NickName wrote:
I find the fact that other factions can use them too is inconsequential to the argument of how many new pieces the Mandalorians are getting with Force Unleashed.
Because you have overlooked (ignored is the better word but harsher) this point:
menoths fire wrote:
it is obvious that as Fringe beefs the neglected factions, it also beefs the over-represented factions equally or even more so depending on the specific mini/faction combo in question.
I will go a step further to say that I believe most of the Fringe pieces are tested through with the heavier-maintained core factions in mind. It's not necessarily intentional, it's that each set is balanced unto itself. I don't think Rob or any of the other small handful of designers have time to go back and test every possible combo from all the older sets. There may be some of that, but it's very slight.
Fringe pieces aren't designed as part of their own faction. They're meant to round out the other factions that DO carry design restrictions. What this means is that they're not going to be the best pieces just to bump the weaker factions. They're going to be the best pieces, those that are, because of the way they complement or are complemented by the specific characters in the other factions that, again, DO carry restrictions. What this means is that if you're relying on Fringe characters to boost what you're doing in the faction you're trying to play, you're probably going to accomplish more by simply putting that Fringe character(s) in a faction with better representation and more choices. I recall the LFL Representative said as much during the GenCon seminar when I asked if the Legacy set was going to mean more factions. His reply was they don't want factions with only 1 or 2 characters.
Quote:
Whether the faction gets better or worse in top-level competetive play based on these pieces is completely unknown at this point as you don't have the stats for any of the 15 new Fringe pieces. That's an argument for after the stats are known. It is entirely possible that one of these Fringe figures could do much more for the Mando faction than an exclusive, but subpar, figure.
Tanner you are a smart guy; I don't understand why you're being so combative about this topic. No one is saying the "core" factions shouldn't have the most pieces; we're not even saying they shouldn't have the best options. Make no mistake, Force Unleashed is the set, in terms of Rebel grunts and Hoth-battle support, that should have come last year. However, there's no reason for Stormtrooper, Snowtrooper, 2 Lukes, 2 Hans, and an Elite Hoth Trooper when it means ZERO representation for the other factions like OR, Mando, etc.
I had the same problem with A&E. 14 reprints and way too many variants of Luke and Han. I might also point out, since no one else has said it, that when they do that many variants of a piece in 1 set, it prevents some of the variants from really seeing much playtime in particular groups. When I field a squad with Han, I almost always go for Stormtrooper Armor. As a result, I have had little play time to test out Han on Tauntaun. I want to, but I haven't.
I believe it also influences point values between the variants moreso than it would have if they had each come out one at a time over the next 5-7 sets.