Fistful of Credits (Cad Bane Squad Pack): Star Wars Shatterpoint

What’s In The Box?

In a departure from the usual fare of Jedi, Sith, Clones and Droids that currently make up the Shatterpoint roster, Fistful of Credits introduces the first dedicated Bounty Hunter squad, headed up by the enigmatic gunslinger Cad Bane as Primary, ruthless Aurra Sing as Secondary and backed up by 2 (or 3?!) unnamed Bounty Hunter Supports. This release sets the tone for a non-Force user themed squad’s makeup going forward and follows up on the themes set by the previously available Jango Fett. The box contains 5 individual models with the intention that the ‘bonus’ model; Cad Bane’s long-suffering Techno-droid, Todo 360 is effectively a decorative extra. As usual, the set contains bases, unit and stance cards and a sheet with a QR code link to the assembly guide.

The Models

The sculpts in this set certainly feel like the designers were given scope to have a lot of fun and there’s a definite impression that the characters portrayed are, appropriately, a loose collection of individuals rather than the more regimented Clones or Droids of previous squads. Cad Bane himself is in full spaghetti-western mode; sighting down a pistol whilst seemingly doffing his trademark wide-brimmed hat to greet his target. Amongst an excellent model range, this Cad Bane sculpt is possibly amongst the best when it comes to capturing the essence of the character it represents, right down to the sinister, almost mocking expression. Aura Sing’s own cocky sneer is on full display as she sights down her twin blasters and the miniature does a good job of representing her slightly spindly, yet languid movements as she almost crouches mid-stride to be at the height of her target with the (very) long-rifle slung over her back only adding to the sense of lanky height.

The generic Bounty Hunters are something of a departure for Shatterpoint in that they’re making full use of the shared stats for different multi-character units, meaning that these models can both be very distinct from each other and it not have an impact on gameplay itself. This has allowed AMG to give us three very diverse Scoundrel characters including a Chadran-Fan Bounty Hunter; one of the lesser-seen species in the Star Wars galaxy and this bat-like humanoid is hunched over with a bag of spoils. With his smaller stature, this is probably the most natural place for Todo 360 to be part of the crew (as per the studio-version). The diminutive little droid can be posed peeking out from behind one of his companions and does involve some slightly small parts so care is certainly needed when assembling. The potential star of the set though, is the Devaronian Bounty Hunter; a representative of the red-skinned devil-like species first seen right back in A New Hope. A very dynamic sculpt, this particular Hunter is seemingly having the time of his life, arms akimbo with blasters blazing and a manic grin of delight on his features, it encompasses the sheer fun of Fistful of Credits design ethos.

As ever, the miniatures are of excellent technical quality and, with the exception of Todo, had no real areas where components should prove any kind of trouble when assembling.

What Does This Set Add To The Game?

At 9 Squad Points Cad Bane, Notorious Hunter is currently the Primary character with the most options available to build his team and, with the majority of his abilities not necessarily being reliant on affiliations, there’s plenty of scope to include some of the more expensive or powerful Secondary and Support Options, potentially with their own affinities. The trade-off is Cad only providing 2 Force Points to his side’s pool, limiting the amount of abilities available, something that is slightly problematic for Cad himself as 3 of his own 4 abilities require a Force Point to use. Rocket Boots is a fairly straightforward Jump action which coupled with Nobody gets between me and my job offers a solid amount of bonus movement for Cad, particularly early in the game. The latter skill can also trigger some nice chip damage. How about you step aside? is a very interesting ability targeting opposing models contesting objectives but putting the choice of its effect on that opposing characters’ player, punishing them with some stringent conditions if they remain contesting. Similar to Jango Fett, Cad Bane also has an ability to refresh Force Points via I’ll Take Any Job…For The Right Price, offering some mitigation for his low contribution to the pool; this being doubled if the ally triggering it is a Bounty Hunter (which includes Cad himself). In terms of Stance and Combat Trees, Cad offers some above average damage potential and a fairly even spread of conditions. Where Cad particularly shines here is in his Expertise rolls, which focuses on additional Criticals on offence and on defence allows him to be surprisingly tanky.

Aurra Sing, at 5 Squad Points is on the expensive side of Secondary units and, like Cad Bane, is fairly reliant on spending precious Force Points to make the best use of her abilities. Her Combat Tree allows for some solid damage with scope for a substantial amount of bonus movement down one of the chains; a good reflection of her role as a sniper, shooting from distance then repositioning. Double the Contract, Double the Payout lets Aurra make a 5-dice attack against a different unit after a Combat Action which is a good boost to her potential damage output, as is Expendable Distraction which adds an additional 3 dice to an attack roll, at the cost of damaging an allied unit that’s Engaged with the target. Payday looks to be a signature ability for the Bounty Hunter affiliation and reflects their hireling status. At the cost a Force Point, it allows the Unit to gain a Tag for the duration of their Turn; allowing for some temporary synergy with other faction affiliations. Whilst not an ability that can be triggered regularly, at select moments it could prove invaluable for making a critical play.

The Bounty Hunter Support Unit likewise has Payday and their versatility is boosted further with Tools of the Trade, allowing them to Disarm a nearby enemy or grant themselves Sharpshooter [2] and Impact [2], making any potential attack more reliable. As it is, their damage output is fine, if nothing spectacular so any potential boost is welcome. Like Cad Bane, they do however get a nice additional damage and Crit from Expertise results with a relatively low threshold.

Conclusions

Fistful of Credits is a fun addition to the Shatterpoint range. The models are incredibly characterful and offer up the potential for some varied painting and opportunity to add a real splash of vibrant colour to the collection. The versatility afforded by their lack of reliance on synergy is a simple but elegant means of reflecting their mercenary nature. Cad Bane himself is a fan favourite and both his rules and miniature do him justice and I’m particularly excited to get him painted up and on the tabletop to track down his next target and claim the next big score.