Shatterpoint: Kanan, Ezra und Zeb – Never Tell Me The Odds

Atomic Mass Games zeigen eine neue Vorschau für Star Wars Shatterpoint:  Ezra und Zeb  und das Mission Pack Never Tell Me The Odds.

Databank Download: Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb

Years after the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the Empire, small Rebel cells began forming in opposition to the new regime. Today’s Databank Download for Star Wars™: Shatterpoint focuses on half of one such brave group, the crew of the Ghost!

As the Galactic Empire spread tyranny through the galaxy, some individuals chose to fight back against the oppressors and bring peace to the galaxy. Over their time fighting the Empire, the Ghost crew forged strong bonds of friendship and became something more akin to a family than a Rebel cell. Their efforts against Grand Admiral Thrawn caused major disruptions to the Emperor’s plans for galactic conquest and paved the way for the Empire’s eventual downfall.

The reluctant leader of the Ghost crew is Kanan Jarrus, a supposed smuggler and scoundrel with a well-kept secret. Kanan Jarrus’s true identity is Caleb Dume, a Jedi who escaped Order 66 and has since made a life for himself. Kanan is a consummate survivor that keeps the truth of his origins tightly under wraps. When his allies are in dire circumstances, Kanan is not afraid to let his foes in on his secret and to fight for the cause. Kanan’s duality as A Man With Two Names allows him to lead his fellows however best suits the situation—whether sneaking into position with his chosen allies or standing resolute against his foes while the rest of the crew makes a swift exit. Kanan has not forgotten his Jedi training over all the years, boasting Deflect and Force Push in his suite of abilities. In spite of his caution around using his powers, for fear of the inquisition, Kanan Jarrus is a Jedi at his core and always willing to stand and fight to defend his friends. Now I Know There’s Something Stronger Than Fear allows Kanan to always move forward and intercept threats that challenge those around him—and to strike back if those threats move against his chosen family.

In combat, Kanan has two Stances, Form III Soresu and Pack Leader. In Form III Soresu, Kanan wields his lightsaber with precision. His melee expertise provides solid assistance on the offensive, as well as some upward mobility for hard-to-reach objectives or to escape reprisal from his foes. As far as defenses are concerned, Kanan’s Enduring Defense offers solid protection against foes who would look to strike him down. Pack Leader offers more varied options, including a ranged option for Kanan. Having spent years in his smuggler persona, Kanan’s combat style paints a picture of a scrappy survivor who isn’t afraid of a scuffle. While his defenses are not as impressive in this Stance, his versatility on Pack Leader gives Kanan ways to influence the battle no matter where he finds himself.

A street kid from Lothal, Ezra Bridger joined the crew through a series of unlikely circumstances. Under Kanan’s tutelage, he is a Padawan learning the ways of the Force. Force Jump provides Ezra with additional mobility, alongside his Helpful Hand Reactive ability. With so many opportunities to jump, Ezra is very mobile, able to reach objectives and fights at any elevation with ease. Ezra’s experiences fighting the Empire on his home turf have taught him the value of outsmarting his foes when brute force isn’t a viable option. Unreliable Informant allows Ezra to infiltrate enemy airwaves and issue false orders to enemy Supporting Units, disrupting the enemy’s best-laid plans, while Thanks for Doing the Heavy Lifting helps him leverage the extra ground gained by breaking ties when checking control of objectives he contests. Ezra’s hopeful and optimistic demeanor keeps his companions uplifted and focused on the task at hand.

As a Padawan, Ezra has recently started training with his custom lightsaber. Luckily for the Rebellion, he is a Fast Learner. Ezra boasts solid expertise on both his ranged and melee attacks, as well as a defense expertise that ranges from average to impressive, based on the results rolled. While he’s still learning, Ezra has a strong enough Combat Tree to influence the battle during each of his activations and the additional mobility when he hits the highest tiers of his attack and defense Expertise Charts mean that Ezra can position himself effectively in response to enemy pressure when the chips are down.

Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios rounds out this squad, bringing his colorful vocabulary and “fist-forward” problem-solving skills along for the ride. “Zeb” has a serious bone to pick with the Empire after the siege of his homeworld, Lasan. Always ready for a fight, “Zeb” is quick to let his foes know that This is Gonna Hurt, Pal—moving up the battlefield to aid his allies and prepare for combat. Once engaged, “Zeb” unleashes his tremendous strength on anyone who stands in his way and has a good time doing it. It’s Just Something About the Feel of Their Helmets on My Fists gives “Zeb” an opportunity to strike a foe a second time, just in case he didn’t get his message across the first time. “Zeb” isn’t only an offensive powerhouse, though—he is also extremely resilient and able to hold objectives when it counts. As a Lasan Honor Guard, “Zeb” is willing to stand and fight for what matters through circumstances that would send others running for the hills. Strong and resolute are wonderful words to describe “Zeb,” though patience is not his strong suit. Eager to put an end to struggles swiftly, Karabast means that “Zeb” will refuse to wait around while others act once he has been Wounded.

Honor Guard Captain is Garazeb’s combat Stance. His stats and expertise slightly favor melee, with ranged attacks that are still respectable and can pack quite the punch. The Bo-Rifle Expertise Charts, both melee and ranged, offer consistent output with even a single result. Pairing his ability to attack the same target twice in a Turn with the varied early options on his Combat Tree, “Zeb” applies solid pressure and has a high impact wherever he ends up on the battlefield.

These three intrepid heroes fight together to put an end to the Galactic Empire’s tyrannical rule alongside Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and “Chopper,” who will be the focus of the next Databank Download for Star Wars: Shatterpoint! Pre-Order available through your friendly local game store, or on the webstore.

Until then, this is Atomic Mass Transmissions signing off!

Databank Download: Never Tell Me The Odds

In today’s transmission, we’ll be showcasing the upcoming Never Tell Me the Odds Mission Pack for Star Wars™: Shatterpoint. A well-rounded mission that benefits multiple strategies and playstyles, Never Tell Me the Odds is sure to find its way onto your battlefield once it is available to the world.

Never Tell Me the Odds offers players another set of objective maps that spread the action across the entire battlefield and mission effects that emphasize making the most of every activation and setting up favorable attack vectors for specific Units to gain an edge on the Struggle Tracker. This mission allows players that enjoy fast-moving strike teams to show their battlefield finesse and rewards players who set up and execute big plays with specific Unit types called out on each Struggle Card.

The widespread objective layout in Never Tell Me the Odds allows strike teams that have a strong emphasis on mobility and objective control to leverage their strengths effectively, while more damage-focused teams can focus on Wounding enemies with their own Called to Action Units to give themselves an advantage in each Struggle and hopefully make up for what they lack in flexibility with surgical strikes at opportune moments. This mission provides tactical options to a myriad of strike teams and rewards players who adapt their strategies on the fly to meet the mission’s call to action.

To showcase the massive footprint that this mission gives objectives, we need look no further than the Phase 3 Struggle Card, No Such Thing as Luck. This particular Struggle Card splits the focus of the battlefield across two extreme points on the center line, forcing strike teams to cover a great distance quickly or risk forfeiting the Struggle and the game. Players who have consolidated their forces onto a hotly contested objective, or focused too strongly on a single flank over the course of the game, can find themselves struggling to control the far side when this card is revealed. Forward planning goes a long way in this Mission, even more so than in others, on account of these potentially drastic map changes.

Mission Packs for Shatterpoint add more layers of decision making to the game and to create new and exciting battlefields with unique loci of tension and control. They allow players to tell their own stories and recreate the drama of Star Wars on the tabletop. On a more mechanical level, missions emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of individual Units and put more or less emphasis on specific gameplay strategies, structuring how and where the action of a given battle unfolds. Never Tell Me the Odds really asks players to “zoom out” when they’re building their strike teams and determine the focus of each of their chosen Units. “Called to Action” provides reward for Wounding Units—a popular strategy across all missions—at the cost of Force, but the objective focus of Shatterpoint forces players to exert pressure on multiple spread-out objectives to maintain constant pressure and win the Struggle. A well-planned and executed score from “Called to Action” can spell victory for one side over the other, but laying those plans amidst chaos of battle and the whims of the Order Deck can be a real challenge.

The heart of Shatterpoint, though, is in the characters on the battlefield and the overarching theme of their struggles. The touchstone story point of this mission is that anyone can be the hero of the day— given the right circumstances. The courageous actions of a single clone trooper can turn the tide of battle and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. During each Struggle, a different type of Unit is Called to Action and their deeds of heroism can have greater impact on the battle at hand. Playing toward this goal, even when the chances of success are slim, can create nail-biting tension at critical moments and create memorable stories of bravery and valor (or the ignominy of defeat) to be recounted for years to come.

That’s all for today’s Databank Download! Be sure to check back for our next Shatterpoint Unit preview, where we give you a first look at how your favorite characters from the Star Wars galaxy translate into the gameplay of Shatterpoint. Pre-order your own copy of Star Wars: Shatterpoint at your local game store or through our webstore today.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!

Quelle: AMG Transmissions