[Epic] IMPERIAL RAIDER - NEWS !!! ONLY !!!

Here Comes the Imperial Raider

Introducing a New Huge Ship to X-Wing (TM) and the STAR WARS (TM) Galaxy!
X-Wing | Published 19 December 2014



Epic Play for the X-Wing™ miniatures game is about to get more epic…

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to bring you the all-new Raider-class corvette, a new Imperial ship for X-Wing Epic Play and a new addition to the Star Wars galaxy!

Designed in partnership with Lucasfilm Ltd. for use within the game’s Cinematic Play and Epic Play formats, the Raider-class corvette is the highlight of the upcoming Imperial Raider Expansion Pack.


The Raider-class corvette.

Kuat Drive Yards began manufacturing the Raider-class corvette in 6BBY as a dedicated anti-fighter vessel after it was successfully pitched by Lira Wessex, the designer of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. She recognized that the Imperial Navy lacked a small, modern craft to reinforce the TIE fighter squadrons deployed by Star Destroyers, and she designed the Raider-class corvette as a durable, 150m vessel that featured multiple hardpoints and would excel at suppressing Rebel fighter attacks.

Like the Rebellion’s huge ships, the GR-75 medium transport and CR90 Corellian corvette, the Raider is too big for Standard Play and the game’s standard 1/270 scale. Accordingly, the expansion’s Raider miniature is presented at a relative scale that makes it playable, even as it dwarfs the game’s small- and large-base ships.

In addition to the Raider-class corvette, the Imperial Raider Expansion pack also contains one TIE Advanced miniature with a variant paint scheme, eight ship cards, thirty-four upgrade cards, and all the maneuver dials, damage decks, tokens, and game pieces that you need to fly your Raider and its TIE Advanced escort. Finally, the expansion introduces a new campaign, The Will of the Empire, in which you’ll command a Raider-class corvette and run a prototype TIE Advanced through its test flights in the wild, lawless sectors of the Outer Rim.


The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack comes with one Raider miniature, one TIE Advanced miniature, eight ship cards, thirty-four upgrades, a huge range ruler, and all the maneuver dials, damage decks, and tokens you need to launch your Imperial ships into Epic Play battles!

The Origins of the Raider-class Corvette

With its powerful primary weapon, Single Turbolasers, Ion Cannon Batteries, and multiple crew options, the Raider-class corvette is destined to make a massive impact in X-Wing Cinematic Play and Epic Play.

As a dedicated anti-fighter ship, the Raider offers a powerful counter to many of the Rebellion’s favored strategies. It also represents an exciting new addition to the Star Wars universe, and the development team offers insight into the ship’s origin:

“The impetus behind the Raider-class corvette came from a desire to produce an Imperial ship for X-Wing that was comparable in size and role to the Rebel corvette.

“Before we even announced the Tantive IV™ Expansion Pack, we knew Imperial players would need a comparable ship to lead their fleets in the game’s Epic Play battles. But none of the ships within the established IP and extended universe quite fit the bill. As we looked at ships that were larger than the VT-49 Decimator, the next possibility was the Lancer-class frigate at 250m; however, that was larger than we wanted for the scope of the game. Moreover, it didn’t quite fit the desired role, so we worked with Lucasfilm Ltd. and drew upon existing materials to create a new starship that fit seamlessly into the aesthetics and background of the Star Wars universe.

“The result was a cross between a Star Destroyer and a single-pilot fighter, something fast and aggressive.

“The Raider is a starship made specifically for anti-fighter warfare. Its six dual heavy laser cannons proved more accurate against snubfighters than the turbolaser batteries of its Star Destroyer cousins, and the disruptive effects of its ion cannon emplacements, along with the efficiency of its localized command, make it a powerful addition to small strike forces.

“It’s also a ship that’s particularly well-suited to fighting alongside a number of TIE Advanced. Both the Raider-class corvette and TIE Advanced are well-suited to quick assault missions. They are both equipped with hyperdrives and enough defenses to stand up to a wide range of threats. They can jump into a sector, launch a quick assault, and then jump away. Then, they can leave after the mission is complete. This makes them ideal vessels for use in the Outer Rim, and this is an idea that you’ll be able to explore even further within the context of the expansion’s campaign.”

   –Andrew Navaro, Frank Brooks, and Steve Kimball

Pushing the Limits of the TIE Advanced


The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack contains one TIE Advanced with an alternate paint scheme.

While the Raider, itself, is restricted to use in Cinematic Play and Epic Play, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack also contains a new TIE Advanced miniature with an alternate paint scheme.

Originally touted as a replacement for the standard TIE fighter, the TIE Advanced offered a significant number of improvements over the TIE/ln, but it ultimately proved too expensive for mass production. Similarly, in X-Wing, the TIE Advanced is a more powerful and durable starfighter than the TIE fighter, but it comes with a higher squad point cost.

For the extra squad points, though, the TIE Advanced offers shielding, the target lock action, and the ability to wield missiles, making it a more versatile and resilient fighter for those talented pilots who can truly take advantage of all that it has to offer. Thus, just as the expansion’s new TIE Advanced is legal for use within the game’s Standard Play, its new pilots and upgrades promote the fighter’s strengths, allowing you to take better advantage of all that its technological enhancements can offer.

The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack comes with six ship cards for the TIE Advanced, including four new, unique pilots, and it also introduces two potent, TIE Advanced only upgrades – the TIE/x1 Title and the Advanced Targeting Computer system upgrade.



Together, these upgrades greatly enhance the TIE Advanced’s existing strengths and give the Rebellion far more reason to fear such renowned Imperial pilots as Darth Vader and Maarek Stele. They also give you plenty of reasons to call upon the services of Commander Alozen and the other new ace pilots from the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack.



Crush the Rebellion

With its Raider-class corvette and TIE Advanced, as well as their many upgrades, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack is a truly epic addition to any Imperial fleet!

You can expect to power up your Raider in the first quarter of 2015. Until then, keep your eyes open for more information about this huge new Imperial ship and its accompanying TIE Advanced.

Those Rebel scum won’t stand a chance!

Der Mos Eisley Raumhafen hat nun einen eigenen Epic Bereich!

Game Trade Magazine

zwei neue Bilder und ein kleiner Hinweis:

You’ll also find a few other playable upgrades, including one crew member who’s bound to ensure that all your Imperial plans proceed exactly as you foresee…

The Might of the Empire


"Fear will keep the local systems in line."
     –Grand Moff Tarkin
Last April, the release of the Rebel Transport Expansion Pack marked the introduction of the Epic Play format to X-Wing™. Permitting the use of the GR-75 medium transport and other huge starships too large for Standard Play, X-Wing Epic Play raises the stakes of your Star Wars space battles. Even as your starfighters weave through asteroids, trying to acquire target locks, and blast each other to smithereens, you and your opponent can also field the sort of ships used to transport stolen plans, conduct diplomatic missions, and carry troops to or from embattled planets.
In many ways, X-Wing Epic Play features everything that a Star Wars fan could hope to find in a miniatures game: fast-paced action, dramatic turns of events, iconic heroes and villains, exquisitely detailed miniatures, and large-scale campaigns that immerse you in ongoing struggles of immense scope and purpose. Still, since last April, many players felt there was one key, missing element – an Imperial counterpart to the Rebellion's huge ships.
Now, however, we draw closer to the arrival of that first Imperial huge ship. Announced last December, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack will soon allow Imperial players to engage Rebel fleets in Epic Play the way that they long believed they should, not just with swarms of TIEs, but with a massive, intimidating presence and overwhelming volleys of laser fire.
Along with the changes to the rules for huge ships' primary weapons introduced in the last Huge Ship Rules (pdf, 2.8 MB) , the Raider-class corvette and its many upgrades are bound to reinvent the way that players approach Epic Play.
Soon, the Rebels will no longer enjoy the largest ships in X-Wing. Soon, the Rebels will learn to fear the might of the Empire!
Powered Up
At one-hundred squad points, the Raider-class corvette is the game's largest, biggest, and baddest ship to-date. In fact, the Raider is so large that it requires two bases and is divided between two sections, fore and aft , as are its upgrade bars, action bars, and damage decks. It boasts more total shields and hull than the CR90 corvette, and it can perform up to two attacks each round with its primary weapon, worth four attack dice each, to make short work of enemy ships caught at Range 2 – 4. Of course, the Raider is also heavily customizable, boasting three hard points and slots for two crew and three teams.
Furthermore, the Raider, like the Rebellion's huge ships, can gain and spend energy to fuel a wide variety of powerful effects. Each round, your Raider gains energy during its activation, equal to the number of energy icons revealed with its chosen maneuver. For example, the Raider would gain two energy while performing a bank maneuver at speed "2," but it would only gain two energy if it were to fly straight ahead at speed "4."
It can then spend this energy to fuel any effect on an upgrade or damage card with the Energy header, such as an Ion Cannon Battery or a Comms Booster . Any remaining energy can be saved or spent to recover shields or to allow the ship to fire its primary weapon a second time. Altogether, this means that you can bring an astonishing measure of firepower to bear against a single enemy, especially if you can catch it in the sweet spot where your fore and aft firing arcs overlap. Two shots from a four-attack die primary weapon, one from your forward-mounted Quad Laser Cannons , and two from a pair of aft-mounted Ion Cannon Batteries? That's more than enough to cripple the Millennium Falcon or pretty much any other Rebel ship.
Still, it's not just a matter of raw firepower and resilience that the Raider brings to your Epic battles; the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack also allows you to field such noteworthy Imperials as Grand Moff Tarkin , Captain Needa , and Admiral Ozzel . Each of these iconic characters appears as a crew upgrade in the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack.
As befits these officers, they come with unique abilities that allow you to exert profound influence over your ship, your fighters, and even your opponent's fighters. With these new officers, you can strip away your opponent's focus tokens or add them to your fighters, you can take new risks with your shields, and you can adopt new tactics or even entirely new strategies in the course of your Epic X-Wing battles.
The Ultimate Power in the Galaxy
It may not be the Death Star, but the Imperial Raider is, at least for now, the ultimate power in the X-Wing galaxy. It's bigger and tougher and harder-hitting than every other X-Wing starship, and it's bound to add another truly epic dimension to X-Wing Epic Play.
At last, the Empire will have its huge ship. At last, it will have the firepower and battlefield presence it has long awaited. The time is fast approaching. Prepare for your Epic battles today. Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack!

The Academy's Finest

In our last preview of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, we looked at what its huge Raider-class corvette adds to X-Wing™ and its Epic Play battles. We explored its uses for energy, the ways that it can maneuver to line up devastating volleys of laser blasts against unwary opponents, and we looked at a few of the officers and other upgrades that allow you to customize your use of the Raider within your Imperial fleet. Today, however, we turn our attention toward the other starship in the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, the miniature TIE Advanced that comes with a new variant paint scheme, six ship cards, and four copies each of two potent upgrades that will redefine this fighter in battle!

Moreover, the variant TIE Advanced that comes in this expansion is legal for X-Wing Standard Play and tournament play, as are its ship cards and a host of the expansion's upgrades.

Redefining the TIE Advanced

Designed as a potential replacement for the TIE fighter, the TIE Advanced features shielding, a hyperdrive, and an advanced targeting system designed to overcome the resistance offered by electronic jammers. However, the fighter's targeting system often required adjustments in the heat of battle, its various upgrades made it slightly less maneuverable than the TIE fighter, and its higher production costs kept it out of widespread use. Instead, the TIE Advanced was only ever flown by the Empire's very best pilots.

For those pilots, though, the TIE Advanced may very likely have proven the difference between life and death. Even Darth Vader, one of the galaxy's greatest pilots, was nearly destroyed during the Rebellion's attack on the first Death Star when his Black Squadron wingmate crashed into him after taking fire from the Millennium Falcon. Although the impact would have likely destroyed a TIE fighter, Vader's TIE Advanced held intact, and the Dark Lord of the Sith continued to serve the Emperor for years to come.

In X-Wing, as in Star Wars, the TIE Advanced is a ship that's best reserved for the Empire's best pilots, and the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack introduces four more of these aces, as well as a pair upgrades that boost the ship's impact in battle, the TIE x1 Title and Advanced Targeting Computer .


The first of these pilots is Lieutenant Colzet , a veteran member of the Storm Squadron, whose experience with the TIE Advanced has allowed him to master its targeting systems. Like every other TIE Advanced pilot, Lieutenant Colzet must acquire a target lock – and not spend it for any other effect – if he wishes to gain the extra his Advanced Targeting Computer can grant him. While there's no question that a bonus critical result is worth the action, it's still better to get full value for your actions whenever possible, and this is where Lieutenant Colzet's uniqe pilot ability comes in handy. At the start of the End phase, he can spend a target lock that he has on an enemy ship to flip one of its facedown damage cards faceup.

In other words, Lieutenant Colzet's Advanced Targeting Computer can be worth two critical hits, rather than one. Even if he doesn't deal more than one point of damage himself, Lieutenant Colzet's ability can flip any facedown damage card, including those dealt to his target by his wingmates, and faceup damage cards are far more frightening than facedown ones. With Lieutenant Colzet in your squad, any damage your opponent suffers could suddenly result in a Blinded Pilot, Weapon Malfunction, or even a Direct Hit!


The TIE x1 Title and Advanced Targeting Computer upgrade cards are also likely to feature prominently in any squad that includes Commander Alozen , another veteran member of Storm Squadron. Because he can automatically acquire a free target lock on any enemy ship at Range "1" at the beginning of the Combat phase, Commander Alozen can spend his actions on ensuring that he's in the right place to strike, rather than powering up his shots.

Additionally, since Commander Alozen has the elite pilot upgrade slot, you can use Predator to free up even more actions, or you can gain extra actions with Push the Limit . Because neither the TIE x1 Title nor the Advanced Targeting Computer occupy your modification upgrade slot, you could also equip Commander Alozen with an Engine Upgrade to give him the boost action along with the barrel roll action, meaning he has even more ways to maneuver into Range "1" of his prey. Of course, since it's easiest to maneuver into firing position when you can discern where your opponents are flying, you may wish to equip Commander Alozen with the Veteran Instincts upgrade, boosting his pilot skill value and his chances of performing his maneuvers and barrel rolls or boost actions after your opponents ships. After all, with his Advanced Targeting Computer, Commander Alozen is one of the galaxy's deadliest pilots at close range. The trick is getting him consistently into an optimal position.


Rather than further highlighting the boosted firepower the TIE Advanced gains from its Advanced Targeting Computer, Zertik Strom comes with a unique pilot ability that emphasizes the starfighter's durability. His ability reads:

"Enemy ships at Range 1 cannot add their range combat bonus when attacking."

Notably, Zertik Strom denies your opponent's ships of range combat bonuses against any of the ships in your squadron, not just himself. This means that when you have Zertik Strom in your squadron, you should always gain more of an advantage from close-quarters combat than your opponent. More than that, Zertik Strom's ability is only magnified when he's pitted against fighter swarms or when he's partnered with Carnor Jax , who can prevent his opponents from spending focus or evade tokens.


The last, but certainly not the least, of the expansion's new aces is Juno Eclipse , famous for her rapid rise from the Academy to her role as the leader of Darth Vader's handpicked Black Eight Squadron. In X-Wing, her prodigious talents are represented by a pilot skill value of "8" and a unique pilot ability that allows her to push her TIE Advanced through more maneuvers than other pilots could possibly dream of executing.
"When you reveal your maneuver, you may increase or decrease its speed by 1 (to a minimum of 1)."
Not only does Juno Eclipse's abilty effectively add five new maneuvers to her ship's dial, it allows her to convert another two maneuvers (her speed "2" bank maneuvers) to green, and it grants her the flexibility to adjust her maneuvers based upon the maneuvers performed by all other pilots with lower pilot skill value.


The tactical flexibility that Juno Eclipse gains from her ability cannot be overstated. At pilot skill value "8," she maneuvers after all but the galaxy's most famous and infamous pilots. The short list of those aces with higher pilot skill values include Wedge Antilles , Han Solo , Soontir Fel , and Darth Vader . Equip her with Veteran Instincts, and Juno Eclipse can react even to their maneuvers. This means that by adjusting her speed and making judicious use of her barrel rolls, Juno Eclipse can easily slip out of enemy firing arcs, only to catch her targets square in her sights.

Still, her ability does more than allow her to outmaneuver some of the galaxy's most talented pilots; it also allows her to avoid clattering into clumsy blockers. Players running swarms of fighters with low pilot skill value often take advantage of their early activations to send one or more ships to block potential flight lanes, but Juno Eclipse is immensely difficult to catch with such tactics as she can stop in front of her foes or fly past them by adjusting the speed of her maneuvers at the last possible instant.

Enforce Imperial Rule

With its hyperdrive and shields, the TIE Advanced makes an excellent starfighter to accompany the Raider-class corvette on its patrols of Outer Rim systems, and with its new pilots and upgrades, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack greatly enhances the fighter's abilty to enforce Imperial rule.

How will you use the expansion's TIE Advanced and its new pilots in Epic Play? How will they factor into your 100-point squadrons? The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack is on its way to retailers everywhere. In the meantime, head to our community forums to share how the TIE Advanced now factors into your favorite builds!

The Grand Design


A Preview of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack for X-Wing™


"Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design."
     –Emperor Palpatine
In our recent previews of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack for X-Wing™, we've looked at what the Raider-class corvette adds to an Epic Imperial fleet and how players can utilize the expansion's new TIE Advanced upgrades and pilots in Standard Play. Today, we continue our previews with a look at another card from the expansion that can be utilized in Standard Play, but that is unquestionably the most Epic of all the expansion's upgrades.

Emperor Palpatine
Emperor Palpatine arrives to X-Wing as a crew upgrade in the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack.
As you might expect, the Emperor isn't like your standard Imperial crew member. First of all, he's the most expensive crew upgrade currently in the game. Second, he requires two crew slots all to himself. Nonetheless, in the right Imperial build, Emperor Palpatine is well worth his squad-point cost:
"Once per round, you may change a friendly ship’s die result to any other die result. That die result cannot be modified again."
In X-Wing, each of your ships has, effectively, four concerns each round: maneuvering, performing actions, attacking, and defending. Of these, two require you to roll dice. Viewed in this light, the Emperor's ability to change any dice of your dice results grants you an unprecendented measure of control over nearly one-half of the game. Convert a blank attack die to a critical hit. Convert a blank defense die to an evade. Did your TIE fighter accidentally clip an asteroid? The Emperor can ensure that you don't suffer damage as a result. Did you suffer a crippling critical hit? The Emperor can easily resolve a Weapon Malfunction or shield you from the brunt of a Minor Explosion .
Also, notice the range restriction – there isn't one. His ability isn't limited to friendly ships at Range "1," nor to those within Range "1–3." He can alter the result of any of your dice results, anywhere on the table. Thus, even though you can currently fly him only on a Lambda-class shuttle, a VT-49 Decimator, or your Raider-class corvette, his ability can impact any of your ships, wherever it's located, and when you need it most.
Should you want to bring the galaxy's most powerful dark side Force user to the battlefield, you'll find plenty of uses for him in both Standard Play and Epic Play.
 

The Emperor in X-Wing Standard play

Some call it luck. Some might call it destiny. Others may call it design. While there's no doubt that skill plays a massive part in X-Wing, there's always a chance that random dice rolls may help accelerate or unravel your plans.
It's not likely, but it's entirely possible for a Binayre Pirate to launch a single unmodified Range "1" attack at a cloaked "Whisper," roll two hits and a crit, catch her flat-footed and with nothing but blanks for defense, punch through her shields, land a Direct Hit!, and score a kill.
Most skilled players have learned all manner of tricks to avoid such calamitous events. They practice their maneuvers. They identify the right times to use their actions in order to gain defensive tokens. Still, despite their skill, even the best players sometimes lose their ships to unlucky dice.
While the game's dice ensure a measure of tension in each attack sequence, they also steer a number of pragmatic tournament players away from ships like the TIE interceptor that rely more than others upon their dice rolls. One good shot from an X-wing and one moment of bad luck from the Imperial player can easily result in the obliteration of a TIE interceptor that may have just been lining up a kill shot against a Rebel ace like Wedge Antilles , Luke Skywalker , or Keyan Farlander . While the introduction of Autothrusters may help TIE interceptors to survive rounds of combat fought at a greater distance, Emperor Palpatine may very well be the keystone of the new TIE interceptor squad design.
Few ships exploit good dice better than the TIE interceptor, and few rely so heavily on their dice for defense. A TIE fighter may have the same agility and hull points, but it doesn't require the same investment of squad points. Accordingly, adding the Emperor to a Lambda-class shuttle may help stabilize your TIE interceptor squadron by giving you the opportunity to either push a mediocre attack into the realm of devastating or rescue a ship from brink of destruction.

• Soontir Fel with Royal Guard TIE , Push the Limit , Autothrusters, and Stealth Device
  
• Carnor Jax with Royal Guard TIE, Push the Limit, Autothrusters, and Stealth Device
  
• Omicron Group Pilot with Emperor Palpatine
  

Total Squad Points: 98
In this sample squadron, we pair theme and function, as two Royal Guard TIEs, piloted by a couple of the Empire's best aces, escort the Emperor aboard a Lambda-class shuttle. Appropriately enough, when you play this squad, you want to keep your shuttle out of trouble and let your TIE escorts take charge. With his ability, Emperor Palpatine can help Soontir Fel and Carnor Jax cripple their opponents, changing their attack dice to make them impossibly precise anytime they've managed to doge your opponent's firing arcs, or he can boost their defense by ensuring they roll evade results when they need them. With the Emperor in your squad, your Stealth Devices gain a renewed utility. He can even protect himself when necessary, ensuring your shuttle’s solitary defense die leads to an incredible string of evade results.
Of course, the Emperor can do far more than boost a squad of TIE interceptors, and he can fly aboard a VT-49 Decimator just as easily as he can fly aboard a shuttle. There, he benefits from the ship's fantastic resilience, and he can turn his attentions toward enhancing the attacks made by a TIE Advanced outfitted with the TIE x1 Title and an Advanced Targeting Computer . In such a case, the Emperor grants you the ability to convert one of your TIE's blank attack dice to a critical hit, even though you couldn't normally reroll it because you need to save your target lock to activate your Advanced Targeting Computer.

• Rear Admiral Chiraneau with Emperor Palpatine, Ysanne Isard , and Engine Upgrade
  
• Darth Vader with Predator , Assault Missiles , TIE/x1, and Advanced Targeting Computer
  

Total Squad Points: 100
In this sample squad, the Emperor can help you get the greatest possible impact out of the attacks that Darth Vader performs, starting with the Assault Missiles he’ll fire against a swarm or any other larger squad that flies in formation.
At the same time, it's just as likely that the Emperor may be able to propel you to victory by reducing the damage that Darth Vader sustains to his TIE Advanced, thereby ensuring you have all of your firepower in the fight for as long as possible.

The Emperor in X-Wing Epic play
.
As awesome as Emperor Palpatine is in Standard Play, he's even more potent in Epic Play. Here, the game's larger scope ensures you'll have more opportunities to make good use of his ability each round. The increased number of available squad points means that his presence is less costly to the rest of your strategy. And you can fly him aboard the Empire's most resilient ship, the Raider-class corvette.
In fact, you'll find so many opportunities to make use of the Emperor's ability in Epic Play that it's likely less of a question of whether or not you should field him but of how you'll identify the most impactful uses for his ability each round. Will you try to push one of your early attacks to the extreme in order to eliminate an enemy ship? Or will you hold his die modification until you've safely defended your most important vessels? There's no denying the Emperor's power, but you still have to be intentional with how you use it. You can't afford to be overconfident.
The true power of the dark side
No single individual from the original Star Wars trilogy better represented the power and evil of the dark side better than Emperor Palpatine. Soon, players everywhere will be able to field him in their X-Wing battles. Will you be one of those drawn to the power of the dark side? The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack is truly an epic addition to your games. Stay tuned for our final previews and news of the product's upcoming release!

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2015/8/10/the-will-of-the-empire/



"The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line."
    –Grand Moff Tarkin

The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack for X-Wing™ is now less than a week away!

That means Imperial players everywhere will soon be able to field this new huge ship in their Epic Play battles, and you can launch into those battles with the missions from the expansion's Raider-focused campaign, The Will of the Empire.

In our earlier previews, we looked more closely at the Raider-class corvette, the ways that the expansion enhances the TIE Advanced, and the fantastic possibilities that look to enter the game with the Emperor Palpatine crew upgrade. Today, we look at how The Will of the Empire binds these elements together, even as it allows you to put your Raider through its paces in an escalating, objective-driven series of Epic missions.



Focus on the Mission

A hologram of the crew chief flickers to life on the deck of an Imperial Raider-class corvette. As his apparition renders, he snaps a salute.
    “Captain, we have unloaded the shipment of TIE Advanced from Tempest Squadron. They are fully fueled and ready for your inspection.”
    –from Mission R1: Test Flight

The Will of the Empire campaign follows the captain of a Raider-class corvette charged with testing the prototype TIE Advanced in the wild, lawless sectors of the Outer Rim. It consists of five different missions, but you won't play through all of them in a single campaign. As the Raider's crew seeks to recover from an early Rebel ambush, the results of one mission influence the next, and the situation becomes increasingly desperate for either the Rebels or Imperials.

Additionally, all the expansion's missions offer a nice change of pace from the game's standard conflicts. Each introduces its own unique objectives and set of rules. Simultaneously, you need to record all the casualties you suffer in a match, so you can't afford to recklessly deploy your best pilots or shuttle Emperor Palpatine about the table without a proper escort. The resulting experience is one that moves away from the game's standard dogfights to approximate the flow of an ongoing war, one in which your forces are deployed to engage the enemy for a few critical skirmishes.



For example, in Mission R1: Test Flight, even while the Imperial player seeks to destroy all the Rebellion's ships, the Rebel player merely needs to fly a single Rebel ship back to base after destroying one of the scenario's prototype TIE Advanced; recovering information about the Empire's new starfighter is revealed to be more important than risking Rebel lives in a protracted firefight.

Of course, the Empire can also profit from a victory in the first mission, as special rules for keeping track of your ships' kills set up additional deployment possibilities in the second misison.

Mission R1: "Keeping Score: When a Rebel ship is destroyed by an attack, mark on the Campaign Progress which ship destroyed that Rebel ship. If either the Raider or the Tempest Squadron Pilots destroy 2 or more Rebel ships, they will receive a bonus during the next mission."

Mission R2: "Depending on the outcome of the previous mission, the Imperial player may choose one of the following upgrades to equip at no squad point cost: If the Raider destroyed two or more ships, then the Raider may equip an additional Ion Cannon Battery upgrade card to its aft section. If the Tempest Squadron Pilots destroyed two or more ships, each TIE Advanced fielded may equip the TIE/x1 Title card and any 1   Upgrade card."

Naturally, while the missions feature different deployment restrictions, each of them requires that the Imperial player field a Raider-class corvette, and most also require a TIE Advanced. Accordingly, the campaign is a good way to get a handle on the options provided by the new TIE Advanced pilots, its new upgrades, and the Raider, and one of the most important decisions you'll make as the Imperial player at the beginning of the campaign is which of the three Raider Title upgrades you'll select. Each offers a different tactical advantage.

Assailer



With a primary weapon that can target foes up to Range "4," boasts an attack value of "4," and can fire as many as two times each round, the Raider hits harder and earlier than any other ship in the game. The Assailer Title helps you capitalize on this early advantage by minimizing the damage you take during long-range exchanges. Although the Raider doesn't have any agility, it gains a defense die against any attack made at Range "3" or greater and against any attack fired across an asteroid. Against such attacks, the Assailer nearly doubles your evade results, so long as you have assigned a reinforce token to the section of the Raider your opponent happens to be targeting. This buys you time to utilize the Raider's impressive armament to annihilate your foes!

Instigator



The Instigator Title, on the other hand, is all about the recover action. It reads, "After you perform a recover action, recover 1 additional shield." While the recover action normally requires you to spend all the energy tokens from the Raider's aft section to recover an equal or lesser number of shields, it becomes more economical with the addition of a Shield Technician . Because the Shield Technician allows you to choose the amount of energy you'd like to spend for your recover action, he makes it an action you can perform more frequently – and still have energy left to fire weapons, like your Ion Cannon Battery or your Quad Laser Cannons . This makes the Instigator a good Title choice if you think you want to fire at enemy ships early and often. In such circumstances, you'll need the energy tokens on your aft, but you'll also be happy for the chance to improve your recover actions. Since the Raider doesn't have any agility dice, your opponent's bound to start eating through your shields.

Impetuous



The Impetuous is the most aggressive of your Raider's possible Titles. There's no mistaking what it's all about. Each time your Raider performs an attack that destroys an enemy ship, the Impetuous can acquire a target lock. Accordingly, if you're flying the Impetuous into battle, you're probably operating under the assumption that the best defense is a good offense, and you'll likely want to load your Raider with as many weapons as possible, providing you with the best possible chances of ripping apart enemy craft. You may also want to load up with Tibanna Gas Supplies so that you can fire your primary weapon twice and then follow up those devastating shots with up to three Single Turbolasers or Quad Laser Cannons. After all, the Raider-class corvette was designed as an anti-fighter craft, and this is a Title that aptly reinforces that fact.

Epic Clashes

Whether you start off by flying your Raider through the missions of The Will of the Empire campaign or in the standalone mission, Pursuit, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack offers you a wide range of scenarios that highlight the strengths of the Raider and your TIE Advanced. Moreover, they all culminate in the epic clash of your Raider-class corvette and its support against a Rebel squadron backed up by a CR90 Corellian corvette.

This is what so many of you have long awaited! As Rebel and Imperial huge ships collide, starfighters veer out of their path and lash laser fire against each other in fast-paced dogfights. The galaxy's greatest pilots employ rely upon all their talents and all their tricks, and the fates of millions hang in the balance.



Your X-Wing Epic battles are about to get a whole lot hotter… The Imperial Raider Expansion Pack arrives at retailers later this week!