FIRST NOTE: Should I be using "accuracy" below, instead of "precision"? (For those not aware, generally speaking "accuracy" is "closeness to target," while "precision" is "closeness to other similar attempts." So a rifle that consistently pulls exactly one inch to the left of where the sights say a bullet should land is very precise, but not very accurate.) I don't know which really fits, here.
I'm curious if there are X-Wing movement hacks I'm not aware of, so I'll run down those I know, and see if folks have any to add.
These hacks assume that the movement template is blocked, without marking and moving ships. Marking and moving ships can be extremely time-consuming, and, honestly, it's no more precise than most of these methods, especially when the increased likelihood of bumping ships, during all the marking and moving, is taken into account. Honestly, most of these hacks are more precise than template-between-nubs, especially given the existence of "advantage templates." I have tested these hacks on VASSAL, and will comment on their precision with that in mind.
(As an aside, FFG really needs to just say "match the hash-marks up when moving, flush with the base" rather than saying, "put the template flush and between the nubs." That advantage template crap is stupid and unfair.)
Most movement hacks are unofficial, and if your opponent objects to them, you should defer to your opponent. In most cases, if the opponent objects to them, it's because the opponent doesn't really understand how or why they work, and why they're a benefit, so sometimes it's worth trying to explain. But if that goes nowhere, again, the "official" method of marking interfering ships, then moving via template-between-hubs, needs to be done.
(1) "Next to Nubs" - Put the template flush against the front of the base, and directly on the outside of one of the nubs. Move the ship, slotting the back of the base flush in the same way.
NOTES: First, it's not very precise. It's much easier to tilt the template to one side or the other with only one nub to reference. The "Templates Alongside" method below is much more precise, and if it's doable, IMO should be preferred. Second, this does not work with banks or turns, due to simple geometry. Not many people are confused by this nowadays, but it used to be pretty common. Only straights or K-turns. Finally, after placing the template, but before moving the ship, you should give your opponent a chance to object. This really is an imprecise method, and it really is easy to angle the template to one side or the other.
(2) "Templates Alongside" - If the moving ship will leapfrog over an intervening ship or ships, and a lane to the right or left of the moving ship is clear, this is a great method. To use it, add together the distance of the maneuver, and double the ship's base length. (Small base add 2, Medium add 3, Large add 4.) Select a combination of templates equaling this number, and lay them perfectly end-to-end to the side of the moving ship, back of the template even with back of the base. Then pick up the ship and place it at the other end of the Templates Alongside, with the front of the base even with the front of the template. The ship has now moved the distance between starting and ending position.
NOTES: First, this method is extremely precise. More so than the normal "between the nubs" movement. In fact, on more than one occasion I'v had someone who I knew understood the precision of this method object to using it because he wanted to benefit from the imprecision of another method. Second, again and hopefully obviously, this only works with straights or K-turns. Third, despite some concern about Medium bases being just a touch rectangular, VASSAL shows this as very nearly perfect.
(3) "Slide Into Bump" - If a ship is clearly going to bump into an intervening ship, lay a long template flush alongside the ship, and simply slide it gently into the bump.
NOTE: Only straights or K-turns.
(4) "The Hinge" - If a template needs to pass under a ship, whether the move will clear or bump, sometimes it's helpful to carefully treat one edge of the intervening ship as a hinge, tilting it far enough to fit the template beneath. Done carefully, the edge that stays in contact with the map gives good stability.
(5) "Side to Side Turn" - With the introduction of hash-marks on all four side of the ship-token cardboard, FFG made it possible to use the method of lining a Turn template up with the hash-mark, move the ship, and again line up the hash-marks, completing a turn over an intervening ship.
NOTES: First, only for turns. Second, this is most accurate with Small bases. It's still off a tiny amount, but easily less than the "wiggle room" of all templates. With both Medium and Large bases, the difference (between a side turn and a normal turn) is nearly identical, with the side turn pushing the ship further ahead by about 1 mm. Again, this is easily in the tolerances of a normal template move, but it's a noticeable difference on VASSAL.
(6) "The Fit Between" - If a ship is clearly going to bump, but there's question about whether it will be blocked by a closer ship or a further ship, lay your template normally -- The Hinge is often useful here, as is Templates Alongside -- and then use a second ship base to check whether there's room for the moving ship to fit between the closer ship and the farther ship.
(7) "Train Tracks" - This isn't a hack so much as it's unequivocally the right way to handle moves where the movement template's visibility is partially or fully swallowed by the moving ship. This happens a lot with Large ships doing one turns, for instance. Basically, as a ship moves, its front and rear hash-marks are intended to stay aligned with the movement template, extended out to front or rear as far as necessary. Using actual templates, instead of visualizing, allows this to be quite precise.
NOTE: Nothing much to say about this one, except to observe that the X-Wing community was using the method very nearly from the beginning of the game ... and had to teach it to the game developers during a major event, after they, while judging, made egregious mistakes with Large ships doing turns. This matters because of how often the finishing angle is vital during a bumped turn or bank.
(8) "Eyeball It" - Some players would be surprised how often this is done even between top players at major events. If the movement's precision is of lesser importance -- for example, a ship fleeing clearly out of arc and range -- the invitation to "eyeball it" is common. Similarly, if a ship reveals a short bank maneuver, for example, and it's clear the ship will (or won't) have arc for anything that matters ... "eyeball it."
NOTES: First, X-Wing on the table is a game of tolerable margin of error. Goodwill between players, and quick movement allowing more time to play, is often more important than perfect precision. This does involve trust, so it's a bad idea to abuse the invitation to your benefit. Second, yes, while a non-perfect eyeballed maneuver will have deterministic future effects, as long as neither player can see and game those effects to their advantage, they don't really matter. There's no telling now who will benefit in three turns, so "eyeball it."
(9) "Plus Two (or Plus Three)" - A Small or Large ship that can obviously Boost straight after a straight move, or aerilon straight before a straight move, can simply combine the two by selecting a straight template two longer (three longer, for a Large ship) that your base maneuver.
NOTES: From @Roundy1161 - thanks! This definitely only works on "straight maneuver plus second straight maneuver," and it doesn't work with Medium ships. (Because you can't pick a template 2.5 longer than your base maneuver.)
So ... am I missing any?
Edited by Jeff Wilder