Month: June 2019

Descending Activation League

General

Han T47Here at our local store there seems to be a common denominator: everyone is sick of sniper strike teams. As you’re transitioning from a beginner to the competitive scene, perhaps, you’ll start noticing something in every list: three snipers. I can attest to the fact that having three snipers in a competitive setting is probably mandatory. At first, I didn’t think so, but the more I play the more I realize it’s a necessary evil. Personally, I’m not sick of the sniper war because it means I’m practicing what I call my competitive list. Practicing a list and muscle memory is so key to success if you want to take the next steps as a player in this game. However, keeping things fresh is also a good thing. When you’re helping build a growing Legion community like me and my friends are, you want everyone to be having fun. You don’t want people showing up to play and saying “three snipers, again?”. So on the heels of Imperial Discipline’s 500 point system, which you should check out, and ironically the Legion Outriders this week had a big discussion of ways to keep things fresh in your local area as well, I put together a four week league for our local store.

 

Format

“Regular list building rules apply, 800 point armies. Standard battle card decks. Four week league with ten days (not strict, but try our best) to set up a game with your opponent starting on x date. Challonge bracket will determine who has the bye per week, report your scores to me to enter into the league page to keep track of the standings. Swiss set up should allow us to get one undefeated person at the end but if we want to do a top two cut final week of the same format of week four, I’m open to the idea! No limitation to faction.”

  • Week 1
    • Must build a list with no more than nine activations
    • Maximum two sniper strike teams per army list
  • Week 2
    • Must build a list with no more than eight activations
    • Maximum one sniper strike team per army list
  • Week 3
    • Must build a list with no more than seven activations
    • Maximum one sniper strike team per army list
  • Week 4
    • Must build a list with no more than seven activations
    • No sniper strike teams allowed per army list

As you can see each week we start limiting activation counts and the number of sniper strike teams you are allowed to bring. I felt like six activations was too few and decided to stop at the seven mark and zero snipers on the final week. We ended up having nine participants for our local store, which is extremely exciting, and we have two brand new players. I’d like to think this is a good set up for the newer players to come into playing the game at a different level than they have been. They won’t need to create or bring what are considered super competitive lists. Heck, they might not even have enough stuff for 9+ activations at the moment anyways. I can’t wait to break them into a bigger world of Star Wars Legion with this league and I hope they enjoy it! The more players we get going towards Clone Wars the better!

I highly recommend that if you use this format to set it up on Challonge, a website for league and tournament structure, and there is a new community page where you don’t even need the participants to create an account to set anything up. Just get someone to run the league and run the Challonge site and it will generate week to week games and standings for you. It’s a great tool!

 

Final Notes

There will be people who will want to just play the top, competitive lists at all times and I get that. I’m almost that type of person myself, only because I want to continue to get better at this game with my top tier list. However, I do believe that list building can get very boring at the top level and this is a shake up most people can use. It’s nothing fancy and you can make it longer if you wanted and tinker around with the restrictions that you apply. At the end of the day, this game is about having fun and this is something everyone at the local store is excited about, so am I. I’m going to be working on setting up a sort of narrative campaign for after this format, once I get that done I’ll post that for everyone too! I’m going to put a lot of work into that one, though, so it may take some time!

 

May the Force be with You!

New Hampshire Rally Point Qualifier

General

Jungle table

Last Saturday up in Derry, NH we had our Rally Point Qualifier. This is my home store, I live no more than five minutes away. We were so excited to host this event as we have a smaller group than most, I think, but we are growing! We are actually about to start a four week league and we have nine participants, which is nice. We ended up with thirteen for the RPQ which fell right in to what I kind of expected. I had been saying anywhere from twelve to sixteen made sense for us, having an odd number was less than ideal but it is what it is! We had a few guys come up from Massachusetts, some of which I play with when I can get down to their store. One guy came up from Connecticut and the real cool thing was the two guys that drove the five plus hours from Montreal!

As for me, I went 1 and 2 on the day. I won my first match and I was feeling pretty good! My second match I lost one of the closest games I have played, it went to points, and it’s still a tough pill to swallow. Long story short: If you think it’s time to play Change of Plans don’t doubt yourself. Just play the card! Rather than go through a battle report of my games, which I could do even without visuals because I was a slacker who took zero pictures of the event due to just being zone in completely on playing, I don’t want to ramble on about those. What I would rather do is put up everyone’s list from the day because we had a great mix of lists. As a Rebel player I kind of expected to see more Imperial than Rebels by a decent margin, but I was pleasantly wrong. The Rebellion lives on! With thirteen players we went with three rounds of swiss with a top two cut to ensure that strength of schedule didn’t win the tournament. Ironically, we would have only had one person go 3 and 0, though.

I’m going to type up every player’s list from their final position in the standings. We’ll start with Doug, some of you know him as Sploosh on the Discord. He won the tournament, going 3-0 in the swiss rounds, and then capping it off with the final cut victory.

First Place: Doug

Commanders:
– Director Orson Krennic (90) = 90
Operatives:
– Boba Fett (140) + Recon Intel (2) = 142
Corps:
– Stormtroopers (44) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 63
– Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) = 68
– 2x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 174
Special Forces:
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + Comms Relay (5) + Recon Intel (2) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 125
– 3x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 132
Total: 794/800
Commands:
– Whipcord Launcher (1)
– Voracious Ambition (1)
– ZX Flame Projector (2)
– Deploy the Garrison (2)
– Z-6 Jetpack Rocket (3)
– Annihilation Looms (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Breakthrough
– Key Positions
– Recover Supplies
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Clear Condition
– Hostile Environment
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements
From what I understand from Doug’s list, as I did not play against him, is to Entourage to the Deathtroopers who then Comms Relay to a medbot unit with charges left in order to ensure he can bring back a sniper or a Deathtrooper if they were to take a wound early in the round. It’s a list built for efficiency by an efficient player and it’s no surprise that he won the tournament. Congratulations to Doug aka Sploosh on his fantastic tournament and well deserved win!
Second Place: Charles 
Charles is one of the players that drove down from Montreal and he had himself a day with quite an interesting list! I’m glad he got to come down and have a great RPQ experience, especially with that drive!
Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Emergency Stims (8) = 178
– Leia Organa (90) + Improvised Orders (10) = 100
Operatives:
– Chewbacca (110) + Tenacity (4) + Emergency Stims (8) = 122
Corps:
– Fleet Troopers (44) + Scatter Gun Trooper (23) + Impact Grenades (5) = 72
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) = 124
Special Forces:
– Wookiee Warriors (75) + Bowcaster Wookiee (35) + Tenacity (4) = 114
– 2x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 88
Total: 798/800
Commands:
– Son of Skywalker (1)
– Coordinated Bombardment (1)
– Brains and Brawn (2)
– No Time for Sorrows (2)
– Somebody Has to Save Our Skins (3)
– Return of the Jedi (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
– Recover Supplies
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– Major Offensive
– The Long March
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Limited Visibility
– Hostile Environment
– Rapid Reinforcements
If you’re part of the competitive scene you know that this list is a bit off meta but clearly it worked for Charles! Congrats to him on his second place finish and good luck to him at his RPQ’s up in Canada!
Third Place: Carl
Carl also came down from Montreal and I had the pleasure of playing against him in my second game, the infamous why did I not play Change of Plans game for me. I’m still haunted! That said, Carl was a great opponent and our game was awesome. As the lone Palpatine player in the field, it was nice to play against him. I don’t have the details of his list for some reason but off memory this is what I recall!
Commanders:
– Emperor Palpatine (210) + Anger (5) + Force Choke (5) = 220
Corps:
– Snowtroopers (48) + Flametrooper (20) + Imperial Officer (20) + Recon Intel (2) + Fragmentation Grenades (5) = 95
– Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + Recon Intel (2) = 70
– 2x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 174
Special Forces:
– 3x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 132
– Imperial Royal Guards (75) + Electrostaff Guard (25) + Tenacity (4) + Recon Intel (2) = 106
Total: 797/800

I wish I had more data to dump in here as I like to see what everyone’s battle card choices are just for curiosity, but we’re going to have to use our imagination for this one! I’m glad the two guys who traveled the farthest made it into the top three, I’m sure it made their trip a lot more worth it!

 

Fourth Place: Andrew

Speaking of off meta lists: you’re about to be in for a treat. Andrew is one of our local players and he likes to play off the meta, that’s a fact. He got a bye round one and ended up playing Doug in a battle of the 2-0’s in round three for a chance to make the final. He fell a little short, but I’m sure he’s content with the two games he played and making fourth place!

Commanders:
– Leia Organa (90) + Commanding Presence (10) + Improvised Orders (10) = 110
Corps:
– 4x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 256
– Rebel Troopers (40) + R5 Astromech Droid (8) + Recon Intel (2) = 50
– Fleet Troopers (44) + Scatter Gun Trooper (23) + Rebel Officer (19) + Environmental Gear (3) = 89
Support:
– 2x AT-RT (55) + AT-RT Flamethrower (25) = 160
Heavy:
– Landspeeder (75) + Outer Rim Speeder Jockey (10) + RPS-6 Rocket Gunner (36) + A-300 Rifle Gunner (9) = 130
Total: 795/800
Commands:
– Coordinated Bombardment (1)
– Ambush (1)
– No Time for Sorrows (2)
– Turning the Tide (2)
– Assault (3)
– Covering Fire (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
– Recover Supplies
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Hostile Environment
– Limited Visibility
– Rapid Reinforcements

Vehicles, vehicles and more vehicles. No snipers. It’s quite the interesting list and I would think a lot of lists don’t really have much of an answer for it, really. No Breakthrough is quite interesting, at least to me, but I can understand it’s exclusion.

 

Fifth Place- Richard B

Richard, UrzaMagus on the Discord, came up from the store in Massachusetts that I mentioned earlier and he’s a very good player with a very efficient list. Unfortunately for him he ran into the Andrew vehicle gauntlet round two, which his list had no answer for really. Richard took me down in round three and I will be seeking vengeance upon him the next time we play! Vengeance aside, let’s look at his list.

Commanders:
– General Veers (80) + Strict Orders (5) = 85
– Director Orson Krennic (90) + Esteemed Leader (5) = 95
Corps:
– 3x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) = 204
– 2x Stormtroopers (44) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 126
Special Forces:
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + Hunter (6) + Comms Relay (5) + Emergency Stims (8) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 137
– 3x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) + Hunter (6) = 150
Total: 797/800
Commands:
– Maximum Firepower (1)
– Voracious Ambition (1)
– Push (2)
– Deploy the Garrison (2)
– Imperial Discipline (3)
– Annihilation Looms (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
– Breakthrough
– Recover Supplies
Deployments:
– Disarray
– Major Offensive
– Battle Lines
– Advanced Positions
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Hostile Environment
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements
He has what you can consider your typical middle management gun line list and he knows how to run it well. Running into Rebel vehicles is probably the only thing he didn’t want to see!
Sixth Place: Eric D
Eric is a “local” player if you want to call him that, because he plays at our store when he can. However, the man lives a good 90 minutes or so from the store so he really is a dedicated person. This was my first time meeting him and while I didn’t get to play against him, it’s clear he knows his way around FFG games!
Commanders:
– General Veers (80) + Improvised Orders (10) = 90
– Imperial Commander (50) + Strict Orders (5) = 55
Operatives:
– Boba Fett (140) + Hunter (6) + Emergency Stims (8) = 154
Corps:
– 3x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) = 204
– Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 87
Special Forces:
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 118
– 2x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 88
Total: 796/800
Commands:
– Maximum Firepower (1)
– Whipcord Launcher (1)
– Push (2)
– ZX Flame Projector (2)
– Z-6 Jetpack Rocket (3)
– Coordinated Fire (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
– Recover Supplies
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
Deployments:
– Major Offensive
– Battle Lines
– Advanced Positions
– Disarray
Conditions:
– Rapid Reinforcements
– Clear Conditions
– Hostile Environment
– Minefield

A different take on Veers/Boba here with the generic officer and some Deathtroopers sprinkled in. It seems like a very efficient list and going 2 and 1 on the day seems to back that statement up!

 

Seventh Place: Eric K

My local Rebel cohort, Eric decided to dust off Luke for this tournament after not playing him for a while. He lost game one by the skin of his teeth, had a round two bye, and capped off the day with a round three victory. We talked about his round one loss and he actually could have won after I thought of something he could have done. It was a gut punch, but it is what it is!

Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Battle Meditation (10) + Force Push (10) + Emergency Stims (8) = 188
– Han Solo (120) + Duck and Cover (8) = 128
Corps:
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Rebel Officer (19) = 59
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 80
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) = 124
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Recon Intel (2) = 42
Special Forces:
– Rebel Pathfinders (68) + Duck and Cover (8) + HQ Uplink (10) = 86
– 2x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 88
Total: 795/800 

Commands:
– Son of Skywalker (1)
– Sorry About the Mess (1)
– My Ally is the Force (2)
– Reckless Diversion (2)
– Change of Plans (3)
– Return of the Jedi (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Key Positions
– Recover Supplies
– Intercept Transmissions
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Disarray
Conditions:
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements
– Clear Conditions
– Limited Visibility

Eric opted for a set of Pathfinders here as harassers and he handles them well. I’m sure it hurts to know if he did one minor thing in game one he could have went onward but at least he knows for next time!

 

Eighth Place: Zach aka me

I’m on the Fly Boy train, as we know, and there’s no end in sight right now. Even with Sabine coming out, it will be hard pressed to take me off this list for the next RPQ in Connecticut next month. I was playing Wonder Twins for a long time but I wish it was Fly Boys all along!

Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Jedi Mind Trick (5) + Emergency Stims (8) = 183
– Han Solo (120) + Emergency Stims (8) = 128
Corps:
– 3x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 192
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Officer (19) = 162
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132
Total: 797/800
Commands:
– Son of Skywalker (1)
– Sorry About the Mess (1)
– Reckless Diversion (2)
– My Ally is the Force (2)
– Return of the Jedi (3)
– Change of Plans (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Intercept Transmissions
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
– Recover Supplies
– Breakthrough
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– Disarray
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Limited Visibility
– Rapid Reinforcements
– Minefield

It’s a tough pill to swallow for me because I know if I had played Change of Plans in the Palpatine game, I probably win and go to 2 and 0. That said, it is what it is and I can build off the day! I feel confident with how I played all day and looking forward to the next one!

 

Ninth Place: Chase

Chase was the lone gunslinger from Connecticut and while I’m sure he hoped for a better outcome I’d like to think he enjoyed his tournament! We look forward to seeing him again next month in Connecticut, here’ his list:

Commanders:
– General Veers (80) = 80
– Director Orson Krennic (90) + Strict Orders (5) = 95
Corps:
– Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + FX-9 Medical Droid (19) = 87
– 2x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) = 136
– Snowtroopers (48) + Flametrooper (20) + Fragmentation Grenades (5) = 73
Special Forces:
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + Comms Relay (5) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 123
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 118
– 2x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 88
Total: 800/800
Commands:
– Maximum Firepower (1)
– Voracious Ambition (1)
– Deploy the Garrison (2)
– Push (2)
– Annihilation Looms (3)
– Imperial Discipline (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Breakthrough
– Key Positions
– Recover Supplies
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Hostile Environment
– Clear Conditions
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements
A different take of middle management as he decided to go with two Deathtroopers as opposed to one. Which seems to be a solid debate in the competitive world of Legion! Is one or two better? Time will tell.
Tenth Place: Jeff
Speaking of different takes, our local dual faction man Jeff decided to be an Imperial fascist and he brought the heat with not just two Deathtroopers but THREE! Now I know he wished his day went better, as he had practiced this list for a good while, and he got his first win of the day against Eric K in the nailbiter of the day it seems, but the rest of the day wasn’t as kind to him. I mean, for crying out loud, the kid even ripped his shorts! Let’s have a look!
Commanders:
– Director Orson Krennic (90) + Strict Orders (5) = 95
Corps:
– 4x Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) = 272
– Snowtroopers (48) + Recon Intel (2) + Fragmentation Grenades (5) = 55
Special Forces:
– 2x Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + Overwatch (4) + Recon Intel (2) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 248
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 84
– Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 44
Total: 798/800
Commands:
– Ambush (1)
– Voracious Ambition (1)
– Push (2)
– Deploy the Garrison (2)
– Coordinated Fire (3)
– Annihilation Looms (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Breakthrough
– Key Positions
– Recover Supplies
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Hostile Environment
– Clear Conditions
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements
Eleventh Place: Phil
Phil is a local guy and he loves his vehicles. I’m surprised he didn’t bring good ol’ Stompy, his AT-ST! However, he did rock the only tank in the RPQ. As you can see, our local scene is not a very on the meta type of scene and it’s a good thing, in my opinion! Here’s Phil’s list!
Commanders:
– Director Orson Krennic (90) + Commanding Presence (10) = 100
Corps:
– Stormtroopers (44) + R4 Astromech Droid (9) + Concussion Grenades (5) = 58
– Stormtroopers (44) + DLT-19 Stormtrooper (24) + Concussion Grenades (5) = 73
– Snowtroopers (48) + Flametrooper (20) + Fragmentation Grenades (5) = 73
Special Forces:
– 2x Scout Troopers Strike Team (16) + DLT-19x Sniper (28) = 88
– Imperial Royal Guards (75) + Electrostaff Guard (25) + Tenacity (4) = 104
– Imperial Death Troopers (76) + DLT-19D (34) + Overwatch (4) + E-11D Grenade Launcher Config (8) = 122
Heavy:
– Assault Tank (155) + Imperial Hammers Elite Armor Pilot (10) + RT-97C Rifle Pintle (14) = 179
Total: 797/800
Commands:
– Voracious Ambition (1)
– Covert Observation (1)
– Deploy the Garrison (2)
– Push (2)
– Annihilation Looms (3)
– Coordinated Fire (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Recover Supplies
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
– Breakthrough
Deployments:
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
– Battle Lines
– Advanced Positions
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Hostile Environment
– Minefield
– Rapid Reinforcements

A tank, Deathtroopers AND Imperial Royal Guard. Talk about list variety!

 

Twelfth Place: Richard O
My good buddy Richard, aka Codec on the Discord, wishes he had a better day but a third Fly Boy list! It’s contagious! I know he’s going down to the Connecticut RPQ next month and will be looking for a better outcome this time around! Will he keep the Wookies? Will he bring Sabine? What will he do! Here’s his current list:
Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Emergency Stims (8) = 178
– Han Solo (120) + Improvised Orders (10) = 130
Corps:
– 4x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) = 248
– Rebel Troopers (40) = 40
Special Forces:
– Wookiee Warriors (75) + Bowcaster Wookiee (35) + Tenacity (4) = 114
– 2x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 88
Total: 798/800
Commands:
– Son of Skywalker (1)
– Sorry About the Mess (1)
– My Ally is the Force (2)
– Reckless Diversion (2)
– Return of the Jedi (3)
– Change of Plans (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Breakthrough
– Intercept Transmissions
– Recover Supplies
– Sabotage Moisture Vaporators
Deployments:
– Major Offensive
– Battle Lines
– Advanced Positions
– Disarray
Conditions:
– Limited Visibility
– Minefield
– Clear Conditions
– Rapid Reinforcements
Thirteenth Place: Alex
I had the pleasure of playing Alex round one and unfortunately for him I drew a somewhat favorable match up with Advanced Positions and Recover the Supplies. I got on that middle box early and turtled up. That said! His Landspeeder did some work and this thing truly is viable! Alex drove a good hour or so to get to the RPQ and unfortunately got a bye in one of the rounds, but I hope he enjoyed himself one way or another! Let’s have a look!
Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Battle Meditation (10) + Emergency Stims (8) = 188
– Leia Organa (90) = 90
Corps:
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Trooper (10) + Fragmentation Grenades (5) = 77
– 3x Rebel Troopers (40) + Rebel Trooper (10) = 150
– Rebel Troopers (40) = 40
– Fleet Troopers (44) + Scatter Gun Trooper (23) + Fleet Trooper (11) = 78
Special Forces:
– Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 44
Heavy:
– Landspeeder (75) + Outer Rim Speeder Jockey (10) + RPS-6 Rocket Gunner (36) + A-300 Rifle Gunner (9) = 130
Total: 797/800
Commands:
– Son of Skywalker (1)
– Coordinated Bombardment (1)
– My Ally is the Force (2)
– Push (2)
– Return of the Jedi (3)
– Assault (3)
– Standing Orders (4)
Objectives:
– Breakthrough
– Key Positions
– Intercept Transmissions
– Recover Supplies
Deployments:
– Advanced Positions
– Battle Lines
– The Long March
– Major Offensive
Conditions:
– Clear Conditions
– Limited Visibility
– Hostile Environment
– Rapid Reinforcements

Wonder Twins with a Landspeeder?! It’s a lot of points, but it has loads of potential. If he keeps playing this list, he could be a menace next month if he goes down to Connecticut!

 

Final Notes

Seven Imperial players and six Rebel players? That’s a great turnout for the event in terms of faction counts and it makes me happy. I decided to do this format to give everyone some insight on what current lists look like at the early RPQ’s versus a standard Battle Report going over my games. Thought it could be a useful tool just gather an idea of what you might see if you have one in the upcoming weeks. Of course that will change when Bossk and Sabine drop, hopefully, later this month!

Thanks to our Tournament Official, Justin, who bit the bullet for all of us at the store and allowed us to play while he sat this one out. I know he’s ready to get down to Connecticut next month and get some plastic on the table. Thanks to all of the people that came from all over, it was great play against different people from different places! Again, congrats to Doug (Sploosh) on his victory and his seat to next years World’s! He can sit back and relax the rest of the way now that it’s set in stone for him. As for the rest of us? On to the next one! Good luck to everyone at their RPQ’s!

 

May the Force be with You!

Guest Post: GhostWalking’s RPQ Experience at Highlander Games

Battle Reports

Image result for Cassian Andor gif

 “Light It Up.” – Cassian Andor

 

Greetings all! I had the pleasure of attending the Highlander Games Rallypoint Qualifier (New Jersey) this past weekend. Not only was this my first actual Legion tournament, but it was also my first in person competitive gaming event…ever. Having gotten my feet wet in Invader League 3, I decided it was time to drive a few hours and take the plunge.

Going into the day, my goal was to simply get a single win to justify the trip. I ended up going 2-1, and if not for my own huge mental mistake in game one and some slick play by my opponent, could have gone even farther. After spending the better part of the last two months deciding between Wonder Twins and Fly Boys, I ended up going with Leia over Han. As much as leaving Han’s command hand at home hurts, consistency wins the day, and I found myself extremely grateful for Leia’s cards and gun in nearly every round.

 

My List

Leia – Improvised Orders, Esteemed Leader
Luke – Push, Stims, JMT
Fleet Troopers – Scatter, Environmental Gear
5x Rebel Toopers – Z6
3x Rebel Commandos – Sniper

Total: 800 

There you have it, nothing fancy beyond tons of white dice and the occasional flashing lightsaber. The fleets ended up in there due to a combination of not wanting to purchase the sixth Z6 and hoping to play some standby and push shenanigans, which ended up working quite well in the end. I run Environmental Gear on them consistently, as I find that guaranteed speed-2 move solves many of their “closing speed” problems. I did not use esteemed leader once, but more than earned back my points on JMT. My general strategy is pretty basic, utilize Leia’s Coordinated Bombardment and the triple snipers to get a quick activation advantage, usually not too unusual with having 11 myself, and pushing a flank with Luke supported by two Z6’s and the fleets.

Overall Tournament Thoughts

I carpooled and arrived to the tournament before the doors opened, but I was impressed that the store owner was already prepped and had all the tables built and ready to go hours before we were due to begin. Alex Young judged the event, and did a fantastic job being accessible and clear with all his decisions. He took his time with each question (and there were many) and did just as much teaching as ruling. The lists themselves had a large amount of variety; the factions were split eight and eight. We had two Palpatine lists, two Falcon Crew, four lists with armor, and even the meta lists had some flavor to them, be it Wookies, Fleets, or extra Death Troopers. Not every table was perfect, they all looked great, but not all meshed with Legion’s style of play and mechanics. However, no two tables played the same and they forced each player to be flexible with deployment and play style.

 

Game 1

Battle Cards: Sabotage the Moisture Vaporators/Battle Lines/Clear Conditions

Opponents List

Luke – Push, Stims, Reflexes
Leia – Improvised Orders
2x Rebel Troopers – Z6 with Recon
2x Rebel Troopers – Z6
Rebel Trooper – Medic
2x Rebel Commandos – Sniper
Landspeeder – Mk2 Medium Blaster

Stepping up to the board, my opponent declined his bid and offered me blue player, seeing as I outnumbered him 11 to 10. As a result of this, having vaporators fall into play gave me quite a bit of confidence to get the day started. This table was interesting; the entire board was modular and consisted of two plateaus with some buildings on top of them with a fort in the valley between. This created an enormous dead man’s area in the middle of the board, fortunately this was a rebel mirror and neither of us wanted to get stuck there. I placed my vaporators on the right side of the tent on top of the right plateau and centrally just right of the fort in the middle. My opponent chose to place one behind the turret on the far left and one of the north side of the fort opposite of mine.

 

Turns one and two consisted mostly of posturing, trading sniper fire, and interacting with the vaporators. I managed to wipe a strike team with Leia’s CB and go up a second activation on turn 1, and on turn two had taken another Z6 down to its leader. However, his Luke and Landspeeder managed to come up the right flank to threaten troops along the “tent” on the top plateau.

 

Things began to unravel quickly on turn three for me. Falsely believing that the Landspeeders base leaving the board meant instant removal, I pulled Son of Skywalker and attempted to kill his Luke with my own and the Fleet Troopers. Failing to do a single damage, I left my own Luke exposed and his Luke and Landspeeder free to assault my far right vaporator. He was able to wipe my squad holding the position, which forced me to move towards his own vaporator on the north tower side. During my mad dash across the middle, I managed to get myself into a position to add enough wounds to claim victory, but a clutch roll by his Leia on a single wound combined with a great melee tie-up from his final strike team stole the day, and left him a point ahead on vaporators for the victory.

 

Game 2

Battle Cards: Key Positions/Major Offensive/Minefield

Opponents List

Krennic – Strict Orders
Boba – Recon, Stims, Hunter
3x Stormtroopers – DLT
Stormtrooper – Medic
2x Deathtroopers – DLT, Config
Scout Trooper – Sniper

The Hoth table for Round two presented another set of unique challenges. The table was dominated by two large hills that funneled both armies into a middle zone centered around a bunker, large enough to hide multiple squads, yet still small enough a player with Boba and Luke could jump it. Both units were present, of course! The size of the bunker, which ended up the middle KP, and the major offensive deployment setup forced me to choose a KP so far out of the way it’s actually outside the picture on the left hand side. My opponent chose the middle right turret, ideally giving him a clear shot at any of my troops assaulting the bunker, this turned out to be a mistake.

Being up two activations to begin with, 11 to 9, I made it my mission to try to eliminate his single sniper team early. Despite CB catching both models in the open, the snipers passed both saves, and proceeded to weather three consecutive sniper shots without losing a model. The remainder of my turn one activations were spent positioning my models to remove mines while dealing with the effects of a turn one Annihilation Looms from his Krennic. Early in turn two, I managed to eliminate his sniper squad with the help of some aimed sniper fire, and moved up my fleets to the bunker alongside Luke while I massed Z6s on the other side of the middle by the hill.

On turn three I decided that taking his home KP was going to be much easier than holding onto my own on the right side.  Using an effective Leia 3-pip, I was able to use her and the Fleets back to back to eliminate his advancing Stormtrooper squad, and use Luke’s criminally underutilized pistol to combine with the snipers to kill a second full trooper unit on the same turn.

By turn four, Luke had successfully chopped and subsequently pushed Krennic into a fleet shot, and had SOS’ed into both his Death Trooper squads. My opponent was punished for leaving Boba on his own on the far right side, and he melted under the focus fire of five separate Z6 rolls.  On turn five he conceded and we ended early to enjoy a break before the final round.

Game 3

Battle Cards: Key Positions/Major Offensive/Minefield

Opponents List

Veers – Commanding Presence
Snowtrooper – Flamethrower, Frags
3x Stormtrooper – DLT
3x Scout Trooper – Sniper
2x E-Web
GAV Assault Tank – Pintle, Hammers Pilot

My two games against the Imperials ended up with the same battle cards….ironic. This table was actually determined to be too dense during the pre-tournament setup, and ended up with fewer pieces by the time my opponent and I began. Unfortunately, this still resulted in a table that was far from optimal for tank play, and I quickly used this to my advantage. Our middle KP ended up as the TIE fighter/staircase in the hangar, while I chose the double vaporator on the right hand side and my opponent took the house in the far bottom left corner.  During deployment, I was able to concentrate my forces in one large group on the right side of the hangar bay, while my opponent split his forces in half to the north and south of the bay. This ended up backfiring in the end.

Turn one went about as scripted as you’d expect. As in my previous two games, I was able to deploy Leia in view of full strike teams, this time two to be exact, and got my CB off successfully. After managing to kill only one of the four sniper models I hit, we engaged in a mini sniper war along the north corridor above the hangar bay. Veers was able to wipe all but a leader of a single Z6 squad, so I ran the leader inside a building and he sat inside for the next five turns, providing a delay tactic and keeping MOV (Margin of Victory from kill points) off the table for my opponent. The only clear pathways into the hangar were the openings to the north and south, otherwise you were forced to climb or clamber over the walls. Half of turn two consisted of us positioning our unit leaders into the base contact with the walls to prepare our coming assaults. The other half continued the sniper war and dealt with the tank advancing to the south with a squad of Snowtroopers. I was able to use No Time For Sorrow to wipe out his first E-Web with my Fleets on the turns first action, starting the activation snowball that quickly began rolling next turn.

The action began in earnest on turn three. My opponent positioned his remaining E-Web and sniper to guard the northern entrance while moving Veers and a DLT squad into the hanger arena. In response to this I was able to use my three strike teams to pick off the sniper squad and heavily damage the E-Web with a Z6. Meanwhile, his tank had reached the southern entrance but also realized that he could not enter the hanger without giving up his ability to shoot anything outside of range 2, so he hung back and blocked off the entrance for my troops. I responded by ignoring the tank, panicking his Snowtroopers off the board, and slowly chipping away at the two DLTs Stormtrooper squads to the south. Holding Luke until the end, I jumped over the walls and prepared to engage his DLT squad and Veers on the next round.

The game was decided on turn four. Despite losing the priority roll on my SoS, Luke was able to weather a single Stormtrooper shot, charge into Veers, push the Storms into melee as well, and one shot each with his double lightsaber attack. My opponent then drew the tank early, removing only a few Fleets, before I continued to pick off activations, starting with the last remaining E-Web before moving onto the south DLT squads. We agreed to play out the remaining two turns, and I ended up scoring two points to one, being up on activations 11 to 3.

 

Final Notes

Mike, also known as GhostWalking on the Discord, came to me last week before his Rallypoint Qualifier and asked to do a write up, which of course I was all for it! (I have data from my personal RPQ that I’m sifting through and will write up in a different format some point this week!) It’s always great to get points of views from all over, even more so from these early RPQ’s! It’s a shame that he lost his first game with a ruling that he did not understand, but he rebounded well winning his next two games and I can tell you right now that he’s not bothered by the loss at all! He’s taking it in stride, as he should, and we all should if this were to happen! We need to remember: we’re playing a game. Have fun, even amidst a loss at an important tournament! Good luck to all in any upcoming RPQ’s!

 

May the Force be with You!

 

Budget Tournament Tray

General

This Saturday is my first ever Legion tournament and it comes in the form of a Rallypoint Qualifier. It just so happens to be my local store, which is great! However, moving tables has never really needed to be a thing before for me, or for any of us, and I just think taking all of my miniatures and putting them back into my foam is going to be a slow process all day. “How can I fix this?”, I asked myself. I’ve seen 3D printable trays, but those would take too long to print. I’ve seen amazing trays people make and sell online, but they can be pretty pricey or at least something I don’t seem necessary for me to purchase at the very least. (This is not a knock on them, their price point or anything! There are some amazing trays and ideas out there!) I decided I needed to magnetize everything but then what do I do from there? Well the answer might sound crazy but it came in the form of a cookie tray/baking sheet. Now let’s go over what to buy, where to buy it, and what to do!

 

Magnets

My first question to someone about this idea was “What size magnets do people use to magnetize your miniatures?”. I got a reply of 5mm round x 2mm thick and then went to the one place that is easy to find things in bulk and with a search bar: Amazon. As you can see in the picture above you get 150(!) for $8.49. That’s plenty to support your army and then some! Here’s the link to them here: Tournament Tray Magnets

Your next step is pretty simple. All you need to do is put a little dabble of super glue on the bottom of your base, right in the middle, drop the magnet down and let it dry. It sounds like a tedious task, and maybe to some it is, but it’s not nearly as bad as you’d think it would be. I want to say it took me all but ten minutes to magnetize all of my stuff and more. Which we’ll get into after.

 

Cookie Tray 

I don’t think I need to go on much here, but just make sure your cookie tray will work with magnets. I happened to go to Home Goods and got this one, shown below, for $4.99. So if you’re keeping track at home: I invested a total of $13.48

 

Outcome

I’m still working on having a fully painted army. My paint time can be limited with the little hurricane known as my son is running around the house. That said, shown below are the pictures of what less than $14 can get you in terms of a tournament tray. I had some other, small magnets laying around and decided to magnetize my rang rulers with those, but I’m sure you can use the bigger ones if you want just fine. I just wanted them to be subtle on something that I constantly use. Everything fits in there comfortably and then I also have a dice box to carry around my tokens and dice. Is it the most aesthetically pleasing thing? Absolutely not, it’s a cookie tray. Either way this should help me move from table to table pretty easily come this Saturday at the RPQ, any other RPQ’s I play at this season and eventually LVO this upcoming January!

 

 

 

 

Final Notes

I’m going to have some upcoming hobby posts in the future as I continue to keep things nice and fresh here at the Jedha Journal. One of those will be a guest post about making some terrain! Which I can’t wait to read and post it, seeing as I am a lazy 3D printer as opposed to making my own terrain! Hope you enjoy this hobby snippet and go make some fourteen-ish dollar tournament trays and make your life easy changing tables! Every second counts on that clock! Good luck to all of my friends/opponents this weekend at our RPQ and any other RPQ’s going on this weekend!

May the Force be with you!

-GrandAdmiralThrawn