I am a newer player, I've only been playing for a couple of months now, and have probably played less than 20 rounds - including a regional I entered (just missed the cut ).

To read these forums, it sounds like the game is broken ten different ways to Sunday, with everyone trying to fix it.

That strikes me as odd, because I have played other FFG games, and frankly, this game is the most stable, balanced, dare I say, awesome game I have every played in the genre. If the game is broken - it must have been freak'in perfect at some point.

I can understand that the game is a work in progress - new expansions can only be play tested so much, and when released to the masses, we are always going to see things that didn't (and frankly couldn't) reveal themselves in playtesting - and these will need to be addressed or tweaked or dealt with - but that is exactly what I see happening. If something is too ...wimpy (or strong) for its cost they fix that. If some ability is unbalancing the meta - it gets tweaked in as timely a manner as can be expected.

I have nothing against any fan of the game expressing their opinions about how the game can be enhanced, tweaked or whatever. But I tell you, when I see more than half a dozen posts purporting to "fix" or suggest "fixes" to more than half a dozen alleged problems, it makes the game sound like it is horribly broken.

I am glad I have played the game myself a few times before coming to these forums, or I would be sorely discouraged from buying into it- since it is portrayed here, by virtue of all the (well meaning but) horrible to-see-all-in-one-basket "fix it" posts as being a game that is probably so broken it shouldn't be invested in.

Maybe there should be a pinned "Suggestions for Enhancements" post - where people can debate the merits or demerits of various game play elements and objects, and there they can use the nomenclature of "fix" and "broken" without making the game seem, to the casual observer, to be broken beyond repair.

Just saying.

Ignore the "fix it" posts on here. The game could be absolutely perfect, and people would find something to complain about. When people REALLY like something, and spend so much time with it, they feel like they are in tune with the game, and can see cracks in it's facade.

Weirdly, all of the negativity you see if borne from love. The more, the better!

My point was never to say that I was personally annoyed by the posts, and for that reason the solution you recommend is misplaced - since I am not personally affected by the matter.

My point was just to say that as a newer player, had I come here and seen a multitude of "fix it up" posts , the impression I would have come away with is not that of a loving community, but rather that of a game that was messed up, in dire need of a plethora of fixes, and perhaps not worth my time and investment.

That is the message that I was concerned the forums were inadvertently broadcasting.

I don't imagine we'll fix that - and this post isn't intended to do that - it is just an observation.

I share your sentiment. A lot of people on these forums are pessimistic Alpha-nerds who get fixated on the idea that their opinion rationalizes the idea that this game is "broken" in some meaningful way. They can't focus on the positive AKA almost everything about X-Wing. If you're like me, and you're not a crazy hardcore board game/tabletop buff who is also the encyclopedia on all things Star Wars - from concept art in the expanded universe to memorizing dialogue from all 6 movies - then these forums can become a bit overbearing. Just bein' honest.

I've found much more pleasant and reasonable discussions on some other sites, where people are very happy to help new players and share their experiences without swamping the forums with negative ideas that, as you've stated, can worry and turn off newer players.

I love how the very next post is from an alpha nerd lamenting the various change in the tournament meta and how some ships are no longer competitive with each new wave released.

And speaking as a life long SW fanatic and alpha nerd myself, I think this is an awesome game that has been meticulously designed to be as balanced as possible given he huge amount of ships, cards, and ever changing rules additions. It's fun! Just because the tournament goers use fat turrets, arc dodgers and such doesn't mean I have to build my list to suck all the fun out of the game. If I wanna fly x-wings, I will! If I wanna fly defenders with PTL, then I will! Will I win 8 straight at a tournament? Of course not! Will I have fun? Absolutely!

I dunno, fly casual!

^ Refreshing to see that some of you hardcore types still have shreds of humanity and enjoyment left!

Yeah, long story short, ignore the negativity because this is one of the most awesome miniatures/tabletop games ever developed, and it's based on one of the most fantastic sagas ever made. And you can always do what I do: Whatever people define as the "meta" or flavor of the month in terms of tournament play, just be the "anti-meta" and play around until you find something unique and awesome that people aren't sure how to counter. Fly what you love, and fly casual indeed!

Most of the "....... fix" threads are quite enjoyable to read though. To be fair, although there a few troll posts in here, there's a good bunch of fellas/felletes and most conversations are quite civil.

I posted a suffested houserule fix for munitions recently. A lot of the responses were suggested tweaks or other considerations. Some readers didn't like the idea and they stated why. No-one said "This is crap and you're a 'Foxtrot Alpha Gamma'!" which is not unusual for other (non FFG related) forums I read.

Is the game X-Wing broken?

No. It's got some issue but it's far from broken. It's still quite a fun game and should continue to be so for some time. I think it will improve with upcoming options being available as well.

Is the X-Wing itself, as played in this game broken?
A lot of players think so but it has been showing up in top 8 Regionals lists. Not as consistently as the currently meta-defining ships but it's nice to know they can still compete in the hands of an ace.

TL;DR X-Wing Miniatures game: very much not broken. But it's fun to discuss the rough edges.

Is X-Wing the game "Broken"? Oh no! Not even a bit. It's a very complex machine that works quite well. When you see "fix it" threads, there are a few different things going on.

1) Some things are just legit broken. The machine is complex and every new release makes it more complex. Sometimes things are just going to work poorly. You don't, like, _need_ your apendix for your body to work. You're not "broken" if you have an appendectomy. In the same way: the pre-Raider TIE Advanced is broken. It simply isn't worth the points. This wasn't all _that_ noticeable in waves 1, 2, and 3, as the Rebels also had their share of ships that didn't earn back their points. As the game has gone on, though, the less efficient ships see less playtime- due to the novelty of flying a wave 6 ship if nothing else.

2) Some things are "dented"- still playable, but playing it puts you at a slight disadvantage. For instance: the X-Wing. The X-Wing doesn't need "fixing", it needs "polishing". Unfortunately, it's difficult to make the case that the X-Wing needs a small buff without getting into an argument about whether taking the X-Wing makes you a puppy eater.

3) With this game, it can be difficult to tell the difference between "I can't play this build" and "this build is terrible". Which leads to...

4) As nerds, we like systems. We like to pull 'em apart and put 'em back together again. That's how we figure out what makes 'em tick. Discussions about how to "fix" a ship, system, etc are often ways to discuss core mechanics in a focused way. In talking about fixing the X-Wing, we can figure out what makes the X-Wing weak, what its core strength ought to be, what makes the X-Wing unique, and how to enhance that without stepping on another ship's uniqueness. That's an interesting discussion to have. But it can very much look like we're saying the game or the ship itself is terrible.

^ Refreshing to see that some of you hardcore types still have shreds of humanity and enjoyment left!

"shreds of humanity" left? Seriously?

Truly, people expressing concerns over the game's balance are what's REALLY making this place unpleasant.

Plenty of people who were playing in the early days still think the age of the TIE Swarm was better. It was, at the very least, thematic, and very challenging to fly well. The top tables and top spots may have consistently been TIE Swarms, but you never saw them all the way up and down the ladder the way the Fat builds are. I think that's why the complaints seem so very prevalent thee days - TIE Swarm Time Limit Hell was a real thing, and somewhat self-limiting. That's gone now, as the Fat ships become primary across the board.

Come now, you are a forum vet, learn to audit your quotes.

What's not thematic about a fat falcon fighting off swarms of fighters? Or a gun boat taking on the same? That excuse is weak at best. Swarms not being up and down the ladder? Where were you cause they were from here to the moon, mostly in the top cut because, well hell it was point efficient and relatively safe because SoS was in effect and losing a TIE didn't mean much in the run of things. If you figured out banking you pretty much have formation flying down, not the hardest thing in the world. TIE swarms were complained about just as much then, as fat things are now. You just see more complaints because the player base has grown at a much more astounding rate, and we have seem to picked up a lot of vocal complainers as of late.

I like to fix it fix it

I like to fix it fix it

I like to fix it fix it

FIX IT

^ Refreshing to see that some of you hardcore types still have shreds of humanity and enjoyment left!

"shreds of humanity" left? Seriously?

Truly, people expressing concerns over the game's balance are what's REALLY making this place unpleasant.

^ Exhibit A of the Alpha-Nerd taking everything they read, do, and experience under the sun way too seriously!

Thank you kindly for volunteering for this demonstration.

Come now, you are a forum vet, learn to audit your quotes.

What's not thematic about a fat falcon fighting off swarms of fighters? Or a gun boat taking on the same? That excuse is weak at best. Swarms not being up and down the ladder? Where were you cause they were from here to the moon, mostly in the top cut because, well hell it was point efficient and relatively safe because SoS was in effect and losing a TIE didn't mean much in the run of things. If you figured out banking you pretty much have formation flying down, not the hardest thing in the world. TIE swarms were complained about just as much then, as fat things are now. You just see more complaints because the player base has grown at a much more astounding rate, and we have seem to picked up a lot of vocal complainers as of late.

I played in I think 3 different store championships in 2014 without seeing a single TIE swarm at any of the events. I managed to get through the entirety of Gencon 2013 (not making the cut, admittedly) without facing a single TIE Swarm. By contrast, a buddy who went to Nationals last year faced Fat Han 5 of 6 games.

I think there's some selective memory going on here, but it's not mine.

People love their list. Then something new comes along and destroys it. Instead of changing the list to take on what destroyed it, they whine and demand a fix to this ship or that ship in their list.

Like asking for the HWK to be fixed by turning it into a dog fighter so it can go toe to toe with an Interceptor or a B-wing and come out as the winner.

Honestly, if it weren't the freakin' X-wing , it wouldn't generate the same amount of text. The Scyk fighter, for instance, is more hopeless than the X-wing, and few people really care. Even those of us who wish the Scyk had come into the game competition-worthy don't really care that it's not, even if we talk about what might have been.

But the X-wing? The iconic ship that the game is named after? The most famous starfighter (do I really need to say "fictional"?) in the history of humankind?

The X-wing should be competition-worthy. And it just isn't.

That's why there's so much chatter about it. People love Star Wars, and they love the X-wing, and they want to be able to fly it in tournaments and not feel like they're operating under a noticeable handicap.

Nothing is perfect right out the gate and it's a mark of a good company that they actively work to improve their game but to do that you need feedback, now while not every complaint is valid by any means when you get a consensus from fans it's worth the devs attention.

No one flew tie advanced because they were undergunned the devs see that as a valid issue and have fixed it.

Tie interceptors were struggling against turrets and we got Autothrusters.

Tie phantoms were a touch too strong we got a decloak change.

No amount of play testing can find every issue, so you want real world feedback post release.

Starcract 2 was the same on release zerg struggled blizz got feedback and worked to rebalance.

When no one's offering fixes then you worry because passion for the game is gone.

Nothing is perfect right out the gate and it's a mark of a good company that they actively work to improve their game but to do that you need feedback, now while not every complaint is valid by any means when you get a consensus from fans it's worth the devs attention.

No one flew tie advanced because they were undergunned the devs see that as a valid issue and have fixed it.

Tie interceptors were struggling against turrets and we got Autothrusters.

Tie phantoms were a touch too strong we got a decloak change.

No amount of play testing can find every issue, so you want real world feedback post release.

Starcract 2 was the same on release zerg struggled blizz got feedback and worked to rebalance.

When no one's offering fixes then you worry because passion for the game is gone.

Do you even know how often Starcraft has been fixed and balanced?

A living community giving feedback and so fodder for the devs to develop, fix and balance it even further is a criterium of a very good and polular game.

Honestly, if it weren't the freakin' X-wing , it wouldn't generate the same amount of text. The Scyk fighter, for instance, is more hopeless than the X-wing, and few people really care. Even those of us who wish the Scyk had come into the game competition-worthy don't really care that it's not, even if we talk about what might have been.

But the X-wing? The iconic ship that the game is named after? The most famous starfighter (do I really need to say "fictional"?) in the history of humankind?

The X-wing should be competition-worthy. And it just isn't.

That's why there's so much chatter about it. People love Star Wars, and they love the X-wing, and they want to be able to fly it in tournaments and not feel like they're operating under a noticeable handicap.

THIS. And what kind of list with X-wings can one make with 100 points hey?

that's not a squadron .

150 point new official standard, FOR THE NAME SAKE!

I would go so far, I think, as to say that the X-Wing ought to be the standard by which all other builds aspire to.

A lot of games will feel "broken" due to cheese dicks who fly the meta builds to win. It's like the friend who always picked Oddjob in Goldeneye. Some people only have fun when they're winning. If you avoid tournys, most of what's wrong with X-Wing is barely noticeable.

Nothing to see here, folks.

A lot of games will feel "broken" due to cheese dicks who fly the meta builds to win. It's like the friend who always picked Oddjob in Goldeneye. Some people only have fun when they're winning. If you avoid tournys, most of what's wrong with X-Wing is barely noticeable.

Holy Necro Post Batman!

Nothing is perfect right out the gate

But my mum said I was perfect from the start.

I agree that if there was no discussion on the "broken" or the "OP"....we should fear the addiction will be found wanting; and might die. These diatribes of whining, praising, bi%#hing, arguing, and yes, even trolling, -my friend- shows passion. And an insane need for this plastic crack bathed in pilot and modification cards.....

And. We. Need. This. So. We. Can. Fix. It.

A lot of games will feel "broken" due to cheese dicks who fly the meta builds to win. It's like the friend who always picked Oddjob in Goldeneye. Some people only have fun when they're winning. If you avoid tournys, most of what's wrong with X-Wing is barely noticeable.

Serious question here: what sequence of events led to you posting in this thread and dragging it up from a year ago?

Why do I ask? Because whenever posts up to over a year old get necroed it's always a new member that's done it. I'm starting to wonder if it's somehow easier for new members to do or something.

And. We. Need. This. So. We. Can. Fix. It.

Fixed that for you.

A lot of games will feel "broken" due to cheese dicks who fly the meta builds to win. It's like the friend who always picked Oddjob in Goldeneye. Some people only have fun when they're winning. If you avoid tournys, most of what's wrong with X-Wing is barely noticeable.

Serious question here: what sequence of events led to you posting in this thread and dragging it up from a year ago?

Why do I ask? Because whenever posts up to over a year old get necroed it's always a new member that's done it. I'm starting to wonder if it's somehow easier for new members to do or something.

Usually it's because google or some other search option brings them straight to a thread.

Nothing is perfect right out the gate

But my mum said I was perfect from the start.

But in the womb you were one fugly ball of cells, and that tail you tried just wasn't you.