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Preview of Z-95 pilots and some upgrade cards on FFG website.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4715

Not sure if it has been shared yet.

Blounts ability definitely looks interesting. The real winner, though looks like the munitions failsafe. That one looks really useful for the missile support ship.

Aye, failsafe makes tie bombers wonderful.

Really? I thought the failsafe was kinda meh. Great if I have a point left over, but not really a auto build-in. Not bad just...it's there if you can use it.

The more ordnance youre carrying, the better it is. Apt and cluster missiles on a tie bomber work better with it.

KnuckleWolf wrote:
Really? I thought the failsafe was kinda meh. Great if I have a point left over, but not really a auto build-in. Not bad just...it's there if you can use it.

I think it's great!

Look at it like this - what are the Z-95 but essentially a Rebel Missile Spam delivery system? They don't have anything that makes a Z-95 swarm flying in formation particularly deadly, except for the munitions failsafe which will always guarantee you get a result on the points you spent on the missile.

The same goes for the TIE Bomber, which is really on the table for its secondary weapons. Load one up with missiles/torpedoes and fire away with the failsafes.

KnuckleWolf wrote:
Really? I thought the failsafe was kinda meh. Great if I have a point left over, but not really a auto build-in. Not bad just...it's there if you can use it.

Thing is, one of the big problems that most missiles and torps have is that you are very vulnerable to bad luck. If you roll all blanks, or your opponent rolls all evades, you've wasted 4-5 points. For a mere one point, you can keep that key assault missile salvo for another turn if you miss. Also, it appears to be multi-use. This has a couple uses:

1) Makes ordinance spammers like the TIE bomber much more viable, because now if you miss you haven't straight up wasted that 4 points- and it applies to every shot. This helps them with the problem of running out of firepower. You get a lot more use out of your expensive craft.

2) The Missile boats are now sure to launch their ordinence- so you have a much better chance to use those assault missiles to soften the enemy TIE Swarm.

3) There is potential for a token stripper role. Get someone with better PS than the rest of your squad, and shoot some ordinance at a high priority target that is sitting on evade/focus tokens. Your opponent will likely have to use the tokens to evade your S4 attack. The rest of your ships may now attack freely. As for your first ship, you have either caused damage (always a plus), or you have another ordinance card for only 1/(# shots fired)pt.

Do I think that this is going to turn the game on its head? Probably not. Do I think that it makes missiles/Torps much more attractive? Yes.

Edit: Related to point 3...

Z-95 Spotter- 25-26pt
Airen Cracken
Vet Instincts
* Missiles
Munitions Failsafe

This guy teams up with your main pilot (Wedge, Ten Num, Han, whoever) and spots for them. PS 10 means that he shoots first, and gives them an action, in addition to the missile stripping tactic I mentioned above. PS 10 is also high enough that you might be able to force guys like Fel to use their focus defensively instead of offensively.

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:
For a mere one point, you can keep that key assault missile salvo for another turn if you miss.

The problem with this is that the pilots that make best use of a 4-5 point upgrade are the ones that are least likely to miss. Yeah, it's great for a cheap ship that doesn't have PTL/focus passing/etc to boost its shots, but how often do you want to spend 4-5 points on one of those?

1) Makes ordinance spammers like the TIE bomber much more viable, because now if you miss you haven't straight up wasted that 4 points- and it applies to every shot. This helps them with the problem of running out of firepower. You get a lot more use out of your expensive craft.

On the other hand missile spammers are more likely to already have enough shots to last the whole game (or at least until they die) and not benefit much from the failsafe. Saving a missile that didn't hit doesn't help you if it just means that you die with an unspent missile card equipped.

2) The Missile boats are now sure to launch their ordinence- so you have a much better chance to use those assault missiles to soften the enemy TIE Swarm.

But the failsafe does absolutely nothing to guarantee that you launch. It doesn't help you get a target lock with a low-PS ship, and it doesn't do anything if you die before you get to attack.

3) There is potential for a token stripper role. Get someone with better PS than the rest of your squad, and shoot some ordinance at a high priority target that is sitting on evade/focus tokens.

But, again, high-PS ships are the least likely to miss. Wedge with PTL and a torpedo shot doesn't miss very often, so adding a failsafe just wastes a point and a modification slot.

This guy teams up with your main pilot (Wedge, Ten Numb, Han, whoever) and spots for them.

I think at this point you're probably investing too many points into a single high-end character. Wedge/Han/etc are good because they don't need support ships to be awesome. IMO Cracken is going to be best with squad leader and nothing else, keeping him a cheap buff ship that can pass out two extra actions. And since you're only spending 21 points you can still easily take a 4-ship list. Consider:

Dagger B-wing, advanced sensors
Dagger B-wing, advanced sensors
Biggs
Cracken, squad leader

It's the standard XXBB list, but instead of the two red squadron X-wings you get Biggs (a clear upgrade) and a powerful buff ship that can re-position B-wings at PS 8 in the activation phase and PS 8 in the shooting phase.

Wait...did me and Peregrine just...kinda agree? LOL

I kinda shared his concerns...strangely. For one point can I survive another round to lock on? If I really want Assault Missile to hit I just use Lt. Blount for Rebels who is just sweet anyway, or maybe Jonus for Imps. There is also the point that the Z-95 is kinda puny so will die a bit often, and there is nothing to really support a swarm of 'em anyway like there is with Howlrunner. I just don't see a ton of efficiency. They see the missile boat, focus it, fail to kill, missile misses, they focus you again, dead ship...would of rather saved three or so points if I'm spamming missiles to get legit support, or hell at that point another missile. I get the stripping thing but shouldn't my high PS guys already have done that? Again it's not bad as like a one-of. But not 'oooh shiny' enough otherwise.

@Peregrine: Wasn't Biggs already in the standard XXBB list? Was in mine. And the Worlds list.

KnuckleWolf wrote:
@Peregrine: Wasn't Biggs already in the standard XXBB list? Was in mine. And the Worlds list.

He could be, but it meant downgrading a red squadron X-wing to a rookie to free up points, and I think the all-PS 4 version was the "standard" that all of the others vary from.

Ah, never had any problem with a rookie hanging around if Biggs kept the Busy Bees alive longer. For lol's would occasionally throw in a crazy Prototype Pilot