Okay, as with everything, there's a variety of opinions on Reserves. I think we all agree it can be very strong under the right circumstances, but we're pretty divided on whether or not it's a problem.

This thread will address none of that.

Instead, I want to know: what is your vision for Reserves? If you could snap your fingers and have your solution work perfectly, bringing an elegant Tier 1 option that can hold its own without breaking the game (or other people's souls), what would that solution be?

Do you like them exactly the way they are now? Should the dice results that trigger them be more spread out among more options? Should the reserves mechanic work in an entirely different way? Should fewer pieces have it? Should the options be more limited? If you think it's too swingy, how would you change the core of the ability so that it still exists, but won't swing the game in an unbalanced way?

I am not starting a community petition, or sending out invitations for mass complaint, but rather I want to see what creative ways you can come up with to change/augment/limit the ability so it makes the game even better - for you and/or even the people who disagree with you

Looking forward to your creative responses

When you defeat a piece brought in you score double the gambit.

I actually like the "Immediate Reserves" idea because it gave you more of a chance of actually getting those !@#$% Reserves; in 11-12 years of playing I can count on one hand how often I rolled to get them (and I'm not sure I'd use all five fingers ....)

Pieces brought in lose one special ability of youropponents choice--- he said be creative...

Each character's Reserves can trigger only once per game.

Think it's pretty close to good right now, plenty of counters and would love to see a Pong or Voxyn Queen type piece in each faction. They are a fun random chance build and in addition to all of the hard counters against them, they are themselves their own counter. Being a slot machine random chance team. On paper your odds always look good. And then in game... yeah not so much haha. But they are a ton of fun and add a level of creative swingy fun with a high risk and potentially high reward gameplay. So more of them please!

To keep haters happy though maybe a focused reserves piece like Seventh Sister or Voxyn Queen. Would love to see these kinds of reserves:

Grievous/Kalani with Huge droid reserves
Rakamat with Chazrach reserves
Nom Anor/friend of his with Shamed One reserves
Thrawn with Chiss reserves
Valentyne Farfalla with army of light reserves
Lord Kaan with army of darkness reserves
New Palpatine with Clone Trooper/Storm trooper reserves
Tusken War Chief with Tusken Raider reserves
Saw Gerrera with Rebel Trooper reserves
New Republic Head of State Daala with Mandalorian reserves
Nym with Pirate reserves

I think this is about the only remotely reasonable change (I still don't think any is required due to my stated reasons and we haven't even seen the "new reserves counter that will stop them from being competitive forever piece"

a great thread, and I'm looking forward to seeing Seps and droid players reflections.
For context, I love playing ST:AW and W40K (Killteam/40K in 40mins especially!)
so they're huge inspirations, that and GOBS or D20Modern hehe.
folks like Surf also made a poignant observation - SWminis is SWminis, it's not SWRPG, MtG, Myths&Legends TCG, or a more complex game,
definitely a good idea to have in back of mind

personally,
I'd like to see reserves have a 'timer' - they're auto 100% will arrive on turn 4. if you look at the ElectronicJournalofCombinatorics probability charts which are applicable to SWminis, by turn 4 it seems a fair compromise, assuming certain acts. and points per squad.

I'd also like to see an 'Advanced Reserves" tree, which banks more points from 'squad composition',
up to say 1/3rd or 1/2 of your squad which you don't have to show your opponent until the reserves arrive
muahaha. these could also be 'siphoned' by Muun Tactics broker, but instead of auto-assured,
a probability chart to steal 5, 10, 15 or 20% of that reserve (say even, odd under or over 10, with 20 being auto succeed and 1 being auto fail) so, that is a deterrent to not put too much of your squad into reserves in hopes of a quick pincer move late in the game to gambit.

you could also be influenced somewhat by the WotC SWTCG game too,
in so much as, having the reserves 'build phase' be a cheaper rapport to bring in.
ie, pieces brought in via reserves, which have staggered activation, are cheaper via reserves...
that could be a way to bring more vehicles into the game.

perhaps faction-locked reserves too - Fringe Only Reserves,
Separatist, Rebel etc... this will prevent those pieces being automatically included in Zann or Paratus droid mirror squads, which are 'What the?!" better than a Separatist Droid-specific faction hehe.
it won't work if its after setup...

and,
reserves arrive on a table edge of choice of the player with reserves...
or I'd settle for a cardinal point dice table as per KezzaMachine's "SW AI" charts,
which are very nice for "auto-SWMinis"

---

the above, locals and I feel would really nerf a lot of the what-the factor in it.
it will hopefully frustrate "Hobson's Choice auto includes" and the Vong.
you can have a whole anti-vong side-board ready to deploy in your reserves, that you don't have to show them.
(yet, which you would have to have listed in your squad submission at tournament, so they could just read that if they wanted... competitive and all).

I like this and what Kobay stated. I have no doubt when calculating the cost of the piece that the fact it can (or will) bring in extra points of characters that we take that into account.

Could also limit it to only non uniques, or x points of pieces costing y or less. When I made my character for the recently completed CCC his ability and his reserves means he can bring in a Rancor as the sole reserve (no other characters with savage could fill in the remaining 2,3 points. I did that on purpose.