Rogue Squadron- Royal Naboo N-1 Guide

Welcome to Rogue Squadron, pilot! In this series, we will be looking at the ships you can fly in Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing miniatures game. We’ll take a look at a chassis and what makes it unique along with some upgrades and squadron combos. Strap in and get ready to fly.

Lock S-Foils in Attack Position

I’m not sure why but I have a soft spot for the N-1. I don’t particularly like the “Phantom Menace”, though it’s not as bad as people claim. The space battle feels a lot like it’s trying to be “Return of the Jedi”.  And kid Anakin doesn’t impress. He appears lucky, not naturally talented. But that’s all irrelevant. The Naboo fighter is sleek and fast looking. It has big engines and a thin profile. Plus an astromech slot. 

I was excited for Republic coming to the game for this ship and the Eta-2 (hopefully Wave 6). Does reality live up to the hopes? Sort of. I always expected it to have two attack but also expected three agility. Two agility and two attack puts it in that unenviable Z-95 category. It does come with an extra health over the Z-95 and Full Throttle changes the whole dynamic of the ship. Free evade actions for going fast help give it some life.

The ship’s dial is a potential weakness. It’s fast, so no 1-turns makes sense. As does the 1-speeds being white. It does have 3-banks as blue but it could shine if 3-turns were blue. The biggest weakness with the ship is the red Tallon Rolls. They are nice to have but overall, T-rolls are the worst turn around option. They are the hardest to judge and don’t give you a lot of distance. Going to head to head, if you T-roll, a slow maneuver from your opponent can avoid your arc. Granted, you can often T-roll when you couldn’t K-turn. But a S-loop would have been better.

That this pack doesn’t come with the Republic’s version of R2-D2 is a bit strange. Artoo featured prominently helping Anakin. I could see him being held off for that eventual Eta-2 though.

Red Five Standing By

You get a surprising number of pilots in this pack. And none of them suck. 

1. Padme Amidala (I4)
   1. The biggest surprise, as Padme is not known for being a particularly good pilot. She does pilot an N-1 in the opening of “Attack of the Clones” though.
   2. Her ability makes her a good addition to any squad. Limiting your opponents modification options can be very powerful.
   3. Pairs especially well with Juke because of her ability, though all of the N-1’s do thanks to Full Throttle.
2. Ric Olie (I5)
   1. Must go faster. Must go faster.
   2. It’s relatively easy to get his ability to trigger. The one speeds are the most common maneuver taken.
   3. Ric, above any others, would love a 4 or 5 K-turn. If he gets in a face off where both opponents are turning around, he won’t get his ability to trigger because almost everything turns around at speed 3 or higher.
   4. But he does actually like Daredevil. That allows him to, essentially, T-roll but still get his evade.
3. Anakin Skywalker (I4)
   1. Spinning is indeed a neat trick. Double barrel rolls, with one being pre-maneuver, gives him lots of options for where he ends up.
   2. Pairs well with Advanced Sensors. He can barrel roll (before he reveals his dial) and then use Advanced Sensors (after you reveal your dial) to boost or focus and then bump into something. He loses Full Throttle but it opens up his final position even more. 
   3. Also, Collision Detectors gives him more options for making use of those double barrel rolls.
4. Dinee Ellberger (I3)
   1. If you are very good at anticipating your opponent’s maneuver, Dinee can become Midnight against anyone.
   2. Doesn’t pair well with Juke because her ability prevents modification of her opponents dice, even when it benefits her. Another good Daredevil partner.
   3. Does pair better with R4 astromech than the others, as she won’t be trying as hard to go speed 3.
5. Naboo Handmaidens (I1)
   1. These are a tough one to judge. On one hand, their ability, when paired with another N-1 is very powerful. Two Handmaidens can keep Padme alive a long time. But, they are also very expensive, only Init 1 and don’t get a talent slot.
   2. The price is the biggest obstacle. Taking the pair is almost half your list. The thing they are protecting better be worth it. You can take one just to draw fire though.
6. Bravo Flight Officer (I2)
   1. The only generic available. It does not have a Talent slot, so no cheap Juke swarm.
   2. Cheap enough to load up Proton torpedoes. But still feels a little too expensive.

All Wings Report In

What’s the ideal number of N-1’s to buy? One to three. They could work well as just a single addition to other squads but they also work well together. 

Bravo Flight

• 4x Bravo Flight Officer (N-1)
  • Proton Torpedo
  • Passive Sensors

This is all about the Alpha Strike. Your Init 2 have trouble getting that Lock for their torpedoes. With Passive Sensors they can fly up to just outside range 3, get their free Evade, and then Passive Sensors until they engage to get a Lock. Fire off four torpedoes, with no Lock being wasted.

Heroes of the Republic

• Anakin Skywalker (N-1)
  • R4 Astromech
  • Collision Detectors
• Padme Amidala (N-1)
  • R4 Astromech
• Ahsoka Tano (Aethersprite)
  • Calibrated Laser Targeting
  • R4 Astromech
• Obi-Wan Kenobi (Aethersprite)
  • Calibrated Laser Targeting
  • R4 Astromech

This is just an excuse to fly the big heroes from the Clone Wars together. Anakin in the Aethersprite is quite expensive. He’s much cheaper in an N-1. The upgrades are all optional. You could drop them all and make one of the Jedi a Delta 7b. 

Anakin’s Protectors

• Anakin Skywalker (Aethersprite)
  • Delta 7b
  • R2 Astromech
• 2x Naboo Handmaiden (N-1)
  • Passive Sensors
  • Advanced Proton Torpedoes
  • R3 Astromech

This is a simple idea. Send in your Hand Maidens as bait. Get double Locks on the first round of engagement with R3 and Passive Sensors. Then move in close for Advanced Proton shots with double mods. Your opponent can either get early shots on a protected Anakin or take out the APT carriers leaving Anakin untouched for endgame.

Daredevil Veterans

• Ric Ollie (N-1)
  • R4 Astromech
  • Daredevil
• Dinee Ellberger (N-1)
  • R4 Astromech
  • Daredevil
• 2x Squad Seven Veteran (ARC-170)
  • Seventh Fleet Gunner

You have two beefy ARC’s as a tempting target. They can use their gunners to boost each others attacks or improve the puny N-1’s attack. The N-1’s get to be more slippery, using Daredevil to make unexpected maneuvers while still getting their evade.

Juke of Naboo

Posted this one a few weeks ago.