I personally don't think so. The actual playing of the game is not complicated. You could buy two starters, one falcon + one firespray, and play every game with the same lists. What could make it complicated is the list building. And that is only complicated when you have all the options without any help.

But a new player either starts playing with a friend, who has all the minis. Said friend can help the new player by giving him advice on list building. For the first few games, you can even give them lists.

Or, a new player starts without a friend who has all the minis. But then, he will most likely buy only one starter set, and maybe one expansion of his favourite ship. So he will not have all the options available. And only if he likes the game, he will start adding more and more expansions, thus slowly adding more and more options.

I've never understood the sentiment 'It's not complicated if you don't use everything'. Sure I'll go along with that idea but I don't really think that is what I was trying to say. And you're absolutely correct when you say "that is only complicated when you have all the options" and that's what I most likely didn't say well

I'm not sure "complicated" is the word, "unwieldy" is more appropriate. For example, I don't have any problems understanding how the cards work, interact, or have problems stringing actions together. It certainly takes a lot longer to resolve a single turn, slows the game down terribly, and if that kind of minutiae isn't your thing, the game becomes pretty boring.

Clearly that type of intricacy is a big draw for a lot of miniature players, and I'm pretty sure this design path was kind of inevitable. I know exactly what you are talking about though and in some ways it does feel a little sad, but you can't stop progress.

But you know what, let's see if we can make ourselves feel better, and let us count our blessings!

1) We are so lucky that Jay Little was the original designer of this game. His ability to put together deep games with simple rules really is amazing. His vision is the primary reason why there's a sizable casual demographic for this game. Seriously, this is rare for wargames.

2) The game and expansions though often in short supply are still very reasonably priced. I may not play the newer expansions, but considering the quality of the models and artwork, I've still managed to buy every available expansion and not feel like I've thrown away money.

3) The "fiddliness" of the game didn't really take off until after the OT ships were released. As a huge OT fan if you play only OT waves you've got all the advantages of the simplicity in the early development of the game with all the iconic ships. Wave 3 is IMO the golden age of this game, and all the OT ships are there

4) FFG hasn't necessarily forgotten about us casuals! I believe those new playmats were made for us. They allow you to bring in something beautiful and iconic to the game without modifying any aspect of game play. You better believe I bought both.

5) The game is really easy to houserule out the bits you don't like. I always throw a shout out to Fab's Squadron generator, because it makes this so easy. I pick the waves I want, have it optimize on ships (means less cards) and BAM! that thing generates really fun lists like it's going out of style. I highly recommend you try it.

The days of this being a light, accessible romp through the Star Wars universe may be over, but there's still plenty for us to enjoy.

PS. if you truly enjoy the early design of this game, I highly recommend Blood Bowl Team Manager. Just another example of Jay Little taking something iconic and absolutely crushing it.

Keep flying casual

I think many have said it far better than I. Thank you. You may be right that complicated isn't quite the correct word. I do like the game so maybe intricate, a little overwhelming, or as you say unwieldy. Remember that the FAQ is almost as long as the rules.

Yeah, but the FAQ is more than just eratta too though. There's that whole section about Epic and all.

It's not too complicated, no. The game was originally designed for casual folks, nothing that has happened since changes that.

Now, is there a learning curve? Yes. Will somebody who has been playing a long time be able to move ships more efficiently than a new player? Yes. Are there intricacies and subtleties that are often lost on a newer player? Yes.

All that said, I don't think that makes it complicated, per se.