We have started to use xwing acrylic tokens placed next to our squads to indicate when they are activated. Just bring a few different types so you are using Way easier when there is a cluster of squads and your reaching fat fingers in to change. And a lot less to remember red /blue (not that its rocket science).

Meh, mine work great. I test them out a dozen times and they work great afterwards. You could always get the acrylic sliders

It's not that his doesn't work - he'd just rather not touch the squadrons.

You could go one step further, copy the squadron card (maybe find the reduction ratio to turn it into an upgrade sized card) and then number them and the squadrons using the X-Wing numbers. You could allocate a range of numbers to each player even you could be 20-29 for example. Then as you activate just tap the card.

I have had no problem. I also made it a point to make sure all my sliders were blue/red on the same side depending on where the hit point indicator arrow was.

You could go one step further, copy the squadron card (maybe find the reduction ratio to turn it into an upgrade sized card) and then number them and the squadrons using the X-Wing numbers. You could allocate a range of numbers to each player even you could be 20-29 for example. Then as you activate just tap the card.

You animal! <.< >.>

There are a few minor foibles of this game: precision movement, but you have to jostle sliders; color blind players are like "wut?" most of the time; squadrons can only shoot like 300 meters unless some pimp in a bomber is riding next to you and then you can shoot like two klicks; etc.

I don't think there's a perfect answer, but maybe a token on each pilot card where you flip the corresponding squadron number (instead of having 5, 10, 15 cards to tap/kneel/activate)?

Honestly, we dont even bother. Even in squadron heavy games we haven't had an issue remembering which squadrons have or have not been activated.

We decided as long as they get put down roughly where they were before we picked them up to slide it is all good.

If you are moving them anyway, it's not bad to move the slider when you pick up the squadron. Squadrons that are just shooting have a bit more of a problem. If they are in the open enough, you can slide while they are on the table. Personally, I prefer the sliders to tokens clogging up the play field and having to get moved out of the way all the time. The minor shift of the squadron after picking it up to move the slider is worth it to me.

You could go one step further, copy the squadron card (maybe find the reduction ratio to turn it into an upgrade sized card) and then number them and the squadrons using the X-Wing numbers. You could allocate a range of numbers to each player even you could be 20-29 for example. Then as you activate just tap the card.

I really like this idea but would carry it even farther where your small squad cards are double sided with one background blue and the other orange and you flip them to the non-active side like the sliders.

I shift the slider before the move

Two solutions:

1.) Don't push the post quite all the way in. Leave it a little loose, just barely, and the slider will move way easier.

2.) Spin the fighter 180 when activated rather than mess with the slider at all.

For me it's not the activate slider that kills me, it's the HP. I can move the fighter, slide the slider during the move, or even brace it with my other hand while I move the slider. But because of the design, when it loses hull points you kind of are forced to pick it up, which means it's placement will get disrupted. It's just frustrating. In friendly games I've never had an issue, but at tournaments I can just imagine the frustration against naggy opponents. If it was just a little button counter. You click it, the number goes down. When it hits zero, click it again and it goes back to the max number. Easy cheesy. But more expensive for the manufacturer, and thus for us probably. Time for research...

I can just imagine the frustration against naggy opponents

I think if I happen accross such a player I'll just get them to adjust the dial.

There is nothing stopping you moving the squadron, measuring what it is engaged with and getting an agreement with your opponent. Thus, if you pick it up you had a prior agreement as to what was affected and a small margin of error will not be that big an issue.

Yup, sliders and hits are a pain to use especially in a crowded dogfight.

I totally appreciate what people are saying here, I've had massive pains with a lot of my ships but it's quite easily fixed.

Firstly wiggle the activation slider back and forth as many times as you can, like for a minute, it loosens.

The same for the damage, spin it for ages.

Lastly loosen the pole a little. This gives it more space.

Lastly, when doing anything to a squadron, put your finger on the centre ship and press down, this pushes the ship and base down but not the cardboard which rests on top - tada - you can easily change things.

One rare exception. In a dense dog fight you can't get to any edge of the squadron. In that case - pick it up. You know where it was because it left a hole in the enemy ships. Don't sweat a few MM but do out it back as precisely as you can.

All these other solutions mentioned make the game drag and take longer

I've got Cog'O'Two squadron movement templates that have nice rounded edges designed for squadron movements...I just mark it's position, pick it up, toggle, and place it back

I don't really understand the problem with the sliders. If there is a cluster of squadrons, just pick them up to change the slider (heck, we often do that when they aren't clustered), then put them back where they were - because they are clustered, its pretty easy to see where they should be placed. It doesn't really get any simpler than that. Any other method is prone to error about which ones have been activated.

Alternatively, you could use the victory tokens as placeholders. It conveniently has a Rebel and an Imp side so could properly tell which squad goes back to where.

For big ships, you could use those L-shaped setup markers to record both position and orientation.

The problem I have with them is that the whole assembly is held together by that one little peg. All that sliding and twisting is going to have an effect, never mind pulling it apart to flip the 'wound counter' token. And if that little peg breaks it's going to be a pain in the ass fixing it because it needs to be so precise in order for the activation slider to move freely.

I use 1" washers under my squadrons. Pick them up and move the washer and then activate the slider and replace the squadron over the washer.

And yes they are stiff. But slide it a dozen or so times loosen it up fine.

I have had no problem. I also made it a point to make sure all my sliders were blue/red on the same side depending on where the hit point indicator arrow was.

Same here. I really don't see a problem with the sliders!

I've been thinking about cutting out cardboard circles to place under the base. Then I can pick them up fiddle the hp and the sliders and drop it right where it was.

I play that when you move a squadron you slide the slider before placing them down. It avoids a lot of the issue. As to moving sliders for squadrons which haven't moved, yes it's a pain especially when they're surrounded but it's a small price to pay for a mechanism that solves the age of problem of how I'm meant to remember what has activated!

A lot of people call this game "fiddly"because of the sliders and HP counters. Honestly, I feel that if these counters and sliders didn't exist, gamers would complain about the lack of information tracked.

I think they work just fine. If someone is getting bent out of shape over a couple mimimeters, then they need to go home and reevaluate their lives.