Post by Fadril Adren on Aug 31, 2015 16:13:39 GMT -5
Now is the time to carry the Emperor's will to the furthest reaches of the Outer Rim… The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack for X-Wing™ is now available at retailers throughout the U.S.!
A dedicated anti-fighter vessel designed by Lira Wessex, the woman responsible for the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the Raider-class corvette is a durable, 150m vessel that features six dual heavy laser cannons. These cannons are more accurate against snubfighters than the turbolaser batteries of its Star Destroyer cousins, and along with the disruptive effects of its ion cannon emplacements and the efficiency of its localized command, they make the Raider an intimidating addition to any Imperial strike force.
The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack brings this fast and aggressive Imperial vessel to your table with a meticulously sculpted and pre-painted miniature designed specifically for X-Wing Cinematic and Epic Play. Too large for Standard Play and its 1/270 scale, the Raider blasts into Cinematic Play and Epic Play as a huge-base ship that requires a special maneuver template, two ship cards for its fore and aft sections, and rules for gaining and spending the energy it uses to fuel its weapons and other systems.
A 360-degree view of the Raider-class corvette.
Hunting Rebels with the Raider
Ever since the Rebel Transport Expansion Pack introduced huge-base ships and Epic Play to X-Wing, Imperial players across the globe have been waiting for their counter to the GR-75 and CR90. Now it's here!
The introduction of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack and the Raider-class corvette means that the Empire now has the intimidating, huge-base ship that fans have long awaited. It means that the Empire now has a punishing, resilient gunboat to back up its swarms of TIE fighters. It means that your Epic Play battles are going to be bigger than ever, and there's nowhere – and no mode of play – where those Rebel scum can hide from your Imperial might!
The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack contains one TIE Advanced with an alternate paint scheme.
More on just that HERE.
Meanwhile, even though the Raider, itself, is too large for Standard Play, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack is bound to make a major impact on the X-Wing tournament scene with its TIE Advanced escort, which features an alternate paint scheme. One of the Empire's most powerful starfighters, the TIE Advanced gets a huge boost in Standard Play with its new pilots and its TIE/x1 Title upgrade, which allows it to field a system upgrade at a four-point discount. These cards redefine how the ship plays in Standard Play and make it a far more efficient, fearsome vessel, especially when it's outfitted with an Advanced Targeting Computer .
From the rest of the expansion's thirty-four upgrades, you'll gain the leadership of such iconic characters as Admiral Ozzel and Grand Moff Tarkin . Even the Emperor makes a personal appearance in the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, arriving to the game as a powerful crew upgrade that allows you to reroll any one of your ships' dice, once per round.
Will he ensure that your TIE interceptor ace evades the single hit he might have taken? Will he steer your missiles straight into the heart of a Rebel fleet? Will he use the Force to help your pilots narrowly avoid damage from clipping an asteroid? Since he was first revealed in the preview, "The Grand Design," Emperor Palpatine has encouraged plenty of conversation about how he can best enhance your fleet. However you use him, though, you can be sure that everything will proceed according to his design…
Imperial Aggression
With a massive primary weapon that can fire twice each round, and with its ability to unload overwhelming volleys of firepower against foes foolish enough to land in the "sweet spot" where its primary and auxillary firing arcs overlap, the Raider-class Corvette allows you to perfectly assume the role of aggressor in your Epic Play matches.
The Raider-class corvette can deal an astonishing amount of damage to any ship unfortunate enough to end up within both its primary and auxillary firing arcs!
Of course, there's more than one way to play the aggressor, and all of the different upgrade slots that are available to you between its two ship cards ensure that you can customize your Raider in all manner of ways:
If neither asteroids nor hull damage concern you, you can allow Darth Vader to transform the Impetuous into an Epic variant of the "doom shuttle" that can fire as many as five times each round when Gunner triggers. All the while, Darth Vader can use the Force to finish off any damaged enemy ships.
Raider-class Corvette (aft) with Darth Vader , Gunner , Ion Cannon Battery , Tibanna Gas Supplies , and Impetuous (71)
Raider-class Corvette (fore) with Quad Laser Cannons (56)
Total Squad Points: 127
Not everyone, however, appreciates Darth Vader's single-minded approach toward hunting down and destroying members of the Rebellion, and it's likely that you'll see a good number of more defensively oriented builds. For example, a Raider outfitted with Grand Moff Tarkin, a Shield Technician, a Backup Shield Generator, and the Instigator Title can recover its shields each round without needing to spend all its energy to do so.
Raider-class Corvette (aft) with Grand Moff Tarkin, Shield Technician , Ion Cannon Battery, Gunnery Team , Backup Shield Generator , and Instigator (74)
Raider-class Corvette (fore) with Quad Laser Cannons and Tibanna Gas Supplies (60)
Total Squad Points: 134
Alternately, you can equip your Raider in all manner of creative fashions, taking advantage of not only its raw firepower, but also its size. As a huge-base ship, the Raider-class Corvette lends additional strength to any upgrades that interact with enemies within a given range. This, in turn, can make the Raider a powerful lynchpin for your Epic Play tactics, such as those highlighted in the following build:
Raider-class Corvette (aft) with Captain Needa , Tactician , Ion Cannon Battery, Quad Laser Cannons, Slicer Tools , and Assailer (75)
Raider-class Corvette (fore) with Quad Laser Cannons and Tibanna Gas Supplies (60)
Total Squad Points: 135
In this design, you want Captain Needa to fly his Raider straight into the middle of your enemy's fleet. Perhaps, your opponent will expect you to dodge asteroids, rather than plow through them, but if he does, that just increases the odds that you'll be able to smash right into some of his small- or large-base ships and destroy them.
Then, once you've plowed into the middle of the enemy fleet, the real fun starts. As you rain laser fire upon your foes from all your cannons, your Tactician can assign stress tokens to each enemy ship that you attack at Range "2." And that's not just normal stress; it's stress that your opponent simply can't afford to keep. In addition to its normally detrimental effects, that stress makes your enemy's ships vulnerable to your Slicer Tools and softens them up for the rest of your fleet to pick apart, especially if your fighters are led by aces like Juno Eclipse or Darth Vader while he's piloting his custom TIE Advanced with the TIE/x1 Title and an Advanced Targeting Computer.
Take the Galaxy by Force
Secure the galaxy from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim. The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack is now available at retailers throughout the U.S. Availability in other regions may vary. Pick up your copy today to launch into an epic series of new X-Wing adventures and enforce the will of the Empire!