~ Introducing the Imperial Raider ~

Fantasy Flight Games first introduced the Cinematic Play and Epic Play formats to X-Wing back at Gen Con Indy 2013. There, fans were able to get their first looks at prototype miniatures of the game’s GR-75 medium transport and the CR90 Corellian corvette, both of which have since been released in Rebel expansion packs. All this time, Imperial players have wondered when they would get their own huge ship, and they have speculated at length as to which ship it would be. Now, the wait is over, and the answer to both questions is that Imperial players will be able to field the Raider-class corvette in the first quarter of 2015!

The highlight of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, this powerful anti-fighter vessel marks an exciting addition to both X-Wing and the Star Wars universe. Moreover, in addition to its Raider-class corvette, the expansion also contains one TIE Advanced miniature with an alternate paint scheme, eight ship cards, thirty-four upgrades, an extended range ruler for Epic Play, and all the maneuver dials, damage decks, and tokens that you need to fly both your Raider and your TIE Advanced. You’ll also find a new campaign, "The Will of the Empire", which highlights both of these ships, even as it explores their deployment and activities deep in the Outer Rim.

~ About the Raider-class Corvette ~

Kuat Drive Yards began manufacturing the Raider-class corvette in 6BBY as a dedicated anti-fighter vessel. Lira Wessex, the lead engineer at Kuat Drive Yards and designer of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, recognized that the Imperial Navy lacked a small, modern craft to reinforce the TIE fighter squadrons deployed by Star Destroyers. Accordingly, she pitched the design for the 150m Raider-class corvette, and the Empire placed a large order.

Even though the Raider-class corvette proved extremely durable and skilled at suppressing Rebel fighter attacks, Imperial High Command felt that the imposing silhouettes of the larger warships were more threatening and better suited to keeping systems in line until the Death Star could be completed. As a result, the initial run of Raider-class corvettes were primarily relegated to patrols along the Outer Rim, where they established a fearsome reputation.

Following the destruction of the first Death Star, however, the Imperial Navy was forced to re-evaluate the merit of anti-fighter warfare. The corvette’s six dual heavy laser cannons proved more accurate against snubfighters than the turbolaser batteries of its Star Destroyer cousins, while the disruptive effect of ion cannon emplacements and the efficiency of localized command made the Raider-class corvette a powerful addition to small strike forces.

In X-Wing, the Raider-class corvette is too large for Standard Play. Like the GR-75 medium transport and the CR90 Corellian corvette before it, the Raider is designed exclusively for use in Cinematic Play and Epic Play. Its miniature is therefore rendered at a relative scale that makes it playable on the table, even as it towers over the game’s smaller freighters and starfighters.

Meanwhile, as the Imperial Navy’s first huge ship, the Raider-class corvette comes with separate ship cards for its fore and aft sections, and its different actions and upgrades make use of the same rules for “energy” as the Rebellion’s huge ships. As you select maneuvers that allow you to gain energy, you can power up your weapons and other systems. Then you can spend your stored energy to unleash torrential volleys of laser fire or recover your shields. Meanwhile, several of the expansion’s different crew introduce even more ways to utilize the energy you store.

~ The Raider and X-Wing Standard Play ~

The Raider and many of its various huge, ship-only upgrades are for use only in X-Wing Cinematic Play and Epic Play, but the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack still comes with plenty of material to bolster Imperial fleets within Standard Play.

The expansion’s new TIE Advanced miniature comes with an alternate paint scheme, as well as a pair of upgrades that ensure it will have plenty of teeth as it patrols the Outer Rim. For zero squad points, the TIE/x1 Title allows you to equip your TIE Advanced with a system upgrade, and then it discounts that system upgrade by four squad points. This permits you to upgrade your TIE Advanced with an Adv. Targeting Computer and then reduces its squad point cost to just one point… That’s one squad point for a guaranteed critical hit result!

You’ll also find a few other playable upgrades, including one crew member who’s bound to ensure that all your Imperial plans proceed exactly as you foresee…

~ Enter an Epic New Chapter in X-Wing ~

Coming in the first quarter of 2015, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack represents an epic new chapter in X-Wing. For the first time, Imperial players will be able to field a huge vessel capable of squaring off against a Corellian corvette or whole squadrons of Rebel starfighters. With your Raider-class corvette and TIE Advanced, you’ll be able to enforce the will of the Galactic Empire from the Core Planets to the Outer Rim, and if any Rebel scum dare to oppose you, you’ll have more than enough firepower to crush them!