Pilot Spotlight: Gideon Hask

After a brief stint with 4 Academy Pilots I have a new appreciation for the humble TIE Fighter. Cheap, good at blocking, and 3 defence dice plus focus offers more than it ever did in the first iteration of the game. Looking to the future to what I would consider my first proper list, the TIE Fighter might just make the role of ‘filler’ in a 4 ship build.

The running theme of the standalone named TIEs seems to be roll an extra attack dice IF. If you’re range 1. If you’re in the bullseye. If you haven’t been shot at. These are a little tricky to pull off consistently. Gideon Hask stands out as he can throw 3 dice if the target has been damaged. After the initial engagement, an enemy ship with a single damage card is a much more likely scenario.

The story would have earned my respect if they hadn’t turned rebel 5 minutes in.

Now take this into consideration. Gideon is 30pts, making it one of the cheaper options for a 3 attack dice ship. In order to reap the benefits you will need to adjust the way you fly him. He needs to lag behind your main force, use hard 1’s and barrel rolls to keep him in reserve. When the first engagement is on, you want him at range 3 of the enemy while your bulkier ships are at range 2. Pew pew away and the second you inflict 1 damage card switch to Gideon and take the shot. Even if you have another shot to take with your range 2 jouster, it’s worth seeing if the TIE can finish the job, leaving your other jouster free to shoot another target. So why does he have to be at range 3?

Decisions decisions!

TIEs are squishy. Their high agility helps but if they get focused on or end up in range 1 you bet your ass they will pop. In order to squeeze the value out of this 30pt ship you don’t want him to be the center of attention when the shooting starts. As pictured above, if you were the X-Wing pilot, who would you shoot at? By shooting at the TIE in the distance you risk wasting ammo. Shooting at the slab of space beef dead ahead is a sure thing. Well I feel sorry for you X-Wing pilot because things are about to get a lot worse.

These pictures are really bad examples. I promise to take pictures during practice.

By shooting at a target you want to commit to taking it down. So k-turning behind the weakened target and launching another attack seems like the right course of action. However, due to the distance between ships, Hask has no problem cruising up behind the X-Wing getting another value for money shot (phrasing). The other option is to switch targets and go for Hask instead. This is probably the better call to make. Problem is 1. you’ve wasted the impact of your initial salvo in the opening engagement and 2. Hask is a 30pt TIE and losing him ain’t gonna bring you to tears.

The artwork is pretty banging

In summary, a very cheap 3 dice gun. Get your other ships to set him up for a nice shot. Keep him at range so he doesn’t die first. Always prioritize weakened vessels to get the most value out of him. Enjoy.