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.