The X Wing forum's aren't the place to ask if you should play this game......

Keep in mind I LIKE this game here is the truth

to add some balance.

1) 3-5 ships isn't enough to play this game, while you only need typically 2-8 to actually have a legal 100pt game this game is META META META where a single card can totally change how fleets work and keeping that in mind it isn't cheap and to be competitive (FLAME SHIELD ON) you will need to buy most packs as many packs have unique upgrade cards that wont be replicated for a wave or two meaning you may need to buy a lot of ships you don't want to fly and even multiples if you need a card more than once!!!

2) This game is pointed at the tournament scene and from most games I have played it is thematically very dry compared to other mini's games. I feel like I am reliving the movies than I have my 'own' fleet (if that makes sense), this just maybe because they are generic paint jobs but there you go.

in conclusion it's a good game but it sure as hell isn't 'cheap' due to the way the rules are done.

Also have a look at Armada

No way in heck is the game thematically dry, unless you are min/maxer player that is all about winning and staying with the meta. I say screw the meta, and fly what you want (to a certain extent). I don't care if the meta doesn't support 3 ship builds, or Y-wings, I fly them anyways, and I win. It is about skill, not about C3-P0.

What are some of the better expansions to ask Santa for beyond the core set? If I wanted to balance out factions but also have the best experience? Wish I knew somebody who played? I really want to try this game out now.

All of the expansions are viable, a lot of it depends on what your gaming style is. The Empire (mostly) depends on cheap, agile ships without a lot of extras (think TIE Fighters or TIE Interceptors). The Rebellion relies on slower, but tougher and higher quality ships. Large ships on both sides are tougher and less agile, but generally have a lot of options.

What are some of the better expansions to ask Santa for beyond the core set? If I wanted to balance out factions but also have the best experience? Wish I knew somebody who played? I really want to try this game out now.

It really depends on how you want to play, but you usually will end up with more Imperial ships, because they are cheaper (ingame pts. not $$), and therefore you need more. Usually getting an X-wing and Tie Fighter Expansion pack is good because they contain new pilots and upgrades from the core set. You may try an X-wing + Tie Fighter + Squint (rebel talk for interceptor) for starters. I don't have a chart in front of me, but I think that is fairly balanced. But again, it is up to you.

Getting 2 starter set is a really good way to go, it not only give you more ships for less money than they'd cost individually, but you get 2 sets of dice, maneuver templates, and damage cards, which is really great if you want to be able to host a game for friends, and not have to keep passing dice and templates around.

Prices vary for everything: I bought my first starter at a local game store for $40, and my second online at Miniature Market for $26. My local store sells Interceptors for $30 where MM sells them for $10, I recommend miniature market to anyone that want to play on a budget, as their prices are 30% cheeper than anywhere else (I really don't know if I'd be playing the game otherwise.

A solid & balanced starting set up for both factions (in my opinion) is:

2 starters with either:

A) 1 millennium falcon, 1 slave-1.

B) 1 X-wing, 1 B-wing, 1 Tie Fighter, 1 Tie Interceptor

That'll run between $90-140+ tax or s&h

First off, find a group that you can play with. Like the others have said we will let you use our ships to see what you like to play. We will also help you get started when you decided what you want to fly. If your group is as established as our is we may even know of someone that has the ship/cards you want on hand and is willing to part with them (to buy other ships/cards that we now want that is) for a reasonable price. Also like BenderlsGreat said don't pay more for things than they are worth, which will also help to find someone that plays and knows the prices of things. Above all, have fun and enjoy yourself with some awesome people who play this game!!

I saw the wife looking at some of the boxes while we were at Barnes and Noble yesterday night. Here's hoping I was a good boy this year for Christmas.

Check out local gaming stores as they may have a day of the week where x wing is played. Also since you signed up for thhis forum, check our the organized play forum link for possible venues near you.

I play heroclix and thought x-wing was expensive but a booster of heroclix is close to $15 which is the same as an x-wing ship. The booster is random figures, you may not get any good characters but with x-wing you know what ship you are buying. The upgrades they put in each ship makes you want to buy more too. Great marketing tactic. Also lots of pilots make the game interesting, lots of different tie fighter pilots and x wing pilots for example make the game have longevity with the different combinations to play.

What are some of the better expansions to ask Santa for beyond the core set? If I wanted to balance out factions but also have the best experience? Wish I knew somebody who played? I really want to try this game out now.

FFG published an article (written by a member of this forum and the game's first world champion) about this very subject earlier this year: Beyond the Core Set

But we've had eight releases since that was published, so it may be slightly out of date. Its advice about buying two Core Sets is good, though, especially if you want to have enough stuff for you and another person to play (with two Core Sets, you won't have to share maneuver templates, and you'll have plenty of dice).

If just having a bunch of TIE Fighters and X-Wings seems boring, I don't blame you. So I'd recommend getting a Y-Wing and TIE Defender, which offer very different gameplay from TIE Fighters and X-Wings and come with some pretty good upgrade cards. The Millennium Falcon and Firespray-31 are very good, too, although they're a little pricier, since they're larger models and come with more upgrade cards.

The E-Wing and TIE Interceptor might be my next choices, followed by the B-Wing and TIE Phantom.

When you get an A-Wing, buy the Rebel Aces set with it, since cards in Rebel Aces are designed to make the A-Wing better than it originally was when it was released.

The more underwhelming choices are still good — every ship in this game can be fun: TIE Advanced, TIE Bomber, Lambda Shuttle, Z-95 Headhunter, HWK-290 and the Imperial Aces set.

The Rebel Transport and CR-90 are the most expensive things in the game, so don't buy those until you're ready to try out epic play with those capital ships. The Rebel Transport comes with an X-Wing and new X-Wing pilots, though, which is nice.

And don't forget the X-Wing and TIE Fighter expansions, which come with pilots that are different from the ones you get in the Core Set (and are generally better than the ones in the Core Set). Once you get some variety in your collection, make sure you get one of each of these.

Is there a local group you can play with?

if yes : go ahead

if no : don't bother