Hi fellow forumites

I'm hoping to gain some advice from more experienced players than myself as I'm just starting out on my x-wing journey.

So far I've played through the introduction scenarios in the rulebook and I'm now looking to progress with the game properly. At the moment, squad building is big area of confusion (but hopefully not for long once I've got my head round things) but for now I've got a couple of questions.

Firstly, what would be a balanced game with the ships I currently have available to me. (It's worth mentioning that the only games I'll be having a friendly games with my brother and I'm funding the whole thing and we'll be alternating between rebels and imperial so I need as fair and balanced lists as possible.

I currently own the starter set, along with a further x-wing and a-wing. I've also got a tie defender and tie advanced. So any help on a list using these ships would be great.

The next question is recommendations as to where to add and expand moving forward. I know this one is probably subjective based on game and playing style but I just want to make things fun. I want to get the Falcon and Slave 1 but are these worth it / viable for casual play?

Thanks all for any help

Splobs

Good luck finding a Slave I.

Yes, both those expansions are fine for casual play. Honestly, just keep the squad points as even as possible and you can have pretty balanced matches with the ships you have.

This thread has a ton of useful info for new players:

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/126226-index-of-useful-links/

Edited January 26, 2015 by Jo Jo

Flying 3 or 4 ship squads is probably best for you now. If you fly a 3 squad list, load them up so you learn to do the actions/abilities,etc as you go. You won't believe how many folks forget certain abilities their pilots have while playing the game. Come up with a routine that helps you remeber the abilities/actions.

A checklist like the following helped me out in the beginning.

Planning Phase

Try to anticipate what your opponent is going to do while keeping in mind the abilities of his pilots.

ie. remember what ships need to be within range 1 of another ship for certain abilities to transfer or be used.

This helps narrow down the possible moves they might do.

Once you have what you think their game plan might be, plan your to get you the most advantage while keeping in mind your own pilot abilities.

Remember, unless you have a special pilot with a trait or an upgrade card that lets you do actions while stressed, if you choose a red maneuver you won't have any actions

Set your dials accordingly.

Activation Phase

Move 1 ship at a time remembering to do the whole activation phase with each ship before you go to the next one. Also memorize each step in order as it is important to take advantage of certain ships/pilots abilities during certain steps of the activation phase.

0 Check Pilot abilities/upgrade cards for this ship so you remember to use them at the right point in the Activation Phase

1 Reveal Dial

2 Set Template

3 Execute Maneuver

4 Check Pilot Stress

5 Clean up

6 Perform Action

Combat Phase

0 Check Pilot abilities/upgrade cards for this ship so you remember to use them whether you are attacking or defending and use them at the right point in the Combat Phase

1 Declare Target

2 Roll Attack Dice

3 Modify Attack Dice

4 Roll Defence Dice

5 Modify Defence Dice

6 Compare Results

7 Deal Damage

End Phase

Check pilot abilities/upgrade cards to see if any have actions/abilities that execute during the End Phase and do them.

Clean up unused focus and evade tokens unless your pilot/upgrade allows you to keep them ( Moldy Crow). Target locks stay.

Spend time being very methodical about each of the steps and they will soon become second nature.

Practice makes permanent.

After you have this, start to focus on the start of the game. Asteroid/obstruction placement and ship deployment. These are more advanced and I would wait until you get the above steps down pat before you start to concern yourself. Missed opportunities can and will cost you. It can mean the difference between winning and losing.

If your focus is just on winning then check through the builds of tournament winners and learn how to fly them. If your focus is on having fun and being challenged then create squads you like and learn how to fly them properly. This is how I roll. I pick out a squad I like and fly that to the best of my ability. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but I always have fun flying it so in the end I have won anyway!

I have more fun when I win a match with a squad that statistically should have lost. I love a challenge.

Also find a local game store that has x wing nights and go meet the folks in your area and play against them. This is a great learning experience and really makes the game fun. I like these nights more than tournaments.

The link page posted in the above response, that is pinned, is an absolute must if you plan on getting more competitive.

Check Barnes and Noble for ships if you are in the US.