ARCHIVES – Imperial Corps as a Beginner

This is an archived post relevant to Star Wars: Legion in its original iteration. We are keeping it on the site for historical purposes but it should not be used for reference to the current version of the game

The might of the Empire as we know it comes in white armor. Whether it be Stormtrooper or Snowtroopers, they’ve got their iconic look….which they stole from the Clones! What a classic rebrand story. Palpatine double identity, steals the armor idea and Galactic Republic logo, tweaks them a little bit and BAM we have the Empire. All right under the nose of the Jedi, too. Right now, we only have two units to go over when it comes to Imperial Corps units, with some on the way (speculation), so let’s get into it!

Stormtroopers

“Let me see your identification!” – A Stormtrooper, probably on Tatooine 

Opposed to their Rebel counterpart, Stormtroopers cost a little bit more than Rebel Troopers. Rebel troopers cost 10 per mini, Stormtroopers are 11 per mini. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a lot. Then you start building lists, and run out of points quickly. Especially when you start to talk about their heavy weapon, etc. Also opposed to their Rebel counterpart, they have Precise 1 versus Nimble, which allows Stormtroopers to re-roll an additional die if they spend an aim token. Something that Stormtroopers need, because thematically they roll white dice, the worst attack dice in the game, with their E-11 Blaster Rifle. They do however surge to hit and of course roll red defense dice, no surge. That white armor tends to stop more shots in the game of Legion than on screen, but I could be a bias Rebel scum terrorist. Much like the Rebel Troopers, you’ll only want to add a heavy weapon, for the most part. I will say this, unlike the Rebels, I would consider medical droids in an Empire list/in Stormtrooper squads. I don’t think a Rebel Trooper with white saves is worth the points, but a Stormtrooper, who is more apt to make a save and stay alive after being saved, is worth it. Especially a good idea if you’re running Palpatine, who just has 5 health

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As a reminder above, Medical Droids cost 19 points and Treat 1: Capacity 2. It is a free action to remove a wound token, but it needs to be within Range 1 and if I’m not mistaken there are some caveats to remember such as:

• You can only treat one wound per activation, with a capacity of two
• You need to be range 1 AND in line of sight of who you wish to recover
• Recovering a miniature has to happen in the same round the miniature was defeated

That last part is pretty important, timing is of the essence when it comes to bringing back some models. As for wounds, I’m fairly certain those can come off at any time. Now let’s get into the heavy weapons.

Stormtrooper Heavy Weapon Upgrade

I’ll go ahead and say it: The DLT-19 is the best 24 points you can spend when making any list in Star Wars Legion. Red attack dice are the best in the game, you add Impact 1 to the attack pool which isn’t necessarily important at the moment BUT if vehicles do become a thing (which they will) you have immediate access to something that can deal with them. Oh, and they give you this option at range 4. It’s consistency is hard to argue, and at only 2 more points than a Rebel Z-6 Trooper, it’s well worth it. Yeah, six white dice on the Z-6 is great but the variance isn’t. The DLT-19 rolls a lot less dice, sure, but with it’s range 4 and consistent dice it’s a little better. As for the HH-12, if you have been reading my stuff I’m sure you know where this is headed, it’s not useful at the moment. It’s expensive at 34 points, it exhausts AND it’s Cumbersome. (Which means you can’t move your unit and shoot the HH-12, it’s less than ideal) If or when vehicles truly have a place in the game, it may become a viable unit with it’s Impact 3, especially with it’s range 2 to 4. For now, they’re on the shelf….like most units that exhaust and have Impact.

Snowtroopers

The Imperial answer to the Rebel Fleet Troopers comes in the form of Snowtroopers. At a cost of 48, they come out to be 12 points per mini as opposed to 44 points for fleets. They move at a speed 1, which at first glance seems questionable, but when you see they have Steady as a key word, that changes real fast. Steady allows you to perform a free ranged attack action after a move action. There’s a couple different ways this can play out, and this is all going to be in theory that you bring a Flametrooper. (which you should) At the start of the game, double move and try to get into short range for the Flametrooper. Maybe in the middle rounds, you can move, shoot, move into cover. Steady truly gives you a lot of options. They surge to hit on offense and have no surge on defense but roll red dice, like most Imperial units. Like their Stormtrooper friends, they roll white dice E-11 Blasters from range 1 to 3. The reason you take the Snowtroopers isn’t for the E-11 Blasters but for their Heavy Weapon so let’s dive in.

Snowtrooper Heavy Weapon Upgrade

The Flametrooper comes at a cheap price of 20 points, shoots at range 1, has Blast to ignore cover and rolls a black die for every person in your unit. This is why Steady is such an important, awesome keyword. If you can move your Snowtroopers into that range 1 band (at full capacity for the example) you’re going to be rolling five black, four white that ignores cover and surges to hit. It’s extremely good. It take a lot of work to get them into the fray depending on the game mode, map and deployment, but it’s worth it. The T-7 Ion Snowtrooper…this is a continuing theme…Exhausts at range 1 to 2(!), rolls one black, two white with Impact 1 and Ion 1 at a cost of 34 points. You’d be hard pressed to tell me that this isn’t the worst Heavy Weapon Upgrade in the game, especially for it’s cost. I don’t even expect it sees the table when vehicles become relevant.

Final Thoughts

Corps units are going to be the filler units in both armies and you’ll see an abundance of them, for the most part. I would like to preface that if you take Stormtroopers, take the DLT. If you take the Snowtroopers, take the Flametrooper. As I mentioned earlier, perhaps a Medical Droid fits your style of play and you bring that on the Stormtroopers. The Snowtroopers could benefit from Recon Intel if you have the extra points, but as we learn building lists: points are a premium on the Imperial side of things.

A way to play the Stormtroopers is to move into range 4 early, take that DLT shot into something, apply some pressure and suppression on your opponent and make them react. As for the Snowtroopers, they’ll be a main focus of your opponent and you need to keep that in mind. You’ll need to keep them in cover as the move up the battlefield and get that Flametrooper into that range 1 band and let it rip. Both units, with the Heavy Weapon Upgrades, will run you 68 points each. Just automatically account for 68 points when using either unit. Play style will determine how many of each you want! I prefer two Snowtrooper units, but I know some only play one and so on! Either way, have some fun making lists….even if you and they are the Emperors minions bringing quote unquote peace to the Galaxy!

Good luck to everyone at Adepticon this week! May the Force be with You…and may the news announcements be in abundance for us all!

-GrandAdmiralThrawn

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