Okay, so I did totally pre-order the Decimator, and I'm eagerly anticipating it.

That said, with all the new stuff coming out, and the shock to the meta from the Phantom not even having run its course yet, I'm just at a loss for what to hone in on. There's just... too much!

(Yes, these are first-world problems.)

So, I'm reeling from all the new possibilities that the upcoming stuff will open up. I'm wondering if all this will encourage specialized lists - lists that do one thing really well, but have a lot of Achilles heels, or if jack-of-all-trades lists will become the strategic choice. How carefully will either of these have to be crafted in order to be competitive, or will a good player still be able to win with any old list?

I'm concerned that this all makes the game too complex for new players. Is there too steep of a learning cure? At the same time, is a complex list actually something that should be avoided, because it may not be adaptive enough?

It's tough they release too much we complain, they go to slow we complain .

Self control is a good thing to practice you don't have to buy everything

I have other, non-game purchases coming up in the next few months, so I'll probably pick up Rebel Aces and Wave 5 in November.

It's tough they release too much we complain, they go to slow we complain . Self control is a good thing to practice you don't have to buy everything

Quite so - I held off on the Defender and the Phantom for personal reasons. But, I feel like not flying the Phantom has made it my bane. It IS the Phantom Menace on my peace of mind.

I've found the perfect solution for me is to simply set my sights on owning 12 of each small ship and 6 of each large. Pretty much sets me up for anything and I don't have to think about it.

Jim

you could do like i do and place orders on reserve for ships that i want then pay as they come in or i can afford them.

I can afford as much as my wife will let me get away with. The thing is, I'm currently quite pleased with my collection. I really don't want Phantoms or Defenders, even if they might have some interesting cards.

Where I'm falling down is the dizzying array of combinations and choices that are opening up, not just for me but for my opponents. While I own that limiting my own choices is a self-inflicted wound, as a very well balanced game that shouldn't matter all that much.

Another source of disquiet is the seeming rock<paper<scissors<rock (is there a lizard and Spock in this equation?) of the current state of the game. It seems to me that the Phantom is the particular outlier in that if your list is not prepared for it, you're toast, but if you are prepared for it, the Phantom is toast, but that preparation makes you very vulnerable to non-Phantom lists. Is this disquiet just my own pathology, or is it more widespread?

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

Pretty sure you still need to roll red dice at some point

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

Pretty sure you still need to roll red dice at some point

Pffft. That's the easy way.

The hard way is to block every advantageous decloak position and leave them to reveal a dial that flies off the board.

I joined when Wave 4 came out, and kind of slowly bought ships based on the number of games I've certain iconic builds to learn the game. 2-3 months later, I have mostly one of each ship and have played all of them at least once (if not more). I actually wish the waves come faster, but am happy they don't (to give me more time to explore the existing combinations of ships).

With *only* 2 ships in Wave 5 and upcoming GenCon announcements (epic Imperial? 3rd Faction? either would be awesome), I'll have months and months to practice before having to think about Wave 5 and beyond.

And coming from 40K, spending $50-70 every 3-6 months is not bad at all, especially if I have every ship of both factions.

So true, my 40k budget every year easily covers both factions as well as special costs for dedicated terrain.

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

Pretty sure you still need to roll red dice at some point

Pffft. That's the easy way.

The hard way is to block every advantageous decloak position and leave them to reveal a dial that flies off the board.

Coming from someone who plays the Phantom a lot, beaten many Falcon lists AND got slaughtered multiple times by non-Falcon/non-Phantom Rebel builds, I agree. Falcon is the *hard* counter, but many stress/ion lists can hold their own if flown well, and it's a very tough fight for me to go up against those, sometimes even harder than fighting Falcon lists.

It's tough they release too much we complain, they go to slow we complain .

Self control is a good thing to practice you don't have to buy everything

.... WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? We don't have to buy everything... whaaaaa... but... but.... sigh... fine

i feel ya brother.

The options are becoming endless! Just wait till wave 6 or 7 come out.. I keep saying this in threads, x wing is growing exponentially. There are quite a few nice combos out already, every time something new comes out there are more and more possible combinations.

telsij says it best:

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

Pretty sure you still need to roll red dice at some point

Pffft. That's the easy way.

The hard way is to block every advantageous decloak position and leave them to reveal a dial that flies off the board.

Okay, so the swarm has a great asset here in being able to mob itself around the Phantom, at about a 2-movement distance on either side or in front. Because I don't have the Phantom (and haven't flown it, or paid close attention to the rules), I didn't really internalize that. Thanks!!

So true, my 40k budget every year easily covers both factions as well as special costs for dedicated terrain.

I'm still funding my X-wing addiction completely by selling parts of my 3rd 40K army. So right now the game is still "free" for me (and I have more Eldar to sell )

So true, my 40k budget every year easily covers both factions as well as special costs for dedicated terrain.

I'm still funding my X-wing addiction completely by selling parts of my 3rd 40K army. So right now the game is still "free" for me (and I have more Eldar to sell )

yep im down to the last of my space marines... all the NIB stuff was gone a long time ago though

It's just you.

You can beat a Phantom with nothing more than thoughtful asteroid placement and good flying.

Pretty sure you still need to roll red dice at some point

Pffft. That's the easy way.

The hard way is to block every advantageous decloak position and leave them to reveal a dial that flies off the board.

Okay, so the swarm has a great asset here in being able to mob itself around the Phantom, at about a 2-movement distance on either side or in front. Because I don't have the Phantom (and haven't flown it, or paid close attention to the rules), I didn't really internalize that. Thanks!!

Board edges and asteroids are likewise your allies.

So true, my 40k budget every year easily covers both factions as well as special costs for dedicated terrain.

I'm still funding my X-wing addiction completely by selling parts of my 3rd 40K army. So right now the game is still "free" for me (and I have more Eldar to sell )

yep im down to the last of my space marines... all the NIB stuff was gone a long time ago though

Funny thing is, I *just* found 6 boxes of sealed new Necron stuff today. I'm never selling my original Necron army (my first love), but I don't think I'll ever break them open to build and paint and learn the rules anymore, so just posted those up for sale...

Okay, so the swarm has a great asset here in being able to mob itself around the Phantom, at about a 2-movement distance on either side or in front. Because I don't have the Phantom (and haven't flown it, or paid close attention to the rules), I didn't really internalize that. Thanks!!

Board edges and asteroids are likewise your allies.

Very true, though a good phantom player will keep asteroids and enemy future movement in mind 1-2 turns ahead to keep decloaking options open and make them less predictable. Yes, sometimes it's impossible to do and you just have 1 option, but now that I've flown Echo enough, I find it less and less that asteroids and board edge limit my decloak options.

Very true, though a good phantom player will keep asteroids and enemy future movement in mind 1-2 turns ahead to keep decloaking options open and make them less predictable. Yes, sometimes it's impossible to do and you just have 1 option, but now that I've flown Echo enough, I find it less and less that asteroids and board edge limit my decloak options.

Right, but Echo also has roughly twice the options that Whisper or any other Phantom pilot does. Furthermore, Echo having to move before higher PS pilots (which Whisper has fewer of), means that the opponents' locations are less variable and therefore easier to guess.

So, Echo is a lot more slippery in that respect.

Right, but Echo also has roughly twice the options that Whisper or any other Phantom pilot does. Furthermore, Echo having to move before higher PS pilots (which Whisper has fewer of), means that the opponents' locations are less variable and therefore easier to guess.

So, Echo is a lot more slippery in that respect.

Good point, I've only played Whisper twice and didn't like flying her much. The few times I played against her, I was able to block (using firesprays and shuttles) at 1 of the 3 decloak options, and sometimes all 3, forcing her to just move and get bumped. So yes, I stand corrected that it's only hard to predict and block Echo's decloak options.

Ironically, looking at the top regionals/nationals results, Whisper is taken WAY more than Echo, most likely because of the higher PS.

pretty much sums it up...

My two cents is that some, certainly newbies, are experiencing what Mikael has articulated, a type of fatigue, or over saturation very quickly. It is becoming a very "complicated" game if you stay away from the current metas.