So I only get to play X-Wing infrequently. I play home games with my friends, so its not ultra competitive. Still, I find myself struggling to find a rhythm while flying around the table. Maybe its the combined inexperience of both players, but we rarely engage, pass, and turn around. Its more like engage, crash, scramble, scatter.

Does anyone have general tips for flying? Maybe a good blog or write up for improving ones flying?

I think next time we play, after we engage in a round of attacking, I'm going to try and zoom past rather than shorten it up for another shot. I think we are both thinking the same thing, keep it short and shoot again, but we end up hitting each other and have a cluster of ships.

Or maybe that's just the nature of the game? I dunno. We are both (my one friend and I) considering trying to attend organized events, but I feel like we are still working out kinks.

Have you watched the video on the rule of 11? Crashing can work to your advantage if you use one ship wih low PS to cause your opponents to crash into, holding other, high powered ships back to light up you opponent that is stalled without an action. Sitting ducks then .

If you need practice flying then you could practice flying without anyone else on the board. How's that work? Simply scatter some asteroids and perhaps even other objects into your playing field, set up your ships, and then just fly around from place to place until you get a feel for how it is done.

Although you may play the game for "combat" if you want to practice flying maybe you could change up to a "race" format where the objective is to fly around some kind of course (or even just back and forth with no k-Turns allowed) and perhaps even introduce some kind of scoring for "trick" maneuvers that work. I know in my end-to-end scenario the closer a ship is to off the board (the other end) when it turns around the more points it would gain for that maneuver; the Holy Grail of end points would actually be having your movement template go off the board with the ship still being on the board at the end of the maneuver.

One thing to keep on mind is every single move a ship can make it would have been able to shoot itself from its previous position. If you have a higher pilot skill then your opponent, try getting your ship in the position he's in. This will get you shoots until he turns around. But even after he turns around you do the same one turn later and your back in behind him.

One thing to keep on mind is every single move a ship can make it would have been able to shoot itself from its previous position.

This may be true about dial movements (except the stop on the Shuttle!) but actions (notably barrel roll/boost) can change that even before we consider some of the crazier options and PtL. Getting where they were is still sound advice because you can often avoid collisions that way but you may not get a shot off.

Look up the "put me through Boot Camp" thread a few pages down for 3 flying improvement scenarios.

One thing to keep on mind is every single move a ship can make it would have been able to shoot itself from its previous position. If you have a higher pilot skill then your opponent, try getting your ship in the position he's in. This will get you shoots until he turns around. But even after he turns around you do the same one turn later and your back in behind him.

Thanks. This was the type of thing I was looking for.

Last night I played XXBB with a rookie, Biggs, and two Daggers with advanced sensors. My friend played 3 interceptors (Carnor Jax, Tetran Cowell, and Kir Kanos) and an Academy Pilot. After 2 to 3 rounds of movement, we had X-Wings and interceptors touching each other with a B-Wing and TIE fighter very close and another B-Wing chasing down the flanking Carnor Jax across the board. Before I could even turn around, my X-Wings were gone and it was 2 B-Wings against the interceptors and TIE. I lost bad being out maneuvered.

Probably just lucky rolls for my opponent, but I felt like if I flew better, I would have collided less and gotten more chances to roll dice. As it sat, I got about 2 rounds of attacking in the clusters before the interceptors turned on my B-Wings and I couldn't keep up.

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target. The idea here is to remove each ship one at a time as fast as possible. A ship sitting off the map destroyed can't deal damage to you. These numbers are not real but the concept is. If each ship has 5 damage to destroy it but deals 2 hits each round. If you have each ship shoot at different targets no ship will get removed and they get to deal their full damage in return. If you focus on one ship and remove it you have lessend their hit output versus you by 2. X-Wing should be fought as a war of attrition.

Everyone ends up in a crashed up jumble. That's not a bad thing. Predicting your opponent and making the blocks you want is the key part.

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target.

Related to this...

I have read several articles about flying in assorted formations, how not to run I to your own ships, ways to set up so you can get into advanced formations on the first turn, how to space your ships for an alpha strike and so on. Inevitably though, (unless it's a REALLY good alpha strike) your formation is going to get broken up and some of you ships scattered and facing different directions. I have never seen any articles or advice write-ups on what to do then. How do you get BACK into formation? Do you want to? All the advise and tactics I ever see are about the opening game (or maybe very late game if it's just 1v1), never anything about the middle game.

Any got some links for me, or feel ambitious?

Having interceptors crash into you is the best way to beat them as long as you have ships that can shoot at them. Interceptors need their actions to survive and without them they are dead unless they get lucky.

Look up the "put me through Boot Camp" thread a few pages down for 3 flying improvement scenarios.

Maybe I am bad at searching, but I could not find such a thread.

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target.

Related to this...

I have read several articles about flying in assorted formations, how not to run I to your own ships, ways to set up so you can get into advanced formations on the first turn, how to space your ships for an alpha strike and so on. Inevitably though, (unless it's a REALLY good alpha strike) your formation is going to get broken up and some of you ships scattered and facing different directions. I have never seen any articles or advice write-ups on what to do then. How do you get BACK into formation? Do you want to? All the advise and tactics I ever see are about the opening game (or maybe very late game if it's just 1v1), never anything about the middle game.

Any got some links for me, or feel ambitious?

A lot of this is because in the current meta the game is won or lost on the opening moves of the game, much like chess. On the tournament scene with 75 minute rounds if you bungle your opening moves you have lost the game with the middle/late game (if you even make it there) being mere formalities. In friendlier games this is less of an issue but in friendlier games, anything goes which makes it hard to theorycraft. The only way you will get better at these phases of the game is if you play out your games to the bitter end.

Look up the "put me through Boot Camp" thread a few pages down for 3 flying improvement scenarios.

Maybe I am bad at searching, but I could not find such a thread.

bumped it for ya!

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target.

Related to this...

I have read several articles about flying in assorted formations, how not to run I to your own ships, ways to set up so you can get into advanced formations on the first turn, how to space your ships for an alpha strike and so on. Inevitably though, (unless it's a REALLY good alpha strike) your formation is going to get broken up and some of you ships scattered and facing different directions. I have never seen any articles or advice write-ups on what to do then. How do you get BACK into formation? Do you want to? All the advise and tactics I ever see are about the opening game (or maybe very late game if it's just 1v1), never anything about the middle game.

Any got some links for me, or feel ambitious?

A lot of this is because in the current meta the game is won or lost on the opening moves of the game, much like chess. On the tournament scene with 75 minute rounds if you bungle your opening moves you have lost the game with the middle/late game (if you even make it there) being mere formalities. In friendlier games this is less of an issue but in friendlier games, anything goes which makes it hard to theorycraft. The only way you will get better at these phases of the game is if you play out your games to the bitter end.

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target.

Related to this...

I have read several articles about flying in assorted formations, how not to run I to your own ships, ways to set up so you can get into advanced formations on the first turn, how to space your ships for an alpha strike and so on. Inevitably though, (unless it's a REALLY good alpha strike) your formation is going to get broken up and some of you ships scattered and facing different directions. I have never seen any articles or advice write-ups on what to do then. How do you get BACK into formation? Do you want to? All the advise and tactics I ever see are about the opening game (or maybe very late game if it's just 1v1), never anything about the middle game.

Any got some links for me, or feel ambitious?

A lot of this is because in the current meta the game is won or lost on the opening moves of the game, much like chess. On the tournament scene with 75 minute rounds if you bungle your opening moves you have lost the game with the middle/late game (if you even make it there) being mere formalities. In friendlier games this is less of an issue but in friendlier games, anything goes which makes it hard to theorycraft. The only way you will get better at these phases of the game is if you play out your games to the bitter end.

I have lost a number of games midway through, often due to landing on a single asteroid or losing a single action. There is a lot that can be done late game to turn things around. Very few games are won or lost in the opening Salvo. They are won by the player that reorients best and manuevers best in the wake of that Salvo.

Its not the first shots that win the game. Its the placement of the ships, the asteroids and more importantly the first 2-3 turns of movement. Once you get experienced you can work out the most likely game state based on your opponents deployment and asteroid positioning. For example the PS1 swarm is considered a poor choice in the meta because it is forced to fully deploy on the table first which will allow your opponent to out deploy and eventually win because a swarm has limited movement options.

Similarly if you are playing a PS1 swarm against a PS4+ list if you can force your opponent to make a mistake manoeuvring in response to your opening moves, the midgame is also merely a formality as your superior numbers and blocking ability makes their life hell.

While not as advanced as memorizing all the possible moves for any given ship (I've helped/annoyed many a player with my near encyclopedic knowledge of certain other games, but even that's something I'd have to commit serious time to studying), once I realized that I was planning moves in the wrong order and forgetting which ships would move in what order (low PS to high PS), I slowed down and my flying improved quite a bit.

I have not played tournament but from the games I have played the force that loses in the opening will lose unless the dice get very one sided or the leading player makes a mistake.

The mid and end game are critical when there was no winner of the opening.

While not as advanced as memorizing all the possible moves for any given ship (I've helped/annoyed many a player with my near encyclopedic knowledge of certain other games, but even that's something I'd have to commit serious time to studying), once I realized that I was planning moves in the wrong order and forgetting which ships would move in what order (low PS to high PS), I slowed down and my flying improved quite a bit.

I think this is a key skill too. Realizing not only the order your ships will move, but also the opposing ships and keeping that in mind every round. Just something that you get better at the more you play, but you can definitely make a conscious effort to focus on that.

Look up the "put me through Boot Camp" thread a few pages down for 3 flying improvement scenarios.

Maybe I am bad at searching, but I could not find such a thread.

bumped it for ya!

Thanks!

It's also a good idea to keep your ships together pointed at the same target.

Related to this...

I have read several articles about flying in assorted formations, how not to run I to your own ships, ways to set up so you can get into advanced formations on the first turn, how to space your ships for an alpha strike and so on. Inevitably though, (unless it's a REALLY good alpha strike) your formation is going to get broken up and some of you ships scattered and facing different directions. I have never seen any articles or advice write-ups on what to do then. How do you get BACK into formation? Do you want to? All the advise and tactics I ever see are about the opening game (or maybe very late game if it's just 1v1), never anything about the middle game.

Any got some links for me, or feel ambitious?

A lot of this is because in the current meta the game is won or lost on the opening moves of the game, much like chess. On the tournament scene with 75 minute rounds if you bungle your opening moves you have lost the game with the middle/late game (if you even make it there) being mere formalities. In friendlier games this is less of an issue but in friendlier games, anything goes which makes it hard to theorycraft. The only way you will get better at these phases of the game is if you play out your games to the bitter end.

I have lost a number of games midway through, often due to landing on a single asteroid or losing a single action. There is a lot that can be done late game to turn things around. Very few games are won or lost in the opening Salvo. They are won by the player that reorients best and manuevers best in the wake of that Salvo.

Its not the first shots that win the game. Its the placement of the ships, the asteroids and more importantly the first 2-3 turns of movement. Once you get experienced you can work out the most likely game state based on your opponents deployment and asteroid positioning. For example the PS1 swarm is considered a poor choice in the meta because it is forced to fully deploy on the table first which will allow your opponent to out deploy and eventually win because a swarm has limited movement options.

Similarly if you are playing a PS1 swarm against a PS4+ list if you can force your opponent to make a mistake manoeuvring in response to your opening moves, the midgame is also merely a formality as your superior numbers and blocking ability makes their life hell.

If player skill is completely equal, this may be true. As it stands now, the better pilot will almost always win, regardless of the opening of the game. As far as I'm concerned, life and death is decided in the moves immediately following the initial joust (assuming you didn't get yourself completely waxed on the opening salvo).

If both players suffer similar damage, bumping, etc. in the first 2-3 turns, than what decisions are made immediately after that determine your winner and loser. This can be aided nicely by your and your opponent's ship choices, but you can only control half of that.