One of the things I like about X-wing is that there isn't really one all-dominant build. Sure, there are clearly some that are stronger than others, but every build has a weakness.

What do YOU think is the most important aspect to the game (other than the obvious...FUN!)?

-maneuverability/positioning

-firepower

-shield/hull

-synergy between ships

-luck

-something else

I'm not an experienced player (I've played 2 games so far), but my observations so far are that maneuverability/positioning may be the most important. Regardless of what your opponent is flying, if you have the superior ability to position your ships, you seem to have the advantage. Granted, that's only 2 games worth of experience (and watching a couple), but even with turrets on the field, superior positioning seems to win the day.

I like to break it down to a mere four categories:

• Squad building (e.g. Did you take the right upgrades? Does your squad have a weakness to your opponent's squad? Do your ships compliment each other well? etc.)
• Deployment (How did you place asteroids/debris? Where did you set up your ships? Where did your opponent set up their ships?)
• Flying (Choosing good maneuvers, choosing the right actions to take, making good use of your upgrades and pilot abilities, out-guessing your opponent)
• Luck (Plain and simple - are the dice on your side today?)

If you do better than your opponent in two of those four categories, you have a fair game. If you do better in three out of four, you're very likely to win. If you do better in all four, you literally cannot lose.

Flying wins games. Against competent opponent a good list gives you the option, but won't do it for you except against hard counters.

Definitely turrets yo. Most important part of the game. Turrets. Like lots of them. Goes well with aliens. Must be aliens.

Edit: ok serious time.

Attacking is the most important part. When you make a move. Maximize each turn getting an attack. Too many folks like to try and play fancy and run off. That tends to make you lose unless you have serious regeneration like poe or Miranda. (Also f@&$ rebels man. Fight me. ).

I've spent too many games chasing turrets (see most important, they almost always have shots) around the board while they regenerate.

Also lucky Poe and corran shots make me mad.

Skill with judging movement is the most important, no ship however OP can kill anything if they can't shoot.

Some ships have turrets so are easier to move and still get a shot but even with those you have to dodge obstacles and stop other ships blocking you.

Learn to fly and you'll do real well.

To me it comes down to controlling variance; both mine and my opponents.

Turrets.

Ability to live with regret

Dice decide the game, your ability to mitigate dice rolls (good or bad) in the squad building phase, movement phase, and when reacting to enemy tactics is what WINS the game.

Dice are not the most important but you really can't win the game without rolling more hits than an opponent can evade. You can win by not allowing your opponent the opportunity to trade dice evenly with you. It's more than that...complex this game is.

Master maneuvering first and then the rest will fall into place.

Positive attitude.

Ok Ok This seems like some yugioh heart of the cards aesop BS, but I've seen several people who kept their spirits up, overcome adversity and make a comeback. Also in part because their oponents got cocky and assumed the game was in the bag, then got confused when the guy they tought beat refused to roll over and die and later took them out.

The number of people with defeatist attitudes I've seen make a spectacular comback? Zero.

I like to break it down to a mere four categories:

• Squad building (e.g. Did you take the right upgrades? Does your squad have a weakness to your opponent's squad? Do your ships compliment each other well? etc.)
• Deployment (How did you place asteroids/debris? Where did you set up your ships? Where did your opponent set up their ships?)
• Flying (Choosing good maneuvers, choosing the right actions to take, making good use of your upgrades and pilot abilities, out-guessing your opponent)
• Luck (Plain and simple - are the dice on your side today?)

If you do better than your opponent in two of those four categories, you have a fair game. If you do better in three out of four, you're very likely to win. If you do better in all four, you literally cannot lose.

Well those 4 categories are close but I think it could be refined. I use only 3 elements of X-wing strategy that can be broken down.

• List Composition AKA the squad-building. Now there is no question that some list are just stronger than others, also that builds often have either an advantage or disadvantage in the match up with other lists as long as they are not facing an exact identical list. This is the part where the player has absolute control over in the start of the game but has the least ability to alter in the midst of game play other than which ship to lose first.
• Model Positioning This also includes deployment and obstacle placement aka the turn 0. This is where you get the most interaction between players as each one makes decisions based more on what the other player does rather than a plan like one would have in squad building. Also this player has the most ability to intervene adapting certain elements as needed. However the player doesn't have complete control by nature of the interaction with the opponent.
• ​Probability Statistics This is one of the elements that players have the least control over. Now games with good probability mechanics put in tools that allow player to adjust the probability to more favorable odds with re-rolls, modifiers and multiple dice. Also those that are good in statistics can easily figure out which confrontations are favorable and which ones should be wary of (i.e. Jousting Values). Still in the unlikely event that a player rolls nothing but blanks except for hitting obstacles and critical effects that add additional damage that person is going to lose no matter what. Sure the odds of rolling 100 blanks are low but that doesn't mean it is impossible. However it is so low that one needs not to worry too much about bad luck in this game thanks to the statistic modifying mechanics placed in this game.

But those are my three. Every aspect of strategy in X-wing can fit in one of these disciplines.

Your line of attack, and approach in the first three-four turns.

(Further expounded here " https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/191803-attack-line/")

Maneuvers of course, but not just your own.

Plan your maneuvers to account for the position and state your ships will be in the following turn, don't sacrifice next turn for a fast move this turn.

Look at your opponent's position and place yourself in his chair: if those were your ships, where would you move and what actions would you take?

Whenever you make your maneuvers you should do so with regards to movement order, the final places of your ships, and the estimated maneuvers of your opponent.

And most importantly: have fun, even if especially when you lose. I didn't win a single game in 3 months of Friday nights vs my buddies and my brother, and I was the the one who introduced them to the game.

I had fun every time, and let me tell you that first win was sweet.

Dice modification above all else. Don't leave anything to chance. More modifiers = more hits, crits, and evades.

Having "TIE" in the title.

The more I play the game, the more I feel the list you are against is the biggest factor, although the opponent's skill isn't far behind.

With each wave there are always a handful of (meta) lists that are better and/or easier to fly than the rest. If you don't use one yourself, then you have to really hope you can outfly your opponent if they have one.

I realized many years ago in other games that maneuvering and the movement system is the most important factor in a miniatures wargame for making it fun. It was back when I was still somewhat involved with GW games and I was playing a lot of War of the Ring. Units in that game were able to move and maneuver pretty quickly, but there were a lot of them. 200-300 miniatures in an army was not uncommon in a standard size game (ranked up on movement trays, of course). In fact, armies could be so big that it became difficult to move them around on a standard 6'x4' board, and the game was pretty dull. One day, I played a game with very small point values, like a quarter what was normal, but we still played on a normal size table. Suddenly cavalry were able to use their speed and flank the enemy, you could choose different approaches to take with your infantry, reserves became a meaningful concept. It completely changed how the game felt. It was a blast. After that I started encouraging the use of bigger playing surfaces in my games and paying attention to how crowded tables were compared to how much fun people seemed to have on them and there was a definite connection. Games where the players have room to maneuver their forces, where movement was a dominant factor in the game, seemed to be more enjoyable for the players. This can be seen in all the big games around today. The 2 warhammers, people would complain that the games were just gun lines or assault units charging straight at the enemy and throwing dice (age of sigmar hasn't really been out long enough for decent analysis), while all the rapidly growing games, x-wing, infinity, Malefaux, even Warmahordes have much smaller model counts, creating much more room for players to maneuver.

In hindsight, all of this should be totally obvious. When it comes right down to it, combat in wargames is just dice rolling and math, there isn't a whole lot of decision making involved. Yeah, you may need to choose the best target, but that is usually pretty obvious, and there may be some choices to be made in list building which are over with once the game actually begins, but that is about it. In virtually all wargames, the significant choices to be made are in how to maneuver your forces. That is where the skill lies, that is where players can be challenged and that is where they can get a sense of achievement. In other words, that is where the fun is.

Yeah, you can crunch the numbers on combat, build lists to mitigate risk, do the math to optimize your chances. That stuff might help you win, but if that is all your doing you may as well be playing zombie dice or farkle or craps. If someone, somehow, convinced me to play a 40k game again, I would need at least an 8'x8' playing area for a "standard" size army.

If someone, somehow, convinced me to play a 40k game again, I would need at least an 8'x8' playing area for a "standard" size army.

While that sounds badass, I've found playing on a table that nobody can reach the middle of isn't as great as it sounds.

I'd say the most important thing is to stay motivated. I've won so many games by opponents giving up half-way and shooting themselves in the foot.

Squad building and dice modifications.

It used to be manoeuvring and squad building, but then we entered PWT 2-ship hell - and now we're in TLT hell.

Squad building and dice modifications.

It used to be manoeuvring and squad building, but then we entered PWT 2-ship hell - and now we're in TLT hell.

Tlt hell is just a reason to pull out the tie interceptors and prove how much good flying matters.

Maneuvering the most important aspect? Possibly. One game I K-turned with Keyan Farlander so inch perfect that my opponent could do nothing but fly by, into Keyan's arc with his back towards him. That was good maneuvering. Immediately, my opponent activated his Inertial Dampeners and blew Keyan apart. That was good squadbuilding, and good use of the card.

So what is the most important? The question is a bit like the eternal question of A Song of Ice and Fire ("Game of Thrones"), about the king, the merchant and the priest. Whatever is the most important, is the most important. In most games, I find that manipulating your opponent's target priority is crucial, but that could just be my personal strategy.

If you're playing with turrets, maneuvering becomes less important. If you use Palpatine, luck is less important. MA and Intelligence Agent decrease the importance of second-guessing your opponent. I think that good players are able to recognize the subtleties in this and turn them to their advantage. Perhaps it's a good idea to choose a list that makes best use of your personal strengths.

THIS...

If someone, somehow, convinced me to play a 40k game again, I would need at least an 8'x8' playing area for a "standard" size army.

While that sounds badass, I've found playing on a table that nobody can reach the middle of isn't as great as it sounds.

That is an issue, but I'd figure it out. It's still better than most 40k games I have watched in the past couple years.