Rebellion in the Rim pt. 1 (The fleets)

A couple of weeks ago we finished the Corellian Conflict All-out assault which I thought was grand. I really like big battles! 

But several other players wanted something smaller, less complex. While I'd rather play with big boy fleets, I can see their point. Armada is pretty a complex game and for less experienced players it can feel a little overwhelming.

Now we're back with another campaign and this time we're trying Rebellion in the Rim. Five out of six players are the same and people are sticking to their factions. What loyalty 😅 The Empire team has gained a new player.

My RitR experience is limited. I tried it very briefly on Vassal - without reading the campaign rules - when it came out. I made the mistake of going with an ISD for my fleet. It wasn't that it was bad. It was strong. But it was boring. A single shooty ship and 2 flots...bah. And too few squadrons. So I suggested we stick to smalls and mediums and we did.

Regarding aces: Since the game caps at 250, you can only ever have two unique squads with defense tokens. I think that suits the RitR concept perfectly!

Special rules: We didn't want to change too much without having played the campaign but agreed to the following:

• No round 1 base assaults.
• Commanders can have up to 6 tiers of abilities. Should they get beyond that stage, they could trade in 1 XP for a 5 point increase to their fleet cap. No idea how that'll work out. We'll see.
• If you gain multiple conditions or have a condition when you gain another, the opposing player picks what condition you keep. So no flying around with Low Fuel to protect yourself from other conditions!

Building starting Empire fleets of smalls and mediums was a bit rough. With the Rebels, you can stick some TRC90s in there, add an AF or MC30, and call it a day. For the Empire, base costs are higher, so the design space is smaller. You want some shooty ships, flotillas, upgrades, AND squads. It's not possible! 😂 In the end, we decided to bring whatever we felt like, but try to use a variety of ships. 

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R1 Empire Task Forces:

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Fleet: Why So many Gozanti?

Commander: Commodore Drok Lodt (Bjørn)

Abilities: Master Navigator I

This is my fleet. It has too many Gozanti and lacks ranged attacks. I'm not convinced. I was on the verge of swapping to Glad +  Quasar but the Rebels had already posted their lists and it felt a bit cheaty. Plans going forward: add some upgrades on the Glad. More squads. Use Raider to protect squads. Strike hard with Maarek and Demolisher. Profit.

Assault: Most Wanted

Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility

Navigation: Infested Fields

Gladiator I (56) [FLAGSHIP]

• Ordnance Experts (4)

= 60 Points

Raider I (44)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

= 48 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Parts Resupply (3)

= 26 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• Maarek Stele (21)

• Colonel Jendon (20)

= 41 Points

Total Points: 200

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Fleet: Dat Ole VSD

Commander: Fleet Captain Lex Ander (Alexander)

Abilities: Master Navigator I

Alex ran Romodi in the CC. This time he has no Cymoon + Kuat, but a VSD and an Arq 😅 The Vic is OK with a small table and no larges. I hope. The Arq is a good flanker. A good deal of reds and then some blacks up close. Squads for protection. It's hard to find Empire decent Empire multi-role squads.

Assault: Most Wanted

Defense: Contested Outpost

Navigation: Infested Fields

Victory I (73) [FLAGSHIP]

• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)

= 80 Points

Arquitens Light Cruiser (54)

• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)

= 61 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• Howlrunner (16)

• Soontir Fel (18)

= 34 Points

Total Points: 200

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Fleet: Premium Versions Only

Commander: Flotilla Commander So Tham (Thomas)

Abilities: Master Engineer I

New guy. Ended up without any flotillas. Maybe he's compensating for my list!? Twin command cruisers and a Raider-II. Not too shooty yet but after a few rounds of upgrades they should be stronger. There is a plan, I promise. But it's going to take a few rounds. Again squads are only for protection. 

Assault: Opening Salvo

Defense: Contested Outpost

Navigation: Infested Fields

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59) [FLAGSHIP]

• Skilled First Officer (1)

= 60 Points

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59)

= 59 Points

Raider II (48)

• Disposable Capacitors (3)

= 51 Points

Squadrons:

• Ciena Ree (17)

• Valen Rudor (13)

= 30 Points

Total Points: 200

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Round 1 - Rebels

Crimson Vanguard - (200/200) (Eirik)

Naked AF. TRC90. Rogues. Strategic. No surprises really.

[flagship] Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)

= 72 total points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

 - Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

= 51 total points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

 - Comms Net (2)

= 20 total points

Squadrons (57/200):

1x Millennium Falcon - Lando Calrissian (23)

1x Kanan Jarrus (19)

1x VCX-100 Freighter (15)

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Roosh Flying Corcus - (200/200) (Thomas)

Note how rebels get 3 shooty ships WITH upgrades - and still can fit in decent rogues?

Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)

 - Spinal Armament (9)

= 60 total points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

 - Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

= 51 total points

CR90 Corvette B (39)

 - Auxiliary Shields Team (3)

= 42 total points

Squadrons (47/200):

1x Corran Horn E-wing Squadron (22)

1x Rogue Squadron X-wing Squadron (14)

1x A-Wing Squadron (11)

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82nd Exploratory Fleet - (200/200) (Carl Thomas)

Scary. Jan + Norra makes those generics tanky and hard-hitting. But there is only 1 shooter and the AF doesn't have that many dice. Still, this is the fleet to watch.

[flagship] Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)

= 72 total points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

 - Comms Net (2)

= 20 total points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

 - Bomber Command Center (8)

= 26 total points

Squadrons (82/200):

1x Moldy Crow - Jan Ors (19)

1x Norra Wexley Y-wing Squadron (17)

2x Y-Wing Squadron (20)

2x X-Wing Squadron (26)