Fantasy Flight announced the ships for the upcoming Wave IX for X-wing today. Lot’s of cool looking things included in this wave, including more stuff from TFA and Rebels. I’;ve been anticipating the special forces TIE fighter and it will be really cool to have not one but two new small size ships with rear arcs to play with.

But the thing that really grabbed my attention about this announcement was the ARC-170. Aside from the fact that they are incorporating prequel era ships for the first time, they are also introducing a ship with both a crew and an astromech slot. This is a combination I never thought we’d see.

This immediately got me thinking about all the potential combos you could make with those to slots. I’ve assembled them into three categories.

Defensive Combinations

Recon + R5P9- With two focus tokens available you have a much better chance of having a focus token available at the end of the round to use to regen a shield.

With two focus tokens available you have a much better chance of having a focus token available at the end of the round to use to regen a shield. R2D2 (crew) + R5P9- Shieldless? Get two back per round (if you can hold onto your focus).

Shieldless? Get two back per round (if you can hold onto your focus). Chewbacca + R2D2- Artoo does his usual thing and Chewie is there to save the day from a powerful alpha strike. You could eat a four hit attack and then after moving the next round only be down one shield.

Artoo does his usual thing and Chewie is there to save the day from a powerful alpha strike. You could eat a four hit attack and then after moving the next round only be down one shield. C3P0 + R2D2 – Artoo gives you shields and Threepio whines but keeps you from getting hit at least once.

– Artoo gives you shields and Threepio whines but keeps you from getting hit at least once. R2D2 (crew) + R5 Astromech- Did Artoo give you a shield back and then flip a crit? Don’t worry, R5 can just flip it back over.

Did Artoo give you a shield back and then flip a crit? Don’t worry, R5 can just flip it back over. R2D2 (crew) + R5D8- For the first time you have the chance to regenerate shields and hull on the same ship.

For the first time you have the chance to regenerate shields and hull on the same ship. Weapons Engineer + R7- With two target locks you can shoot at someone, modify your dice and still have another one to for rerolls on an incoming attack. Or you have two choices as to which ship you use R7 against.

Action Economy Combinations

Kyle + Targeting Astromech- Take a red maneuver, get a target lock. Clear the stress next round, get a bonus free focus. Never be without dice modification (unless you bump on a white maneuver).

Take a red maneuver, get a target lock. Clear the stress next round, get a bonus free focus. Never be without dice modification (unless you bump on a white maneuver). Kyle + Push the Limits+ R2 Astromech- This is very dependent on the ARC’s dial. It’s described as having a lot of low speed greens already so the R2 might not be worth much.

This is very dependent on the ARC’s dial. It’s described as having a lot of low speed greens already so the R2 might not be worth much. Kyle + PTL + R2D2 – Like the above but now you can regenerate while clearing stress, gaining a free focus and than getting more additional actions. Throw an engine upgrade on and you can boost as well (or a Vector Thrusters instead of they do add a barrel roll).

Like the above but now you can regenerate while clearing stress, gaining a free focus and than getting more additional actions. Throw an engine upgrade on and you can boost as well (or a Vector Thrusters instead of they do add a barrel roll). Ezra + Targeting Astromech- Need to make a red maneuver? No worries, you’ll now have a target lock and a soft focus.

Need to make a red maneuver? No worries, you’ll now have a target lock and a soft focus. Hera + Targeting Astromech + Stay On Target – Red maneuvers every round. Target locks every round.

– Red maneuvers every round. Target locks every round. Luke/Gunner + R5K6- When your first shot misses, you have a chance of getting the target lock back to use on the second attack.

Other Combos

Nien Nunb + BB8- The usefulness of this combination will depend on what the ARC’s dial looks like but having more green options is almost always useful.

The usefulness of this combination will depend on what the ARC’s dial looks like but having more green options is almost always useful. Tactician + R3A2- Get a target to range 2 and they get double stressed. It is unclear at this point if the ARC can fire out of it’s rear arc without the Tail Gunner crew card but if it does this becomes even more useful as you could do it from front or back.

Get a target to range 2 and they get double stressed. It is unclear at this point if the ARC can fire out of it’s rear arc without the Tail Gunner crew card but if it does this becomes even more useful as you could do it from front or back. Chopper + R2D2- Need to take a red maneuver and still want an action? Chopper can help? Then Artoo can clean up the mess Chopper made next round when you clear your stress.

Need to take a red maneuver and still want an action? Chopper can help? Then Artoo can clean up the mess Chopper made next round when you clear your stress. Hera + R4D6- Never take more than two regular hits but still have your fill maneuver dial available.

Never take more than two regular hits but still have your fill maneuver dial available. Hera + R3A2 + Predator- Give out stress and not care yourself as you can keep taking reds and modifying dice.

Give out stress and not care yourself as you can keep taking reds and modifying dice. Dash + R5X3- Become immune to rocks. X3 only works once to give yourself an action and prevent damage but Dash works all the time to keep yourself firing.

Become immune to rocks. X3 only works once to give yourself an action and prevent damage but Dash works all the time to keep yourself firing. Norra Wexley (pilot) + Alliance Overhaul + Kyle (crew) + Opportunist + R2D2- Take a green maneuver to clear a stress, recover a shield and get a free focus. Take target lock action. If at range one of a unfocused target, roll five attack dice plus add one focus result (which you can change to a hit with your focus token). Would love Shara Bey and Wes Janson in the list helping out.

I make no claims to the viability or usefulness of most of these combinations. There is a lot we don’t know about the ARC-170 and there are still a few crew and astromech droids out there that we don’t know about yet that might create even better combos than we can imagine right now.

As for me, the one I look forward to trying out is Hera + Targeting + SOT. Lots of maneuver choices that can change after you move. Though I don’t think it will be that great. Shara Bey might be able to make good use of it since her ability is about target locks but she’s only a PS 6.

What about you? What do you hope to get out of combining astromechs with crew?

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