I'm flirting with trying to teach the game to my 6-year old, and was curious if anyone around here has started their kids out that young. I'm thinking about just using the ships from a core set for a while, without unique pilots. She can understand the numbers, but I don't want to bog her down with the more complicated mechanics just yet. I'm debating not even using rocks or debris fields in the beginning. Thoughts?

I'm flirting with trying to teach the game to my 6-year old, and was curious if anyone around here has started their kids out that young. I'm thinking about just using the ships from a core set for a while, without unique pilots. She can understand the numbers, but I don't want to bog her down with the more complicated mechanics just yet. I'm debating not even using rocks or debris fields in the beginning. Thoughts?

I've been teaching my 8 year old. Keep it basic at first. We do use rocks but we throw them down randomly. She has all her own ships, all Rebels. We only recently started using pilots with abilities and still no upgrades on any ships.

I've done that with a 6 year old:

- him: 2 Red Squadron T-65 X-Wings (R2-Mech)

vs.

- me: 4 Tie Fighter (academy or Obsidian)

w/ Asteroids.

One has to play slow, but since there are only basic rules (except the R2s, who work automatically), its just about learning the dynamics. In this case I was playing the Tie-Fighters as unorganized as they appear in the movies, so that the kid has moving targets to shoot at and sees, what optional actions different ships can perform.

Once you have done one or two games you can upgrade slowly by introducing a unique pilot, ordnance, different Tie-Types, etc.

Worked perfectly, I think I created a geek...!

Kids can absolutely play this game, provided you "go minimal" and leave out all the extras at first. As long as they're comfortable with the basics, and you introduce other elements only 1-2 at a time, they can start to take advantage of their ridiculous child-memories to remember what Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader's abilities mean, what a photon torpedo and concussion missile can do, and so on, even if they can't read. I taught a six and eight year old how to play with zero issues, so long as they keep playing the same ships (Darth and Luke, respectively), and you don't mind going over what your own ships do. I generally play other ships seen in the movies, and we usually leave out the Falcon.

Kids are emotional, need you to explain things slowly and clearly (and sometimes repeatedly), and are rarely going to set the world on fire with awesome x-wing skills - but I have found they really love it (except the TIE Phantom. That guy was voted off the island), and if you think of yourself as more of a Game Master and less of an outright adversary (at least at first. The older girl and I play Luke vs. Fell fairly straight sometimes), it's a great game for kids.

My eight year old has been playing for about a year. I bought him his own falcon. there are just a few of us that play strictly casual, and he always wants to play with me, so we usually play at 125 and plug his falcon in my list. He gets to play, he does some damage with the falcon, I use him as a massive decoy or an anvil, and we do alright together. even in the hands of an 8 year old, you cannot ignore the falcon.

I bought him the falcon after he took over part of my tie bomber wing in a different game and proton bombed us at an bad time. never give an 8 year old proton bombs, or other bombs for that matter.

so, yeah, falcon.

never give an 8 year old proton bombs

That should be in every parenting manual.

Teaching my friend's kids to play one night after our games. First we set up asteroids and had them guess the right maneuvers to "race" around the board, then we let them each fly one TIE against a naked Luke Skywalker, then they played a 1v1 - Saber Squad Interceptor vs. Rookie Pilot

My seven year old really enjoys us playing together with the Heroes of the Arturi Cluster campaign.

Im teaching my 8 year old ising vary little upgrades and i also let him pick his ships. With normaly one unique pilot

My 9 year old and 11 year old have both been playing for about 18 months. They are actually pretty good. The biggest problem is they want to sink all their points into maxing every upgrade slot, instead of being economical and getting another ship.

My 6 year likes the idea of playing, but when i try to teach her, she gets distracted. Your mileage may vary on your kiddo.

never give an 8 year old proton bombs

That should be in every parenting manual.

*Runs into his 17 month old's room and takes the proton bombs out of the crib.*

That is probably good advice.

My 4 year old grandson can play on a team or in Arturi Cluster. We give him options for generally what he wants to do, then set his dial and move his ships, then he rolls. Another year older and he will be able to move his ships himself. Right now he just can't reach well enough to not knock everything over.

never give an 8 year old proton bombs

That should be in every parenting manual.

Gotta remember this one.

- No honey. You cannot play with Proton Bombs. No. mommy doesn't allow it either.

My daughter has been playing since she was seven. We started with just the basics, but now she uses the CR90, because that's a ship for a princess.

My 11 year old son has played in a tenement, and won a few gamers. My 6 year old daughter liked scum z-95's with Dead Man’s Switch.

Last weekend I played 2 games with my 4,5 year old (he wanted to play the starship game).

First the base-game: Luke Skywalker (he) vs 2 Ties (me)

2nd game: Decimator (he, because he wanted to play the big ship) vs 2 x-wings (me)

I just explained the basic rules, because I'm pretty new to this game as well (one of the reasons I didn't play with asteroids, the base manual isn't clear about the mandatory use), so quickly briefed him about range, firing-arc, movement dials, actions, which number represents attack power (red number = red dice), which defense (green number = green dice) and the movement/attack order.

Some things he understood fairly quickly, like: Range, firing arc, meaning of the dice and numbers

But deciding which movement is best, is something he didn't get yet (though it made the game highly unpredictable). In the first game he flew off the board after 10 rounds (while not having any of my ships in his firing arc for at least 4 rounds) and in the second game after 6 or so (after killing one of my x-wings, thanks to the turret).

oh and he wanted to do the movement himself so he kept bumping my ships, but I didn't mind that much.

I don't expect him to fully grasp the basic rules for quite some time, but knowing him, he will probably surprise me and I expect he'll be able to play the game (without upgrades and complex pilots) reasonably enough within 2 years.

The next couple of months I'll probably let him play with the Decimator (vs 2 X-wings) or the Falcon (vs a mini swarm of ties), so it won't be too difficult for him to attack me.

I've read a story about a 7 year old winning a local tournaments, so children are able to play this game at a competent level before they're ten.

I think, 6 years is a reasonable age to start for them to play and comprehend the game on a technical and tactical level.

On the other hand I've also seen eleven year olds, who couldn't grasp the concept of left, right or benefit of formation flying (which the sixer amazingly could), so the margin in "accessibility to age" varies quite a bit...!

While positive feedback and achievements are neccessary to keep up the interest, Kids don't have to be pampered. They can deal with losses pretty well in any age.

Just explain to them what has happened and why in a reasonable fashion and they'll adept to it quite fast.