Speak to me of Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures game...

[TheBlackCrane]

So having been shown the latest trailer for the upcoming Star Wars film this morning, all day at work I've been thinking about the X-Wing miniatures game... I'm not sure how much that speaks for the exciting sort of day I've had, but my question is whether I should be indulging this whim?

The base game looks reasonable, although just three miniatures? Does that give a good game? How many would those who've played it suggest are needed? From the quick look around I've had it seems that many of the expansion bits and pieces are out of stock with FFG and low stock on amazon. Also quite pricey for expansions, or is that because I'm only judging by the number of miniatures?!

Basically, I'd like to know more before I give in to this whim of all of, oh, twelve hours...

Cheers
Rob

[OSHIROmodels]

The few games I have played I've enjoyed. Fortunately the people I played with have spent a fortune on the ships etc so there was no outlay from my part. We also had the original soundtracks playing in the background which helps enormously 

The rules are fairly simple but remembering all the little bits you have to do becomes slightly annoying but not too bad once you get into the swing of things.

I would advise playing with a friendly player that you know as this is mainly a tournament game and is set up as such.

There are websites that enable to make your own cards etc as I find it a bit restrictive only being able to use the cards supplied and having to buy certain ships for certain cards (an incredibly annoying money making scheme which is the mian reason I haven't 'bought' into it yet). I have a lot of micromachine Star Wars ships and once I get some cards printed out I'll happily play with them.

All in all, a good game 

Hope that's a help 

cheers

James

[Momotaro]

'Tis good fun.  Quick to learn and get playing, with depth and longevity of gameplay coming from different ships, pilots and upgrade cards.

The starter set - buy two.  it's cheaper than buying the three extra ships separately, and you get extra range rulers, dice and damage decks.

That basic setup will give you a lot of on on its own, and provides about 2/3 of the points for a standard game.  Extra ships do cost a lot, but one more rebel fighter and a couple of Imperials will get you to the magic 100 points.  As Mr J says, you get different pilots and upgrades in the separate TIE and X-wing packs, which you may find annoying.

For your second wave of purchases, I'd go for another X-Wing and a Y-wing, and a TIE Advanced with either another basic TIE or a TIE interceptor.  These do two things:

First, the different ships mean that your force plays differently - Y-Wings are slow and clumsy, but are built like a tank and have the nasty ion cannon upgrade; the TIE Advanced and Interceptor give the Imperials more powerful ships and missile options.  That's good - with such small forces, even adding a single new ship changes gameplay noticeably.

Second, there are some nice synergies that start to become apparent, so you're encouraged to tinker with your force ships and upgrade loadout.  Even with this basic force, there are several combinations (all detailed nicely on the internet) that help you greatly.

That's about £50 to begin with two starter sets, and another £50 to expand your options as you continue to learn.  The cost isn't bad, and is even better split between two people.  After that, you can add to your forces as you like - - more fighters, big ships and VERY big ships.

[zizi666]

Another vote for this excellent game.
Don't possess it myself, but a clos friend has a lot (not to say most) of the minis (and maxis like the corvette and freighter ship) so I've played about 25 games already.

As for forces : Go with Momotaro's advice. It sounds about the same as my mate would give to anyone inquiring about starting with the game.

[Johnno]

I have it (and every ship minus 2 from wave 6).
It is a good game, annoying money making scheme (jimbibbly's post) aside.
If possible, try and get some games in with different forces and compositions. There's no point buying a Tie fighter swarm if you dislike the tactics used.
If not, look for AARs and rerviews on YouTube.
Try http://www.themetalbikini.com/
Lots of reviews on ships, upgrades and other useful resources.

[Argonor]

I don't own every ship released for this game, but a fairly large collection.

Just ran a 258 points game for two newcomers, which promtly made one of them spend about £250 on the game (I know, because he tagged along on an order I was making online).

http://argonor-wargames.blogspot.dk/search/label/Star%20Wars%3A%20X-Wing

It is good fun, and can be played as a quick set-up with only a few basic ships all the way to min-maxed fleets with carefully chosen upgrades - all up to the players involved.

I, myself, and most players I know, have invested in 2 starter sets, like Motomaro wrote, as the extra dice, maneuver templates, and ships are very handy when you stage a game for one of your pals that don't own the game, but I would recommend just getting the starter set and play the basic scenarios to get to know the game - no point in investing a lot if it turns out you don't want to play the game after all (which I don't think will happen, but still).

[Agis]

All of the above, great little game. You can also get a lot of material online.

The only thing that annoys me sometimes is the huge amount of counters on the table. Results in lengthy pre and post game procedures...

[Momotaro]

Good Lordy - a review of Star Wars Armada on the front page of The Guardian today, with discussion of X-Wing too!

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/20/star-wars-armada-review-epic-space-battles-on-your-dinner-table

[Argonor]

Good Lordy - a review of Star Wars Armada on the front page of The Guardian today, with discussion of X-Wing too!

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/20/star-wars-armada-review-epic-space-battles-on-your-dinner-table

Oh yes, I thoroughly enjoy that game, too (actually, I just ordered my second Starter Set).

http://argonor-wargames.blogspot.dk/search/label/Star%20Wars%20Armada

[thebinmann]

Um, any idea of one-player-ability for either game?

[Hatemonger]

Um, any idea of one-player-ability for either game?

I would say minimal.

X-Wing is a dogfighting game, so a large part is trying to out-guess your opponent in predicting the fighters' maneuvers. I know there is someone online who did a kind of AI-type algorithm, which would probably work ok to operate, say, a swarm of TIEs against your rebel heroes, but I don't imagine it would be a satisfying substitute for an ace pilot.

I have not played Armada, but I know it has some orders and such that are intended as hidden information. I don't know how much impact there would be in changing that.

- H8

[thebinmann]

Yes I thought so. I'll have to hope they make an app....

[TheBlackCrane]

Thanks chaps. I must admit I'm more or less persuaded, but I shall take the advice and just acquire a basic setup first to see how I find it. I intrigued as to the mention of Armada though, I didn't know such a thing existed... darn... 

[Argonor]

Thanks chaps. I must admit I'm more or less persuaded, but I shall take the advice and just acquire a basic setup first to see how I find it. I intrigued as to the mention of Armada though, I didn't know such a thing existed... darn... 

Welcome to the Dark Side... 

Orders in Armada do NOT decide how a ship moves, but confers some tactical bonusses. Actual movement is decided by the player controlling the ship, based on the current situation, the ship's speed, and its maneuverability (using a special ruler that can be altered in a number of ways, depending on the aforementioned factors). The bigger ships have to (currently) order 1, 2, or 3 Game Rounds ahead (depending on size), so outguessing a Star Destroyer (3) is all but impossible.

I started playing a solo game before Darth Lea called me out for a battle, and I think it can be quite enjoyable. Not the same as playing a live opponent, but still a treat to try getting the most out of the options available to the ships/fleets.

[Elbows]

Look around online - lots of places have the ships quite reasonable.  The starter sets occasionally pop up in local stores for dirt cheap.  I haven't played it but know the mechanics and have plenty of friends who enjoy it.