Talk:VT-49 Decimator Expansion Pack/@comment-219.89.72.20-20161118220236/@comment-454133-20161119073722

Sorry for another long post.

So tonight was a special themed X-Wing night at the game store. I could mix ships from different factions (but each ship has to be legal on its own, so no Ruthlessness on Luke), so long as I could make up a story about why this particular fleet came together.  "The attack on the death star failed, and Luke was killed at the emperor's orders despite Vader's explicit commands that he be spared and captured.  This sent Vader into deep regret, regret he didn't think himself capable of.  And his resentment turned on the Emperor, who no longer needed his puppets.  Vader freed Biggs, who had been captured in the Death Star attack, and called upon Admiral Chiraneau, one of the few still loyal to him.  They all set out to meet with the scattered rebel fleets and try to resurect the resistance.  But the resistance fighters did not trust this change of heart, and the Empire, stronger than ever before, hounded their every move with assassins."  Yea its terrible, I know, but I wanted to fly Biggs with a Vader Decimator, and thus this terrible explanation was born.

Biggs Darklighter [R5-P9, Integrated Astromech, Advanced Proton Torpedoes ] (34)

Rear Admiral Chiraneau [Veteran Instincts, Proton Bombs, Navigator , Darth Vader , Gunner , Extra Munitions , Tactical Jammer ] (66)

So yes, I'm ignoring my own advice about not making it too pricey. Just for fun. :D

Unfortunately by chance my opponents didn't put up much of a fight, so I didn't get to put this fleet through much of a real test. I'd have stayed longer, but I have a cold and it started really wearing me down. I might never get another chance to try this in a proper fight. :(

The first game was against a kid who split up his forces and let me pick them off one at a time. He's still learn'n, but improving, so it's fine. The 2nd opponent realized near the end he didn't much like his fleet (it wasn't very effective), and switched it up after our battle. I made a clean sweep in both games. I frequently managed to park my Decimator and Biggs in front of ships to make it hard for them to maneuver without collisions, and actually denied a lot of actions/attacks that way. And the Admiral did solid damage per round, as did Biggs when he happened to be pointed the rightr way.

And Darth Vader absolutely wrecked ships' lives. Anything that started without shields faced a terrible end very quickly, and the other fighters went down soon after. Light 3-hull ships just don't last long, and even medium ships couldn't survive the vader crits (ironically, Vader went up against Luke and completely wrecked him; so much for my fleet's backstory). I did grant my opponent half points on my Decimator at the end of the 2nd battle (mostly thanks to Vader), but I'd tabled my opponents without any losses.

In retrospect, I only got to drop one bomb, and probably could have saved 7 points that way, t hough they were afraid enough of bombs that it seemed to influence their movements, and  arguably that single bomb did some good too. Likewise, I never used gunner, more by chance than anything, and could have saved another 5. For 12 points I could have tossed in a Z-95 or TIE Fighter, but I think the Decimator did well enough for it, and had I missed a shot or managed another bomb drop, I'd be unable to speak ill of them.

And Biggs is definitely OP when protecting a Darth Decimator. Almost like there's a rule against it or something. :D