"AAR and thoughts on X-Wing" Topic

Hi,

after a long break, we have recently played three games of X-Wing. Is it still fun? For an AAR and some general thoughts on the game, visit:
wargamingraft.wordpress.com

Cheers,
Shandy

If you want to make flying the Millennium Falcon a nail-biting experience, scatter some asteroids around on the table. TIE's bounce between 'em like they're gravel, while the poor Falcon really has to plan ahead not only how to survive this turn, but how that will set him up for the next turn.

You know, like the movie. When Han didn't have time to even think about shooting back.

I don't have too much trouble navigating the falcon. I usually use the setup time to create lanes for him to fly in and then I do random crazy stuff to get in the way. Mostly because I run him with Anti-pursuit lasers. As long as you have enough space for the base he can make it around most of them. I use the 1-90 or 1-45 a lot followed by a speed burst. The 1-90 is basically rotating the base around one of the front corners.

I also run him with Jan Ores for her boost so they have to make a choice. Remove my extra die that is deadly to tie fighters or attack me directly. Jan can hold her own for a bit and in the mean time the falcon is basically popping a tie every turn. Throw in Jan's ion turret and it gets entertaining. B-wings and Bombers are a problem because of the concentrated fire power but only in groups.

Yes, asteroids are very important to the tactical challenge of the game. TIE Fighters shine with being able to take a hard 1 turn around them. Maneuvering in such a way to give yourself a clear shot on your target while using an asteroid to provide cover from other opposing ships is an art form.

My advice would be three-fold:

1. Increase the number of ships to four or more per side. A big, hairy fur ball makes for a great game.
2. Use scenarios with objectives other than "last man standing." The "Thieves in the Night" scenario in the Falcon's rule book is terrific, and plays very well with even a larger number of ships.
3. Find more players and divide up as teams. This makes for a richer experience and encourages interaction.

These ideas turn the game from good to great,and keeps the interest strong.

Thanks for the feedback! You are right about asteroids and missions – I completely forgot about them. Now that I think of it, we had some very tight games with them, especially with the one where you have to scan the satellites (I even scratchbuilt some). I haven't played the missions form the Falcon booklet yet, thanks for the hint!