With the new academic year starting, my local university's gaming society has the annual influx of new gamers. I was asked along to their icebreaker event to demo X-Wing, and brought the following two lists for that purpose as I've always found just the starter set a little lacking in terms of showing off the game to its best.

Rebel:

Luke Skywalker (28)

R2-D2 (4)

Blue Squadron Pilot (22)

Total: 54

Imperial:

Darth Vader (29)

Determination (1)

Academy Pilot (12)

Academy Pilot (12)

Total: 54

I'd put these lists together to demonstrate a few things.

• The difference in gameplay between classic Imperial and Rebel lists
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• Named and generic pilots. (You don't get more Star Wars than Luke and Vader. )
• 
  
• The effect of Pilot Skill on the Activation and Combat phases of the game
• 
  
• Post-move manoeuvring (Barrel Roll)
• 
  
• A couple of simple to use upgrades without having an overwhelming amount of extra rules to explain
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• How obstacles work (asteroids seem like a core part of the game play)
• 
  

Other than the playing area being a bit larger than I'd first realised (about 4' by 4' rather than 3' by 3', which meant it took a little longer for anything to get into combat range), things went well. It seemed to showcase the core X-Wing experience well, and I'm optimistic that we'll see a decent number of the people I demoed to at our weekly wargaming sessions.

Is there anything that you'd change about the lists above, or any rules you think would be good to showcase in an introduction to the game? I did ponder trying to get a ship with Boost in the list as well, but TIE Interceptors seem like dropping a new player in at the deep end, and I couldn't find an A-Wing build that I was happy with.

You might have the Falcon and a Firespray - if not playing (depending on how you feel about turrets) at least sitting there on display. Those are big draws to just get people to stop and gawk

You might have the Falcon and a Firespray - if not playing (depending on how you feel about turrets) at least sitting there on display. Those are big draws to just get people to stop and gawk

I had the new starter set and the Tantive out for display, but the Falcon and Firespray are both good options for that too. Definately something I'll consider in future.

I'd probably not use them in someone's first game as they introduce extra mechanical elements (turrets and auxiliary fire arcs) but as you say they're impressive models and iconically Star Wars.

I almost think for their very first game just go with 1 X-wing and 2 Tie Fighters.

Those lists are good for perhaps the next tier. Then again, it's not too bad to just jump to more ships.

I've been keeping my demo lists pretty basic, two small ships generics.

The core set has a great set up for one's first game. I always recommend that as a players first game if they have never played a miniature combat game before.

2-3 ships each, no upgrades, and different ship types perhaps.

X-Wing and A-Wing

vs

2 TIEs and an Interceptor

Then add a named pilot and maybe 1 -2 upgrades on your next game.

I like the OP list. Depends on the players you're teaching but I think the named pilots are worth it. Requires a bit more mental effort but also provides a much more exciting narrative. "Hey, the B-wing just destroyed the last Tie but at least Darth killed Luke already!"

I like the OP list. Depends on the players you're teaching but I think the named pilots are worth it. Requires a bit more mental effort but also provides a much more exciting narrative. "Hey, the B-wing just destroyed the last Tie but at least Darth killed Luke already!"

I also like the OP's lists. I run something pretty similar with new players. I usually give the empire a few extra points to make up for the advanced being so terrible (I'm not looking to add the complexity of the title for newbies). I'll just throw something like a shield upgrade on Vader (and not give him an EPT).

I'll be running a demo game at my local library in a couple weeks. I plan on setting up a selection of 40-point ships that people can choose from and keep a running battle going, with ships being destroyed and new ones coming in. Should be fun.

I didn't his recently and bought two 300 pt epic lists with cr90 and raider not many rules learned but awesome fun and 4 cores purchased since

Jarval,

I think that introducing the game with elements of list building is a mistake. Some gamers are not used to that and can immediately be turned off by things that seem overpowered.

I used to think that building small lists with tool kit upgrades, you know, giving the player a taste of a little bit of everything, was the way to go. I've since learned how that can shut people down depending on the way the game swings or if they don't quite see a simple synergy right away.

The core set actually has the best means for introducing the game basics, yet being a fun experience. It's the Senator's Shuttle mission! It teaches the game's basics, gives the players a strategic objective (narrative is important to landing the hook!), and allows each player to keep making choices that will decide the outcome (TIE fighters resurrecting, and the Rebel player not having all the agression pointed at the lonely Xwing). This mission is already laid out in detail and there is little a teacher could forget to share with the players prior to that critical decision point! I recently used it to great success with introducing the game to new players.

I'll be running a demo game at my local library in a couple weeks. I plan on setting up a selection of 40-point ships that people can choose from and keep a running battle going, with ships being destroyed and new ones coming in. Should be fun.

One of my friends plays an escalation type furball. Choose a ship for X points. Destroying a ship nets you the points the ship costs. When you get destroyed, re-enter the game with a new ship that costs X+5 points. First player to 100 points wins.

I think that's a good list.

I made the mistake of trying to teach someone the game and going too simple. I used a Generic Xwing and generic tie fighters. The person thought the game was too simple and all you do is fly towards each other, K-Turn and fly towards each other again. I cannot get the person to try the game anymore. To him it is a simple kids game.

I think that's a good list.

I made the mistake of trying to teach someone the game and going too simple. I used a Generic Xwing and generic tie fighters. The person thought the game was too simple and all you do is fly towards each other, K-Turn and fly towards each other again. I cannot get the person to try the game anymore. To him it is a simple kids game.

I was really put-off by X-Wing the first time I played it as my demo game consisted of a Rookie X-Wing with no upgrades or astromech versus a couple TIE Academy Pilots, with few or no asteroids if I remember correctly. I flew the X-Wing.

Seems like a simple enough thing now, but my takeaway was that the game balance was terrible: The basic X-Wing was slower, less maneuverable and had less HP than the two TIEs, to say nothing of the basic tactical disadvantage of a 2v1 scenario. Everything seemed really swingy based on whether or not the dice came up in your favor, modified somewhat by these "Focus" and "Target Lock" concepts that seemed ridiculous and gimmicky (my feelings - not vocalized, of course - were something like: "Of course I'm focusing on the ****ing TIE fighter! I'm not here looking at scenery!! And how does my fancy starfighter not automatically lock on the target?? I played the X-Wing videogames, this is ridiculous!" and etc. etc.)

Anyways that experience really put me off the game for a long while. Happily I recently gave it another chance and now I truly enjoy and appreciate the system. But whenever I give demo games, I make sure that whatever the person wants to fly has a better-than-average chance of succeeding with a beginner at the controls.. There's a rather steep learning curve to the game in terms of learning movement visualization, the list building, the relative strengths of the many ships, etc., so I want the first experience to be strong enough that diving into the rest seems like fun and not a chore.

So many ways to demo a game:

Are you putting two newbies against each other? Then keep the sides balanced and I may even say you should try to mirror them

You play one side against a newbie? Make sure they have something that is easy to play while you can play something a bit more complex.

For that last one I like a suggestion I believe is called the "Secret Force" which is Chewbacca with a few up grades vs. three TIEs. They play Chewie w/ Gunner and some other upgrade(s) to get to 50 points while you play 50 points of fighters which could be an ace with a couple wingmen. Letting them play Chewie means they don't need to worry about any face-up cards being dealt to them (although you do; don't play with things that get around that), they don't need to be perfect in maneuvering to take shots at you (play Backstabber if you want to drive home why firing arc matters more), and with Gunner they have a better chance at hitting you which will make them feel better. You can play a "real" game and not hold back while they may still have a good chance to come out ahead.

One problem you'll have is that new Rebel players aren't good at modifying their attacks so they'll tend to miss TIEs, and TIE offense is pretty poor even when modified. New Imperial players will tend to barrel roll out of arc. The result can be underwhelming as everyone maneuvers into weak firing positions and only scores hits by sheer luck.

So I think you're better off with high attack and low agility on both sides (B-Wing v Bomber maybe)

Definitely use generics without any upgrades.

Here is what has worked best for me after teaching about a dozen people how to play. It usually goes something like this.

1) Sure I will teach you how to play, first watch this video, they explain the rules better and more concisely than I can.

2) So you are still interested, great! Demo game #1 at about 50 points, using only generic pilots, no turrets/secondary arcs, little to no upgrades (maybe a hull or something simple), limited action bars (you have to get them to bite before you reel them in with cloak or SLAM). Let them pick which faction they want to play, use two ships per side so they can see how maneuvering within own forces works. Use less than the normal or all of the smallest asteroids.

3) Demo game #2 at 100 points. Use only one of the simpler unique pilots per side. Introduce turrets\aux arcs.

Boom. New player.

I think I'd swap out the B-Wing for a Y-Wing. Go for that whole...recreation of the Yavin battle thing.

The manual has a learn to play tutorial that is actually pretty good. Start simple. Maybe modify the sides to have mirrored builds to keep things straight for newbies.

With the new academic year starting, my local university's gaming society has the annual influx of new gamers. I was asked along to their icebreaker event to demo X-Wing, and brought the following two lists for that purpose as I've always found just the starter set a little lacking in terms of showing off the game to its best.

Rebel:

Luke Skywalker (28)

R2-D2 (4)

Blue Squadron Pilot (22)

Total: 54

Imperial:

Darth Vader (29)

Determination (1)

Academy Pilot (12)

Academy Pilot (12)

Total: 54

I also wouldn't use upgrades or asteroids on someone's very first game. Depending on the person's gaming background, I usually leave out crits and range mods too. Game #2 is a better time for those rules.

If you actually have the TIE/x1 and ATC, I would give those to Vader instead of Determination for that 1 point.

When I taught my younger brother (I was learning too but I had read all the rules and been creeping on the forums), I ran 4 core set games add a bit each time. First was just the xwing versus two ties. Then we added actions, tten asteroids. Then we did a game with elite pilots and their abilities. The next day we did a refresher with full rules c versus two ties. Then a full 100 point match with 6 asteroids. The lower point game we just used 3 asteroids. He wasn't hooked but had fun and we play when I see him. I feel like it was a good pacing for learning everything. It gave me time to make sure I was understanding everything as well.

With more advanced gamers you could combine actions and asteroida into one match along with the color of manuver mattering

Thanks for the all the replies everyone, some very interesting points here! :-) Sorry about the delay in replying - I've recently moved house and I'm in that painful waiting period before it's installed at my new place...

The core set has a great set up for one's first game. I always recommend that as a players first game if they have never played a miniature combat game before.

The people I was demoing to with these lists were at least somewhat experienced board and wargamers (some 40K and WHFB players, along with a Blood Bowl enthusiast), so pitching in with a slightly deeper experience of the game seemed like a good starting point for the audience I'd got. That's a very fair point though, I'd definitely go for something a bit simpler if I was introducing someone new to miniatures gaming.

As a slight aside, I think the Force Awakens starter set is probably a better introduction to the game than the original core. The TIE/fo and T-70 have some more options that I think would give a better taster for what the full X-Wing experience is like.

I like the OP list. Depends on the players you're teaching but I think the named pilots are worth it. Requires a bit more mental effort but also provides a much more exciting narrative. "Hey, the B-wing just destroyed the last Tie but at least Darth killed Luke already!"

Having Luke and Vader on the table certainly seemed to help get people interested. Having the two of them face off immediately got people into the spirit of things!

The core set actually has the best means for introducing the game basics, yet being a fun experience. It's the Senator's Shuttle mission! It teaches the game's basics, gives the players a strategic objective (narrative is important to landing the hook!), and allows each player to keep making choices that will decide the outcome (TIE fighters resurrecting, and the Rebel player not having all the agression pointed at the lonely Xwing). This mission is already laid out in detail and there is little a teacher could forget to share with the players prior to that critical decision point! I recently used it to great success with introducing the game to new players.

I really like the Senator's Shuttle mission as an introduction to the game - as you say, it's got a strong narrative element to it that helps to draw people in beyond just the mechanics. However, I'd definitely want to tweak the list from just one X-Wing vs respawning TIEs as it has a tendency to get very one-sided in favour of the Imperial in my experience.

I think that's a good list.

I made the mistake of trying to teach someone the game and going too simple. I used a Generic Xwing and generic tie fighters. The person thought the game was too simple and all you do is fly towards each other, K-Turn and fly towards each other again. I cannot get the person to try the game anymore. To him it is a simple kids game.

I had a similar experience myself when learning the game. I liked the core mechanics, but the demo game of one X-Wing against two TIEs in empty space felt like a bit of a flat game experience. Having some obstacles on the table and more than one ship on both sides seems to help a lot.

So many ways to demo a game:

Are you putting two newbies against each other? Then keep the sides balanced and I may even say you should try to mirror them

You play one side against a newbie? Make sure they have something that is easy to play while you can play something a bit more complex.

I was doing a bit of both. The first demo was for one new player, so I gave him the Rebels (it's the more durable list of the two, and has some heftier firepower) and took the Imperials myself. The second demo was for two new players, so I gave the Imperial list to the more experienced gamer, and the Rebels to the guy in the BB-8 t-shirt. :-)

I think I'd swap out the B-Wing for a Y-Wing. Go for that whole...recreation of the Yavin battle thing.

I love the Y-Wing as a ship, but the B-Wing adds some post-move manoeuvrability to the Rebel list that I thought was important for both sides to have.

That Rebel list is stronger than the Imperial one. With Luke's defensiveness, a B-wing's health, and the Academies shooting last, it'll be tough for the Imperials to finish them off. I'd at least drop the B-wing to a Rookie X-wing. It's a closer match, and there will be less dial confusion for the newbie Rebel. Maybe upgrade the Academies to Obsidians, too.

I also wouldn't use upgrades or asteroids on someone's very first game. Depending on the person's gaming background, I usually leave out crits and range mods too. Game #2 is a better time for those rules.

Agreed that the Rebel list is the more durable - and so probably easier to use - list of the two. The general plan was to give the Rebel list to the new player (or less experienced player where it was two new players), and take the Imperial list myself (or give it to the more experienced newbie). But the Imperial list could probably do with some tweaking to give a more balanced experience if you'd got two players of equal skill playing against each other.

I think asteroids are really important to include in someone's first game. It helps to showcase the manoeuvring element of the game, and stops it just turning into just a straight joust between the two lists. I'm more on the fence about crits - they're another layer of complexity, but they're so much of a core mechanic that they're on the dice. With no guarantee of a game 2 with any of the players I was demoing for and the foreknowledge that they were all likely to have done some board or war gaming before, I went for adding both in, but I can certainly see the case for leaving crits until later on.

If you actually have the TIE/x1 and ATC, I would give those to Vader instead of Determination for that 1 point.

I felt the TIE/x1 title and upgrades were a bit complex for a starter game, but I thought the suggestion of swapping Determination for a Shield or Hull Upgrade on Vader seemed like a sound idea, particularly if you want to hold off on including the crit mechanics until later.