Hey guys,
I got some people who have never tried Wargaming to play X-Wing. They were both Star Wars fans, one very briefly tried Magic, and one read 40k books. They both love the game, but I am struggling to put something fun for them to play against while they learn, but I also want it to be challenging for them to play against because they are quick learners and collecting a little at a time. I would rather it be a three or four ship Imperial list. Here is something I came up with, but wanted some opinions.
Omega Leader
-Juke
-Comm Relay
Omega Ace
-Push the Limit
-Comm Relay
Zeta Leader
-Wired
-Comm Relay
Zeta Ace
-Outmaneuver
-Comm Relay
If you guys have any fun suggestions I would be glad to hear them! Thanks guys.
I want to get into using the TIE/
fo All Stars too, and I think you've got the right ones. Epsilon Leader is amazing but not when flying with other TIE/fos - it's not like their fantastic dial has much trouble shedding stress anyway. It's possible he'll be better as a wingman for a couple of Special Forces fighters as it's been hinted they have rather more red on their dial.
Epsilon Ace is.....well.....he's definitely worth his points, if only for trolling everyone who thinks pilot skill is a viable substitute for being able to plan and jumps straight for PS11 Veteran Instincts Darth Vader, assuming it makes them invincible. His lack of an elite talent hurts, though; I think his best use is probably paired with a lower
PS but more dangerous pilot with Decoy (Echo, for example) - again, less of an issue in a pure TIE/
fo list
Zeta Leader:
Weapons Guidance is actually not a bad alternative to Comms Relay on Zeta Leader; fire, gain a stress to roll an extra attack die, spend the focus to convert a [blank] to a [hit] and then reroll the [focus] results with wired.
Saves a point, too.
Zeta Ace:
Zeta Ace is a lovely pilot but not one I'd sink huge amounts of points into; stick on Push The Limit so you can use the amazing barrel roll and still focus/lock and you're probably good to go at barely the price of a generic TIE interceptor. start stacking massive amounts of upgrades and you probably won't get your points worth.
The other option (which I'll admit I've not tried) is Intimidation - Zeta Ace strikes me as a very effective blocker for higher skill pilots, so Intimidation lets you double down on this role in a way that benefits the rest of the squad.
Outmaneuver is cool and all, but Barrel Roll isn't as good for it as you might think. Because it doesn't let you change facing, it's brilliant for avoiding someone else's arc of fire, but less useful for lining up your own.
Omega Leader:
Pretty much the 'industry standard'. If you have spare points from other suggestions, a Stealth Device isn't a bad call - since he's getting to play so many games with dice, why not give him an extra one?
Omega Ace:
Yeah.... he's cool and all, but limited. His pilot ability sounds amazing but it's one of those that makes you go "holy !!!!!!" every couple of games rather than "nice!" every turn - since you're spending a target lock and focus to do it, you'd essentially have got a 93-and-a-bit percent hit rate anyway; all you're really achieving is upping them to criticals. Where he shines is if he can get a range 1 shot against someone who doesn't dodge very well. The best case scenario is catching a shields-down decimator at range 1 and putting three criticals into it in succession, which will provoke some serious swearwords from the poor bugger on the receiving end.
If you have spare points, again, Twin Ion Engines MkII are nice but not critical. Big sweeping '3' banks are useful for getting to the close range he needs, though.
At the same time, if people are just starting, I'd recommend a squad of mostly generics with one (or two) named pilots. It's easier for them to keep track of than unloading a dozen 'special rules' cards on them at once.
You can do a nice, easy to fly but suprisingly hard to pin down squad as "Epsilon Squadron" - 4 Epsilon Squadron Pilots, Epsilon Ace and Epsilon Leader (with a comms relay).
This gives you a nice 'block' of TIE fighters who are actually pretty damn tough for their cost, with two special rules - the 'swarm' is capable of back-to-back koiogran turns or segnor's loops (I assure you that'll catch people
badly off-guard at least once), whilst 'ace' flies independently and can out-pilot-skill anything your opponent cares to bring to the board. Essentially it's a squad all about flying, rather than winning by manipulating dice, and it's one that looks perfectly thematic.
