Thank You in advance for taking the time to help complete newbs like myself. I've been lurking on these boards for over a year and now is the time to de-cloak.

As a novice starting out with his first X-wing purchase which Core Set would you start with? I assumed that TFA was the new standard and I should start there. The updated deck and ships seemed like the logical choice. But now with the old deck remaining legal for the foreseeable future should I grab an "old" Core while I still can? I don't know how far my obsession with this game will go. Hopefully I can get the kids involved. It may never get past my kitchen table. I would like to experience tournament play some day but discretionary income for gaming is pretty thin so squad building may take awhile. So if you could only have one would you take Luke or Poe? Howlrunner or Omega leader? What say you all? Thanks again.

P.S. I've seen all the suggestions in the past that say start with 2 Core Sets and go from there. I've also read the great budget builds that recommend a single Core and a max of two single expansions. Good ideas all. For now let's assume I will be buying ONLY 1 Core Set and no expansions for the first few games. Thanks again.

P.P.S My novice status is already showing through. It was only after I posted that I remembered that Howl is not in the Core Set. Duh.

Hi, Eyegor, & welcome to (posting on) the forums!

At this point, it really is whatever you like best. Classic X & TIEs, or the new X & TIEs.

Should you get into the game, you'll eventually want both, if for no other reason than the pilots included in each. Damage Deck fiasco aside, the other reasons for the ages-old suggestion for 2 cores is the second set of templates and more dice. This still holds true when buying a red core and a blue core.

But for your first core? Pick one! Both contain the basis of a great game with 3 fun ships to fly. You can't go wrong with either.

One thing, however -- if you do choose to start with the red (original) core, skip the (main) rule booklet contained within and download the updated rules from FFG's website. There's no sense in learning one rule set to then update your knowledge to another (as slight as the changes may be).

Have fun!

Both Core Set are good starting point, it's really up to your liking.... Episode 7 or 4 ships?

If I was starting out again and didn't plan to participate in tournaments in the near future, I would go with the first Core Set: You can't really get more Star Wars than Luke with R2 against Tie Fighters....

I just love Poe too much to say anything but Blue!

If you play Imps Red core, for sure.

Either core will still require some investment to make a competitive list, but you can get the ball rolling as Rebel with Blue core and a Falcon!

Edit; missed the whole point of the title. In that case, take the blue pill. New rules trumps it.

One of each I would say, the new one for the updated rules and templates (plus the new goodies) and the old one for the iconic ships and more variety. It'll give you loads of options. Also, realistically you need 2 sets of dice anyway!

The original is still the best basic ties are better than the new ones, Luke and Biggs are both still strong x-wing pilots.

It kinda depends on what you want out of the game.

Luke and Biggs are both solid pilots, if a little defensive, and the tie pilots in the classic set or great, but personally I think the Force Awakens version will give you a more varied play experience right out of the box. More maneuverable ships on both sides makes dogfighting a bigger thing again. All that plus the updated rulebook and damage deck.

Luke and r2 are great..... but are they poe and bb-8 great?

welcome matey:-)

damage decks are (probably) going to be irrelevant to you for now tbh. i am assuming you will start by playing casually with friends/family instead of diving straight into tournaments...?

both sets are brilliant so neither will be the "wrong" choice. if i was you i would go for the set with the ships you prefer the look of most, me? old school. in everything. always:-) you/the kids? that could just as easily be the new set and fair play...

aside from which set has the ships/pilots you prefer the most they both have something going for them;

the old core set has got a slightly simpler initial play experience (both the old x-wing and the old tie/ln fighter have fewer action options available to them)

the new core set has the updated rules booklet in it (however this is still available as a free PDF from FFG so you can get it for the old core set no problems)

If you're going to be a Reb, the new.

If you're an Imp, the old.

If you're with the cool kids, you get the Most Wanted box.

If you're going to be a Reb, the new.

If you're an Imp, the old.

If you're with the cool kids, you get the Most Wanted box.

Cool kids still need the templates and damage deck though.....

I anticipate that The Force Awakens will be a fantastic movie. However, we just don't know right now. It might be as bad a flop as The Phantom Menace* so you may be left with a bad taste in your mouth after the movie and wish you had the OT ships that you know you like. Maybe you want to hold off? Or maybe get the old core now and the new core after the movie is released?

These are just my thoughts based on theme. Others have great comments about game content.

*I actually liked TPM

If you're going to be a Reb, the new.

If you're an Imp, the old.

If you're with the cool kids, you get the Most Wanted box.

Cool kids still need the templates and damage deck though.....

Cool kids also know how to get those gray market items cheap from the guy in the trench coat outside the FLGS.

I do have to amend my prior, get one of each so you have enough dice, multiple range rulers, all 12 asteroid shapes, both sets unique cards.

Not the answer you're looking for, but they are the best bang for the buck and if you buy from the right source you get them for nearly half off anyway. I know I've seen Amazon list the new core at 25 from 40.

If you're going to be a Reb, the new.

If you're an Imp, the old.

If you're with the cool kids, you get the Most Wanted box.

Cool kids still need the templates and damage deck though.....

Cool kids also know how to get those gray market items cheap from the guy in the trench coat outside the FLGS.

Never been a cool kid, but I frequently feel Scummy.

Seriously, when Scum debuted with Most Wanted I almost jumped in then but life kept getting in the way. Just from an economic POV it will probably be awhile before the smugglers and pirates join my fleet.

After collecting all the requisite ships since launch, opening the Most Wanted box was like Christmas! So many goodies!

My (meandering) opinions in new vs. Old core.

Rebels get good stuff out of both. I will say that the T-70 is a more "responsive" ship compared to the joust-focused Classic X-wing.

The new Tie/FO isn't bad by any means, but the classic Tie from the core set and Tie Fighter expansion set the standard for every ship that followed. This is not hyperbole- One of the core evaluation metrics for ships used by the community to evaluate new ships is based on how efficient the ship is compared to an Academy Pilot.

Damage deck: New deck. Every time.

Upgrades. Both sets have one fantastic Unique Astromech and one less good Astromech (R5-X3 is situational, R2-F2 is a trap). Proton torpedoes are bad. Guidance Computer is only relevant to the new ships, but wired is very strong and not available anywhere else while the Elite Upgrades from the old core set are rather meh. I'd say the New core set wins out, but R2-D2 is really popular for a reason.

Obstacles: Not really a huge deciding factor, but something you should be aware of. The new core set's asteroids are more irregular in shape, and the smallest asteroids are really tiny and the second biggest asteroids is noticeably larger. The old core's asteroids are more regular in shape and scale up more gradually.

I'd say that the ships should be the deciding factor, but the rest is good to know too.

It doesn't really matter. If you buy one core set you will soon buy the other.

TFA core set has way way way better rule books missions and production value in terms of miniature quality. I say go for TFA

Well while I prefer the Original Trilogy over a movie that I haven't seen yet, I would chose the classic one. However while I like the movies and playing X-wing I don't like playing cinematic format, you know where you try to reenact the scenes from the movies because lets be honest here, dice are terrible at following script.

For new players that want to get into the game I will continue to direct them to the new Episode 7 TFA core set as it has a better X-wing, maybe not better TIE Fighters but you would be better off getting them as individual blisters anyways, and most importantly an updated rule book and the new damage deck which will eventually completely replace the old one in competitive play.

Take the first one.

It ties you more to the movies you know and love. It has the more recognizable names. It has the easier to learn ships. And because it has the more recognizable names, it'll be easier to draw other people in or to explain why expansions are a great gift for birthdays and christmas.

Rulebooks and FAQ's are easily downloaded and printed if desired.

A new damage deck being required for competitive play is at least still 6 months away, most likely longer.

Trust your feelings, you know them to be true.

GAME wise I would go with The NEW TFA Hotness.

Even an old-road-star-dogg like me can see that it IS the better version of the game we love.

GAME wise I would go with The NEW TFA Hotness.

Even an old-road-star-dogg like me can see that it IS the better version of the game we love.

Is it though, for new players?

The ships have K-Turns and Barrel Rolls and the occasional pilot ability.

The new set gives starting players: K-Turns, Barrel Rolls, a heap more, and more complex, pilot abilities, Tech modifications, Talon rolls, boosts and S-loops. Abilities that give free actions on the reveal of a dial.

Sure, for experienced players, those are some advanced ships, but I'm not sure it is the best introductory set for new players.

I would go with the TFA set, because it is a better experience for both sides. In the old core the X-Wing is kind of boring to play, while Luke with R2-D2 is outright broken in this context. The new core has repositioning for both players. Biggs is utterly useless for introductory games, Blue Ace is fantastic. The FOs and TIEs have similarly good pilots. The new core is a vastly supperior experience out of the box.

If you want to build a competetive force neither core is really required shipwise, but the old one has the original TIE Fighters, which are really good.

The fo's are bad if your telling a potential imperial player to buy the new core your doing them a major disservice.

And how many builds use R2, he's a powerful astromech that both versions of the x-wing and e-wings can use to great effect.

The mini swarm is a staple of alot of imp lists and fo's do not swarm well far too expensive.