I'm wanting to get into X-Wing (not sure if I'll have the time to dedicate to it with family and all,) but after watching numerous Youtube videos and reading tons of sites about game play and tatics, etc - I seem to be enthralled by the game.

Plus I am in the process of trading in some gaming cards to some websites and if my calculations are correct, may end up with about $500 worth of store credit to put toward the X-Wing miniatures. So in essence there's really no cost out of my pocket to start yet another hobby.

However, recently I have read forum threads here on FFG that some players are getting out of the game due to Phantoms or the up comming S&V faction along with unbalanced game play or a multitude of other reasons.

So my question to you all is should i take the plung or simply move on?

If you know other people locally who are interested in playing then yes, definitely.

The X-Wing Miniatures Game is the most entertaining and enjoyable miniatures game I've ever played, and then some. Easy to pick up and learn, fast paced, quick games... what's not to love?

Sure there's a few disenfranchised souls around here at the moment, but you get that everywhere. Why let a vocal minority put you off something you could have a lot of fun with? You'll never know until you give it a go.

PS - $500 is WAY more than you'd need to start up playing - two starter kits, maybe a Rebel Aces/Imperial Aces pack will be more than enough to dip your toes in the water and see what you think

Not sure about a $500 plunge, but wading in may be a good idea. Do you plan on casual gaming with a friend or two or are you more focused on tournament play? I'm on the side of those that hate the meta but that does not stop me from having a blast with the game itself.

It's worth the plunge

It's a great game but it has had its detractors of late.

Start small, 2 core sets, a few expansions,falcon or firespray, maybe a few copies of imperial aces (total bias) and see where that takes you.

I wouldn't plough loads of cash into it, just get your toes wet.

You'll see the term "fly casual" a lot, it's true, some fun can be lost once winning becomes more important than playing.

Do it...

Whiners gonna whine regardless of the game. There are tons of different ways to play and lists to try...and the community that plays this game is, hands down, the most hospitable and welcoming group you will find anywhere.

If you enjoy the source material and want a solid balanced game this is a great one to get into. Most of the whining comes from people who, appear to me to be, focused soley on the "competitive" side of the game...a stale waac type mindset...

But my admittedly small exp with a local tourney was nothing but pleasant...and no one had the same exact list...

Again do it...you will be glad you did.

It is a fun game and scum and villainy is going to be good . I dont really see many people saying they are leaving because of scum and villainy. There will always be people in every game saying this and that is op but with all that talk from what i understand it is really balanced game. If you like the star wars universe and like dog fighting you will like this game. You should definitely find someone to teach you how to play using core set and go from there

I'd say yes.

Phantoms are a boogie man right now, and are not nearly as bad as some people make out. They are IMO a bit over powered when set up with Whisper, Vet instincts and advanced cloaking device. But the ship itself without that combo isn't really that bad. Neither are large turret ships, really.

S&V is actually going to make things more balanced IMO. It will bring us more ways to deal with the current meta supermen, which means they'll be used less, which means more options for everyone. Which is something we're actually seeing now.

A lot of it also depends on how heavy want to get into tournaments and the like. If that's not for you, and you're going to be playing with some friends or casual games then those boogie men matter less.

If anything I'd say now is a great time to get into the game.

Buy yourself a core set, and decide if you want to do Imperials, Rebels, S&V or all 3. Then buy accordingly.

The game is not broken, its solid. There is always something that can take down another ship - or to quote star wars itself, There's always a bigger fish.

Like others have said, maybe pick up a few ships you think are cool and play them. grow from there, unless you do find someone offloading a ton of ships for cheaper then retail, then jump on that.

Easiest way to get in at this point is 2 starters and one of each Aces pack. That gives you 4 ships for the Rebels and 6 for the Imperials, a bunch of good upgrades, and the ability to have some really balanced squads without worry that something is too strong for the other player to take down. After that, chase down a single large, non-shuttle ship for each faction (Falcon or Outrider and Decimator or Firespray,) and follow that with other small-ship purchases as you can.

Unfortuantly i personally do not know anyone local that plays (I'm in Denver). I have joined a group from MeetUp that plays every Monday however so that is where I would be playing at. There is another LGS that seems to have X-Wing night once a month as well.

I actually already have a Core Set, a Tie Defender, B-Wing and an Z-95 (most still packaged.) I then realized that I could trade in come cards that I have never played with to get store credit.

I will wade in slowly (good suggestion) and see how it goes.

Thanks for the responses people!

However, recently I have read forum threads here on FFG that some players are getting out of the game due to Phantoms or the up comming S&V faction along with unbalanced game play or a multitude of other reasons.

My advice, don't listen to Phantom hysteria.

If you want to have first hand experience then see if you can find a local X-Wing group willing to lend you ships for a month or two, before buying into the game.

Then play both with and against the Phantom as many times as you like and watch what happens as you both gain experience with the game and its many nuances - but also see what happens as you become better at flying with and against the oft-cloaked glass cannon.

I think you should get into the game. I think you should also find some local people that aren't into the hyper competitive scene, too. If you want to face the same lists over and over again, then go play those people, but it's boring. The game is fun and interesting with simple rules that have nuance to them. Just make sure you play the game you want to play and not get sucked up into the tournament scene. If you listen to those people, then you won't even use an X-wing in the game that's called X-wing Miniatures. Just have fun and play with decent people.

Absolutely get involved matey it's a brilliant game. I'd liken it to the miniatures version of poker; easy to pick up yet challenging enough to master to keep you interested for years...

One of the real plus' of the game is that it is a well balanced game no matter which faction you fly. Whilst all the talk of "meta's" would suggest certain imbalances (and is, as noted above, voiciferously pointed out by some people), I would add this point regarding "meta's"; a meta (a list found to be a strong contender and therefore favoured by a disproportionate number of people) often has one very important defining feature - it is USUALLY (i'll accept not always) easy to get the best out of... Small wonder a lot of current "meta"s" have turret weapons, this reduces the reliance on expert piloting as you no longer need to ensure your intended target is in your primary fire arc. Turrets also have the added bonus of significantly reducing the potency of arc-dodging ships as they are now unable to get their shots in with no reply.

Now i will accept that "meta's" do have a negative impact; that you face a reduced variety of opponent lists, which is a shame, but it's not (in my experience) meant that i only ever face the same list or two every time i play, Hurrah... and to all those who plough an original furrow-i salute you! (they are out there i assure you).

FTS does make a good point regarding local players, the more local players you have the better (i'm lucky but i have heard of players struggling to get a game in their area).

As far as buying in stakes i would echo the previous repliers, don't go crazy blowing your whole budget. If you are going to supply ships for both current (and even the upcoming S&V faction) i would go for 2 core sets then 1-2 of whatever expansions tickle your fancy. There are NO expansions not worth having and ship choices essentially boil down to personal preferences... If you want specific recommendations of purchases post again, i'll not bother waffling on if you don't want/need help in this area...

Lastly, welcome to the club mate-i know you're going to take the plunge-call it a premonition;-)

The best part of this game is you can play it however you like. If you want to net deck and be a player who only plays one list all he time to crush face, you can! There are some members of the forums that only play original trilogy ships and others that only play epic or scenario. As far as the nay sayers of turrets and phantoms, they will always find something to complain about. Now on the flip side of all of that, finding a good group is key to enjoying the game. If the locals that play in your area are only concerned about tournament style play and the championship meta, that could be tiresome (that may be the problem for those that are getting out of the game). It's much like Mtg, you will find all kinds of people that play the game, but you still have Timmys, Spikers, and casuals. You just have to find which group is best for you and hope there is that group in your area. Good luck and happy flying!

However, recently I have read forum threads here on FFG that some players are getting out of the game due to Phantoms or the up comming S&V faction along with unbalanced game play or a multitude of other reasons.

These people are either expressing opinions that aren't well backed up by the facts or reacting to a set of current (and temporary) trends in the metagame.

So my question to you all is should i take the plung or simply move on?

If you're interested in it and you can afford it, yes. It's a very good game with, by and large, a great and supportive community attached to it.

The game is ABSOLUTELY a fun game and well worth playing.

But!!! It is easy and fast, but the setup depends on how deep you wish to get.

Start off with 2 x Core sets, X-Wing and TIE Expansions are a must have. No more than that to start. Have fun and play until you have the feel. Everyone will say get more, get more but wait until you see if you like the game. Howlrunner in the TIE expansion you'll need and want.

After that, move on to expansions Y-Wings are fun to play but a little hard. TIE Interceptors and B-Wings are great. TIE Advanced if you want Darth Vader. You want Darth Vader, trust me on this. Both Aces are good, Rebel and Imperial. The really help the A-Wings too.

Stay away from Large Ships until you have a real feel for the game. I know it is REAL tempting but they will change the game. Large, mobile ships are really cool looking so save these for last and when you do. Use them sparingly. Add a turret and play against them a few games, you'll know what I mean.

I like the game, I like Star Wars and this is a good feel for both. It can be over whelming if you jump straight in. DON'T DO THAT. Around $100 should be fine until you are familiar with the rules then, add piecemeal rather that all at once. You'll be happier for it.

Just my two cents.

The game is absolutely worth it. I've played a number of tabletop games, and it's one of the easiest to learn and have fun with in a short amount of time. Like other posters have said, there will be people who get disenchanted with any game. My advice would be to find out for yourself. You should play a few games before going whole hog, but other than that, jump in!

Yes.

Buy the starter and a few ships learn to play with friends, you won't need to spend anything like $500 to get into the game, most ship builds use three to five ships so no need to go mad before your sure the games for you.

You'll hear the worst from the squeakiest wheels. It's no different that looking up computer components on newegg.com and seeing horror stories in reviews for items that otherwise got a super review.

The game is fun, and full of possibilities. There are no game-breaking squad builds that trivialize all the rest, but there are bad ways to make squads. (as I understand, it's much more balanced than that other squad game, Attack Wing)

Explore, theorize, build, fly, roll dice, have fun!

Yes.

Do it, its a great fun game.

Meta in any game leads to net listing and people unhappy that certain lists dont work or cant work or that x ship is over costed by 2.6 points or whatever.

I play casually, and in tournaments. I can vary my aproach to the game and get enjoyment from both modes.

I'm also a bit of a gaming hipster so dislike flying flavour of the month ships.

All in all, the flight path system is great fun. the poker level bluffing in regards to dials is awesome, and the dice are great/horrible!

Hi Kevinjt4,

I also agree with the people above. There will always be voices that are contrary to the mainstream opinion. Their complaint is 'the meta', but probably by the time that the meta starts to impact your enjoyment out of the game, it will have changed. So, don't worry about that complaint. Go and have fun.

Find out who else in your community is just starting out, and play with people who are playing at your beginning level. At the FLGSs that I play at, there are still plenty of people still getting into the game, and enjoying it.

Do what I did.

1) Buy the core set.

2) Play a few games with a friend.

3) Spend the next week finding and buying at least two of every small-based fighter, and one of everything else including huge ships.

4) Profit! mostly for FFG of course

Or not...

But seriously, it is a lot of fun!

I'm certainly enjoying the game as a new player, although I admit I haven't gotten my first 100 point game in (Fortunately, my local store has a lot of nice players with huge collections, so if we have a tournament before I can get last few ships and cards I need, they've a history of loaning them to people in the past. Hell, they were trying to talk people into playing with entire loaned lists)