Editing X-Wing/Tactics/Empire (section)

==TIE/IT Interdictor/Punisher==
[[File:TIE Punisher 1.jpg|thumb|200px]]
The appearance of this ship is something of a [[Skub]] topic. Some say it looks like a TIE Bomber got cancer and exaggerates the lazy stupidity of many TIE designs. Some say it looks fucking amazing, and more/larger bomb bays only makes sense for a fighter that can deploy firepower on par with a fucking Star Destroyer. Either way, it was originally designed for the RTS Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds as a fully upgraded TIE Bomber so you can't blame FFG for this one. It has the same basic design and cockpit as a Bomber, plus shields and a stronger hull with the ability to take almost any kind of weapon the Empire had in the extra munition pods. They were put into service after the destruction of the first Death Star, and bombed Yavin IV during the Rebel evacuation. After the fall of the Galactic Empire, the Interdictors still in service to the Remnant were further upgraded and renamed Punishers. 

It's a worthy counterpart to the K-wing, with a whopping three Shields and six Hull on top of its slots for 2 Missiles, 2 Bombs, and a Torpedoes, a gunner, and a Systems upgrade slot on top of that. Has two Attack Dice and one Defense Die, which isn't terrible. Its maneuver dial leaves a lot to be desired, but it compensates with an inherent Boost action and white reload. With Munitions Failsafe on top of that you could keep a kitted-out Punisher unleashing hell for most of the combat turns in a game. 
You take a Punisher, you're looking to put major hurt into the field.

It's easy to overestimate how much use you'll get out of the TIE Punisher. It's often a priority target; it has only one Evasion, making it fairly easy to hit compared to your dodgy fighters, and its maneuver dial is nothing spectacular, so its three shields and six hull are nowhere near as tough as you might expect them to be. The important thing to worry about is not loading up on too much points worth of ordinance. A single bomb, torpedo, or missile is probably your best bet.
*Trajectory Simulator + Ablative Plating = Witnessed

<gallery>
Image:TIE Punisher Mini.jpg
Image:TIE Punisher 2.jpg|Because your [[Exterminatus|"Exterminatus"]] is just so...''impersonal''.
Image:Sienar.jpg|<nowiki>*Heavy breathing*</nowiki>
</gallery>

===Pilots===
*'''Cutlass Squadron Pilot:''' A squadron that has no lore, other than it is Imperial and contains plural TIE Punishers. The obligatory Initiative 2 generic choice.
*'''Deathrain:''' Like Howlrunner he was created as a pilot name for Star Wars Galaxies. Unlike Howlrunner, he has absolutely no other lore. This guy can perform an action immediately after dropping/launching a device. Very handy for avoiding the bombs launched with Trajectory Simulator.
*'''Redline:''' An absolute psychopath who [[Marines Malevolent| complained when they had to stop bombing civilian targets on a rebelling planet even after it became a lifeless wasteland,]] succeeded Juno Eclipse as head of Black Eight Squadron. Overlooked in 1E, but rewrote the meta in 2E until the first points revision recosted him. Still pretty popular. Can have two Target Locks at the same time and can lock after any action.
**Can double-lock with Cluster Missiles to give two rebs a bad time.
**Can focus lock with Barrage Rockets to give one reb a bad time.