Editing Armada/Tactics/Empire (section)

==Squadrons==

====Imperial Squadrons 1====

[[File:ImperialSquadrons1.png|thumb|300px|right|Imperial Fighter Squadrons 1 Expansion Pack]] 

''The basic Imperial squadrons are all single role specialists, and the typical force will want two (possibly three) boxes of these for interceptors and bombers.  You get plenty of fighters in the starter, and the advanced is a niche unit that is generally used for its aces rather than as a generic escort.''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Speed !! Hull !! AA !! AS !! Defense !! Keywords
|-
! scope="row" | TIE Fighter
| 4
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
|
| Swarm
|-
| Black Squadron
| 4
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
|
| Escort, Counter 1
|-
| Howlrunner
| 4
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
| Brace, Scatter
| Swarm
|-
| Mauler Mithel
| 4
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
| Brace, Scatter
| Swarm
|-
| Valen Rudor
| 4
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤⬤⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
| Brace, Scatter
| Swarm
|-
! scope="row" | TIE Interceptor
| 5
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
|
| Swarm, Counter 2
|-
| Saber Squadron
| 5
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
|
| Swarm, Snipe 4
|-
| Ciena Ree
| 5
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
| Brace, Scatter
| Swarm, Counter 2
|-
| Soontir Fel
| 5
| 3
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>
| Brace, Scatter
| Swarm, Counter 2
|-
! scope="row" | TIE Bomber
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
|
| Bomber, Heavy
|-
| Gamma Squadron
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
|
| Bomber, Grit
|-
| Captain Jonus
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| Brace x2
| Bomber, Heavy, Grit
|-
| Major Rhymer
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤</span>⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| Brace x2
| Bomber, Heavy
|-
! scope="row" | TIE Advanced
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
|
| Escort
|-
| Tempest Squadron
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
|
| Escort, Bomber
|-
| Darth Vader
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue">⬤⬤⬤</span>⬤
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| Brace x2
| Escort
|-
| Zertik Strom
| 4
| 5
| <span style="color:red">⬤⬤⬤</span><span style="color:blue"></span>
| <span style="color:red"></span><span style="color:blue"></span>⬤
| Brace x2
| Escort
|-
|}

*'''TIE Fighter Squadron''' - Speed 4, Swarm, 3 hull, 3 blue dice, 8 points.  Unlike the Rebellion's multi-role X-Wing, the TIE Fighter has just one job: move in fast, hit hard, and try not to explode. Leverage your speed and price to alpha-strike targets and bring them down before they get to shoot back. TIE Fighter aces gain the valuable Scatter/Brace token combo, dramatically enhancing their survivability.
**'''Howlrunner''' - For the price of two TIE Fighters, Howlrunner grants an extra die to attacks made by other nearby squadrons with Swarm. Pretty straightforward - throw her into a bawl of TIEs, try to keep her in the back, and consider tossing in an Escort, because she ''will'' be a prime target. Activate the TIE ball with Flight Controllers, and they're throwing ''two'' extra dice. Her ability also affects Counter attacks, meaning Howlrunner plus Dengar boost Interceptors to a ridiculous Counter 4.  Available only in the Core Set.
**'''"Mauler" Mithel''' - After Mauler moves, every engaged squadron takes 1 automatic damage. Great against aces relying on tokens to stay alive, combos well with a source of Intel to keep him moving around. You're flying 3 hull TIEs, so you should know first-hand how badly 1 damage against ''every squadron at range 1'' could hurt.
**'''Valen Rudor''' - Upgrading his blue AA to black, Valen turns anyone around into his own personal Escort - he cannot be attacked if the enemy is engaged with another squadron. This affects Counter, too, so shoot those A-Wings with immunity. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.
**'''Black Squadron''' - A unique squadron without defense tokens, for one point more than the regular TIE, Black Squadron loses swarm and picks up Escort and Counter 1. The cheapest Escort squadron currently in the game, upgrading a TIE to Black Squadron can keep Howlrunner or Mauler Mithel alive for that one vital extra attack, at the lowest price other than free. Combine with Dengar and/or Howlrunner, and Black Squadron will also make the enemy hurt on its way down. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.

*'''TIE Interceptor Squadron''' - A TIE Fighter with an extra point of speed, an extra blue die, and Counter 2 - for just 3 points more. Not only more deadly, but also extracts a price from every squadron attack that comes their way.  The increased lethality is generally regarded as a fair trade for the price, relegating the TIE Fighter to its aces.  Interceptors backed by flight controllers and Howlrunner will decisively end the squadron game quickly as long as they get the first shots in.
**'''Soontir Fel''' - If a squadron he's engaged with makes a non-counter attack targeting any squadron but him, it takes one damage. Surround him with Escorts to have your enemies kill themselves, or use ''him'' as an escort to dissuade your opponent from shooting more important squadrons for fear of his effect.
**'''Cienna Ree''' - You are always obstructed while defending. Goes a long way to alleviate Interceptor's low hull - most ships can't attack you, most Counter rolls 1 die against you, and squadrons are that much less likely to roll the accuracy to bypass your scatter.  Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.
**'''Saber Squadron''' - The Interceptor's tokenless unique gains Snipe 4 for just one extra point. You can sit in the back, safe from harm, and throw dice into the squadron brawl from afar - or take down important targets protected by Escorts (especially if Jendon happens to be floating around). Snipe bypasses Counter, and a double-tapping Saber Squadron can take out that annoying generic Intel squadron as often as not.  Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.

*'''TIE Bomber Squadron''' - Just as fast as regular TIES, but with the hull strength (and defense tokens) of an X-Wing. Unfortunately the have no other purpose than to be capital ship hunters. They have Heavy much like Y-Wings, so your opponent can just ignore them or trap them in engagement if he was so inclined, and they only roll one dice against squadrons, so they don't have a great damage potential in a dogfight. Keep a source of Intel nearby, and let them shoot at ships like they were built to.
**'''Major Rhymer''' - Rhymer and everyone around him get to shoot ships at close range, rather than range 1. Suddenly a TIE bomber blob looks like a threat similar to a Gladiator Star Destroyer all by themselves. (Note: nerfed by errata from the original card.) The enhanced threat range can keep you safe from enemy squadrons, sitting under your own flak and denying a huge area of the table.
**'''Captain Jonus''' - Grants a source accuracy results to friendly ships attacking enemy ships he's near. Can make it that much easier for your ships to crack the enemy's carriers, while you sit within bombing range of them anyways. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.
**'''Gamma Squadron''' - The tokenless TIE Bomber unique loses Heavy, and gains Grit. Not altogether too useful, since the rest of your bombers need Intel even if Gamma Squadron doesn't, but only costs a point more. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.

*'''TIE Advanced Squadron''' - Combining the speed and firepower of the TIE Fighter, trading Swarm for the hull and Escort of an X-Wing. The black anti-ship die means Advanced are surprisingly decent at hitting ships, but their main role is to escort bombers.  The generic TIE Advanced is not encountered all that often as it's expensive for its so-so stats, but the uniques see competitive play.
**'''Darth Vader (TIE Advanced)''' - Vader adds a black die to the Advanced's AA, and his ability causes crits to add a damage to the attack, making him basically as good as a TIE Bomber against ships and making his AA shots much more lethal. Unfortunately, the target this puts on his head combined with his high price tend to give him a short life expectancy.
**'''Zertik Strom''' - Zertik switches all his AA dice to red and gains the ability to re-roll his attacks by causing 1 damage to a nearby friendly squadron (this should be a Bomber or an Advanced, ''not'' one your fragile Interceptor aces). A strange squadron, Zertik has the effective firepower of a TIE Fighter using Swarm at the cost of hurting your own squadrons for the re-roll. Fairly cheap, at just 3 points over the base model, Zertik does bring his brace tokens to bear and retains his Escort duties. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.  Pairs well with Bossk, who welcomes a little bit of friendly fire.
**'''Tempest Squadron''' - The tokenless Advanced costs an extra point, and gains Bomber. At just one extra point, is justified virtually any time you were bringing an Advanced to protect a Bomber wing. Available in the Corellian Conflict campaign box.

====Rogues and Villains====
[[File:RoguesVillains.png|thumb|300px|right|Dual-faction Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack]] 
''Rogues & Villains gave the Imperial some excellent ace abilities and every force would benefit from one, maybe even two packs.  However, the consensus has formed that while you CAN spam the two multi-roles (Aggressor and Firespray) neither is quite as good at that strategy as the YT-2400 is.''

*'''Firespray-31''' - The Firespray carries 2 blue Bomber dice, plus the speed 3, 6 hull, and 3 blue AA necessary to fight its own way to the enemy if need be. But the big pickup is Rogue - for the price of 2 TIE Bombers but less average damage, you get a good Bomber that doesn't need squadron commands.
**'''Boba Fett''' - Boba gets a deadlier arsenal, double Brace tokens, and the ability to put 1 damage onto a nearby ship or squadron when he activates. (Note: for ships, this goes onto a hull zone of the target's choice - ''not'' directly onto the hull automatically.) At the price of almost 3 TIE Bombers, he's a hard purchase to justify. 
**'''Hondo Ohnaka''' - Two points cheaper than Boba Fett, but with a much different utility. Instead of attacking, Hondo can use his ability to activate any squadron at distance 1, or if they're already activated, move that squadron to anywhere else within distance 1 of him. This works for friendlies and enemies, and while you'll never need to waste your own fighter's activation, moving a damaged friendly away from an engagement and onto a station can keep them alive for a critical turn. Note also that Imperial fleets can't have the officer version of Hondo or have Boba Fett as a squadron if they're taking this form of Slave 1.

*'''Jumpmaster 5000''' - The Empire's source of Intel, the Jumpmaster keeps your bombers bombing, or your fighters repositioning. Other than that, it's not going to be killing a whole lot, and its hull is low enough to put it at risk of being one-shot without Escorts. Intel got nerfed '''HARD''' in Armada's recent 1.5 update, providing Grit to a friendly squadron ball instead of making nearby enemy squads Heavy. Be aware of this when making an Intel squad list.
**'''Dengar''' - While he comes in at almost double the cost, Dengar ups the ship's offense to respectable levels, bears the fantastic Scatter/Brace defenses, and grants all your nearby squadrons +1 to their Counter (bringing it to Counter 1 if they lacked Counter previously). And yes, this stacks with Howlrunner, to give all your Escorts Counter 2. Even if you're not going for the Counter stacking, the addition of a Scatter alone to keep your source of Intel alive can be worthwhile.
**'''Tel Trevura''' - Easy to target, weirdly hard to kill. Tel drops Intel for Grit, Rogue, and a conditional version of Escort. As long as he has a green defense token, he has Escort. However, if for any reason he discards a defense token during an attack, he gains three hit points back from the brink. Two very important things to bring up. First, Tel's effect kicks in even if the attack is a deathblow, so he'll pop right back up from 0 HP like nothing happened. Second, you can voluntarily spend a defense token even if you're not damaged (for example, if you get flakked but the attack missed). Defense token economy will be paramount when using him, but when used right he's essentially a ''10 HP'' Jumpmaster.

*'''Aggressor Assault Fighter''' - Almost the same ship as the YT-2400, but trading a point of speed and hull for Counter 1. For the same price you could have the much better TIE Defender instead, but possibly worth bringing if you've got a shortage of squadron commands.
**'''IG-88''' - Revs his engines all the way up to speed 5, brings his Counter up to 2, gains a Scatter token - the highest hull Scatter in the game, although no second token - and he ignores Escort and Counter when attacking. At 21 points, he's a fast and independent ace-hunter that rolls half the dice two Interceptors would bring instead.
**'''IG-88B''' - Swaps two of IG-88's blue anti-starfighter die for two black, drops one counter die, but comes with a CRAZY ability. If you've seen The Last Starfighter, it's basically the Death Blossom.  Activate at the beginning of the Squadron phase and give up your movement, but attack ALL enemy starfighters at range 1. Better yet, because he's technically flying the ''IG-2000B'', you can fly with IG-88 proper in the same fleet.

*'''YV-666''' - A slow, stupidly tough  heavy <s>freighter</s> fighter, both in the sense of rolling strong dice and having the keyword Heavy. Has Grit and Rogue, which allow it to at least keep moving with its speed 2. Once again, compares unfavorably to the similarly priced Defender, which has the same damage output (or better, against ships) and moves at a full speed 5 at the loss of Rogue.
**'''Bossk''' - Loses Heavy, gains a point of speed, rolls 4 black dice against squadrons, adds a black die to its anti-ship attack, and gets a single Brace token as if 7 hull wasn't already enough. And in addition to that ridiculous durability, as soon as he takes any damage, he adds a blue accuracy to every attack he rolls - allowing him to ''guarantee'' his AA attack bypasses that pesky Scatter.
**'''Moralo Eval''' - Keeps Bossk's speed and drops Heavy, but keeps the stock YV-666's starfighter dice. His ability is ''weird'', but has potential. If he's within range 2 of an objective token that was not on an obstacle and it either moves or is removed from the field, Moralo may move distance 1 and attack as if he's been activated normally. Combine him with a pair of Lambda shuttles and you can have a weirdly jank, but oddly effective squadron setup.

====Imperial Squadrons 2====

''The release of Imperials Squadrons 2 placated the demand from Imperial players for an expensive, tough, powerful rebel-style multirole fighter.  A rebel force will often be happy with just a single [[Armada/Tactics/Rebel Alliance#Rebel Squadrons 2|Rebel Squadrons 2]] pack as it just adds niche capabilities to an already adequate lineup of generalist fighters, but for the Imperial player how many to buy really depends on how many TIE Defenders you want.''

*'''TIE Defender Squadron''' - The strongest all-around squadron the Imperials can field.  Imperial players cheered "this is exactly what we wanted" and then realized that, price being equal, two specialist activations is potentially better than one big generalist activation if even the multi-role needs squadron command support.  Nevertheless, the Defender is a solid if pricey anti-everything generic in the ace constrained 1.5 era.
**'''Maarek Stele''' - hero of the original TIE Fighter PC game from the early '90s. Adds another blue die to anti-ship fire; may change one die to a Crit when attacking. Also gains Grit and two Brace tokens. Find the 21 points to field him.
**'''Darth Vader''' - Added in ''Rapid Reinforcements I'' and instantly becoming the latest Imperial mandatory-include.  For 25 points, he can bomb for 2 red, his anti-squadron crits do one damage, and he comes with adept 2 and rogue.  

*'''TIE Phantom Squadron''' - a refugee from the old Rebel Assault games. Three points more than an Interceptor; trades one point of speed for one point of hull but keeps the good AA dice. The special ability here is '''Cloak''', which gives the squadron an extra move 1 even if engaged.  Cloak in Armada has a couple uses: getting somewhere really fast (and the Phantom can indeed move slightly further than a stock speed 5 squadron), and movement triggered gimmicks like station bouncing.
**'''Whisper''' - an even more annoying TIE Phantom. Gains Brace and Scatter tokens; if one of those tokens is used while defending against an attack, Whisper may move up to 1 just like with the Cloak ability. Yes, this stacks with the regular Cloak.  Practically made for the asteroid tactics objective.

*'''Lambda-class Shuttle''' - A poor combatant but an excellent support ship. '''Relay''' is the big draw here, letting ships activate squadrons from <strike>clear across the board</strike> [[Nerf|a little bit further away]]. Pairs well with other Lambdas, also with ''Centicore''. '''Strategic''' lets a player move objective tokens around the board-- useful in a campaign or tournament.
**'''Colonel Jendon''' - makes good things better. When he activates, instead of making a (poor) attack he may designate another nearby squadron to attack, [[awesome | even if it has already activated]]. Double-tapping Bossk or Vader? Yes please. Loses out on Strategic to do this, but picks up two brace tokens. Ideal for lurking in the back of a murderball.

*'''VT-49 Decimator''' - less of a squadron and more of a picket ship, the Decimator can threaten flotillas and light warships all by itself. Three blue dice anti-ship add up very quickly, and with eight hull this thing will be in the fight for a while unless you go out of your way to put it down. Three black dice and Counter 1 keep opposing squadrons honest, too. Did I mention this thing also has Rogue? It has Rogue. The only downside is that the VT-49 is very, very expensive.
**'''Morna Kee''' - the named VT-49 costs as much as a Gozanti flotilla. It loses Heavy, gains a Brace token, and may spend that token to reroll its dice pool. [[rape | That token also comes back every time she activates.]]

====Chimaera Expansion Pack====
In addition to a new paintjob, ship cards, and upgrades, the Chimaera expansion also introduces a new type of squadron.

*'''Mandalorian Guantlet''' - Coming in at 20 points per squad, only the VT-49 Decimator is more expensive among Imperial fighters. The Gauntlet is an impressive beast, with the hull of a YT-1300 but at speed 4, rogue, and throwing out 2 blue and 1 red at enemy squads. However, the standout feature of Gauntlet fighters is the new Assault keyword. When attacking a ship, you can spend 1 die with a hit icon to instead assign a Raid token of your choice (presumably because the crew is now trying to desperately contain a Mandalorian boarder running wild inside). So far, this is the only generic squadron that can Assault ships, but it is a pricey option to do so.
**'''Gar Saxon''' - Gains a brace token and replaces one blue anti-ship die with a black, making it easier to trigger Assault. Also comes with the unique effect of damaging any Intel or Relay squadrons at distance 1 when they activate. For only 3 points, keeping a Gauntlet alive longer with Brace is worth the investment, and the extra bonuses help out too.