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Starship Battles Preview 2Naboo Starfighter and Luke Skywalker's X-wing | ||||
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Starting this November, you'll be able to recreate your favorite Star Wars space battles and dream up new skirmishes of your own with the Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game. Choose your allegiance (Light Side or Dark Side), build your fleet, and conquer the galaxy -- or defend it! Today, we've got the second in a series of previews of the new miniatures. First, Sterling Hershey tries to sell us a Naboo Starfighter that's cheap, fast, and -- well, it's cheap and fast. Then Gary Sarli explains why Luke Skywalker's X-wing is just as good as you'd expect. Still, we hope Luke's insured, since he managed to lose four X-wings before this one. Naboo Starfighter
In the Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game, the Naboo Starfighter is a typical Class 4 ship. It's a light, run-of-the-mill fighter, not a heavy attack craft or interceptor, with an average cost and a low Defense score. Like most ships of its kind, the Naboo Starfighter carries laser cannons, which deal minimal damage (1 point, enough to destroy most enemy fighters). Proton torpedoes provide an offensive boost, but their damage is light compared to those from more advanced fighters, and they can only be used against nonfighters. On the other hand, the low cost of these ships enables you to field them in greater numbers. This can be a late-game advantage, when you have few craft remaining and need to finish off a capital ship. Furthermore, as a Class 4 vessel, the Naboo Starfighter moves quickly across the stellar grid. You should definitely take advantage of this speed. Very few starfighters can take more than 1 point of damage, and the Naboo Starfighter isn't one of them. Space combat is often fast and furious, so make the most your fighters while you can. Star Wars Miniatures Statistics Preview Faction: Light Side FULL STRENGTH REDUCED STRENGTH Star Wars Roleplaying Game Statistics Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps N-1 Royal Starfighter Class: Starfighter Weapon: Laser cannons (2 fire-linked); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +8 (+2 size, +2 crew, +4 fire control); Damage: 5d10x2; Max Range: Short. Weapon: Proton torpedo launchers (2 fire-linked, 5 missiles each); Fire Arc: Front; Damage: 10d10x2; Missile Quality: Ordinary (+10). Luke Skywalker's X-wing
Nevertheless, Luke's reputation as a skilled pilot might have been overstated somewhat, at least in the early years. By the time the second Death Star was destroyed, Luke had lost no fewer than four X-wings: Fortunately, the Rebel Alliance didn't make Luke pay for these lost ships, and he eventually had much better luck with an X-wing AA-589. He flew that particular X-wing for so long that R2-D2 developed a near-counterpart relationship with the ship by the time of Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic. In the Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game, Luke Skywalker's X-wing is a potent addition to any group of starfighters. In addition to having Defense and Attack statistics a cut above any other X-wing, it is one of only two starfighters in the game that can survive taking damage. (This ship and Vader's TIE advanced are the only starfighters with a 1/1 Hull Rating.) Thus, it is powerful even when acting alone, easily a match for any other fighter. Its best strengths, however, are its effects on other fighters. First, Luke's X-wing has a Command Counter that can be used to augment other Class 4 ships, so he can provide a boost to allies (or to himself). Second, his Force Sense ability interferes with adjacent enemy fighters and reduces their Defenses. Use Luke to engage groups of enemy fighters -- preferably getting adjacent to two or more -- and then have allies pick up the stragglers to eliminate your opponent's fighter screen. Star Wars Miniatures Statistics Preview Faction: Light Side FULL STRENGTH REDUCED STRENGTH Star Wars Roleplaying Game Statistics Luke Skywalker's X-wing (Incom T-65B) +13 Pilot, +3 InitClass: Starfighter Weapon: Laser cannons (4 fire-linked); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +19 (+2 size, +11 crew, +6 fire control); Damage: 6d10x2; Max Range: Short. Weapon: Proton torpedo launchers (2, 3 missiles each); Fire Arc: Front; Damage: 9d10x2; Missile Quality: Ordinary (+10). About the AuthorsGary M. Sarli is a freelance writer and editor whose credits include the Saga Edition Rulebook and Ultimate Adversaries (Star Wars Roleplaying Game), and Power of Faerūn and Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (Dungeons & Dragons). He also moderates on the Wizards.COMmunity message boards as WizO the Hutt, cheerfully feeding Code of Conduct violators to the Sarlacc. Gary recently opened GMSarli Games, an online retailer specializing in non-random miniatures packs designed for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Sterling Hershey has been a full-time architect and freelance game designer for over 10 years. He authored and contributed to many of West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game products and later contributed to Star Wars Gamer Magazine. These days, he writes regular Star Wars Miniatures scenarios for the Wizards of the Coast website, and he also wrote the Scenario Book for the recently released Attack on Endor Scenario Pack. Gaming in a galaxy far, far away is the focus of his starwars.com blog, Delusions of Grandeur. Sterling lives in the Midwest with his wife, Mary. | ||||
The Naboo N-1 starfighter is easily one of the sleekest fighters in the Star Wars saga. As Naboo was a peaceful world, the N-1's early duties included air shows and light patrol duties within its home star system. But that didn't last long. Starting with the defeat of the Trade Federation droid control ship by young Anakin Skywalker and Bravo Squadron, the N-1 was soon pressed into more important missions. As the galaxy became more dangerous in the run up to the Clone Wars, the N-1 saw heavier action, often as escorts for Royal vessels.
Luke Skywalker learned to fly in his T-16 Skyhopper back on Tatooine, and after he arrived at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, his longtime friend Biggs Darklighter vouched for his skills and got Luke to join the Battle of Yavin as Red Five. Fortunately, the T-16 and the T-65B X-wing (both manufactured by Incom) have similar control systems and handling characteristics, so Luke was able to adapt to the starfighter quickly.
