Sorry for bouncing up a two month old thread... I just got here.

I hope that means that there are plans to have that option.  Right now my Y-wings, B-wings, and TIE Bombers have to get way too close to the big guys before firing their torpedoes.  An option that allows fighter/bombers to deploy anti-capital ship weapons at range would be fantastic.  Even a short range like three hexes would make a work of difference.

Well, I was thinking about how much more powerful it would make Fighters if they had stand-off capability (without giving ships some additional ability to stave off fighter attacks), and I thought about making a powerful bomber without standoff capability:

Fighter    183    6    14    4    1    Increased IMP-2    Increased DMG-3        155

Since 155 is the capacity, this flight of six fast, hard-hitting bombers would cost 155 points to field.

For 126, you could field 6 of these... they don't get to move and fire after ships move and cause immediate damage, like fighters do BUT... they would get in quick and have stand-off capability, and probably last as well as fighters tend to (at least in my games).

Really, I think the 6 small ships are a better buy (and you could field a seventh and still cost less than the flight of non-standoff bombers costs). And really, at these costs, why not field some friggin' frigates.

My gaming group is converting Star Wars and the new Battlestar Galactica to S:AE.  So we're going to need TIE bombers, Y-wings, B-wings, Raiders with nukes, and armed Raptors with nukes.  We're all veterans of the Lucas Arts space combat simulators as well (I still break out X-wing: Alliance every once in a while), so we're used to having these fighter-bombers launch bombs and missiles with out having to get into point blank range.  The trade of, at least in those games, is that if you fire from too far out your missile can get shot down.  We'd like to be able to simulate that in S:AE.  Currently the vast majority of capital ships we've converted have some quantity of quad-lasers/Anti-aircraft Batteries with the anti-fighter trait and (if i'm remembering correctly) a range of 6 hexes.  So a three hex shooting range would give the fighter-bombers some more capability, while still having to brave the anti-fighter batteries to get their shots in.

I currently have Y-wings in flights of 4 with speed 8, 5+ accuracy, 2 defense, and damage 2 for 51 space units/combat rating
B-wings are also in squadrons of 4 with speed 9, 5+ accuracy, 2 defense, and Extra Hull Damage for 71 space units.

I have been considered writing these up as Hull 1 or 2 ships and see how that works, but you lose the possibility to land on a carrier and the protection that provides.

We're still play testing and trying to balance things out to get the right feel.  I'm sure we can make this work with out fighters having ranged attacks, but it would feel like more like Star Wars if that option were there.

P.S. Thanks for the great game.  My group hasn't been this fired up about playing in quite some time.

My lips are sealed  :mrgreen:

That's a brillianter idea!