So, I got x-wing as a gift last-last Christmas. I hadn't touched it for ages, but recently got really into it and purchased quite a few expansions. The thing is, I got a Han Solo / Boba Fett (double sided) pilot card along with the gift. Yet, so far as I know, it's impossible to purchase single ships / cards. So, I'm left rather confused as to how my friend got this card, and what I'm supposed to do with it.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I'd ask my friend, but he's out of the country for the next while. Also, I'm fairly entirely certain that he didn't buy it off ebay.

While FFG may not sell singles they DO give them away as awards/gifts for various tournaments and such. I'm not up on these "alternative art" cards that they hand out but it is likely that is where it came from. While they do not actually do anything special I believe they are legal to use and can represent some kind of status symbol that say "I was there" when playing against someone who knows the cards.

Here is all the promo stuff:

http://kevbelisle.github.io/XWingPromos/

You can find some of them on Ebay

Yes, the promo cards can only "officially" be acquired by attending "organized play" events. These range from Game Night Kits; your local game store probably has purchased a couple of these if you have any sort of league play or tournaments outside of the "championship" level events. They usually come out seasonally with new swag in each kit.

Championship events (starting at Store level, then Regional, National, and finally Worlds) usually have more exclusive swag. They usually have a participation prize, then things reserved for the top 4 players.

Occasionally, there will be special events, like Assault on Imdaar Alpha, which was a tournament/pre-release event that has special swag as well as early release of upcoming ships for the top 4 winners.

The swag never gives you anything, in terms of gameplay, that you can't get from buying expansion pack. It is usually: Pilot/Upgrade cards with alternate art, posters, acrylic tokens or game components, or something goofy like your oversized card.

So, to answer your question more specifically...the oversized Han/Boba card is more of a novelty than anything. Without the Millennium Falcon/Slave 1 expansion packs, you can't do anything with the card. In fact, the oversized card doesn't even sport alternate art, it is simply the same art on the pilot cards. It is still a cool piece of swag, but from a gameplay perspective, it does not offer you anything you couldn't get from an expansion pack.