Target Priority and game strategy

While browsing through various x-wing related groups Starwolf came across an outcry of frustration from one of the local players: "after a devastating experience in my local gaming store tournament, I've decided to sell my collection. I simply do not possess the understanding of this game's strategy." Despite the obvious frustration (we shall discuss how to deal with frustration later on this blog), player have pinpointed his problem very well. But any strategy begins with its cornerstone: Target Priority.

Target Priority is briefly described in of Starwolves principles,  and although it seems simple, prioritising targets have several important layers. First of all choose what would be your goal during the game, apart from winning, of coarse. Have a look at opponents list and choose your main target. This could be one of those listed below:

1.The Biggest Threat: 
Ship(s) that have a biggest damage potential against your list. You should understand, that those ships may cause havoc if not destroyed quickly or denied their biggest advantage.

Usual suspects: TIE-Phantom, TIE-Interceptor, E-wing, Falcon, Doom shuttle and any ship with Gunner on board.  

2. The Juicy Target:
Look at the point cost and ask yourself is that ship worth more than half of the points of opponents list? If answer is "yes", then you are looking at Juicy Target. Good new is, that after Juicy Target is destroyed you are automatically in the lead, all you have to do now is lose less points that opponent. Victory and advancement in tournament ladder is defined by this. The bad news is that Juicy Target in most cases is the Biggest Threat and has most number of upgrades and hull.

Usual suspects: Falcon, Decimator, IG-88, Firespray.  

3. The Synergy Centre
To understand where lies opponents  Synergy centre is to find a key to his defeat. Synergies and Tactical advantages they give have been explored earlier. Here we shall concentrate on how to find that centre.

what do you mean I'm not a Wookie?!

Elite list, consisting of 2-3 ship with high Pilot Skill and lots of upgrades provide synergy by using their unique abilities and crew members. For example, Llando in YT-1300 provides a free action to a friendly ships in Range 1, or Dutch Vander giving a free Target Lock to any friendly ship in Range 1-2. Most Elite list have an expendable escort designed to either distract or deny opponents actions and abilities.  However, once the support ship has gone, or its ability neutralised by critical hit, the rest of the battle changes significantly in your favour. As one brave pilot have put it: "help yourselves everybody, there is no fighter escort."

Usual suspects: HWK-290 with Recon Specialist, Lambda with Intelligence agent or Fleet Officer, and or ST-321 title, any escort ship for Fat Han.  

look! there is Vader behind you! 

Specialist list, consisting of 3-5 ships, with several key upgrades and one or two elite pilot skills are most vulnerable and easiest to determine their synergy centre. First of all, Specialist rely on being in specific range of synergy provider. For example Howlrunner's ability and Swarm Tactics working in Range 1. Then there is maximum two Synergy providers due to points limitation. Determine which one is most important and eliminate them. For example HWK-290 is one of the best support ships for both Rebels and Scum, allows its owner to modify attackers Pilot Skill, provide extra focus and evade tokens, re-rolls, extra actions, and yet it is rarely defined as a significant threat, due to its low attack and agility. Imperials must rely on cards with special actions, since they have slightly less supporting abilities than other factions.

Usual suspects: HWK-290, Howlrunner with swarm tactics, Darth Vader with Squad Leader, IG-88 with gunner or boost ability. 

here they come!!

Swarm list, consisting of 5-8 ships are surprisingly resilient to the loss of special abilities or upgrade cards, since there is so few of them. However, swarm lives and dies by its ability to concentrate fire of 4 or more ships on one target and grind it down with its weight of fire. The obvious response to that is flanking, in order to avoid at least some of the incoming fire. But the biggest game changer against the swarm is breaking its formation! This could be achieved by several tactics:

• controlled bump to deny actions and bonuses: Captain Oicunn, Intimidation, Rebel captive, anti-pursuit lasers.  
• use of weapons with splash damage: bombs, assault missiles, Mara Jade   
• area denial: proximity mines, blocking positions by your ships. 
• upgrades allowing to increase the damage per turn: Darth Vader (crew) and Ruthlessness      

Once swarm has lost its main advantage, opponent may concentrate on singular ships and slowly but surely overcome the numerical advantage.

Other important factor when fighting swarm is attacker's damage output per turn. On average, attacker must be able to destroy at least 1,5 TIE Fighter per round of shooting, in order to even the numbers by turn 4 and be able to either outlast or wipe out the majority of swarm.

Usual suspects: Howlrunner, Airen Craken, Prince Xizor. Any ship providing extra shots, re-rolls or higher PS.   

4. The Weak Spot
We all make mistakes or less than calculated decisions. However in tournaments this should cost your opponent a game, at least. When you looking for a weak spot, try to find

• combinations which are counter productive for your opponent. For example, Push the limit with Ysanne Isard on one ship is not a great combo as it denies one advantage while giving another. It could also be easily denied if target receives stress. 
• crippled ships: if opponent has got a ship with 1 hull left, it must become a Primary Target. While its on the board it is either denying you a victory points, or could be used as an expendable blocker. 
• tactical weaknesses and ways to exploit them. Blocking Phantoms decloaking lane is one of such examples.
• easy targets: any ship which is an easy kill must be yours, however do not get greedy and lose your primary target.     

So to summarise the layout of your Target Priorities: determine the Biggest Threat and Juicy Target, deny the Synergy centre and hit in Weak Spot.

Starwolf, out.

Synergy and Advantages.

In this post we are going to discuss Synergy as an essential part of your strategy and tactics during the game.
So what is Synergy? The word means "an interaction of two or more actors which results in combined effect greater than sum of its separate parts".  What it means in the world of x-wing miniatures game? Simply put, by creating right synergy with correct build and play style you gain a significant advantage over your opponent. 

focusing your attention is a
good example of Synergy

What advantages can you get in the game, in a first place? Lets me list some of the most common and important. 

1) Weight of fire: if you roll more attack dice than defender gets green dice, you have a clear advantage. 

2) Higher Initiative: if you shoot first, or at least on the same initiative as defender, you gain a chance to deal damage without taking damage yourself.    

3) Defencive bonus: with fragile or heavier ship taking less or avoiding damage altogether is a question of victory.  

4) Improved Damage per round: essential to any ship, as shown by double tap trick, or simple re-roll makes a difference in any game. 

5) Extra actions: a very broad term for getting two or more actions per tern.

Those are advantages you get when you build your list and provided you play for your advantages you get during the game. Now lets have a look at synergies which provide us with this goodness. 

Synergy 1: Focus your attacks

It really as simple as it reads, if your concentrate fire of two ships against one, then you are more likely to destroy that ship in one salvo of your guns. Though, there are some limitations, it still is a simplest way to take down one ship of similar size per turn. Two TIE Fighters firing at x-wing from Range 1, on  average will produce 3-4 hits, while x-wings will evade only 2 hits from two attackers.Thought it is not a guaranteed one shot kill, it is still a damage and potential critical. Easiest way to maintain that synergy is to keep your ships in formation, or in scissors position, where two or more ships are firing at one target from different angles.  Your main advantage here is Weight of Fire and Improved damage per round. 

• Some aspects of this synergy are tricky. Namely: controlled bump. If your manoeuvre dial does not allow you get into most favourable position, to place Target lock and Focus, place your ship in position where at least it will bump friendly ship, at this way puts opponent into your firing ark. Advanced sensors are the best cure for this difficulty, as it allows you to take your action before you reveal your dial.    

Synergy 2: Shield and bait 

While you playing the game it is useful to try to understand opponents strategy. To do so look at how he is distributing his attacks and actions. If he shoots at anything coming close to him, does not flank or denies your actions, there is a good chance that does not have a battle plan. In this case, you can place a heavy shielded ship with Tactical Jammer to provide an extra defence die for any of your ships behind. Combined with range bonuses and natural agility, you will increase chances of your survival. 

The aspect of the bait has got a name, of Biggs Darklighter. Not surprisingly one of the most used cards in Rebel lists, ties up entire opposing force to a one target leaving them exposed and vulnerable to flanking. He however is not alone, Empire has its version, named Captain Kagi. His ability reads: "When enemy ship acquires a Target Lock it must lock onto your ship if able". Though not as powerful as Biggs it still allows some distraction and  robs significant advantage from opponent.   

Closest is not the most dangerous one

The bait, may be executed by ordinary ships. The main objective of bait is to distract opponents fire from other ships  or place opponent into a position where the rest of your force can have a significant advantage. Also, bait could be played by weak ship with powerful weapon or ability, for example Doom Shuttle (Lambda shuttle + Darth Vader), which will attract attention as it is an easy target, thus allowing rest of your fleet a flanking bonus or free roam for as long as shuttle lives. 

• For example, attacker has two ships covering one area of the board. In Range 1 of attacker, they got a Decimator with no shields and Ysanne Isard on board, and in Range 2 cloaked Phantom with evade token. Phantom is a main threat for attacker's fleet, who has less than manoeuvrable ships, but Decimator have put himself into their gun sights, and has TL on one of the ships. Attacker calculates his options, 3 dice vs 4 evade dice + evade token twice, or same 3 attack dice vs one evade token. Then attacker chooses to shoot at Decimator and takes down only  4 hull points, loses one of his ships in return fire, and loses the game, as Phantom keeps outmanoeuvring and damaging his ships.    

      

Synergy 3: Hit hard and fast.

There is no point arguing about the importance of hight Pilot Skill. However due to points restrictions you cannot field many ships with PS higher than 7. In most cases you will be stuck with duo or trident of elite pilots. The five ships or more builds, must rely on Swarm Tactics as well as pilots abilities to provide that much needed first knock-out strike, on most dangerous for you target.

When using swarm tactics, you main advantages are High Initiative and Defensive bonus. 

•  Now that Swarm tactics and Kyle Katarn, technically allow Rebels to fire at least two ships at PS 12, but somehow this combo is not often used in tournament play.  Phantoms, in their elite configuration must also rely on their high PS in order to deliver killing blow and cloak back to avoid incoming fire. Higher PS also allows you certain freedom from Initiative routine, even if you lost an Initiative you still firing first. 

Synergy 4: Mutual support 

This synergy could be expanded to cover many aspects including those described earlier. Some practical examples and notes on what advantages mutual support gives you are explained below. 

it helps to have friendly support

• Cover blind spots: Meaning areas where it most likely to be attacked from must be covered with at least one ship to provide return fire. For example, Firespray is moving into a position which leaves its flank exposed to an enemy attack from the left. To counter that, a TIE Fighter performs a K-turn, and positions between attacker and Firespray. When attacked, TIE either dodges shots aimed for Firespray, or returns fire to attacker, denying him an unpunished attack.   
• Stay in formation: many abilities specify their effective range, and leaving that range without significant reason is pointless. Formation allows you to Focus your attacks, gain Weight of fire and Improve your damage per round. For example, Captain Jonus flying in Range 1 of other TIE-Bombers and Firespray with heavy laser cannon allows a free re-roll when using secondary weapons. 
• Use pilots abilities and Elite talents: thought it seem obvious, over and over you will come across players who do not know or forget under stress of combat skills of their pilots. However your main synergy is born from combination of Abilities, Elite Talents and upgrade cards. Some examples of this synergy:

• Wedge Antilles with Outmanoeuvre. His ability allows him to decrease ships agility by -1. With Outmanoeuvre he decreases it by -2. 

• Darth Vader with Marksmanship and Cluster Missiles. Having an ability to perform two actions, he may opt to use Marksmanship and Focus or Target Lock. With 6 dice on cluster missiles it provides at least 2 Critical and 2 normal hits.  

• Bobba Fett + Navigator. Allows you to change your bank movement into any bank in any direction.

• Kyle Katarn (crew member) + Recon Specialist:+ Push the limit and Jan Ors (crew member) on another ship: Kyle's ability allow you to assign a focus token after you remove stress from the ship. Then, Recon specialist gives you two focus token. Then Jan Ors allows you to replace one focus with evade token. You still may take any action, and Push the limit for another stress token.

• Colonel Jendon + ST321+ Weapons Engineer+ Colones Vessery. ST321 title allows you to acquire Target Lock on ship anywhere on the board, Weapons Engineer gives you two TL, then Jendon:s ability allows him to pass one blue TL to a ship in Range 1. Vessery automatically gains TL if someone else has a TL on his target.  

• Marek Steele + Marksmanship. Steele's ability allows you to deal 3 face up damage cards and choose one, every time you cause a critical hit. So Marksmanship comes in handy with guaranteed one critical. 

List of possible combinations is very long and practically endless. None of the combination does not give an ultimate solution to all variants of opponent's lists, neither it gives guaranteed superiority. What is does, it gives player an edge, and if used correctly, and with a bit of luck it helps you win. Most of the synergies mentioned above had an effect only on one or two ships, with exception of Swarm Tactics. But best synergies  those which work for you during the game, which affect you fleet as whole and deny advantages to the opponent are those you have practised.  

Starwolf out.

Rule of 11.

Rule of 11 is an interesting concept which allows you to understand, predict and control the flow combat, maximise your advantage and choose right position for your attack.

Rule of 11 states that two opposing ships will come into a Range 3  from each other (combat range), when sum of their total movement equals 11.

So what, you may ask. Allow the Starwolf to explain how it work and what it does. 

Lets start with minimal move. Every time you pick move "1" ahead on your dial your ship actually travels 2, because small ships base is equal to manoeuvre of "1". Large ships, are actually faster than small ones, because their base equals to manoeuvre of "2". So for large ships minimal move would be 3. 

So if we have two opposing small ships placed in Range 1 from the edge of the board, and they both make a manoeuvre of "1" each one travels 2, and both of them travel 4. 

Lets assume, that following turn both ships make another manoeuvre of "1" each. So each ship again travels 2, and total distance travelled is 8. Both ships, are just out of combat range. However, next turn regardless of their chosen maneuvers, they will be in combat.  

Now player must make a decision based on strong sides and abilities of the ship, where you'd like to be positioned in order to maximize your advantages like bonus for being in Range 1, or getting a Target Lock to launch missiles from Range 2-3 or improve your chances of evasion by staying in Range 3. 

To simplify example, both ships again making manoeuvre of "1" this way their total distance travelled equal 12. (4 in first turn, +4 in second turn and +4 in third turn). Both ships are in Range 3, and both can take their actions, and will fire in order of initiative.

Please note, that for three turns both ships were making minimal movements and now both of them have equal opportunity to take action. With different maneuvers taken and different Pilot Skill, this would significantly vary. However total distance until both ships will be in combat range remains 11+, even with the large ships.   

Lets assume, that on turn TWO turn both ships made a manoeuvre of "2" each. So each ship actually travels 3, and total distance travelled equals 10. (2+2 in first turn, then 3+3 in second turn.) both ships are probably on the edge of Range 3 from each other. So regardless of any movement, in following turn both ships will be in combat range, and Pilots skill will determine who has the advantage of first shot and action.

However their positioning will determine who has the biggest advantage in combat.

For example, if one of the ships is an X-wing with PS of 8, it would prefer to find itself in Range 1 of opponent. If other ship is Tie-Bomber with missiles or Lambda with Heavy Lascannon, it would prefer to stay in Range 3 from attacker, to gain extra evasion and deny the same to opponent by their secondary weapon. 

Lets assume, that Imperial side makes manoeuvre of "1" with Tie-B and gains Target Lock on x-wing. By this moment both sides have travelled 12. (10 from previous turns + 2 for Tie-B movement). Bomber is in good position, with TL on x-wing, and in Range 3 for an extra defence dice. If any one ship would make manoeuvre of "3" during previous turn, they would be in combat range already.  

Lets assume that x-wing makes a mistake, and performs manoeuvre of "1", actually moving 2. Now both side travelled 14 and are engaged. However Tie-Bomber has a significant advantage, since its in Range 3, and has enough Hull points to survive one turn of shooting from x-wing,  even when x-wing acquires a Target Lock.     

But if x-wing player has an understanding of Rule of 11, he would move his x-wing into a Range 1 of Bomber (manoeuvre of "2"), thus denying extra defence die, probably avoiding being shot by missiles which have Range 2-3 and gaining extra attack die. 

Though this rule seems a bit confusing, with some practice on the board, you will see how it works. Understanding Rule of 11 allows you to predict and choose position of first Jousting, and other engagements.

By knowing where combat will occur,  either closer to the center (with minimal moves) or further towards the opponents edge (with moves like 5 ahead + boost 1 = 8) you may choose a more preferable position for your ships and gain advantage.

Just practice, practice and practice.

Starwolf, out.