Kullbee brings two things to the table: his illicit slot for False Transponder Codes, and that with his pilot ability and R4 Astromech he's able to focus-boost around and keep up with the A-Wings without sacrificing his 3rd red dice. Garven skews your T-65 choice towards extra defensive focus tokens, while Kullbee's speed and FTC skews it more offensively. It's definitely a decent option.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sy7jYk50z9Q/YRKPoJtRs3I/AAAAAAAAHQc/_T0RP_RfyH0xF9OTWu3f_rLOPgoaRtk5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1196/unknown%2B%25283%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1196" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sy7jYk50z9Q/YRKPoJtRs3I/AAAAAAAAHQc/_T0RP_RfyH0xF9OTWu3f_rLOPgoaRtk5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h274/unknown%2B%25283%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I stopped taking photos but this is the turn before the engagement</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">The Top-16 took place on Sunday morning after many of the Sith Taker Open competitors had been celebrating being reunited with a few drinks on Saturday night. Adam had been one of those players and he was certainly the worse for it, I think our game was coming a little bit too soon for Adam and he was ready to be back in bed. His hungover state was probably the reason why Adam made a big mistake with Kulbee and boosted him forwards into a bad spot - Wedge, Luke and Ahsoka focused their fire and destroyed the T-65 in an alpha strike to rapidly put me ahead in the game.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P90Kr78b4Y4/YRKP05ozNfI/AAAAAAAAHQg/zxcetBiYZxY3QGW3npa6z3-WFVihpOMOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s791/unknown%2B%25284%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="791" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P90Kr78b4Y4/YRKP05ozNfI/AAAAAAAAHQg/zxcetBiYZxY3QGW3npa6z3-WFVihpOMOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h272/unknown%2B%25284%2529.png" width="400" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I created a firing line and nuked Kullbee when he overextended.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">I now had a tricky decision to make, though. The first turn of firing had been fantastic but I was now in prime danger of Arvel throwing down his blocking tricks and using Intimidation to swing the combat maths in Adam's favour. Unable to predict where Arvel was going to wind up and which of my three ships he could choose to block I decided to duck all his shots entirely. Luke swung off to the left flank, Wedge swung off to the right, and Ahsoka blasted right through the middle with a 5-straight and boost. Adam hadn't seen that coming and all my guys got away with barely a scratch on them. I was up a ship, I'd escaped the bad bump turn, Adam himself looked about to collapse... everything was going great.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gy92Yo6UMuk/YRKP_BBDelI/AAAAAAAAHQo/EFao0grWgvc6YoYy8qGEu6vnHxpKZao9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s787/unknown%2B%25285%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="787" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gy92Yo6UMuk/YRKP_BBDelI/AAAAAAAAHQo/EFao0grWgvc6YoYy8qGEu6vnHxpKZao9ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h274/unknown%2B%25285%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Can't catch me! I successfully evade the bumps.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Except, in hindsight, I'd made a big mistake. All my ships were clear of danger but they were also all heading in completely different directions. Wedge was isolated, then bumped and quickly surrounded by angry A-Wings while Luke and Ahsoka were half a galaxy away... he went down in two turns with nothing to show for it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzUjIoKFGsE/YRKQKnE2OSI/AAAAAAAAHQs/LIw6ZFwSE2Izbunpzcape9PhyGffW3iBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s789/unknown%2B%25286%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="789" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzUjIoKFGsE/YRKQKnE2OSI/AAAAAAAAHQs/LIw6ZFwSE2Izbunpzcape9PhyGffW3iBwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h272/unknown%2B%25286%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Well... shit.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">And after his one mistake with Kullbee I think Adam came back to life and his A-Wing play was perfect - constantly blocking in the right place and making the right moves. My decision to break off had given him an opening and he seized it with really great play. I've played with and against Arvel many times and this was by far the most destructive I've ever seen the little guy be, his Jake was everywhere passing tokens to everyone, Wedge was always on hand to deal the damage and Hera was always providing Evade token overwatch to ensure his ships took no damage. The teamwork was exceptional and I simply fed him one ship at a time in the mincer. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was a well-deserved win for Adam.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>LOSS</b><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My run with Rebel Aces had come to an early end at the start of Sunday, but I was still very pleased with how well I'd done and I really like the squad. The best thing about it is the balance between the three pieces. The fat Luke is a big-hitting threat but with his shield regen he's very hard to even get half points from - you have to deal 6 damage to even get half from him if he can spend his R2 charges. To do that you have to really go in hard on Luke, but that means ignoring Ahsoka and Wedge who can do a ton of damage if you ignore them. Most players feel compelled to hit Wedge first as he's the biggest cannon, but Wedge is also the ship I'm happiest to lose as it puts both my force users into midgame.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The synergy between Ahsoka and Wedge is good too, with Ahsoka able to help Wedge preposition out of a lot of the traps opponents set for him. Overall it was a fun squad and I really liked the blend of speed, defensive resilience and hard-hitting alpha strikes. It's something I'm going to keep in my back pocked and keep playing, I think, although maybe with Miranda a lot of the time just to try and work her out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XW_nRc-QkyQ/YRKWDzN_0QI/AAAAAAAAHRA/U5EwJ8HxSIYuo9NzVnYNVF-DJBfIl6yLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/234807703_2300408476761833_3814889346595845474_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XW_nRc-QkyQ/YRKWDzN_0QI/AAAAAAAAHRA/U5EwJ8HxSIYuo9NzVnYNVF-DJBfIl6yLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/234807703_2300408476761833_3814889346595845474_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Around here I should probably say congratulation YET AGAIN to Tom Reed for winning YET ANOTHER Sith Taker Open title. He won the grudge match final against his father, Craig, on the last throws of the dice as time was called on the match. <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1112026571">You can watch the final here</a> and there's a bunch of other games from the weekend that were all streamed by the Firestorm Squadron Firecast.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">End game boss doing end game boss things.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE HYPERSPACE SIDE EVENT</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">After dropping out of the Top-16 I moved into a Hyperspace format side event (awarded a first round bye as I was playing in the Top-16 of the main event). I don't want to spend too long talking about this because I've probably overstayed my welcome already but didn't want to ignore it completely as I had three really great games and a ridiculously close final match.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I played 4x Disciplined Black Sqd TIE Strikers (2 with Thermal Detonators), then Wampa and a TIE/v1 with Thread Tracers. Basically I wanted an antidote from playing so much aces and went back to my Imperial swarm comfort zone.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">First game, against Jonathan Hall's HMP Gunships & Wat Tamor, was really interesting as we both had ships that refused to move normally and that made it a very different game. I think what ultimately decided it for me was the power of my Adaptive Ailerons when everything Jonathan had was moving before me - they really helped me respond to the HMP Gunship's unpredictable flight patterns and gave me the edge I needed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UW_UKmPir4/YRKUv2vnWkI/AAAAAAAAHQ4/zFAZ5vnHRe0iL7JEwSmINqUco99UuyrGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/cXFfA0t.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UW_UKmPir4/YRKUv2vnWkI/AAAAAAAAHQ4/zFAZ5vnHRe0iL7JEwSmINqUco99UuyrGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/cXFfA0t.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Second game, against Gary McDowell's Delta-7B Jedi Knights & Ric Olie was the opposite and with a little bid all his ships were moving after my Strikers. That made a real difference and now the tables were turned with his Fine-Tuned Controls able to respond to what my TIE Strikers were doing. We traded blows pretty evenly but I didn't even begin to make any headway into Ric Olie and Gary scooted away into endgame with enough points safely protected on the Naboo Starfighter.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My third and final game was an utter classic against Stevie B from the Vanguard Squadron, who was flying the dangerous Bossk/Joy/Genesis/Lando Escape Craft list. All his ships were Initiative 4 and with unshielded TIE Strikers running around I knew that Genesis Red was going to tear me a new one. I think I won this game in how quickly I removed Joy Rekoff's Fang Fighter - I managed to surge a TIE Striker forwards to bump her and lay three damage in, then on the next turn Stevie forgot about my Thermal Detonators and k-turned her in a bad spot. I really needed that kind of luck because elsewhere Genesis Red and Bossk were indeed deleting TIE Strikers at will. We crowded Bossk down but it left us playing a really tight little endgame match as Wampa and my Baron tried to outmaneuver Genesis Red and the coordinate trickery of Lando Calrissian. I won it. Just. By a score of 200-185 which is about as close as they come - I had 2 health left on my Baron when I finally finished Lando off, and after two days of X-Wing I think Stevie and I were equally emotionally and physically exhausted by the battle. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">A great way to finish a great weekend of gaming!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My only concern is that, after 18 months cooped up at home, spending two days standing up to play X-Wing may have made me pregnant...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDPkAt8p6e4/YRKXC-kXbsI/AAAAAAAAHRM/k8lykgRaCmUFgtnm3hHrcA0q4fdUk3QggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/causes-of-lower-leg-pain-1337679-02-5b854e33c9e77c00576cb221.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1100" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDPkAt8p6e4/YRKXC-kXbsI/AAAAAAAAHRM/k8lykgRaCmUFgtnm3hHrcA0q4fdUk3QggCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/causes-of-lower-leg-pain-1337679-02-5b854e33c9e77c00576cb221.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So I've got that to look forwards to at least.<br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-26533526941060858172021-06-10T16:39:00.005-07:002021-06-10T16:47:20.552-07:00X-Wing Strategic Framework: Part 2 - Follow The Flow<p style="text-align: justify;">Well as far as unexpectedly long waits before installments go this is starting to be up there with The Winds of Winter or The New Testament. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>January 1st: <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2021/01/x-wing-strategic-framework-part-1-three.html">X-Wing Strategic Framework Part 1</a>. </li><li>The entirety of the first half of 2021 after that: Tumbleweed...</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd almost stopped playing X-Wing entirely at that point because of the lockdown and not personally liking TTS, so the only thing keeping me going was writing the blog. So when I hit writer's block on Part 2 of the Strategic Framework as well I just thought "aw to hell with it" and went to play the Marvel Champions LCG for a while instead (you can see <a href="https://have-at-thee-lcg.blogspot.com/">my Marvel Champions blog here</a>). Marvel Champions turns out to be pretty good! Not perfect, but fun enough if you don't get too wrapped up in it needing to be the greatest game of all time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now that the UK is starting to open up and real-life X-Wing play is happening I've dusted my ships off, got my paints back out, and it's looking like it might be "Pew Pew" season again very soon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VixJ5EoXaN8/YL_1De3S98I/AAAAAAAAG5k/8p21vrFLc88k-AaJFennxoSrQ3SdeJkqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Z2vM7OX.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VixJ5EoXaN8/YL_1De3S98I/AAAAAAAAG5k/8p21vrFLc88k-AaJFennxoSrQ3SdeJkqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Z2vM7OX.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But I have some unfinished business to attend to first. I'm going to power through my writer's block and force a semblence of Strategic Framework Part 2 down into black & white.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The whole of Part 1 <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2021/01/x-wing-strategic-framework-part-1-three.html">is here for you to read in full</a>, but I can summarise it into some bulletpoints now:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>People sometimes talk about three pillars of X-Wing - Jousters, Turrets, Arc-Dodgers in a Rock-Scissors-Paper relationship.<br /><br /></li><li>This theory may have been right once but it's outdated and doesn't explain what is happening in most modern games of X-Wing.<br /><br /></li><li>Roles such as 'jouster' or 'arc dodger' aren't something you lock in during squadbuilding, they can and should change from game to game, or turn to turn.</li></ol><div>That final point in particular is really where I think this second instalment of the Strategic Framework needs to begin...</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">UNLEARN WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED</span></b></div><blockquote><div>"Braylen Stramm's B-Wing is a jouster"</div><div><br /></div><div>"The CLT Jedi are great arc-dodgers"</div><div><br /></div><div>"General Grievous is a flanker"</div></blockquote><div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We're very used to talking about strategic roles that our ships perform in ways similar to this - they're attributes of the ship's chassis or of the individual pilot cards we're bringing. Maybe it's even an attribute of how we've added upgrades to a ship to tailor it to perform a certain task - Vader in his TIE Advanced with or without Afterburners, for instance. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it isn't like that. The role that a ship should play in your strategy cannot be set and locked in during squadbuilding, X-Wing is much more dynamic and fluid than that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's look at those statements again with a more critical eye...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEsHVTYKsE8/YMAF3sJOlzI/AAAAAAAAG50/Aql_1lYGmrklFQ1MUvoqVYO0HzkLX4H1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/B-Wing_Stramm.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEsHVTYKsE8/YMAF3sJOlzI/AAAAAAAAG50/Aql_1lYGmrklFQ1MUvoqVYO0HzkLX4H1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/B-Wing_Stramm.png" /></a></div>"Braylen Stramm's B-Wing is a jouster"</blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Is he? All on his own? He's going to joust the enemy on his own? Being able to play a jouster role isn't an attribute any one ship can have because jousting is a team game that requires your own block of ships to have a better chance of destroying the opponent's block of ships in a head-on war of attrition. This should tell us that not only is 'being a Jouster' not an attribute that is a property of Braylen Stramm or even of B-Wings in general - jousting is about what your squad </span><i style="text-align: justify;">as a whole</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> can achieve. But beyond that, being a jousting squad isn't even a property of your Rebel Alliance squad that has Braylen in either, because unless you've made the absolute apex predator of jousting squads you're going to find that there's some matchups where you would win a head-on fight with your opponent's squad, and there's some matchups where you would probably lose it and thus can't function as a jouster in that game.</span></p></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6K6XDCIjZWw/YMAF_-2DIlI/AAAAAAAAG54/wXpebOMOdh4-l2qqpYJn8V45eBjmrWCIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Delta-7_Kenobi%2B%25281%2529.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6K6XDCIjZWw/YMAF_-2DIlI/AAAAAAAAG54/wXpebOMOdh4-l2qqpYJn8V45eBjmrWCIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Delta-7_Kenobi%2B%25281%2529.png" /></a></div>"The CLT Jedi are great arc-dodgers"</blockquote></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">The Jedi in their Aethersprite fighters tend to be fast pilots with medium to high initiative scores and a wealth of reposition options so they have the tools to work as arc-dodgers and control the engagement to ensure they come out on top. But unless you're bringing an I6 pilot supported by a really deep points bid there's a good chance that at some point you're going to meet pilots who are going to move after you... can you function as an arc-dodger then? And it may not even be about opponents moving after you, you may meet squads who simply fly so many ships and cover so much of the table in arcs that it's extremely difficult to fulfil your role as an arc-dodger. Being an arc-dodger is less of a team game than jousting and it depends more on the individual attributes of the pilot or ship that you're using... but it's still ultimately dependent on how your pilot matches up to the opponent's pilots.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E7ViMXotc-o/YMAGHFVPYzI/AAAAAAAAG6A/Az4moZacTn4Mb0EHZdmQAFJrr6IBU76MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Belbullab_Grievous%2B%25281%2529.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E7ViMXotc-o/YMAGHFVPYzI/AAAAAAAAG6A/Az4moZacTn4Mb0EHZdmQAFJrr6IBU76MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Belbullab_Grievous%2B%25281%2529.png" /></a></div>"General Grievous is a flanker"</blockquote></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'Flanker' is a term that I find really interesting whenever I see it used because within the term 'flanker' is usually an implied acceptance that you're not going to cut it as either a 'jouster' or an 'arc dodger' for some reason - too fragile to joust, too low initiative to arc-dodge. But just like with those roles we've already discussed being a flanker isn't an attribute of the ship in isolation. For a start: in order to be a flanker you have to be able to run down a flank. That means there has to be a shape to the engagement that creates a flank, which means being a flanker requires the rest of your squad to be able to draw the opponent's attention away from you. So you can only be a flanker if you're in the right squad and the opponent responds the right way, so it can't be a property attached to a particular ship or pilot. But more than that, sometimes you'll enter a match and find that your 'flanker' is actually an arc-dodger after all because he's the highest initiative ship on the table.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So the role that your ship performs clearly <u>isn't</u> a property that we can lock in during squadbuilding. We can absolutely attempt to ensure that we'll get to perform that role as often as possible (and doing so is probably THE key underlying skill to squadbuilding) but we can never guarantee that we are going to get the role we want.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I used an example of this in my Part 1, about how often Jesper Winstrom would take the triple CLT Jedi in his squad, which everyone assumed were arc-dodging aces, and recognise that with all their additional dice modification abilities and Force he could afford to ram them down the throat of the enemy and joust. So instead of being fixed to our ship, or our pilot, or even our squad, the role that our ship performs is a property of the individual <i>matchup</i> that we're playing - how our squad matches up against the opponent's squad. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No, it's even more dynamic than that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our ship's ideal strategic role isn't a property of the matchup<i>,</i> it's a property of <i>the game state </i>at that precise moment in time. We might well have a ship that's an arc dodger one turn but then should flip to being a jouster another. That might sound counterintuitive but in fact it's something most of us would recognise as happening once we know what we're looking for. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiQeyQ37WX0/YMAHalB004I/AAAAAAAAG6U/v44T13TDYJM_aDltOFv711RDrwnX-H-nACLcBGAsYHQ/s635/7Zxk.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="635" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiQeyQ37WX0/YMAHalB004I/AAAAAAAAG6U/v44T13TDYJM_aDltOFv711RDrwnX-H-nACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/7Zxk.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Think of pilots like Boba Fett or Rey who often play quite cautiously and control engagements in the early game but then will flip onto the offense once the opponent is weakened, trusting their highly reliable firepower to PS-kill wounded enemy ships in head-on combat. While the opponent has 200pts of ships with full health on the table it's often too dangerous for Boba or Rey to fly into the fight head-on and brawl it out - the current <i>game state</i> makes playing as a jouster an unacceptable risk. But once your opponent has a lost a ship and two more are only a few damage cards away from being destroyed the game state has changed and now becoming a jouster becomes your best route to victory. Diving into range 1 and looking to finish off wounded ships before they can fire means offense has become your best form of defense, and thus the strategic role you should now be adopting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's a positive example but it may also flip for negative reasons - if your arc-dodger gets a Panicked Pilot or Damaged Engine critical hit then how successfully can it still function as an arc-dodger? Maybe it needs to change role and do something else.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those game state changes that lead to role changes can happen by chance or by circumstance, but it's also possible to plan for them when you're squadbuilding. Indeed I think a lot of the more nuanced tricks to squadbuilding are precisely planning for how to respond to these contingencies where you don't get the role that you want and how you're going to change the game state to get it. A really great example of this was in mid-2020 when the successful Boba/Koshka partnership gave way to a lot of players using Boba/Dengar instead. That was a clear case where the Boba players knew that they wanted Boba Fett to be able to play that role of flipping from Arc Dodger into Jouster but knowing that they were struggling to do that when the opponent brought an I6 pilot that Boba Fett couldn't work as an arc dodger against. The solution was to bring a wingman in Dengar who could hunt the opponent's I6 pilot and thus change the game state to one where Boba Fett <i>could</i> run his Arc Dodger/Jouster routine.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">FOLLOW THE FLOW</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've used the word 'role' sixteen times in this blog already but I've never once explained what I think those roles might be. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would suggest that there are six strategic roles for your ships to perform in X-Wing: three Primary Roles that are the most powerful roles and one you'd typically want to adopt if possible, two Secondary Roles that you might be able to adopt if you can't be successful in any of the Primary Roles, and finally there are what I call 'Unpurposed' ships that aren't currently able to fulfil any of the Primary or Secondary Roles and are left in a kind of strategic limbo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><b>Primary Roles - </b>Jouster, Arc Dodger, Support</li></ul><ul><li><b>Secondary Roles</b> - Blocker, Flanker</li></ul><ul><li><b>Tertiary Roles</b> - Unpurposed</li></ul></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, I think not only is there a hierarchy of roles, there's also actually a strict order for how you should appraise them, and that's what I call The Flow.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6OknQgDHSc/YMADTjx6XSI/AAAAAAAAG5s/8EuakcYD4n84Jc8gICx_XxGv4UINPftUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/flow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6OknQgDHSc/YMADTjx6XSI/AAAAAAAAG5s/8EuakcYD4n84Jc8gICx_XxGv4UINPftUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/flow.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Your entry point is deciding if your squad in a position for this matchup where your ships can be a <b>Jouster </b>as part of a jousting block. This covers a lot of the ground that decades-old game theories like "Who's The Beatdown" deal with in evaluating which of the two players at the table is best equipped to be the protagonist, and it's exactly the matchup-specific decision that Jesper Winstrom made when he would decide to joust with his apparently fragile Jedi. Ultimately if you <i>can</i> joust then you probably <i>should</i> joust. Being the dominant jousting threat puts so much more of the burden of execution onto the opponent to find a way to engage with your squad safely, so if you can play that role with confidence that the dice will favour you then your journey down the strategic Flow probably stops here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0fa9yVVDvk/YMFEMU8L3CI/AAAAAAAAG60/LLmr4dxFf7MhbHFH2kGw6yHVuuh1zUKYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/ugts09-10_preview.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0fa9yVVDvk/YMFEMU8L3CI/AAAAAAAAG60/LLmr4dxFf7MhbHFH2kGw6yHVuuh1zUKYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/ugts09-10_preview.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But if you can't joust then the next stop is to decide if your ship can function as an <b>Arc Dodger</b>. Firstly, are you going to move later than your opponent so that you know where their arcs are going to be (in order to dodge them). And secondly, do you have access to reposition abilities that will allow you take advantage of that extra information and 'dodge' those arcs? If you fail either of those tests you're going to struggle to make it as an Arc Dodger - an Alpha Squadron Interceptor may have linked boosts and barrel rolls but at I1 he's not got the information to take advantage of it, but at the other extreme Midnight may be an I6 TIE Fighter pilot but he doesn't have the reposition effects that he needs to leverage his high initiative. Finally, an important factor to consider is that the opponent's squad may be making it much harder/impossible to function as an arc-dodger, which would typically be if they're covering so much of the table in arcs (either with turret arcs or just having lots of ship) that there's very little safe space to 'dodge' into while still being proactive in the match.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3INeKJpie4/YMFE-pmIE_I/AAAAAAAAG7E/eSDVynx77xwR14hiHnsXgVnIX1GHD_TyACLcBGAsYHQ/s650/lol-cant-catch-me.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="650" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3INeKJpie4/YMFE-pmIE_I/AAAAAAAAG7E/eSDVynx77xwR14hiHnsXgVnIX1GHD_TyACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/lol-cant-catch-me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">If you can't joust and you don't have what it takes to arc-dodge your opponent's ships then the last Primary Role you could be suited to a <b>Support </b>role. Support ships will usually have some specific ability or action (like Coordinate) that works with the rest of their squad and so it's not a Role that most 'normal' ships can just jump into when it doesn't work out as a Jouster or Arc Dodger. As a Support ship your job in the game is usually defined by the ships you're supporting - if you're supporting jousters you'll need to join the joust, if you're supporting Arc-Dodgers you'll probably need to act like an Arc-Dodger yourself!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>If you've been following the Flow this far and still haven't found a role for your ship then things are starting to get a bit less hopeful, but never fear as you may be able to jump into one of the Secondary Roles...</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first of these is to try and be a <b>Blocker</b> and like being an Arc Dodger that often requires your ship to have the right traits. Firstly you really need to be moving before the ships that you're trying to block so a low Initiative is important for this role. Secondly you probably need to have a pretty good maneuver dial and/or repositions to ensure that you can put your ship into exactly the right spot on the table. Those aren't the only considerations - having a medium or large base can help because you cover so much more table, for instance, and you usually want a blocker to be a relatively cheap or ineffective ship because you still need enough of your squad left to take advantage of having blocked the enemy ship, or if you take more guns out of the fight by committing a blocker than you gain in setting up an attack for your team.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Erq9vx5gihU/YMFEgatazAI/AAAAAAAAG68/AT6CgdcYdr8jKUGi-swe8tIMeSiYZPDAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s358/200.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Erq9vx5gihU/YMFEgatazAI/AAAAAAAAG68/AT6CgdcYdr8jKUGi-swe8tIMeSiYZPDAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/200.gif" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The other Secondary role is to be a <b>Flanker</b>. This is a term you'll hear a lot already and I think it's important for my to be clear about the differences between being an Arc Dodger and being a Flanker because a lot of you may be thinking they're just different words for the same thing. I would say that being able to play an Arc Dodger role is primarily about the strengths of your ship (fast, high initiative, reposition) while adopting a Flanker role is primarily about using the strengths <i>of the rest of your squad</i> to pull attention away from the <i>weaknesses</i> of your flanking ship - like the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park keeping you looking forward while the kill actually comes from the side. Even then a flanker will usually (though not always) want to be a fast ship so that it can cover the ground to get out into a flanking position in time for the fighting to start. It also tends to assume that your ship has enough firepower to meaningfully affect the battle - flanking with a lone Vulture Droid won't change much, but General Grievous certainly would. The challenge is ensuring that your flanking threat isn't greater than the threat from the rest of your squad, otherwise you could well find your flanking action turning into the joust you were trying to avoid if the opponent turns to follow your flanker!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>If none of the Secondary roles really fit your ship and squad then you drop to the bottom of the pile...</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And if you haven't found a home yet then your ship is <b>Unpurposed</b>. That means your ship is not suited to taking any of the strategic roles in the game - it's going to lose a joust, isn't good at arc-dodging, has no support abilities, can't really block effectively and the squad it's with is in the same boat so you won't be able to create a flank to exploit. An Unpurposed ship does not have any particular advantages over the opponent's squad that you can exploit and you're on the back foot. But don't worry: I think ships end up in this position very frequently so you're likely in good company, and in a lot of ways this is where the hard work of X-Wing strategy really comes to the fore. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h2VrZH1pQUc/YMCqT1SNXwI/AAAAAAAAG6c/QDYViTr7lZYbIvsdlt2tpyuc83gnKyl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s498/dontpanic.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h2VrZH1pQUc/YMCqT1SNXwI/AAAAAAAAG6c/QDYViTr7lZYbIvsdlt2tpyuc83gnKyl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/dontpanic.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Your main role as an Unpurposed ship is twofold: avoid direct confrontations (because you'll lose them) and try to create opportunities to change the game state so that you <i>can</i> adopt one of the roles. Break up the opponent's formation so you can become a jouster, kill the enemy's I6 ace so you can be an arc-dodger, use the time limit to force your opponent into an engagement you can win, that sort of thing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">==========</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I want to talk in a little bit more depth about how some of these roles and decisions work, but first I want to make a little detour. I was coming up with this strategic framework around the back end of 2020 (the first part was published Jan 1st 2021) and so that matched up to when I was thinking about what certain ships would be good for. The ETA-Actis in particular is a great example and I think applying this framework gave me a lot of clarity and structure to how I evaluated that ship which I think we can now see coming to the fore in how they are actually being used.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDiUvpM6_x8/YMKe__ctwsI/AAAAAAAAG9o/wY5eejQSRBMU2Zgb6jPXo9z9-_skH61XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swz79_preview1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDiUvpM6_x8/YMKe__ctwsI/AAAAAAAAG9o/wY5eejQSRBMU2Zgb6jPXo9z9-_skH61XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/swz79_preview1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">To put you back inside my head at the end of 2020... was the ETA-Actis going to be a Jouster in a lot of matchups? With just 2 red dice and 3 hull for your 45-50 points there wouldn't be many opponents your could bully with your ETA's raw muscle. Ok, so was it going to be an Arc Dodger? Well the Aethersprite functions like an Arc Dodger a lot of the time but with a System Phase preposition replacing the Aethersprite's Fine Tuned Controls the ETA wasn't particularly well suited to seeing the opponent's moves and responding to them - it was actually going to give information to the opponent and let them respond instead! Aside from Yoda there wasn't a clear Support use for the ETA-Actis, and with high Initiative it wasn't a natural Blocker.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following the Flow for the ETA-Actis very rapidly left me with only two real options - Flanker and Unpurposed - and knowing that I didn't want to be Unpurposed meant that I focused my squad designs around how to present a strong threat with the rest of the squad that would allow the little ETA-Actis to get into a flanking position and wreak havoc with it's uncancellable Autoblaster crits. With impeccable timing, that pretty much exactly describes the squad that just came 2nd at this weekend's Bespin GSP Qualifier - Autoblaster Shaak Ti and three Delta-7B Jedi Knights who could front up to the enemy and let Shaak get into position!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuOAVnsMYfg/YMKfii0cvPI/AAAAAAAAG9w/9GYt3EnEBEQ9DUW2VgQCX8hEt_tw16xpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1191/b9520b515df8e152389fa6de88bd5ca5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1191" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuOAVnsMYfg/YMKfii0cvPI/AAAAAAAAG9w/9GYt3EnEBEQ9DUW2VgQCX8hEt_tw16xpgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/b9520b515df8e152389fa6de88bd5ca5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's also, on a personal note, helped me to better explain precisely why I hate B-Wings so much. I've decided it's because they're so poorly cut out for any role other than Jousting that they almost inevitably fall right down to Unpurposed the second that Rebel Beef isn't one of the strongest jousting squads in the metagame. If B-Wings can't joust they're certainly not Arc-Dodgers, they don't have any Support abilities, their dial is too crappy to be Blockers even if they've got low initiative, and they're so slow that it's hard for them to be Flankers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">B-Wings suck.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">// End of detour</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">JOUSTING & ARC-DODGING - KNOW YOUR ROLE</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>Having introduced the Flow and we should go about evaluating what roles our ships can play I think I need to spend some more time really explaining what perhaps the three most common, and thus most important, roles actually <i>mean</i>, and maybe some guides for the sort of things you'd need to consider when deciding if that's a role you can play.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Jouster</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>The term 'jouster' has been with X-Wing pretty much from the game's inception at the start of First Edition, when players would often just fly directly at other and roll a bunch of dice, then K-Turn and do it all over again... repeat until until somebody has lost. Since then the definition of jousting has become a bit more woolly but the underlying dynamic of deciding whether you can take up the role of a Jouster is actually very simple:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span></span></i></b><blockquote><i><b><span>Jouster:</span></b><span> a ship that is pursuing of strategy of allowing everyone to roll dice. They're confident that they have good chance of victory if everybody rolls all their dice every turn.</span></i></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;">This is ultimately what makes a jouster into a jouster: it's a mathematical confidence in the probable outcomes of everyone rolling lots of dice if they've got free rein to fire at whatever they like. It's important to note at this point that</span></i> any time you invoke the dice in X-Wing you're inviting variance into the game so deciding that you're a jouster is rarely a matter of complete certainty and more about accepting <i>the level of risk</i> that you're exposing yourself to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kA80vLTX1EA/YME53r9wPhI/AAAAAAAAG6k/7bswkYuJA8kTgbyjn360EOKR6-ivS_SDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s872/QcZKbkf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="872" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kA80vLTX1EA/YME53r9wPhI/AAAAAAAAG6k/7bswkYuJA8kTgbyjn360EOKR6-ivS_SDwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h240/QcZKbkf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Trying to be too complete about how to make this decision is where my writer's block kicked in back in January because it's a subject that becomes incredibly complex incredibly quickly. To save my sanity I'm not going to take that approach this time, but I'll touch on the sort of factors that might affect a decision to be a jouster or not, and how those factors may change from matchup to matchup, or turn to turn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><b>Team Game</b> - I've already mentioned how jousting is usually a team sport, but it's worth underlining that here. Poe Dameron may have survived a solo run on the First Order's Dreadnaught but it's not something a normal mortal will be able to get away with, so for anything to do with jousting you need to consider what the blocks as a whole will achieve, on both sides.</span></i></li></ul><ul><li><b>Do Some Maths </b>- a lot of people don't like to think about 'Mathwing' but that's really what jousting is all about - the likely mathemetical outcomes of a bunch of probabilities. If you're not going to try and use maths in this decision then you may as well just base your decision to joust or not on which models weigh the most as they're probably tougher ships. I'm not suggesting getting our your calculator at the start of every game, but when you're squadbuilding I would recommend using something like the excellent <a href="http://xwing.gateofstorms.net/2/multi/">X-Wing Probability Calculator</a> to give yourself some ballpark expectations around when you are the top dog and when you'll need to put your tail between your legs. Maybe throw some scenarios into the calculator around common opponent squads that may want to joust you and see if your assumptions are right.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CtrtMuwtb54/YMFBqzNUgPI/AAAAAAAAG6s/SBGhL2pOgiAu6Jb8E24axYzwNEZGr9xfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/p087wmb1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CtrtMuwtb54/YMFBqzNUgPI/AAAAAAAAG6s/SBGhL2pOgiAu6Jb8E24axYzwNEZGr9xfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/p087wmb1.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li><b>Range Control </b>- a range band can win or lose a game between two jousting squads. As a general rule of thumb if you're bossing the maths of a joust already - hitting harder, surviving longer, firing earlier - then you probably want to engage as close as possible and maximise that advantage. But on the flip side if your ships are more vulnerable or have a lower Initiative you'll often do better by engaging at long range initially. Ships with lots of hull and low agility like it R1, flimsier ships with lots of Agility like getting the extra green dice at R3, especially if the opponent is only flinging 2 red dice. If you think you can control the range of an engagement that may easily change your decision to accept a joust or not.</li></ul><ul><li><b>Variance & Risk</b> - there's no line drawn in the sand of X-Wing maths that says "if your odds of success are greater than this you should joust". Players have different acceptance of the level of variance and risk they're prepared to accept so the tipping point for where one player may go "I think I'm 55/45 to win if we joust, that's good enough for me!" another player may decide that's still too risky. I think this is tied to looking at the rest of the flow and seeing what other roles are available. Refusing a 55/45 joust makes a lot more sense when you know you can also operate as an Arc Dodger in the matchup, but if your ships would be dropping all the way down to Unpurposed then maybe 55/45 is good enough. Hell, maybe even being 45/55 to win is good enough at that point!</li></ul><ul><li><b>PS-Kill/Alpha</b> - I've touched on this when I talked about how Rey and Boba Fett can often flip into being jousters mid-game once they stand a better chance of PS-killing opponents. Understanding your odds of getting a whole ship ahead in the game before the opponent can fire is important and it can be a really powerful incentive to joust. This is the reason the Torkil Mux squads were so successful, for instance. When you're playing Roshambo there's a really big advantage in getting your shots in first! But you'll need to check just how likely you are to actually kill one of the enemy ships, because if you leave it hanging around even on just 1 Hull it could be enough to swing the maths against you.</li></ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTeH7dT66J8/X--ikIsHAZI/AAAAAAAAGN4/jKo5JScFdoIRUT7OsrD8AKdWOHiEWLT2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/fuvXPtm.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTeH7dT66J8/X--ikIsHAZI/AAAAAAAAGN4/jKo5JScFdoIRUT7OsrD8AKdWOHiEWLT2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/fuvXPtm.gif" width="640" /></a><ul><li><b>It's Not A One Night Stand</b> - this is the flipside of the PS-Kill/Alpha question. If you can't conclusively win a joust in one big flurry of offense then you need to remember that deciding to joust is committing you to multiple turns of engagement. Make sure you're not going into a joust because the maths say you'll be half a ship ahead after the first round of firing, only to find they also say you'll be a ship behind after the second round. </li></ul><ul><li><b>Turrets & Bombs</b> - we tend to think about jousting as being purely a front-arc thing where we fly towards each other blasting lasers, while in the classic 'Three Pillars' theory Turrets and even Bombs were their own pillar. In modern X-Wing I think Turrets and Bombs really serve to support jousting. Firstly they make it harder for an Arc Dodger to safely approach you so it's easier to enforce a joust, but secondly having turrets or bombs can make it harder for the opponent to operate in subsequent turns. If the opponent is having to k-turn without dice mods or split their fire while your turrets can simply turn and keep your dice mods, and all keep focus firing into the best targets, then they're a big factor. This was a lot of the reason why the Sloane Aggressors squad was/is so powerful - it was hard to avoid the joust, and once you got sucked into close quarters against them they would always have access to the best shots at the best targets.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;">I've spent a lot more time talking about the decision to joust or not than I will any of the others. This is both because it's the most complex decision as it's about how multiple ships in your squads will interact with multiple ships in your opponent's squad, but also because it's the most important and the implications of misjudging it can be very difficult to recover from.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Arc Dodger</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having that really clear definition about what a jouster is - somebody who wants to see everyone roll all their dice - may have seemed like an unnecessary step at the time but it really pays back now in making it clear what an Arc Dodger is by comparison. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><span></span></b><blockquote><b><span>Arc Dodger:</span></b><span> a ship that is pursuing of strategy of controlling what dice get rolled. Using positioning on the table to reduce the opponent's ability to roll dice while still rolling as many of their own dice as possible</span></blockquote><span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Often players will have a very clear image in mind of what an Arc Dodger is, and often that image will be a TIE Interceptor or similar small knife-fighting ship that gets in close and looks for gaps in the opponent's arcs to get behind them. I think we need to expand that mental image to include ships like Firesprays and Millenium Falcons because although they may look very different, and pursue those goals in very different ways - often hanging out on the edge of Range 3 rather than getting in close to win a dogfight - the end strategic goal is the same: control what dice the opponent gets to roll.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So while I'm using the term 'Arc Dodger' and that may conjure up images of boosting and barrel-rolling round behind an opponent at close range I'd like to underline that it's more inclusive than that. First of all, Arc-Dodging doesn't mean playing exclusively to never get shot, but just to control how many dice are rolled so that they're likely to go in your favour. So it includes those games where you skirt the edges of R3 so that only some of the opponents ships can fire on you just as much as it does those close and dirty dogfights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_vP_7mXIuU/YMKLn94SqsI/AAAAAAAAG9A/AeGn2Bv_CRITZZNxhu3aQhnzyv3TMgjRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/jango-fett-slave-I-x-wing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="700" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_vP_7mXIuU/YMKLn94SqsI/AAAAAAAAG9A/AeGn2Bv_CRITZZNxhu3aQhnzyv3TMgjRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h292/jango-fett-slave-I-x-wing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I was formulating this framework one of the ships that most bothered me was Boba Fett and I discussed how to approach Boba in terms of the framework with several players. Was he a Jouster, was an Arc Dodger, was he Unpurposed and the onus was on the player to get him into a position where he could be a Jouster? At different times Boba must have sat in most of the roles as I tried to find a home for him but it was the realisation that even though they were very different the strategic goals of Soontir Fel and Boba Fett were actually identical - to control the dice that were being thrown - and it crystallised a lot of my thoughts. It was also Boba who made me acutely aware that roles were a game state property because of how he was designed to Arc Dodge until he could Joust. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Unpurposed</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of all the roles in my Flow the Unpurposed one is the one you're least likely to have heard of. And it sounds crap doesn't it... who would want to have that label attached to your ship? You mean my ship is good at nothing? That stinks! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LlLQu9xvvoc/YMKPVeYHzzI/AAAAAAAAG9I/3iaPvBX55CsKc9KcglXNsiAVog1Ud-xGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/QvDa.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LlLQu9xvvoc/YMKPVeYHzzI/AAAAAAAAG9I/3iaPvBX55CsKc9KcglXNsiAVog1Ud-xGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/QvDa.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can well understand players being unhappy at the very idea that this 'role' even exists, but I think from a purely dispassionate and strategic point of view - if I can get you there - it's incredibly important to understand that it does exist, and how to react to it. I don't think anybody sets out to create squads with Unpurposed ships in squadbuilding but I hope by now you've seen that you can't lock your roles in at that point and they'll depend on the matchup you're facing and the game state you're in. I guarantee you that having Unpurposed ships has happened to you and it'll happen again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But first of all let's look back at why you wound up in Unpurposed to begin with, to hopefully illustrate that perfectly good ships can find themselves in this position when the matchup isn't right:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><li style="text-align: justify;">You're outgunned. If you weren't outgunned you'd be a Jouster. This can happen to anyone - there's always a bigger fish!</li><li style="text-align: justify;">You're not cut out to be an Arc Dodger or a Support ship, those roles really need skills and attributes your ships don't have.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">You're not really suited to being a Blocker, maybe your initiative is too high or your dial too inflexible.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">The rest of your squad doesn't lend itself to letting you work this one ship as a Flanker.</li></blockquote></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One last time: <u>there's no crime in being an Unpurposed ship or pilot</u> and there's no stigma attached to that label. The 'crime' is not recognising that fact and responding to it appropriately.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok so... what's the appropriate way to respond to being Unpurposed?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXC0tzkSvHU/YMKYQbLHteI/AAAAAAAAG9g/Lx0BrU2SUDMl6NKOMSmaqbAk6AzNLp5kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s727/harsh%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="727" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXC0tzkSvHU/YMKYQbLHteI/AAAAAAAAG9g/Lx0BrU2SUDMl6NKOMSmaqbAk6AzNLp5kgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h216/harsh%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's no one answer to this question as it's as matchup-dependent as the reasons why you're Unpurposed to begin with, but the underlying strategic goal is actually very clear.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-style: italic;"></b><blockquote><b style="font-style: italic;">Unpurposed:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> a ship that is lacking in effective tools for the current game state thus requiring the player to create an opportunity for it to adopt a role.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>That's right - when the ship is Unpurposed is when it's time for us as players to step up to the plate. That ship can't wade into a fight because it'll melt and it doesn't have the skills to fly rings around the opponent... so it's up to us. We as players have to be smart, reactive and creative. We have to improvise with our surroundings on the table and we have to be unexpected with our maneuvers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzoaHOx_TdE/YMKVqM0KU0I/AAAAAAAAG9Q/Wz8aYBH0nqEB1sy6IunjCVEDn8lMRlM_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Player-of-Games.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzoaHOx_TdE/YMKVqM0KU0I/AAAAAAAAG9Q/Wz8aYBH0nqEB1sy6IunjCVEDn8lMRlM_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h336/Player-of-Games.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>If our ships can't shoot their way out of the problem and they can't react to the opponent's maneuvers then we need to make sure that we are deploying them in the right way, with the right plans for how to avoid a direct confrontation and create an engagement that does favour us. We need to put our ships in the right place on the table with our maneuvers first time, before we've seen where the opponent is going to move. We're going to try and stretch the enemy's formation out or even break it up entirely so that we adopt a Jousting role against parts of the enemy's squad at a time.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>If the enemy has an ace pilot who can hunt our own would-be Arc Dodger then we're going to try and avoid flying our ace into that mismatch, or even to use our would-be Arc Dodger as bait. Or we may even focus on taking down the enemy's ace pilot, even at great cost to the rest of our squad, knowing that it allows our ship to then function as an Arc Dodger later in the game.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egn4zqPQTnQ/YMKXvjS8N5I/AAAAAAAAG9Y/MckpaB9Eu8QGjMWp4NQuXszH000PwGn4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/rash.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egn4zqPQTnQ/YMKXvjS8N5I/AAAAAAAAG9Y/MckpaB9Eu8QGjMWp4NQuXszH000PwGn4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h266/rash.png" width="640" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>We may have to take bold risks that will change the game state in a meaningful way, which we wouldn't otherwise take. It's easy to confuse 'good strategy' for 'minimising risks' because they're so often closely related ideas but when you find yourself the underdog those safe plays you're used to making may only serve to deliver the defeat that you're apparently on track to receive. A big decision to guess what an opponent is going to do, and then to commit everything you've got to the possibility that you're right instead of hedging your bets, may be just what you need to turn a matchup on its head and create the opportunity to steal a role for your ships.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>And finally we may, if we have to, we may even have to use the rules of the game or the tournament to our advantage. We may decide to play for time and threaten going to final salvo in order to force the opponent into making a mistake. We may decide we need to limit the number of turns that we're fighting in - not by slow playing! - by avoiding the engagement as long as possible and hoping to nip in at the end and sneak just enough points to win.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L2d22Ov0LM4/YMKioAjah5I/AAAAAAAAG-I/lKdTrVR6f8gaAWi_ouw07Pnldd4f74jfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s356/200%2B%25281%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L2d22Ov0LM4/YMKioAjah5I/AAAAAAAAG-I/lKdTrVR6f8gaAWi_ouw07Pnldd4f74jfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/200%2B%25281%2529.gif" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>Nobody plans for their ships to be Unpurposed because it's hard work winning those games! But it's also the part of the game where the best players really shine because they can turn those matchups around with a clear understanding of what role they're trying to achieve and how they're going to create a game state that lets them adopt that role.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE END</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trying to write out a comprehensive Strategic Framework for X-Wing nearly broke me, and the result is a lot less comprehensive than I would have liked... but that's in part because I realised the size of the task I'd set myself!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It may not be the strategic 'Bible' I'd hoped to write when I started but I hope I've written at least some amount of sense and helped you to understand the game a little better in the process. If nothing else, I feel better for having tied up a loose end that I'd left dangling and I can now get on with the rest of my life and write about other stuff without feeling like I was leaving something unfinished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But there's things that are much more important. Like the fact that I played X-Wing last week. For real. With real people on a real table. It's been a while.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qM4jND4iA0I/YMKiDwRfQvI/AAAAAAAAG94/t4RVEVZUplcrBQXYpVgbSx2kwPwq1qNawCLcBGAsYHQ/s751/image0%2B%25287%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="751" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qM4jND4iA0I/YMKiDwRfQvI/AAAAAAAAG94/t4RVEVZUplcrBQXYpVgbSx2kwPwq1qNawCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image0%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's good to be back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-26443251198900463242021-01-01T08:43:00.003-08:002021-01-01T08:43:37.636-08:00X-Wing Strategic Framework: Part 1 - Three Pillars and Beyond<p>On one level X-Wing is a really simple game. The rules are quite light, there's not many pieces on the table at once, the turns flow quickly, and you can just push your spaceships around and roll dice and make 'pew pew pew' noises while you enjoy recreating all the excitement of a Star Wars film on your tabletop. For a lot of people this is exactly how they experience X-Wing and there's nothing wrong with that at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLTNpZyv6t8/X-8sOg4eeVI/AAAAAAAAGMg/ko_fXto4mcUtGJ_ks4XtrKsnyuGQR-XuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s578/pepew2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="578" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLTNpZyv6t8/X-8sOg4eeVI/AAAAAAAAGMg/ko_fXto4mcUtGJ_ks4XtrKsnyuGQR-XuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/pepew2.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">On another level, though, X-Wing is a very complex game. If you start to take the game seriously and want to try and get 'good' at X-Wing then under that surface simplicity there's actually quite a lot going on. There's dozens of ships, with dozens upon dozens of pilots for those ships and dozens upon dozens of upgrades you could equip that would meaningfully change how those ships perform on the table. How do you begin to approach understanding how to play X-Wing strategically - what your ships actually do, how your opponent is going to try and beat you?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">How do you maximise your chances of winning at any given time?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9n1SysqQ68w/X-8s_gv8MXI/AAAAAAAAGMo/SHNCLcES6jsSTQym-m_388Le7oZuC1xUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/5673f88bdd089539748b45ec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="1100" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9n1SysqQ68w/X-8s_gv8MXI/AAAAAAAAGMo/SHNCLcES6jsSTQym-m_388Le7oZuC1xUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/5673f88bdd089539748b45ec.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">These are some of my favourite topics to think about when I decide to devote a lot of my time to a game. When I played Magic: The Gathering in the 1990s I was around when these sorts of game concepts were being properly discussed and dissected for the first time as a nascent internet pulled a scattered group of very smart people together and turned them into a community for the first time. The edition of The Duellist magazine that introduced the theory of 'Card Advantage' to me had more copious highlighter use and frantic notes in the margins than any of the textbooks I was supposed to be reading for my degree (I flunked my degree but got to play on the Pro Tour, so the writing was on the wall).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Seeing through the surface of a game to the mechanics underneath is what keeps me playing games and it's stayed with me since I left Magic. I had the same obsession when I played Netrunner, and I contributed a few defining strategic concepts like <a href="http://thesatelliteuplink.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-three-phases-of-netrunner.html">breaking the game down into three clear phases</a>, and my way of <a href="http://thesatelliteuplink.blogspot.com/2014/02/shields-up-understanding-ice.html">understanding how ICE worked</a> for the Corporation player.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I want to try and turn my hand to X-Wing now, prompted by a couple of different thoughts and conversations I've had which eventually coalesced in my thinking to be two sides of the same coin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKInAkDtFRM/X-9MVKhO_hI/AAAAAAAAGNI/i4IqPlCpRLk9-6jVABXn0hz7wofr6YOgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s854/Thrawn-Art.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="854" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKInAkDtFRM/X-9MVKhO_hI/AAAAAAAAGNI/i4IqPlCpRLk9-6jVABXn0hz7wofr6YOgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h358/Thrawn-Art.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The first of these came after I was following the results of the <a href="https://midwestscrub.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/ace-or-not-survey-results/">'Ace or Not' survey</a> by 5050 Saint, which asked players to decide if they called each I5 or I6 pilot an 'ace' or not. I sniffed that there might be a blog to write about the findings of the survey so I downloaded the results and did a few things to them in Excel to see if any trends popped out. What I found was quite interesting, because there seemed to be a very strong correlation between the Cost/Hit Points ratio and how many players considered them an ace (eg. Rear Admiral Chiraneau costs 76 points with 16 health, 4.8pts per health, while Soontir Fel's 3 hit points cost 55pts at 18.3pts per health).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJTWmTSzwRw/X-81pQJQVFI/AAAAAAAAGMw/oYsCigkiDx8VatFQ7dd-GfJlhXL6BYdLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s578/aces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="578" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJTWmTSzwRw/X-81pQJQVFI/AAAAAAAAGMw/oYsCigkiDx8VatFQ7dd-GfJlhXL6BYdLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/aces.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This provoked an interesting thought in my head. Most of the time when players argue about what constitutes 'an ace' it's about abilities and attributes of the pilot and their ship - can they double reposition, are they high initiative etc. The strong connection between Ace % and their cost per point suggested the relationship may actually run in the opposite direction and instead of ace status being about what the ship CAN do, it's about what they CAN'T do - afford to joust. Maybe 'aces' are ships that are too expensive/fragile to be flown any other way.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The second thing was a conversation that I'd had with Oliver Pocknell while we watched TIE Aggressors win the Coruscant Invitational, the closest event we had to a World Championship in 2020. The impact of turrets, and wider firing arcs in general such as the Auzituck, have been on Oli's watch list for a while and the Aggressors picking up a big win brought it to the fore again. Watching the TIE Aggressors do so well made me think that the turrets weren't a strategy in themselves they were actually a part of the Aggressor's jousting arsenal, enforcing that opponents couldn't avoid engaging with the Aggressor's efficiency at trading dice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJQ_PyFoLQE/X-84iESjgBI/AAAAAAAAGM4/eZeDNqMvuwEJ8bAe5Y_FSv6vULjoRBZsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1014/eureka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="1014" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJQ_PyFoLQE/X-84iESjgBI/AAAAAAAAGM4/eZeDNqMvuwEJ8bAe5Y_FSv6vULjoRBZsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h292/eureka.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Put those two ideas together and we get that 'aces' are jousters that couldn't afford to joust, and 'turrets' were just a form of jousting. I started to see a larger picture of X-Wing strategy appear, which is what I want to share in this series of blogs.</p><p><span style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately, strategic thinking for the X-Wing Miniatures Game Second Edition didn't start with me and I can stand on the shoulders of giants.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">First Edition & 'The Three Pillars of X-Wing'</span></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Long before I was even playing X-Wing at all some really smart people had been developing their understanding of how the game worked and sharing it with the world, going way back before the start of Second Edition into First Edition. One of the most enduring strategic concepts In X-Wing was that of the game's strategies being founded on 'three pillars', which <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2015/2/19/it-is-the-future-you-see-wave-6/">I believe was first coined by then World Champion Paul Heaver</a> in 2015. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Three Pillars of X-Wing said that all the ships in the game could be defined by assigning them to one of three different groups, there were Jousters (tough ships that like to fight), Arc Dodgers (fast but fragile ships) and Turrets (ships with 360 degree firing arcs that Arc Dodgers couldn't safely approach).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-8iTwYGdoU/X-8TQ1_R8GI/AAAAAAAAGLo/zfMfQ11lYvAXeigbjlyz5H8eEAmQgVEbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s760/pillars-three-760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="760" height="370" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-8iTwYGdoU/X-8TQ1_R8GI/AAAAAAAAGLo/zfMfQ11lYvAXeigbjlyz5H8eEAmQgVEbwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h370/pillars-three-760.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Three Pillars theory then went one fiurther than this and said that, in general, the pillars aligned to spots in a Rock-Paper-Scissors relationship between each other. There was a general expectation that Arc Dodgers would beat Jousters by avoiding being shot at, Turrets would beat Arc Dodgers by not allowing them to avoid taking damage and punishing their fragility, but Jousters would beat Turrets by just being too strong and tough in a straight fight. That was roughly where X-Wing was during 2015's metagame, with TIE Swarms & B-Wings being beaten by triple TIE Interceptors, while the Interceptors got picked apart by Y-Wings and big turreted YT-1300/2400s. (If you're not familiar with this period you can take a peek at it <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-six-ages-of-x-wing-1-jurassic-park.html">through this blog</a> I wrote a couple of years ago).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8FRKO_asadM/X-8Ric4xtrI/AAAAAAAAGLY/p5XjZ42NRoUkU5_SfSw5-qTx7krayJgdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s625/3pillars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="625" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8FRKO_asadM/X-8Ric4xtrI/AAAAAAAAGLY/p5XjZ42NRoUkU5_SfSw5-qTx7krayJgdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3pillars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKHOe1b8mE/X-8SF_f36GI/AAAAAAAAGLg/wgawV7eafIQk8B50y514XXgy35G7k3cTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/autothrusters.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKHOe1b8mE/X-8SF_f36GI/AAAAAAAAGLg/wgawV7eafIQk8B50y514XXgy35G7k3cTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/autothrusters.png" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In truth it probably wasn't long after the Three Pillars theory became widely accepted that it stopped being accurate. The addition of Autothrusters almost single-handedly switched Turrets > Arc Dodgers on it's head, making Arc-Dodgers almost bulletproof to most Turrets. Even so, many players continued to talk about the Three Pillars for the remaining years of First Edition and every now and then you'd see discussion about adding a fourth pillar for something that was being successful but didn't fit into the Three Pillars theory, such as 'Bombers' or 'Support'. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But despite the obvious flaws the Three Pillars theory was so immediately graspable that it endured right through to the dawn of Second Edition, with Zach Bunn using it as the basis of <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/8/21/flight-academy-know-your-ships/">his introduction to X-Wing strategy</a> for new players joining the game with the Second Edition release. The Three Pillars have stood the test of time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_baQr4MFho/X-8T9LOFFPI/AAAAAAAAGLw/h-t2wirqtJobwrSoB4K_2PfVGtNBQK5JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s478/3364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_baQr4MFho/X-8T9LOFFPI/AAAAAAAAGLw/h-t2wirqtJobwrSoB4K_2PfVGtNBQK5JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/3364.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But there's a lot about the Three Pillars of X-Wing that I don't like. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">First of all, I don't like that it actually stopped being right several years ago, at least in terms of describing a Rock-Paper-Scissors metagame even if the concept of categorising ships into these pillars remained broadly effective. I also don't like that it struggled to cope with hybrid strategies that became more and more popular - where did you class the likes of Super Dash, who was a Turret that could Arc Dodge, or Jumpmasters who could Joust and had Turrets? If ships like these weren't a natural fit into the Three Pillars, and then we needed to talk about adding fourth or fifth pillars for things like Bombers or Support, were the 'Three Pillars of X-Wing' just a small part of the story?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">More importantly I have a fundamental problem with the fact that the Three Pillars assigned its labels to a ship during squadbuilding. Three Pillars says "An X-Wing is a Jouster" or "a Fang Fighter is an Arc Dodger" and this completely ignores how roles could change once you got to the table and saw your opponent's squad. I remembered listening to Jesper Winstrom talk several times about his CLT Jedi squad on the 186th Squadron Podcast, and about how often he would joust with his supposedly fragile Aethersprites on his way to smashing into the top cut at Worlds 2019. Your ships spontaneously changing roles like this isn't something that the Three Pillars allows for and yet it's clearly a valid and important part of X-Wing strategy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zKi8OdCIaY0/X-8W3TgfIjI/AAAAAAAAGL4/C5PD5NGeuywI5A7udvS4QwrftASeSnBMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/74236367_10162464086755252_2847011899281768448_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zKi8OdCIaY0/X-8W3TgfIjI/AAAAAAAAGL4/C5PD5NGeuywI5A7udvS4QwrftASeSnBMwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/74236367_10162464086755252_2847011899281768448_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And there was nothing in Three Pillars' Rock-Scissors-Paper theory about what happened when a Jouster met a Jouster. Were you doomed to just fly at each other dumbly and let the dice pick a winner? If an Arc Dodger squad met another Arc Dodger would you fly perpetually in circles around each other?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For all that the Three Pillars did right by providing a basis for understanding different ship roles in a really accessible way I think it doesn't really do much to help you understand what you have to do as a player once you get to the table. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think we can do better.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Strategic Stew</span></b></p><p>So Three Pillars is rubbish? Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you’ve got a stew going...</p><blockquote><p><b style="text-align: justify;"><i>SOTL's Home-Baked X-Wing Strategy Stew</i></b></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdoKN5ig4vE/X-8lV1b5sHI/AAAAAAAAGMM/3w7tv8cBEjM9wTiT_r8jMSAKx02onet2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="720" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdoKN5ig4vE/X-8lV1b5sHI/AAAAAAAAGMM/3w7tv8cBEjM9wTiT_r8jMSAKx02onet2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h204/Clipboard01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ingredients:</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>400g 'Three Pillars' ship classification</i></li><li><i>250g 'What About Turrets and Bombs?', finely chopped</i></li><li><i>200ml '<a href="https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/whos-the-beatdown/">Who's The Beatdown?</a></i> </li><li>50g 'Support ships' </li><li><i>1 cup 'Knowing Your Win Condition'</i></li><li><i>2 tbsps 'Aces Survey'</i></li><li><i>1 Potato</i></li></ul></i></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">Over the next couple of blogs, hopefully with some of your help, I'm going to try and cook up something new: a strategic framework for how to think about X-Wing strategy on a wider scale. A framework for thinking about what ships do on the table in the way that the Three Pillars originally laid out, but which embraces that these roles can change dynamically - both from game to game and opponent to opponent, but also often changing during the course of a game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-feVzGadaISM/X-8f2tTf5OI/AAAAAAAAGMA/-TH4izgHslENh79BL5iFGyB_UUIEAxHAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1079/swchef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1079" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-feVzGadaISM/X-8f2tTf5OI/AAAAAAAAGMA/-TH4izgHslENh79BL5iFGyB_UUIEAxHAQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h476/swchef.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">I want to replace the Three Pillars of X-Wing's Rock-Paper-Scissors dynamic with a flow chart, or decision tree. I'll cover this all in more detail in later blogs, but this is broadly the shape that I foresee:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;">Jousting is the easiest thing to do. If you probably win a joust you should try to joust.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">If you can't joust can you control the game with positioning?</li><li style="text-align: justify;">If you can't joust and can't control positioning are you a support ship?</li><li style="text-align: justify;">If you aren't any of the above you have no clear purpose and must work to create one</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Turrets, bombs, ion, jam etc are tools for achieving a purpose not a purpose in themselves</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">And within that framework lies how to understand how your ships should behave <i>in the game you're in</i>, and against the opponent you're facing. It would explain the need to reevalute those roles during a game and change approach accordingly, and it would embrace how to squadbuild with both your desired purpose in mind and to plan for how to respond when events mean you can't take up the role you want.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've been mulling this over for a while and I've got a pretty good idea how I see this going but I don't assume that I'm going to get it all right first time. Hopefully that is where you come in, dear reader. I'm going to forget about things, I'm going to misclassify things, I'm going to have cause-effect relationships backwards, and when that happens I want you to tell me so we can fix it together. They say too many chefs spoil the broth, but I don't believe that. And the same people also say 'many hands make light work' and they can't have it both ways.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Up Next: Part 2 - Are You A Jouster?</span></b></p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-61054525717033669342020-12-21T14:42:00.003-08:002020-12-21T14:47:54.258-08:00Getting To Know: Captain Phasma and 'Friends'<p style="text-align: justify;">Not every blog I write can be full of deep strategic insights (or, arguably, any of them) and this is certainly not. Instead I'm going to start an infrequent series that looks at the background of some of the characters we see appearing as pilots in the X-Wing Miniatures Game, especially those that come from the more obscure parts of the Star Wars canon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This time I want to cover off three First Order characters who all stem from one place - the short <b>Captain Phasma</b> series of comics. In there we find out a bit more about Captain Phasma herself and we also meet both Lieutenant Rivas and pilot TN-3465. I love these three because not only do I like the three pilots <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/08/first-order-orientation-what-to-fly.html">and use them a lot in my First Order squads</a>, but I also think their abilities are fantastically well designed based on what they do in the comics.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-seOAghB6jbM/X-ES9IrLxWI/AAAAAAAAGIo/0mX7Az9lJlUkCEbVcmpPgxBIio6qmgrSACLcBGAsYHQ/s512/phasma%2Bcomic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="512" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-seOAghB6jbM/X-ES9IrLxWI/AAAAAAAAGIo/0mX7Az9lJlUkCEbVcmpPgxBIio6qmgrSACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h258/phasma%2Bcomic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">There was only four episodes of these Captain Phasma comics and I want to make absolutely clear that you can't read them online for free <a href="https://comiconlinefree.net/comic/journey-to-star-wars-the-last-jedi-captain-phasma">at this website</a>. I certainly didn't read them at <a href="https://comiconlinefree.net/comic/journey-to-star-wars-the-last-jedi-captain-phasma">that website</a> and you shouldn't do <a href="https://comiconlinefree.net/comic/journey-to-star-wars-the-last-jedi-captain-phasma">read them there</a> either.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">*** SPOILER ALERT - if you care deeply about not having the plot points from a minor side story of comics spoiled for you that were released 3 years ago then stop reading here! ***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">IN THE COMICS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Captain Phasma comics pick up Phasma's story right after we leave it in The Force Awakens. Starkiller Base is under attack and Phasma has been abandoned in the trash compactor by Han and Finn after being forced at gunpoint to drop the bases shields. After blasting her way out of the compactor Captain Phasma has a big problem, and it's not that the planet she's on is about to explode. Phasma's problem is that her computer login has been flagged as the one that lowered the shields. Phasma returns to the terminal she used to expunge the records, only to find that somebody has already accessed the terminal before her.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tn4_c7fcKuU/X-EV9rvyE3I/AAAAAAAAGI0/Kiad9ps8OJgC0bbD0i_P7uTd16N7A7P8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s482/phasma2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="482" height="509" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tn4_c7fcKuU/X-EV9rvyE3I/AAAAAAAAGI0/Kiad9ps8OJgC0bbD0i_P7uTd16N7A7P8ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h509/phasma2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Somebody knows it was her login that lowered the shields.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Phasma has a new problem. But she also has a solution - if she can catch the person who accessed the terminal and kill them she can cover her tracks AND pin the blame for lowering the shields on them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That person is Lieutenant Rivas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtgK9XxdzMc/X-EfKNqgaxI/AAAAAAAAGKQ/sFkdzNHpKoEKHpibWdD8kw6csgLcrQnGACLcBGAsYHQ/s780/phasmaro%2523.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="780" height="520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtgK9XxdzMc/X-EfKNqgaxI/AAAAAAAAGKQ/sFkdzNHpKoEKHpibWdD8kw6csgLcrQnGACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h520/phasmaro%2523.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />With Starkiller Base crumbling around her Captain Phasma chases Rivas outside only for him to steal a TIE Fighter and escape. Phasma can't let him get away as he knows the truth about her failure so Phasma commandeers a nearby TIE/sf and orders the pilot to chase Lieutenant Rivas and follow him out into space. This is where we meet our third X-Wing character, TN-3465.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boQVScErx5U/X-EYp9Hr3EI/AAAAAAAAGJA/mL68R2CVt1kECi8ja-GxEXcZfju5HsMkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1174/pHASMA3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="1174" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boQVScErx5U/X-EYp9Hr3EI/AAAAAAAAGJA/mL68R2CVt1kECi8ja-GxEXcZfju5HsMkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h202/pHASMA3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Together, Phasma and TN-3465 escape from Starkiller Base seconds before it explodes and embark on the typical comic miniseries arc of perfectly straightforward things that should be able to get covered in 3 pages being strung out over 3 comics instead...<div><br /></div><div>Phasma and TN-3465 chase Rivas through space but the guns on their TIE aren't functioning so they can't shoot him down and have to follow him to a nearby planet. They land and find his TIE Fighter but he's already left. They need to find disguises to meet the local villagers and find out that Rivas was captured by a group of alien sea monsters. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW_OtPPK2tw/X-Ed4lxcPqI/AAAAAAAAGJw/yKV6WVrD-F0qF8DUp3LxK3MPRWntoAgCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s753/Phasma4a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="753" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW_OtPPK2tw/X-Ed4lxcPqI/AAAAAAAAGJw/yKV6WVrD-F0qF8DUp3LxK3MPRWntoAgCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h270/Phasma4a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They agree team up with the the villagers to help them kill the local sea monsters and be safe once and for all... </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2NzJo_egQo/X-EapHOKV0I/AAAAAAAAGJM/0HjXqre2hWQlSkMCmJWm8q23oPekv_5GACLcBGAsYHQ/s1154/Phasma5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1154" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2NzJo_egQo/X-EapHOKV0I/AAAAAAAAGJM/0HjXqre2hWQlSkMCmJWm8q23oPekv_5GACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h250/Phasma5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">...then Phasma lets the villagers all die because all she really needed was a distraction to get past the monsters to find and execute Lieutenant Rivas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FoptiPHG_Kg/X-EdekiUXQI/AAAAAAAAGJo/I8sVU6NIsQEbGpS-kRnIIh4H2mCP0uWfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s621/Phasam7b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="621" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FoptiPHG_Kg/X-EdekiUXQI/AAAAAAAAGJo/I8sVU6NIsQEbGpS-kRnIIh4H2mCP0uWfgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h208/Phasam7b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which leaves Phasma with one last problem...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llENb4iXbOQ/X-EcymJ-SZI/AAAAAAAAGJg/SqQXvduL5Rw6em_CnkhNAVwXP3UCf2EsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s588/Phasma8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="588" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llENb4iXbOQ/X-EcymJ-SZI/AAAAAAAAGJg/SqQXvduL5Rw6em_CnkhNAVwXP3UCf2EsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h420/Phasma8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">With the dirty work done Captain Phasma is now free to return to General Hux and explain her heroic efforts to track down and punish the traitor who allowed the Resistance to destroy Starkiller Base.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6e6xP1Dj30/X-Ee0rmj8dI/AAAAAAAAGKE/rQ-mV8uwrUsoyvSnNsXyIH6l7K9XjIRtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s734/Phasma%2B8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="734" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6e6xP1Dj30/X-Ee0rmj8dI/AAAAAAAAGKE/rQ-mV8uwrUsoyvSnNsXyIH6l7K9XjIRtgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h182/Phasma%2B8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Hurrah, well done Captain Phasma. Report to your section immediately for jelly and cake!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">In The X-Wing Miniatures Game</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So how are these three pilots represented in X-Wing?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9L4cZb9wuw/X-EhEudS-sI/AAAAAAAAGKc/Vhq0Z9rq32M6aCXy9A4kfpwJrZQ48CU-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Sol_Rivas_CP4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9L4cZb9wuw/X-EhEudS-sI/AAAAAAAAGKc/Vhq0Z9rq32M6aCXy9A4kfpwJrZQ48CU-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sol_Rivas_CP4.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyY0zuaKKrM/X-EhEq01_qI/AAAAAAAAGKY/TEwDh7EtRZQYm8d0gsZAItvcraekagzsACLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Swz26_a1_rivas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyY0zuaKKrM/X-EhEq01_qI/AAAAAAAAGKY/TEwDh7EtRZQYm8d0gsZAItvcraekagzsACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz26_a1_rivas.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We get <b>Lieutenant Rivas</b> -<i> Inconvenient Witness </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lieutenant Rivas has the pilot ability to get target locks on things that his friends target lock (assigning a target lock is gaining a red token). This is very literally all that Rivas actually does in the comics - he uses a computer after somebody else uses it. It's a nice neat thematic, if rather literal, card design based on the only piece of information we have about Sol Rivas - he used a computer once.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGmbe0xgIJ0/X-EhjTf0ZpI/AAAAAAAAGKo/DJiksU7DwxkzMw4WOgcdEf6sRVAZeTUZACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz26_a1_tn-3465.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGmbe0xgIJ0/X-EhjTf0ZpI/AAAAAAAAGKo/DJiksU7DwxkzMw4WOgcdEf6sRVAZeTUZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz26_a1_tn-3465.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLNC8SDmzkU/X-EhjcyjCbI/AAAAAAAAGKs/WxC_FTNzEd4Ea7XCDYGSoKbbcfmGyjKUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s840/TN-3465_portrait.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLNC8SDmzkU/X-EhjcyjCbI/AAAAAAAAGKs/WxC_FTNzEd4Ea7XCDYGSoKbbcfmGyjKUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/TN-3465_portrait.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We also get <b>TN-3465</b> - <i>Loose End</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Lieutenant Rivas the young TN-3465 has an ability based around what happens in the comics. Her friends can choose to deal her a damage in order to convert attacks into critical hits. TN-3465 literally gets shot in the back by her own team to ensure they complete their mission. Poor girl.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQnfC4r7nHc/X-EiNK_Zs9I/AAAAAAAAGK4/x-Qq5zeca-ULDNDzaR685Lq7yb4DfKigQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz66_captain-phasma.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQnfC4r7nHc/X-EiNK_Zs9I/AAAAAAAAGK4/x-Qq5zeca-ULDNDzaR685Lq7yb4DfKigQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz66_captain-phasma.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally, we get a pilot card of <b>Captain Phasma</b> - <i>Scyre Survivor</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If there's one thing we've learned about Captain Phasma in this short story it's that she's a survivor who's fully prepared to let everyone around her take a fall if it's in her best interests. We see that in game with her ability forcing her to hurt nearby friendly ships whenever she would take damage. She's always going to be the last person to actually get hurt by anything that goes wrong, which is perfect thematic and 'fluffy' design.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFZa18t_szc/X-EirSrz7tI/AAAAAAAAGLI/KwO1ddXQLDEgXSWUMDmJfaZWIZXaFisFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s781/Phasma%2B9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="781" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFZa18t_szc/X-EirSrz7tI/AAAAAAAAGLI/KwO1ddXQLDEgXSWUMDmJfaZWIZXaFisFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h216/Phasma%2B9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">All hail Captain Phasma. All hail the First Order!</div></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-72236733933790136292020-12-04T15:23:00.005-08:002020-12-04T15:45:43.883-08:00Five squads, thirty-one ships, ninety-four red dice... and SPAM!<p style="text-align: justify;">In <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/11/theres-too-many-of-them-why-generic.html">my last blog</a> I attempted a Thanos-style finger snap to sway FFG ahead of the November points changes. I laid out why I felt like the raw efficiency of generic pilots, particular cheaper 3 agility fighters like the TIE/fo and M3-A Scyk, had warped the combat maths of X-Wing and disenfranchised huge swathes of the ships in the game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xO5ej0LXKg/X8rBx6k6nYI/AAAAAAAAGIM/mq5JoRSBGOoHMgq9k8q41bXLl1NyQ20dwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/spam-wall.0.0%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1400" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xO5ej0LXKg/X8rBx6k6nYI/AAAAAAAAGIM/mq5JoRSBGOoHMgq9k8q41bXLl1NyQ20dwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/spam-wall.0.0%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I came up with a list of the ships that I wanted to see increase in cost by at least +1pt...</p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><blockquote><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>Vulture Droid</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>Hyena Bomber</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>M3-A Scyk</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>Fireball</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>TIE Aggressor</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>TIE Bomber</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>TIE Advanced v1</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>TIE/fo</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>Auzituck Gunship</i></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>T-70 X-Wing</i></li></blockquote></ul><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, we now have the results of the November points change and how did it go?</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAuAMYnY4QM/X8q-H3Hw9MI/AAAAAAAAGIE/FSxgzVtedSY3fg0Irvh22XKeQ7i9bDiLACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/68a.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="400" height="165" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAuAMYnY4QM/X8q-H3Hw9MI/AAAAAAAAGIE/FSxgzVtedSY3fg0Irvh22XKeQ7i9bDiLACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h165/68a.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">Not so well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">Only one of those ships went up in points (the Auzituck Gunship) and that was counterbalanced by the fact that not only did the T-70 X-Wing actually go down by one point, but the Blue Squadron T-65 X-Wing went down by 2pts! Rather than steer against generic efficiency swarms, FFG's last roll of the dice was to toss even more efficiency into the mix. This is 'release the T-Rex to kill the Velociraptors' levels of strategic planning.</span></div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And also: XX-23 S-Thread Tracers cost 2 points. Yeesh. Way to double down on the problem, FFG</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TeJusyEAU7s/X8rB-HGPXWI/AAAAAAAAGIQ/TuQT5ucPAnEE22SM-KkcnNnB0kjpTIoxACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz81_upgrade_s-tread-tracers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="418" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TeJusyEAU7s/X8rB-HGPXWI/AAAAAAAAGIQ/TuQT5ucPAnEE22SM-KkcnNnB0kjpTIoxACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/swz81_upgrade_s-tread-tracers.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So if you're finally hitting the tipping point and deciding 'hey, if I can't beat generic efficiency so I might as well join them' then what would your squads look like? Well, allow me to share some of the lists in my development folder...</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Z-Z-Zealots</span></b><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Cavern Angels Zealot (T-65 X-Wing) - Servomotor S-Foils</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cavern Angels Zealot (T-65 X-Wing) - Servomotor S-Foils</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cavern Angels Zealot (T-65 X-Wing) - Servomotor S-Foils</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cavern Angels Zealot (T-65 X-Wing) - Servomotor S-Foils</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Bandit Squadron Pilot (Z-95) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Bandit Squadron Pilot (Z-95) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers<br />(200pts)</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">18 red dice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">32 hitpoints </div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.0 average agility</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the Initiative 2 Blue Squadron Escort costs the same as the Initiative 1 Cavern Angel Zealots your using the I1 ship so that your Z-95s can fire their Thread Tracers before you unload, boosting the attack power of your X-Wings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AERfObSdi14/X8qzconDOAI/AAAAAAAAGHk/91zY2dKuBfsaC7jHJbfWqeATgvuqnexVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swx74_preview2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AERfObSdi14/X8qzconDOAI/AAAAAAAAGHk/91zY2dKuBfsaC7jHJbfWqeATgvuqnexVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/swx74_preview2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Bringing T-65 X-Wings down to 38 points puts them back into the spotlight. I don't think they're quite low enough to cope with the best of the 3 Agility swarms but every little bit helps. One of the reasons I think they're still not good enough is that most of this squad was possible before the November points change - you could fit four Cavern Angel Zealots at 39 points each for 156 points, leaving the 24 spare points you need for the pair of Z-95 Headhunters. And it wasn't good enough. What the little 4pt discount to the T-65s gets you is the pair of brand new Thread Tracers and that IS a significant improvement. It turns you weakest 2 red dice ships into arguably the biggest 3 red dice threats that your opponent will focus on first, and that in turn sees your best ships as those that survive into midgame.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With Auzitucks going up in price this is probably the best Rebels have to offer post-November, and I'd guess it's also the most powerful raw efficiency list that's ever been available to the Rebel faction in either First or Second Edition!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Your Dials. You Will Not Need Them</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Missiles, XX-23 S-Thread Tracers, Bomblet Generator</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Missiles, XX-23 S-Thread Tracers, Bomblet Generator</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Missiles, Bomblet Generator, Delayed Fuses</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Torpedoes, Bomblet Generator, Delayed Fuses</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Torpedoes, Bomblet Generator, Delayed Fuses</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scimitar Squadron Pilot (TIE Bomber) - Ion Torpedoes, Bomblet Generator, Delayed Fuses<br />(200pts)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 ships</div><div style="text-align: justify;">21 red dice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">36 hitpoints</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.0 average agility</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 bomb carriers</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you think I've been banging on about M3-A Scyks for a long time then you should see how long I've been championing the Scimitar Bomber! 27pts is incredibly cheap for how fast, tough and flexible the TIE Bomber chassis is, and this incarnation takes full advantage of the incredible price drops to secondary weapons in November - I believe this list cost 224pts using the old points for Ion weapons and Bomblet Generator (Bomblet Generator in particular is crazy at 2pts).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSlyFj3xQ68/X8q19vdZVkI/AAAAAAAAGHs/gNfrTmn_z58kyMnHQnRnzXxbMpfhiNoJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Gamma_Squadron_Veteran_XWMIV.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1080" height="389" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSlyFj3xQ68/X8q19vdZVkI/AAAAAAAAGHs/gNfrTmn_z58kyMnHQnRnzXxbMpfhiNoJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h389/Gamma_Squadron_Veteran_XWMIV.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This could be a real Negative Play Experience to meet on the table as if the bombers manage to get hold of a ship with all their ion weapons you're left with no control over where your ships fly or the actions they do, and may not even get to roll green dice as the Bombers will roll you over a carpet of bombs until it's finally over. It's such a slow and painful way to die you'll be begging to get digested by the almighty Sarlacc instead!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And if you're looking at this and thinking "ah yes but those are Ion weapons not real guns, it won't work" I'd like to point out that this is actually just an upgrade to a list that Maxx Clergue already did well with at both the Ryloth Qualifier and then again at the final Coruscant Championship. It's a proven archetype that has now received a significant power boost.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">It's The ReSixtance!</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Merl Cobben (RZ-2 A-Wing) Intimidation</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Rose Tico (Transport Pod)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Finn (Transport Pod)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Colossus Station Mechanic (Fireball) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Blue Squadron Rookie (T-70 X-Wing) - Integrated S-Foils</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Blue Squadron Rookie (T-70 X-Wing) - Integrated S-Foils<br />(200pts)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 ships</div><div style="text-align: justify;">16 red dice (including Finn's ability)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">31 hitpoints</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.2 average agility</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ReSixtance was one of my favourite lists that I landed on just before the Nantex took over the game in July. That timing meant it didn't really leak out anywhere at the time but with the bugs safely nerfed this motley collection of Resistance pilots is safe to return to the table. November offers a couple of important upgrades, most importantly Merl Cobben subs in for the generic RZ-2 A-Wing I was already using, while the discount to the Transport Pods allows me to crowbar in some Thread Tracers that flips the Fireball from being the last ship opponents care about to being one of their first priorities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHUb-fIfN8E/X8q4c6KEYVI/AAAAAAAAGH0/OIoMbaZJOYwGxGS5_cSeVk2hN-05QsAsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/bbd808a9bed134e3517976728c4d059fa3606f7a_hq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="1024" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHUb-fIfN8E/X8q4c6KEYVI/AAAAAAAAGH0/OIoMbaZJOYwGxGS5_cSeVk2hN-05QsAsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/bbd808a9bed134e3517976728c4d059fa3606f7a_hq.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In truth the final upgrade points are a bit up in the air and Intimidation is only one way of running this list. Other options I've run include dropping Intimidation to bring Vi Moradi in place of Rose Tico to give you an extra tool vs enemy aces, while Sith Taker's own Rich Polley has been playing it very successfully with Starbird Slash on Merl Cobben to bring in Heroic. Compared to the other lists here this one is the most diverse in playstyle and also brings some powerful pilot abilities and extra trickery as well as a ton of brute force.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Sick Scyk Six - Redux</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Zealous Recruit (Fang Fighter)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Zealous Recruit (Fang Fighter)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Ion Cannon</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Ion Cannon</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Tractor Beam</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers<br />(200pts)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 ships</div><div style="text-align: justify;">18 red dice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">24 hitpoints</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3.0 average agility</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Really quick one here as this is a list everyone probably recognises as it's had plenty of time in the limelight since I first played it at the start of the year. The November price increase jacked Tractor Beam up to 4pts but fortunately Thread Tracers are the perfect force-multiplication replacement to keep the squad ticking over. Arguably this isn't just a sidestep to a nerf but also an improvement as there were certainly some matchups against larger base ships where the Tractor Beams lost their value but you'd still want target locks. It's going to continue to be a fearsome squad, I think.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Piranha - Redux</span></b></div><p></p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Ion Cannon</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Ion Cannon</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Ion Cannon</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Tractor Beam</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cartel Spacer (M3-A Scyk) - Tractor Beam</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Binayre Pirate (Z-95) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Binayre Pirate (Z-95) - XX-23 S-Thread Tracers<br />(200pts)</li></ul></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">7 ships</div><div style="text-align: justify;">21 red dice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">28 hitpoints</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.7 average agility</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is an update to <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/guns-lots-of-guns-taking-scyks-to.html">the list that I played at the Hyperspace Trial</a> just before the world ended for the pandemic. It was an evolution of the Sick Scyk list that turned two Fang Fighters into three cheaper ships as I expected to play against a lot of Boba/Koshka squads. It's also perfectly positioned to adapt slightly and pick up the Thread Tracers. The real strength here is the sheer amount of control and force multiplication effects on the table. The list casts a wide net and is extremely dangerous all the way out to Range 3, especially for small base ships.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0oBiZNKRPM/X8q56X7R2hI/AAAAAAAAGH8/e9sgk3DGeggh4pyDWa-OuSk9cKjgJ-IUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s738/Card_art_XW_P_189.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="738" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0oBiZNKRPM/X8q56X7R2hI/AAAAAAAAGH8/e9sgk3DGeggh4pyDWa-OuSk9cKjgJ-IUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h268/Card_art_XW_P_189.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To my mind this is a sister list to the original Sick Scyk Six for you to pivot between as best suits you and depending on the metagame you expect to see. If Boba Fett is finally going away for a while then I'd be tempted to stick with the Fang Fighters, but this is also a powerful control squad that sort of straddles the Sick Scyk Six and TIE Bomber squad archetypes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SPAM, EGG, SAUSAGE AND SPAM</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So those are five squads I'm working on which all benefit from the discounts in November or the cheap Thread-Tracers, and which all represent steps up from the old generic efficiency power level that was already suppressing a lot of ships (we didn't touch on TIE Aggressor, Vulture Droids, Hyenas or Nantex which I think are also still all really good). But not everyone like Spam so however miserable all that makes you if none of the above squads are your sort of thing, at least be comforted that you're not alone...<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/duFierM1yDg" width="320" youtube-src-id="duFierM1yDg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And hopefully before long the circus will move on. FFG have had their turn running X-Wing and (in my view) have largely bungled it so the bar is set pretty low for AMG to do better once the game changes hands. Maybe next time the points update will prompt a different Monty Python theme!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-kZg4ZWKE0/X8rEEaOukfI/AAAAAAAAGIc/U2iE_PUTXxsW1Q2McQjsWqap3iqWkch3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1366/screenshot.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-kZg4ZWKE0/X8rEEaOukfI/AAAAAAAAGIc/U2iE_PUTXxsW1Q2McQjsWqap3iqWkch3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/screenshot.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-1558125639540647462020-11-20T08:01:00.005-08:002020-12-01T04:53:59.416-08:00X-Wing Buying Guides Updated<p style="text-align: justify;">This is a quick note to say that I've finally gotten round to updating my Buying Guide pages, which were getting a little bit out of date seeing as they still talked about Vonreg's TIE as coming soon! I've been working on this haphazardly for a while now (Rebels got updated in August) but I've recently knuckled down and made it happen so that I'm going to be fully up to date once the new wave of ships land at the end of this month.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVl-qq-XiSg/X7foKYRwGiI/AAAAAAAAGFE/U_VNUnDeLus4-q9sYCU4O-oRKInhxR8YQCLcBGAsYHQ/s775/uide.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="775" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVl-qq-XiSg/X7foKYRwGiI/AAAAAAAAGFE/U_VNUnDeLus4-q9sYCU4O-oRKInhxR8YQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h390/uide.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Amendments include:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li>Card Packs (Hotshots & Aces, Fully Loaded, Never Tell Me The Odds) added to Introduction page</li><li>Revised faction descriptions on Introduction page</li><li>Updated all beginner recommended squads to latest points costs/releases</li><li>Updated all ship descriptions/reviews</li><li>New Purchase Priority tables for all factions</li></ol><div>Links to all sections of the Buying Guide are below:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>*** ALL Updated November 2020 ***</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-introduction.html">=== Introduction ===</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-rebels.html">Rebel Alliance</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-imperials.html">Galactic Empire</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-scum.html">Scum & Villainy</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-resistance.html">Resistance</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-first-order.html">First Order</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-republic.html">Galactic Republic</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-wing-buying-guide-separatists.html">Separatists</a></span></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Happy shopping!!!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">:-)</p><br />Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-49764460290301683262020-11-12T04:35:00.003-08:002020-11-12T04:53:50.415-08:00"There's too many of them!" - Why Generic Efficiency Has Gone Too Far<p style="text-align: justify;">So I was really proud of <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/11/variance-oliver-pocknell-neils-vos.html">my last blog</a>. It was on a topic I'd been wanting to hit for a while (the importance and value of variance), the juxtaposition of the two different player reactions from one tournament seemed like a perfect hook for the topic, and talking to Niels Vos gave me loads of extra unexpected colour and dimension to the blog as it turned out he shared a lot of my viewpoints. I thought it was great, wrapped the whole thing up with a nice bow on top and posted it up online to await all the positive feedback.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_sGJhnYZxEI/X60abATnE6I/AAAAAAAAGBY/vYyufKQ7LDgnZaWIiI9OHexI7JX3d5PkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/X9VMVaY.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_sGJhnYZxEI/X60abATnE6I/AAAAAAAAGBY/vYyufKQ7LDgnZaWIiI9OHexI7JX3d5PkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/X9VMVaY.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The <i>unintended</i> consequence was that a few people thought the blog was about picking a fight with World Champ Oliver Pocknell, or running him down for the post of his that I'd shared in the blog. Hopefully I've now smoothed most of those ruffled feathers out but I wanted to be clear that it wasn't my intention at all. I like and respect Oli a lot, we share some of the same online spaces and chat from time to time, and as a World Champion you couldn't really ask for somebody who has worn the crown with more dignity and tried to be a positive role model across not just his own channels but lots of other podcasts and streaming channels as well. I was taking it as read that everyone shared that very obvious opinion of Oli and to me it made it all the more interesting to finally see it slip a little bit in that Facebook post and see what really grinds his gears.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05SAZN1ZBO0/X60giwzUBiI/AAAAAAAAGBo/jxBsRnUoGrwoMxQlseSPI-6HMg3V2NsywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/1_Ytw64StjYPB2wHERuQTZOA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05SAZN1ZBO0/X60giwzUBiI/AAAAAAAAGBo/jxBsRnUoGrwoMxQlseSPI-6HMg3V2NsywCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/1_Ytw64StjYPB2wHERuQTZOA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I've said it elsewhere and I've said it to Oli himself, but for the record: that wasn't my intention and I'm sorry if anybody took it that way and was unhappy with how I'd phrased anything.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The <i>great</i> consequence of the blog is that we've had some really interesting discussions around the topic on places like Facebook and Reddit, both about the nature of variance but also about the state of the current metagame. I think there's been a bit of confusion in the message in my blog here, with a lot of people believing that my defense of the variance in playing higher ship count generic squads was also saying that I thought the current metagame was in a good state. To me those are two separate issues - I absolutely want to see high ship count squads like this possible and I want to see the variance that allows upsets against good players and creates exciting games with uncertain outcomes to continue... but I also think the swing towards low cost generics has gone too far right now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On some specific points costs I completely agree with Oli and would actually go further than I think he would. Like I said in the blog: I know why I'm playing Scyks - it's because I think they're too cheap and hand me a big advantage!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now if the World Champion can click his fingers and get Nantex nerfed instantly (I kid) then let's see if I can work some magic too...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ER7NloCcQ38/X60pCRrB65I/AAAAAAAAGC8/3y_XVNWiIS4hxfUtT119dlJGUvx_emGlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s540/iron-man-snap.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ER7NloCcQ38/X60pCRrB65I/AAAAAAAAGC8/3y_XVNWiIS4hxfUtT119dlJGUvx_emGlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/iron-man-snap.gif" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE PROBLEM</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The game is trapped in a mechanical feedback loop by making cheap ships with 2 red dice and either 3 Agility (or 2 Agility and lots of hull) very efficient. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When 3 Agility is good people play Scyks/FOs/Nantex/Aggressors etc and that in turn means the average number of dice/hits rolled per attack drops (you go from flinging 3 or 4 well-modified red dice to more ships each rolling 2 single-modified attacks). When the average number of hits rolled per attack drops it makes high Agility more important as you're more likely to evade attacks entirely, while Agility 1 ships will still get chipped down rapidly by lots of incoming shots. I talked about this impact <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/generic-efficiency-revisited-new-points.html">when I revisited Generic Efficiency</a>: 1 Agility ships get a lot worse when facing 2 red dice while 3 Agility ships benefit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJzrcL35qlg/X60pzkm_0MI/AAAAAAAAGDE/lifT3t0HkcIL34eLml294ESPUILL99aBACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NdpnMI6%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="640" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJzrcL35qlg/X60pzkm_0MI/AAAAAAAAGDE/lifT3t0HkcIL34eLml294ESPUILL99aBACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h248/NdpnMI6%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So Agi 3 is good which makes 2 red dice dice popular with makes Agi 3 better which makes 2 red dice more popular which makes Agi 3 better again...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5kcVKT68meI/X60c3xMIovI/AAAAAAAAGBg/7Bn1QcFNhiAbff2_w0YuA_Bfi9R7BNvDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/3ac7cd92f2d4cdf9019904ffd6a7630d.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5kcVKT68meI/X60c3xMIovI/AAAAAAAAGBg/7Bn1QcFNhiAbff2_w0YuA_Bfi9R7BNvDgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/3ac7cd92f2d4cdf9019904ffd6a7630d.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">With so many arcs on the table (including dangerous range 3 cannons, or multiple arcs with turrets) it's incredibly difficult to fly aces into safe positions, and because the ships carrying those guns are defensively efficient those aces can't reliably switch modes and try to punch through and remove threats before they fire. And it's not just aces that suffer - the sheer defensive efficiency of these ships <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/12/rule-32-enjoy-little-things.html">is what I first highlighted</a> and it's what makes it almost impossible to joust them with the likes of Rebel Beef or four-ship Resistance/Rebel lists - you have to work incredibly hard to kill a 25pt TIE/fo before it fires and even if you're lucky enough to do so you're likely to lose 50pts of Braylen Stramm in return. Similarly, if you invest in big alpha strikes with torpedoes it's an unreliable payoff as a 3 Agility ship could easily see just a little bit too much paint on their green dice and the attack bounces off, and if you try to run big ships like Falcons or Dash your traditional advantage of having lots of hitpoints will be burned away very quickly by so many guns.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rCg4g0ravU/X60jn7N5oeI/AAAAAAAAGB4/SOKM9vVpgAQOxXaazjcEsk9sKygWjunzACLcBGAsYHQ/s360/n2MCK2A.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="360" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rCg4g0ravU/X60jn7N5oeI/AAAAAAAAGB4/SOKM9vVpgAQOxXaazjcEsk9sKygWjunzACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/n2MCK2A.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">With few exceptions (Boba is still good in this metagame) what you're left with is fighting fire with fire, and every player that turns to playing these lists just adds further momentum to the metagame shift and makes it harder for everyone else.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you'd followed my blogging this past 12 months none of this should be news to you as I've hit this topic many times, especially before the pandemic derailed everything:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>December </b>- <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/12/rule-32-enjoy-little-things.html">Generic Efficiency 101</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>January</b> - <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/01/jumping-to-hyperspace-bad-guys.html">First Order & Separatists swarms in Hyperspace</a>, including predicting the Hyena Bomber's rise </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>February </b>- <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/02/sith-taking-with-admiral-sloane.html">Sloane Swarm</a> and the <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/02/dr-sloanelove-how-i-learned-to-stop.html">Scyks/Fang</a> list bag me a ticket to Worlds</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>March</b> - <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/generic-efficiency-revisited-new-points.html">Generic Efficiency Revisited</a> and more <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/guns-lots-of-guns-taking-scyks-to.html">Scyk Swarms</a></p></blockquote><p>And I've also spoken about some of these issues in places like the FFG Forums:</p><blockquote><p><b>June</b> - <a href="https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/309369-talk-to-me-about-tie-aggressors/?do=findComment&comment=3956750">TIE Aggressors are a sleeper</a> </p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/guns-lots-of-guns-taking-scyks-to.html"></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I believe we've been on this road for over a year and although the maturation of this metagame has been hampered significantly by Covid and the Nantex but it's been pretty much inevitable that we would get here as the fundamental maths of X-Wing combat are out of balance. Without a proper competitive season in the first half of the year players like Akhter Khan and Nicolas God were finding it and leading other players to joining them in the summer. After the July points changes the Nantex did a fantastic job of suppressing all the swarms for a few months but I fear you're going to see it in full effect now, though.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">THE SOLUTION</span></b></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">I would increase the following ships cheapest generic pilots points cost by +1 point:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Vulture Droid</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Hyena Bomber</li><li style="text-align: justify;">M3-A Scyk</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Fireball</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE Aggressor</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE Bomber</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE Advanced v1</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE/fo</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Auzituck Gunship</li><li style="text-align: justify;">T-70 X-Wing</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There might be some following points cost through the lower end of the other points ranges, eg if you make Epsilon Cadets +1pt you'll need to move the Zeta up from 26pts. You probably wouldn't have to increase Lieutanant Rivas, though, as this points change is aimed at the multiplicative value from bringing lots of the cheapest ships and you can only bring one Lieutenant Rivas.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1ebzA6ee1s/X60kCOaECtI/AAAAAAAAGCA/UvrKkD6IxP84vrMJ4Z_7NOpM7_KMjaFMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz26_a1_epsilon-pilot.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1ebzA6ee1s/X60kCOaECtI/AAAAAAAAGCA/UvrKkD6IxP84vrMJ4Z_7NOpM7_KMjaFMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/Swz26_a1_epsilon-pilot.png" width="144" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dc6hiQ26p_M/X60kRFNJITI/AAAAAAAAGCI/dBDLejtY74AYjOkV_JSTx0R2lQUB-V-fACLcBGAsYHQ/s836/IMG_20180912_0036_7f4be4b7-b018-4346-888e-3305f2e8c542_580x.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="580" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dc6hiQ26p_M/X60kRFNJITI/AAAAAAAAGCI/dBDLejtY74AYjOkV_JSTx0R2lQUB-V-fACLcBGAsYHQ/w139-h200/IMG_20180912_0036_7f4be4b7-b018-4346-888e-3305f2e8c542_580x.jpg" width="139" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q3EtBQR0sCc/X60kQ5VCC_I/AAAAAAAAGCE/3ZP91inpiksRBtklHeoAkm1jDpl2tbyogCLcBGAsYHQ/s265/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="190" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q3EtBQR0sCc/X60kQ5VCC_I/AAAAAAAAGCE/3ZP91inpiksRBtklHeoAkm1jDpl2tbyogCLcBGAsYHQ/w143-h200/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Now when I've suggest these type of changes to so many ships one of the common responses I have received is something like "Wait, why are you putting up the cost of [insert ship here]? The [insert ship here] is hardly dominating tournaments!". And it's a fair question because you're right, they're not. Yet. These changes are needed to solve future problems too. A month ago nobody thought the TIE Aggressor was a problem (except me) because the focus was on the Nantex. When people were celebrating the Nantex points changes I always cautioned that all this was doing was unlocking all the other cheap generics that the Nantex were oppressing and that's what we're seeing now. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">ALL of these ships are too cheap. In most cases they're unbalanced vs other competing cheap ships (TIE Fighters, RZ-1 A-Wings, Torrents etc) and their sheer efficiency is suppressing a host of more expensive 3-dice ships and making it extremely challenging to fly lower ship count lists. In other cases (like the Auzituck and T-70) they're a little too far ahead of the other 3-dice ships and would remove diversity once the swarms were removed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tc0TJSek-78/X60myHkZJYI/AAAAAAAAGCY/fGJSmFlvCZ4U0dQdhtZ7ImL57IfsAZViwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Auzituck_Defender.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tc0TJSek-78/X60myHkZJYI/AAAAAAAAGCY/fGJSmFlvCZ4U0dQdhtZ7ImL57IfsAZViwCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/Auzituck_Defender.png" width="144" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KZR7teiHb8/X60myIAwlCI/AAAAAAAAGCc/8RtQMrtrG14VZKuL0GClBoRj6dzHyGovACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz25_blue-sqd_a1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KZR7teiHb8/X60myIAwlCI/AAAAAAAAGCc/8RtQMrtrG14VZKuL0GClBoRj6dzHyGovACLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/Swz25_blue-sqd_a1.png" width="144" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjqLXy2Qew8/X60myEPY4tI/AAAAAAAAGCg/nckf4LfJrWYgtjZpVNCOA3IGYJoPjQMKACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz41_techno-union-bomber.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjqLXy2Qew8/X60myEPY4tI/AAAAAAAAGCg/nckf4LfJrWYgtjZpVNCOA3IGYJoPjQMKACLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/Swz41_techno-union-bomber.png" width="144" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It's like peeling an onion - remove Nantex and now TIE Aggressors are a problem. Remove Aggressors and it'll be Scyks and TIE/fos. Remove Scyks too and it'll be TIE Bombers and the Vulture/Hyena swarms will be back with a vengeance (it's the 3 Agility swarms keeping Vultures down as their red dice bounce off a little too often). If you're going to wait for 6 month point cycles between each little change to the current best thing then we'll still be playing this high ship count metagame in two years time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu00Y72sHd0/X60nDe3S8FI/AAAAAAAAGCs/gj8D-kHVdJ0U1OZukhk8HqWx4wwwRU70gCLcBGAsYHQ/s660/cS9tRc0.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="660" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu00Y72sHd0/X60nDe3S8FI/AAAAAAAAGCs/gj8D-kHVdJ0U1OZukhk8HqWx4wwwRU70gCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/cS9tRc0.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And you know what? A 26pt TIE/fo or Scyk is STILL really good value. Although hitting so many ships may look dramatic I think it's actually conservative and may not be going far enough - in most cases it's still lower than the ships were costed originally and it's still a significant discount on their First Edition price point. We're not bombing these ships back to the stone age by adding +1pt, just clipping their wings slightly... and quite possibly by not enough.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd like to hold a principle where ships like these remain about as good as it gets for generic efficiency on the cheapest ships. We've seen that if things get much better than this point then the game can quickly spiral to the point where most other styles of play are driven away.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">TIE Fighters</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Mining Guild TIE</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Z-95 Headhunters</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Torrents</li><li style="text-align: justify;">RZ-1 A-Wings</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ships like the TIE/sf or the RZ-2 A-Wing I think are fine. The TIE/sf is probably a victim of this trend as much as a part of it, while the RZ-2 A-Wing is doing well but it's not an I1 generic spam issue that's driving that success.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">AND ANOTHER THING...</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In addition I'd prefer to see Cannons upgrades given a variable points cost based on the primary front arc attack value of the ship. When you add an Ion Cannon to an M3-A Scyk you're gaining an extra red dice to roll, and unlike Missile or Torpedo upgrades there's no awkwardness of getting target locks that red dice is easy to use and has no charges to use up. I don't believe it should cost as much to add a cannon to a B-Wing or Upsilon Shuttle as it does to add them to an M3-A Scyk or a Jumpmaster where you're gaining a whole new arc. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PAxTOiHqFi0/X60nY03cjiI/AAAAAAAAGC0/IrALdcS-exUIKaiyBdgZ8nit2nzBytDkACLcBGAsYHQ/s792/cannons.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="792" height="127" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PAxTOiHqFi0/X60nY03cjiI/AAAAAAAAGC0/IrALdcS-exUIKaiyBdgZ8nit2nzBytDkACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h127/cannons.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This change wouldn't just be about sitting on Scyk Swarms as much as a quality of life change that would encourage players to bring cannons more often on all those ships that have unused cannon slots. Some ships may need a base points adjustment where the design intention is they use a cannon, eg. the base TIE/rb Heavy cost could come down to the keep the TIE & Cannon cost where it is.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">SUMMARY</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Variance good. Uncertainty good. Excitement good. Oliver Pocknell good. Scyks... too good.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Let's see if my finger snap works or not. As much as I love playing generic swarms there's a hell of a lot of pilots that have been effectively erased from existance right now and I'd like to see them back on the table.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4GEFFCb5HE/X60r34z6hnI/AAAAAAAAGDU/VNZ-G2iRjLw0SYqfwEuFQAmoIoG-UYBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/avengers-assemble.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4GEFFCb5HE/X60r34z6hnI/AAAAAAAAGDU/VNZ-G2iRjLw0SYqfwEuFQAmoIoG-UYBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/avengers-assemble.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-51456356352289107952020-11-07T16:38:00.008-08:002020-11-07T16:55:12.512-08:00Variance, Oliver Pocknell, Niels Vos, Scyks and Pack Rats<p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;">juxtaposition</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">noun: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.</span></i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">eg. "the juxtaposition of these two images"</span></i></p></blockquote><p> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Exhibit A)</span></b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1s2M6jx6mk/X6ccEQtwA5I/AAAAAAAAF_M/-DaJgBuTNXYgzeojkO7wUwt40VHmroYCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1838/Final1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1838" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1s2M6jx6mk/X6ccEQtwA5I/AAAAAAAAF_M/-DaJgBuTNXYgzeojkO7wUwt40VHmroYCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h280/Final1.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Exhibit B)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHx5ph2ySwc/X6ccD2As5LI/AAAAAAAAF_I/se1my-ggUXcQMj6sCbg19ZQrKd8oRHhgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s736/Oli.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="558" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHx5ph2ySwc/X6ccD2As5LI/AAAAAAAAF_I/se1my-ggUXcQMj6sCbg19ZQrKd8oRHhgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w304-h400/Oli.gif" width="304" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What's going on in these two pictures?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first picture is a screengrab from the final game of the Mustafar Hyperspace Galactic Championship Qualifier (from the last weekend of October), and in the chat box on the right you can see how much the audience watching the game have been enjoying it. I was actually watching the match live right along with everyone else who is participating in that chat and I can attest to just what a fantastically exciting match it was. It featured Niels Vos playing the same Fangs & Scyks list that Akhter Khan succeeded with during lockdown earlier this year (and which <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/02/dr-sloanelove-how-i-learned-to-stop.html">I had played at the Milton Keynes System Open</a> in February) and he was up against Ben Doyle's Boba/Fenn list. It was a great game that saw Niels take an early lead by pummelling fire into Boba Fett and landing a Structural Damage critical hit, only for several turns of bad dice variance to rip victory away from him and hand it to Ben after he'd managed to protect Boba while Fenn deleted a couple of Scyks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1Gbay6DTPo/X6crfUc567I/AAAAAAAAGAA/AMtiDEoHa9oQeTDddJG3ZqSEb4Y82CnjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s562/1m90sx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1Gbay6DTPo/X6crfUc567I/AAAAAAAAGAA/AMtiDEoHa9oQeTDddJG3ZqSEb4Y82CnjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1m90sx.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The second picture is a screengrab of what reigning World Champion Oliver Pocknell posted to Facebook just a few hours after the Swiss rounds of the Mustafar Qualifier had ended. Ending the tournament with a 3-3 record was the final straw that broke the camel's back and we saw the frustration that I know Oli has been struggling with for a while come bubbling out. Oli has long been concerned at how cheap and effective some of the generic pilots are and has watched the repeated points drops they've received with growing concern. Generic pilots tend to bring few abilities that would reduce the impact of dice variance, often taking a single focus token to cover both red and green dice with no rerolls or linked actions. To quote from his Facebook post: "What is great for the casual player (variance making everything a large unknown going into each engagement) makes the competitive game incredibly difficult to play consistently".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yet... that very variance is why the final game of Mustafar was so exciting. The game swung back and forth over the turns and every time players picked up their dice the whole audience watching were on the edge of their seats. There was one turn in particular where Fenn Rau destroyed a Scyk in one shot then rolled precisely the natural Evades he needed to see off both a Tractor Beam and Ion Cannon attack from two Scyks that would have ruined him. The crowd elated and groaned in equal measure at the fortunes of the dice...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNbwAau1qEk/X6chO54hURI/AAAAAAAAF_o/6ARzlNMxX9kByOyBKCd4H1CjuNu0fGw_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1822/Final2.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1822" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNbwAau1qEk/X6chO54hURI/AAAAAAAAF_o/6ARzlNMxX9kByOyBKCd4H1CjuNu0fGw_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h278/Final2.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was unashamedly rooting for the Scyks - it was my list after all, and one of the two games that I'd lost at Milton Keynes had been to almost exactly this Boba/Fenn squad and saw me get almost exactly the same sustained run of extreme variance.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Beginning</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I reached out to Niels Vos and we talked about several things: list choice, variance, and even Oli's Facebook post came up. Interestingly, even though I'd approached Niels because he'd suffered such a bad run of variance the first thing he told me was that variance hadn't cost him the match!</div><div><i></i><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>"If you watch that match there's one turn where I make a sequence error and that cost me the game. I moved a Cartel Spacer before my Fang and then bumped the Fang. If I hadn't bumped then that Fang would have Focused and Boosted and had a range 1 shot on Fenn Rau. So I don't blame variance for the loss - yes I was unlucky on dice, but I was also really lucky when Boba Fett pulled the Structural Damage critical hit because he hates to see that. It's probably the worst crit Boba can have. Variance always balances out. In an earlier round I won a game by one-shotting an ARC with four natural hits into a blank green dice so when Fenn one-shotted my Scyk that was just balancing what I'd already benefited from earlier."</i></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This echoed my own experience at Milton Keynes - I had a bad day of variance on the Saturday then it flipped on Sunday and a following wind of good fortune swept me to an unbeaten record, top MOV and a ticket to the World Championships that never were. It's not easy to maintain that longer view of variance when you see those blank green dice staring up at you, though, so all credit to Niels for that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it turns out Niels is comfortable taking his chances with variance, and as conversation moved on to talking about Oliver Pocknell's post, it turned out that Niels was the perfect person to be talking to once again!</div><div><i></i><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Last year I was playing Torkil Swarm - you know Torkil with Seevor and the three Kihraxz - and I liked that list because I always felt like I was the strongest jouster in the metagame at the time. I could joust anything head on with that list. I played it at Worlds last year and I won Belgian nationals with it as well."</i></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeRy7Ks89xk/X6cqShICmrI/AAAAAAAAF_4/7834AVlmxuAj5kp4rW5X8j9xLmOncOLswCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swx_brown101_preview%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeRy7Ks89xk/X6cqShICmrI/AAAAAAAAF_4/7834AVlmxuAj5kp4rW5X8j9xLmOncOLswCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/swx_brown101_preview%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div></div><div><i></i><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>"I actually played against Oli at Worlds. He was flying his Imperial Aces while I was playing the Torkil Swarm and I actually won that match. I really enjoy those type of games against aces, to be honest. They're trying to get the perfect engagement with range control and escape, just chipping away at my ships and I'm trying to ensure that I get the chance I need to trap his ships and get shots on them. I think they're interesting games, and yes I don't get many shots in the game and I need variance to help me make them count but I'm having to play well to get those shots and those chances. And I'm not sure the generic lists are 'high variance' anyway - you roll lots and lots of dice over a game and the more dice you roll the more likely it is that the results are going to average out. It's a different way of looking at variance."</i></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">And it's exciting, right? </p><p><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Oh definitely. I've been practising for Coruscant with some friends - I'm going to fly the same Scyks and Fangs squad at Coruscant and we were playing some games against 5 A-Wings to practice and in those games you're just throwing dice all the time. Like you're throwing 50, 60, 70 dice over the course of a match and I love games like that. When you throw that many dice you're going to have some good luck and some bad luck but it's going to be a great game."</i></blockquote><p></p></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So is Oli just wrong to have said what he did?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"No, I understand Oli's frustration and I see what he is saying. I think there's a few ships that are too cheap now, like the Wookiees are too cheap, probably the TIE/fo and the Cartel Spacer are a bit too cheap and those ships are really good against the way he wants to play. I think overall the game is in a good state, though, like aces can still win. And I prefer this to what we had in 1st Edition when the dice were almost pointless as everyone had all the modifications they needed to just make the dice whatever they wanted. I feel like, you know, X-Wing has dice, right? It's a dice game and that's a big part of the game we're playing that we don't know for sure what's going to happen."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"I think you saw some frustration from Oli that he's tried a few times to qualify for Coruscant and missed out each time. I actually like the Dash/Wedge/Jake list that he played at a couple of qualifiers, it's a good list, but I think at Mustafar that B-Wing and Y-Wing squad he used is probably just not a very good squad. I think Wookiees are too cheap but my squad would love to play against them and Oli's list just looked a lot like a bad Wookies list. </i><i>And there are players who've been successful consistently, like Faan did and Akhter did, there's good players doing well in these events. I think if Oli had stuck to his aces he probably would have qualified for Coruscant because aces are still really good. We tried it just taking Whisper out of his World Champion squad to use Echo instead and once you learn how to fly Echo... that list is still really good. "</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So there you go, I didn't know it going in but it turns out Niels Vos and I are twins separated at birth and I doubt I could have said any of that better than he did. I know why I'm playing Scyks for example - it's because I think they're too cheap and are really good!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Middle</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's one other thing that I want to pick up out Oli's Facebook post and talk about it some more. It's in the quote that I've already repeated, but let's look at it again: "What is great for the casual player (variance making everything a large unknown going into each engagement) makes the competitive game incredibly difficult to play consistently".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But is it just the casual player who benefits? Certainly Niels Vos isn't a casual player, he's a national champion and made it into the cut at the last World Championships. Faan Langelaan and Ahkter Khan aren't casual players either and both stacked up repeated success with squads of generic pilots and Focus tokens. I don't have any of the major titles to my name that those guys have but I'm not a casual player either, I'd like to think I'm a student of the game and I make my decisions based on a pretty good understanding of how the game works and where I will give myself the best advantages. I didn't invent the squad that Akhter and Niels have used to such success because I wanted to flip coins to see who won, I invented that squad because <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2019/12/rule-32-enjoy-little-things.html">I'd done a lot of maths</a> and worked out that the squad was likely to give me a significant advantage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it for casuals, or is it also for good players who just happen to have a different skill set? Maybe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5nBhgMOwXc/X6cvS1zMpFI/AAAAAAAAGAM/uLqMmhysSYgeeuqKoR-Q6Zks7DlkgVthQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2762%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5nBhgMOwXc/X6cvS1zMpFI/AAAAAAAAGAM/uLqMmhysSYgeeuqKoR-Q6Zks7DlkgVthQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/IMG_2762%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And as Niels said, is it really a higher variance strategy anyway? Rolling lots of dice is, in itself, a form of controlling variance. It's not what we've been used to as 1st Edition was all about powerful Evade tokens and passive dice mods like Expertise and Glitterstim, but spreading your bets across so many more ships and shots is a valid way to mitigate risk. One bad roll of green dice can end Soontir, Fenn or Vonreg's day real quick but one bad roll of the dice with a Cartel Spacer and... so what? I've got 5 more ships left and the game is very much still on. As we saw in the final of Mustafar it often takes repeated bad variance turns to overwhelm the sheer natural efficiency of the Scyks and Fangs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally. If there IS more variance as a result of generics being good now. And if there IS more casual players beating good players. Is that actually a bad thing?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vt9oYCN2l-E/X6cweB22HSI/AAAAAAAAGAU/WHgNq6wj0WMV3dbC8ngEq1f_zdiYShINQCLcBGAsYHQ/s648/Oli2.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="457" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vt9oYCN2l-E/X6cweB22HSI/AAAAAAAAGAU/WHgNq6wj0WMV3dbC8ngEq1f_zdiYShINQCLcBGAsYHQ/w283-h400/Oli2.gif" width="283" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I poked Oli about this assumption in reply to his Facebook post, and his reply was that there were some players who were so good that he would expect them to be going 5-1 every time they play. There has to be something wrong with the game if this isn't happening.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oli also went onto the <a href="https://thulesquadronradio.podbean.com/e/episode-71-abusive-power/">Thule Squadron Radio</a> podcast last week (which is a particularly interesting listen as they were recording when the Nantex points were changed and you hear them take in the breaking news) and he said that currently he feels like he's only winning 70% of games because of player skill and in the past it was more like 85% of games.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And that makes me uneasy for a couple of reasons. In the first instance I'm not sure about the assumption that a couple of players are so far and away better at X-Wing than anybody else that it means the game is broken if more than one person beats them in a 24 hour period. It <i>might</i> be true and I've not got direct experience of any of these players to say if that's right or wrong. But it makes me raise an eyebrow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZRlelhA6YE/X6cyNSI9iXI/AAAAAAAAGAg/ZN9Xde0yTpEFT-6z2f7pbaApbhE2b1Z5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s264/Tom-Hanks-orly.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZRlelhA6YE/X6cyNSI9iXI/AAAAAAAAGAg/ZN9Xde0yTpEFT-6z2f7pbaApbhE2b1Z5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Tom-Hanks-orly.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And in the second instance, let's say that is true and that until now skill has been the sole determining factor in 85% of games and now it's only 70% (to use the numbers that I'm sure Oli wouldn't want to see set in stone as he was just shooting from the hip in a podcast, so apologies to him that I'm nailing them down like this). If this IS true... I think skill being 85% of the game and players being all but guaranteed to go 5-1 is a problem and it's bad for the game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because while that works out great for the guys at the tip of the iceberg who get to win time and time again it sucks for everyone else. Who wants to play a game where you know you can't win? Looping back to where we came in you can see just how exciting variance and uncertainty is, but it's more than just exciting it's egalitarian too. It spreads the wealth of prizes further and wider than it might otherwise get spread. More people get to experience what it's like to win. Better yet they get to experience what it's like to beat somebody like a World Champion (and be absolutely buzzing from doing so). It makes for a healthier game - one that's both a better spectacle to the observer and also more rewarding for more players.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5pifljFSCU/X6c5TnWE9mI/AAAAAAAAGBI/k44UEkKdJ3wm-pWmc4uw-nJwirhHFMmuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s244/tenor%2B%25283%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="244" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5pifljFSCU/X6c5TnWE9mI/AAAAAAAAGBI/k44UEkKdJ3wm-pWmc4uw-nJwirhHFMmuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h202/tenor%2B%25283%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Variance is often talked about like it's a one-way street where More Variance = Bad and Less Variance = Good, but I think most game designers you talk to would say that actually there's a sweet spot you want to hit with this. You want to reward skill but you want to allow upsets to happy relatively often because it keeps more people more engaged with the game over a longer period of time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kwl8N-VESrU/X6c4rsNFh0I/AAAAAAAAGBA/RAaNm5Yh2hwTn-sHAenO15qQ3x9Gc2Y7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault%2B%25286%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kwl8N-VESrU/X6c4rsNFh0I/AAAAAAAAGBA/RAaNm5Yh2hwTn-sHAenO15qQ3x9Gc2Y7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/maxresdefault%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And games have died and gone away when they got that mix of variance wrong. The original VS System card game was launched to huge fanfare and an ambitious competitive scene with huge prizes off the back of marketing itself to professional Magic: The Gathering players as 'Magic without the luck'. VS System won several Game of the Year awards for its design... and then it died after only a couple of years because it turned out they'd made a game where the person with the best Maths degree pretty much always won. So everybody else stopped playing. (VS System has since returned as a Living Card Game though I don't know if they changed the gameplay to increase variance).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZno70WdMVQ/X6c28ln2MLI/AAAAAAAAGAw/dgaGO2DtSQwBiOAl_MZBicjD21jl1gSUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s708/302821812224-0.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZno70WdMVQ/X6c28ln2MLI/AAAAAAAAGAw/dgaGO2DtSQwBiOAl_MZBicjD21jl1gSUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/302821812224-0.jpg" /></a></div>And Magic itself has a storied history with variance. The dreaded 'Mana Screw' (variance being so poor you simply cannot play your cards at all) is often cited as bad game design, a legacy of Magic being such an old game before people knew how to make games properly. And yet when Wizards of the Coast launched <a href="https://mtg.gamepedia.com/The_Great_Designer_Search">a reality-TV style 'Designer Challenge'</a> with the prize of a job designing Magic cards one of the initial qualification questions was "Explain three positive ways Mana Screw affects Magic" because WotC understand that variance is important and that uncertainty is exciting. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On another occasion, during design for the Return to Ravnica expansion, their playtesting revealed that the set was incredibly well designed for Limited play... too well designed in fact, because the best players always won. WotC deliberately designed a broken card (Pack Rats) and inserted it into the set as a way of curbing the guarantee that the best players would walk to victory every time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">The End</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I don't know if skill used to be 85% of X-Wing and now it's only 70%. But if it WAS 85% then I'm glad it's now only 70%, which feels like it's still making skill an important factor but leaving the door open to exciting upsets, or to players like Niels whose skill in X-Wing comes from being able to adjust and adapt when uncertain outcomes go against them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Personally, I've got a feeling that a lot of Oli's struggles in these qualifiers stem from him picking bad squads and trying to swim against the flow of what's good right now. Flexible points costs for ships mean the game can change direction more dramatically in Second Edition than we're used to and I think players are being rewarded if they can bend with those changing winds of fortune. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I prefer to look forwards not back. Our reigning World Champion may not be playing at Coruscant but a lot of great players will be, and I'm sure we're going to see some incredibly exciting games where it's hard to call who is going to win. And that's going to be great.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBSv03fpCi8/X6c7SLsNiUI/AAAAAAAAGBQ/qPCURXQyh-wxCESJkXXSUOI7xr8yRU9PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swx58_preview4%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBSv03fpCi8/X6c7SLsNiUI/AAAAAAAAGBQ/qPCURXQyh-wxCESJkXXSUOI7xr8yRU9PwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/swx58_preview4%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'll be rooting for the Scyks. ;-)</div></div>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-58643638545764563662020-11-01T15:22:00.001-08:002020-11-01T15:30:01.574-08:00Starbird Slashing & You: The Value of Strain<p style="text-align: right;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2020/9/23/fight-to-the-finish/">Heralds of Hope</a> is here and when the points were revealed last week one of the things that got the strongest immediate responses was that Starbird Slash was only 1pt.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Hpq-rFWHbQ/X588EXm07GI/AAAAAAAAF90/0Y5YoAkxVY036xGuU0qE-oQciPhD-3CNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/swz68_a1_art2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="700" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Hpq-rFWHbQ/X588EXm07GI/AAAAAAAAF90/0Y5YoAkxVY036xGuU0qE-oQciPhD-3CNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h318/swz68_a1_art2.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Already one of the cards that players were looking forward to just from the thematic point of view of performing Maverick-style flypasts of opponents ships it seemed like players were really expecting Starbird Slash to cost more as the ability to give Strain tokens was something they really valued.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd actually been hoping that Starbird Slash was going to cost so little because I wasn't prepared to pay 2pts for what I thought was an effect that was both hard to pull off, and of limited value when you landed it anyway.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In this blog I'm going to explain a little bit why I think that - we'll look at Starbird Slash in a bit more detail and also the value of a Strain token in general.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Awkwardness of Starbird Slash</span></b></p><p>First let's look at Starbird Slash, which wants you to fly through an opponent's ship (overlap it with your maneuver template), in order to give the enemy a Strain token.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSHAUSxl5UM/X588type8NI/AAAAAAAAF-E/SH46srbQSX0Eh9FaiSU4WPJmDVHcS01HACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Starbird_Slash.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="418" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSHAUSxl5UM/X588type8NI/AAAAAAAAF-E/SH46srbQSX0Eh9FaiSU4WPJmDVHcS01HACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/Starbird_Slash.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Landing the Strain token onto the enemy you want to fire at is less straightforward than it may seem and there's different hoops for you to jump through depending on whether your ship is moving before or after the opponent's ship.<br /><br /></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1php-0b7cnk/X589EJAhncI/AAAAAAAAF-Q/u989yb_9UsgoAiBDqAzJpn4QIqtKZtIZACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Merl_cobben.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1php-0b7cnk/X589EJAhncI/AAAAAAAAF-Q/u989yb_9UsgoAiBDqAzJpn4QIqtKZtIZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Merl_cobben.png" /></a></b></div><b>Starbird Moving First</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The opponent may perform a blue maneuver and clear the Strain before you attack </li><li>The opponent may move out of firing arcs after you gave them Strain</li><li>If they don't move out of firing arcs they're likely to move a range band further away and reduce the value of the Strain token anyway</li><li>In the ultimate worst case (eg. vs Boba Fett) you could find yourself strained by landing in his rear arc then have him do a blue maneuver and clear his stress so your Starbird Slash was actually hurting you and not affecting the opponent at all!</li></ul><p></p><p>Positives - you know where their ship is and can be sure of hitting it with your Slash maneuver.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Starbird Moving Last</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You have to predict where the opponent's ship will be in order to fly through it</li><li>In a dogfight the natural flow of ships turning around means opponents are more likely to have moved behind you or to places you can't reach with your Slash maneuver</li><li>Opponents can deliberately set dials or reposition to avoid (or block) obvious Slash maneuvers</li></ul><p></p><p>Positives - if you land the Slash maneuver successfully the opponent cannot avoid the Strain affecting them.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiMtXQqe3pY/X589uXY3x9I/AAAAAAAAF-c/Se5yGTAqdroszOzeOXgWJnLRyxaRHzcdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Seftin_vanik.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiMtXQqe3pY/X589uXY3x9I/AAAAAAAAF-c/Se5yGTAqdroszOzeOXgWJnLRyxaRHzcdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Seftin_vanik.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not sure yet which of these two situations I prefer and I wouldn't want to underplay just how awkward either one can be. For high initiative ships with Starbird Slash I can foresee that a lot of the time that enemy ships are close enough for you to Slash them they might also be close enough to k-turn in behind you. with low initiative pilots I think you'll find it easier to land the Slash but derive much less value from the Strain tokens you hand out - not least because half of them are going to be given right back to you when the opponent performs a blue maneuver!</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thinking a bit further... I suspect there's elements of different range control to these two options as well. If you're moving your Starbird before the opponent's ship you want to engage them in pretty close (R1 ideally) so you can overshoot them safely next turn. However if you're moving your Starbird after the opponent's ships you probably want a R2-3 engagement that would mean they're closer to you after their next move so they're easier to overshoot, and which also means less likely to be able to k-turn past you as your ship will be in the way.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Value of Strain</span></b></p><p>In general terms, I think players tend to overvalue how bad a Strain token is. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-ENBZU2FAY/X586KulD1vI/AAAAAAAAF9I/vTlslyEqHMIWrfhhIIhapwHsBRO7iZejACLcBGAsYHQ/s498/tenor%2B%25282%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-ENBZU2FAY/X586KulD1vI/AAAAAAAAF9I/vTlslyEqHMIWrfhhIIhapwHsBRO7iZejACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/tenor%2B%25282%2529.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In the way I see players respond to things that hand out Strain tokens I feel like they're mentally assuming that a Strain token is roughly equivalent to 1 damage being suffered, or at least close to it. However, as I found <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/03/generic-efficiency-revisited-new-points.html">when I first mathed out how good the First Order Provocateurs were</a>, it turns out that the average value of a Strain token is a lot less and you don't need to be so scared of them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><b>On average a Strain token is just 0.3 damage.</b></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The actual expected damage value of a Strain token depends entirely on what number of dice are being thrown (red and green) and how many dice mods are available. The table below has a pretty detailed breakdown of what you can expect, but there's a useful shorthand to remember... t<b>he better both ship's dice modification is, the better a Strain token is.</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mt1ON858F4/X586oPX69rI/AAAAAAAAF9Q/q2JXSlbcklUTIUxPXuQZxwNYGrio2IU5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Strain%2BMath.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="700" height="386" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mt1ON858F4/X586oPX69rI/AAAAAAAAF9Q/q2JXSlbcklUTIUxPXuQZxwNYGrio2IU5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h386/Strain%2BMath.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">If the green dice are well modified then there's more chance that the dice the opponent didn't get to roll (because of Strain) would have ended up as an Evade. At the same time if the red dice are well modified there's less chance of one of them being a blank that the opponent didn't need an Evade for anyway so he dodged the damage even with one less green dice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Throw unmodded red dice at unmodded green dice and a Strain is only ~0.2 damage on average. Throw focused red dice at focused green dice and a Strain is worth more like ~0.5 damage ... a lot better than 0.2 but still less than I think most players assume when they cower in fear from the sight of those Strain tokens.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bnqjx5qN2Nc/X587pNxYb0I/AAAAAAAAF9k/WkZFShjBTpIkWz7l2mpNLmqhiHhl3nrSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/strains.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bnqjx5qN2Nc/X587pNxYb0I/AAAAAAAAF9k/WkZFShjBTpIkWz7l2mpNLmqhiHhl3nrSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h180/strains.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><i>ASIDE: this is why I'm a fan of Seventh Fleet Gunner on a LAAT Gunship instead of Clone Commander Cody. Cody hands out a Strain when the opponent cancelled a hit result from the LAAT's attack so you know there was already a chance for the opponent to have spent Focus on the LAAT's attack. If they did spend focus then it's reduced the value of Strain taking a green dice off them in the next attack. Seventh Fleet Gunner adds a red dice to the attacking ship, which we know we have great dice mods for as Fire Convergence will be online to help reroll those dice. </i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>It's often the difference between Seventh Fleet Gunner adding a red dice which has a 7-in-8 chance of being hit vs removing a green dice with Strain that only had a 3-in-8 chance of being an Evade. Seventh Fleet Gunner costs a lot more than Cody but it delivers a lot more benefit too (and being able to use the gunner on high Initiative attacks and get PS-kills is extra gravy).</i></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8LeSRkY9tU/X5877ZvOHbI/AAAAAAAAF9s/h4ib-VNHUlM3Y7RteuasCiaUWbMDxu7xACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz33_cody-upgrade.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8LeSRkY9tU/X5877ZvOHbI/AAAAAAAAF9s/h4ib-VNHUlM3Y7RteuasCiaUWbMDxu7xACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h144/Swz33_cody-upgrade.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZARiUjWwqc/X5877XFC-uI/AAAAAAAAF9w/DAjwG2XJHOckfaiBT3Kn0he4B5PmNocdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz33_7th-fleet-upgrade.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZARiUjWwqc/X5877XFC-uI/AAAAAAAAF9w/DAjwG2XJHOckfaiBT3Kn0he4B5PmNocdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h144/Swz33_7th-fleet-upgrade.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But enough about Seventh Fleet Gunner, let's talk specifically about Starbird Slash. You're going to see Slash on A-Wings, and mainly on RZ-2 A-Wings who can capitalise on the overshoot with their rear arc. I've mathed for Focus in that table able, but lets add Heroic and Advanced Optics and assume that we're using Starbird Slash to try and crack the A-Wing's nemesis - a 3 Agility ship with a Focus token. This is the sort of target that A-Wing players are really hoping Starbird Slash will kick in against as they struggle to deal damage currently.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZDZIRepKds/X587HYzGtxI/AAAAAAAAF9Y/T0o0JTVJfS0TkarpBpaoIFZB3-CHdW2lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s688/Slash%2Bmath.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="688" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZDZIRepKds/X587HYzGtxI/AAAAAAAAF9Y/T0o0JTVJfS0TkarpBpaoIFZB3-CHdW2lgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h153/Slash%2Bmath.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">It turns out that being able to get a Range 1 shot with a 3rd red dice is hugely important for Slash - you get +0.5 damage from Starbird Slash at R1 but only +0.3 damage at R2. This is because when you're only throwing 2 red dice the opponent still has a pretty good chance of dodging it with 2 focused green dice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And this reinforces the importance of whether your ship is moving before or after the opponent, which I talked about earlier. If the enemy ship moves after you it's got a really good chance of at least moving into Range 2 when it does so, and that alone takes 40% of the value from Starbird Slash away even if they don't perform a blue maneuver and take away 100% of the value by giving you the Strain token back!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">So, Do I Like Slash?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I do. Because it's cheap and it's good against what A-Wings were struggling with anyway (ships with good green dice that 2 highly modified red dice tended to bounce off too often).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9FTp3oX4xQ/X59Bvv5C8WI/AAAAAAAAF-s/T2f7YjR3jHQ_NkIPfqvs0pO4y45vVNjbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/a-wing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="640" height="224" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9FTp3oX4xQ/X59Bvv5C8WI/AAAAAAAAF-s/T2f7YjR3jHQ_NkIPfqvs0pO4y45vVNjbwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h224/a-wing.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But I still don't love it. I don't think it's going to do enough to switch those hard matchups into easy matchups so I still expect that a single-issue squad like 5A (five A-Wings) is going to hit a lot of problems that Slash won't solve single-handedly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd probably put it onto RZ2 A-Wings before Heroic. I probably wouldn't put it onto Rebel A-Wings. Like Heroic I'd be happy when Starbird Slash does something but not go out of my way to force it to happen... because it's just 1pt invested. And it's not worth 2pts. Which is where we came in, so the circle is now complete.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125465266690212526.post-46959208235560364052020-10-07T07:54:00.008-07:002020-10-07T08:03:00.024-07:00DO I WANT... a HMP Droid Gunship expansion pack?<p style="text-align: justify;">I've already looked at the <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/09/do-i-want-xi-class-shuttle-expansion.html">Xi Shuttle</a> and <a href="https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/10/do-i-want-laati-gunship-expansion-pack.html">LAAT Gunship</a> from Wave 7 and now it's the turn of the HMP Gunship that's joining the Separatist arsenal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGvlJ2FZCeo/X33Mbhl8YxI/AAAAAAAAF5Y/OOPnB6t-7tIyecZ2tyrp6VtXW0ZZbPohACLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swz69-71_preview1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGvlJ2FZCeo/X33Mbhl8YxI/AAAAAAAAF5Y/OOPnB6t-7tIyecZ2tyrp6VtXW0ZZbPohACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/swz69-71_preview1.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It's not a ship that I know very well but that seems to be 100% because I haven't watched the Clone Wars cartoon series yet, and a lot of players have been looking forward to adding the iconic HMP to their squads.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But is the HMP any good? Do you want to buy one?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">PILOTS</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I looked at the Xi Shuttle and the LAAT Gunship expansions I started by trying to benchmark the basic cost of the chassis against some existing ships. For the HMP gunship that approach is a bit less useful than it usually is because the ship is so unusual it doesn't have anything else that's a particularly great comparison.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Let's have a look at what it does compare to, but I don't want to spend too much time on it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qlXxVzVQvA/X33M0UQT7dI/AAAAAAAAF5k/D_ZY9R73eMoyyHQylWjqUrnyb08RT5IJACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Baktoid_drone.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qlXxVzVQvA/X33M0UQT7dI/AAAAAAAAF5k/D_ZY9R73eMoyyHQylWjqUrnyb08RT5IJACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Baktoid_drone.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zxEC-gzKXOs/X33M0dMNTlI/AAAAAAAAF5g/jR-7FLVTitMMVzRuA7zdmDCyfDUVETQ-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Swz45_logistics-pilot%2B%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zxEC-gzKXOs/X33M0dMNTlI/AAAAAAAAF5g/jR-7FLVTitMMVzRuA7zdmDCyfDUVETQ-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Swz45_logistics-pilot%2B%25281%2529.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The HMP's 2/1/5/3 statline is identical to a Resistance Transport (32pts for a Logistics Division Pilot) and it's also very similar to the Y-Wing's 2/1/6/2 statline (30pts for a Gray Squadron Bomber or Crymorah Goon). At 34pts for a basic <b>Baktoid Drone</b> the HMP Gunship is a little bit more than the obvious comparison ships, plus it's not like people were flying around with swarms of naked Logistic Pilots anyway so the HMP Gunship seems more expensive than stuff players already don't like.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, the HMP Gunship has lots of built in advantages like a 180 degree firing arc and a ship ability in Networked Aim that's almost like bringing your own Fire Control System. So we could take a basic Y-Wing and spend 2pts for a Dorsal Turret to get a 180 degree firing arc, and spend another 2pts on a Fire Control System (if we pretend there's a System slot on the Y-Wing) and you come out at the 34pts of the Baktoid Drone.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TA6kJ_ocFuM/X33N8Gv936I/AAAAAAAAF50/RgOcZyjR1e40Tv06nki8ycQmWfBW4-tLACLcBGAsYHQ/s575/fighting-knife.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="575" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TA6kJ_ocFuM/X33N8Gv936I/AAAAAAAAF50/RgOcZyjR1e40Tv06nki8ycQmWfBW4-tLACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h290/fighting-knife.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hol up</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">So the basic 34pts kind of makes sense. It feels like a lot but, similar to with the LAAT's expensive reroll ability, there's built-in advantages that you're having to pay for which justify it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIN50g5RFnI/X33ObPKx1MI/AAAAAAAAF58/NedZ7xZFmNcIaglU76Fd1Yi-QeRgIiGywCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Rs_active.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIN50g5RFnI/X33ObPKx1MI/AAAAAAAAF58/NedZ7xZFmNcIaglU76Fd1Yi-QeRgIiGywCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rs_active.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But you're never going to fly a HMP naked so it's all basically irrelevant. You're pretty much guaranteed to add the Repulsorlift Stabilisers to every single HMP Gunship you play with and that's where the magic happens. For +3pts the Repulsorlift Stabilisers add incredible value in changing how the HMP moves around the table and make the HMP Gunship a much harder ship to pursue and predict how it's going to move (there's more on this in the Upgrades section below). But you're still only flinging 2 red dice, and the Separatists can buy a Vulture Droid for 20pts so you're almost certainly going to want to buff the HMP Gunships offense with some secondary weapons.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Hyena Bomber set a standard for every pilot having different upgrade slots and while the HMP Gunship doesn't go to that extreme there is one pilot that is different to the others which is worth pulling out separately. Most of the HMP pilots bring a Crew slot and a Device slot but the <b>Geonosian Prototype</b> eschews that slots in favour of two Cannon slots. Now this might be a cynical exercise on FFG's part in justifying putting a cannon upgrade into the pack so players will have to buy it but it's also made the Geonosian Prototype probably the best of the HMP Gunship pilots.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A Geonosian Prototype (35pts) with those Repulsorlift Stabilisers and the new Synced Laser Cannons comes in at a smooth 44pts and now we can compare that to a different group of ships.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fgwkGDo4two/X33OzqC3B-I/AAAAAAAAF6E/i_VPoGj3eDILkPMtTNmezASAH6wP4pJVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/B-Wing_Blue.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fgwkGDo4two/X33OzqC3B-I/AAAAAAAAF6E/i_VPoGj3eDILkPMtTNmezASAH6wP4pJVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/B-Wing_Blue.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOqhicDlE8c/X33OzgIiI2I/AAAAAAAAF6I/ADGYBIoKc-oeW90lGWsyYgdCv9vUydIpACLcBGAsYHQ/s418/Geonosian_prototype.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOqhicDlE8c/X33OzgIiI2I/AAAAAAAAF6I/ADGYBIoKc-oeW90lGWsyYgdCv9vUydIpACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Geonosian_prototype.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">You're now in B-Wing with Fire Control System (44pts) territory but with the HMP Gunship being able strafe unpredictably and having a 180 degree firing arc (even if it's only 2 red dice outside of the main front arc it's more than a B-Wing gets). Or alternatively you're in Auzituck Gunship (42pts) space with that 180 degree arc, but with the benefits of the Networked Aim and Repulsorlist movement to offset that the Auzituck is 3 red dice on all it's 180 degrees. Neither of the comparisons are perfect - you don't get a 4th red dice at Range 1 with Synced Laser Cannons, but you are better at Range 3 if they don't get to roll an extra green dice - but I think you can see that the Geonosian Prototype sits pretty comfortably in that type of company even before you start to factor in the extra value of your unique strafing ability. It's probably a good job that they're a ship you're only allowed 2 copies of because I can imagine a squad of 4 of these things would work really well - toss in some Shield Upgrades and bombs and you'd be good to go.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCjawo9mofA/X33PwdEREGI/AAAAAAAAF6Y/d8uLQJZYWmohF_CnFN0DRFh9MpsRbob1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/swz71_preview1_medium.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="590" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCjawo9mofA/X33PwdEREGI/AAAAAAAAF6Y/d8uLQJZYWmohF_CnFN0DRFh9MpsRbob1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h272/swz71_preview1_medium.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So I like the Geonosian Prototype a lot but that's because it gets a cannon. None of the other HMP Gunships get a cannon slot so are they any good? Well I think it immediately becomes more problematic because if you're using missiles instead of cannons then you're straying right into 'why I don't just play a Hyena Bomber and save 12pts' territory. Networked Aim is less useful than the Hyena's and Vulture's Networked Calculations for borrowing in focus modification on weapons when you need a target lock to fire them. The other HMP Gunships can use the new Multi-Missile Pods but currently they're way overcosted - compared to adding Synced Laser Cannons to a Geonosian Prototype you're paying more points to gain a lot less (no Range 3 attacks, draining two charges to roll 3 red dice in front arc).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--a07grGDV8U/X33Qt1cXljI/AAAAAAAAF6g/HsbaxMiss_sRsYhOKrM-yxo252t-s_VzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_card_predator.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--a07grGDV8U/X33Qt1cXljI/AAAAAAAAF6g/HsbaxMiss_sRsYhOKrM-yxo252t-s_VzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_card_predator.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tp7ileN1Xj4/X33QtxkGvrI/AAAAAAAAF6k/3Sy7X3NbWNUIS-EiZLgePRp8AOUSSQnTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_card_dgs047.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tp7ileN1Xj4/X33QtxkGvrI/AAAAAAAAF6k/3Sy7X3NbWNUIS-EiZLgePRp8AOUSSQnTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_card_dgs047.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Most of the HMP Gunship pilots don't actually make for good gunships, unfortunately. That goes for the <b>Baktoid Drone</b>, the <b>Separatist Predator</b>, the <b>Onderon Oppressor</b>, <b>DGS-047</b> and <b>DGS-286</b> - there's a fundamental problem because you're squeezed between the high cost of Multi-Missile Pods and the sheer bargain efficiency the Hyena Bomber for doing much of the same thing if you're bringing missiles instead. Thinking longer term I'd say the Baktoid Drone and DGS-047 are a nice and cheap basic chassis so down the line I think they'll do fine at some point. I like the Onderon Oppressor's ability as it really opens up WAY more lateral movement and it could well be worth it, though +6pts on a Baktoid Drone seems a massive hike. DGS-286 is +8pts on the Baktoid Drone and I can't see it justifying that expense when it's basically a reverse of DFS-311 which only costs a few points more than a basic Vulture.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-EKLcyYRuM/X33RDuvQDrI/AAAAAAAAF60/fcofnvLiY-gnwGNA9SMTvdprAe275sc4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_card_dgs286.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-EKLcyYRuM/X33RDuvQDrI/AAAAAAAAF60/fcofnvLiY-gnwGNA9SMTvdprAe275sc4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_card_dgs286.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GlM6LwL7JIs/X33RDpfQzfI/AAAAAAAAF6w/_iH4cFy7Ctk3TIIe310JSq91YxIddoAdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_card_oppressor.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GlM6LwL7JIs/X33RDpfQzfI/AAAAAAAAF6w/_iH4cFy7Ctk3TIIe310JSq91YxIddoAdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_card_oppressor.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But if the HMP Gunship isn't actually a great <i>gunship</i> I think it does have another role it CAN play very well. The Repulsorlifts are good at keeping it out of trouble in a fight and it has a Tactical Relay slot and a Crew slot, so I think the cheaper Gunship pilots make a good platform for a support ship and it's probably one of the cheapest ways to get a Tactical Relay onto the table (and keep it there) or be a shuttle for somebody like Count Dooku, Chancellor Palpatine or the new crew options coming in Jango Fett's Firespray.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">UPGRADES</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I touched briefly on how important I think <b>Repulsorlift Stabilisers </b>are for the HMP Gunship but didn't really go into much detail for why that is, so let's visit it again. I've been on a bit of a journey in understanding why this upgrade is so good: at first I thought it was 'yeah it's ok I guess?' but then as I thought about it more I realised that actually banked strafing with the Repulsorlift wasn't actually very much different to using a turreted ship with the gun locked to the side - you orbit around the target facing your gun inwards with a HMP Gunship just like you might do with a Y-Wing's turret, for instance. Repulsorlifts seemed like a bit of a gimmicky way of just operating like a turreted ship to keep people on target.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then I realised what I was missing. When a Y-Wing has it's turret to the side and wants to remain engaged it has to fly forwards and the range of options where it's going to end up is pretty small - a straight, a turn, a bank... they all put you in more or less the same place and the enemy can track towards you reliably.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq2hg4uszrk/X33THx2fOpI/AAAAAAAAF7E/I9wDADZDwSUI6guwLHhyI8NgAQ6R3RvLACLcBGAsYHQ/s1129/Y%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1129" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq2hg4uszrk/X33THx2fOpI/AAAAAAAAF7E/I9wDADZDwSUI6guwLHhyI8NgAQ6R3RvLACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Y%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The benefit of Repulsorlift Stabilisers is the much higher range of end positions you could be in. Yes you could strafe to the right like a Y-Wing would bank but you can ALSO strafe to left, as though the Y-Wing had suddenly slammed itself into reverse. And you can also still just move forwards (up to a 5 straight!) which could easily create bumps or see you scream clear of trouble.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVdWntD5Rj0/X33TO-vJIMI/AAAAAAAAF7I/3UFSyQQ64AML4-ryBYTP5n1bWfN_1-zOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1129/Geo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1129" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVdWntD5Rj0/X33TO-vJIMI/AAAAAAAAF7I/3UFSyQQ64AML4-ryBYTP5n1bWfN_1-zOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Geo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It's much more challenging for enemy ships to predict where you are going to be while still staying engaged so the value of Repulsorlift Stabilisers is mostly defensive, I think - it makes the HMP Gunship a harder target to pin down and kill than something like a Y-Wing or B-Wing would be that has to keep moving forwards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LFmRF8c9Y_M/X33TrW4gVlI/AAAAAAAAF7U/xkQQ2g6i_Ngb3_j0ZUzil_1789lGShU9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_upgrade_synced-cannons.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LFmRF8c9Y_M/X33TrW4gVlI/AAAAAAAAF7U/xkQQ2g6i_Ngb3_j0ZUzil_1789lGShU9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_upgrade_synced-cannons.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I've mentioned <b>Synced Laser Cannons</b> already but even with the requirement of two cannon slots there are a couple of other ships which can take it: B-Wings and IG-2000 Aggressors. Both those ships have potential to 'double tap' and attack twice and the Synced Laser Cannons are the choice that is most like just firing your main gun again so it's an obvious choice. I don't personally think the double-tapping stuff is really good right now but a lot of players like it and if you're one of those guys then you probably want to get your hands on these guns.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OmEJLx5y6OQ/X33TytvkF7I/AAAAAAAAF7Y/EZpzUaLb7jolrkMwKLc2yPvR_RUt3X-ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_upgrade_concussion-bomb.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OmEJLx5y6OQ/X33TytvkF7I/AAAAAAAAF7Y/EZpzUaLb7jolrkMwKLc2yPvR_RUt3X-ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_upgrade_concussion-bomb.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">By crikey here's something that will make a lot of non-CIS players look at buying the HMP Gunship expansion, though: <b>Concussion Bombs</b>. More charges than Proton Bombs, cheaper than Proton Bombs, deal crits through Shields unlike Proton Bombs... they're a serious step up for the dedicated bomb player and I think you'll see a lot of them about. Concussion Bombs nay even be enough to hurl some new/old archetypes to the fore, like quad K-Wings, Y-Wing spam, TIE Strikers with bombs etc. The restriction of having to drop them every turn is really flavourful and you can get around the biggest problems with it using Delayed Fuses. All in all I really like Concussion Bombs and (currently) they're only in the HMP Gunship expansion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNFwnurLGMw/X33T5q-8r3I/AAAAAAAAF7c/hh8OvVyeeuwRAk_bHV9uIg5nBKVbwysYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_upgrade_multi-missile-pod.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNFwnurLGMw/X33T5q-8r3I/AAAAAAAAF7c/hh8OvVyeeuwRAk_bHV9uIg5nBKVbwysYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_upgrade_multi-missile-pod.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We've touched on <b>Multi-Missile Pods</b> a little already so I won't linger: 8pts is too much for a R1-2 restricted weapon that burns through charges like they're going out of fashion. At some point they'll get cheaper and be good, but I can't see them making much impact yet and outside of the obvious Droid carriers the Calculate/Target Lock restriction is really limiting.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SdOK5q0E3gw/X33UEU1KYYI/AAAAAAAAF7k/cRtBkLRgd9sIJ_Jk0Xo0WfW2MaL7CSZfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/swz71_upgrade_kalani.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SdOK5q0E3gw/X33UEU1KYYI/AAAAAAAAF7k/cRtBkLRgd9sIJ_Jk0Xo0WfW2MaL7CSZfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/swz71_upgrade_kalani.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The new Droid tactical relay is <b>Kalani</b> and it's... ok I guess? My main problem with it is the competition from DRK-1 Probe Droids as another way of getting your Target Locks set up which doesn't depend on your opponents landing in your bullseye arcs. This is where I get really hazy though as I'm not a natural Droid player and I'm probably not the best at evaluating a relay's usefulness. One thing I'm sure about is that if you're not a Separatists player already Kalani isn't an incentive to buy this expansion!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">CONCLUSION</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the start of the article I asked two questions: is the HMP Gunship good? Do you want to buy one?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TAYZzqJqUg/X33URC5fUbI/AAAAAAAAF7o/o8tPuqxniP4GSG9y4c1rmjK6YSMv1nHHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/swz71_a1_ship_art.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="700" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TAYZzqJqUg/X33URC5fUbI/AAAAAAAAF7o/o8tPuqxniP4GSG9y4c1rmjK6YSMv1nHHQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h282/swz71_a1_ship_art.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I think the HMP Gunship is actually pretty good despite it's steep starting cost but let's cut the chase: the HMP Gunships biggest problem is that the existing Droid options are so great that even if it's good the HMP struggles to compete and that colours a lot of the discussion around it. If you're focused on winning games with Droids in the near future then the HMP Gunship is probably not good enough to shift Hyenas and Vultures (or Nantex) out of your squad. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In isolation, though, I think the Geonosian Prototype build I talked about is a really solid and interesting pilot that you'll have a lot of fun playing around with and it may well fit very nicely with Tri-Fighters or Jango Fett once they land in the next month or two. The dependency on cannons for the ship hurts all the other pilots but I can see them finding an unexpected home as a lone support ship for some powerful crew or tactical relays.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do you want to buy this expansion pack? If you're already a Droid player I think that answer depends on how experimental you want to be vs just trying to win at all costs. Personally I've been really happy to grab two HMP Gunships to run the pair of Geonosian Prototypes and explore how they work. I don't think they're top tier right now and I'd probably drop them for something else if a big tournament came around (which in Covid-19 times it never will) but they're good enough to justify playing and I'm looking forward to pairing them with dodgy Tri-Fighters and Jango Fett. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uvl6DHe00Ck/X33WYxt9NdI/AAAAAAAAF74/2gTbPF801mIQgbwOPs3AEbNp9EbD5I18QCLcBGAsYHQ/s757/71XVuj9Ui5L._AC_SX679_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="679" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uvl6DHe00Ck/X33WYxt9NdI/AAAAAAAAF74/2gTbPF801mIQgbwOPs3AEbNp9EbD5I18QCLcBGAsYHQ/w359-h400/71XVuj9Ui5L._AC_SX679_.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">If you're NOT a Droid player then I'd also say you could want this expansion for the Concussion Bombs, if you're that way inclined, and if that's true then the HMP Gunship could well be your foot in the door of starting a whole new faction. Separatists squads are often quite 'swarmy' and that puts a lot of players off both for money reasons and simply having so many ships on the table at once. The HMP Gunship, along with Tri-Fighter and Jango's Firespray, could mark the point where players start to make a more 'normal' squad in the faction and I think players who like B-Wings in particular could find themselves a big fan of the Geonosian Prototype's playstyle.</p>Stay On The Leaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05450238947689261754noreply@blogger.com5