Figure 1; The Starship

Any player who is interested in competitive DCI Star Wars Minis play, or any play for that matter, ought to acquaint himself with the Power Regulation Chamber map more commonly referred to as the Starship (figure 1). The main reasons for this are that it is one of three maps that are legal in all formats of the game from 100 to 200 point Constructed formats to the numerous Limited formats and is included in the Revenge of the Sith starter pack making it one of the most widely available maps. Not only that but it is unique in its dimensions being only 29 squares across and 19 squares tall compared to the 34 by 22 squares that are the dimensions of every other map.

The map is huge friendly having only a few places where rigid huge figs cannot go. If the huge cannot go there then it can see into the area, and therefore attack the areas it can't access. With the number of huge figs increasing each year and the growing popularity and strength of these figs, it's a useful map to have. Furthermore, it is a hardboard map that is quite easily folded up and transported. As a result many players carry it with their collection purely for convenience.

Traits of the Map

What looks like a fairly open map with few doors on it is actually a map that appeals to both fast melee and ranged squads with good odds for both.

One of the first traits of the map to notice is the large Gambit-scoring ring in the center of the map shown in figure 2. For those who are unaware, gambit scoring is a DCI requirement for tournaments; each player who has a figure in the scoring ring gains 5 points a round. The first player to exceed the build total at the end of a round wins. (See Section 622 of the Star Wars Minis DCI Floor Rules for the description of what is commonly referred to as "Gambit" scoring.) It ensures players don't hide in opposing corners or, worse, lock themselves in a room when up on points to gain a "cheap" win as you're forced to battle for the center.

Figure 2; Gambit scoring ring. The red oval shows a door drawn in the artwork that does not have the proper door lines. For gameplay purposes, it's not counted as a door. 

The peculiar dimensions of the map (29x19) make the center point of the board a game square. When deciding range you take the square and count outwards. As a result the gambit center of this map is considerably larger, 41 squares as opposed to 24 for every other map. This is an odd turn of events for the smallest map! The Gambit-scoring ring also extends beyond the wall allowing characters on either side of it to control Gambit without exposure to line of sight (LOS) from the other side of the board. The Turbolift is a safe haven for the right side player and there are four squares that can be easily controlled from the left side.

Figure 3; The Corridor, Escape Pod and Airlock. The red ovals highlight walls that are in play but not drawn in the artwork.

Figure 3 shows the bottom right sections that are pretty important for play on the right side of the board. The Airlock is a common starting area for figures.

The Airlock area is unusual as it has two walls (indicated by the red ovals) that are only indicated by the red lines marking walls and not map graphics. Still they are a useful, if sometimes irritating, addition.

The Escape Pod is a 6x4 open room with a constricted entrance (2 square) at the top that provides good cover when advancing from the right.

The Corridor is a room closed off by one of only three doors on the map. It can provide cover on an advance from either side and also allows good LOS to both the left and right side of the wall splitting the Gambit-scoring ring. A player should note that opening the door with a character without Stealth leaves you painfully exposed and this should be taken into account when attempting to utilize this room. Even with Stealth there is only one square that is safe. Note the two squares of cover to the right of the door.

Figure 4; The open expanse of the Cargo Bay and the Command Center.

The upper right side of the Starship is essentially two sections. The Cargo Bay is the most open area of the whole map. A large part of the floor is destroyed creating difficult terrain and the pit just below the Command Center is a large obstacle. The bottom half of it should be thought of as "no man's land". It is terribly exposed from both sides with only a droid and a couple of crates giving cover. Maneuvering through this area is dangerous as it's long and slow for any figure to move across. In the upper section of the Cargo Bay, directly below the left door of the Command Center, are some useful low objects to grant cover.

The Command Center is the only other room on the map housed by doors. Both are large enough to pass huge characters through but both will expose figures to a certain extent when you choose to open them. This room is often a starting point for the right side and offers few places to hide should the doors open. Still, there are interesting LOSs from here and from this vantage point you can see a lot of the board. In the center of the room is a large table that grants cover. It can be useful or a hindrance depending on the build of the squad.

Figure 5; The Power Regulation Chamber.

On the lower left side of the map we have the interesting Power Regulation Chamber (Figure 5). It's a large 12x12 square with a 6x6 area the houses four pillars and a pit. The track around the pit is large enough for huge figs but in three of the four corners are low objects. This makes huges without Flight move slowly around the chamber. In the central section's corners are four pillars that give the area some unusual LOSs (you can see across the pit but not to the left or right sides from where you stand). The most interesting things about this area are the four gambit squares on the upper right edge and the droid hovering in the pit (circled in figure 5). Medium characters with Flight can land on this droid and avoid getting based (having a character move adjacent to you). I dub this "Fett's Throne".

Figure 6; Blast Door and Maintenance Station.

The last area of note is directly above the Regulation Chamber and holds the Blast door and maintenance station. The Blast Door has good LOS down across the Cargo Bay and is a common start point for Mobile Attack snipers. The Maintenance Station is an area comprised of a lot of low objects but still fairly exposed unless you have Stealth.

Play on the Map - Right is Wrong.

The first tactical info you should learn about this map is that the left side holds all the cards, particularly in competitive play involving Gambit. The reason is clear enough as the left side has a fairly hidden set up area that allows access to the Gambit zone on the first turn without any risk to those who wish to occupy it. This is not the case for the right side that will struggle to get into the center unless they start from an exposed area as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7; First moves from each side. The target markers denote the starting spaces of the pieces.

In figure 7, a Rebel Trooper is already exposed should the Stormtrooper Commander choose to move 6 and attack. This obviously puts a large disadvantage on the right side and makes games on the Starship akin to Assault on Halo or Paintball. The right side player is forced to either claim Gambit with a fast piece by getting into the Turbolift or to give up Gambit and make an assault on the Power Regulation Chamber without risking the loss of pieces. Which you choose is up to you and depends on your squad and your opponent's but make no mistake, the impetus of the action is on the right.

The Right Side and Possible Tactics

Okay, you've lost the set up roll and your opponent has thrown you on the right side. So what should you do?

It's best on the right side to keep your options open and look for ways to get guys into the Gambit area while covering their advance. It's also important to put pressure on the opponent's Gambit position so that he doesn't sit and get a larger points advantage than he already has.

This unfortunately means splitting your forces, advancing on the enemy and using your ranged guns to cover them. You're not going to win the Gambit battle so you have to goad your opponent into the open to try and neutralize him.

Figure 8; Assault on the Power Regulation Chamber. Diagram of a game in various stages. The red and blue lines mark LOS for the different pieces they connect. The several copies of R2 and Han are potential places during different rounds that show a path (Han) or show different areas for door control.

1.Assault on the Power Regulation Chamber

Figure 8 shows a game in progress with the Imperials holding the fort in the Power Regulation Chamber and the Rebels trying to advance both into the Gambit scoring ring and into a place where they can disrupt the Imperials control of the center.

There are four Hans on the board each numbered 1-4. This is the sequential movement of Han through four rounds and shows the safest route for any figure advancing on the center from the right starting area. Any other path exposes you to fire ahead of your position. You will note he ends up in the corridor behind the wall. From there he has a nice sniping shot on the Gambit area behind the wall.

The biggest problem he has on his approach is the final door before entering the Corridor. This can be solved through the use of override or Door Gimmick from afar. Luckily, Han packed an R2 unit so he's sorted for this purpose. In the event of no Override, this route is very dangerous but in that case your pretty much forced across "no man's land" unless you want to sacrifice a scrub to get in the room (having little else to do once in there). You will also notice that from Han 3 to Han 4 are 13 squares. It takes at least a force user to do this and so this final step is pretty squad dependant, requiring both Override and Force. Most squads should try to pack both. It's good practice as they are that valuable.

Override on this map is not really necessary unless you end up on the right, then it becomes a useful tool. As I just described, it's very important for utilization of the Corridor. The three R2 units are set in what I consider their best positions from the right. The green R2 is in the safest location of the three and has LOS to both doors of the Power Regulation Chamber. From here he can help out his sniping guns closing doors to protect and opening them to give LOS. The red R2 is in a very good position, being able to control all 3 doors for both attack and defense. The only chink in the position is the LOS from the bottom right corner of the Power Regulation Chamber. Blue R2 also has potential LOS on 3 doors (providing the bottom Command Center door is open) but this time LOS comes from the Stormtrooper Commander perched in the Blast Doors. In both these cases there are figures that prevent R2 from being the closet target (Bith prevents both, Bith and Leia protect the Blue R2.)

Figure 9; Vader's plan backfires

The most interesting part of this particular set up is that Han can feel some sense of security in the Corridor. Vader could rush him, but if he chooses the wrong time Han could escape and leave R2 to lock Vader in leaving the struggling Stormtroopers to fend for themselves (figure 9). This obviously wouldn't happen if both teams had Override, or if the Imperials had Satchel Charge.

2.Alternative Means to the Center

Obviously, there are other ways to the center if you're placed on the right. However, because of the destroyed floor its very difficult for normal figs to make it there from complete safety in one turn.

Figure 10; Race to the center.

The race for the center between the Black Sun and General Windu shows the difficulty of getting into the safety of the center (figure 10). Each character has moved their maximum distance to get to the Turbolift. The Thug being the furthest out can get into the center but any figure without Stealth is hard pressed to survive the inevitable onslaught for stepping out of the safety of the Command Center. The Aqualish, only one square back, can't actually get fully in the Turbolift and is at risk.

3.Advanced Moves on the Center

One of the most attractive facets of the game are the special abilities (SAs) and commander effects (CEs) that differentiate the different figures of the game. Here is where storming the center becomes more accessible. In figure 10, General Windu, with Master Speed, can actually get right into the Turbolift from relative safety. This example shows the importance of speed when designing squads to work on this map.

Figure 11; Towing to the center.

Tow Cable is one of the most powerful abilities in the game allowing movement for unactivated characters. Its possible to Tow into the center of the map from the Command Center but it requires additional Override if you are to make it without unnecessary exposure. Figure 11 shows the set up of General Windu and R2 from the Command Center into the Turbolifts. Unfortunately, in order to get both guys into the center at least one character has to be adjacent to the door, so it's necessary to keep it shut with Override in order to stand next to it safely. This means that in order for the door to be unlocked so R2 can tow, Lobot has to control the door, hence his presence in the safe corner.

Figure 12; Thrawn swaps to the center.

Thrawn is undoubtedly one of the game's most powerful commanders and (when coupled with Mas Amedda) has extraordinary range with his figures as he can swap in an unactivated figure with one that has already moved. This gives the Empire a tow of sorts but a bit more powerful as it's packaged with Thrawn's Master Tactician control of initiative. Figure 12 shows how Thrawn can be used to fight for the center by using two figures and his swap CE. The sequence begins as in (A) and the first Stormtrooper moves out the full distance of his movement towards the center (B). Thrawn then activates and switches the two Stormtroopers (C) and the unactivated Stormtrooper makes a dash for the center just making it into the Turbolift. This is a very powerful ability of Thrawn's but it suffers in that there is a phase where an unactivated Stormtrooper is left out in the open waiting to be sniped by a cunning Han. However, Thrawn's control of initiative means that if this is done at the end of the round after the opponent's characters have activated the Stormtrooper is quite safe.

With the release of Bounty Hunters a very cheap method of gaining a share of the center became available with the 10 point Swoop Bike. These cheap non-uniques have Speed 12 with Flight meaning they have extraordinary range for the price of 2 Stormtroopers.

Figure 13 shows the distance a Swoop can cover whilst getting to the center from the bottom right corner.

Figure 13; Swooping the center.

Once there, the Swoop has great command of the board. Its cheap cost and 30 HP means that a degree of effort is required to remove the piece which might give your snipers something to shoot at. What's more, once the Swoop is there its range allows it to become adjacent to almost any square on the board. Examples are shown in figure 14.

Figure 14; The reach of the swoop. Each swoop is no more than 24 squares away from the one occupying the Turbolift.

This section has talked a lot about controlling the center which might not be in your strategy if playing outside of Gambit. However, the center of this board is very important as it offers the greatest protection for getting to the opposition with a healthy amount of HPs. Even if you aren't playing Gambit remember the paths, remember the distances and use these to exert positional pressure in the game. If you are playing Gambit, the Turbolift is very important for play from the right. If there is a stalemate and you occupy the Turbolift you're closer to the center and thus in the winning position (providing points are equal).

4. Huges from the right

This map is huge friendly as Huges are not really restricted from any area apart from the escape pods if the Huge is rigid. Saying that, the right side has it bad (again) because unless you're hiding behind a door in the Command Center there is almost nowhere to hide. There are places you can hide as shown in figure 15 but most of them are either an open door or a cheeky LOS from getting pinged.

Figure 15; Hiding spaces for Huges with LOS to the more "hidden" spots.

In the figure are the spots where I would consider you the most hidden. The Corridor and Command Center would not be hidden if it weren't for the doors. Good door control or a stealthy opener is important to utilize these areas. The Escape Pods and Airlock are much more hidden but even in the most tucked in places the left side can get early LOS to those areas. Control of the expanse running to the left of the Command Center and above the Power Regulation Chamber with a Mobile Attack squad can protect the enemy from taking early shots. I've used the Snowspeeder as the huge example as its huge movement is a complete nightmare to face on this map and is well suited to control a lot of the action. It has an even longer movement than the swoop at 32 squares maximum and a 16 square Mobile Attack. It's very dangerous on such a small map.

Other huges that work are Vipers, AT-STs, Tank Droids and any others that can stand a lot of punishment and dish it out. However, with the amount of Mobile Attack squads and super-stealth squads, huges without good movement can find themselves without much to shoot at.

The Desert Skiff is an interesting battle taxi that can be used for an attack on the center but suffers in the inability for the passengers to disembark until the first action of the next round leaving he who wins init to be the decider of the Skiff's fate.

Or What About... Play from the Left

Play is so stacked on the left I almost feel like not writing anything. However, even more I would hate to do an incomplete review so here is what you can do from the left.

Figure 8 actually has a pretty basic plan of where your figures should be spread. You also want to control as many LOSs as you can making the right's approach as hard as possible. Your beatstick should be right behind the wall ready to lay the smack on all who come close and you should have snipers in the Blast Doors and at the bottom of the Power Regulation Chamber. Some door control of the Corridor is a good plan as it can be quite a pain for the right side to control that room with any cohesion. This can either be achieved by Override behind the Turbolift back wall or an Ugnaught Demolitionist waiting to Satchel Charge the Corridor door should anyone advance on it (figure 16).

Figure 16; An Ugnaught prepares to open the Corridor.

Advanced Teams on the Map

There are certain teams that dominate this map because of their huge range of damage.

R2-D2 Astromech + shooter

R2 squads are very tough as R2 can tow and get a lot of LOSs from the left without exposing the doombot.

Figure 17; The art of tow.

You can control the advance of the right by towing a shooter around for attacks on advancing targets. Figure 17 shows some common spots that leave R2 out of sight and keep Boba Fett in cover. These days with the new Boba Fett, you don't even have to expose either to LOS, just tow near a corner and Mobile Attack to the edge and back. Very tough.

Exar Kun's Swoop

We already saw how the Swoop Bike can cover the map in 2 swoops. Coming from the left it's easier to hold a position to attack, especially if your opponent is forced to you. From behind the Turbolift, only the upper right corner is inaccessible (providing all doors are open) to the swoop. Obviously, with Exar being able to Transfer Essence into the Swoop it is very difficult to prevent the emergence of the great Sith lord at your feet if you're coming from the right. Figure 18 shows the range of the Swoop and a prominent position for the Swoops. Note the presence of Zuckuss as sniper in the Blast Door and the 2^nd Swoop protecting the lower LOS in the Power Regulation Chamber.

Figure; 18; Exar Kuhn with Swoop support.

Thrawn, Mas + Beatstick

Thrawn on the left side of the map coupled with a beatstick (Lord Vader or Vader Jedi Hunter), Mas Amedda and Stormtroopers for swapping is probably one of the hardest nuts to crack on this map. His range is incredible as shown earlier. It essentially allows him to place Vader next to anyone within twelve squares of a Stormtrooper. This is even nastier since Bounty Hunters because of the 120 damage from six squares that Lord Vader is capable of. The range of this offense is shown in figure 19.

Figure 19; The Thrawn/Mas/Vader Swap.

In figure 19, the reach of Vader is shown. The middle Stormtrooper is duplicated 3 times, each twelve squares from his perch behind the Turbolift. This represents his range of movement. Lord Vader is then six squares beyond that. At six squares, Lord Vader is at 100% of his power output: 120 damage if all attacks hit. If this was done at the end of the round and he wins initiative via Thrawn's Master Tactician it will most likely be another 120 damage before being replaced with another Stormtrooper. Incredibly tough. It is imperative against these teams that you either out activate them or manage to whittle down the Stormtroopers while taking calculated loses. Notice how difficult it is to get at Thrawn and Mas, they are quite happy in the corner dictating the madness.

Huges on the Left

Again the position on he left offers something the right hasn't got, a place to hide huges.

Figure 20; Crouching Vulture, Hidden Huge.

The Droid Starfighter in figure 20 is in a spot that unless you come into the Power Regulation Chamber on the bottom or if you advance over the top of the Chamber you won't get LOS on the Starfighter. This allows the Starfighter to emerge and shoot and then retreat for repairs. This is a great spot for Snowspeeders that can Mobile Attack eight squares along the track, Twin Attack and then retreat to the very same spot. Again, this area gives control of a very wide expanse of the board without much expense.

Assault on the Command Center

Okay, you're not interested in competitive play and want to know what you should do in games where the center isn't everything. Well, regardless of the nature of the game, the center is still very important on this board and unless you use the lower Corridor and Escape Pods most advances will run through the center. However, advancing on the Command Center is a straightforward reversal of the Assault on the Center. You need some door control and a beatstick (figure 21).

Figure 21; Assault on the Command Center.

From the left you start from the center. From there you can run into the safety of the Corridor so long as the door is opened as Lobot is doing in the example. The path then continues into the Escape Pods and then to the lower door of the Command Center. You will probably be exposed to fire upon opening the door unless you can move Lobot to lock the door until you want it open. Each Lord Vader is no more than 12 squares apart and so this route does not require Force to achieve, yet another bonus to the left although seldom seen.

Summary

The Starship map is very unique as far as SWM maps go and the traits of the map give it a distinctive play style. It is best to learn how the map plays before choosing it as your tourney map and it is imperative you learn to play your chosen squad from both sides. The left is heavily favored and, should you win the map roll, is what you should pick. Saying that, it is not impossible to win from the right so long as your squad is prepared to do so.

Happy Gaming!