Hey all, I'm a new player and I just got my first taste of 100-point squad battles, and now I can't stop thinking about playing again (hard part is finding opponents)!

So first off, I'm a huge fan of 1) Star Wars; 2) Strategic combat - especially turn-based combat; and 3) Aerial vehicle warfare of any kind. So honestly, I can't believe I never noticed this game before. So since I love this game so much already, I want to learn any beginner-to-intermediate level tips I can, specifically in building the most effective squads. I'll provide some information below to help.

- I currently own the base set, plus the Rebel & Imperial Aces, TIE Defender, and E-Wing expansions. I am willing to buy another expansion or two at this time, but not much more than that until I can find regular opponents. Having a bunch of cool ships doesn't help if you can't use 'em.

- I prefer to go with "unorthodox" or at least somewhat creative choices in any sort of game that allows for different specializations or angles of approach. I know about the TIE-swarm meta, and I would never want to play something like that.

- From what I gather, many players "pick" to play almost exclusively Rebel or Imperial (or possibly Scum as well, now). I have not chosen a side, per se... I do tend to be drawn towards the Rebels despite my usual tendency to play the Dark Side of any SW game. I believe this is because the Rebel ships are all simply more unique and interesting than the mess of TIEs on the Imp side. But for the time being, assume I will happily learn and play either base faction.

So, from that information, does anybody have some advice for interesting/strong squads with those ships? I need to practice anyhow, so I'll welcome any suggestions. I can also share the squads that I've put together myself so far and listen to advice on how to play them, if anyone was interested.

Thanks in advance!

Speak to your friendly local game store about setting up an X-wing weekly/monthly event, or even ask them to register for an official FFG tournament package - that should draw in players.

Some basic tips:

-Don't sink all your points into upgrades. Generally more ships > more upgrades. There are a lot of exceptions, and many upgrades are almost considered "essentials" for their ships. Like TIE Interceptor/A-wing + Push the Limit, Hwk/Y-wing + Ion/Blaster Turret, etc. Torpedoes and Missiles are generally a bad pick as well (in excess).

-Play both sides unless you want to stick to one faction for monetary reasons. Playing with squads shows you weaknesses you can exploit when playing against them.

-Know the metagame. Right now it's High Pilot Skill, Phantoms and Fat Turrets (Dash, Decimators, Han). If your list can't beat all of those you might have a rough time at a tournament.

I don't have any list suggestions unfortunately - what I like to do is put out the ships I want to use and "upgrade" them once I know what ships I'm flying. "Upgrade" meaning actual upgrades like an astromech droid or a higher pilot skill pilot.

X-WING: · Biggs DarkLighter (25)

Shield Upgrade (4)

B-WING: · Keyan Farlander (29)

Push The Limit (3)

Advanced Sensors (3)

B-Wing/E2 (1)

· Kyle Katarn (3)

A-WING: · Jake Farrell (24)

Push The Limit (3)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Shield Upgrade (4)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Predator (3)

Or for 4 ships

X-WING: · Biggs DarkLighter (25)

B-WING: Blue Squadron Pilot (22)

A-WING: Green Squadron Pilot (19)

Push The Limit (3)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

E-WING: · Etahn A'Baht (32)

Great advice, Red G. I realized pretty quickly that more ships = better than fewer costly ships, in general... just considering the success of cheap TIE swarms, and breaking down the numbers on dice rolls, etc. that makes perfect sense. And as for finding opponents, I'd have to find out if there's a nearby game store with enough local interest.

Ayleron, here's the squadron I played in my first game where I got beat (mostly bad luck but also some poor positioning):

A-WING: Jake Farrell

Push The Limit

Proton Rockets

Hull Upgrade

B-WING: Nera Dantels

Proton Torpedoes

Flechette Torpedoes

Ion Cannon

Marksmanship

E-WING: Knave Squadron Pilot

R7 Astromech

And here's the one I came up with for my next Rebel match:

A-Wing: Green Squadron Pilot

A-Wing Test Pilot

Push the Limit

Outmaneuver

Chardaan Refit

Cost: 23

E-Wing: Knave Squadron Pilot

R7 Astromech

Cost: 29

X-Wing: Rookie Pilot

Cost: 21

B-Wing: Blue Squadron Pilot

Flechette Torpedoes

Advanced Sensors

Cost: 27

So, the huge plus is it's 4 very respectable ships with a decent array of upgrades. The setback is more ships = lower pilot skills. Any thoughts? Are there expansions with some must-have pilots or upgrades I should consider?

In my first round, I invested so much in my B-Wing without realizing how hard it is to maneuver, that he ended up getting surrounded and absolutely wrecked with his terrible evade. Luckily, the pilot's awesome skill makes lining up targets obsolete for secondary weapons, so if played right, I do still see potential in using Nera Dantels as a gunboat that hangs well back of the fray.

Oh and my opponent in the first game:

TIE Defender: Delta Squadron Pilot

Proton Rockets

Failsafe Munitions

TIE Interceptor: Carnor Jax

Predator

Shield Upgrade

TIE Fighter: Mauler Mithel

Targeting Computer

TIE Fighter: Academy Pilot

Targeting Computer

As a primarily Imperial Player (mainly because my kids like playing Rebels, so I get a lot more experience flying Imperial ships) I like to start with a concept first. Usually these are swarms, ship + mini swarm, bomber wing, self-sufficient ships, etc... and then I populate my list accordingly. I do have an advantage in that the Empire has a lot of good cheap ships that I can backfill into a list.

One thing to learn how to do as an Empire player is how to fly in formation without accidentally bumping. I find the Rebels to be more "independent" in not relying on close formations while the Empire relys a lot on close formations.

Another tip is to identify ships that your list relies on (Howlrunner, Biggs, Jonus, Etan, etc..) and figure out ways to keep them alive as long as possible with upgrades.

Most importantly, fly casual. It is a game.

As a primarily Imperial Player (mainly because my kids like playing Rebels, so I get a lot more experience flying Imperial ships) I like to start with a concept first. Usually these are swarms, ship + mini swarm, bomber wing, self-sufficient ships, etc... and then I populate my list accordingly. I do have an advantage in that the Empire has a lot of good cheap ships that I can backfill into a list.

One thing to learn how to do as an Empire player is how to fly in formation without accidentally bumping. I find the Rebels to be more "independent" in not relying on close formations while the Empire relys a lot on close formations.

Another tip is to identify ships that your list relies on (Howlrunner, Biggs, Jonus, Etan, etc..) and figure out ways to keep them alive as long as possible with upgrades.

Most importantly, fly casual. It is a game.

Good stuff Chuck. Thanks. I get the same sense as you, that Imps are going to end up with swarms and tight formations by the nature of most of their ships, while rebels can be a little more creative with their maneuvering. This further pushes me towards liking the Rebels, but I also love the Defender and the fancy Imperial Ace Interceptors so I will get practice with both.

I watched a tutorial online about how to fly in tight formation without crashing, and thus far I don't have enough ships to do it anyway but I think I can pick it up once I have the chance. Actually, I suppose I could create a 4-ship swarm of 2 Fighters and 2 Interceptors with some decent upgrades. Hmmmm...

When using generic pilots, rebel lists like to fly pairs of the same ship in wingman formations, since this allows them to combine their fire against particularly tough targets, while also giving them the room and flexibility to act independently if they need to split up. The exception to pairs is Z-95s and Prototype A-Wings, which are very effective in groups of 3 for a similar cost to 2 X-Wings or B-Wings.

In your case, you only have 4 different ships available to you, so I would suggest going the "Rebel Heroes" list building route, which uses 3 named pilots that synergize with each other.

Thanks Tvboy, great stuff! I will absolutely try this rebel build-or at least a similar variation of it-soon. I am also working to acquire some new ships, so I will have more flexibility very soon. I have a Z-95 on the way which adds some great upgrades and a cheap additional ship to a squad. I'll order more once some stores restock!