The intro…
Welcome to this week’s blog!
This week is another bumper edition with TWO games to talk about AGAIN! (that’s 3 weeks in a row now!)
Before I get started I just want to mention that, given that this is the final blog before STO (the hype is real!!), if you’re not able to make it but you’re feeling like you want to get to a large scale event in the UK, you should check out details for The Welsh Open 2023 and get yourself a ticket!
Alright, I’ll keep the intro short today and we’ll just right in!
The batrep (s) (JARGON ALERT!!)
Ok, so like I mentioned earlier this is now the THIRD week in a row where I played twice on a Wednesday. It isn’t something I’m likely to keep doing long term as most of the time is just isn’t practical for me to do it you know what they say, make hay while the sun shines!
With STO just about 10 days away at the time of playing (and just 4 at time of publishing this! WOOOOOO!!) I’m down to the fine tuning. Last week’s games where I tweaked some upgrades in the list I’ve been using taught me some very interesting lessons in terms of what elements I rely on and which aren’t so important. It also highlighted to me that change in approach or play style has an impact on these and while some upgrades may be regarded as better in general, if they don’t fit the way I play (and I can’t adapt my play to fit them) then sticking with what I know is likely the better option.
So, with that in mind, it’s looking like this is the final version of my list for the main event:
Luke Skywalker (6)
Elusive (2)
Proton Torpedoes (12)
Shield Upgrade (8)
Servomotor S-Foils (0)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (22/22) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 3
Fenn Rau (Sheathipede) (4)
Swarm Tactics (5)
R4 Astromech (3)
Targeting Computer (1)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (9/9) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
Airen Cracken (3)
Elusive (2)
Plasma Torpedoes (7)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (9/9) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Alexsandr Kallus (7)
Dorsal Turret (2)
Saw Gerrera (9)
Veteran Turret Gunner (5)
Ghost (0)
Ship Cost: 7 Loadout: (16/16) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 7
Total: 20
View in YASB 2: https://yasb.app/?f=Rebel%20Alliance&d=v9ZhZ20Z4XW119W136WW165W142Y69X132WW5W249WY54X119WW234WY392XWWW137W58WWW90W148&sn=STO%202023&obs=
Tanky Luke punches hard, Kallus is going to smash things, Cracken can strip shields and pass actions and Fenn can Swarm my ships to i6 to avoid being initiative killed (or to help me initiative kill) and pass actions. Fairly simple but effective when it goes right.
Game 1 – Alex Jensterle
Alex and I turned up with the knowledge that someone else had registered for a ticket but we had no idea who it actually was (as in, we knew the name of the person, it’s someone we didn’t know!). The plan was we’ll play a game, see if anyone turns and and maybe play a second.
Alex is playing the list that he’s been on for a few months now:
“Jag” (SoC) (4)
Veteran Tail Gunner (0)
R4-P Astromech (0)
Synchronized Console (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
“Wolffe” (SoC) (4)
Wolfpack (SoC) (0)
Veteran Tail Gunner (0)
Q7 Astromech (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
“Hawk” (5)
Dedicated (1)
Seventh Fleet Gunner (8)
Agile Gunner (3)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (12/12) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 5
Anakin Skywalker (Delta-7b) (7)
Crack Shot (3)
R4-P17 (4)
Shield Upgrade (8)
Ship Cost: 7 Loadout: (15/15) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 3
Total: 20
View in YASB 2: https://yasb.app/?f=Galactic%20Republic&d=v9ZhZ20Z579X89W213W211Y578X492W89W365Y415X210WWWWW227W76WY528XWW116W214W165&sn=Unsaved%20Squadron&obs=
He went 4-0 with it at Gloucester and just generally really knows what he’s doing with it and any game against Alex is going to be a tough one.
Let’s hit those Pre-Flight checks:
Scenario – Scramble the Transmission
Target/Objective Priority – Eesh. Scenarios with actions aren’t my favourite, especially with this list. Still, the plan is to tag an onbective or two and then smash things up.
Obstacles – I wanted to try something new today, placing a line of obstacles along Alex’s board edge close together enough to prevent the arcs coming through side by side.
Deployment – I’ll see where Alex places Jag but Kallus, Cracken and Fenn will be together. Luke might be as well, depending on how things look by then.
Alex is first player for setup and we place objectives, obstacles and ships and we’re good to go.
Turn 1
With obstacles placed where they are I’m looking to cruise up my board edge then turn in to the lane across the middle. Jag and Wolffe can’t approach exactly together so I’m hoping to take one out before the other gets to range 1. What the heck is Anakin going to do though?
ROAD 1st Player – Me
My ships cruise forwards and just in case Anakin is feeling brave, I reinforce with Kallus. Luke is placed next to everyone else but I am planning to send him a bit wider and I’m happy that Kallus’ 4 straight means he can clear the rock with whatever turn I like next time.
Alex’s big ships trundle forwards but Anakin goes 5 straight, boosts right and then rolls left, getting him a shot on Kallus without getting shot back. Cheeky.
Anakin takes a shot at Kallus but only does 1 shield’s worth of damage. I’ll take that.
No scoring this turn so on we go!
Turn 2
So what does Anakin’s position mean for me now? There’s no way he comes in at me, he’s highly likely to bank out left and then turn in for a flank the follow turn, right? RIGHT?!?
In the meantime I’ve got to go in at the ARCs and try to take one outto reduce incoming fire. It’s looking like I can manage to get just one if I judge the distance right.
ROAD 1st Player – Alex
Jag start things off with a 1 bank around the rock. Wolffe drops in behind with a hard turn before Hawk gently banks around and tags an objective.
Kallus 1 banks around the rock (a mistake which I’ll come back to on the next turn) while Luke and Cracken nestle in behind him.
Anakin does 3 bank out of danger and boosts right to try (and fail) to dodge Cracken.
Fenn bank in beside Cracken, dodging Anakin. For now. He coordinates a lock to Kallus but reflection I think claiming the objective might have been better.
Neither Anakin or Fenn can shoot but I swarm Cracken (pointlessly) up to i6 to fire at Anakin with a Plasma torp which he spends his focus to dodge.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Kallus has Jag in range but he’s the only one.
They trade shots with Kallus stripping Jag’s shields and Jag putting 2 more hits into the Ghost.
End of turn score: 0 – 1
Turn 3
Ok, I’ve started on an ARC, I need to kill it. I’m expecting a 3 straight from Jag to force the bump but I’m not overly bothered about that. I want to make sure nobody bumps into Kallus though and so I set Cracken a 3 bank left, Luke a 2 bank left and Fenn a 2 straight.
ROAD 1st Player – Me
And it immediately starts going wrong.
Jag spends an R4-P Astromech charge to reduce the difficulty of the 4 straight to white and zooms forwards, taking a lock. Balls. I always forget about that.
Kallus bumps into Jag but doesn’t take the red focus. Wolffe banks in and focuses, Hawk takes a 2 straight and focuses, neatly missing the rock.
Craken banks in beside Kallus and does take the red focus while Luke’s 2 bank just barely clears Kallus. I consider the boost in at Wolffe but instead take a lock.
Fenn bumps into the back of Kallus and rolls a hit to lose his shield. Worse than the damage is the loss of the coordinate though.
Anakin hard turns in and claims the objective.
It’s certainly not ideal.
Fenn swarms Cracken up to i6. I’ll go into why in a moment.
Alex debates it for a minute but Anakin eventually fires into Kallus, stripping his last shield and getting a damage card on.
I decide I’m going to focus down Wolffe to try and remove a gun. Luke doesn’t have Jag and Kallus and Cracken’s shots into the i3 ARC will be range 0 so I go all in on Wolffe. I swarmed Cracken over Kallus to make use of the Plasma shot first to (hopefully) take a an extra shield.
While it works and I burn Wolffe down, swarming Cracken over Kallus means Wolffe survives to shoot at i4 and between shots with rerolls from Hawk, an unfortunate crit or two and a significantly better than average range 0 shot from Jag, Wolffe’s destruction comes at the cost of Kallus.
Balls.
End of turn score: 4 – 9
Total score: 4 – 10
Turn 4
Well that’s unfortunate. No time to dwell on it for now, I need to find a way to recover.
With just 4 health left, Fenn is in a bit of danger. I decide he will 2 hard turn out of the way while Cracken head for the middle and Luke takes a k-turn (JARGON ALERT!!).
ROAD 1st Player – Me
Jag takes a 4-k as well, clearing Fenn. Hawk goes 1 straight this time and reinforces to the rear, expecting to be rounded on by Luke and Cracken.
Luke takes his 4-K while Cracken 2 banks into the middle, clearing stress and claiming the objective.
Fenn then takes his 2 hard turn in to face Hawk’s flank and, with Anakin’s potential position in mind, takes a focus.
Anakin 2 hards right, clearing Jag and declines to reposition, simply taking a focus.
Fenn takes a range 1 swipe at Anakin but rolls eyeballs and firmly refuses to spend them. Anakin weighs his options before deciding to fire at Luke but can only take 1 shield from him.
Luke takes a range 3 pot shot at Jag and puts 2 hits on while the return shot misses.
End of turn score: 1 – 2
Total score: 5 – 12
Turn 5
The writing is on the wall here. I’m being outscored on objectives and to catch up on them I’ve got to sacrifice a shot from one of my ships. Even killing the only damaged ship will only net me an extra 4 points and I’m 7 behind. set Cracken a 3 bank to tag the far right objective. Luke will go 1 straight to clear stress while Fenn will also go 1 straight.
ROAD 1st Player – Alex
Jag spends another R4-P charge and dives in at Luke, taking a focus. While Hawk hard turns to his right and focuses.
Cracken 3 banks and claims while Luke goes 1 straight and bumps into Jag. Typical.
Anakin revelas a 5-k, lands right behind Luke, removes his stress and takes a focus. Man I hate that ship!!
Fenn takes his 1 straight and, given that Luke can’t kill Jag at range 0, coordinates Luke a barrel roll left.
It’s Anakin to shoot first and we do a quick arc check…
Luke is out but I don’t think it would have mattered, he shoots at poor tokenless Fenn and deals 2 damage as my greens blank out.
Fenn shoots a rear range 2 shot into Jag and deals 1 damage, leaving him alive on 3 hull and taking no other shots.
Luke fires at Hawk but at this point it’s irrelevant. Haw fires range 1 into Fenn and just to rub a little salt into that wound, Fenn blanks again and dies.
End of turn score: 2 – 5
Final score: 7 – 17
Mini conclusion…
Another defeat against this Republic list. I really feel like this one swung on some very fine margins though. If Kallus doesn’t take a crit, if I swarm Kallus over Cracken, if Alex doesn’t roll paint every. Single. Time.
The 10 point score difference feels a bit harsh but I can’t say it entirely unjustified. Yes I might have killed Jag eventually but Anakin and Hawk were untouched and they’re the most expensive ships in the list. I think I’m at the point where I say that I can’t beat Alex’s list with this list no matter what the scenario. We discuss it afterwards a little but the damage output from his list is so high and so incredibly consistent and my low agility ships just can’t take the beating or, more to the point, not for long enough to remove guns from the board.
Game 2 – Peter Yarwood
With the first game done we chatted a little, went a got a drink and then started to re-rack. Just as we started turn 1 our mystery visitor arrived and asked if he could watch. It turned out that Peter, who is not local, travels for work, noticed there was an X-Wing night in the area and had brought his stuff along just in case!
Alex had some shopping to do anyway (and I’m tired of getting beaten by those darned clones!) and so we stopped and Peter set up to play me.
He’d brought a list with something I’d not played against in a LONG while.
Kelrodo-Ai Holdout (2)
Elusive (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Munitions Failsafe (1)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (7/7) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Kelrodo-Ai Holdout (2)
Elusive (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Munitions Failsafe (1)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (7/7) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Kelrodo-Ai Holdout (2)
Elusive (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Munitions Failsafe (1)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (7/7) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Haor Chall Prototype (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Independent Calculations (0)
Grappling Struts (0)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (4/4) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Haor Chall Prototype (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Independent Calculations (0)
Grappling Struts (0)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (4/4) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
The Iron Assembler (2)
Energy-Shell Charges (4)
Independent Calculations (0)
Munitions Failsafe (1)
Grappling Struts (0)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (5/5) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Volan Das (4)
Treacherous (2)
Proton Rockets (8)
Munitions Failsafe (1)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (11/12) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 1
Durge (Separatist) (4)
Marksmanship (1)
Proton Cannons (4)
False Transponder Codes (3)
Xanadu Blood (0)
Novice Technician (2)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (10/10) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Total: 20
Wow. That’s a lot of ships. It’s been AGES since I’ve faced an 8-ship list and this not only has all the bodies but one is a bigger gun and the other has a strong disliking to actually dying. Firesprays aside, I’ve not flown against CIS very much at all.
Let’s look at those Pre-Flight checks:
Scenario – Salvage Mission
Target/Objective Priority – Start popping droids! I need at least 1 box, preferably 2 as I have less bodies to pick them up later.
Obstacles – I’d like a lane to fly the Ghost through but I’m also wary of droids sitting on rocks. Spread is good, getting them out of the way is best.
Deployment – Again in a block I think. Probably.
We place objectives, obstacles and ships and we’re good to go!
Turn 1
I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve faced droids but this is NOT the setup I was expecting from Peter.
I’m fully expecting the ships directly opposite to turn away while the left flank closes in. Either way, there’s no clear lane through the middle so I’m planning to stay on the right until I close on the top right rock. Everyone will go straight.
ROAD 1st Player – Peter
As predicted, Peter’s right hand droids 1 hard and barrel roll towards the board edge. Two of the left hand vultures do the same while Volan Das does a 5 straight and boost and Durge goes 2 straight up the middle.
I send my ships straight but not especially slow, wanting to clear the bottom right rock just in case I need to turn in.
We’re not at range to shoot and there’s no objective scoring this turn so back to dials we go!
Turn 2
I’m still not really any the wiser as to where Peter’s ships are going to be. I decide on a turn of 1 straight all round since I can still turn in if needs be.
ROAD 1st Player – Me
Peter’s ships start to swing back in. The right hand vultures hard turn while two of the left hand ones bank right. The Iron Assembler lands on a rock and picks up a box.
Durge turns away from my ships while Volan cuts his flank short and hard turns in, committing to the middle lane.
All my ships 1 straight and Fenn picks up a box.
No shots again so it’s back to planning.
End of turn score: 1 (me) – 1 (Peter)
Turn 3
I know Volan is a danger but with potentially 5 ships in front of me, I decide to keep going straight. Mostly. I set Kallus a 3 bank while everyone else goes 2 straight.
ROAD 1st Player – Peter
We’ve both fully committed as Peter sends a vulture right in at Kallus. Crucially, he takes a calculate and rolls towards the board edge.
The other vultures all go straight and calculate except for the Assembler who stays put on his rock.
Kallus’ 3 bank misses the closest vulture (just barely!) and he takes a reinforce to front.
Durge and Volan move next with Durge hard turning again and Volan coming in slowly at my ships.
Luke, Cracken and Fenn all go 2 straight with Luke and Cracken locking some droids and Fenn coordinating Cracken a focus.
This turn is pretty brutal. I remove 2 droids before they fire (including rolling 5 natural paint with Kallus to make the green dice irrelevant) and damage a third. In return I lose 3 shields from the Ghost (with one of those self inflicted from Saw crew).
End of turn score: 5 – 1
Total score: 5 – 2
Turn 4
Droids being droids, I’m expecting the bump. I set Kallus a 2 bank left to clear the stress he took from Cracken’s passed lock last turn (which was unnecessary as it turned out…). Cracken will blast past Kallus and pick up the crate while Luke will go 1 straight (and hopefully not bump) while Fenn will go 2 straight.
ROAD 1st Player – Me
As expected, Peter sends a droid in to bump Kallus. It’s a little closer than I expected though which could be annoying. The far right droid angles in at Fenn while the Iron Assembler, well, I bet you can guess. Yep, stays where he is.
Kallus takes his 2 bank and bumps the droid, opting not to take a red focus.
Cracken clears Kallus and picks up a crate but Luke bumps (but doesn’t take damage).
Durge and Volan both navigate around the rock to start coming in behind my ships. That could be an issue…
Fenn’s 2 straight dodges the vulture but Durge and Volan still have him.
Once again Kallus unleashes his firepower and wipes out a droid before it shoots. Luke isn’t so fortunate though and takes the blocking droid down to 1 hull but doesn’t kill it.
This time Fenn takes a bit of a beating, blanking his greens on shots from Durge and Volan, leaving him on 2 hull and making him drop his box. I think I should have banked him out rather than gone straight…
End of turn score: 3 – 1
Total score: 9 – 3
Turn 5
At this point Peter is a bit frustrated and suggests conceding. I can understand how he feels. I’ve taken out 3 droids and almost killed a 3rd while he’s got just 1 box and not taken any of my ships out. The Ghost is punching HARD and it’s difficult to deal with.
Had this been a tournament game I’d have snatched his hand off and taken the win, no question. This wasn’t a tournament game though, it was a friendly casual game and, given that we’d both made the effort to make our way and unpack all our stuff, I suggested we continue, especially with Fenn damaged and a few of his ships behind me. He agreed and we carried on.
So what now? I set k-turns for Luke and Cracken, that’s fairly simple. Fenn will 3 straight into the gap they leave to try and get away from his pursuers,that’s all fine. But what about Kallus? The angle he’s at means he can’t k-turn and shooting things is pretty important. I set a 1 bank left to get the rocks out of the way for a future k-turn. Maybe I can nail that pesky Iron Assembler that’s racked up 3 objective points so far as well….
ROAD 1st Player – Peter
As if awoken by some verbal slap in the face, Peter’s droid suddenly woke up. The far right one took a 2 straight and picked up a box. The blocker from last turn took a 5 straight and also picked up a box.
The Iron Assembler… well, you already know what he did.
Kallus took his 1 bank and locked the Iron Assembler.
Durge and Volan both turn around the rock with Durge bumping Fenn bu still leaving enough space for Volan to slot in beside him.
Luke and Cracken both k-turn before Fenn goes 3 straight and takes a focus.
With Durge being a crappy target due to his pilot ability, Fenn and Luke both target the tri-fighter and almost kill it, landing a hit and a Blinded Pilot crit.
Volan and Durge both fire at Fenn but he takes just a single hit, leaving him alive (but on just one hull).
Kallus fires at the Iron Assembler but even with a lock AND a double tap, the stupid thing lives on 1 hull. Balls.
It shoots back at Kallus and does a Diabled Power Regulator crit.
End of turn score: 1 – 3
Total score: 10 – 6
Turn 6
Already Peter’s change of strategy is showing results. Not only that but I’m about to make a HUGE mistake. Two, in fact.
Luke and Cracken get 1 straights to clear stress while Fenn will jump over the top to get clear. Kallus will now take that 4-k that I’d planned.
ROAD 1st Player – Peter
With boxes in tow, peter’s carriers decide they don’t want to play any more and (wisely) jet off with 5 straights. There’s no catching them now and they’ll be clocking a guaranteed 2 points a turn. How annoying.
The Iron Asse… look, you already know what the does. He then repairs one his damage cards. Cool.
Kallus takes his 4-k, not caring about the insignificant little vulture in his flank.
Volan takes a long raking 3 bank and then boosts into Luke’s face, linking it to a focus. Oh….
Durge 1 banks left and rolls left into a red focus.
ROAD has done me here.
Luke goes 1 straight, clears his stress but bumps into Volan and opts not to take a red focus. Cracken also clears his stress and focuses.
Fenn’s 2 bank to pass over Luke no longer fits. He bumps Luke, rolls for damage, takes it and dies.
Still, Luke and Cracken can take out that 1 health tri-fighter, right?
WRONG. Luke rolls 3 dice with some paint but Volan dodges it. Cracken rolls 3 dice with a focus and completely blanks out. Great.
Durge shoots at Cracken and hits him for 2 shield.
Kallus just barely misses arc and, with the Iron Assembler in his flank, takes 2 damage.
Not a great turn for me, that one.
End of turn score: 1 – 7
Total score: 11 – 13
Turn 7
And with that, Peter takes the lead. Balls. If I can kill Volan who’s on 1 health and score my objective then I can maybe tie the game. If I was Peter though, I’d get Volan the heck out of there asap.
I set Kallus a 1 straight, Luke a 2 hard right and Cracken the same.
ROAD 1st Player – Me
Dammit. ROAD screws me again.
The 2 vultures at the bottom of the board continue to pootle around doing their own thing. The Iron A.. look, we both know by now what it does.
Kallus goes 1 straight and, in vain hope, rotates his arc to the left.
Luke opens his wings, hard turns and then rolls right, hoping that he can catch Volan. Cracken tries to 2 hard but bumps the tri-fighter. He takes a red focus because time is almost up and this is basically the last turn.
Volan takes a 5 straight, rolls right and links it to a red evade. Durge goes 1 straight and locks Cracken and links to a boost right.
Cracken can only shoot Durge and knocks both shields off. Luke checks for arc on Volan but he doesn’t have it. He takes a shot at the Assembler instead but by now he’s regenned both the damage cards he took and Luke can’t kill him.
Volan doesn’t have a target but Durge fires at Cracken. It’s two hits and a crit. The hit and crit go through and Cracken loses shields but also drops his box.
Triple balls.
Kallus fires his primary at Durge and does a bit of damage but not enough to score points. He fires the 2 dice side turret at the range 2, 3 agility, evading tri fighter. We all know how that goes and Volan survives.
The Iron Assembler chip a little more damage into Kallus and with that, we’re all done.
End of turn score: 0 – 3
Final Score: 11 – 16
Mini Conclusion…
Turn 6 is where it all went wrong and while the ROAD roll played its part in all the worst places, I should have factored it in to my move with Fenn and I should really have 1 banked Kallus instead of the k-turn. I could have wiped out the Iron Assembler, scoring an extra 2 points and preventing it from scoring an extra 2. I could then have turned out to the board edge to stop Volan escaping that way, allowing Luke to maybe finish him off. That’s an extra 6 points for me and 2 less points for Peter which of course, swings the result the other way.
The conclusion…
Two more games, two more losses. Awesome.
I’m not the type to make big reactive changes (at least, I don’t think I am?!) and while the prospect of dropping this list has started to creep in to my thoughts, I’ve no idea what I would actually change it to that I’m familiar enough with so as not to get stomped all over at STO. My goal at Element will be to win 2 games and I still think that’s possible with this list. Hopefully.
Alex’s list is turning into a bit of a blind spot for me. We both want to joust and his list just does it better and while I may be able to try and leverage turn 0 to prevent an ideal first engagement for the ARCs, Anakin can get around it and has the flexibility to basically do whatever he likes. Chasing him is a trap, ignoring him is stupid. It’s an interesting puzzle that I’m unable to solve.
For the second game I think I can quite specifically identify where I went wrong. In the turn where the Ghost 4-k’d, it should instead have 1 banked right into the Iron Assembler’s face and blasted it to shreds. I’d have scored 2 points for the ship and prevented it scoring what turned out to be an additional 2 points of objectives. Not only that but it would have then hard turned right to either catch Volan as he tried to escape or at least have scared him off from heading that way.
Overall I spent too long getting jammed up in bumps and not enough time picking up boxes or killing droids.
But now let’s look at the positives.
First up, I met someone new! Pete was great and it was cool to have someone drop in on their travels and play. He’s hopeful of calling in again which is really great too!
Second, my initial engagement in the second game. Even if the first droid had caused the bump, I’d left enough space and lined things up well enough to do some.major damage. Yes it went downhill after that but that’s a learning point for me. My approach was ok.
I may want to dive in and start punching but a common theme in a lot of my games of late is that when I get to the first engagement it’s pretty early (normally turn 2) and I am faced with a choice – spend actions to maximise damage output or spend them on objectives. I almost always pick damage and while it can pay off early game it normally comes back to bite me late on.
All in all I’m now feeling a bit conflicted about the list. I know it can work, I just can’t seem to make it work consistently. Dice variance in both attacks and ROAD can have a major impact and while Kallus doesn’t mind a bump, the others do, Fenn especially.
Still, I do find the list fun. I like rolling dice and this list can roll a lot of them. I’m happy to keep going with this even though I’m likely to leave it after STO. In fact, I may try and find something totally different to take for whatever is happening on day 2 (a team event!). What might that be? Who knows?! Not me!
The outro…
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