Do A Barrel Roll! - Discussing the Idea of an X-wing Barrel Roll Refit

             

In a previous article I discussed how the attitude towards the X-wing starfighter needed to be fixed. But even if the X-wing isn't as under powered as some people might claim, it still is under powered. For the longest time I skirted the edges of FFG X-wing forums, reading discussions and weighing players' opinions. To be honest, there are a lot of ideas that are good but don't fully fit the bill for one reason or another. Some ideas made radical changes to the game while others presented powerful upgrades for ridiculously cheap prices. And there were some that just didn't even have iconic application to the Star Wars universe.

                When deciding on a change in the X-wing game, one must keep several things in mind. First off, a change must have an appropriate cost that maintains overall balance with all factions. Second, we want something that will add to the game and not just be a repeat of other ships. Finally, any change should reflect the lore of Star Wars and provide in-game representations of iconic moments in the films.

                I've thought hard about what I believe will provide the best buff to the X-wing. And after much consideration I have settled on one idea that several other people have had online: The Barrel Roll Action. Haha...no seriously. I believe this change will not just benefit the X-wing but provide some iconic application as well as not rock the boat when it comes to balance. However, I claim this as my opinion and not X-wing fact so feel free to challenge me, albeit with tact. Let's have a refitting discussion.

Problems

                I want to start off by mentioning what is wrong with the X-wing as it currently stands in the meta game. There are namely three: (1) A lackluster torpedo slot, (2) lack of a maneuver action, and (3) overly expensive in squad points. I primarily want to focus on the latter two problems, mainly because we now have upgrades like Flechette and Plasma torpedoes.

Lore

                The first and foremost argument is quite obvious: X-wings can barrel roll in the movies. Re-watch the films and you will clearly see examples of it. During the Battle of the First Death Star, X-wings are seen to roll as they strafe the surface while their counterpart Y-wings just lazily float along. Probably the most notable barrel roll scene is when Wedge blasts Dark Curse and rolls out from the explosion, thus sealing the deal on his awesomeness.
                In the books and the expanded universe, the X-wing is supposed to be the best star fighter of its time. It has the perfect balance of speed, maneuverability, offensive power, and shielding. So it is somewhat of a surprise when the X-wing miniature has all but one, maneuverability.

No Maneuver Action or Compensation

                The X-wing actually sits in an awkward spot in the Alliance Fleet. Most Rebel ships fit into one of two categories; either they have (1) a movement action or (2) a turret. This makes sense because outmaneuvering enemy ships can be really hard. If you have a movement action then you can use it to fix incorrect flight choices. And if it has a turret it can fire in any direction that it wants.

                However, there are two Rebel ships that don't belong to either of these categories, the Z-95 and the X-wing. The Z isn't affected by a lack of maneuverability because it is so dirt cheap. You can easily include one or two in a squad where they can be covered by their allies. Or you can bring a swarm of them and your enemy will find it difficult to arc-dodge every single one. But what about the X-wing? Regrettably, it doesn't have anything to help it outmaneuver an enemy nor does it receive any compensation for why it can't. A poorly moved X-wing is a 21 point ship that only has 2 defense dice, a focus token, and a prayer that it won't be blasted out of the sky. The X-wing has a serious gap here in the game that needs addressing. So my suggestion is to give it some maneuverability in the form of a barrel roll.

Point Cost

                We know that the X-wing needs a fix. So the next question to ask is how much would it cost? Here I bring in Major Juggler's Math Wing analysis. According to him and his number crunching, the generic X-wings are overcosted by about 2 points. Many people present that there should be an upgrade card that decreases the X-wing's cost. But before a change like this can be properly applied we must look at how the balance will change. This is especially true once you go lower than 21 points and can have 5 X-wings on the table. Instead, I submit that we give the X-wing a 0 cost upgrade. That way it will raise the ship up to the squad cost it was originally meant to be without disturbing the overall balance.

                When we look at the Expert Handling talent we can see that FFG places the value of the barrel roll action at 2 points. That makes it a perfect fit to bring the true cost of the X-wing to 21 points. However, we want to add choice variety to this game. So it should be an upgrade that you use if your squad needs it rather than just a gimme that is always attached. For this reason, said barrel roll upgrade should be a X-wing Only Modification rather than a Title card. As I've said before in many of my posts, the upgrade slot needs to be taken into account in the cost of the card. So yes, I propose a 0 point X-wing upgrade. But it must be chosen carefully because you have to give up your modification slot.

Generics vs Aces

                The next thing to consider with this change is how it will effect each X-wing pilot. Ace X pilots are actually seen in competitive lists because their high pilot skill and abilities justify their points. However, generic pilots are rarely seen. What we want from an X-wing upgrade is a big buff to Generics and a small buff to Aces. Again referencing Math Wing: all X-wing pilots, except for 2, are overcosted and can benefit from a 0 point barrel roll. The two that aren't overcosted are Biggs and Wedge. However, I feel that a barrel roll modification won't overpower either of these pilots.

                First, it is completely counter intuitive to barrel roll Biggs. He wants to stay near the ships he's escorting and a barrel roll can take him out of Range 1. But more importantly, if Biggs does a barrel roll he gives up his focus token. Any X-wing without a defense focus token is pretty vulnerable but Biggs becomes a sitting duck. Moreover, placing a barrel roll mod on Biggs means he doesn't have access to defensive modifications or even the Experimental Interface.

                It is somewhat the same with Wedge. The most frequent version of him that I see in competitive lists includes an Engine Upgrade. While a barrel roll mod would save him points, he would lose both his modification slot and maneuvering options. And even if people do take this mod for Wedge, he is still vulnerable to the normal set of counters: arc-dodgers, high PS with Veteran Instincts, and low PS bombers.

                Finally, the barrel roll action gives a big buff to generic pilots. The reason for this is because generics primarily have blocking power while aces have chasing power. A generic X-wing with a natural barrel roll can better set up screens and slip into hard to reach blocking positions. On the other hand, the X-wing has such a great maneuver dial that it doesn't need the barrel roll as a crutch for strong chasing power.

Different From The B-wing

                Speaking of ships reliant on the barrel roll...Won't an X-wing with a barrel roll make it too much like the B-wing? My response is no. The barrel roll combined with the B-wing's maneuver dial is an exceptionally different application from that of the X-wing's. Not only does the B-wing need the barrel roll action to overcome its horrible dial, it is actually a safer action for the ship. A B-wing that barrel rolls to get the shot and thus gives up its defense focus, honestly, really doesn't miss it. However it is riskier to give up the defensive focus of an X-wing. This means you probably won't be barrel rolling in a your X-wing unless you absolutely need to. And lastly, the B and X are just so fundamentally different because of their upgrade slots. A B-wing can still be unique with combinations of a cannon, extra munitions, system, and/or crew member. And the X-wing is happy with its choice of astromechs. 

Naming the Upgrade

                When it comes to naming this barrel roll modificaton, I think the Incom Refit is a nice fit. It pays homage to the Chardaan company and their own A-wing refit. It makes sense to me that these Star Fighter companies are continuously working on their designs and improving them where they can. It helps hide the awkwardness of in-game changes and introduces a little lore.
                 Perhaps another good name could be the actual modification Incom made to their T-65, such as the installation of Lateral S-Foil Thrusters. What would you name a barrel roll modification? Let me know in the comments below.

                 And there you have it. I present for your review the idea of giving the X-wing a Barrel Roll Action Modification. Perhaps something like this will come in a Rebel Aces E&X pack. Or perhaps it can be a part of the new T-70 Resistance X-wing that FFG has rights to make. Let's hope for the best.

               

Afterwards:

I am aware that an X-wing with a barrel roll action is also very much like an E-wing. But seriously, the generic E-wing is also very overcosted and it could do with some changes of its own. But that is a topic in and of itself.

Numbers on actual point costs of ships came from Major Juggler's Math Wing

My First X-wing Miniatures Repaint - The Poor Grey Pilot

                I don't consider myself an artistic person but I discovered something today. You don't have to be talented to do repainting. Ever since I started playing X-wing I wanted to have a Gray Y-wing to fly, especially since 2 of the pilots are from Gray Squadron. So I finally got around to buying a second Y-wing miniature. Let me tell you my thoughts and what I did.

                After a little research I found that acrylics work really well with miniatures. You can go to game stores and find acrylics made just for miniatures or you can be like me and go to a craft store. Craft acrylic paint is too thick and globs easily on miniatures so if you are going to use it you need to thin it down with some water. Once I got the desired color and constancy then I was ready to paint. I wanted the smallest tip of paint brush that I could find so that my job wouldn't be overly hard. Using light dabs of paint, and a little patience, I carefully painted over the gold patterns on my Y-wing. It didn't turn out perfect but honestly, the slightly unkempt style works really well with the worn look of the Y-wing.

                The art of the Gray pilots shows the painted stripe on the head to be more thin and delicate than the one on my miniature. But not only would that have been a much harder job, it wouldn't have let me cover up the yellow paint that is originally there. Who knows, maybe in my next project I would take a try at stripping paint and redoing it fully. Until then I am very content that my Poor Grey Pilot has a ship to call his own.

Application of the Plasma Torpedo - A Poor Grey Pilot Strategy Update

                We are part of a game and universe that is alive so we always need to keep learning or else we will get lost and outdated. Even in the last few months I have had to grow and change, myself. I had just barely learned and mastered the 4-ship Joust when I was broadsided by 2-ship Arc Dodging builds. But even though I am aware of them now, I know that there are other things out there that I am completely unaware of. If we plan to not get taken by surprise with every new thing that comes our way, we need to make sure that we are rising beyond normal gameplay and learning the trends.

                When FFG announced the details of the new K-wing I made a few predictions about how this next wave would affect the meta game. However, what I didn't cover in that article was what I planned to doing about said predictions. If we see a new Wave of X-wing come in and don't act on it then we are going to float aimlessly just as much as if they were waves of the ocean. However, applying new chances doesn't mean we toss the old stuff out the window. Instead it means that we take what we have and build upon it, thus create something both new and improved. So, without further ado, I will roll up my sleeves and start applying patches to the tactics I've discussed on this blog, starting with the application of the Plasma Torpedo. Here is the first Poor Grey Pilot Strategy Update.

Horton Salm

                The first thing that we need to note about the Plasma Torpedo is that it is still a torpedo card. And as such it still has the main weakness of ordnance: lack of dice modification. So if we want to use these effectively we still need to follow the same rules of fixing ordnance. Let's take a look again at Horton Salm's ability. His rerolling of blanks works great with any torpedo but he has to take a target lock and so doesn't have access to a focus. The Proton Torpedo's critical focus overcomes that deficiency and allowes Horton to give 4 hits almost every time. Because of this Pilot-Torpedo-Dice synergy I've had a really hard time justifying putting any other missile on his Y-wing.

                But now consider the possibility of the Plasma Torpedo. Recall that a 4 dice roll averages the result of 2 hits/crits, 1 focus, and 1 blank. So when Horton shoots a Plasma Torpedo, he is going to be frustrated by the focus result and only get an average of 3 hits. This would be enough to dissuade me except for the fact that the Plasma Torpedo brings a new ability to the table. If the torpedo hits, you get an extra free shield damage. With this added ability Horton again gets an average of 4 hits on his torpedo and, moreover, has the possibility of doing 5 shield damage. There is only one hitch to this plan: your potential target must be both low agility and heavily shielded. This means that instead of hunting Ties with Proton Torpedoes, Horton will now excel at targeting large ships and turrets.

                I am more than ok with this change. Honestly, if I'd had Plasmas during my last tournament, I would have had a better chance fighting the 2-ship builds I faced. And in general you will have a better statistical chance of facing shielded targets because Ties are currently the minority in ship diversity. This makes Plasma Torpedoes a safer, and yet still-reliable, pick when composing your squad. So have fun trying it out.

Y-wing w/ Horton - 30 points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

Nera Dantels

                Moving right along we return to our Damsel Nera. She has a wonderful pilot ability and becomes efficient with ordnance when paired with Deadeye and Recon Specialist. However, she has the exact opposite problem as Horton; while he has no focus, she has too much. This means that Proton Torpedoes waste some of her focus modification and that is especially bad since Nera can't correct blank rolls. This leaves Flechettes or APTs and while both are good choices they have their downsides. The former doesn't pack a very hard hit while the latter is severally limited in range.

                You know where I am going with this: the Plasma Torpedo fits right into this missing niche for Nera. It doesn't waste any of her focus modification, it has a much better range to work with, and it hits hard enough that it can potentially be as powerful as an Advanced Proton Torpedo. And since it is the second cheapest torpedo to get, you will actually save some squad points.

                The one downside is that Nera has a range 1 blind spot and her lower PS means many ships will move after her. One way to overcome this is to exchange the Recon Specialist with an Intelligence Agent. (but it's ok, she's a girl too!) Then give Nera the Push the Limit upgrade instead of Deadeye and now you have a ship that can see where a higher ace is going, barrel roll out of the way, take a target lock, and then shoot a torpedo in a 360 degree arc. You do lose your modification on your shot but the extra maneuverability might just be the key to her survival. And more than that, it means that Nera will be strong against arc-dodgers as well as jousters and heavily shielded turrets.

B-wing w/ Nera - 36 points

                Push the Limit

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                E2 Mod w/ Intelligence Agent

Reevaluating the B-wing

                In my article discussing the X-wing versus the B-wing I talked about how a player shouldn't just believe the masses and fly what everyone says is good. It is much wiser to know the strengths and risks of all ships and to take the ones that fit the roles you need for your squad. With the game being on the event horizon of Wave 7, I reiterate that one should not just blindly take a B-wing. The introduction of the Plasma Torpedo will become the bane of the B. The ship currently holds the title for #1 Jouster but all of that changes when the opposing side has plasma shots. A fully modified Plasma Torpedo will give 4 hits plus 1 shield damage. And good luck dodging that, Mr. 1 Agility. Oh and be sure to kiss your shields goodbye.

                In this situation, the X-wing is actually a better jouster. Having 2 agility dice and only 2 shields, the X has a high chance of taking only 2 damage instead of 5 from an early plasma hit. And after the shields are gone, Bs don't last nearly as long as Xs . However, switching to X-wings is only one option. You can also consider other alternatives including putting Jan Ors as a crew so your B-wings have evade actions. Or you can fly more Ace B-wings and fewer generics. Not only will the Aces give you a better chance to barrel roll away from potential attackers, it gives you access to the Expert Handling upgrade which allows you to shed enemy target locks. A missile that can't be fired is a missile that won't be bothering you. And these are just a few of the options for the change in B-wing meta. Let me know in the comments how you plan on flying your B-wings differently.

B-wing w/ Keyan - 34 points

                Expert Handling
                Experimental Interface

HLC vs 2 Plasmas

                I mentioned it in passing before but I was serious about it. Double Plasma Torpedoes can potentially be more powerful than a Heavy Laser Cannon. Yes, you do give up your action to shoot torpedoes but that disadvantage is mitigated in several ways. First off, double plasmas costs 2 points less than a HLC and, honestly, a small ship with a HLC isn't going to get more than 2 shots before being focused down. This cost is further reduced because there are ships with double torpedo tubes that are cheaper than ships with cannon slots. The second mitigation is the fact that a Plasma Torpedo can do up to 5 damage to shields and also give criticals to low shielded targets, neither of which the HLC is capable of. I'm not saying that there is no more need for this cannon, there are still plenty of applications. But now there is an alternative build involving torpedoes that is just as viable. I know I can't wait to get it and try it out.

Bomber w/ Scimitar - 23 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                Seismic Charges

Y-wing w/ Grey - 27 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                Autoblaster Turret

B-wing w/ Blue - 29 Points

                Heavy Laser Cannon

                               

Hull Upgrade with Determination

                Last thing I want to discuss. When it comes to strengthening your defense there has always been 3 options for modification: Stealth Device, Hull Upgrade, and Shield Upgrade. I know that there are good applications for the Stealth Device but I have never liked relying on it. I have always been a fan of attaching more shields to things. Got an extra 4 points? Stick a shield on a Bomber or Tie Fighter, it can be a really game changer. Or add a shield upgrade to an X-wing or A-wing to make them both beefy and evasive. But that has changed now that Plasma torpedoes are a risk. It now can be a danger to add more shields because they can just be mopped away with a plasma hit. That's more wasted points than getting all blanks and losing your Stealth Device.

                But here is a fun little trick I have learned. If you've got a ship with an Elite Pilot Talent that you aren't using, consider giving it a Hull Upgrade and Determination. It costs the same as a Shield upgrade and it does the same thing, but in a different way. Take Howlrunner for example. Give her a Shield Upgrade and she can block an early critical. On the other hand if we give her a Hull Upgrade and Determination then she has a 25% chance of absorbing a critical across each of her hull points. Since Howlrunner will have 4 hull, she has a good chance of absorbing one critical and if she does, she still has that hull left. It is a bit of risk but it has a good chance for payout, similar to setting your shields on double front and hoping you don't get hit from behind. And this combo is even more powerful than before because it isn't hurt by plasma hits. Kavil with a Shield upgrade will just get it stripped off when hit by a torpedo. But if he has a Hull Upgrade and Determination he doesn't have that risk, plus each of his 6 hull points has a 1/4 chance of absorbing a critical for a total of 1.5 average. Now that is a bargain in defensive cost.

Tie Fighter w/ Howlrunner - 22 Points

                Determination 

                Hull Upgrade

Y-wing w/ Kavil - 34 points

                Determination

                Blaster Turret

                R4 Agromech

                Hull Upgrade

                These are the applications I plan on making with the coming of the Plasma Torpedo. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this blog and feel free to leave any comments or questions. Stay tuned for my next update where I will apply the Twin Laser Turret, especially to the Rebel Hawk Pilots. See you then.


Afterwards:
Note that a Plasma Y-wing is so much cheaper than a HLC B-wing that I was able to give it an Autoturret, upgrade its PS, and still have points to spare. The higher PS will allow the ship more opportunities to get its target lock.

The Keyan build was provided by Kevin Wadsworth.

Learning to Fight Dirty - A Guide to Illicit Scum & Villainy Combat Strategy

                I joined the ranks of the X-wing miniatures world around the same time that underworld syndicates of the Galaxy decided to join in the Civil War. Even though I've never been much of a pirate guy myself, I welcomed the new faction with much anticipation. It showed me just how amazing Fantasy Flight Games really is. It is one thing to create a game with two opposing sides that are evenly matched. It is quite another to have three sides and all of them completely different, yet equal. It requires a much higher skill level to create but in return it makes a game more diverse, deep, and memorable. That is the reason I still play the classic Starcraft but not Warcraft 2.

                In my opinion, the introduction of the third faction brought the X-wing Miniatures game up to that same great level. The Scum faction looks, flies, and acts completely different from the other two but it is balanced and locks perfectly into its place in the miniatures world. And because of my desire to learn I dived right in; it was time to learn to fight dirty.

                To start out I want to briefly talk about the other two factions. Don't get me wrong, the Imperial and Rebel factions were perfectly balanced and autonomous before the introduction of Scum. Rebel ships are inherently more powerful, usually sporting high attack dice while Imperials hold the advantage in number of ships. Imperial starfighers are fast, nimble, and evasive but the Rebel ships always have shields for protection. And to complement gameplay both sides have ample access to synergy-based abilities to make their squads stronger when working together. Either style has strengths and weaknesses and when mastered can be deadly. However, the whole system was thrown when the Pirates came to play. They don't go by the rules and always carry a few tricks up their sleeves. Let's take a closer look at what the Scum & Villainy Faction has to offer us for the X-wing game and find out if it's your style of flying.

Anti-Synergy

                First off, Pirates toss the concept of squad flying out the window. These pilots are bloodthirsty and cutthroat. Though they are looking for the win as a whole, that is only their secondary objective. The number one priority is that they make it out alive and they don't care how many of their squad mates die in the process. (Yeah, Kaa'to and Xizor, I'm talking to you). Because of the type of ships and abilities available to Scum they are much more efficient at solo flying and swarming. If you group in a formation you may find that the extra protection your squad gets isn't worth the restricted efficiency it enforces. FFG wrote about this in their article on the new Kihraxz fighter. They said that these fighters would suffer if forced to fly in formation. Instead they are much better at facing opponents one on one. When flying your scum squad, consider breaking them off into different vectors at the beginning thus forcing your opponent to split or get surrounded.

                Another strong strategy of the Scum faction is to destroy the synergy of the opposing team. Scum Hawks are not just annoying but downright nasty. Palob Godalhi strips an enemy ship of its focus or evade token and takes it for himself. Or you can pick Trokil Mux, who can force an enemy down to Pilot Skill 0 during the combat phase. Both of these support abilities are quite strong and can allow the rest of your pirate ships to overpower a flat-footed opponent. 

               The M3-A Interceptor also does a good job of breaking the enemy's synergy. The ship hasn't received much use because players see them as expensive, inefficient Tie Fighters. But that is not their strength at all. The M3's niche is in being the cheapest cannon ship in the game. Apply the title card to the M3 and you have a Heavy Scyk which can equip a torpedo, missile, or cannon. Torpedoes are expensive and the Heavy Scyk doesn't have the second slot needed for Extra Munitions. And Headhunters, with their low cost and natural missile upgrade, make far cheaper Missile Boats. So let's instead focus on the cannon. A Heavy Scyk with an Ion or Flechette cannon can only do one max damage a turn. But in exchange it can use the cannon the whole game and give an ion or stress token every round. With just one of these you can seriously mess up an enemy formation or synergy-type build. As I said before, they are cheapest of their kind to make, coming it at a lower cost than even the Ion Y-wing. As for the other types of cannons, feel free to experiment with them but be careful, they are pretty expensive.

Illicit Weaponry

                When I first read the title of these of upgrades I laughed. All is fair in love and war, right? If there was some new type of black market weaponry I'm pretty sure the Empire or Rebels wouldn't hesitate to get their hands on it. But I thought about the word illicit some more and what I realized made me cringe. These upgrades aren't called illicit because they are illegal but instead because they are inhumane. Even though the Empire was founded on the Dark Side of the force, and therefore evil, at least they still had some honor about life. These illicits aren't what any sane Imperial or Rebel General would choose to subject their soldiers too. Its only the Scum of the galaxy that are willing to use them to gain the victory.

                Inertial Dampeners: If you have ever read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber you'll have experinced firsthand what happens to a human being in a space ship that accelerates with broken Inertial Compensators. Ugh... Even though some of the Physics are different between the Honor and Star Wars universes, inertia plays a role in both. That is why it stresses a Shuttle to do a 0 move and stay still. Up until this last year, the Shuttle was only ship that could do that maneuver. But this changed when Pirate fleets started rigging their ships with Inertial Dampeners. Now, once a game, a ship with an Inertial Dampener can pull a stressful 0 move. This can get your ship away from a chaser and also get you into better position to shoot. However, take note that the upgrade says "dampen" and not "eliminate". I don't even want to think about what kind of g-forces those pilots are experiencing but I think it is safe to bet that it lowers their already short life expectancy.

                Glitterstim: Now this is an upgrade. Glitterstim was a spice produced as a recreational drug but users found that it also provided temporary psychic abilities. So of course, it found its way onto the battlefield. For only two points, a pilot gets a one-shot item that changes all focuses that round into hits and evades. And it doesn't even cost them their action! This can change an initial jousting Scum swarm from becoming the victims to being the killers. And it provides necessary survivability to Lone Wolf ships, adding strength to the already power strategy of creating a pincer from all sides. But glitterstim is dangerous. Sustained use of it atrophies the brain and people almost always overdose on it. So be careful out there, spice users, there's a reason FFG only lets you stim once a game!

                Dead Man's Switch: If you've played any Star Wars FPS video game then you have been lied to. Whether its Jedi Outcast, Battlefront, or Republic Commando, the game makers give a wrong interpretation of the Thermal Detonator. They present the weapon like a normal grenade that you toss at group of enemies for a little bit of splash damage. But that is not the case! Thermal detonators are actually the Holy Hand Grenade of the Star Wars universe. When Princess Leia, disguised as a bounty hunter, threatened Jabba the Hutt with one it was a real and legitimate threat. That one detonator would have vaporized EVERYONE in the room if she had set it off.

                So when you see a Pirate who has upgraded his ship with the Dead Man's Switch, be very careful. The art on the card shows a Gran pilot with two Thermal Detonators. 2 detonators for 2 points. It turns a normal ship into a bomb that explodes when it dies and sprays the shrapnel of its own hull at a blast radius of Range 1. ANY ship within that radius receives a damage. Put this on an Aggressor and you have a large base ship ready to get up close and personal. Or if you're really feeling sadistic then rig exploseives to a pair of Binayre Pirate and force them to fly point during an initial joust. They cost the same amount as Biggs with a droid and, seriously, they'll be just as efficient at drawing fire.

                Feedback Array: At first glance this card looks pretty bad. No one wants to give up their attack and ionize themselves. But there are 2 amazing things about this upgrade that one must understand. The first is that it is a guaranteed hit, just like the Darth Vader upgrade. But the second thing makes it even better than Vader in my mind: it isn't limited to your firing arc. It may not be labeled as a turret upgrade but the card allows you to attack any enemy at Range 1. That means Aggressors, Headhunters, and other illicit ships can equip a guaranteed Range 1 turret for a price. If you are willing to pay the price then it can be a powerful tactic.

Teaching an Old Y New Tricks

                A fun thing that the Scum faction does is take previous ships in the X-wing game and put a whole new twist on them. The Most Wanted expansion pack is probably one of the best bank-for-your-buck purchases you can make. Not only does it add 1 Scum Y-wing and 2 Scum Headhunters to your fleet, it also provides the necessary cards and dials to turn 1 Imperial Firespray, 1 Rebel Hawk, and 1 Rebel Y-wing into scum ships as well. That's a max of 6 ships from one expansion! I've already mentioned some of the changes that Scum Hawks and Headhunters bring to the table. And there are plenty of good changes for the Firespray as well. But what I really want to focus on is the big changes in the Y-wing.

                The Bomber Y-wing: The first upgrade included is the bomb conversion slot. You place it as a torpedo upgrade and it converts it into a bomb slot. This brings a whole new role to the Y and can really catch people off guard if they are not used to it. It is important to note that the card says "Limited". This means that you cannot equip two bomb slots onto a Y-wing. However, don't be discouraged because this can easily be overcome with the Extra Munitions card. It doesn't allow you to have 2 different types of bombs, just double of the same. But the fun doesn't stop there. A Scum Y bomber can equip Genius, a named droid for a cheap 0 points. He allows your bomber to place a bomb after you move instead of before. And if you want to go really crazy then attach an engine upgrade so you can move, drop, and then boost away to not get hit by your own Proton Bomb. This makes for a fun and fast Y-wing experience.

                The Autoturret Y-wing: The Most Wanted pack also introduced the Autoblaster Turret. We have seen this ability before as the cannon upgrade from the B-wing. However when the Autocannon came out it was far too expensive and didn't hit very hard. The latter problem was fixed in a FAQ rules update: evade tokens are now considered a dice result and therefore cannot block an Autoblaster attack. The other problem was fixed when FFG made the Autoturret cost only 2 points. But wait a second, when you switch from an Autocannon to an Autoturret you lose 1 attack dice but gain 3 squad points? That seems too good to be true.

                And that is because it is. The main reason why the Autoturret is so cheap is because it forces you to give up your turret slot. Think about it. A Y-wing or Hawk's turret is its lifeblood. Without it, neither ship would be worth their points on the battlefield. So yes, an Autoturret is very cost efficient but its range serverly hinders its effectiveness. So you need to learn to fly an Autoturret Y-wing in the right way. Consider the Y-wing bomber I previously mentioned. You can use the engine upgrade to make sure you get into range 1 and always get a shot. Or perhaps you want to use the pilot Kavil. His ability gives him an extra dice outside his firing arc, giving him a deadly 3 dice Autoturret attack. Experiment with it and see what works for you.

                The Warthog Y-wing: The last Y upgrade you get is the Y-wing Title Card. A BTL-A4 Y-wing, nicknamed the Warthog, costs an additional 0 points to make. It turns your Y's turret upgrade into a double tap cannon. And although the Rebellion has access to this upgrade as well, the Scum faction still holds the monopoly on effective Warthogs because of their salvaged droids.

                The first is the Unhinged Astromech. Coming in at 1 point, it is the socially awkward cousin of the R2 Astromech. They both give more green maneuvers to a ship but they do it in different ways. The R2 makes all 1 and 2 speeds green. This gives the Y-wing 6 more green moves and greatly reduces its weakness to stress. The Unhinged on the other hand has a bit more of a punch to it. It changes all 3 speeds to green which only gives the Y 5 more green moves. But at the same time it changes the 3 speed turns from red to green. This frees up its movement dial and makes the Y-wing much faster.

                But what if you don't care about movement? Another really strong option for the Warthog is the R4 Agromech. I had no idea what that droid was and so I had to look it up. But just like the name suggests the Agromech is a stinkin' farming droid! The company that makes Astromechs for space travel also wanted to get in on the agricultural business. So they made a few modifications and started selling droids to farmers. Underground organizations caught onto this and made a startling discovery: it was quite simple to reverse engineer the changes to again make the droids space-ready. Furthermore, buying bulk Agromechs instead of Astromechs prevented the local authorities from being tipped off.

                Because of this we have one of the best combat droids in the X-wing game. When you spend an offensive focus token you can acquire a target lock on the defender which you can immediately use in your second attack.. This gives your Warthog the equivalent of a Fire Control system. The composion of this type of Y-wing actually paved way for a new viable build: 4 Warthogs with Ion turrets and R4 Agromechs. At range 1-2 this squad can dish out 8 modified attacks, giving between 12-16 damage as well as 4 ion tokens.

                In summary, Pirates don't fight in the traditional fashion and work hard to mess up their opponent's strategy. They like to operate solo and have their hands on a whole score of illicit upgrades to give them the advantage. And finally they take new and interesting twists on old ships to make them just as deadly as others on the battlefield. So try out the Scum & Villainy faction and get your hands dirty. You might even find yourself having some fun.