Sin Report # 18 (2017-10-01)

This report was submitted by CMDR/CPT Hav Antiel/Sin/Wing II/ISDII Warrior


Sin Squadron
SIN WEEKLY SQUADRON REPORT #18
SIN CMDR: CPT Hav Antiel
REPORT DATE: 1 October 2017
SQUADRON COMMANDER'S CORNER
I've been making quick progress through the TIE-TC missions in the battle compendium, and I've started to realize some patterns in the mission designs. You know, those moments when you go, 'Oh, it's going to be one of those kind of missions.' You probably know what I mean. With that in mind, I decided to start keeping track of the mission tropes I frequently encounter.

The Eight Types Missions You Find in TIE Fighter
  1. Kill the Mines (AKA: @*$&% Mines!): You're sent into deep space to take out upwards of 50 mines, typically in an unshielded TIE. These are tedious and frustrating missions, especially when dealing with mines that fire a missile as they explode. Mines are small and frustratingly difficult to target, making these missions a pain in the neck. In the original TF storyline, Maarek Stele was sent to clear mines as a punishment. That should tell you something.

  2. Escort/Protection: The primary objective is to keep the target ship(s) alive. Although many missions include a 'protect your cap ship' objective, a true escort/protection mission stacks the odds against the target ship. Typically, heavy fighters focus their attack on the target ship while lighter fighters attack you. Shuttles, transports, and cap ships frequently require protection in these missions. Keep an eye out for Y-Wings and B-Wings with rockets and capital ships that are inexplicably waiting for your Shift-H 'head home' radio message.

  3. Kill the Cap Ship(s): These missions require you to destroy the enemy's capital ships. Often, these are the final mission in a battle and include an opportunity to kill the Mon Cal or traitor SD that has been the focus of previous missions. Although these missions are a breeze for SPAM flying, they can be a real challenge depending on your craft and armament. Oh, the hours I've spent parked behind blue glow of a stationary Mon Cal blasting away at 4x with the missile boat's solidary laser..

  4. One-Man-Navy: You're the lone EH fighter sent into the battle against overwhelming odds, typically in a TIE Defender. Cap ships? Endless waves? Mines? They're going to throw 'em all at you, and you're going to handle it like a champ. Technically, this is probably the most realistic use of the TIE Defender.

  5. Project Identify: Fly close enough to ID the cargo of freighters, transports, and cap ships. Occasionally, you have limited time to ID ships before they enter hyperspace. Although you're typically in a neutral or EH-controlled space ID-ing civilian craft, a twist on this mission is when you're sent into enemy space to ID enemy ships.

  6. Capture: You're sent in to capture an enemy cap ship or platform. These missions often include elements of escort/protection as you wait for transports to arrive and perform the capture operation.

  7. Kill 'em All: Destroy every enemy craft! These missions are made more difficult by departure conditions (craft that try to hyper out when they're attacked, lose shields, or become critically damaged) and by endless waves.

  8. Survival: The mission has a clock -- either a cap ship has dropped you off or it's waiting to enter hyperspace -- and your mission is to survive. These missions can include elements of escort/protection, one-man-navy, and kill 'em all.
There are other kinds of missions, of course, but these are the tropes that I've seen the most. Some missions combine elements (i.e. ID, then capture, then kill the waves while protecting the cap ship). Something worth mentioning is the use of humor in many of the TIE-TC missions. These include humorous flight group names ('Alpha 1, protect ATR Hoobastank!') and sarcastic in-flight messages. I have also been impressed by how some mission designers use the unique engine quirks to create cool effects in missions.

Did I miss something? Let me know!
SQUADRON NEWS
  • Sin pilots earned four of the top five TIE Fighter spots in last week's TCoP.
  • September MSE has been submitted.
  • LT Rando won the final TCoP standings for September.
COMPETITIONS

I will summarize competitions that apply to Sin in this section, but you should always check the Competitions Center and Combat Center for full details on all competitions.

  • The Price of Sin - This is a weekly competition with a separate IS-BW awarded to the pilot earning the greatest number of LoC/LoS/or highest number of SP missions flown. Minimum criteria for award is 2+ pilots participating across any of the 3 categories.

  • Warrior Trivia - Each week,, Plif will send out a link pointing to five trivia questions for Wing II pilots to answer. The trivia questions will come from the canon Star Wars Universe and various Emperor's Hammer manuals including the TIE Corps Pilot Manual. Whoever correctly answers all five questions the fastest wins an IS-BR.

  • TIE Corps on Patrol - Each Saturday, Woody will announce a free mission for TIE, XvT and XWA. Your mission: earn the highest score. For each platform, the weekly winner will receive an IS-SW, second will receive an IS-BW. Participants also accumulate points for their participation.
ROSTER
Sin Squadron - Long-range Support
The Unrepentant - 'Sin like you mean it'
Wing II - ISDII Warrior

Flight I - Missile Boat Mk.II
Warbringers - 'Victory through superior firepower'
[1-1] CPT Hav Antiel
[1-2] TBA
[1-3] MAJ Wondra
[1-4] MAJ Spiffy the Chicken

Flight II - Missile Boat Mk.II
Demons - 'Reach out and take hold of glory'
[2-1] MAJ Xavier Sienar
[2-2] TBA
[2-3] TBA
[2-4] TBA

Flight III - Missile Boat Mk.II
Hellspawn - 'Strike at the heart'
[3-1] LC Earnim Branet
[3-2] LT Rando
[3-3] LT Eren Iren
[3-4] GN Exar Kit
ACTIVITY
Flight I

[1-1] CPT Hav Antiel
  • Flying: 101 SP missions flown, IS-BW, TCoP, new FCHG rank: [OPTI]
  • Non-flying: Warrior Trivia, MoC-boc
  • Communication: email, Telegram, Discord
[1-3] MAJ Wondra
  • Flying: None
  • Non-flying: None
  • Communication: None
[1-4] MAJ Spiffy the Chicken
  • Flying: None
  • Non-flying: None
  • Communication: None
Flight II

[2-1] MAJ Xavier Sienar
  • Flying: None
  • Non-flying: TAC duties
  • Communication: None
Flight III

[3-1] LC Earnim Branet
  • Flying: 2 SP missions flown, LoC (x4), LoS (x44), new COOP/PVE rating: Master Ranger 4th, TCoP
  • Non-flying: MoC-boc
  • Communication: email
[3-2] LT Rando
  • Flying: LoC (x5), DFC, IS-GW, IS-SW (x3), IS-BW, TCoP
  • Non-flying: IWATS Core, MoC-boc
  • Communication: Discord, email
[3-3] LT Eren Iren
  • Flying: 7 SP missions, IS-BW, TCoP
  • Non-flying: none
  • Communication: email
[3-4] GN Exar Kit
  • Flying: None
  • Non-flying: OV-17E, MoC-goc
  • Communication: None
CLOSING COMMENTS
Last week, I called for more Sin partcipation in TIE Corps on Patrol. I was very pleased when LC Earnim Branet and LT Eren Iren responded to that call by flying the TIE Fighter missions for the competition. Well done, pilots! In the end, the four Sin pilots accounted for all but two of the participants (RA Pete Mitchell and Kappa's CM Bodhan Grayson being the outliers). That's good news for the TC and great news for our squadron.

It was a very proud moment for me when those TCoP BSR emails landed on my desk. I'm so motivated by your flying, pilots, that I have decided to try all three TCoP missions this week. Yes, even the XWA mission!

I hope you'll join me.

For Sin,

CMDR/CPT Hav Antiel/Sin/Wing II/ISDII Warrior

SSx2/BSx3/PCx3/ISMx4/IS-2GW-5SW-13BW-2GR-7SR-19BR/MoI/MoC-2doc-2poc-2goc-2soc-17boc/CoL/CoB/LoAx9/OV-3E [OPTI] [none] [none] {IWATS-BFM-CA-CBX-COE-CTW-HIST-MCBS-SC-SFW-SM/4-STM-TT-WIKI-XWAC}

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