So I've got a pair of house rules I'm planning to test once the world stats working again, and thought I might see what people here think about them.
#1: No flotilla limits. Instead each activation must be two flotillas (if possible) and there must be two flotillas left to keep from being tabled.
#2: Ace limit is not a number of squadrons, instead no more than half the points spent on squadrons may be spent on aces.
Do these sound practical?
Nope. @Formynder makes a great point about squadrons. Also consider loads of Gozantis with Romodi.
I agree with the critiques already stated above. I agree that some unique squadrons don't get seen often, but I think that's either because they're too expensive, or other options are too cheap. I think a points re-balancing of squadrons is the only option that makes sense to me.
I mean, maybe. Thing is, there will always be some aces that are just better than others. If I’m playing the Empire, and I max out on squadrons, 90% of the time, Stele and Jendon are gonna be in the mix. If I’m only allowed 50% of my points on aces, those two will STILL be in the mix most of the time if I’m using at least 82 points’ worth of squadrons. They’re just really great.
Your chosen example of Blount is an odd one, because he’s not a guy you gonna want for pretty much anything except a fleet that leans into a bunch of Z-95’s, and they’re just not that good, unless you run a TON of them. Simply making it tougher to use guys like Wedge or Dutch or Shara or Lando doesn’t push me toward Blount at all.
Your proposal also totally guts the long-standing strategy of just using 2-3 high-quality aces as your small fighter coverage group (Ree & Rudor, or Lando, Tycho, Shara, for two examples). And maybe you’re okay with that, but I personally don’t love it.
Besides, there are some aces who are rarely seen not because they aren’t awesome, but because they’re kind of pricey. Your proposal really doesn’t do anything to increase the chances you’ll see Keyan Farlander, for example. if anything, it decreases those odds.
I generally think that, while there might be room for improvement, the 1 per 100 rule on aces is a pretty good option. I personally wish the squadron limit in general were only 25%, rather than 33%, but... eh. Close enough.
RE changing the ace limit it's mostly that it seems to force people to take just the most powerful and expensive aces (with a few exceptions, the very undercosted ones). Making it a point cap means a pilot like lt.Blount gets a lot more attractive.
EDIT: Does changing to a fixed point cap for aces (say 67 points for a standard fleet) seem better? That would give you 4 cheap or 3 expensive aces, so more consideration would be needed.
As to the Ace cap: Let’s check the math.
If you max out on squadrons (134), your Ace cap would be 67. Roughly speaking, you’re spending something like15-20 points (on average) for an Ace. That means you get... 4 Ace squadrons in your 134.
If you take a smaller complement, say 70 points, you can fit in 2-3 Aces. So I guess my question is: how much does this actually change your game? If you want some fleets with smaller squadron components to be more limited on their Aces, this change would do that... but one of the things that keeps smaller squadron balls competitive is that they can trade quantity for quality, and maintain effectiveness. So really, you’re kind of hitting fleets that don’t max out on squadrons in the kneecaps, and leaving fleets that do max out largely alone. If you want to encourage more squadron play, then... sure, I guess? But I think the rules as they stand work better than what you’re suggesting.
I mean, do you have a drawer full of GR-75’s and Gozantis that are getting lonely? The flotilla rules are actually a fairly elegant and unobtrusive solution to a huge number of problems inherent in flotillas at launch. Why reopen Pandora’s Box?
Also, @Formynder brings up a very good point; you’re basically obsoleting any other carrier setups with these rules. Two of them are like a Quasar protected by Scatter and Evade, which keeps fighting if you kill half of it... yeah, there’s just no question but that two Gozantis are way better than a Quasar.
Good point, wasn't thinking about squadron activations...
How does it compare to using a Quasar? 1-3 squadrons more for less points, but no ship guns to support the attack and no flight controllers for extra dice.
Picture 2 EHB flotillas activating at the same time for 6-8 squadrons at a cost of only 46 points.