Just curious, does anyone use TIE bombers?

[KILODEN 914]

I haven't used a bomber since we played a 500 point game. Seems like to many points once you start putting ordnance on them.

[Marinealver 8,073]

... Seems like to many points once you start putting ordnance on them.

Nailed it!

 

Even though it is cheaper than a Y-wing putting on that many one time use upgrades on it makes it start to cost more than a X-wing/Tie Advanced.

 

The best use for a Bomber I have come to mind is flechete torpedoes which for 4 points you can double up on and inflict stress. That and seismic charges to wreck a furball or a close group. The problem is that Fat han is too big for Flechete torpedoes to stress him and while it will stress a phantom the phantom can easily decloak out of range 1 of any bomb token you placed.

 

Proximity mines take an action to deploy. Plus while the bomber is the cheapest delivery for bombs the Firespray and Decimator can also pick them up as well as torpedoes and missiles.

[TheRealStarkiller 3,446]

Seems like to many points once you start putting ordnance on them.

 

And you have trouble getting it off.

Especially with Scimitars.

Mines might be an option.

Edited January 10, 2015 by TheRealStarkiller

[dvorm 1,058]

Naked TIE Bombers are not bad.

[Conandoodle 1,817]

It's a shame they're not used, they look cool. They simply have no real use in the game for the points they cost.

I've mentioned before, a way to breathe some life into these ships may be through new scenarios. That is, a bombing run scenario in which a player must bomb a specific target whilst his/her opponents try to stop them. The attacking player must choose, more bombers to ensure a hit .. or fewer bombers and a stronger escort to ensure the bomber's survivability.

I think this is a marketable product for FFG; Scenario packs. Each include some relevant terrain pieces (large Ion cannon or shield generator for example), accompanying rules and relevant tokens.

Other packs might include turrets, ground based units, etc.

I think it could be a fun variant to the standard Death Match games.

[TheRealStarkiller 3,446]

When epic was announced I had the vision that the hull of the big vessels might only be damaged by Proton Torpedos and other serious stuff alike.

[AlexW 2,902]

I'll just say that I think there a couple uses for it, either carrying a proximity mine and/or ion missile in the current meta where two ships are very typical.. Sable Gruphons's 4 bombers with prox mines and a Vader shuttle is a very competitive list but doesn't get more play because it's just not most players cup of tea (also four prox mines aren't easy to come by).

I've been able to make very good use of a couple in a list with the ion pulse missile and prox mine and am continuing to test variations of it.

Edited January 10, 2015 by AlexW

[Hobojebus 11,341]

Tie bombers themselves are rock solid little ships with decent hit points and dial but the ordinance they are meant to use is really lacking.

The fix for bombers is to rework the whole ordinance mechanic scrap what we have release a $10 dollar expansion with all new torpedoes and bombs and be done with it.

[Knucklesamwich 802]

They work really well in swarms without ordnance sadly. There is no current use in the game for the tie Bombers intended role.

[Krynn007 2,445]

Bombers with proximity mines are awesome.

I've used them a lot and have gotten a lot of kills with them

They work great in lists as a filler ship instead of ties.

Very tanky

Edited January 10, 2015 by Krynn007

[Red Castle 3,875]

I love to use them without any upgrades.

 

For 16pts, they are surprisingly good and it's hard to not get your value back. Opponent tend to ignore them at first since they are not perceived as a big threat and can be tanky with 6 hull and 2 agility. The dial is good enough to pull some maneuvers, thanks to barrel roll, I find them more maneuvrable than a X-Wing, and the green is at the good places. A k-turn 5 is harder to block and it usually put you in range 3 of your opponent, which help by giving you one more agility dice to defend when you can't take action. The only drawback I see is that with 6 hull and no shield, they are somewhat more vulnerable to critical hits, but then again, an empire player should be used to crits ruining his plans.

 

4 scimitar gives you 24 hull and cost 64pts, that leaves you with 36 pts to fit your fancy with an Interceptor, Defender, Shuttle, Firespray, phantom, etc... in a low ship count meta, 24 hull can also be tedious to go through.

[mazz0 2,910]

Yeah, I also thinks it's ordnance that needs fixing, not Bombers. They're actually pretty good

[TheRealStarkiller 3,446]

I had fun and some success with 4 Scimitars and 3 Academies.

 

For 36 points, 3 Academies are far better then any ordnance you could stick on the bombers otherwise.

[PewPewPew 1,083]

Rhymer pushing the limit with a pair of advanced torps is a nightmare.

Or you can run him with Jendon in St321 and Vesserly to Ahniliate the big ships that are propagating through the meta with wave 6's release.

[melminiatures 2,664]

I think (for example when the K-Wing comes out) there should be something that fixes ordinances. They are such an important aspect of dogfighting and they are almost absent from the game now.

I dont know how they could be fixed. It could be similar to the TIE Advanced fix making all ordinances cost less. Maybe changing each ordinance to be discarded when you use it two times (you first flip the card and then discard it). Or it could be something specific, like "the damage against shields count double". But that might be too much.

To me the only ordinances that dont need fixing are the bombs. Torpedoes and missiles need fixing just because its a shame they are so absent.

[bmwrider 124]

It's a shame they're not used, they look cool. They simply have no real use in the game for the points they cost.

I've mentioned before, a way to breathe some life into these ships may be through new scenarios. That is, a bombing run scenario in which a player must bomb a specific target whilst his/her opponents try to stop them. The attacking player must choose, more bombers to ensure a hit .. or fewer bombers and a stronger escort to ensure the bomber's survivability.

I think this is a marketable product for FFG; Scenario packs. Each include some relevant terrain pieces (large Ion cannon or shield generator for example), accompanying rules and relevant tokens.

Other packs might include turrets, ground based units, etc.

I think it could be a fun variant to the standard Death Match games.

 

 

I love this idea.

Edited January 10, 2015 by bmwrider

[bmwrider 124]

I agree with the others I think its a shame that ordinance is not used, they are so important thematically.

[R2ShihTzu 1,867]

Ordinance is so utterly pointless that I either run them naked or with bombs only, and then it's extremely rare. The ship itself isn't bad, but it's function is tied to a useless part of the game right now.

[FTS Gecko 24,121]

I've seen them used quite a bit at tournaments here - Scimitars are quite tough and decent enough dogfighters for their points, so run naked or with a Seismic they can be quite effective.  Four points more than an Academy TIE, twice as tough.

 

Jonus can be useful if you're running HLC's on Shuttles/Firesprays/Defenders as well.

[Filter 285]

A mine + either a torp OR a missile wouldn't over do the cost. I think their main assets is the 6 hull over anything else. Oppent has to commit 2+ ships a turn in most cases to try downing 1 Bomber.

[Cubanboy 6,528]

I like to run 3 Bombers with Howlrunner and Jonus which leaves 12 for missiles and such. It's a very good openning round of fire and can wreck a lot of ships

[Futant420 496]

I used to run a couple with Jonus and Howlie too. Good fun, just not too competitive in a world of fat falcons and phantoms.

[Punning Pundit 4,746]

The idea that missiles and torpedoes are not great against Far Han and Decimators is... weird. You're not wrong, and that's the weird part.

I have run Bombers a couple times, against a Huge ship. There's something fun about a torpedo run that everyone knows is coming, and only the dice can predict if it will get through.

[Cununculus 661]

Bombers are fun, with or without ordnance.

Captain Jonus is brilliant.

Bombs are fun too! :-)

[Mikael Hasselstein 6,898]

I'm my local scene's 'bomber guy'.

 

I realize that they're not in favor with the global or my local meta. So, I like them in part because they allow me to be a bit of an individualist. Because I've gotten quite used to them, and I've tweaked what I do with them over time, I can say that I give as well as I get, and do pretty okay with them.

 

Regarding bomb payload, I am a big fan of Seismics and Prox Mines. Prox mines are better on Scimitars (because at PS 2 they move first, and if you can land the mine on a higher-PS target, it doesn't get to escape three red dice or evade them with green dice. TIE Phantom, I got your number right here!)

 

A really good thing about bombs? Your opponent will have the tendency to forget that you have them. There's something really satisfying about having a number of enemy ships in your baffles because your opponent thought he had outmaneuvered you in the previous turn. And then, you say. "Oh, before I move, I'm going to leave you this little present."

 

Regarding missile/torpedo ordnance, I agree that FFG made a mistake with the earlier missiles and torpedoes. However, I think that the newer ones are pretty good. Sure, Flechettes are not going to stress out Fat Han, but they're still going to give you a three-dice attack at R3, and if you spend the point on the Munitions Failsafes, you've got a pretty awesome little weapon for three points. Also, I do think that the Ion Pulse Missile is pretty good against Fat Han.

 

What has recently dawned on me is that a number of missiles and torpedoes don't require you to spend your target lock. You merely have to have a target lock. That's huge!

 

So, in sum: are they top-of-the-line for the global meta? No. But that doesn't mean that they're bad.