Today’s article features a deep cut in the Star Wars universe. Specifically, we’re looking at the Clone Force 99 Squad Pack provided by Atomic Mass Games for review. This expansion features a group of clones more commonly known as The Bad Batch, and featured in an ongoing animated series. Probably not coincidentally, said show recently began its third and final season.
What is this Bad Batch, anyway?
The Bad Batch, also known as Clone Force 99, is a specialized unit of clone troopers showcased in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Each member of the Bad Batch possesses unique genetic mutations and modifications that grant them enhanced abilities. This results in making them distinctive in looks and personality, as well as highly effective in combat operations.
The members of the Bad Batch include:
Hunter: Hunter serves as the leader of the group. He possesses enhanced sensory abilities giving him heightened tracking skills and keen instincts.
Crosshair: Crosshair is the sharpshooter of the team, with unparalleled marksmanship and proficiency with sniper rifles.
Wrecker: Wrecker is the powerhouse of the unit, possessing immense strength and durability. He often serves as the muscle of the team, charging into battle with reckless abandon.
Tech: Tech is the technical expert of the group, highly intelligent and skilled in various technological fields. His vast knowledge regularly aids the team in their missions.
Echo: Originally a standard clone trooper, Echo joined the Bad Batch after undergoing cybernetic enhancements following his capture and experimentation by the Separatists. His enhancements grant him unique abilities, such as interfacing with computer systems and processing battlefield data in real-time.
Omega: In addition to the original members, the Bad Batch is joined by a young girl named Omega. Omega is a clone who shares genetic material with the original template, Jango Fett, like the rest of the clones. Omega often accompanies the Bad Batch on their missions despite her youth and has proved to be an asset more than once.
Despite being a long-time Star Wars fan, I have struggled to keep up with the animated series in particular. I’ve watched two episodes of Bad Batch to prepare for this article though. I have to say I found it more engaging than I expected. I look forward to continuing with it in fact. This is all really just to say that you can expect this article to be spoiler-free, but be aware that even the most basic of internet searches will probably result in one or more big spoilers if you care about that sort of thing.
The Models
Because this is a unit full of snowflakes unique and specialized clone operatives, these models are much more detailed than your average clone models. They went together easily as is mostly the norm for AMG models. (I’m looking at you though, droid models. Get it together.)
You get a variety of poses reflecting each character’s specialization, such as Hunter stalking a target or Wrecker throwing very large objects while yelling. Most of the models have some degree of unique markings, like the Aurebesh ‘99’ on helmets, or (the frankly 40k-adjacent) skull here and there.
Speaking of helmets, every clone trooper in this box has a helmeted or helmetless option for their build. I’m always happy to have more options in building these kits. I’m typically very anti-helmet (carryover from my 40k days) but I prefer the helmet options with clones. It’s an iconic design and in the case of Bad Batch they each have their own unique look to their helmet. Wrecker was my one exception because his bare head option is objectively amazing.
I’m less a fan of the bits of scenery included on the bases. The terrain meant for Echo and Crosshair can be left off the base easily enough. But Hunter’s model is designed with him leaping over a console of some kind. If you wanted to modify him he could probably be easily attached to something else, or directly to the base. His pose might need some work to not look awkward, however. For this review I went ahead and built the models as intended so I could provide the most comprehensive review I could. I’m looking forward to seeing what other more creative hobbyists do with Hunter in particular.
Because this is a highly personalized set of clones, each with their own unique paintjobs applied to their armor, you can really go down the rabbit hole with researching how to paint these models in a screen-accurate manner. They definitely scratch that same itch that comes from researching and painting super-accurate historical minis for example. If that’s of interest to you I recommend this reference guide from starwars.com and especially the 501st cosplay group’s extensively detailed costume guides.
The Rules
As you’d expect, these clones commandos are highly skilled, with good to great attack dice, good defense dice (with one exception) and strong expertise charts. Many of them provide strong benefits to clones in general with even stronger benefits specific to their Bad Batch brothers.
Hunter:
Hunter is the primary here, with a solid 8 squad points and the standard 3 Force to play with. His 9 health is reasonable given his surprising durability (see below). Hunter is highly mobile, with free moves when an enemy Primary moves, or a solid dash+attack ability for one Force. The real stars here are Leader of the Batch, We Prefer Going to Them, and It’s Hard to Compete with a Jedi. Leader of the Batch is a straight dice change (failure to success) for clones. Bad Batch can choose between a hit or an expertise, which is very strong with their expertise charts. This makes for far more effective on average attacks, always a huge benefit in a swingy opposed-dice game like this. Similar story with Hard to Compete; Hunter will be harder to kill than he might otherwise appear. We Prefer Going to Them will be golden on models like Crosshair, letting him gain distance and setup to shoot wherever he pleases.
Finally, Hunter’s combat trees and expertise make him a scary model, especially when he himself benefits from his dice-fixing.
Wrecker and Omega:
The first of two Secondary Unit options, Wrecker and his lil’ sis Omega come on a large base meaning they’re faster than you think. They’re slightly bulkier at 10 Stamina (Wrecker is a big beefy lummox after all) with the standard 2 Durability. They even get a free dash and possible shove when they activate, thanks to the Bulldoze rule. Muscle of the Batch is interesting in that it calls out three different unit tags. Bad Batch members benefit from both buffs (except uptight Crosshair who is not tagged as a Scoundrel). This rule is an argument for splashing Wrecker and Omega in other squads with the Scoundrel or Clone Trooper tags, particularly if your other squad consists of the rest of 99. The I Wasn’t Sneaking rule is cute but I wouldn’t use it unless I was fairly certain to pull it off. I’d be looking for a target that had 1-2 health left at most, and with an Expose condition on them. It could be a big swing in the game if you manage to take the target out. Otherwise I don’t know if it’s worth the Force. Similarly for Hahahaha Yeah: just getting a second attack can be powerful at the right time, but I’d want them stacked with buffs and an Exposed target if I’m going to spend probably ⅓ of my Force and an action on them.
Wrecker and Omega have a dual-sided combat card reflecting the two different approaches the characters take. The Boom! side representing Wrecker has a moderate amount of possible damage, plus the Pinned and multiple Shove results common with Bad Batch. Nothing else of note here really other than the usual strong weapon expertise, and the weakest defensive expertise chart in this unit box.
Omega’s attack and defense dice are the same in the Tuning out Distractions stance, but she has a more flexible stance with the always-useful Disarm and Expose as options at one success. Notably, her attacks have the same max potential damage of 6 as Wrecker’s side, but a single expertise can push her up to 7. The defensive expertise on this side is much more appealing as well. Unless you really need multiple Shove and Dash results, Omega’s side is the clear winner here.
Crosshair:
The emo bad boy of the unit, Crosshair, is your other Secondary option. Of the two, I think Crosshair is the more obvious pick. He at least fits my playstyle much more. He has pretty standard 9 Stamina and 2 Durability. Crosshair wants to hang back on a point, preferably high up on terrain, and take potshots all game. Find the Shot certainly helps him achieve this. This is a great ability he should be using each time he activates. For once Force, you get a Climb move and a free Focus action. With his Sharpshooter[2], he absolutely wants to Focus to maximize his potential, and the free move helps him line up the shot. A 10 dice shot, almost certainly benefitting from Hunter’s dice fixing, is extremely good on this model. Don’t sleep on his other abilities either. Trick Shot giving a free damage and removing Hunker tokens anywhere he has Line of Sight is fantastic. Relax, I’ll Handle This is much more situational but when you need it, you’ll be really happy he has it. You’re going to need at least 3-4 successes on his attack, but that should be easy enough if he’s used Find the Shot and Hunter is around.
Crosshair’s combat tree maxes out at 8 damage (9 with 2-3 expertise), and again Pin and Shoves. Those expertise charts are again extremely good. (And keep in mind Hunter can likely give him a free attack expertise.) His defensive expertise is of note here as well, getting easy access to extra successes and turning enemy crits into hits starting at only 1 expertise.
Echo and Tech:
Lastly, we have the Support Unit of Echo and Tech. They are definitely on the squishy side with 7 Stamina and 2 Durability. If you can keep Hunker tokens on them the extra dice from The Brains of The Batch will definitely help with that. (These guys will love Obi-Wan as second Primary.) Where this gets tricky is their Fight Smarter Not Harder ability. With it, you pick an enemy-controlled objective within Range 3. You then have to remove a Hunker token from Echo and Tech. If you do remove one, your opponent loses control of that objective. That’s potentially a very powerful ability, and one your opponent will need to be mindful of at all times, especially before Echo and Tech are wounded. Luckily, Keep a Low Profile gives them a Dash and Hunker for 1 Force, just like most clone “regs” (to use Bad Batch parlance). So they’ll have a little more mobility and a free Hunker to get them where they need with what they need to pull off this ability. You’re probably spending 2 Force to make this all happen and potentially putting this fragile unit in your opponent’s crosshairs. So again, situational but their most powerful ability when used correctly. Lastly, Forward Planning can help keep Primary and Secondary units in combat condition without wasting actions. I see Hunter and Wrecker and Omega benefiting from this much more than Crosshair, but it never hurts to have it in your pocket if needed.
Hunter and Tech’s defensive dice are the worst of the unit which again does not help their fragility. They are not going to be dealing much damage, maxing out at 4 (or 5 in melee with expertise). We again see the double shove + pin combo, or some healing and repositioning. The real winner here is the free ability at the end of their tree. They’ll need five successes to pull it off, but the savings in Force will be huge and they have a choice of abilities to use it with. The expertise charts aren’t great, but the ranged expertise is the clear winner with immediate free crit hits.
List Building
Consider pairing the Unit 99 with a squad that can benefit from their abilities, which right now probably means other clones. Obi-Wan is an obvious option for a second primary with his improvements to Hunker tokens and just being extremely good in general.
I’m going to argue for another option, however. Bad Batch would love a second Primary who can refresh Force, as they are going to be starved for it most of the time. Here I think there’s an argument to be made for someone like Cad Bane. If you go with Wrecker instead of Crosshair, you’re now buffing Cad Bane as a Scoundrel. Take Aurra Sing and the Bounty Hunters with him and they’re benefitting from Wrecker too. Plus, you’ve got access to Payday on each of them. One Force to let them gain the Bad Batch tag can easily pay for itself and more when they wound an enemy unit and Cad refreshes two Force. Knowing Dave Filoni, it’s very possible something like this has happened in the show. Whether it has or not, I’ve sold myself on trying it in game.
Conclusions
The Bad Batch is a powerful expansion with well-sculpted and characterful models. On the table, they (very thematically) want to stay together to benefit from each other’s abilities, but aren’t above working with Scoundrels. Their situationally powerful abilities can be leveraged by a skilled player to be brutally effective at the right time.
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