Subterfuge and Mind Games - Advanced X-wing Miniature Aspects Part 3

                Good morning, PGP fans. This week I am happy to present part 3 of my article thread discussing some of the more advanced X-wing Miniature aspects. Click here if you'd like to review Part 1 and Part 2. Today's article will cover the use of Subterfuge & Mind Games. First, we'll look at how subterfuge applies to X-wing game play. Then we'll discuss how to use it in both squad building and facing your opponent. I hope by the end that you will have a couple new ideas on how to add some flavor to your game play and how to catch unsuspecting opponents flat-footed.

Subversive Tactics

                X-wing is not overtly a game of subterfuge. If it were then you would be able to hide your cards from your opponent and both of you would have to enter the battlefield blind and cautious. While hiding your cards would make for some hilarious casual play, it is against the rules to do so in competitive play. But here's the catch. This doesn't mean you have to tell your opponent exactly how you plan on using your cards. I've said it before and I'll say it again: subterfuge in X-wing is being able to pull a fast one on your opponent even after they have seen all of your cards.

                Some tactics are straightforward and that is both their strength and weakness. For example, if you take Assault Missiles then it is very clear that you want splash damage. Your opponent will know this and will have to split up his formations or suffer the consequences. But other upgrade cards are a little more...sneaky. What do you plan on doing with that Proximity Mine? Lock down a lane between asteroids? Dump it on the face of a higher PS enemy? Or trap a chaser trying to flank you? To be subversive, you want to take upgrades that can fulfill multiple roles.

TIE Bomber w/ Scimitar Pilot - 21 points

                Extra Munitions

                Proximity Mines

Versatile Strategies

                I really like the pilot Serissu. This Bothan has somewhat become my Scum Champion as the Gray Squadron Pilot became my Rebel Champion. There are so many interesting ways to build her ship. I've talked about her with Juke, a combo where she can be both evasive and deadly. I've talked about her with Expert Handling so that she can get the most out of her barrel rolls and be a slippery target.

                But now let's look at her with Veteran Instincts. We have a PS 10 Scyk Interceptor that actually can fulfill an Arc Dodger role. However, that role is in stark contrast to her pilot ability. She can't be coming in on a wide, flanking vector and also protect an allied squad at the same time. But let's capitalize off of this fact. If you put her in the back of a squad formation then she will blend in. VI will look like a cheap upgrade to make sure she gets to attack first. But when the alpha strike comes you can split your formation. That way your ships can cover more area with your firing arcs and Serissu can get to a safe place off to the side. Then the next turn she can move into position behind an enemy ship and start to chase it. And it is the same on the reverse side. You can put Serissu far away from your Scum swarm, which 'tells' your opponent you picked her for high Pilot Skill and not her ability. Then when the alpha strike comes you can trick your opponent by cutting her flanking vector short. Instead, fly her right into the fray and she now can provide protection for her allies. Your opponent now has to chose between shooting at their original target or switching entirely to take care of Serissu first. And this can be especially devastating if enemy ships now have taken Target Locks on the wrong ship.

Scyk w/ Serissu - 24 points

                Veteran Instincts

                Stealth Device

                Versatile strategy that can't be predicted by your opponent draws heavily from the use of overlapping Ship Pillars. Let's use the example of my favorite B-wing build. I really can't stand flying un-upgraded B-wings. Every time it feels like my ships just sit there, relatively speaking, waiting to be outflown by enemy aces. But I absolutely love them when they are equipped with Advanced Sensors. I don't pair the two together because I'm afraid of bumping. Advanced Sesnors in conjunction with the Barrel Roll action is so powerful that it frees up the B's very slow dial. But it also does more than that. It lets the ship fulfill Arc Dodger roles, which is crazy because the ships is very much a Jouster in the mind of the meta. In an Escalation Tournament, I flew my favorite Advanced Ion Strafe B-wing and its movement dial was strong enough allow me to keep it out of arc of an enemy Whisper.

B-wing w/ Blue Pilot - 28 points

                Advanced Sensors

                Ion Cannon

                The main point of having a versatile squadron is that you have more options. You want to be able to react to what your opponent has brought to the table, rather than just stubbornly going ahead with what you already planned. And if you play your squad correctly - as well as your tells - then you can convince your opponent you are flying rigidly when instead you are fluid and can catch them off guard.

Mind Games

                And this brings us to the second main point of subterfuge: playing mind games. If you can get into your opponent's head then you gain the advantage and use it to win.

                Let's start off by discussing one-shot items. These upgrades are some of the best for mind games. The reason for this is that even though you only get to use it once, it is always a threat while you still have it. If you equip Adrenaline Rush then your opponent knows that you will be making a surprise red move at sometime. But when? Since they don't know they have to answer a question: is it safe to fly aggressively and hope for the best, or should I be more conservative until the one-shot is used?

                You can build a whole squad around the premise of wanting your opponent to act a certain way. For example, flying a Talonbane Cobra with Crackshot (or Carnor Jax for that matter) can make your opponent reconsider putting evade tokens next to their ships. Why would they waste their action since you could just bypass them? But that is the trap because now your supporting squad of Headhunters or Y-wings have a much higher chance of punching through the enemy defenses. By forcing your opponent into a lose-lose choice right at the beginning of the game, you can turn the tide of an alpha strike into your favor.

                And the same can be said of Lightning Reflexes, Advanced Homing Missiles, Boba Fett crew, and many others. Use them to strike fear into the heart of your enemy! Find a combo that appeals to your tastes and gives you an advantage in-game. Then practice it long and hard so you are confident you can pull it off in the competitive scene.

A-wing w/ Tycho Celchu - 28 points

                A-wing Test Pilot

                Wired

                Lightning Reflexes

                Autothrusters

                Chardaan Refit

                The next part of playing mind games is doing things that make your opponent work harder. If we put a Targeting Astromech on Hobbie then we have a powerful combo. But it is quite easy for your opponent to guess that Hobbie will pick K-turns and so they will plan accordingly. To get some subterfuge going we need to create combos that really make our opponents think.

                Let's use the example of Poe Dameron with Wired. This combo requires your opponent to put some thought into guessing your moves. Poe's ability means you want to get the focus token but Wired means that you want to pick red moves. Which will you go for in the heat of battle? Let's just make it a little crazier by giving also equipping R2-D2. Now your T-70 wants to go for the green moves as well, making a ship that desires three different things! Poe's movement and actions are now things that your opponent will have to question on each and every turn. And hopefully when they are using precious brain power to deliberate this, they aren't making as strong choices in other aspects of the game.

               

T-70 w/ Poe - 38 points

                Wired

                R2-D2

                Autothrusters

                Whichever way you go about it, whether in the way you fly or the upgrades you pick, mind games can really thrown other players. The name of the game of X-wing is to outmaneuver enemy ships. But more often than not that process starts by you first outwitting your opponent.

Good Sportsmanship

                A small caveat before I finish. Playing mind games in X-wing does not mean that you rudely hinder your opponent, for example by rushing them. This kind of conduct is expressly stated in X-wing rules as both cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct. If your opponent makes a mistake it should be from their own error. Perhaps they are nervous in a game and forget to use an ability in its designated time window. That's fine. But players shouldn't push the game forward with the intention of rushing opponents past time windows. Remember to be competitive but to ultimately fly casual!

Conclusion

                As I've said before, it is important to remember that advanced skills, like subterfuge, are minor compared to essentials ones like ship flying and squad building. If you are just starting out, make sure to get your head square on your shoulders with the basics and then try branching out. Once you do, these subtle mind games can add a great fun and flavor to your X-wing matches. It is one of the main reasons why I keep playing. What are some of your greatest moments of pulling a fast one on your opponent? Let me know in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed this article and have a great week of flying!

Horseshoes in Space - The Physics Behind the Jumpmaster 5000

                Good day, PGP readers. I must apologize for my recent hiatus. My lack of writing is a culmination of contracting a nasty cold bug, having a minor case of writer's block, and also a large part due to the reopening of the Overwatch Beta, of which I was fortunate to be invited to. I hope to now get back into my normal rhythm of things.

                In today's article I want take a look at the release of the Punishing One Expansion Pack, but not in the way you think. Although I am thoroughly intrigued with the inclusion of Guidance Chips, Rage, Mindlink, and the Gonk Droid (especially after my Shield Recharge analysis), what really draws my fascination for this new ship is the unique dial mechanic.

                The Jumpmaster 5000 is somewhat of a quirky ship and to help portray this, the game developers over at FFG decided to give the ship an asymmetrical dial. But why would they choose to do this? Is it the non-aerodynamic design of the vessel? That's not the case since X-wing Miniatures is portrayed as space combat and air resistance is non-applicable. And it is definitely not just because FFG wanted a new mechanic for the sake of a new mechanic. Their way of game design is so intricately laced with lore that they wouldn't do that. No, the reason for the choice of an asymmetrical dial is actual drawn from mass distribution.

                My collegiate career has allowed me to study a large portion of physics and it has been a enjoyable topic for me to learn. Matter acts quite strange sometimes when you really take a look at it. And there is a specific property of mass interaction that is called the Center of Mass, which we will use to look at Dengar's prized ship.

                Center of mass is the name describing the balance point of a quantified body of mass. This balance point is important because it is what dictates how outside forces will affect the body. Let's start by looking at the center of mass of a model cube. This shape is symmetrical and its mass is at a uniform distance from itself. The center of mass for a symmetrical object like this is - quite conveniently - in the center. If we wanted to move this cube we would have to take the center of mass into consideration. If a force is in the middle of one of the square faces then the cube will move directly in the direction you are pushing. But stray away from the center and then we start having problems. The further away you are from the center of the face, the more your forward movement is converted into rotation movement. In a frictionless environment, like the vacuum of space, this means that your cube will start to spin rather than move forward like you wanted.

                This takes us to our second model, a horseshoe. This shape is also symmetrical, but not on all of its 6 axes. As such the center of mass moves away from the exact center and towards a new location. The balance point of said shoe is moved closer to the connected top and further away from the open bottom. And even though it is in a different spot, this point still dictates force interaction. But now we have a problem, we can no longer apply a force directly to the center of mass because it is now just in empty space. We can overcome this problem by applying force from different points that are the same distance from the center of gravity. To illustrate, if you push on one leg of a horseshoe in space then it will mostly spin around the center of mass. But if you apply equal pressure to both legs then the opposing rotational forces will be cancelled out. If we wanted to make a horseshoe-shaped rocket ship then it would need to have engines on both legs.

                And thus we have the Jumpmaster 5000. This ship is a horseshoe with more mass located in one leg. And then the main engines are only placed in that leg. What does this mean? It means the Jumpmaster's center of mass is closer to the cockpit side of the ship rather than the turret side of the ship. And since the engines are only on the cockpit side as well, all of that mass is going to want to rotate around that center of mass when Dengar fires up his ionic boosters. That is why FFG designed the Jumpmaster with a dial where left maneuvers are easier than right ones. It has so many left green moves because the ship naturally wants to turn left when it flies. In fact, to even go straight, the Jumpmaster would rely on lateral thrusters on the turret wing to offset the rotational force. And it would need to use these thrusters even more heavily when attempting to turn right.

                In real life this ship would be more trouble than its worth and would never pass as a viable design for a spacecraft. However it isn't as bad, in my opinion, as the design of the U.S.S. Kelvin from Star Trek. Having the main nacelle engine below the disk of the ship means that the poor thing really only wants to spin heels over head. But the Punishing One's movment problem could have easily been avoided. If the ship designers had placed a second engine on the turret wing then the ship wouldn't have any rotation tendencies. Or perhaps a neater solution would be to place the cockpit and engines of the ship in the middle of the wedge, rather than off to one side, thus creating an umbrella shape.

                But let's be honest. The Punishing One wasn't created to as a prototype for real spaceships. It was made as part of a fantastical universe that is meant to be played in and be enjoyed. So I won't be fretting much once I get the chance to fly my own Jumpmaster in X-wing Miniatures. I will instead be enjoying a unique mechanic and a wonderfully built strategy game.

                I hope you enjoyed this small foray into the physical sciences. Please feel free to leave comments, as well as ideas for anything you would like me to analyse in the X-wing world. I hope you have a great week of flying and I will see you later. Poor Grey Pilot out.

My Fourth X-wing Miniatures Modification - A Smorgasbord of Projects

                This week I am happy to present some of the painting mods I've been doing on the side. Sometimes it is really nice to take a break from strategy and just enjoy a fun hobby.

Rebels' New TIE

                When the First Order TIE Fighter was announced, I wasn't one of the people who jumped on the bandwagon of repainting existing TIE miniatures. First, I am not brave enough to try white paint yet. But I was also suspicious that the TIE/fo would make an appearance as its own ship in the X-wing game. So when The Force Awakens came out I was able to pick up three of the new ships without having to repaint.

                But things were a little different when the mid-season trailer for Rebels came out. They showed a new type of TIE Fighter. Some have theorized that it is the precursor to the TIE Interceptor. I personally think it is one of the transitional stages between the V-wing and the TIE Fighter, just like how the AT-OT was a transition between the AT-TE and the AT-AT. But regardless, there is more than a good chance that this type of TIE won't be appearing as its own ship. And this mod would require no scary white paint.

                It was a delicate but simple job of cutting away the front two panels of each wing. Then I sanded down the plastic so the cuts would be nice and smooth. And finally, I put on some grey paint to help the new lines blend in. It was an enjoyable project and also a fun new look for the TIE Fighter.

Engine Glow

                I have seen a lot of miniature repaints involving engine glow and I must say that I do not have the skill to repeat it. The shading, the different colors, and the pop: I can somewhat understand it, yet I am not sure how to create it myself. But honestly I am ok with something easier.

                For the X-wing, I simply added some red into the inside rims of the engine exhausts. For the Hawk, I painted blue over each engine section then dabbed the paint on the top. That way only the paint in the crevices remained. They both give a good feel of engines for me. 

Paint Tune Up

                Next on my list was my gold Y-wing. I like the color scheme it has but I do not like how faded it looks. So I got some goldenrod paint and I went over it. There really isn't that big of a difference but the yellow stands out more. And to finish it off I added a dollop of red to the top of the R5 unit.

Finn's Helmet

                My last repaint actually isn't a starship miniature. But the story is so great that I had to share it. I won one of the games at my family's Christmas Party and received a prize. It turned out to be a 12 inch figurine of the new Episode 7 Stormtrooper. Later that day my young nephew approached me and asked if he could play with the Stormtrooper. Knowing that there was a big chance of things going missing with my whole extended family present, I opted to not open it and pointed him towards the Family Room's big toy box. However, I did not keep a close eye on him and, much to my chagrin, he was later found with it red handed. Now, it would have been fine except for the fact that he was literally red handed: he had also found himself some red lip balm.

                Needless to say, my once brand new Stormtrooper was now slightly pink. But I decided to make the most of the situation. After a lot of thought, I was inspired by Finn's helmet from the Force Awakens. The red paint actually helps the pink splotches blend in, making them less noticeable to the eye. And even if you are looking for them they now look like residual stain from the "blood". Plus it gives the figurine a lot more personality. My camera didn't show it as well as in person but here is before and after my paint job.

                And that's it for me this week. Thanks for checking out my repaints, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any comments about the miniatures you have worked on. Have a great week flying your custom creations!