Course Notes - Characters

Characters are VERY important. Many players do not use them because one character cannot get them a planet or destroy a fleet. However this is a narrow-minded attitude. Characters can do all these things through diplomacy and stealth.

It is possible to win the game using just characters when playing as the Empire and using your fleets in defence.

Each characters has a number of stats which are used when a character goes on a mission to see how well they do. They are also used when there are targeted for a mission. These skills are Combat, Diplomacy, Espionage and Leadership (there is also Force ranking which I will go into later).

Characters are used for a number of missions. Below is an outline of the missions, the special forces which can help and who you should use on them:

Abduction
This mission can be used to capture an enemy character. It uses the skill of Combat. The spec ops, which can do this mission, are Infiltrators/Noghri.

This is one of the most important missions, as capturing the main characters of the game is part of the game objectives. The best targets are: - Leaders (Skywalker and Mothma or Vader and Palpatine) characters with high diplomacy skills as there is no spec ops which can do a diplomacy mission or research characters, as losing them will slow down the other side and give you a big tech advantage.

The best way to win this mission is planning. You need to know where the target is and how long they will be there (see Espionage), the defences surrounding them is useful as well. It is best to do hit and runs if the defences are not good. Send in a fleet hit the planet and then send in a team of Special ops forces led by a high ranking combat officer.

Note: Never use any of your leadership characters on these missions. Although they may have good stats they can be used to better effect. The only exception to this is sending Vader after Skywalker, because if the mission works, you capture one the leaders of the rebels (one third of your final objectives) who is a powerful character and he gets taken to the most well defended planet in the Empire. If you plan the mission well, it is well worth the small risk of losing Vader.

Rescue
The rescue mission is the used to rescue one of your captured characters. All the advice that applies to the abduction mission also applies to this mission

Assassination
This mission is exactly what it sounds like, you kill the character in question and take them completely out of the game. Even if the mission is not a total success, then the target can still be injured. When playing as the Empire use this a lot and you can gain a big advantage. 

Here's a tip: The main characters cannot be killed, so send an assassination team and injure them, then capture them, its alot harder to fail the capture mission.

Sabotage
This mission is used to destroy any piece of equipment or unit except the Death Star.

The Special ops for it are Infiltrators and Imperial Commandoes, and the two skills that are used are Combat and Espionage.

This mission is best used for taking down shields and guns based on planets that you plan to attack. Hit and runs attacks are best, moving a fleet into orbit then launching the mission then leaving again.

Death Star Sabotage
The Rebels can only use this mission and it is used to destroy a Death Star. It uses the same Spec ops and skills as sabotage and is the best way to destroy a Death Star, as a fighter run can be costly.

Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the most important mission in the whole game. It is used on planets, mainly in the core, to convert them to your cause. It uses the skill of Diplomacy and only characters can do it. Each side has a number of characters that can do these missions and they should be used at all times to increase the size of your empire. This skill can also be used to improve morale on captured planets, to stop smuggling, and reduce the need for planet bound troops. Sometimes having a fleet orbiting the planet can have a good effect or bad effect, if you notice the planets loyalty rating isn't changing, ether send your fleet to the planet (if you can spare them) or if there's one their, send them somewhere nearby.

Espionage
This is another very important mission. “Knowledge is Power” and this is what this mission does. It gives you knowledge about what is happening on another planet, be it one of yours (to see if any enemy missions are happening) or an enemy one to check defences who is based their etc.)

It uses the skill of espionage and the special ops are the espionage droid (Yes I know it looks like C3-P0) and the Bothan Spies.

Use this all the time. If you have characters who are not doing anything, send them on this mission. Targets for it should firstly be Planets you wish to capture and then any that you plan to send another mission on to and failing that any planet. You never know what you might find.

Research
Research missions are used to increase the choice of ships, troops and facilities. Only a small number of characters can be used to do these missions so send everyone you can on them and try to capture their counterparts so you can gain a tech advantage. Make sure the planet you base the characters on is well defended and have more than one of the needed facilities so if the first one is destroyed the mission will continue. There are no Spec ops for this mission.

Incite uprising
This mission is used to turn an enemy planet. The special ops for this mission are Guerrillas and Imp. Commandos and the skill it uses is Leadership. This mission should only be used to turn planets which have low support as it is otherwise the gains are not worth the risk as this mission will take up a lot of time and your characters are better used elsewhere.

Subdue Uprising
This mission is used to stop uprising. It uses the same skills/Spec ops, as inciting uprising and this mission should be done as soon as an uprising happens to stop the problem getting worse.

Recruitment
This can only be done by the main characters of either side this gives the Rebels a big advantage, as their have more. This mission is so important use all main characters to recruitment is complete.

The only problem with this is that many of the main characters have skills in other things so a balance must be struck.

Reconnaissance
Used to survey a new planet from the outer rim. I don’t bother with this mission just send lots of troops ships with an escort and they will be fine you should expand into the outer rim early in the game so the chances of running into a huge fleet is small.

Jedi Training
Jedi Training is a very different mission as its sole purpose is to make your characters better. Only Vader and Skywalker can lead this mission (Skywalker has to wait until he gets to Jedi Knight) and only force ranking characters can be trained. Vader and Skywalker will tell you if they come in to contact with a character that can be trained. This mission is very much up to you. If the characters who have the force are not very useful train them up into power houses. If they are good already (for example high Diplomacy) then it is better to leave it, as Jedi training takes along time to get good results.

Using Characters in command roles
A lot of the characters in game can also be used in command roles. You should only this if: - the character is useless at anything else, the character is waiting for something, you have your back to the wall and you need to win a battle. The fact is although command staff increases the successes of fleets most are of more use elsewhere. Also if your more interested in controlling large fleets and your easily winning, you can create some of the fleets featured in various Star Wars books, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet.