Written by Roland Christy
In this instalment of Always in Motion is the Future, we’re going to look at a character who has not yet been created for Destiny and, after looking at some background info, hypothesize what abilities and stats that that character might have. Theme is very near and dear to my heart, so I take great pleasure in matching abilities and even dice sides with a character’s personality. This week I want to look at a droid that even the mighty Jedi feared: the Destroyer Droid!
By far the most deadly combat unit of the Trade Federation and CIS forces, the Destroyer Droid (or Droideka) comes equipped with powerful blaster cannons and a shield that repels most blasters and even lightsabers. Though slow when walking, it can reach speeds of 75 km in its wheel form. The Separatists used Destroyers to defend choke points where their sentry mode could repel a much larger enemy force. It took just two of these to send Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Force speeding away from negotiations with Viceroy Gunray.
It would be hard to argue that the Destroyer Droid belongs to any color besides Red (Command). And while we could make the case that it could be a support (in the vein of Droid Commandos), I would love to roll in with two or three Droidekas as my deck. I would also like this to be the first non-unique character with an elite die. A swarm of three would be fun, which would make 10 the starting cost, and 10 health is going to be a good starting point, especially since shields are going to be a major mechanic for them. But I also want to have the option to have a pair, so 10/14 is the goal. That would allow 2 points for the Fortify Plot that grants 1 shield to one of your characters if you are running two elite Destroyer Droids. Do you want 30 health and 3 dice? Or do you want 20 health and 4 dice?
If there was a mechanic in Destiny that was made for these guys, it is shields. We already have the Bubble Shield from Legacies as a support featuring the Destroyer Droid, and I briefly toyed with the idea that a Droideka could come with a free Bubble Shield. However, I think we can do a little better than that. I also don’t want to copy Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jedi Master’s mechanic of gaining a shield on activation, though that would have been a great fit for these guys. Instead, the ability could be this: Treat all damage dealt to this unit as Indirect Damage. This would allow you to interact with Bubble Shield (always being able to move 3 damage to it) and therefore portray their incredible shields. It would also give them much more staying power than your average 10 health unit.
The strategy of a Droideka is simple. Enter the battle quickly in wheel form, shield up, and blast away at the enemy. And to counter the large health pool the Destroyer Droid enjoys with its ability, it will only deal indirect damage with 2 Indirect, 2 Indirect, and +3 Indirect for 1 resource. The remaining sides would be 1 Shield, 1 Shield, and of course 1 Blank (only Yoda – Wizened Master gets the pleasure of no blanks).
The die faces are a little more tame compared to my initial numbers. I had originally decided that the Destroyer Droid, having blaster cannons for arms, shouldn’t be able to equip weapons. The trade off would be more powerful stats that couldn’t improve, but that would be an unfair advantage against decks that need to ramp up to achieve power within the mid game. And theme can really only go so far. If Jar Jar Binks – Clumsy Outcast can equip three lightsabers, then I think a Droideka can have an E-11 Blaster Rifle. This way it can serve as a heavy aggro character without completely blowing away opponents in turn one or two of the game.
And there’s my preferred Destroyer Droid. It has a powerful ability, but it requires a card from your deck to be effective. It has powerful sides, but it only deals Indirect damage, which is very great late game but does not consistently kill off characters in the early game. This system of checks and balances keeps the Droideka powerful but not overpowered. I’m looking forward to seeing what the designers do with the Destroyer Droid, and I just hope it is an aggro card that fits my new preferred game style.
That’s all for now! This is droid I’ve been looking for, but let’s roll along.
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