My friend got the core set and we played for the first time last night, I won all 3 games we played.

I was using the tie fighters and my opponent was using the xwing, I won all 3 games the first 2 without loosing a ship.

This is using the suggested first game setup.

I am sure most of you prefer more ships but if the core set is not ballanced from the start then shame on FFG for baiting new players into a situation that forces them to buy more.

Like the people who pick it up at target.

Now it could have just been a difference in spatial recignition so to speak.

Perhaps its just learning to exploit the x-wings abilities.

I was on the exact opposite line back when. My TIE's just kept getting blow to space dust before I got even one good hit on the X-wing. So I'd say it goes both ways.

What pilots and upgrades was your friend running?

It's balanced, but highly variable. Good attack dice on the X-wing's part can end the match quickly, while good defense dice on the TIEs' part can make it nearly impossible for them to win. The game is more stable at higher point levels.

For your situation, I'd switch sides for your next set of matches and see what happens.

For sure...at least try it both ways before you freak out. Some people don't get the concept right away.

You clearly have the dice gods favour enjoy it while it lasts they'll turn on you sooner or later.

And welcome to the game your local imperial recruitment officer will be in touch.

First off I should say I do like the game, I ask this question just to be sure we are not doing anything wrong.

Nothing saying that maybe you aren't doing something wrong, but if you look at simple point values the ships are unbalanced (I think it's two points difference). That being said, piloting and DICE (Dice are huge) can make or break any match.

I've gone from 4 ships vs 2 down to dead because of unfortunate dice.

When I first picked up the core set, we went 8-0 for Imperials (switching Rebel and Imperial player every other game), so it seemed pretty unbalanced to us. It may be because it's easier to line up one fire arc (out of two), or maybe it's high variance, I don't know. I know for sure that if you go to 32p, where Luke gets R2-D2, it gets impossible for the Imperials to win. Are you using Luke's ability properly, btw? You're supposed to transform a focus (eye) into a evade (squiggly) *every* time he gets attacked.

Anyway, I was hooked on this game before I was 100% convinced it was balanced, 100pts are balanced as I later found out. There's point totals where it's not balanced (for instance, every multiple of 12 is in favor of imperials, since they *barely* get a higher number of their base fighter of 12)

First off I should say I do like the game, I ask this question just to be sure we are not doing anything wrong.

We're going to need some more info to see if you're doing anything wrong, though. Like pilots, upgrades, point limits, short summary of how the games generally went, those affect the game tremendously.

Gonna' be honest, I never thought so. An X-wing is worth a TIE Fighter and a half, not two TIEs. If anything it should be 2v3.

But buying expansions immediately gives you that balance.

Well we just used the lowest or should I say the most basic pilot cards (I don't own the game so I can't refer to them for names)

But we did not use Luke, Night Beast, Obsidian Squad pilot cards, we missed that in the book, but is that necessary to balance the game?

Keep in mind we are not upset about it, just wanting to get it right to learn.

The core set balance depends a lot on what you are using. A single X-wing generally can have a tough time against the two TIEs, but Luke with R2D2 can be nearly impossible for the TIEs to kill

Well we just used the lowest or should I say the most basic pilot cards (I don't own the game so I can't refer to them for names)

But we did not use Luke, Night Beast, Obsidian Squad pilot cards, we missed that in the book, but is that necessary to balance the game?

Keep in mind we are not upset about it, just wanting to get it right to learn.

No upgrades? Because that would explain a lot. X-wings have that astromech slot for a reason, whereas the Academy Pilot was made to be taken as cheap as possible.

Basically, you accidentally put the TIE's in the best possible spot, and the X-wing in the worst possible spot.

My friend got the core set and we played for the first time last night, I won all 3 games we played.

I was using the tie fighters and my opponent was using the xwing, I won all 3 games the first 2 without loosing a ship.

This is using the suggested first game setup.

I

I've had the same result playing the starter scenario. The empire has a clear advantage, 2x 2 red dice shooting 2 green, vs 3 red shooting 3 green, but it's not a big deal as the 1st game scenario is intended just to be a tool to learn the basics of game play.

The core game is enough for 1 person to play but not enough for 1 person to make a 100 point squad. If you get 2 then you may have enough for two people to play.

However the core set is not made to be played alone it is made to be played with the expansion packs.

We tried to eat dinner on the beginner box and my fork and drink kept falling in the ship holes. (heh heh heheheheh)

I would say no. It's not balanced.

Other way around for me. My green dice suck. My ties get blown to bits.

Lots of variance in the core set.

The core game is enough for 1 person to play but not enough for 1 person to make a 100 point squad. If you get 2 then you may have enough for two people to play.

However the core set is not made to be played alone it is made to be played with the expansion packs.

Do you folks think we need a second set to fix the problem? some here say it is not.

So what should we do?

The core set isn't really balanced. In theory you can get squads of equal power using the right pilot cards and upgrades, but with so few ships on the table it really comes down to who gets lucky with the dice. Lose a TIE early to a bad defense roll and the rebel player wins. Roll blanks for the x-wing at the wrong time and the imperial player wins. So it's very easy to lose games simply because of the dice and feel like the game is unbalanced in your opponent's favor.

However, this doesn't really matter. The starter set only exists to give you the tokens/dice/etc and teach you the rules. The game is meant to be played at 100 points with a wide range of expansion ships available. You shouldn't be playing more than a handful of core set games before you move on to the real game.

On the sliding scale of balance, the Empire should have a small advantage. They have resources and materials to make a TIE Fighter 12pts. That same craft for the Rebels would/should be about almost 15pts with PS2.

Rebel pilots in most cases come from the Imperial Academy.

I love this game and find it incredibly well thought out.

I suggest you read the materials and play the scenarios, then swap the sides. These missions can be played over and over.

A second set would net you 2 X-wings and 4 TIEs, which if you trick them out could get you some solid builds. Plus it doubles your dice pool (ever fire an X-wing's guns at range 1 and wonder where the 4th die is supposed to come from?) and gives you redundancy with the measuring tools.

In fact, you might consider buying one and then trading with your friend. It sounds like you've been doing pure Empire and he's been doing pure Rebels. If you want to stick with those, then buy a set and trade him your rebel stuff for his imperial stuff. Boom, instant small fleets for both of you, and you each get a set of dice, measuring tools, and damage cards.

If we get a 2nd core set what is the best ballance.

I figure 3 ties vs. 2 Xwings.

I don't know anything about the pilots yet, can't find that info on line so far. (Don't own it yet)

Ok so who has the best price on the core including U.S. shipping?

The x-wing has a very slim chance to survive an encounter with two tie-fighter. It is outgunned, outnumbered and outmaneuvered. The mediocre maneuver dial of the x-wing lets tie-fighter run rings around it, especially because the tie-fighter has the invaluable barrel roll. Spread the ties, let the x-wing pick a target. The target will evade, while the other tie will get behind the x-wing. Sadly, the x-wing has fallen more behind with every expansion. Could be remedied with stronger astromechs, but so far it has not been advisable to field a list solely with x-wings. There is only.one Wedge Antilles...

I don't know anything about the pilots yet, can't find that info on line so far. (Don't own it yet)

There's any number of squad building apps available online or for your smartphone - they're very useful in learning what all of the different pilots and upgrades can do, what they cost, and which expansions you'll need to buy to get them.

And there's this:

http://xwing-miniatures.wikia.com/wiki/X-Wing_Miniatures_Wiki

The best balance is to balance the squad points in the bottom right corner.

Luke 28

Red 23

R2D2 4 = 55

Dark Curse 16

Night Beast 15

Academy 12

Academy 12 = 55

Kill Luke First!