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Category: Imperial Assault (Page 1 of 2)

Imperial Assault Lunch League

IA Skirmish Debrief – 3/24/2016

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The IA Lunch League is back in action with another exciting match up. Coming off a stretch of great matches in which both players honed their skills and strategies with the same list, they were looking to try something new. Mason was ready to the take the Imperials for a spin while Jim Bob was excited to try out some of the newly acquired Rebel expansions.

Be sure to click the List names to the right to see the specific figures and command cards.
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Mason
The Spice of Weiss
Jim Bob
The Wamprats

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Rebel Stomping

swi03_previewTrying out new lists means all new capabilities and strategies and plenty of room for error. But it also means lots of fun like running around in a giant AT-ST, stomping on fleeing Rebels. Or setting loose a couple of raging Wookies to run interference for your elusive Smuggler. The only thing more fun that putting a new list together is actually getting to play it. So enough talk, let’s get to it.

Imperial Command Hub – Uplink

map-imperial_command_hubThis map was new to both players so strategy was mainly being worked out on the fly. Mason took the upper deployment zone and Jim Bob set up at the bottom. The object of this mission is to the retrieve the datalink and upload it to the red terminal. There’s only one datalink though, worth 16 victory points, so the victor will undoubtedly be decided the hard way. On the surface this looks to be an advantage to Mason whose list is built for power as opposed to Jim Bob’s light and mobile squad.

Using the nimble smuggler, Jim Bob attempted a quick smash and grab for the datalink while Luke and the wookies tried to create a diversion. Mason was not to be fooled, using the powerful General Weiss and superb positioning to cover both approaches and take out Luke early in the second round. Luke’s sacrifice allowed the smuggler to escape with the goods and began a dangerous game of cat and mouse between the two sides. Jim Bob’s Wookies dove into the Imperial line with the Saboteurs backing them up, but the AT-ST proved particularly good at soaking up damage. (where are those stupid ewoks when you need them?)

smugglers-runTrying desparately to avoid the awesome firepower of General Weiss, the datalink carrying smuggler slipped back and forth across the map while both sides traded fire. The Wookies were able to take out the Imperial Officer and a Royal Guard but fell before they could stop Weiss. The trio of Jyn, Gideon, and C-3PO were able to put an end to the E-Web Engineer, but the remaining Royal Guard slipped through their ranks to chase after the Saboteurs attempting to finish off the General. In all the fray, the Smuggler made a run through the enemy deployment zone to pick up 5 critical points before the AT-ST picked him off.

Beginning with the last activation of the 3rd round, there were 4 lead changes with the outcome being decided on the final roll of the game when Jyn was able to take out that last Royal Guard. All in all this was an extremely close game to the very end. Had the game not been stopped for time, it may very well have turned out differently.

FINAL SCORE

Jim Bob 26 – Mason 22
(time limit)

IA Skirmish Debrief – 3/17/2016

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After taking a break from our 1v1 skirmish matches last week with an exciting 3-player free for all, we are back to our regular scheduled programming with some familiar faces. Mason has been rolling with those Furious Furries and is looking to keep their win streak alive. Jim Bob is looking for a way to make Fett more effective and has completely retooled the list around him.

Be sure to click the List names to the right to see the specific figures and command cards.
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Mason
Furious Furries
Jim Bob
Scum Protocol

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Scum Synergy

chewie_vs_bobaPerhaps the most important lesson learned so far in our first few skirmish matches has been SYNERGY – figures making other figures better and more effective at offense or defense or sometimes both. One thing that has been very clear from these early match ups is that Chewie’s team has it and Boba has been sorely lacking. The Furries make each other better with defensive bonuses and shared command cards, which among other things has made them harder to kill. Fett’s new team is hoping to pack a bigger punch with the addition of two figures that can apply the focus condition to teammates as well as building around characters who share the Hunter and Brawler traits for improved command card sharing.

Kuat Space Station – Data Heist

map-kuat_space_stationKuat Space Station is currently in the official skirmish map rotation for tournament play, but this is the first time it has made an appearance at the IA Lunch League. This map offers an interesting mix of objective play and combat flash points. The objective is to control the data core found the in upper left room, which will give you 10 victory points at the end of each round. The trick is that a door to the data core room can only be opened by a figure controlling a terminal at the beginning of a round  and then at the end of each round both doors shut automatically.

The toughest part of this mission is deciding which terminal to go for and who should stay back to storm the data core. Both sides opted to split their attention between the two terminals, daring each other to be the first one to overextend. Through early clashes, each side was able to control a single terminal, which meant that both doors to the data core were opened. Both teams gained access, but it was the Furious Furries who gained the upper hand with a stronger force sweeping in to the data core.

(queue Fett throwing his arms up and yelling “Curse you, Furries!!!”)

Mason’s early lead began to erode with the battle now being fought on three different fronts. As the Scum took control of the terminals, the Furries pulled back into the data core to make their stand. Losing Jyn Odan early at the terminals and then Gaarkhan in the data core made things tough. With Jim Bob pressing the attack from both entrances, and it proved too much for the heroes to handle.

Trandoshan_NEGASThe MVP of the match was definitely the Trandoshan Hunters. Working in pairs, their Relentless attack kept the pressure on the Furries and caused Mason to burn through his command deck, which he had used so effectively in previous games, in order to keep from taking additional damage. The Trandoshans holding the front line also allowed Fett and the Nexu to stay behind them, supporting both groups and popping in to attack where most needed. The added element of Focus from Gideon and C3PO made sure these groups hit hard.

In addition to the Scum tactics, the Furious Furries were hampered from using their defensive ball tactic to its full potential after they were split up between the two terminals and the data core room. In the end that spelled certain doom for the Furries’ win streak.

FINAL SCORE

Jim Bob 40 – Mason 17
(army defeated)

IA Skirmish Debrief – 3/10/2016

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This is the first IA lunch league to include 3 players! Jeff was free to join in on the fun this week, so we put together a little scenario to accommodate all of us getting in on the action. Using an idea from the guys over at Imperial Propaganda, each team was built with a 30-point buy for deployment cards and 10 command cards consisting of 1-unique for the leader (3 point card), 2-two point cards, 3-one point cards, 4-zero point cards.

Be sure to click the List names to the right to see the specific figures and command cards.
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Mason
Chewie’s Strike Team
Jim Bob
Vader’s Strike Team
Jeff
Fett’s Strike Team

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A Nal Hutta Standoff

3-skirmA stalemate where everyone has a weapon pointed at someone else. All the threats are equally balanced to ensure a mutual disadvantage; no one is walking away from this standoff with what they came for. This tricky situation is a favorite of Hutt gangsters looking to setup and get rid of multiple rivals at once. In this case Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Chewbacca all received an “anonymous” (we know it was you, Jabba) tip that one of the others was spotted alone at the Kuat Space Station. On the surface it looked like a simple snatch and grab job until that first step through the airlock and then the wheels came off.

Kuat Space Station (Expanded) – A Simple Job (custom)

map_kuat_expandedThis is a slightly expanded version of the Kuat Space Station map with customized mission objectives to suit a 3-player skirmish scenario. The mission objectives focus on the leader of each strike team. Points are scored normally through combat but when the strike team leader kills a group, the player is awarded double the Victory Points. At the end of the round if the strike team leader is still alive, an additional 2 Victory Points are awarded! As usual, first player to 40 points wins.

The action started with Jeff deploying from the red zone and heading toward both of the crates in that area. Mason deployed from the yellow zone and quickly moved to control the southernmost terminal. Jim Bob found his team facing action on two fronts as he deployed from the blue zone and looked to both acquire a crate and control a terminal. As intentions began to unfold in the second round, Jim Bob decided against splitting his team in two and pulled his units back from the terminals leaving them open for Mason. Using Fett’s superior speed, Jeff made a run for the crate on the far right which set up a clash between Vader and Fett’s support units over the crate between them. Vader began plowing through them and putting points on the board.

LordOfTheSithAs the lead began to build, Fett and Chewie got into gear with one common goal between them – stop Vader or this show is going to be over with real quick. They both put forth a good effort, getting some damage in but more importantly putting stun and weakened conditions on him. It looked like the tide might be turning at that point, but Jim Bob was able to rally with the powerful Rally command card to shake off the harmful conditions and continue the Brutality. That left Vader free to take down Fett and with double the points, easily secured the victory.

The moral of this story is: Sith Lords are mean.

FINAL SCORE

Jim Bob 52 – Mason 9 – Jeff 6

IA Skirmish Debrief – 3/3/2016

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Here we go again. Both players decided they needed at least one more turn with the lists they constructed last week before passing final judgement on who reigns supreme. Sometimes a particular map or mission can favor specific unit capabilities or strategies, and sometimes it takes some practice to really settle in with a new list. And for sure sequels and rematches are always popular in hopes that they will live up to the original.

Be sure to click the List names to the right to see the specific figures and command cards.
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Mason
Furious Furries
Jim Bob
Fett’s Alliance

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Chewbacca vs Boba Fett – Part II

swi11_previewThe Fett Strikes Back? Jim Bob definitely hopes so, but rest assured Mason and his furry gang will have something to say about that. Since both players are running the exact same lists again, it will be interesting to see what (if any) lessons were learned from the lopsided victory from a week ago.

Massassi Ruins – Lost Knowledge (Mission A)

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This map provides a great combination of objectives and combat zones for point scoring opportunities. The objective goals require players to recover lost Jedi holocrons and transport them to a communication beacon where their information can be transmitted. Each transmission will award you 10 VPs, but there are only 30 possible points so the rest of the victory must come from good old fashioned combat.

To make a long story short, those furiously furry Wookies proved too much to handle for Fett and his Imperial lackeys once again, but it should be noted that the rematch was much more competitive than the first meeting between these two lists.

ShadowOpsThe pivotal moment came at the beginning of the second round when Mason played the Shadow Ops command card, completly disrupting Jim Bob’s strategy. Fett ended up getting defeated after much of his side’s planned offensive moves were negated by the timely command card Mason drew at the beginning of the round. At that point Jim Bob went into scramble mode. He managed to scrap for 10 points with a successful holocron transmission but in the end, all of his units were defeated (curse your furiousness, you Furries!!!).

This match did highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these two lists and some of the lessons learned by playing them again. In particular, Mason made great use of Chewie’s Protector capability which made his units extra tough to damage. Keeping his units bunched together took full advantage of that bonus especially since Jim Bob’s list lacked any units with Blast attacks. Also highlighted was the fact that Jim Bob’s list lacked any real synergy between the units which unfortunately is typical of Mercenary (aka Scum) lists right now. Hopefully as more Scum expansion packs are released it will make that faction more competitive – only time will tell.

FINAL SCORE

Mason 39 – Jim Bob 10
(army defeated)

IA Skirmish Debrief – 2/25/2016

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Yay! With a second meeting in the books, the IA Lunch League can now be considered a thing. Again the attendees were Mason and Jim Bob, both seasoned skirmish newbs in their own right. This is the first Lunch League game to employ player created Lists using the super handy IA Army Builder. (Bonus points to Mason for winning the super awesome name contest)

Be sure to click the List names to the right to see the specific figures and command cards.
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Mason
Furious Furries
Jim Bob
Fett’s Alliance

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Chewbacca vs Boba Fett

swi11_previewThe galaxy’s best sidekick facing off against the infamous bounty hunter that sold his buddy to Jabba the Hutt? Come on, could this match up be any more exciting?! Closer inspection of the two sides will reveal two very different list strategies. games-swia-chewyThe Furious Furries are made up entirely of powerful unique figures while Fett’s Alliance consists mainly of weaker multi-unit support deployments designed to overwhelm with numbers. Each philosophy has its strengths and weaknesses and therein lies the beauty of the endless combinations one can employ in the IA Skirmish game. Clearly the highlight of this clash will be seeing Chewie and Boba Fett wreak havoc in their own unique ways.

Imperial Labor Camp – Infiltration (Mission B)

map_imperial-labor-campThe Imperial Labor Camp map was selected at random from a list of maps neither player had played previously to provide an even playing field. The mission’s objectives were simple, infiltrate your opponent’s deployment zone with at least one figure to receive VPs at the end of the round. Of course, points are awarded on the spot for combat victories, and it’s obvious from first glance that there will definitely be some violence going down on this map.

After all the hype, this match turned out to be completely one-sided. Mason’s Furious Furries stormed out of the gate, immediately snatched up the bulk of the energy shields, and then set up in wait for the unsuspecting Imperials to come bumbling into their trap. Fett’s Alliance did not disappoint them, as Jim Bob turned in a performance of questionable tactics and general incompetence that should have earned him a good Force choking.

This match seemed to take a bit more time, most likely due to its combat heavy nature. Neither team had reached the deployment zones by the time limit, but victory was clearly in Mason’s furry hands. With Fett on the verge of being dogpiled and only a measly Stormtrooper and Officer to bail him out, Jim Bob wisely conceded the day.

FINAL SCORE

Mason 15 – Jim Bob 0
(time limit – victory conceded)

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