Figure Reviews

Heavy Stormtrooper

Hit Points: 20
Defense: 16
Attack: +6
Damage: 30
Cost: 12

General description:
For the Imperial faction, only the tanks (AT-ST, AT-AT Imperial Walker) do more damage than a Heavy Stormtrooper.

Uses:
Every team needs some heavy hitters that are low cost. Heavy Stormtroopers can be extremely effective. I put at least one Heavy Stormtrooper in almost all of my Imperial infantry squads – especially using indoor maps.

Strategies and game play:
Heavy Stormtroopers work well in combination with Imperial Officers and make an effective team. This team can make a rush against your opponent. If you have to move in the open, first move the Heavy Stormtrooper forward. He can’t move and fire, so your done. Now move an Imperial Officer in front of this character (this works best if you move the Heavy Stormtrooper less than six squares). This provides cover for the Heavy Stormtrooper. Fire with the Officer (if it is able), then use the Imperial Officer’s Commander ability to have the Heavy Stormtrooper fire. Very nasty. Chances are that your opponent will try to attack your Heavy Stormtrooper and ignore the Imperial Officer because the Stormtrooper does more damage. Thus the Imperial Officer survives and the Heavy Stormtrooper has a better defense (with cover from the Imperial Officer). If there is natural cover, be sure to use it instead, as the Imperial Officer also provides cover for your target!

Combos with other miniatures:
The Heavy Stormtrooper is a natural to combine with the Imperial Officer. Some people use two Officers for each Heavy Stormtrooper and make the trooper fire twice. I’d use this tactic with some care. It works well only with less experienced opponents or in 200-point or larger squads. Add a Stormtrooper Officer in the mix and you can increase the striking power of the Heavy, but at a cost of some of it’s mobility, since the Stormtrooper Officer’s commander effect cannot be used while the Heavy is moving.

Ways to counteract it:
Massed fire from other non-melee characters or Jedi. Jedi with a lot of hit points can be an effective way to survive this character’s attack. However, you can reduce the effectiveness of the one, two Officer, Heavy Stormtrooper punch by killing the officers first.

Strengths/Pros:
30 point attack at only 12 cost. Nice natural defense of 16 and the +6 attack is not bad either. This character is also the best attack on any map with doors (As AT-STs an AT-AT Imperial Walkers don’t move well inside).

Weaknesses/Cons:
20 Hit points. Concentrated fire and or a good Jedi attack and this character is toast.

Artwork and aesthetics:
Not the most exciting figure in the collection, but you can tell who they are.

Overall rating (1-10):
I give this figure a rating of 8

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Grand Admiral Thrawn

Hit Points: 80
Defense: 18
Attack: +12
Damage: 10
Cost: 37

General description:
For the Imperial faction, this character is the true Jedi hunter. This character also fills in a hole that has always bothered me… I dislike losing initiative rolls. If you don’t like to lose those rolls as well, than Grand Admiral Thrawn is the character for you. If this character has a flaw, it’s that he has fairly weak bodyguards.

Uses:
First I use this character if I always want to go first… or if I always want to decide who gets to go first (occasionally I want my opponent to go first. This is often true for the first turn when I want to know if he is going to charge me on mass or divide his forces and hit me from two directions. Once we’re in contact, I always want to go first) I also like to use this character if my opponent likes to use Jedi. In larger squads Thrawn’s ability to switch characters can be useful. Often times I get a Jedi who just pounds on a useful character that I have, but I can’t withdrawn that character without suffering an attack of opportunity. In this case, I use the Grand Admiral to swap out my useful character for a Stormtrooper that I can afford to loose.

Strategies and game play:
Thrawn is an expensive leader, but he’s worth it. Darth Vader or the Emperor are good on their own, but if you want to boost a group of Stormtroopers, the Grand Admiral is your man. I tend to put Thrawn in a squad of Stormtroopers (regular Stormtroopers in 100-Point games and Elite and Heavy Stormtroopers in a 150 to 200-Point game. Stormtroopers last longer and hit harder with Thrawn around, not to mention the fact that you can’t use Force powers near Thrawn. Two of the most deadly Jedi powers vs. troopers are Lightsaber Sweep and Lightsaber Deflect. But with Thrawn around those powers are moot. The real tactic here is to keep Thrawn alive and use the troopers as the killers…. Which makes him truly evil, as he just sits back and lets his minions do the killing.

Combos with other miniatures:
Since Thrawn works best with the troopers, Baron Fel is a good addition in larger squads. His bonus to Combine Fire works exceptionally well with the Grand Admiral. If you have Heavy Stormtroopers, don’t forget to put in an Imperial Officer or two. Don’t use Darth Vader or the Emperor in your squad though… they won’t be able to use force powers either. Don’t use Stormtrooper Officers either… it’s wasted points spent, besides you’ll get better plusses with Thrawn any way.

Ways to counteract it:
If you’re on the other side, kill Thrawn as fast as possible. He should be your number one target. Your best way to counteract Thrawn's effectiveness in a squad is to kill him. One of the useful weapons against Thrawn are grenades, Thrawn tends to be surrounded by minions… perfect grenade bait.

Strengths/Pros:
No Force use within six squares of the Grand Admiral. +3 attack and +3 defense. You get to decide who goes first. Switching position can also be a powerful tool and can easily be overlooked (it’s essential if your using the Noghri).

Weaknesses/Cons:
Thrawn’s a unique. That makes him a target… since there is only one of him. He is pricey (at 37) but he’s worth the cost. The Noghri just don’t cut it as bodyguards. If they were 80 hit points, maybe, but at 40 and a cost of 16 they just don’t quite work. If they cost 10 or 12, I could buy it. Also what’s the stealth for? The bodyguards are going to hide? That just doesn’t seem right. My last suggestion is that Noghri should be Fringe, since in the later stories they also protect Princess Leia as ‘Lord Vader’s Daughter.’

Artwork and aesthetics:
It’s a nice looking figure and is well done considering that he only exists as art work in various books and comics.

Overall rating (10):
My rating -- 10.

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AT-ST

Hit Points: 120
Defense: 14
Attack: +8
Damage: 40
Cost: 54

General description:
This is my favorite Imperial weapon. Sure, sure the AT-AT Imperial Walker has more weapons, but at the price, I’ll take three AT-STs any day. The AT-ST has all the features I’d want in a tank. Full movement and fire. Heavy damage. Good armor. One of this unit’s best features is the 10-Point damage reduction. Yeah, the X-1 Viper Droid is cheaper and has some nice shields, but with the 10-Point damage reduction, I can just ignore half the characters in the game. Those ten point shooters can attack me all they want…before I kill them. When I play in tournaments that allow you to use only one character, this is my choice.

Uses:
Hey, it’s a tank. Roll it up and shoot. Then watch people die. Best used outside, but it can be used on some of the inside maps very effectively. Unlike other huge characters, a single character cannot be used to block doors to keep it at bay. You just advance up to the door and kill whoever is on the other side trying to block the door.

Strategies and game play:
Fire last. Just having the AT-ST around can force your opponent to keep his distance. And if he is wondering when you are going to fire, it’ll keep him from being too aggressive.

Combos with other miniatures:
Team it with a Dark Side Marauder to keep melee attackers at bay. Also the AT-ST works well with a couple of Scout Troopers on Speeder Bikes. It’s like having an armored division with air support. Don’t buy expensive characters to team with the AT-ST. Teaming it with Darth Vader sounds cool, but you end up with too few attacks and you get overwhelmed by numbers.

Ways to counteract it:
Stay away from it. Kill everyone else first to cut out it’s support troops. Even if you have other killer droids, kill the support troops first. Then gang up on it. The only other tactic is to send multiple Jedi after it, but beware lurking Jedi killers.

Strengths/Pros:
Double Attack with a 40 point weapon… and you always get the double attack, because the driver is moving, the gunner just shoots. Ten point damage reduction. The plus eight attack also means you are most likely to hit whatever you fire at.

Weaknesses/Cons:
Below average defense (probably because of its size.) But this is offset by the damage reduction.

Artwork and aesthetics:
Nice battle damage and it looks imposing… what else can you ask for in a tank? Overall this is a cool figure.

Overall rating (1-10):
I give this miniature a rating of 10.

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Dark Side Marauder

Hit Points: 90
Defense: 18
Attack: +10
Damage: 20
Cost: 22

General description:
The Dark Side Marauder is essentially the Sith Knight. Think of these characters in terms of raw staying power. In the Sith world you can have one Darth Vader, Jedi Hunter at 140 hit points with a triple attack or three Dark Side Marauders with three attacks at 270 hit points. Makes you think doesn’t it? It should, the Dark Side Marauder can be a very powerful offensive weapon. Not to mention a lot of fun to play.

Uses:
Think of the Dark Side Marauder as an evil Ninja on steroids. You use this character to sneak up on your opponent and then swing away madly…usually while screaming.

Strategies and game play:
Dark Side Marauders and Nightsister Sith Witches make a nice little sub-team of killers. Pick a character on your opponent’s force that you want to eliminate. Send in the sub-team, keeping them behind cover for as long as possible. When you can’t keep them behind cover any more, charge. Send in the Sith Witches and start out with a round of lightning… especially if your target is surrounded by supporters. Now send in one or two Dark Side Marauders and start the hacking. Sith rage immediately. Nothing like doing 30 points of damage with a lightsaber. You can kill a large number of single characters this way. Once your target dies, clean up the survivors and select a second target. Send the Dark Side Marauders in first, since the Witches have expended their firepower. Use the Witches as supporting melee fighters to remove troopers or other support characters near the target. At some point your Dark Side Marauders are likely to be killed (as your opponent is going to find them annoying) but if everything works right, by the time they are gone they’ve done enough damage to turn the tide in your favor.

Combos with other miniatures:
In large teams, Emperor Palpatine can be a useful addition, because it can be used to recharge your attackers. In smaller teams, regular Stormtroopers become handy. They will either distract your enemy or you can get some very good fire in as your opponent attempts to deal with your attacking sub-team.

Ways to counteract it:
Distance attack. Don’t let these characters get close, but don’t bunch your characters together…making targets for the Sith Witches. If possible, take out the Sith Witches before they fire. If they have already fired, ignore them and kill the Dark Side Marauders first.

Strengths/Pros:
Dark Side Marauders are hard to hit (18 defense) and they have a fair number of hit points (90). The Sith Rage is a nice plus and the character has a good attack plus.

Weaknesses/Cons:
Limited force points (only two.) No double attack or Lightsaber Sweep.

Artwork and aesthetics:
They actually look like Sith ninjas. Some of the Dark Side Marauders even have a raised lightsaber…a nice collectors variation.

Overall rating (1-10):
I give this miniature a rating of 8.

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Sandtrooper on Dewback

Hit Points: 60
Defense: 17
Attack: +4
Damage: 10
Cost: 15

General description:
What we’re looking at here is a Stormtrooper with six times the hit points of a regular Stormtrooper at three times the cost… a bargain to be sure. Although this large character is capable of squeezing through doors and small hallways, he will also provide cover for enemy troops for units behind him. Cheaper that the Dark Trooper, Phase III, this character has less hit points and will need more help to hit targets that the Dark Trooper.

Uses:
This character’s best uses are as a shock weapon and as a live shield for more important characters. I would use this character more often to protect Thrawn than the more expensive Noghri. Although they lack the bodyguard ability, their large size provides Thrawn with cover. Although this unit has high hit points, don’t try to use it as a tank… it’s more like a halftrack, providing some protection, but ineffective against strong attacks.

Strategies and game play:
This unit can get extra attack pluses and damage by moving, so keep thus unit moving as long as you don’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Don’t forget that moving a square away from your opponent also counts as moving the character, granting it the Momentum bonus. Use whatever help you can get from additional Stormtroopers, such as combined fire (Remember that a Stormtrooper unit behind this character can provide combined fire bonus… yet by itself it would have no bonus to attack.) A Sandtrooper, a Stormtrooper and a Stormtrooper Commander can make an effect shock team. Assign the extra damage to the Sandtrooper from the Stormtrooper Commander. Move the Sandtrooper at least one square, fire. Use the Stormtrooper to combine fire from behind. This should give your Sandtrooper +12 to hit (+4 base, +4 Combined Fire, +4 Momentum) and good odds to score 30 points of damage. Not to shabby. In a pinch, the Commander can also provide the combined fire.

Combos with other miniatures:
Keep at least one regular Stormtrooper with this unit to combine fire, it needs the combined fire plusses to hit more difficult targets. Nearby Stormtrooper Officers can also be useful for added additional attack pluses (Don’t bother with the officer if you are using the Sandtrooper to protect Thrawn, he has better pluses.) Stormtrooper Commanders are always valuable, as the Sandtrooper can use the extra damage.

Ways to counteract it:
Close with this figure and attack it from an adjacent square, don’t let it get the plusses for momentum without incurring an attack of opportunity. You’ll need about 6 to 1 odds to defeat this character… enough to deal three 20 damage hits. Jedi are overkill for this character, massed troopers are effective and can reduce the target in one round. Jedi would take at least two rounds, one attack on approach, double/triple attack on round two. Remember they will provide cover for you from fire coming from behind it. After it’s gone, however, if your troops are not under cover, the troops you used to destroy it will be vulnerable.

Strengths/Pros:
High hit points and slightly better armor than your average Stormtrooper.

Weaknesses/Cons:
No additional speed. Low damage. Needs support to be effective, increasing it’s total cost (Sandtrooper, Stormtrooper, Stormtrooper Commander combo costs 35 points)

Artwork and aesthetics:
Nice looking unit. Impressive. Fierce. Although it’s odd to see Imperials using non-technological mounts, this one works.

Overall rating (1-10):
I give this miniature a rating of 6.

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	Imperial Officer Corps Imperial Officer Grand Muff Tarkin     – Suggested special rule: Fear factor, Rebels within 6 get -1 attack General Maximilian Veers     – Suggested special rule: Personal vehicle, on any attack roll of 1 Scout AT arrives as reinforcement (Use once only)
	Grand Admiral's Staff Sandtrooper with Dewback Grand Admiral Thrawn     – This character was made to fight Jedi Dark Trooper Phase III Baron Fel     – Needs a bunch of stromtroopers to really get going
	AT-ST     – This is my favorite Imperial Weapon
	Dark Character's Nightsister Sith Witch     – This character is best paired with savage characters and makes the savage characters useful. Stormtrooper Commander     – Not as useful as Stormtrooper Officer Dark Maurader     – Needs lightsaber Sweep or double attack. have you noticed that some of the Maurader's lightsabers point up?

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