In Part 1, we discussed what ordnance is out there and why most of it goes unused. Despite this, there are a few pilots and options to bring ordnance and make it effective.

In order to make ordnance worth it in standard play, you need to solve the three problems of action economy, reliability, and cost. Currently, there are no ways to reduce the cost of ordnance, so we can only attack the action economy and reliability of ordnance.

Action Economy Solutions

One of the main issues with ordnance is not being able to get the target lock necessary to fire almost all of them. This is especially problematic for lower PS ships which cannot get the TL early and must wait an extra turn to do so. One of the reasons to get an early TL is that there is a distinct advantage when firing ordnance at range 3: your opponent does not get additional defense dice. However, if your desired target is a higher PS than your ordnance carrier, you are going to miss out on this opportunity. There are a few solutions to this problem:

1) Deadeye

Deadeye is an upgrade where you no longer need the TL to fire. If you are planning to quickfire ordnance at range 3 without any means of modifying your dice, this is the way to do it.

2) Lando/Airen/Squad Leader

Getting actions later in the round allows lower PS ships to grab target locks. While Squad Leader has you lose the action of the using ship, it is still helpful in getting that early TL.

3) Colonel Jendon

The Tie-Bomber came in the same wave as the shuttle. Jendon is able to pass out TLs to ships, enabling ships to get TLs acquired at Jendon’s respectable PS 6 during the combat phase. You could even boost this using the shuttle title ST-321 and get the necessary TLs out from round 1.

Alright, now that we have a way to get the necessary target locks out, let’s take a look at how to ensure you get maximum hits out of ordnance.

Reliability Problems

If you get your Target Lock, that’s great but it sometimes means you don’t have a way to support your shot (especially if you want to unload your ordnance at range 3) because most ordnance uses up the target lock. What you need are actionless means of getting re-rolls.

1) Jonus

The leader of most bomber builds, Jonus gives two rerolls to any friendly ship. On average, a 4 dice attack is going to have 2 misses (either blank or focus result) and Jonus gives just enough rerolls to help alleviate that problem. What’s more is that his ability works on every attack made with a secondary weapon. This means he pairs especially well with Cluster Missiles as you get a total of 4 rerolls per missile.

2) Krassis Trelix

Not really known for his ordnance carrying abilities, Krassis does get 1 reroll to support such shots.

3) Predator/Lone Wolf

Actionless EPTs, these cards work wonders in improving the accuracy of your shots. Unfortunately, not a lot of cheap ordnance ships have EPT slots to spare.

4) Vessery

Also not known for ordnance, Vessery’s ability allows him to get full target locks on any target that is painted for him.

Above are the more conventional means of getting reliable ordnance shots. As you can see, it is fairly difficult and expensive to get the most out of ordnance. However, there are certain combinations that make ordnance fairly powerful and can turn the tide in your favor very quickly or are a lot of fun to fly.

1) Nera + Deadeye + Recon Specialist

With a recon specialist in the back seat, Nera can equip any torpedo she wants and if she takes a focus, she can fire at any ship in her radius and still have a focus token to modify her shot. This is particularly effective with getting early flechette torps fired at any ship that happens to fly too close or a devastating proton torpedo to possibly one shot a ship. Phantoms will have to be extra careful with Nera running around.

You could also equip her with Munitions failsafe instead of a Recon Specialist. This allows Nera to pop off stress in a 360 degree turret style. If the unsupported shot misses, you get to keep it.

2) Lt. Blount+Ion Pulse/Assault Missiles

Lt. Blount always hits. When Ion Pulse Missiles hit, they do 1 damage and ionize the target. Coupled with Deadeye, Blount can catch a lot of ships by surprise. You could also bring Assault missiles and make swarms fly a little looser than they would like. If a deadeye Blount gets a focus token, something is gonna get shot.

3) Tie Bomber + Ion Pulse Missiles + Advanced Proton Torpedoes

Coupled with a Squad Leader Jonus, this Bomber could grab a PS 6 TL and fire a reroll supported ion pulse missile. This missile will ion anything that it hits and with the rerolls you will probably get to keep your target lock for the next turn. This lets you know where your opponent will be and you can perform the corresponding maneuver and grab the focus. Then you will have a focus supported 5 dice attack with two rerolls that turns 3 blanks to eyes. Very expensive and very potent.

4) Outrider + HLC + Proton Rockets

The Outrider+HLC combo leaves a large range 1 blind spot on the YT-2400. While you don’t max out the damage potential of proton rockets, you do have range 1 attack if you are pointed at a target. It can be an terrible surprise for enemies trying to avoid a 4 dice attack only to be faced with a 4 dice attack. This showcases ordnance’s ability to support more powerful attacks rather than be a showpiece.

Here are a couple fun complete builds you could try also:

1) Jonus+3xTempest Squadron+Cluster Missiles

Getting the most out of Jonus, the lesser used Tie Advanceds can take a beating and fire 18 dice total once they get close enough. Conversely, you could also bring Concussion Missiles for 12 dice at a longer range. With two rerolls for each attack, these guys can rip open a lot of big ships. The 4 points can be used for some combination of swarm tactics/squad leader/determination/hull upgrade/seismic charge.

With the Imperial Raider coming out with the Tie Advanced X1 title, you could equip each of the Advanceds with Fire Control Systems or even the new Advanced Targeting Computer. While it doesn’t combo well with Cluster Missiles, ATC adds a lot of punch once the ordnance is fired and can help finish off some ships.

2) 5 x Prototype A-Wings + Proton Rockets

Prototype pilots usually use their action to grab a focus anyway, might as well increase the punch by 2 dice. This build can throw 25 focus supported dice and can bring a lot of damage to the table. In a meta with fewer big ships, a 5 ship swarm can quickly overwhelm the unprepared.

Ordnance can be a lot of fun to use. Properly supported it can provide a devastating attack in the early combat rounds and set the pace of the battle from the onset.