Last year I suggested that we needed more terrain other than just asteroids and more Organized Play missions other than the six-asteroid death match that we always have.

The new Epic Play format breaks the well-worn routine somewhat but we need new missions even for OP events at 100 points. The six-asteroid death match is getting stale and boring.

I've actually stopped playing X-Wing and switched to Star Trek Attack Wing for the past six months or so because they have amazing mission-based play even for OP events. You might be battling over a space station one event or beaming down troops and fighting a ground war while simutaneously fighting in space (Dominion War OP3: The Siege of AR-558). There are planets, Orbital Weapons Platforms, space stations, outposts, plasma storms, wormholes, minefields, debris fields, and many other terrain pieces in Attack Wing.

Here are 25 missions (out of about 50) from Attack Wing that are reviewed complete with synopsis, ratings, and several videos of each mission in game:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1112810/compile-reviews-and-videos-of-staw-missions

I have played Attack Wing three times as much as X-Wing and never get bored because the missions are always new, challenging, and fun.

FFG really needs to step up to the plate on this. The Assault on Imdaar Alpha was a real lost oppertunity to introduce some sort of actual mission. What about having the actual Imdaar Alpha Imperial research station as part of the terrain with some rules for it. Attack Wing freely gave out huge cardboard DS9 tokens to everyone who played in two of their OP events (OP1 and OP6) and even gave away plastic DS9s to campaign winners.

I suggest FFG developers watch the Attack Wing mission videos in the link provided above and start learning from Attack Wing as the pupil has now become the master. I believe that gameplay in Attack Wing is far superior to that of X-Wing because of those scenarios.

Years from now, are the normal OP tournaments still going to be stuck in the six-asteroid death match rut? Why even call it the "Kessel Run" event or the "Assault on Imdaar Alpha" if you really have no intention of doing anything outside the ordinary six-asteroid death match routine?

I really like the X-Wing game and want the devs to start giving us a variety of terrain and scenarios for OP events. The "Kessel Run" OP event should have had spice containors that each side could have received points for collecting and getting away with. The "Assault on Imdaar Alpha" should have had a cardboard Imperial research station that players fought over similar to the DS9 station that Attack Wing featured in TWO of their events!

Please, FFG, break the monotony! Start developing some actual OP mission play!

Make Star Wars more like Star Trek? No thanks.

I have mixed feelings about this topic.

First the 6 astriods is about more skill then scenario. It's about who is the better pilot and how the fight is turned on a well placed attack. I have not gotten tired of the standard yet mainly because I have not gotten tired of trying different combos out. I do like the whole scenarios like how Warhammer had roll a dice and there are 12 to pick but would hate to lose a game based on not holding a part of the map or something goofy like that.

Yes more might be better but it could also be worse.

(Ps each large exp has different scenarios in them which could be adapted for play)

Well, not like Star Trek, but there is a chance for expansion here. Imagine the "Destroy the Probot" Scenario, where TIE Bombers riddle the map with probe droid asteroids, and the Rebels have to shoot them down. Or the "Destroy the Emperors Lair" scenario, where instead of a trench run on the Death Star, Rebel players need to prevent an Imperial shuttle from docking with the emperors tower, and saving him, all the while avoiding TIE's and Turbo lasers.

There can be the "Rescue of Admiral Ackbar" scenario, where the Imperial shuttle must be ionized and boarded, before reinforcements arrive. But which shuttle holds Ackbar?

Even a "Clear a path through the Asteriod field, where Imp's and Rebels have to plow a path through an asteroid field, to rescue a damaged freighter holding Ewok pelts?

That is the best thing at about Attack Wing, but it's also what I haven't gotten to play. As I leave that game for it going completely off the wall, I still haven't gotten to play many missions (and the OP ones aren't the best since they make things perfectly symmetrical in strange ways). I couldn't get people in two different communities to play the **** missions that came with the ships. It was just OP events for prizes. But.... get the Rebel Transport! The campaign is a lot of fun and hits all those same itches. And because everyone likes new toys, you have a chance of getting people to play.

I do like the asteroids as a default format quite a lot though, particularly since they demand piloting skill, which is what rarely happened in Attack Wing (your sensor echo shenanigans and such happily excluded).

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I think that the missions in OP are one of the poorer things Star Trek has done.

Just like when tourneys in Warhammer try and use scenarios for each round.

Unless done extremely carefully (and I've never seen anyone get it right), it unbalances the game and favours 1 force over another. Look at Wood Elves trying to hold a Watchtower against a Chaos army. The tactic that makes them work and balances is completely useless. Similar things can start to happen in any game system when you start requiring scenarios.

If you like scenarios there are currently around a dozen to choose from (3 in the Core, 1 in each big ship, 1 in Imp aces, 4/5 in the transport and I anticipate that the corvette will have some too). Go play them, I do, and love them. But for tournament play, no thanks.

That is the best thing at about Attack Wing, but it's also what I haven't gotten to play. As I leave that game for it going completely off the wall, I still haven't gotten to play many missions (and the OP ones aren't the best since they make things perfectly symmetrical in strange ways). I couldn't get people in two different communities to play the **** missions that came with the ships. It was just OP events for prizes. But.... get the Rebel Transport! The campaign is a lot of fun and hits all those same itches. And because everyone likes new toys, you have a chance of getting people to play.

I do like the asteroids as a default format quite a lot though, particularly since they demand piloting skill, which is what rarely happened in Attack Wing (your sensor echo shenanigans and such happily excluded).

Thats because they have to, to make it fair for both sides, regardless of which force you take. To do otherwise would be unbalanced for someone, and I don't go to a tournament to lose from a scenario dice roll.

That is the best thing at about Attack Wing, but it's also what I haven't gotten to play. As I leave that game for it going completely off the wall, I still haven't gotten to play many missions (and the OP ones aren't the best since they make things perfectly symmetrical in strange ways). I couldn't get people in two different communities to play the **** missions that came with the ships. It was just OP events for prizes. But.... get the Rebel Transport! The campaign is a lot of fun and hits all those same itches. And because everyone likes new toys, you have a chance of getting people to play.

I do like the asteroids as a default format quite a lot though, particularly since they demand piloting skill, which is what rarely happened in Attack Wing (your sensor echo shenanigans and such happily excluded).

Thats because they have to, to make it fair for both sides, regardless of which force you take. To do otherwise would be unbalanced for someone, and I don't go to a tournament to lose from a scenario dice roll.

Yeah, I know. But it makes them less interesting. Playing the less symmetrical missions with different goals would be the most fun. More like something to do outside of the competitive setting. And I agree that the way the Attack Wing OP events and their prizes have shaped the community around the game has made it awful. At least in my experience. Considering the ideology behind Star Trek, it's pretty ironic that the best community I've found is X-wing, with so many people eager to fly casual, while the Star Trek stuff has been unpleasant. The hopeful and humane nature of the Star Trek world what makes it special, and just like when I ran into raging neocons playing Star Trek Online, it sometimes feels like a great segment of the fanbase has failed to even realize there was a memo to get.

Eh... no. For casual play, bring on the missions thick and fast. I enjoy them and agree that they make for a nice change of pace, but leave them out of organized play, especially proper competitive tournaments. Adjust the scale all you want (eg Epic Play), but you should not mess with how the game is played.

I would love more mission support in this game.

I would love more mission support in this game.

We're all agreed on this. But most are disagreeing with the OP, who wants missions introduced into tournament play.

What about organised play events that aren't strictly competitive. I went to a warhammer campaign weekend and had more fun than at a standard tournament. There was scenarios, army variants, weird scenery and we were put into teams based on what our armies were.

Surely star wars with all the fantastic setting behind it as well could handle a campaign event.

I suppose the question is whether people would be interested in playing it and, most importantly, paying for it? I certainly would. Maybe I should put my money where my mouth is and organise something...?

Surely, for organized play, some sort of King of the Hill or Capture the Flag scenarios could be devised, to expand on the deathmatches we have now. If such should be desired of course.

X-Wing: Dust2

Or a Last Man Standing on a 6x6 area with 50 point squads/ships (Howlrunner and 2 AP's for instance), for a max of 6 players at once. .

I have the game guides for x-wing and tie fighter. They have ALL the missions for both games. Lots of inspiration there. Both are available from amazon.

Make Star Wars more like Star Trek? No thanks.

This. WizKids OP modules are pretty broken - rewarding participants with overpowered game elements so they can dominate those who can't or don't want to engage in "official" competitive play. I'm really happy that FFG doesn't do this.

FFG is putting a lot of thought into the new scenarios and Cinematic play modes. Just because they are not part of the "official" Organized Play program does not make them any less viable. I for one am very happy that FFG has NOT adapted the kind of OP model that WizKids is spewing out. The "six-asteroid death match" is a solid base for tournament play that should not go away. If you find it boring then by all means move on - just don't assume that the majority of us are dissatisfied.

I'm all for getting new scenarios but not so much for making them a competitive play standard.

Also the two-faction nature of X-wing versus the multi faction (and mixed faction) options in Attack Wing make them uniquely suited to their different niches. I find straight up 100 point skirmishes in Attack Wing tend to be rather dull but in X-wing I never really feel the need for missions to break the routine dogfights as they are quite satisfactory and if i ever get bored I just switch to a new squad

Mmh, I kind of like the notion of the tournament as an arena. Players bring their lists and their skills and THAT's whats being tested. Not how well they can fly the hoops of a special mission.

The most I could hope for would be new ways to play the standard match, not necessarily missions. Instead of obstacles, why not Mine Type As? Or two Huge ships in the playing field. Or turbolaser emplacements?

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I think that the missions in OP are one of the poorer things Star Trek has done.

Just like when tourneys in Warhammer try and use scenarios for each round.

Unless done extremely carefully (and I've never seen anyone get it right), it unbalances the game and favours 1 force over another. Look at Wood Elves trying to hold a Watchtower against a Chaos army. The tactic that makes them work and balances is completely useless. Similar things can start to happen in any game system when you start requiring scenarios.

If you like scenarios there are currently around a dozen to choose from (3 in the Core, 1 in each big ship, 1 in Imp aces, 4/5 in the transport and I anticipate that the corvette will have some too). Go play them, I do, and love them. But for tournament play, no thanks.

I played at an X-wing store tournament where a mission was used instead of the regular 6-asteroid death match. I didn't know in advance, and it really skewed things. I came with a list designed for a regular 100pt tournament, which was poorly suited for the scenario (capturing objectives vs. defending them). Several people playing that day were familiar with the scenario used (and the applicable strategy for each side), but many people had never played it. The set-up and objectives were glossed over hastily, and anyone who didn't already know the scenario or build a list for it was at a severe disadvantage. In a competitive environment, it really sucked.

On the other hand, it was the first time I'd ever played a scenario game in X-wing and it made me appreciate how fun they can be. I'm glad everything took place the way it did, because it got me interested in both Epic and casual scenario games. I think an official scenario book from FFG full of the types of scenarios that come with ship expansions would be great. But keep scenarios (or at least asymmetrical objectives) out of tournaments.

X-wing has no shortage of excellent missions.

They don't use them in tournaments because of balance. An event you have to pay to enter should be a fair one.

X-wing has Standard, Escalation, Epic and Team Epic for tournaments.

There are cool missions for X-Wing. They are in the core box and in any big and huge ship expansion. I reckon there are missions in the imperial aces too.

Last tournament in our shop, we had 3 matches with different mission. First was about scavenging an exploded transport. Second was a shuttle hunt and third was an 8 asteroid battlefield. All in all a lot of fun.

Or just go crazy. Make something up. Play a game on a cityscape. For example from dropzone commander: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0159/4298/products/Cityscape_website_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1365171298

Now i know it's not the same scaling, but it works. Buildings block LoS. You can fly over buildings with a white or green maneuver, but then it gets modified to red.

There you have a fun mission. It's really not that hard.

The 6 asteroid standard deathmatch is just the most balanced and thus the standard tourney mission. But nothing stops you from playing whatever you want.

The 6 asteroid standard deathmatch is just the most balanced and thus the standard tourney mission. But nothing stops you from playing whatever you want.

Yeah, casually there are plenty of options. But surely we can come up with something that is both balanced and fun for organized play while still different from the current dogfight?

The game is about starfighters dodging and weaving and blowing stuff (preferably each other) up, plenty of possibilities there.

Personally I think that a free for all Melee with limited points would be easiest to implement while still being balanced.

50 points seems a good cut off point I think.

Large play area, 6 people, last man standing wins.

2 games. Winners go straight to the final match, the other four are the ones who destroyed the most points.

50 points would buy you 4 Z95's so at max you have 24 ships flying about.

That would be glorious!

The 6 asteroid standard deathmatch is just the most balanced and thus the standard tourney mission. But nothing stops you from playing whatever you want.

Yeah, casually there are plenty of options. But surely we can come up with something that is both balanced and fun for organized play while still different from the current dogfight?

The game is about starfighters dodging and weaving and blowing stuff (preferably each other) up, plenty of possibilities there.

Personally I think that a free for all Melee with limited points would be easiest to implement while still being balanced.

50 points seems a good cut off point I think.

Large play area, 6 people, last man standing wins.

2 games. Winners go straight to the final match, the other four are the ones who destroyed the most points.

50 points would buy you 4 Z95's so at max you have 24 ships flying about.

That would be glorious!

It would turn into falcons everywhere.

It would turn into falcons everywhere.

Oh, I dunno, there's all sorts of stuff you can build.

2 GSP with Outmaneuver and Opportunist?

Howlrunner with Elusiveness and a SU + 2 ACP's?

Drop a Proton Bomb or 2 with a pair of Gamma's?

I think a YT-1300 might paint a big target on itself.

So why do you have to wait for FFG do do everything? They created the game. It's not like they are saying you can only do dog fights and if you set up something's else they will never let you buy product again. They leave it open. If you want a new way to play, then do it! Our group does. We have done multi week campaigns, pirate events, random squad tournaments and more. We don't wait for FFG to do anything, they did all I want them to do, Create the game and support it, which I think they do fine. The more you complain about the game the more resentment you will have towards it.

Final thoughts, if you want scenario play, do it, and stop comparing Attack Wing and X-Wing. Completely different games.

How about pre-released tourney scenarios (each tourney has a different scenario) so players can then build forces for that? Seems that's what people are doing now for the 6 asteroid death match. Now you can build up to four forces for the upcoming tourney scenario, so regardless of what your scenario goals (offensive or defense, etc..) or which side you are playing, you have prepared for it.

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