“We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship”
-Darth Vader
TIE/IT “Interdictor/Punisher” Starfighter
The TIE/IT “Interdictor” or more commonly TIE “Punisher” is found on page 59 of Stay on Target, and is perfect for those among us who choose to not understand the concept of “overkill.” The Punisher takes the concept of the basic TIE/SA (Age of Rebellion 272) and cranks it up to eleven. Massively increasing its survivability and firepower. When the Imperial Navy desperately wants a target obliterated with maximum force, and can’t spare a Star Destroyer, they send a Punisher.
When you look at the stat block you’ll notice that when firing Proton Torpedoes or Concussion Missiles the Punisher has the Linked 3 quality. Yes, you are reading that right. Linked 3 on a Proton Torpedo. That is more than enough firepower to blow a YV-929 Armed Transport (Age of Rebellion 275) off the board in a single round. Even in a ground attack role the TIE/IT is terrifying, carrying a Linked 1 version of the same Proton Bombs found on its lighter cousin. This truly is a craft that can punch well above its weight class.
This truly awesome firepower comes packaged in a very sturdy hull, 18 Hull Trauma threshold backed up by 2 points of shields mean that the Punisher/Interdictor is very likely to survive long enough to launch its deadly array of ordnance. Though its handling is a fairly poor -2, the generous 12 system strain does mean that a daring pilot can push the airframe beyond its stated capabilities for a fair bit longer than one might expect.
The Punisher’s high cost and high rarity means that in should be a relatively rare sight in most games. Very often the Empire would simply deploy two TIE/SA Bombers rather than utilize a Punisher; in some cases however the Imperial Navy requires the sheer brute force that the TIE/IT represents. This means that should one of these craft show up in your games, it should always make an impact.
Favoured for direct assaults on fortified positions, or against the heaviest starships, the Punisher represents a major threat to even the strongest target. This means that it should always be a priority target for your PCs when one shows up at the game table. Tough as they are, TIE/IT’s also come with a giant glowing “shoot me” sign, in addition to their other equipment.
If you are going to utilize the TIE/IT in your games, it is expected that you will be flying it alongside a fighter screen. Unlike the lighter TIE/SA, which is a surprisingly capable dog fighter, the TIE/IT is a lumbering behemoth and should it be engaged by fighters it would find escape very difficult if not impossible.
Despite its bulk and fearsome weaponry, the Punisher is not a particularly advanced craft, and so it would not be unusual to see them protected by the ubiquitous TIE/LN starfighter (AGE 270) rather than more advanced models. In a scenario with a TIE/IT present, the craft should be the primary threat to the party’s chances of success. By keeping the fighter escorts relatively mundane, it helps to accentuate that level of threat presented by the Punisher.
Because the Punisher is tough, and its firepower is so enormous, it is important as a GM to not overwhelm your PCs when facing this craft. Even one Punisher has the capability to cause huge amounts of damage in a short time, so it is important to use this ship sparingly. If a scenario is assumed lost if 3 or four TIE/SA are able to complete their attack runs, then two or even one TIE/IT can accomplish the same level of destruction and so it is important to be judicious in their use.
The TIE Punisher is a very capable strike craft, and can certainly find a lot of utility in games focusing on space combat. It is on the planetary scale that I find the craft much more interesting. With its linked Proton Bomb launchers the Punisher can level a city in short order, and for me it is this mental image that springs to mind when discussing this craft.
It is easy to imagine an Imperial Moff ordering a flight of Punishers to level a city sector as punishment for hiding a PC team of Rebel operatives. In this sort of scenario, the PCs must scramble their hidden fightercraft to intercept these heavy bombers before they reach the city and kill thousands with their indiscriminate campaign of terror. The screaming roar of the Punisher’s ion engines serves to trumpet the arrival of their deadly cargo.
In another case, perhaps a clever Imperial general has goaded the local Alliance cell into open battle, and seeks to wipe out a whole division of Rebellion troops with a massive air strike. Now the PCs must scramble to protect the ground troops as they struggle to evacuate before they are bombed into oblivion.
There are other narrative uses for the Punisher’s voluminous ordnance bays. Perhaps instead of Proton Bombs and Concussion Missiles, the craft are loaded with Imperial propaganda pamphlets as Imperial occupation forces strive to indoctrinate galactic citizens to better serve Palpatine New Order.
In another instance the bombing bays have been filled with dozens of seeker probe droids that are seeded over a wide area to assist Imperial Intelligence in tracking down Rebel sympathizers.
If you want to play up the wickedness of a certain Imperial commander, perhaps he routinely orders his troops to conduct chemical warfare. As such, he has ordered the Proton Bombs to be replaced with canisters of nerve agents.
The Interdictor/Punisher is an interesting ship in that it really doesn’t cover any new ground in terms of ship design. It simply takes what the standard Tie Bomber can do, and makes it more powerful. This makes it a great addition to your games, as it represents a not-too-subtle scaling up of Imperial efforts without having to completely change how you plan your games. If you don’t want to start throwing elite pilots and hyper-advanced starfighters at your players right away, and still want to make them feel threatened, you can do far worse than putting them up against a Punisher or two.
Brett Bambridge
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