Consider this an open letter to FFG. Other readers are free to disagree but criticism of me for my opinion is ultimately pointless and doesn't detract from the facts that helped me formulate my frustration and disgust with FFG about the decision as described below.

Dear Fantasy Flight Games:

Though I have every other ship you have put out for X-Wing, I have zero interest in Epic Play. I do enjoy the skirmish game - enough that it inspired me to seek out the ships, even when they were out of stock most places - and have a few friends that occasionally play it. Sadly, there's not enough interest in my local area to warrant competitive play nor is there enough interest even among the people who do play the game to encourage a steady series of casual games at an LGS. Make no mistake: this is a result of your own doing when you made this a rich man's product with your high-entry, low-return price point.

Despite this, I am still happy to pick up the starfighter ships for the rare kitchen table game or pick-up game on a lazy Sunday afternoon when there's nothing else going on.

So imagine my dismay at the realization that a company that prides itself on the (self-defeating) philosophy that with the right amount of cash, anyone can buy any product directly from their company has embraced the idea of marketing a wholly unplayable element next to an important element of their game.

Yes, I'm talking about the Rebel Transport. I will NEVER play Epic Format. It's a 1-percent-wealthy in an already rich man's game. $15 for 1 ship vs. $15 for a package of miniatures in another game system like HeroClix or the previous Star Wars Miniatures game is just outlandish on its own, but then to add a $60 less-useful component that also comes with a needed element for the established game is just insulting.

Frankly, no matter how I've tried, I can't justify spending that much (or even $40 as priced at several online venues - though I did note one of them raised the price THREE times to almost $50 in the last week) for an element that will just set on my shelf. Yeah I would love to get the X-Wing from the pack for my skirmish game, but not for the price you want me to spend to buy both.

I'm completely disappointed that you rammed the expectation I as a skirmish player would have to either miss out on an important element for the version of the game I prefer or give you money I can't spare (4-6 smaller ship boosters I would use, or 1 I would only use half the elements of) down my throat, and the throat of every other X-Wing player.

Granted, some people won't mind that much, and most of them would have bought the product anyway. That doesn't justify the way you have mishandled this product and added to the frustration this game brought with it when you first released it - that it will never generate enough of a following because it is too expensive for the casual player who strolls on by the boosters to pick up a $4 of Magic or $12 box of HeroClix, where they will get far more for their buck and have a stronger resell value when they dump out.

So, in closing, thanks for disregarding your customers in a wealth-disparaged economy.

Sincerely,

A Dissatisfied, Impoverished Customer

Cry about it, then don't buy it. You're missing what, a couple pilots and some upgrades? If you hadn't noticed, there are people on the forums offering trades. I've already seen it once. Why not ask people who got two transports if they'd be willing to part with the X-wing stuff, instead of sharing your complaint letter?

Why post here when you can directly send your letter to FFG?

While we're at it, FFG plz gif Advanced Sensors. For free, because I'm loyal and poor. Well, not really poor, just too lazy to buy more shuttles that I'll never use. Anybody have a tissue I can borrow?

You don't play competitively so I have no idea what this letter is about. Spend the nickel it costs to print out proxies for the new x-wing pilot cards, droids and torpedoes and use those. This isn't complicated.

The irony is, when the game first came out, FFG stated they had no intention of producing larger ships. It's only been our voracious appetite for the ships that FFG began thinking about producing these.

They knew they'd be expensive.

But, we're buying them.

They're not for all, and you're doing the right thing. Voting with your wallet. FFG will talley these votes, and that will determine the future of epic play (and whether we will get prequel ships, etc)

I'm glad they created new rules for them, so they're not necessary for regular play.

Magic is a "better value"? Really? How many of those $4 packs to you have to buy to make a deck? How many of those $4 packs do you have to buy to make a GOOD deck? At least in X-Wing you know what you're buying, unlike the blind-buy money-sucking models of the "better values" you mention. Please go back to playing the "better value" games and see how your pocketbook likes it.

Why cry and whine about something that nobody forces you to buy?

And I can't believe you brought up Heroclix in a thread designed to complain about prices. It's FAR more expensive to buy blind boxes and pray you get that ultra-rare ship when you can tailor your fleet to your needs with the clear bubbles that FFG packages their minis in. In fact, complaining about price when X-wing is one of the cheapest miniatures games in existence is really, really shallow.

And again, who's forcing you to play Epic battles? If you don't like the players at your local shop just because they play Epic scale all the time, then go online to Vassal and play there.

Furthermore, there are plenty of people who want this mini and don't feel it's overcosted. I'm one of them. Looking at all the stuff that comes with the Transport, I conclude that it's even worth the MRSP. Finding it for $40 is a bargain.

Honestly - no offence taken - I don't understand it. You can get one normal X-Wing for 13 bucks, and trade some cards in order to have those out with the Rebel Transport if you don't want to buy it.

Secondly, it's not said that all expansions are to be destined to the same public: you don't want / cannot play in epic format / don't want to waste 40 dollars on an expansion, then, fine. Others will be happy to have different minis and play in epic format, and this is fine too. It's called "plurality".

Allow me a comparison: take Descent 2nd edition. We now have 17 lieutenants expansion packs. Does anyone need one each to enjoy Descent? Nope. Some will buy all exp packs, some none, some will pick up a couple of the juicier and leave the rest. Does it mean FFG is having an unfair behaviour towards their customers? I don't think so.

In any case remember WE are those who decide. If no one will buy the Rebel Transport (hardly doubt it, but still), then huge ships and epic play will probably sunk after the release of the Tantive IV. Will this be a success, more will follow.

I can kind of see where the OP is coming from. He's not complaining about Epic and large ships, he's complaining about having to fork out for a transport to get all the X-wing pilots and upgrades (which are not insignificant.) Were it not for the X-wings I'd probably have passed on the transport.

That being said, this forum's generally a nice place. I'm sure someone here getting multi-transports would be happy to arrange to sell you the X-wing components. It's not as if people have much use for multiple unique cards anyway. (Flechette Torpedoes, the non-unique X-wing upgrade, comes in Wave 4 too)

While we're at it, FFG plz gif Advanced Sensors. For free, because I'm loyal and poor. Well, not really poor, just too lazy to buy more shuttles that I'll never use. Anybody have a tissue I can borrow?

I ain't got a tissue but here, dry your eyes on this E-wing.

I'm only commenting to say your thread is not worth commenting on...................

Well, as you've posted this thread on an open forum and as such everyone else here is perfectly entitled to express their own opinions, can I just say that I absolutely LOVE the Rebel Transport, and can't wait to play with both it and the X-Wing it comes with,both in Epic format games and in regular games and narrative games as well - the Rebel Transport after all makes a decent objective model. YAY 3D senator's shuttle!

I'm looking forward to seeing more Epic ships in the future as well. Go FFG!

Lucky for me, I've got a friend who's interested in the epic stuff yet isn't such an avid collector, that he doesn't mind splitting the Transport with me. He gets the massive ship I'll hardly ever play (I'm a dogfighting man) and I get the X-Wing goodies. Win-freaking-win, baby!

Magic is a "better value"? Really? How many of those $4 packs to you have to buy to make a deck? How many of those $4 packs do you have to buy to make a GOOD deck? At least in X-Wing you know what you're buying, unlike the blind-buy money-sucking models of the "better values" you mention. Please go back to playing the "better value" games and see how your pocketbook likes it.

After realizing how much money I sunk into Magic in years past, I will never, ever buy another blind-purchase game.

FFG, please continue making X-Wing just the way it is. This game is amazing and I'm getting tremendous value (FUN!) out of playing it repeatedly.

Just going to put this out there but the rulebook for warhammer 40k is $90. if FFG was money hungry, they could easily make players pay for the rules to play above the core set as well.

Please chooses to spend your money however you want. However, X-Wing is not directly comparable to something like Magic. The comparable miniature games all make X-Wing look almost free by comparison. No rulebooks to buy ever. Every ship comes with everything you need to use it in the game. Wave 1 ships still figure heavily into the meta, true evidence of the balance of new releases and lack of "power creep". Overall this is one of the most player friendly games and companies.

To the OP, if you really want the ship, give it a month or two and people that bought multiple copies of the transport may well be selling the extra base inserts and cards for the X-Wing and possibly the miniature too.

Now that I'm part of the 1% I should modify my Rebel Transport so that I can eat caviar from it during my Epic games with my Fat Cat friends.

Now that I'm part of the 1% I should modify my Rebel Transport so that I can eat caviar from it during my Epic games with my Fat Cat friends.

Off topic, but take the top off the Transport and it would make a wicked dip bowl.

Now that I'm part of the 1% I should modify my Rebel Transport so that I can eat caviar from it during my Epic games with my Fat Cat friends.

From now on, let the GR-75 Rebel Transport be known as the "Fat Cat Space Cigar".

Title Cards include "Eternal Affluence" and "Scrooge's Chariot".

Yeah, I politely disagree.

The transport isnt an entry fee. And even if it was its still much cheaper to get 1 of every expanision and the transport than to get a decent sized army for Warhammer 40k( which I stopped playing to play x wing). I have spent thousands of dollars on warhammer. I have only spent a few hundred on X wing. Its a very nice and more fulfilling trade in my book. I also play MTG, and really who competively buys $4 boosters? I dont play competively but I understand that the cards inside the plastic are rarely worth what you pay to open that booster, so I buy my cards from third parties which gives me exactly what I want. But I still have spent more money on MTG than I have on X wing.

I hate GW for what they have done to 40k. I love FFG for what they are doing to X wing.

Im not a competative x wing player, in fact i play maybe 1 game a week with my brother. But I have all the expansions and such, because I love models!

If you don't play competitively, just print out the pilot cards & upgrades. It's what I plan on doing until I get enough spare change to buy a transport.

I find it ironic that the thread directly below this one is "Did anyone buy multiple Transports" and the OP is asking to trade for the new pilots. That thread is much better at taking lemons and making lemonade, rather then taking lemons and sucking on them.

300 pts divided by roughly 25 points per ship = 12. 12 * $15 per ship = $180 ($120 if you get them most places online). Not exactly breaking the bank. Yeah if you just got into this game that might be a lot to pony-up all at once, but spread that over almost 2 years and you're really not spending all that much. Most people already have enough rebels/imps to field 500+ points on either side...

The irony is, when the game first came out, FFG stated they had no intention of producing larger ships. It's only been our voracious appetite for the ships that FFG began thinking about producing these.

They knew they'd be expensive.

But, we're buying them.

They're not for all, and you're doing the right thing. Voting with your wallet. FFG will talley these votes, and that will determine the future of epic play (and whether we will get prequel ships, etc)

I'm glad they created new rules for them, so they're not necessary for regular play.

yeah, but the talley is ..........hey, they all sold!!!!! people must love this stuff lets make more!!!!!

my LGS ordered 6 but only received 3, i was lucky enough to be one of the guys to get one. and when you compare the price for this game and that of others, look at GW and shutt your mouth (that last part was for the OP not you TnT)

hell, have you seen the price tag on infinity??? how do they sell anything, oh yeah have you seen their boxes? 90% have boobs or hot chics. i will never afford to play infinity, and GW has priced me right out of their game that i have played since the 80's, yes 1980's you little @#$*

X-Wing is by far the most cost effective game i have next to battletech

so this OP is out of touch, have you played mage knight or any of their cliks? they are cool if your 10, i tried and tried to get into them, models are nonfantastic and game mechanics weak.

I find it ironic that the thread directly below this one is "Did anyone buy multiple Transports" and the OP is asking to trade for the new pilots. That thread is much better at taking lemons and making lemonade, rather then taking lemons and sucking on them.

But I like sucking on lemons....