The intro…
Hello and welcome to this week’s blog!
It seems that tournament season is well and truly under way now and this past weekend 30 players turned up for the London GT.
Congratulations to Team Wales’ very own James Humphery who worked his way to a win in the final to claim the trophy while flying First Order!
XTC News…
A little bit of something and nothing in the XTC news this week. It’s round 4 (of 5) and we played against Hellas (Greece) to fight for (well, to avoid!) the wooden spoon for last place in the group!
We stared off strong going 2-1 up and after 6 rounds the score was 3-3.
I was due to sub in to play our First Order list against Old Jester’s Resistance but my scheduling went out of the window at the last moment and we weren’t able to get another date in time!
We got permission from TO Piffo to play our game late (since at this point is doesn’t affect qualification) and so now we’re working out when we can play or whether maybe Gareth our FO player can actually take it back on.
This coming week we’re up against Poland to round out our involvement in XTC for 2024.
Come back next week to find out how it all went!
The batrep… (Jargon Alert!!)
After last week’s attempt at list building in the new XWA points I got a message from Chris Burnett suggesting something I might enjoy.
The list I’d flown was basically a mix of stuff that was previously unplayable for whatever reason (well, maybe except Ezra) and was essentially a funsies list for my won amusement. I’m really not much of a list builder and so when Chris made the suggestion of the list I keenly took it on board and oacked it to play at casual night.
Wullffwarro – Auzituck Gunship (4)
Bo-Katan Kryze (Rebel/Scum) (4)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (4/4) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Miranda Doni – BTL-S8 K-wing (5)
Bistan (12)
Concussion Bombs (5)
Advanced SLAM (3)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (20/20) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Jan Ors – HWK-290 Light Freighter (5)
Moldy Crow (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0/0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
“Leebo” (YLF) – YT-2400 Light Freighter (6)
C-3PO (7)
Outrider (0)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (7/7) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 5
Total: 20
The idea here is that you’re throwing big dice. Miranda drops (and reloads) a Concussion bomb on Wulfwarro to active his pilot ability. You can then use Jan to boost someone’s attack with an extra die and if Wulfwarro takes something off the board then Jan could remove the stress and use the ability again.
Then there’s Leebo with C-3PO who’s throwing an extra die at range 3 (who could also be boosted by Jan) and Miranda who, at range 1 could be throwing 5 dice herself.
The question is, can I manage to make any of it work?
I was playing against Josh Hall again who is still using his ultra aggressive FO list.
Major Vonreg – TIE/ba Interceptor (5)
Predator (3)
Marksmanship (2)
Proton Rockets (6)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
Kylo Ren – TIE/vn Silencer (6)
Brilliant Evasion (2)
Predator (3)
Targeting Synchronizer (3)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (8/8) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 3
“Blackout” – TIE/vn Silencer (6)
Predator (3)
Sensor Scramblers (1)
Plasma Torpedoes (7)
Proton Rockets (6)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (17/17) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 3
“Static” – TIE/fo Fighter (3)
Marksmanship (2)
Heavy Laser Cannon (5)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (7/8) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Total: 20
He’s previously decloaked and gone fast in order to get multiple shots in turn 1 so that’s something to look out for.
Let’s look at the Pre-Flight checks:
Scenario – Scramble The Transmission
Target/Objective Priority – Tricky. EVERYTHING is 3 agility and can hit hard. The Silencers are worth the most but have more health to get through. I’ll have to try and get some objective points and see what I’m presented with.
Obstacles – I need space to navigate Leebo. He’s no Dash Rendar y’know….
Deployment – With it being a new list this is where I struggle a little bit. I know Miranda wants to dop a bomb on Wulfwarro and Jan needs to have things in arc. A bit of experimentation is needed.
We get set up with objectives, obstacles and ships and we’re ready to go!
Turn 1
Now, yes, technically this was the systems phase in turn 1 with Blackout decloaking and Miranda dropping a Concussion bomb. You get the general idea though, right?
Putting all my ships down first was a pain here and I’m hoping Miranda doesn’t get smashed up. She’ll go 2 hard right (and reload that bomb), Leebo the same. Jan 1 banks left while Wulfwarro will go 1 straight to take the bomb.
ROAD 1st Player – Josh
My ships move and the bomb goes off, all good.
Blackout goes 5 straight, boosts and locks Miranda. Kylo follows up behind while Static went straight and Vonreg went 4 straight and boosts to his right.
Wulwarro takes the bomb and while Blackout does in fact just barely have Miranda in arc and, typically, takes 2 shields out. Cool.
. No scoring, back to dials!
Turn 2
Now things are tricky. Josh wants to use his Prockets. The thing is, can I stop him? I’m not sure I can?!
I decide to go for the block instead, setting Miranda a 3 straight and intending to SLAM for her action. Leebo will 2 hard turn while Wulfy will 2 straight and Jan 1 bank right to level out her angle.
ROAD 1st player – me
Miranda dives in with the 3 straight and SLAM 3 straight. I just barely bumps Blackout but with Advanced SLAM she takes a red focus anyway. Leebo hard turns and calculates before Wulwarro goes 2 straight and….. after a little internal debate, focuses.
Jan banks up next to him and takes a focus.
Static turns in on Miranda while Blackout and Kylo breeze past and set their sights on the Auzituck.
Vonreg follows suit, taking a strain to get focus and lock. Uh-oh.
Just as I was gearing up for 5 dice into Vonreg from Wulfwarro (3 native, 1 from pilot ability and 1 from Jan’s ability), Josh very rudely wipes him off to board with 2 shots.
Ouch.
I regretted not taking the reinforce until Josh reminds me that he still had Kylo to shoot anyway.
Kylo shoots into Jan but she dodges it. Static goes into Miranda but misses.
Is there a saving grace? No, not really. Jan opts to shoot range 2 from the side arc into Kylo (and does nothing) so that Vonreg’s strain is still in play when Leebo takes a range 3 obstructed shot. Annoyingly Leebo isn’t in Jan’s arc so the ability isn’t active but it’s still 4 dice with 2 calculates and the Outrider title ability and I take Vonreg’s shields.
Miranda can’t shoot because the SLAM means taking a disarm and so that’s my lot. Not ideal.
Nobody tagged objectives so we go back to planning.
End of turn score: 0 – 4
Turn 3
I feel as though that game is probably over in terms of the result but start thinking about what I could still possibly do.
Miranda will bank over the top of Static after dropping a bomb. Jan will turn in towards the Silencers but the issue is Leebo. Josh’s positioning and the manoeuvrability of his ships means that he could probably target any one of my remaining ships, making it hard to know where’s safe to go.
I also want objectives since that’s now my best chance of keeping in touching distance.
Leebo turns out to the edge to tag the objective.
ROAD 1st player – Josh
Leebo banks out and tags the top right objective. Miranda drops a bomb before the TIE fails a sloop (JARGON ALERT!!) over the K-Wing. Marinda then banks over Static (barely) and takes a focus.
Blackout simply goes 2 straight and locks Jan before Kylo banks in behind and tags the bottom left objective. Vonreg, somewhat surprisingly (to me) banks left to opt out of getting shot.
The bomb goes off and catches both Static and Kylo, putting a card directly on to hull and making Josh decide whether or not to take strains to keep them face down. He doesn’t
Vonreg has no shot so Blackout and Kylo both go in at Jan but between them only manage 1 damage.
Jan takes the range 3 pot shot into Static and does no damage. Miranda drops a die to gain a shield and fire at Kylo then (with Bistan gunner), loses a shield to take a shot into Static, powered up by Jan’s ability. 5 dice (2 native, 1 for range, 1 for Miranda, 1 from Jan) with a focus into Static with no token.
Static dies. Nice.
We’ve 1 objective each and I’m feeling a little bit better. Not much, but a bit.
End of turn score: 4 – 1
Total score: 4 – 5
Turn 4
The issue I now have is that Leebo is WAY out of the way, Miranda has to keep pooping bombs and Jan is in danger of death.
Leebo will hard turn to start coming back in while Miranda will do the same. Since the Silencers can’t go slowly, Jan will try and do just that in order to jam them up. Hopefully.
ROAD 1st player – me
Leebo hard turns and calculates while Miranda (who dropped a bomb because she had to) hard turns in and tags the middle objective. I immediately regret this decision as a bank would likely have given me better targets.
Jan 1 banks right and focuses before Blackout bumps into the back of her while Kylo hard turns in and opts not to reposition, taking the middle objective from me instead.
Vonreg sloops to the right, desperately trying to keep out of Leebo’s arc.
Vonreg takes an unmodded shot into Jan but misses while Blackout does the same. Kylo goes in at Miranda and takes a shield and puts a damage card on.
Jan shoots at Kylo out of the side arc at range 1 followed by Miranda at range 2 but this Silencer continues to lead a charmed life and loses just 1 shield. Leebo is too far out so there are no more shots.
End of turn score: 1 – 2
Total score: 5 – 7
Turn 5
Right, more of the same? I think so. Miranda will dive in to the mix while Jan goes slow. Leebo will 3 bank left which should get him in striking distance. I hope.
ROAD 1st player – me
All my ships first. Again.
Leebo banks and calculates. Miranda (after dropping the last concussion bomb) banks in and takes a focus before Jan banks and also takes focus.
Kylo bumps into Miranda and Blaockout bumps into Jan while Vonreg zooms in at Miranda.
Vonreg totally whiffs (JARGON ALERT!!) his shot into Miranda while Blackout does the same into Jan and Kylo the same into Miranda. Nice.
Could I capitalise on this?
Well yes, but not as much as I’d have liked.
After a little rules questioning which we eventually got agreement on but didn’t play it that way – side note: Miranda reducing her attack dice is NOT a dice modification and DOES work at range 0. Hotly debated but the rules reference seems to only mention increasing your own or decreasing your opponent’s. NOT decreasing your own. Good to know!
What I wanted to do was roll 1 die at Kylo range 0 so I could roll 5 at Blackout with my second shot. Int he end I didn’t do the Kylo shot and rolled 4 dice at Blackout.
I’m taking the rough with the smooth today I guess?
On the plus side, Leebo shoots at a strained Vonreg range 3 and, with the help of the title to ‘juke’ an evade, the TIE/ba dies.
Lovely.
End of turn score: 6 – 2
Total score: 11 – 9
Turn 6
I’m ahead! It’s not likely to last though, especially when I’m being outscored on objectives.
Josh’s last 2 ships are very healthy and have lots of green dice. I definitely need to kill one.
Leebo will go straight while Miranda will hard turn to try and reach the left side objective. Jan will bank right…? No, left. Yes, left. I don’t know why. Yes, it does turn out to be important.
ROAD 1st player – Josh
Leebo goes straight and calculates, Miranda hard turns and claims, Jan banks left and claims (since she’s got a banked focus anyway). Simples.
Blackout zooms forwards, claims the right hand objective and then rolls left. Kylo just plods 2 forwards and…. I can’t actually remember what action (and teh pics don’t indicate it either). Maybe repairs a crit? Not sure.
Just the 1 shot for Josh then but boy does he make it count. Kylo rolls 4 paint out of hand into Jan. Jan blanks out and dies.
Balls.
Jan’s return shot strips some force and Miranda and Leebo’s shots bring Kylo to 2 hull but that’s a pretty big blow to my chances.
End of turn score: 2 – 6
Total score: 13 – 15
Turn 7
Miranda is too far away to do anything useful here which is super annoying. She banks right and Leebo hard turns.
ROAD 1st player – me (not that it matters any more!)
Leebo turns and calculates, Miranda banks and focuses.
Blackout turns around the rock and boosts to get a shot at Leebo while Kylo goes slower than Id’ expected (Josh remembered the range 3 effect I think…) and claims the middle.
Blackout fires into Leebo and does some damage but not enough to worry me. I check Miranda’s arc but she doesn’t get a shot. Leebo fires 3 dice into Kylo’s 3 but the Silencer dodges them and lives.
End of turn score: 1 – 2
Final result: 14 – 17 loss
The conclusion…
Ok, first things first, yes, this was a loss. Technically.
It was, however, only by 3 points and after losing the Auzituck without it even firing.
Once again having all (well, mostly) low initiative ships appears to have cost me here as Josh came in hot and nukes something off the board with munitions at i5 and i6.
However, Kylo getting a full sweep of hits/crits onto Jan in the penultimate turn and Jan duly blanking on her greens was certainly a swing that you won’t often see and then a non-zero amount of time Kylo would potentially lose his last hull when attacked on that last turn.
Personally, considering that I had no game plan and lost a ship cheaply, I think was actually not a terrible result.
I like the premise of big dice in this list and of course it’s ALWAYS awesome to break out my beautifully painted YT-2400. Against a different sort of list (or even the same list but flown better by me!) I think there’s something in this and even if there isn’t, it’s cool to get some of these ships back in the board afeter so long in exile.
I am enjoying the XWA points very much and even though there has been a change in AMG points to take out some of the more oppressive things that were very popular, I think that the introduction of the new standard loadout Phantom and Star Wings at the points cost means that we will be seeing a fair amount of them – as was shown at the London GT.
I think it’s worth another spin with this list. Whether it’s what I take to Newport next month is as till up for debate but I’m definitely considering it.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and I look forward to welcoming you back next week!
The outro…
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