R2-D2 #21-2 Tips and Tricks

R2-D2 #21-2
Reviewer: Webhead


ATTACKTIX CLASS: Specialist
STAR WARS CLASS: Rebel
POINT VALUE: 10
SPEED: 8
SPECIAL POWER: Recover (Rebel)
SPECIAL POWER RATIO: 12/26 (46%)
ATTACK TYPE: None
EFFECT: Numer of Attacks Random(1-4)


R2 is one of Star Wars most recognizable figures, and for a good reason…it’s the only character that is in all six movies in exactly the same form.

We all know that this R2 doesn’t have an attack, so, does his Effect and Special Power make up for it? Let’s see…

Tip for attacking with R2-D2:
Moving right along…

Tips for attacking R2-D2:
R2’s effect reads as follows: "At start of your turn, you may press R2’s Top. Window shows number of attacks you can make this turn." Pretty straight forward. First, a note, that when you press the antenna, the wheel starts to spin, when you release the antenna, the wheel stops and locks into place. To my mind, only once the antenna is released and the wheel locked do you have your number, as the wheel may stop spinning on it’s own and stop between two numbers.

So, the rulebook claims that you have a 50-50 chance of R2 giving you more attacks for your turn. But is this accurate? Not really, let me explain why. According to the Attacktix Autopsy: R2 that Joe has done, it has been revealed that the wheel in R2 has six numbers on it, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, and 4 (not in that order). There is no indication that anything would make one number come up more than another. So, let’s divide those numbers into three categories. The first category is “Less attacks than normal” (the two 1’s), the second is “The normal number of attacks” (the two 2’s), and the third is “More attacks than normal” (the 3 and 4). “That’s great,” you say, “but what does it all mean?” What is means is this, if you use R2 every turn, one third of the time you will lose attacks, one third of the time he will have no effect on the game at all, and one third of the time he will give you a positivie, more attacks than normal. Now, is it worth having a 10 point figure that can only help you out a third of your time? It really all depends on whether or not you feel lucky, and whether you have a team that can take full advantage of the added attacks. If you spin a 1 on the first turn when all you have is a single launcher that can attack anyway, you haven’t lost anything, but you haven’t gained anything either. Now, if it’s the end-game, and you can wipe out your opponent if you could just get a third attack in, maybe R2 can come through for you. Or maybe he’d spin a 1 again and lose it for you, it’s all a roll of the dice.

Alternative Strategies
R2 can make an interesting piece of “mobile terrain”, he is short enough that some Strikers can attack right over the top of him, knocking over the figure behind him. Don’t be afraid to move R2 out into the field, any attacks spent on him are ones that aren’t targetting your own attackers.