New to the Game, and a few Questions for Veterans

[yoink101 225]

Hello! I’m just getting into the game. Well, given covid, I’m getting the models and doing some painting before getting into the game post pandemic.

in any case, I am familiar with miniatures games, but I thought I’d ask a couple of questions for the benefit of us newbies.

1) What is (or are) a simple truth of the game that wasn’t apparent right away, but would have been useful to know when you started? I’m thinking, activations, dice, abilities that are particularly outstanding, mission types for factions, etc.

2) What is a hard won truth that you realize could have saved you some struggling if you’d known it early on?

3) What is your favorite thing about the game?

4) What is something you wish weren’t in the game, or at least could be adjusted?

5) Is there anything in particular that one should bring with them from other minis games? Or, more excitingly, are there any ideas one should absolutely ditch if coming from other minis games?

Thanks in advance!

Edited July 16 by yoink101

[thepopemobile100 977]

1. Short range troops are crazy good with rapid reinforcement. I used to do fleet drops when I played rebels and now I do it with the big and nasty B2s.

2. Just expect that you'll roll all blanks on white defense. It'll get you in a better mindset of mitigating damage through cover whenever possible. Plus it feels nice when you actually make a save when you don't expect them.

3. The models. I'm pretty sure these are some of, if not the best, star wars minis ever made.

4. I hate seeing sniper strike teams. My opponents hate seeing sniper strike teams. They're boring and pre nerf felt dirty using. It's bad enough that there's a gentleman's agreement not to use them around here because of it.

5. Not familiar with many other games, but always bring a good attitude and a smile (and snacks if you aren't hosting).

[SailorMeni 287]

Welcome!

1) It is an objective focused game. Though killing things helps, you can win with a single model left at the end of the game. Take blue player whenever possible to force favored Setups. Action economy is key. A high activation count is good and stripping actions from enemies (suppression!) is often more valuable than kills. If you can eliminate activations fast, do it! 

2) Units in the open are dead units, doesn't matter if you have good saves. White Dice units are dead even in cover, so ideally stay out of sight.

3) The Star Wars flair and the great miniatures that keep improving with every release.

4) A full game takes a bit too long. Also minor balance issues coud be addressed, but imo nothing major.

5) Take time to learn the rules. Terrain matters. A lot. It's not a full out frontal fighting game, all that matters are objectives (have I mentioned that already? 🤔).

[lologrelol 488]

1. Everything is done from the unit leaders. This means they can stand out in the open, while the rest of the squad stays in cover, thus meaning the whole squad has cover yet the squad leader ignores it.

2. Jedi/Sith are crazy strong. Try to ignore them if you can. Focus on winning the objective, not just destroying the adversary.

3. Alternate activation, means it doesn't take too long between you doing stuff.

4. Not sure... for the points size (800pts) the game takes too long.

5. A. Distancing is everything. Try to understand the threat ranges of the enemy and your own stuff. Don't put your important stuff out too far ahead, nor in the open.
5. B. Range is not measured from each mini in a unit, only LOS. Keep at least 50% of the models in a unit in cover, or at least 50% of their bases covered by terrain to get cover.

BALANCE RELATED STUFF so you don't waste money:

• sniper teams are the ****, they are so good
• imperials - shore troopers with mortars/e-webs. Bossk and veers are also great.
• rebs - tauns, luke, sabine, all really good.
• droids - B1's are great cheap activations.
• clones - Phase 2's with overwatch training upgrade are awesome.
• The heavy tanks usually aren't worth their points for what you could have instead.
• high activation lists with a couple of strong heroes seems to be the good meta right now.

These balance issues are actually only small/slim. You can generally make most things work. The above are just that little bit more awesome than the rest at the moment.

[Alan Noir 426]

The main thing to keep in mind is that it is objectives based. For a long time I had a tendency to prioritise a kill or be killed strategy, which can be a distraction. Often times you'll have to sacrifice units to secure objectives (items on the board, or positions depending on the game type). Lots of pyrrhic victories in this game.

Slowing down your enemy is often as good a strategy as killing them. Once you attack with a range weapon your enemy will gain a supression token and usually lose an action (most of the time). This can mess up their strategy. (NB there is a difference between having a supression token and being "suppressed." Some units need several tokens before the effects of supression kick in).

However, supression is not neccessarily a bad thing. Some units gain a bonus if theyre suppressed, ie can do an extra move or increase their cover. Think of it as a "works well/badly under pressure" mechanic.

Other than that Id say paint your units as distinctively as possible. Helps to distinguish one from another on the table which benefits all players. 

[ScummyRebel 5,346]

10 hours ago, yoink101 said:

Hello! I’m just getting into the game. Well, given covid, I’m getting the models and doing some painting before getting into the game post pandemic.

in any case, I am familiar with miniatures games, but I thought I’d ask a couple of questions for the benefit of us newbies.

Welcome!! I’ve been (casually) in the game since it’s launch. I’m not super tactical, but I hope I can help answer the questions:

1. Activation counts matter way more than you think. I started this game with Vader, 3x super fat stormtrooper units, a bikes unit and an ATST. (The veterans are laughing at me right now). At the same time, if you skimp too much to get more units you end up unable to do much besides run for the objectives and hope. Another thing that may not be intuitively obvious is tactics for each faction are different - you cannot pick up any faction and play it the same way. Thus you want to find a faction with a style you like and play into its strengths.

2. The game will get so expensive if you try to have everything for everyone. Also, make sure that you never buy too many of a unit because you’ll end up with stuff sitting on the shelf and not seeing play because you now bring snowtroopers in the mix as well.

3. The miniatures 110% - its all about awesome minis that beg for a nice paint job.

4. The biggest gripe I have is what looks like power creep forming over time. Some older units don’t look as useful anymore compared to newer stuff (P1 vs P2 clones for example, or stormtroopers versus shore troopers). It’s inevitable in most games, but legion did an amazing run of not having it for a while and only more recently it’s happening.

5. Terrain! Bring your terrain and have a ball fighting over whatever land space you have. Try to leave behind your salt you may have from other games. Also, get used to an online rules reference so you don’t need to buy new versions of books over time.

[syrath 1,316]

1/ while removing opposing units is important playing for attrition for it's own sake is a bad idea. Always keep sight of your objectives. Taking a shot at an opponent isn't important any more of it leaves you 1 inch from your opponents zone on breakthrough at the end of turn 6. So always be aware of travel times and objectives 

2/ planning starts at turn zero , make sure you read and understand the objectives. I once went to a tournament and set up for a box grab on key positions, meaning my units were all in the wrong place at turn 1

3/ i know some people have mentioned power creep, but ultimately there is a place in the game for most units since the new objective pack dropped. Even the airspeeder isn't useless

4/ Activation spam, I wish that it wasn't as much of an advantage to out a out activate your opponent. Although I feel this is becoming less of a problem but it's still a factor.

5/ sorry not as familiar with other small unit combat games

[Alan Noir 426]

Oh and check the rules errata on the website. There was a points change and some ability changes a while back to make some units more competitive. Its not compulsory if youre playing at home, but I think the changes are justified. The rules document is updated regularly online in general. A list buildr app like Tabletop Admiral has the new points as standard. ypu can also check out other players' lists there

[Sekac 3,506]

 

22 hours ago, yoink101 said:

1) What is (or are) a simple truth of the game that wasn’t apparent right away, but would have been useful to know when you started?

1) An easy way to conceptualize defense dice:

-White dice=6+ save
-White dice w/ surge=5+ save
-Red dice=4+ save
-Red dice with surge=3+ save

It enables me to translate FFG's love of proprietary symbols into the language of the common gamer.

22 hours ago, yoink101 said:

2) What is a hard won truth that you realize could have saved you some struggling if you’d known it early on?

2) Grievous might have a rule called "Jedi Hunter" but he should not be used to hunt Jedi. 

22 hours ago, yoink101 said:

3) What is your favorite thing about the game?

3) How well the characters of Star Wars are represented in the game. Their rules fit, their command card titles are on point, and they "feel" right as the game unfolds.

22 hours ago, yoink101 said:

4) What is something you wish weren’t in the game, or at least could be adjusted?

4) I wish their Line of Sight system was better thought out in the first place. It has several different standards and will necessarily have an ever expanding list of model-specific exceptions. 

22 hours ago, yoink101 said:

5) Is there anything in particular that one should bring with them from other minis games? Or, more excitingly, are there any ideas one should absolutely ditch if coming from other minis games?

5) You'll find plenty of skills and concepts transferable from other games, but I don't have anything specific to suggest without an understanding of your gaming background. 

As for what to ditch? The concept of "the squad" as you know it. You buy a specific number of models, can add extras to it, and deploy this group all together so it looks, feels, and tastes like a squad. But the better way to think of it, is a single model with a bunch of counters reminding you how many wounds you have left and how many dice to roll when you attack.

It's not quite as severe as this, but thinking of it that way, then adding in where "the squad" does matter will help you position better both tactically and strategically.

Edited July 17 by Sekac