ZenMastaT posted:

quote:

I'm planning to play my second ever epic game this weekend and I'm wondering if anyone has any kind of strategy for formations that keep your small ships close enough to the Raider or whatever to take advantage of the various Range 1-2 bonuses it can equip while simultaneously engaging the enemy and not getting your rear end run over by your own dang self.

guts and bolts posted:

Looking very slick. The lighting made me think it was pink at first. Not sure if I would like that more or less than a swank red. (Both?)


The best way to play Epic is to care very little about things like "formations" and "strategy" and just play your cool ships and watch them explode. Probably the Raider first.

Like, I actually kinda like Epic - Team Epic less so - but if you don't mandate the use of the Epic ships, or if you go into it trying to build a "winning" list, you will probably have less fun. The Raider is worse than just loading up on TIE Fighters, for example. Scum is the best Epic faction because you fight against four Brobots and 100 points of TLT Y-Wings. It's rough. The best advice is honestly just to go into it with a gimmicky, fun idea, accomplish it, and clink beers with your opponent. "Smash my Raider into as many X-Wings as possible" is a good start.

Brunas posted:

I am hijacking the conversation to talk about imperial firespray. Has anyone tried tactician on a generic, or VI boba? Seems like it might not be completely trash. Then again, it's an imperial firespray.

I've been trying to find any imp firespray build y at all, but I'm not exaggerating in saying that 0 were taken to worlds or any nationals as far as I know. A decent 36-50 point ship would make imp list building very interesting, so I'm trying to find something to make it work.

Brunas posted:

I am hijacking the conversation to talk about imperial firespray. Has anyone tried tactician on a generic, or VI boba? Seems like it might not be completely trash. Then again, it's an imperial firespray.

I've been trying to find any imp firespray build y at all, but I'm not exaggerating in saying that 0 were taken to worlds or any nationals as far as I know. A decent 36-50 point ship would make imp list building very interesting, so I'm trying to find something to make it work.

ro5s posted:

I quite like Kath Scatlet + calculation, cheap and easy to put crits/stress on people. Adding tactician might make it really trolly, though I've not tried that.

ConfusedUs posted:

3x Bounty Hunters were, at one point, a pretty good list. Not so much, these days.

Kath + Mangler or Calculation lets you get some stress out. Add Tactician if you want potential to double stress. Add Engine upgrade and PTL if you want any sort of maneuverability. It's...ok.

But Scum firesprays are frankly twice as good. Scum Kath + PTL + K4 Security Droid + Engine Upgrade is pretty sweet.

Gerdalti posted:

I ran this today in a casual game at work, and had a lot of fun. I'm still quite new, and trying to get a feel for just flying properly, and how the templates work etc.

Poe Dameron — T-70 X-Wing 31
Veteran Instincts 1
R5-P9 3
Autothrusters 2
Ship Total: 37

Tycho Celchu — A-Wing 26
Wired 1
Chardaan Refit -2
Push the Limit 3
Autothrusters 2
A-Wing Test Pilot 0
Ship Total: 30

Horton Salm — Y-Wing 25
Twin Laser Turret 6
BB-8 2
BTL-A4 Y-Wing 0
Ship Total: 33


Yet Another X-wing Thing

Any tips on improving it? I lost the Y-wing to a bad maneuver over the edge. Found the A-Wing hard to fly, but relatively satisfying. I'm still not quite sure what to actually do with Poe on the table.

General Battuta posted:

Advanced Targeting Computer is an amazing system upgrade, but is there anything else worth taking on a TIE Adv to take advantage of the x1 title?

General Battuta posted:

Advanced Targeting Computer is an amazing system upgrade, but is there anything else worth taking on a TIE Adv to take advantage of the x1 title?

guts and bolts posted:

You're the same guy who thought that Palpshuttle was rendered unplayable by Boba Fett?

quote:

Or, put another way, being blunt, I don't think I'm going to take your word for it. Sorry. More to the point, I wasn't saying that OLeader does Fel's job at all, let alone better - just that I think OLeader is the best ship at the Empire's disposal, in the current meta, and he dramatically changes how you balance the game since he's 26 points. In a lot of ways, Imperial Veterans and Omega Leader do things to the Empire's balancing formula going forward that are going to be hard to parse in the short term. You can't create any other truly effective ships in that price range, now, for example, without risking blowing the game open, in the same way that you've now essentially made it so that 3-cost cannons (or lower) have to be very carefully balanced because of their use with TIE/D.

Geisladisk posted:

No, I'm the guy that thinks that Boba Fett is really powerful against palpshuttles, and that it would be a really good choice if you wanted to make a list specifically to go against Palpshuttles and Regen-Poes. I never said it was rendered unplayable. I also think it's really cool that they're introducing cards which deliberately upset the current metagame.

If thinking that four points of investment taking a pivotal eight-point (actually closer to 30, because who the gently caress brings a shuttle without palp?) card out of the game is Pretty Good makes me a stupid idiot, then so be it.

Geisladisk posted:

Before Wave 7 and TFA ships, Whisper was a lot more popular than Fel. However, these days, with PS 10 Poes ruling the land, Whisper is a lot less attractive.

Panzeh posted:

It's more than a four point investment, though. I think a lot of people really like to take cards in a vacuum(I was laughing when I heard someone talk about how OP Hera(crew) is). You have to look at the ships that can take the upgrade card, ships that want it, and you can kinda see- very few action-independent ships want to actually take red maneuvers in rebels.

You're not just paying four points- you're taking another 29+ for a ship to hold them. Boba is one point for a reason. I think it's a pretty well designed card, but I don't think it's the impact thing you think it is. If I were designing a list to play against Palp/Fel/Vader i'm not sure I could come up with 67 points that beats Vader and Fel in scum.

Maybe i'm wrong, though. I actually did have success with a YV in my list at one point, but I feel like the better players could avoid Bossk/Gunner/Tactician and then you get the aces feasting on Z-95s.

Geisladisk posted:

You're absolutely making sacrifices to field it, but it's not as if the ship holding Boba/Missile is worthless on it's own. A Firespray or 666 is still a capable ship after sacrificing a crew slot and a missile slot (which almost always goes unused anyway).

As I said - It's a neat counter when you know what your opponent is fielding. I don't think it'll see much actual use, but the threat of it will probably serve to make Palpshuttles and Regens less attractive.

Geisladisk posted:

You're absolutely making sacrifices to field it, but it's not as if the ship holding Boba/Missile is worthless on it's own. A Firespray or 666 is still a capable ship after sacrificing a crew slot and a missile slot (which almost always goes unused anyway).

As I said - It's a neat counter when you know what your opponent is fielding. I don't think it'll see much actual use, but the threat of it will probably serve to make Palpshuttles and Regens less attractive.

Gerdalti posted:

I ran this today in a casual game at work, and had a lot of fun. I'm still quite new, and trying to get a feel for just flying properly, and how the templates work etc.

Poe Dameron — T-70 X-Wing 31
Veteran Instincts 1
R5-P9 3
Autothrusters 2
Ship Total: 37

Tycho Celchu — A-Wing 26
Wired 1
Chardaan Refit -2
Push the Limit 3
Autothrusters 2
A-Wing Test Pilot 0
Ship Total: 30

Horton Salm — Y-Wing 25
Twin Laser Turret 6
BB-8 2
BTL-A4 Y-Wing 0
Ship Total: 33


Yet Another X-wing Thing

Any tips on improving it? I lost the Y-wing to a bad maneuver over the edge. Found the A-Wing hard to fly, but relatively satisfying. I'm still not quite sure what to actually do with Poe on the table.

guts and bolts posted:

You're the same guy who thought that Palpshuttle was rendered unplayable by Boba Fett? Or, put another way, being blunt, I don't think I'm going to take your word for it. Sorry. More to the point, I wasn't saying that OLeader does Fel's job at all, let alone better - just that I think OLeader is the best ship at the Empire's disposal, in the current meta, and he dramatically changes how you balance the game since he's 26 points. In a lot of ways, Imperial Veterans and Omega Leader do things to the Empire's balancing formula going forward that are going to be hard to parse in the short term. You can't create any other truly effective ships in that price range, now, for example, without risking blowing the game open, in the same way that you've now essentially made it so that 3-cost cannons (or lower) have to be very carefully balanced because of their use with TIE/D.


That's the thing, though - Fel doesn't strike me as difficult in the same way that a ship like 41Whisper is, in the same way that "doing an uppercut" isn't actually hard in Street Fighter. Once you know how to do it, it is no longer "hard," and anyone at respectable levels of play takes it as an automatic skill you possess. Fel can token-tank, and he has good action economy, and he's PS9. I'm not sure where the mystique comes from w/r/t his perceived difficulty. You dodge arcs. X-Wing is a great game, I do essentially play it non-stop (three dedicated nights a week and a lot of other time spent on Vassal and, regrettably, TTS), and I just don't think it's incredibly hard to learn. Match-up specific tactics are difficult to master, for sure, and there are wide gaps in my knowledge of what used to be in meta and popular, but I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm undefeated in consecutive months thus far in store league and have a sort of egregiously positive overall winrate. Some of this is owed to the fact that between waves, tech changes - people experiment with stuff that they'd normally not find competitive, stuff like that, I get it - and some of it is owed to a metagame that still tends to adhere to old standards (like, for example, Soontir Fel, who is all over the place at GA, AE, and GT) instead of choosing what might be considered pound-for-pound more effective in the meta (we have like two dedicated TLT players I've been able to find).

Fel plays the same game of anticipating enemy movement, and can largely cover for mistakes with discretionary position changes. I think that once you have a basic understanding of the game he's one of the easier ships to play, because he has one truly effective build and tends to have fairly binary choices available to him at any given moment. I'm not sure this equates to "hard" - a "hard" ship to fly, to me, is one that has its basic movement options strictly hamstrung, or that doesn't get access to blatantly effective EPT tech to compensate for potential mistakes made, or whatever. Like a B-Wing is hard to fly, for me. Fel is less so.

I don't doubt there's a lot more stuff for me to learn, and that's why I try to put thought into the posts I make when drawing the conclusions that I do. I'm not materializing things out of thin air - I apply the matchup experience I have against the players I've played against when deciding what to run, and how. Soontir Fel is probably the ship I'm most comfortable making comments on, because he's probably been in > 50% of the games I've ever played in X-Wing. When I have little experience with a subject, I also try to go to listbuilding in high-profile tournaments. Fel was in the number 4 Worlds list, and didn't re-appear until 16 and 17, and does not re-appear again. Omega Leader wasn't played yet, and his point cost is what makes Whisper such an attractive option now - you can have two high-efficacy aces in a list with a Palpshuttle where one of them is Whisper, now, and before you could not. This isn't speculative or whatever - these are just facts.

Now, I don't think that looking at what strictly wins at Worlds defines what is best - too many other factors come into play - but I think it forms an excellent spine for what is playable at the highest level. Fel appears in three of the top thirty-two lists; Empire featured in eight. This was before OLeader was even a thing. The data by itself, to me, indicates that people are wary about slotting Soontir Fel blindly into lists just because he's Fel, or that they've come to a similar conclusion to ConfusedUs, which is that Fel is a massive liability in some lists, and is one bad roll away from being a liability in virtually every other matchup. Whisper appeared in exactly one fewer list than Soontir Fel did, and that was before the tech that freed her up in listbuilding even existed.

Do I think I'm a Worlds-level player because I've had a run of success locally? No. But I also put thought behind my analysis, and I feel confident saying most of what I'm saying, some hyperbole excluded. If you think Soontir Fel is still the de facto core of Empire listbuilding, back it up. Show me whatcha got. I'm not saying I won't change my mind.

Admiral Joeslop posted:

YT-2400: · Dash Rendar (36)
Push The Limit (3)
Tractor Beam (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
· Kyle Katarn (3)
· Outrider (5)

Z-95 Headhunter: Bandit Squadron Pilot (12) x4

Tekopo posted:

I had about 4 hours to spare and I really wanted the TIE/D to fit with my FOs so here we go:





I need to neaten the wings but I'm pretty happy considering I hardly ever paint.

Beer4TheBeerGod posted:

Hit it with a light wash, like a super deep blue to really bring out the blacks. It'll help with your lines a bit and the shading will really add a new level.

Tekopo posted:

Thanks, I'll give it a try. Will need to get the wash though, any recommendations? I'll probably try to use some masking tape to make the lines straighter.

grassy gnoll posted:

Look guys I've been playing for two months and trust me when I say you're all a bunch of shitheads

Beer4TheBeerGod posted:

I'm putting together a list based on the models I have (Original Core, Force Unleashed Core, YT-1300, Lambda, Slave I, 2x B-Wing, 2x Y-Wing, X-Wing, 2x A-Wing, 2x Rebel Aces, 2x Imperial Aces, HWK-290, 2x E-Wing, 2x Interceptor, 2x TIE Bomber, 2x TIE Fighter, 2x Z-95, 1x TIE Advanced, 2x TIE Defender, 2x TIE Phantom) and this is what I came up with for playing around today. Thoughts?

Tycho Celchu (36)
A-Wing (26)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Proton Rockets (3)
Push the Limit (3)
Stealth Device (3)
Wired (1)

Wedge Antilles (38)
X-Wing (29)
BB-8 (2)
Proton Torpedoes (4)
Predator (3)

Blue Squadron Pilot (25)
B-Wing (22)
B-Wing/E2 (1)
Jan Ors (2)

Thoughts?


You can make your own wash by adding water to acrylic paint. Future Floor Polish is also a good medium to experiment with (it's clear acrylic), although you'll want to hit the model with a matte varnish afterwards unless you like your models super shiny. Otherwise most game stores will sell it, or you can check it out online. It's been years since I really got into painting but Vallejo is one of my go-to companies for good products. There's a really awesome thread here on miniature painting you should check out.

Masking tape won't really help you much because of how small the models are. Your best bet is just a lot of practice. Thin your paints with water, go slow, and keep your brushes clean.

Tekopo posted:

I had about 4 hours to spare and I really wanted the TIE/D to fit with my FOs so here we go:





I need to neaten the wings but I'm pretty happy considering I hardly ever paint.

Panzeh posted:

I think you're underestimating the popularity of RAC/Fel.

Tekopo posted:

Yeah, my main problem is my shaky hand and bad eyesight, but I'm improving. I've tried the wash but I have to be careful: the surface of the white panels picks up the ink and makes it shaded, so I've been brushing the wash mostly on the black struts and fixing the white if it becomes shaded.

hoiyes posted:

I want to put Dengar, Boba and Greedo on Bossk.

Now I need to buy the party bus.

Jeb Bush 2012 posted:

How do people normally find vassal games?

ZenMastaT posted:

I'm struggling to come up with a fun way to use Atari Mindlink tho - with the way the card works, if you did a red move on a low PS ship with mindlink, could you do a green move with a higher PS ship also with mindlink to eliminate the stress and then focus, giving the lower PS ship a focus despite its stress? It would be cool if you could also relieve stress with the card instead of just generating it - otherwise using it on more than two ships seems like a real hazard, despite the increased action economy.