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TIE Pilots
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Tatum
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:53 pm    Post subject: TIE Pilots Reply with quote

Anyone else have a problem with the TIE pilot stats in the R & E sourcebook? I think theyre something like starfighter piloting: 6D and gunnery: 5D. Thats basically player character level. Just seems way too high.
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Grimace
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nope, no problems whatsoever. If you dumb the TIE pilots down too much, they don't even remotely stand a chance against Rebels pilots in X or Y Wings.

TIE pilots, like Stormtroopers, are not something that should be lightly discarded as a feeble threat. If you make a pilot worthless, there's little threat they can pose to the characters. Remeber, PCs get better, your generic TIE pilot does not.
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Hellcat
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The brash pilot and Rookie New Republic pilot templates give beginning PCs 4D to both skills. Your typical rebel pilot gets starfighter piloting: X-wing 6D but only 4D to starship gunnery. Really, 6D starfighter piloting and 5D starship gunnery for a typical TIE pilot isn't all that bad. 5D means that you have above average expertise in that skill and 6D means your considered to be about the best in that area. 1 in 100,000 people will have trained this high.
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Tatum
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yea, but the empire has an overwhelming number of TIE's. Its hard to believe that theyre all at that level of skill, the rebellion would have no chance in that case.

Ive always thought that 4D in each skill would make more sense. I mean, its considered "profesional level" and since they have the alliance out numbered so badly it would kind of even out, assuming the alliance has the more skilled pilots. Besides, why waste all the extra training on them when theyre just going to throw them into disposable, shieldless ship.

Seriously, how would players survive against this? It would be a chore just to take down one TIE, not to mention being out numbered, which is usually the case.
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MA-3PO
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tatum wrote:
Yea, but the empire has an overwhelming number of TIE's. Its hard to believe that theyre all at that level of skill, the rebellion would have no chance in that case.

Ive always thought that 4D in each skill would make more sense. I mean, its considered "profesional level" and since they have the alliance out numbered so badly it would kind of even out, assuming the alliance has the more skilled pilots. Besides, why waste all the extra training on them when theyre just going to throw them into disposable, shieldless ship.

Seriously, how would players survive against this? It would be a chore just to take down one TIE, not to mention being out numbered, which is usually the case.
I am totally fine with the official stats. I see many of these pilots as being products of the Academy. The Empire had unlimited resources and getting the best pilots and training them would have been no problem.
The real advantage Rebel pilots have is the quality of thier starfighters. Since the Empire has the advantage of numbers the rebels have to pick and choose battles carefully. Yes, it was a chore to bring down one TIE but in both starfighter battles we see in the original trilogy both sides suffered heavy losses with no one side having a clear cut advantage.
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RedFox
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, the movies kind of play up the Academy quite a bit. It's what Luke was aspiring to go to, and he had a lot of natural talent. I assume that most people going to the Academy wash-out to support positions and only the Best of the Best become pilots.

Han's also supposed to have been an ex-Imperial pilot, Academy-trained. He's certainly not shabby.

Since these guys are put in flying coffins, I think it's good game-balance-wise to give them good stats to make up for it. Otherwise they really are no threat at all.
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Ray
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd consider those the stats for typical "Front Line" pilots that have survived the important first few minutes of actual combat.

There are Rookie or "Almost Washout" pilots around as well that have lesser stats, as well as "Hanger Queen" flyers on Space Stations that only get out to scan ships for quick customs inspections (Like what you start out doing in the Tie Fighter video game, for example.).

There's also Veteran Tie Fighter Pilots. The PCs should be afraid. Very. Very. Afraid.
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jmanski
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with you, Ray. If you think starting PCs stats are too low to go against TIE pilots from the book, start 'em out against rookie TIE pilots.

I mean, the PCs wont warrant any big Imperial force until they are well advanced.

Let the TIE pilots from the book be an end point, not the beginning.
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Ray
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More along the lines of they'll have to prove themselves in various ways.

You don't start by punching Star Destroyers in the nose. Usually, it's sleepy little Customs Stations out in the middle of nowhere.
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Hellcat
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, now I'm upset. I just went through a nice long post talking about the advantages and disadvantages towards a TIE pilot having 6D in starfighter piloting and 5D in starship gunnery and was logged out while I typed it. one of the things I pointed out was that the second edition, revised and expanded, says that beginning PCs get 7D to add to their template listed skills which start at the attribute code their listed under. By adding 2D to both a piloting and starship gunnery skill, a beginning PC is as likely to stand as much of a chance in a dogfight as the typical TIE pilot. I also pointed out that the TIE pilot template in Heroes and Rogues gives a TIE pilot PC 4D in those to skills.
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Tatum
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hellcat wrote:
Ok, now I'm upset. I just went through a nice long post talking about the advantages and disadvantages towards a TIE pilot having 6D in starfighter piloting and 5D in starship gunnery and was logged out while I typed it. one of the things I pointed out was that the second edition, revised and expanded, says that beginning PCs get 7D to add to their template listed skills which start at the attribute code their listed under. By adding 2D to both a piloting and starship gunnery skill, a beginning PC is as likely to stand as much of a chance in a dogfight as the typical TIE pilot. I also pointed out that the TIE pilot template in Heroes and Rogues gives a TIE pilot PC 4D in those to skills.



See, Im kind of thinking along the sames lines as you. AFter reading some of these posts I can see why they should be pretty skilled, but something about them having the stats of a player character doesnt seem right. In the Imperial sourcebook dont they actually give them 18D in attributes? Dont know, just seems like theres way too many for them to be that good.
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RedFox
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tatum wrote:

See, Im kind of thinking along the sames lines as you. AFter reading some of these posts I can see why they should be pretty skilled, but something about them having the stats of a player character doesnt seem right. In the Imperial sourcebook dont they actually give them 18D in attributes? Dont know, just seems like theres way too many for them to be that good.


The Galaxy is huge.

No, wait, let me reiterate that in bold:

THE GALAXY IS HUGE.

Remember the Death Star? A space station, including construction personnel (mostly slaves) and crew and support staff: The size of a moon. A bloody moon, man. That's several billion people.

And that's a secret project. The Empire managed to keep it pretty tightly under wraps (aside from the Rebels getting ahold of the plans, but hey.)

Why? Because a few billion people is a drop in the bucket for a Galaxy filled with thousands of inhabited star systems.

Now extrapolate that for the Empire's standing military: A navy that has to patrol entire systems, where whole worlds are in open rebellion.

I think we can assume that they can get some well-trained individuals even in the tens of thousands of TIE-Fighters they must have at their disposal.

Keep in mind that these are probably the ones that survived their first few actual combat missions, too. They're "blooded" pilots. They have what it takes to face down beings in rickety craft with no room for life support, let alone shields.

Me, I'm willing to give TIE-Pilots some respect. ;)
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Hellcat
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tatum wrote:
Hellcat wrote:
Ok, now I'm upset. I just went through a nice long post talking about the advantages and disadvantages towards a TIE pilot having 6D in starfighter piloting and 5D in starship gunnery and was logged out while I typed it. one of the things I pointed out was that the second edition, revised and expanded, says that beginning PCs get 7D to add to their template listed skills which start at the attribute code their listed under. By adding 2D to both a piloting and starship gunnery skill, a beginning PC is as likely to stand as much of a chance in a dogfight as the typical TIE pilot. I also pointed out that the TIE pilot template in Heroes and Rogues gives a TIE pilot PC 4D in those to skills.



See, Im kind of thinking along the sames lines as you. AFter reading some of these posts I can see why they should be pretty skilled, but something about them having the stats of a player character doesnt seem right. In the Imperial sourcebook dont they actually give them 18D in attributes? Dont know, just seems like theres way too many for them to be that good.


Taking the Brash Pilot template, we have 18D in attributes already. Since the aforementioned book grants 7D to be placed in his skills, with the skills he's already got starting at his attribute levels, then skill wise he's going to have more dice than he has in attributes.

As the typical TIE pilot is listed as "All stats 2D except" we know that any attributes not listed are going to be 2D. These are going to be Knowledge and Technical. He's got Dexterity 3D+1, Mechanical 4D, Perception 3D, and Strength 3D. That's 17D+1 in his attributes.
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Volar the Healer
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't even try to remember all those official stats. All my NPCs have the same stats:

2D untrained
3D trained - rookie pilot
4D professional - regular pilot
5D expert - ace - squadron leader
6D an expert other experts defer to - a group leader
7D someone I don't want to mess with - a wing leader

This puts NPCs in some sort of perspective.
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Warhippo
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You also have to remember that the vast majority of battles the Rebels fight are battles that they have chosen. They're fighting a guerrilla war and so emply hit and run tactics mainly aimed at supply ships and the like. Consequently the Rebels will often hit the Empire where it is least defended.

I think that the stats are fine - the Rebel pilots on the whole SHOULD be worse than the Impies - after all, the Impies have access to excellent training facilities - the Rebels do not.
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