"What are people's thoughts on Star Wars X-Wing?" Topic

Just wondering how people are liking the X-Wing rule set.

Other than the lack of a construction system (which is always iffy anyway), it's probably the best small-scale starship game I've played in 10 years.

Not sure it can completely replace systems like Full Thrust for larger scale ships, but in its niche it's the current king of the hill.

quick easy fun game

Gotta agree, it's a fun little game that captures the feel of the Star Wars verse. Which reminds me, I need to plan for a 100 point tourney this weekend.

I agree-- very nicely painted ships and decent enough rules. Hard to beat.

My son and I played in a 4-player game at Dice Tower Con to try put the game and found the game extremely repetitive, simplistic, and boring. I don't feel like writing a dissertation about our dissatisfaction, so I'll end it there. We're probably the only two humans in the universe who don't like the game, or at least say so in public. ;-)

I like it; the minis are good, the rules are fun, my only complaint that it's a tad too tournament focused but that's really not a problem.

-Will

Fun at first.
Now that I have a LOT of games under my belt, getting tired of it.

For a fantasy Sci-Fi game, great stuff…my boys and I really enjoy the scenarios and a occasional free-for-all.

P.

The models are a little on the pricey side (wait till you see the prices on the new, "Big Ships!"), but they're painted and ready to play. The game itself is quick and easy to learn, and can actually have some interesting challenges. Overall, I'd give it about 8.5 out of 10.

Great, great game. I would recommend you punch "X-Wing" into the Search function and check out some of the other threads about it, as there have been a good many and there have been some interesting discussion about it.

Jerry

"The models are a little on the pricey side"

I kind of agree, but almost all the stuff I have bought has been at discounts at Target or Amazon and I have rarely paid full price for anything. Once you see all the stuff that must be included in each pack the list price is somewhat understandable, though. All that printing and die cutting costs money (not to mention the licensing fees)!

It is the new gateway drug. If I owned a store, it would be my go to game for converting Board gamers to miniature gamers.

I do agree that it can get a little old. I only play it casually so I have great fun when I do get a chance to play. It really needs a good scenario or campaign book. Something that allows you to grow a squadron from academy to elite pilots and add more upgrades as they grow. Either that or a campaign system that follows day the X-wing books or some good 5-10 mission scenario set.

We only play occasionally, so enjoy the games we play. Any game can be played to death, so we try to limit our exposure!

Have found it wonderfully useful to bring "fanboys" into the fold of "tabletop gamers". Haven't had this sense of universal appeal since LotR miniatures came out.

First taste is free, here, let me show you THIS one next …

was fun at first, but got boring after a short while for me. Agreed, perhaps a campaign system/book would be a much needed add.

great game – quick and easy to learn but a lot of strategy – very unforgiving if you let it be – can died very quickly.

It's cute: simple and can only do one thing – that thing being WW2 fighters in space. It's not worth the investment and I only play when others host it, so I'm not tired of it yet. As mentioned, above, it's hopefully acting as a gateway to other miniature wargames.

But why does getting hit with an ion cannon slow you down?

Al | STARBUCK LIVES!!!

Love the game for fun-play, scenarios, and tournaments. Busy getting a parcel of custom ships ready to fl right now for games days at two different stores this weekend.

For the quality of the painted models and all the bits that come with each one, I find the price a superb value. The steady release of new waves of ships keeps it fresh even if you don't take the time to add your own customs.

This is the only Star Wars game that's really caught my attention since 1977.

Why ion cannons do what they do: link
They have to do something funky, slowing you down is as good a game mechanic as any.

I find some of the pilot abilities a bit daft, and the ion cannon rules are just plain wrong. But it's a fun game and I enjoy it.

As I recall from the computergames, ion cannon were slightly better than laser cannon at reducing shields, and then disabled all your systems and manoeuvrability. The former isn't really worth bothering with given the low number of shield tokens fighters have, and as for the latter, making a ship fly in a straight line at its previous speed (instead of always speed 1) and neither perform an action nor fire would be a bit overwhelming. Especially given the small recommended playing area.

If you can pick up one of the ships and not immediately want to run around the room making "neeeeeeooooow! pew pew pew!" noises, then you have no soul.

Love it. It's become our group's obsession at the moment. We go for big scenarios (I'm currently working up a 260 point job…); the more ships, the merrier, especially if you throw in the upgrades.

Like most combat games, it works best if you have a variety of scenarios with differing objectives than "blow everybody else up" (not that that can't be fun). If you've got the imagination to cook up your own scenarios, you'll have a lot of fun. If you just do "last man standing" fights all the time, yeah it will get old.

It's best to use lots of "terrain", too, and even make up your own. Simply slapping a "small moon" in the middle of the board and declaring that it blocks line of sight and can't be flown through can really shake things up…

Good, quick, fun, game.

Overpriced minis, as mentioned.

Gotta play this game with scenario's. I think this is the best Star Wars game to play. It only comes in second to the Miniature game. Too bad the miniature game was collectible, it also had quality and balance issues.

Great fun. The pricing turned me off at first, but I eventually drank the Kool-Aid, and have not regretted it.

Doug

It needs scenarios, regular head-to-head can get boring quickly, as mentioned above.

It needs a good number of ships per player to really shine. I'd say minimum of 4 per player.

The actions phase and upgrades allow for some interesting decisions. Very cool game. Just realize it's a game and not a simulation of space combat. Good fun, though.

It needs a good number of ships per player to really shine. I'd say minimum of 4 per player.

Yeah, that's key. The only solo ships should be the Millennium Falcon, the Slave 1 and maybe Darth Vader in the Advanced TIE or Luke or Wedge in a maxed-out X-wing. Everything else is just gonna die way too fast. But even then, most players will enjoy having at least a wingman to move about.

We tend to assign squadrons. The Rebel players can get by with two ships per player, but the Empire team had better be fielding 3 or 4 per, especially the base TIEs, because even with good pilots these things blow up like… well, like TIE fighters. It's no fun to sit there while everyone else zips around.

The only bad thing about it is that it's so easy to get into and play. You'll play it so often you will be burnt through it fast.

I second all the praise and will add that the rules and mechanics are the most refined and intuitive as any miniatures game I've played.

I think the quickness of the game is a huge selling point; it's excellent as a break game, especially as it's designed for relatively small areas.

Think break room tables; one of the big selling points for MtG in the beginning, as well.

As I said, my son-in-law, who'd only really do board games, had his SW-geek in overdrive, and hasn't lost the love of it yet.

The only down side at the store IS that it's so cheap online. So far, though, we're doing okay on the 'expensive' expansions, especially as they're not in big box stores here.

A lot of folk got sets cheap at the start at local Targets (still full price now), but will come to us to expand.

Doug

Edit: Anyone else think it's a heck of a lot like Pirates of…?

Scenarios and terrain are needed. Very surprised FFG hasn't put out a scenario list or a campaign system. Hopefully they will and soon. This and their release time may do harm to an enjoyable system.

I'm playing it tonight. I have to say I'm in agreement that it's crying out for a scenario book, as generic dogfights get boring after a while. Using the limited scenarios makes the game more fun, IMO, but because there's so few of them they get old quick.

All in all, I love the game. Re: cost, I bought a few models at FLGSs to support the little guys, but picked up most of my stuff at a discount.

I bought a few models at FLGSs to support the little guys, but picked up most of my stuff at a discount.

;->= It's appreciated; we can stand to be the 'middle stage'.

Okay, if FFG won't write the book, how about a thread here to start collecting scenarios and ideas for campaign? Plenty of rules and board games to adapt.

Maybe two separate threads?

Doug

Honestly I don't think it's a very good game. Top notch components (with top notch pricing), but the game itself… Too many times I'm left rolling my eyes. When my 9 year old says, "But I thought this was a space game…"

When my 9 year old says, "But I thought this was a space game…"

It's not a space game. It's a Star Wars game. The blackness and the stars are just there for scenery (well, if you bother to make or get a star mat).

It's not like Lucas knows anything about either space or physics. At least, not as evidenced by any of his films.

But as game about hotshot star pilots swooping in on their prey, making cool noises and blowing each other up, it can't be beaten.

If you ever played X-Wing on PC, you'll love this game. It's basically a vastly stripped down WWII dogfighting game. Very intuitive, the biggest difficulty is remembering the base overlap rules. The simple symbol-based dice system conceals a very smart system of modifiers. The miniatures themselves are of superb quality, far better than the plastic Yamatos you get at the 7-11s in Japan.

I have been caught out several times by forgetting that this is pure cinema-style dogfighting. With the K-turns (Immelman turns) I keep expecting my ship to fly backwards. But this is not Attack Vector: Tactical, it's a game you can actually teach people to play in half an hour (and not have their brains hurting).

I introduced this to my club a couple of months ago; it's caught on in a HUGE way. Star Wars quotes and sound effects whilst playing are a must, especially with those smartphone apps. "I have you now!" Apparently demand exceeded the highest initial expectation by 3 000% (yes three THOUSAND percent or 30x), resulting in great difficulty getting stock. FLGSs here are constantly sold out.

YMMV but my gaming enjoyment:investment ratio has never been higher.

Okay, if FFG won't write the book, how about a thread here to start collecting scenarios and ideas for campaign? Plenty of rules and board games to adapt.

See here, scroll down a bit to get to the Missions section:
link