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Map Discussion: Throne Room/Chancellor's Starship Options
TheHutts
Posted: Sunday, March 10, 2013 1:30:15 PM
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Joined: 6/23/2010
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Location: The Hutt, New Zealand
On corranhorn's request, let's talk about Throne Room/Chancellor's Starship. It's not currently on the Restricted Lists, but it was a staple for a long time. In GenCon 2010 Championships, the majority of players were using either this map or Ravaged Base, and Echo24's winning Rebel Commando squad used this.



Made by: Wizards of the Coast
Year of Release: 2005
Current Status: Standard

- what do you like about this map?
- what squads does it suit?
- which side do you normally choose?
- a memorable game on this map?
- and anything else you want to talk about
Echo24
Posted: Monday, March 11, 2013 5:40:57 AM
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Ah, this map. As you pointed out, I won the championship running this map. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I like it. It's way too shooter friendly as well as easy to abuse with Override, which is why I played it that year since I was playing almost all shooters and tons of Override. My strategy was to set up most of my squad in the big upper left room, use my excessive Override to keep both doors into it shut, outactivate, then override one of the doors open myself, Levitate Han Solo, Smuggler out of the room, give him a shot with Princess Leia, take his own shot, run back into the room, Override the door shut AGAIN. I would do this starting round 1, and then keep it up basically every round. Usually by the time my opponent could actually get to the room they would be softened up pretty well, or I would just target their door control first so they could never break my Overrides. Often I would have Han's 40 and 50 damage shots going onto Ugnaughts early, much to the confusion of some of my opponents when I had the option to put some damage on their main character. But if they only had 2 Ugnaughts and I could take them out in round 1, that could practically clinch me the game.

What I like about this map: Despite how I think its imbalanced, I do have fun on it. I think a shooter squad vs. a shooter squad or a melee squad vs. a melee squad is a lot of fun on this map, because you don't have to worry much about the shooter/melee imbalance. The left and the right sides are different but both have their virtues, so there is good reason to take either side but neither is a handicap. It's got walls in Gambit but not enclosing Gambit, so you can get up into it without exposing yourself too much.

What squads does it suit: Shooters with Override. There are only a few important doors on this map (3 or 4, depending on how people set up), but they are REALLY important. The shooting lanes are long and clear, so melee has to be extra careful. Because of the openness, a good movement breaker is more important than usual too.

Which side: I normally choose the left side, so I can use that big room, although I can work with the right side and the Throne Room also.

Memorable game: Of course it has to be the 2010 Championship game. I won map roll, which was huge, and then I got the left side of the map also. My strategy worked absolutely perfectly, since I was playing against a Lorder Vader/Jarael squad.
corranhorn
Posted: Monday, March 11, 2013 11:04:18 AM
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Joined: 3/14/2009
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Thanks Hutts! BigGrin

I'd agree with Echo-Throne Room is a very shooter friendly map. That being said, it's also a lot of fun in casual games. One thing I really like is that you often have to take agamble to get a good angle on an opponent. For example, mobing a shooter up to the north eastern door of the security room from the little alcove immediately to the east. You get a good angle but you leave that shooter exposed to a certain degree. (That dosen't sound fun but the challenge is in finding ways around problems like that). This is definitely my most played map, probably by a very large margin. That's because when I first picked up minis, it was the Clone Strike starter set, and then the 2007 starter with this/Valley of the Dark Lords. Pretty soon, though, I lost the Muunilist map (since found it) and for probably a year played almost exclusively on Throne Room. Even now that I have many more maps this one is still special.

I find that the best squads for this map are shooter with Twin Attack and some means of defense. (Evade, etc). They can move up and take a position in the same turn as they fire from it and can survive a few shots if they are exposed. Movement breakers and big melee beats are also very good here.

I usually choose the east side of the map so as to get access to the firing position just inside the Throne Room's west door. However, I'm starting to think that the left side is better since you have more angles of approach.

Memorable game? So many....
The most memorable is largely due to nostalgtia, rather than something funny, but I'll share it anyway. Years and years ago, in 2007 I was pretty young (10, if you must know. Yes, I'm only 16). I was just getting into miniatures and a friend came to stay for a week (his parents were going somewhere, I don't really remember). On the way home from picking him up we stopped at my FLGS and I picked up a pack of CotF. (Great pack- Ulic, an SAD, and a bunch of other, less awesome, stuff). Started a 2v2 game, where my friend and I used the turbolifts to land our forces deep in enemy territory (more on that to come). General Kenobi and his troopers (friends's squad) barely managed to establish a beachead in the Throne Room's turbolift well while my Sith forces deployed from the other turbolift and fought their way through a horde of enemies, ending with my Sith Assault Droid going toe-to-toe with Depa Billaba and winning thanks to our less than stellar understanding of the rules behind Flamethrower. Great game, I'll remember that one forever.

The turbolift thing- Back when I first got into the game I was pretty young and it seemed stupid that the turbolifts didn't go anywhere. So, I came up with a houserule that the turbolifts could, indeed transport people. Basically, a character could give up its attack that turn to activate aturbolift that it was in. Everyone in that turbolift was transported immediately to another one. (You couldn't tranposrt to a turbolift with people in it already). I haven't played with it in a long time but it worked surprisingly well. The turbolift rule helped players deploy minis past those long lines of fire without ever being too broken.
wannabe mexican
Posted: Friday, March 15, 2013 5:01:43 AM
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This was the first map I ever played on, so I will always have fond memories of it. And for a long time, it was the map I ended up playing on the most. My favourite side is the throne room side, rushing up into gambit and camping there in the low objects, keeping out of sight.
corranhorn
Posted: Friday, March 15, 2013 6:13:40 PM
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Joined: 3/14/2009
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wannabe mexican wrote:
This was the first map I ever played on, so I will always have fond memories of it. And for a long time, it was the map I ended up playing on the most. My favourite side is the throne room side, rushing up into gambit and camping there in the low objects, keeping out of sight.



That used to be my favorite side as well but I've started to think the other side is better. It's much harder for them to flank you.
thereisnotry
Posted: Saturday, March 16, 2013 7:56:08 AM
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I've played many dozens of games on this map. I really like it, and I always have. Some squads can really abuse it, as has already been discussed. But I like how there are safe places to hide commanders on both sides, and how gambit is partially protected on both sides, which allows you to move to gambit and then force a confrontation.

As it comes to tactics, once the two center doors are blown, the game opens up hugely. Until then it's a matter of override battles and long lines of sight.

This is definitely a shooty map, but I've found that melee squads can do just fine as well, since they can start on the left and get easy gambit first round, which forces their opponent to extend themselves to even the score, which then allows the melee pieces to get up in the face of those wimpy shooters. You just have to learn the LOS's and keep your melee pieces in good position until it's time to strike. Beware of Arica and furious assaulting pieces, though...they'll rip your squad to shreds on either side of this map if you give them a chance.

I've had lots of memorable games on this map, but one of the most memorable was in the 2010 Team Tournament when I played against Jim McNaney's Vader swap squad with my Skybuck squad...Yobuck ate up almost every fodder piece on the board with his first gallop, and then swapped for Anakin, who did even more carnage. The range of Yobuck on this map is truly devastating, since there are fairly straight paths from one side to the other (so that you don't waste movement going around corners, etc).
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