Star Wars Legion Unit Review: B1 Battle Droids

Good morning gamers,

There might not be a single faction in Star Wars Legion that has a go-to Corps unit choice like the Separatists do. Yes, you will see lists that feature six Geonosian Warrior squads (or fewer than six in a Rapid Interdiction Force battle force list) or six or seven B2 Battle Droids with Poggle the Lesser, but by and large, if you're playing against a Separatist player, it's only natural to expect to see several units of B1 Battle Droids in their army. Yes, these are iconic prequel trilogy units for the Trade Federation/Separatists, but they're also fabulous units in Legion. Let's see what they do and why everyone seems to be keen to take them.

B1 Battle Droids: The Profile

When my son and I got started playing Legion . . . we both hated B1s. I was playing Republic and my son was playing Separatists and the Republic units were durable while the B1s were . . . well, easy to squish and didn't do a lot of damage, no matter what you put in their unit to help them out. This was before the current version of Legion and the release of the "super size squad" personnel option, but even today, B1s aren't paying for a good profile. On offense, these guys roll 1 white die each and can't surge natively - that's bad. They roll 1 white defense die that also doesn't surge natively - and that's bad too. Each model has 1 wound, the unit has Courage 1, and they're a normal speed-2 . . . there's seemingly nothing to recommend this profile.

Except the cost - and in some respects, the special rules. Because their profile is so bad, their cost is incredibly low at 38 points (lower than any other Corps unit in the game). They have AI: Attack, which has both positive and negative ramifications, based on whether you're suppressed or not and whether or not you have an order token. If you don't have an order token and the unit is suppressed (which will usually be the case if they've taken 1-3 suppression tokens), the first action they have to take is an Attack action . . . which might not be the worst thing in the world, but also might not be what you want to do with them. As we'll see below, though, there are MANY ways to work around this, not least of which is having Courage 3 commanders in your list or access to Override.

They also have Coordinate: Droid Trooper, which has always been the reason to take B1s in your army - issuing an order to one of them likely means you have an order on ALL of them, so long as each squad has at least one model within range-1 of each other. While you can certainly do "chains" of B1s this way, a "web" of B1s is far more reliable at keeping the order control going - and it helps if you have another Droid Trooper (either a Droid Commander/Operative who started the chain and is near the end of the chain or a combat-oriented unit that's operating near the B1s) at the actual end, so they can benefit from the last coordinate. The only units that are unlikely to benefit from this chaining are your vehicles and Force Users (and geo-bugs, I guess), so they will be dependent on your command card to make sure they get the orders they want. Still, if all of your Corps units are B1 Battle Droids (or up to 1 of them is a Droid Trooper/has access to Direct from someone else), you shouldn't have any Corps units in your order pool, which helps with order efficiency and reliability a TON.

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Count Dooku

Good morning gamers,

We're kicking off a several-month dive into the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS/Separatist) faction and we're starting with "the big guy," Count Dooku. Dooku is a staple of my playing group - there's a guy who basically JUST plays Dooku/Seppies - and he can be a NIGHTMARE to deal with on the table. He's also healable by the cheaper of the medic options that the Separatists have, so if you're running a medic (maybe to support Grievous, Asajj, or Geonosians), the disincentives of dealing with him can really stack up. Let's see what this guy is bringing to the fight and how much you should invest in him.

Count Dooku: The Profile

Dooku starts at 165 points and that makes him one of the cheapest "heavy hitting" pieces among the factions. His offensive power is very good with 5 red in melee with Impact 2/Pierce 2 and Makashi Mastery (so he'll have Pierce 1 against units that are normally immune to Pierce or the newly revamped Impervious) and 6 black dice with Pierce 1/Scatter/Suppressive at range 1-2 (which is not nearly as good against units with Impervious or Immune: Pierce, but still useful for bringing units out of cover with Scatter - and potentially into melee with Dooku to keep him from being shot at by other units).

Defensively, Dooku is very solid - 6 wounds with surging-red saves, Deflect, and Immune: Pierce means that he needs to flub a lot of saves to go down (or get shot at by snipers - there's that too). While Dooku is likely to end up being very expensive, he's well kitted out to retain his points from going to your opponent for most of the game (if you're not completely reckless with him).

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Republic AT-RTs

Good morning gamers,

I am solidly in the camp of the Clone Commandos (and maybe the new Strike Teams) when it comes to supports - but my son, Gorgoroth, is a big fan of AT-RTs. Having faced them a ton, I can see why - and my Rebel lists lean into them pretty heavily. AT-RTs in Republic lists are durable and can put out a lot of damage - and they're also not the kind of thing that can be chopped to bits by most power units in a single turn, either. All in all, they're a fabulous choice, unless you have a partiality for one of their competitors (Strike Teams not included, thanks to the Detachment keyword). Let's see what this guy brings to the table and how you can bring them to bear in Republic lists that are heavily strapped for points!

Republic AT-RT: The Profile

The defining part of the Republic AT-RT in the Support class is that it has red saves (no-surging) and Armor 2. If you want red saves (non-surging) with speed and cover, you want BARC Speeders and if you want red saves (with surging), you probably want Commandos. If you're okay with white (surging) saves, you can look into fluttercraft or swoop bikes, but the addition of Armor 2 and a good save on AT-RTs makes them incredibly durable. Fast they are not, but they're not slow (speed-2 with a big base) and Scout 1 on the first turn makes them decent at maneuvering on a durable line-of-sight-blocking chassis.

Their base weapon is actually pretty good with 1 black/2 white with Critical 1/surge to hit and Impact 1 - oh, and there's no Fixed: Front keyword on this weapon, so you can shoot in any direction with it. In melee, they can roll 3 red dice with Impact 1 (with surge to hit), but this always feels a bit like a let-down since they can't hide in combat. We'll look at other ranged weapon upgrades they can take, but their base weapons are fine (not great, but fine).

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Clone Trooper Marksman

Good morning gamers,

It took a while for the Republic to get a second faction-specific Corps unit when Legion 2.6 dropped - and when it finally arrived, I have to admit, I was convinced they'd have white saves. Imagine my surprise when I saw not only a unit that looked remarkably like the Clone Trooper Infantry profile, but it also had access to range-4 on all of its blasters AND it had Marksman to improve its dice rolls! Enter the Clone Marksman - a unit that comes in at a slight discount compared to Clone Trooper Infantry, sports the kinds of things we all like in Clones, but also plays very differently from their Corps alternatives. These guys are not beating anyone out of a job (except for maybe ARF Troopers), but they're quite solid as a Corps choice if you plan to field several of them.

Clone Trooper Marksmen: The Profile

This squad has the standard Corps stats you'd expect from a GAR unit: 1 health each on a 4-man squad base, Courage 2, and non-surging red saves. They also have speed-1, but have Prepared Position, so their location after two turns is likely to be about what you'd expect from Clone Trooper Infantry. They roll 1 black die in melee and at range 1-3, but their guns have Long Shot on them, so if you spend an aim token, they can have range 4. With Marksman in tow, having access to two aim tokens means that they can not only shoot at range 4, but they can also promote a die roll from a blank to a hit OR promote a hit to a crit (depending on your situation, this can be very useful). Finally, they have Prepared Positions, which means they'll start the game with a dodge token if they begin on the board - and I think that's generally a good idea, as the dodge token can be shared with other Clone Trooper units and it avoids the greatest downside of being speed-1. 

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Ewok Skirmishers

Good morning gamers,

Last time, we looked at Ewok Slingers, who are a fabulous model that the Rebels (and the Bright Tree Village battle force) have access to in their Special Forces slot. Today, we're looking at Ewok Skirmishers (who can't actually skirmish with people) who are a Corps option and . . . fall quite a bit short of their cousins. Let's see what these guys bring to the table and see if we can suss out why they cost 2pts more than their Special Forces counterparts.

Ewok Skirmishers: The Profile

The best way to think about this unit's profile is that they're like B1 Battle Droids (who we'll be looking at in the next few months): they have non-surging white saves, 1 wound/courage 1, and they've got 6 minis by default. They cost a little more than B1s at 40pts/squad and trade Coordinate: Droid Trooper for Low Profile and Unhindered . . . which is interesting, sure, but also makes you really dependent on terrain to take any advantage of your rules. They're also mercenaries, so issuing them orders is pretty difficult unless you're running Lando, Wicket, anyone with Allies of Convenience (which you might take via Underworld Connections so you can take an extra squad of Slingers), or any of the Ewok heroes in Bright Tree Village. Thankfully, they do not have Self-Preservation, so they can benefit from any Commander's Courage to keep them from panicking. The Slingers have the same profile, but also pick up Target 1 and Independent: Surge 1 . . . and somehow, they cost 2pts less?

On offense, these guys don't have a ranged option but have 1 black die/model in melee . . . which is to say that their melee profile is the same as the Slinger's ranged profile and is better than the Slinger's melee profile by 0.25 hits/model . . . how in the heck are these guys more expensive? Is the ability to provide backup while they're not supressed that valuable? I don't think so. Anyway, this is a fine-not-great melee pool and while we'll be looking at ways to increase your damage output, one could make the argument that the base value isn't good enough to make the investment worth it. I leave that to you to decide.

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Ewok Slingers

Good morning gamers,

This month's focus is on Ewoks and we're starting off with "the good squad", Ewok Slingers. For reasons that I cannot fathom, these guys have more rules, a ranged attack, and take up a Special Forces slot . . . and yet cost fewer points than their melee-oriented cousins, Ewok Skirmishers (more on them next time). They came up 3pts since their release at the start of Legion 2.6, but they still come in 2pts under their melee brethren . . . and as Mercenary units, I'm always tempted to throw two of them into my Rebel lists (along with Lando or someone else with Underworld Connections). Let's look at what these guys have to offer in one of the Rebellion's toughest force-organization slots (and why they're so good in Rebel lists)!

Ewok Slingers: The Profile

These guys are 38pts and start with 6 bodies - that's basically the same cost as most of the Rebel Corps options, but with +2 guys. As a result, their profile lags behind the Corps a bit - 1 Wound/Courage 1/Speed-2 (how?) is pretty normal, but non-surging white saves isn't great and no innate surge option on offense isn't normal for Rebels. Don't let this fool you, though: with Target 1 and Independent: Surge 1, these guys will get some kind of green token every turn, regardless of whether you have order control on them or not. Additionally, having Low Profile and Unhindered makes them a nightmare to drag out of area terrain. They are a Mercenary unit, so you can only have one of these in your list normally (and issuing them orders is hard), but having at least one unit with Allies of Convenience (innate to Lando and available to anyone with a Command slot by taking Underworld Connections) allows that specific Commander/Operative to issue orders to them AND opens up a second slot for you. Two squads of these guys doesn't have to be that expensive - and will probably come in below the cost of other similarly-sized units.

Their attack profiles don't look great at first glance - 1 white in melee and 1 black at range is fine-to-bad, but 1 black each at ~6pts/model is a whole lot better than the 10-12pts/model that you get from Rebel Troopers/Veterans (plus with the option for an aim token occasionally or a surge token most of the time, these guys might have a better offensive profile than most bare-bones Rebel Corps units - heck, most Rebel Special Forces units too!). All in all, it's a pretty punchy unit for not a lot of points - a glass cannon, yes, but a lot of firepower on a budget!

Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Scout Troopers

Good morning gamers,

We're tackling the last of the Imperial units from the Imperial starter set today and boy do these boys pack a punch! While Scout Troopers may not be the best example of a glass cannon, they certainly qualify as being heavy on the offense and light on the defense. Scouts are incredibly points efficient, but also very hard to keep alive - so in today's post, we're going to look at what these guys are good at and how you can get the most out of them in both standard Imperial lists and in several battle forces.

Scout Troopers: The Profile

Scout Troopers have some pretty common Special Forces stats: Speed 2, Courage 2, and 1 Health each. This makes them more courageous than the Imperial Corps units we've looked at recently, so they can afford to be a little distant from your Compel characters. Their offense is super good with Sharpshooter 1 and 2 black dice/mini at range 1-2 (and their melee is fine with 1 black die/mini in melee). Without Surge to hit/crit, they wouldn't mind access to the Critical keyword (available in the Imperial Remnant Battle Force - more on that later) or characters that help them get surge tokens (rare but possible - more on that later). Defensively, they're a bit fragile with surging white saves, but Low Profile helps them some - especially if they're sitting in a terrain feature that grants heavy cover. Scout 3 is a very useful Turn 1 aid, as it helps them navigate up the board quickly (though without Unhindered, they're going to still get slowed down by difficult terrain). With 4 minis for 48pts, these guys are about the same cost as Stromtroopers/Snowtroopers per mini, which is very useful for buffing out your activations.

The Scout Trooper Strike Team had a very similar profile (boy am I glad this article came out AFTER the points adjustment and profile releases). Like before, they have the Heavy Weapon Team special rule, which makes the Heavy Weapon upgrade required, but the Heavy is also the unit leader. With only 2 models including the Heavy, this squad is much easier to kill and once you include the Heavy, they aren't that much cheaper than the full squad (42pts with the sniper vs. 48pts for the full squad without upgrades). With the sniper getting better and coming down in price (20pts now) and the option for cheaper heavies if you don't want to do chip-damage from far away (10pts for a Probe, 17pts for a saboteur), these might see play now. They have Detachment: Scout Troopers, so they can only be fielded alongside full Scout Trooper units, which means their primary point of comparison is definitely Probe Droids (and since these are Support options now, you're looking to add more Support tokens to your bag instead of Special Forces).