Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27029853-20170703223814/@comment-454133-20170922002908

Last night I flew my Guns for Hire ships and won by fluke. I flew poorly and didn't give my starvipers and k-fighter space to maneuver, which they really need. Talonbane struggled to get into range 1 because of bumps, and the starvipers really needed space to wiggle.

Talonbane Cobra with PTL + Pulsed Ray Shield + Engine Upgrade + Autothrusters + Vaksai + Inertial Dampeners

Dalan Oberos + VI + Autothrusters + StarViper Mk. II + Virago + Advanced Sensors + Cloaking Device

Thweek + Autothrusters + Starviper Mk. II

My opponent had:

Moralo Eval with Heavy Laser Cannon + Zuckuss + Dengar + Inspiring Recruit

2x Tansarii Point Veteran with Expertise + "Heavy Scyk" Interceptor + "Mangler" Cannon

Thweek stole pilot skill, not wanting Moralo's useless ability. I forgot to use Inertial Dampeners and Cloaking device. :(  I'd remember only at the times I didn't want to use them.

Advanced Sensors + Starviper Mk II is excellent, particularly on Dalan. I turned a really bad upcoming bump on a segnor's loop into a really good roll + segnor's loop that let me fly over the target, aimed me at them, and let me get some good damage in.

Unfortunately Dalen and Talonbane took a ton of damage very quickly. Talonbane's 2 defense dice just are not good, and because he bumped several times, he failed to get into murder range where he belongs. I also think he shouldn't have PTL with Pulsed Ray Shield; it's just too hard to find opportunities to use the regen when you have the stress source, and talonbane is poor at clearing stress (unlike Fenn, who doesn't mind it near as much).

Near the end of the game I started getting my act together with Thweek, and one maneuver in particular was spectacular. I banked forward 1, then swept around behind the enemy with a roll (escaping arc). This is exactly how I imagine these ships maneuvering, and had I given myself space in the early game, that's what I would have been doing regularly. My opponent and others at the store pointed out I really needed to not try to fly in formation; instead a flanking maneuver from center and sides would have worked far better.

I won by fluke with Thweek, because I kept rolling barely well enough to not take lethal damage near the end, and then my opponent maneuvered to block me and ended up unable to stay on the board next round.

Those autothrusters are worth every point and much more. I shed a lot of damage thanks to them. That said, my ships felt extremely delicate. That's partially because I'm coming off the invincible high of Triple Tucks, but also because maneuvering left me vulnerable without tokens. Guri would actually have been a better choice than Dalan.

So next time I hope to take these lessons and learn from them. I flew the Auzitucks like a complete retard when I first fielded them but they turned out spectacular once I learned to use them. I'm hoping the Guns for Hire ships pay off once I learn to fly better. I do worry that their defenses are not spectacular though... especially that k-fighter. Other pilots like Viktor might help there, though I do love Talonbane's ability, either attacking at range 1 or defending at range 3 with autothrusters.