Customizable Commanders, Part IV: The Separatist Alliance

Good morning gamers,

This is our third post in reviewing the new customizable commanders and operatives for the four factions in Star Wars Legion. We've already looked at the Rebel and Imperial options and today we're tackling my beloved Republic and the customizable Jedi heroes that you can field. If you haven't seen the article yet, you can view it here.

Like the previous article, we'll be looking at the four doctrines provided in the new kit and how that shakes out with the SEVEN different Jedi builds you can have (max of four, of course, since the doctrines are unique . . . some might say max of two, depending on whether you think two of the doctrines are playable). We'll start off with the one that is unique to Commanders . . .

Super Tactical Command Droids: What's The Difference?

In the previous three posts, we looked at the minor differences between Rebel Officers/Agents (Inspire vs. Independent: Dodge and Nimble), Imperial Officers/Agents (Inspire vs. Relentless), and Jedi Knights (Master of the Force 1) - there are sometimes stat differences (Courage or Wounds) as well and it translates into differences in cost, but by and large, the points cost difference isn't the biggest difference between models. The doctrines you can take are also different - some doctrines are unique to the Commander or Operative choice or can be shared between the two with a maximum of one per army.

The Super Tacs . . . don't really work this way. The difference between the Commander and Operative Super Tacs is incredibly small - the Commander is 10pts more expensive and has -1 Courage (huh?), +1 Hardpoint upgrade, +1 Command upgrade, -1 Armament upgrade, and doesn't have Aid: Droid Trooper. In short . . . unless you want 3 Hardpoints or a Command upgrade, the Operative variant is cheaper, has high Courage (that can't be used to cancel AI/prevent panicking), and has the ability to shuffle tokens to friendly Droid Troopers (like Kalani?).

In addition, there are only two Super-Tac doctrines and they can both be used by both variants . . . also, all of the Hardpoints can be used by both variants . . . so if you prefer the Operatives, take them with whatever combo you want. If you prefer the Commander variants (though I feel like the Commanders lot is in a LOT of contention between Dooku, Wheelbike Grievous, Poggle, and Kalani), take those. I don't think it matters - take whoever you want. As a result, this article is going to be a lot shorter than the previous ones because I'm only going to evaluate the two doctrines against a universal "Super Tactical Command Droid", as I don't think the differences matter that much.

Super Tactical Command Droid with Seek and Destroy: 65+ pts

The cost above reflects an Operative taking the 5pt doctrine (limit 2), but I actually think this is better on the Commander variant. The boosts from this is Demoralize 1, Marksman, and Target 1. The combination of Target and Marksman is great if you're using this guy with the Optimized Task Flow upgrade (8pts) to get Direct: AI Unit. This is cheaper than an HQ Uplink on B1s and can be used to spin the Coordinate chain and he'll end up with an order token at the end if you play it right. With an aim by default, you can guarantee 1 hit from your 3-die attacks makes it through, which gives you reliable suppression output between Demoralize 1 and your shooting attack if you didn't pay for a weapon - and very reliable damage if you paid for an Electrostaff (10pts). Doctrine Rating: A-.

Customizable Commanders, Part III: The Republic

Good morning gamers,

This is our third post in reviewing the new customizable commanders and operatives for the four factions in Star Wars Legion. We've already looked at the Rebel and Imperial options and today we're tackling my beloved Republic and the customizable Jedi heroes that you can field. If you haven't seen the article yet, you can view it here.

Like the previous article, we'll be looking at the four doctrines provided in the new kit and how that shakes out with the SEVEN different Jedi builds you can have (max of four, of course, since the doctrines are unique . . . some might say max of two, depending on whether you think two of the doctrines are playable). We'll start off with the one that is unique to Commanders . . .

Jedi Knight General with General of the Republic: 110+ pts

Right off the bat, one should note that ALL of the Jedi options are going to be expensive. Before you buy the required doctrines (5-10pts) and the required lightsabers (all free - though I expect that to change in the future) and the basically-required Jedi Training upgrade (5-8pts) and the basically-required Force upgrade (at least 5pts, unless you're leaning into Hope?!?!?!), any Commander or Operative Jedi that you make is going to be pretty pricey. This shouldn't surprise anyone who's seen the non-customizable Jedi, but it's worth pointing out that relative to what we've seen with the Empire and Rebels, this is quite the investment.

Jedi Knight Generals are Commanders with 6 Wounds/Courage 3, which makes them pretty durable and they have great anti-panic bubbles. With 2 Force Upgrade slots and 2 Training slots (only one of which can hold a Jedi Training upgrade), you have a good amount of upgrade options before factoring in any extra upgrade options that your Doctrine/Jedi Trainings give you. The General of the Republic doctrine gives you a Command slot (only way to get one on these commanders) and you also pick up Inspire 1 (fine), Bolster 2 as an action (also fine), and Direct: Clone Trooper (excellent). Doctrine Rating: B.

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: 74-Z Speeder Bikes

Good morning gamers,

This will be our last unit review for the year (we'll be looking at the customizable Jedi/Super-Tacs in November and taking December off, as usual) and we're looking at an Imperial unit that I've been playing with a lot recently: 74-Z Speeder Bikes. These guys were super good in the last edition of the game, able to skew easily in several scenarios (and you could massively underbid points so you got your scenario decks and make your opponent's life difficult). In the current edition of the game, these guys are super fast, but much harder to keep alive. Let's see what their place is and what you should consider getting for them . . .

74-Z Speeder Bikes: The Profile

Like a handful of supports (including most speeder units), Speeder Bikes are a two-model unit, each with 3 Wounds for 6 Wounds total. This puts them on-par with things like AT-RTs in raw wounds, but behind units like Tauntauns and functionally behind units like Droidekas who have an abundance of shields most of the time. The biggest appeal of these guys is their relatively low points cost (currently 70, but it's fluctuated some since I started playing the game) and their incredible speed (Speed-3 with a compulsory move from Speeder 1). Defensively, their innate Cover 1 and surging white save isn't great, so most players consider these guys to be very, very fragile (and I happen to agree - I've misplayed and lost these guys SO many times!).

Offensively, they hit pretty hard for being a 70-point, two-model unit: if shooting in their forward arc, they've got a double-rainbow of 2 red/2 black/2 white with surge to hit and Impact 2, which downgrades to 1 red/1 black/1 white with surge to hit and Impact 1 when the first speeder dies (not if the first speeder dies - when the first speeder dies). The end result is that each speeder is supposed to deal about 2 hits, which means you can jump out with the compulsory move, put 2-4 hits into something, then whip around again to duck to safety. If you're lucky, this will chip away at things (including Armored units), but you won't be blowing anything away with this guy.

If you aren't looking where you want to shoot, you do have an omni-directional pistol shot of 2 black dice per Speeder and you can even split-fire if you want to with one speeder using the rainbow attack and one speeder using the pistol. Both are likely to get at least 1 hit through to the defense roll, which means you can suppress enemy units that are sitting on objectives as you pass on to another one - pretty slick, if you ask me.

That being said, the strength of Speeder Bikes has always been in taking multiple copies of them - one Speeder Bike popping out and shooting at an enemy unit is all fine and good, but if you have a line of Speeder Bikes that harass a unit that's already gone (and ideally has very few friends nearby who have yet to go), you can cripple a unit that started the round out healthy and leave it as a smoking shell or a handful of guys by the end. Since Speeders can also contest objectives, having a mob of speeders end their move near a far-flung objective or two (either by double-moving and shooting OR by triple-moving) can really swing the VPs your opponent was counting on.

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Din Djarin, Part II

Good morning gamers,

Last time, we looked at the Rebel variant of Din Djarin and the various ways you can run him. Today, we're turning to the Imperial side of the house, where competition for the Operative slot wasn't that strong . . . until the customizable characters started crying out for use alongside Din, Op-Vader, and Agent Kallus. Today we'll be looking at what Din brings to the Imperial faction and what kinds of upgrades you should consider taking.

Din Djarin: The Profile

Din's profile is pretty standard for a Mandalorian - 5 Wounds instead of 6, Courage 3 is nice (though not sharable on an Operative without a Command slot), he has surge for crit and block with a red defense die for reliable damage into things and reliable resistance to damage when defending, and he's base speed-2, but can make that speed-3 if he's willing to shell out points. He has two weapons and the option for two more - his blaster is range 1-2 with Versatile (so he can shoot out of combat at a target at range 1-2, but cannot shoot at someone he's in combat with) and rolls 2 red/1 black for a reasonable amount of damage for being a pistol. This is an aim-hungry weapon with Lethal 1 and Long Shot, but with Tactical 1 and Independent: Aim 1 and Dodge 1, it's not unlikely that he'll have two aim tokens if he moves and shoots. His base melee weapon on its own isn't great (2 black with Lethal 1), but if it's paired with any of his additional weapons, it can be a useful little-bit-extra against a unit you're in melee with.

Din's other keywords are good or fine - Arsenal 2 is great since he has an armament option, but will only be used if you take his Flame Projector or when he's in melee. Bounty can be good if Din can actually target an enemy Commander/Operative that he picks at the start of the game and then stick around in combat long enough to kill them - but hey, it's the potential for a victory point and that's not bad. He's also got Impervious, which isn't as good as Immune: Pierce, but it's definitely better than nothing.

All of this is true for the Rebel variant too, but this version of Din doesn't have access to Grogu, so you're purely looking at Din for his damage options instead of his support options. As a result, you probably want to lean hard into the upgrades on Din (and probably more so than the upgrades you'd take for most Rebel builds).

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Din Djarin, Part I

Good morning gamers,

After a two-post hiatus to cover the new customizable Rebel and Imperial command choices, we're back in our unit review series and starting a two-part series on Din Djarin. Today we're looking at his Rebel variant and next time, we'll see how the Imperial variant differs. Din has access to nearly all the same upgrades in both, but his competition for the Operative slot is . . . well, it might be precarious in both lists now that the customizable characters are upon us, but he might have an easier time carving out a slot for himself in Empire lists. At any rate, we'll look and see how the Rebel faction can benefit from taking him and what kinds of upgrades you should be looking at.

Din Djarin: The Profile

Din's profile is pretty standard for a Mandalorian - 5 Wounds instead of 6, Courage 3 is nice (though not sharable on an Operative without a Command slot), he has surge for crit and block with a red defense die for reliable damage into things and reliable resistance to damage when defending, and he's base speed-2, but can make that speed-3 if he's willing to shell out points. He has two weapons and the option for two more - his blaster is range 1-2 with Versatile (so he can shoot out of combat at a target at range 1-2, but cannot shoot at someone he's in combat with) and rolls 2 red/1 black for a reasonable amount of damage for being a pistol. This is an aim-hungry weapon with Lethal 1 and Long Shot, but with Tactical 1 and Independent: Aim 1 and Dodge 1, it's not unlikely that he'll have two aim tokens if he moves and shoots. His base melee weapon on its own isn't great (2 black with Lethal 1), but if it's paired with any of his additional weapons, it can be a useful little-bit-extra against a unit you're in melee with.

Din's other keywords are good or fine - Arsenal 2 is great since he has an armament option, but will only be used if you take his Flame Projector or when he's in melee. Bounty can be good if Din can actually target an enemy Commander/Operative that he picks at the start of the game and then stick around in combat long enough to kill them - but hey, it's the potential for a victory point and that's not bad. He's also got Impervious, which isn't as good as Immune: Pierce, but it's definitely better than nothing.

Customizable Commanders, Part II: The Empire

Good morning gamers,

Last time, we reviewed the new customizable commander and operative options for the Rebel Alliance and today, we're pivoting to the Imperial side of the house and looking at the new Imperial Officer and Agent options (after that, I promise we'll get back to the Din Djarin articles). If you haven't seen the article yet, you can view it here and while I think the Rebel options have a lot of cool synergies, I think I'm more excited to use the Imperial ones (mostly because I've missed having "Ruth" in my Op-Vader lists).

Like the previous article, we'll be looking at the four doctrines provided in the new kit and how that shakes out with the SIX different Imperial builds you can have (max of four, of course, since the doctrines are unique . . . good thing too with this set). We'll begin with the one I'm most excited about for Officers . . .

Imperial Officer with Academy Trained: 65+ pts

The Imperial Officer is remarkably similar to the Rebel Officer - the only difference between them is that the Rebel Officer has 1 gear slot and 1 grenade slot, while the Imperial Officer has 2 gear slots. This may be important as we'll see below, but with base Inspire 1 and the need to equip a doctrine, this canvas is pretty wide open. The Academy Trained doctrine works similarly to the Proven Tactician doctrine for the Rebels: the Officer picks up Courage 3 instead of Courage 2, Exemplar, Inspire 2 instead of Inspire 1 (instead of giving out Reinforcements to nearby Corps units), and instead of getting Quick Thinking as an action, the Imperial Officer gains Strategize 1. The functional difference between Quick Thinking and Strategize is very, VERY small - since both builds have Exemplar, the fact that Quick Thinking has to give the tokens to the Rebel Officer and the Imperial Officer could pick someone else to have the tokens with Strategize is really a distinction without a difference, as whoever is in range to receive the tokens from Strategize would also be within range of the Officer. If you want someone to walk away from the Officer and still have the tokens, give them to someone else - otherwise, just give the Officer the tokens and let other people borrow them with Exemplar.

Customizable Commanders, Part I: The Rebel Alliance

Good morning gamers,

Last week, we got the scene-to-stats articles for both the Imperial and Rebel customizable leaders and boy are there some interesting options available to us now! This article will be reviewing the Rebel options and our next article will look at the Imperial ones (sorry, Din, your article will just have to wait). If you haven't seen the article yet, you can view it here and I gotta say, I'm pretty stoked about how well AMG is publicizing their products and I'm excited to give some of these combos a try! Also, while I'm giving my amateur thoughts, I think the special edition video from the Notorious Scoundrels is well worth the listen.

This article will attempt to puzzle through some interesting combos for the four different doctrines available in the kit, with the understanding that this is all very new and there will be much to be seen in the coming months for how you actually want to run these after some play testing and tournament use shakes out. We'll also be reviewing these profiles in comparison to an existing profile to see what the existing profile is giving you and whether it's better to slot in the old character or the new one. We'll start with my favorite of the batch . . .

Rebel Officer with Proven Tactician: 65+ pts

The Rebel Officer profile begins with 6 Wounds/Courage 2, but taking the Proven Tactician upgrade boosts that to 6 Wounds/Courage 3. The Inspire 1 that's provided in the base profile isn't augmented at all, but this Commander option is a slot-in for your support options with the old Padme Amidala trick of Quick Thinking/Exemplar (he just needed Authoritative to have the trifecta of Padme support abilities from last edition). While the utility of his last boost will only be found on the first turn of the game, getting a free Speed-1 move on all of your Corps that end the round within range 1 of this commander from Reinforcements can mean that Rebel Veterans and Mark II Medium Blasters (traditionally slow Corps units in a game where getting places is usually the name of the game) can "do their thing" of Speed-1-moving and shooting with a slow and steady advance followed up by another Speed-1, which gives them the same amount of ground gained as Snowtroopers (who I think most players would agree are pretty good). This doctrine is a 10pt upgrade, which makes it pricier than other doctrines but only marginally so and I think the benefits of it are clear: move-Quick-Thinking-Inspire every round to give your units access to an aim/dodge token when they need it and clear a suppression token. Doctrine Rating: A.

Photo credit: Tabletop Admiral

The prime point of comparison is Leia Organa, who is very much in a sit-in-the-back-and-support role, though her ability to do damage with her pistol is likely to be more reliable than what this Officer is packing unless the Officer takes the repeater gun (which I don't think is worth the investment - but I'm willing to be proven wrong). Leia begins 10-points more expensive and has 6 Wounds/Courage 2 (so -1 Courage, which does matter a bit on a Commander) and Inspire 2 instead of Inspire 1 (which can matter very much if you have a lot of Courage 1 Corps running around). While these two flip-flops aren't exactly a wash, they're pretty much a wash in my book.