Welcome to our addiction, though I don't regret any of my purchases, nor all the RPG books I traded in for the Tantive IV and the YT-2400 (and a couple of other ships... it was a great trade in!) There are so many good things about this game and the community is really awesome...

Take a serious look at the Index of Useful Links where you can find good things like this:

Web Based Squad Builders

Voidestate's Squad Builder
(Yet Another) Squad Builder
Fab's Squad Generator
Han Shopped First squadron pricing calculator by randolph

There is a reason it is the only stickied thread on the main page, but it is easy to overlook with all the squad building threads and constant barrage of new things to read on the forums. You'll also find the podcasts on there which is also a great way to be involved with your new hobby while doing necessary things like driving or sometimes working... heh heh

Welcome again and good luck!

Hi all,

I'm a prospective buyer of the game and want to ask a couple questions before I dive right in:

1. What are the main similarities and differences between X-Wing and Armada? Which ones appeal to certain play styles?

2. Which should I get: The Force Awakens core or the normal core?

3. How many expansions are required to get decent-sized squadrons for both sides? How much does it cost? Which specific expansions would you recommend?

Thanks,

Ecthelion

I just started these past few weeks. I doubt that I'll play competitively, but I'm open to the possibility of any local stores participate. I bought an original core set in my local store and played several games with a friend. We loved it. Then I took to craigslist to find someone selling their collection. I was lucky enough to find someone selling another two core sets and eight expansions for $100. I took him up on the offer and quickly expanded my fleets. While I have three core sets and eight expansions now, I've yet to use anything but a few X wing and several TiE in a game. My friend and I are learning the mechanics and ramping up to bigger battles, saving the excitement of introducing new ships.

Buy a core set (either will be fun) and play around with it. Be ready to buy another one or find a deal on craigslist like I did. I know that i got a heck of a deal, but I saw three more deals at the same cost per shop in my area. Rule of thumb: play what's fun. We're still flying two core sets worth of ships and having a blasts learning.

I think I'll end up getting both cores and the Falcon to start off with.

Thanks so much for all your feedback and suggestions!

You've taken your first steps into a larger world.

That's a really smart play getting both Core sets. Poe and BB-8 are exclusive to the new core while Luke and R2-D2 are exclusive to the old core. That's a pretty big deal for both competitive and casual players.

Here's a few other things to consider with regards to pilots and who comes from where:

I would highly recommend the Rebel Aces first prior to picking up the individual A-Wing and B-Wing expansions. That Aces pack comes with arguably the best named pilots for their respective crafts (Jake Farrell for A-Wings and Keyan Farlander for the B). On the other hand I would recommend getting the Interceptor expansion instead of the Imperial Aces pack for starters for one reason and one reason only...Soontir Fel. The Imp Aces pack is excellent but Soontir is the best.

Oh and if you play casually only go ahead and proxy upgrade cards to your hearts content. It's a great way to figure out what works and what doesn't without investing unnecessary cash. Save your money for the ships you like.

I have just started with X-Wing. My brother and I both bought new core set and switched opposed models (I gave him TIEs, he gave me T70s). So I have two ships and I'm going to buy 1 more T70 as soon as it's out and that's my whole fleet. It will be enough for casual gaming. Speaking of which, I also thought about buying older core set and pick up A-wing and another X-wing just to have Luke, Wedge and Tycho in my squadron (also 100 points approx). So, I believe you can build a squadron out of some 70USD (Core set and two expansions). That's what I'm in for.

Imperial Aces or the new Imperial Veterans? I need to add something to help balance out the Millenium Falcon for the Imps.

Also, how good of a purchase is the normal Tie Fighter expansion pack, to add Howlrunner and make the TIE swarm a thing?

Imperial Aces or the new Imperial Veterans? I need to add something to help balance out the Millenium Falcon for the Imps.

Also, how good of a purchase is the normal Tie Fighter expansion pack, to add Howlrunner and make the TIE swarm a thing?

Now, honestly, Imperial Veterans. It will be more expensive but you are getting a HUGE amount of upgrades and pilots for two ships that have been long-lamented in the Imperial Navy. Not to mention the new TIE/Defender titles will certainly balance out the Millennium Falcon.

Why will it be more expensive? They're both listed as $30.

Also, which: Tie Fighter expansion for Howlrunner, or a supplementary Tie Defender, assuming I get Veterans?

Why will it be more expensive? They're both listed as $30.

Also, which: Tie Fighter expansion for Howlrunner, or a supplementary Tie Defender, assuming I get Veterans?

You can find deals on old Aces Pack with great regularity, and on places like Coolstuffinc they're usually marked down to $18.99. New stuff doesn't usually get the mark down right away.

Hmmm, that is honestly a tough decision. Howlrunner and other TIE Pilots in that expansion are absolute staples in any Imperial Fleet. However, the Defender will directly benefit from Veterans. Moreover, if you haven't bought a Defender, you're most likely missing out on one of the best Elite Pilot Talents in the game -- Predator.

Assuming you get Veterans, go with the Defender pack.

Ordered the game! Just the two cores to start though.

What expansions give you the best secondary weapons under 3 squad points?

Ordered the game! Just the two cores to start though.

What expansions give you the best secondary weapons under 3 squad points?

Oddly specific question. I'm guessing you just saw the Imperial Veterans pack. If that's the case, we can ignore the Torpedoes.

Remainders are XX-23 S-Thread Tracers, Adv. Homing Missiles, Ion Pulse Missiles, Proton Rockets, Ion Cannon, Flechette Cannon, and Tractor Beam.

You can get Flechette and Ion in the SCYK pack (M3-A Interceptor, Scum)

Ion Pulse and Ion Cannon are both in the TIE Defender pack

Sadly, none of the others that have been released have done so in a way that buying one ship nets you two different upgrades of the list.

I know most of these have already been answered to various degrees:

1. What are the main similarities and differences between X-Wing and Armada? Which ones appeal to certain play styles?

2. Which should I get: The Force Awakens core or the normal core?

3. How many expansions are required to get decent-sized squadrons for both sides? How much does it cost? Which specific expansions would you recommend?

1. Main similarity? They are both Star Wars. Differences: To many to list although I have avoided Armada.

2. Both?? Each has its benefits although both will provide you with the basics needed to play. A second set of dice and templates can be very useful and at present you can pick which damage deck gets used although you shouldn't mix them together. The FA version has the more up to date rules in it.

3. So many possible answers to this question that it alone can fill threads many pages deep. I generally assume costs at $10 a small ship, $15 for the 'bigger' small ships that include additional extras, and $20 for large ships; this isn't always true and running some ship "builds" actually requires parts from many different ships. I would say you could get a nice start for $100 with good shopping.

Are the dice included in the core set enough, or should I buy a supplementary pack?
This may sound really dumb, but do the expansion packs contain the base and pegs and all the stuff needed to throw the ship right into a list?

Having "enough" dice is a loaded question. The core contains three of each which can still be used if something calls for rolling even more dice. Having additional dice is often nice but much of the time we'll suggest getting dice 4-6 from a second core set instead of just buying a dice pack; if you factor in ship values is it usually a cheaper option.

Packs always contain a base and pegs for each of its ships. They also include a maneuver dial for each ship although a few Scum products contain extra dials for those who wish to maintain a uniform look to their dials when using Rebel or Imperial expansions to get the ship models. Packs also include the cardboard base tiles and associated Pilot cards required to field a given ship. The usually include upgrades that can be used on those ships but not always and almost never everything you could want to put on a ship.

How does Slave I/Scum & Villany work? Is it a third standalone faction?

Slave 1, otherwise known as the Firespray, in only available as an Imperial Expansion. The Most Wanted Expansion introduces the Scum faction while also providing materials, most importantly Pilot cards and base tiles, to use ships from older expansions as part of a Scum force. Scum is a stand alone faction that does not mix with Rebels or Imperials. Some ships models may be usable by Scum and another faction but all pilots must be from the specific faction being used; Boba Fett has Imperial and Scum versions and you can only use the appropriate pilot card in the appropriate faction.

Imperial Aces or the new Imperial Veterans? I need to add something to help balance out the Millenium Falcon for the Imps.

Also, how good of a purchase is the normal Tie Fighter expansion pack, to add Howlrunner and make the TIE swarm a thing?

While you can get certain ships in several packs most of the unique pilots are specific to a given Expansion. We'll usually recommend getting the stand alone expansion to get with these bigger sets. The TIE Fighter expansion gets you Howlrunner who is most famous for her TIE Swarms but also appears on other lists; in also includes Backstabber who has been seen as a cheap flanker that can be dangerous to ignore.

As stand alones I actually say ImpAces is better as the stuff you get in it can be used on the ships that are in it. An Interceptor expansion is still desired for Fel and perhaps Turr but Aces gives you what you need to outfit the two Interceptors you have in it. Veterans may contain more potential power but is also expecting you to have a much large collection to draw from to fill things out. It only contains one copy of two ships types yet many of the upgrades come in duplicates which means you'll want the single expansions to use those multiples; it also opens up options for those fighters but does not provide the upgrade cards needed to fill those options.

In my opinion you could make a half decent Imperial squadron with a Firespray Expansion and ImpAces. I'm not sure you could do as well with the Veterans box instead although the Firespray does provide upgrades that the Vet's ships could use.

Time to post this again...

FFG, why are you so good at taking my money?

Hi all,

I'm a prospective buyer of the game and want to ask a couple questions before I dive right in:

1. What are the main similarities and differences between X-Wing and Armada? Which ones appeal to certain play styles?

2. Which should I get: The Force Awakens core or the normal core?

3. How many expansions are required to get decent-sized squadrons for both sides? How much does it cost? Which specific expansions would you recommend?

Thanks,

Ecthelion

1. X-Wing's a smaller game about flying smaller starfighters and gunships. Armarda is a larger game about using huge spaceships against each other. X-wing is more like a fighter simulation, Armada is more like a naval battle simulation.

2. Either or both. Either of the starters is good enough to get you going - but i recommend both. This way you get 2 ships that can be played with rebels and 4 that can be played with Empire. You also get dice, templates and rulers for each player which speeds up games. I think theres a total of 6 different scenarios to play between the 2 core sets as well. A lot of people used to recommend 2 core sets back when only one was avialable - its still a good recommendation now.

3. Each faction typically runs between 2 to 8 ships in a standard tournament game. You can decide for yourself how many you want to run when playing casually although 100 points is a good number to build your squadron up to. Personally, as a fairly new player myself, I prefer larger expansions as they include more upgrade cards to play with. This includes boxes with large ships like the Falcon and Slave 1, as well as boxes with multiple ships such as the Imerial Aces and Most Wanted. If you want to get 2 factions up quickly, after the core set(s), the Rebel and Imperial Aces boxed sets are a decent way to go.

Most Wanted is the starter for the 3rd faction (Scum): No dice and rules here - just 3 ships and cards and tokens to convert 3 additional ships that were released for use by the Rebels and Empire previously. Getting Most Wanted and these ships will bring you up to 100+ points in the Scum faction.

Avoid huge ships (Rebel Transport, Tantive VI, Imperial Raider, Imperial Escort Carrier) until you have a decent amount of small and large ships.

Price depends where you are located. Deals can be found on Minatures Market and Amazon - use the MSRP price listed in product page to make sure you are not over paying for something that is temporarily out of print.

When starting out - buy ships you want to play FIRST. Use website like X-Wing Wiki to find out what other upgrades are available from other packs and proxy them if you want to try them out in casual play. Collecting 1 of each ship (unless you get extras from the multi small ship packs) is a good way to go as it gives you a large diversity of ships and cards to play with. Get multiple copies only when you are sure you like playing with a particular ship.

What expansion should I buy to wreck Interceptors? What Rebel list can I play to wreck Interceptors that uses my card pool of Core Set, TFA Core Set, B-Wing, and the suggested expansion?

What expansion should I buy to wreck Interceptors? What Rebel list can I play to wreck Interceptors that uses my card pool of Core Set, TFA Core Set, B-Wing, and the suggested expansion?

K-Wing.

Hi all,

I'm a prospective buyer of the game and want to ask a couple questions before I dive right in:

1. What are the main similarities and differences between X-Wing and Armada? Which ones appeal to certain play styles?

2. Which should I get: The Force Awakens core or the normal core?

3. How many expansions are required to get decent-sized squadrons for both sides? How much does it cost? Which specific expansions would you recommend?

Thanks,

Ecthelion

Games don't take near as long. 1 armada game can be 2-3 xwing games.

Armada is not cheap but it's fun.

I enjoy armada. I didn't buy into it but my cousin has everything so I use his

For me it's easier to find an xwing game than it is armada.

Armada is quite different from xwing. Luckily it only lasts 6 rounds. I've had games where we kind of flew the ships like in xwing and nothing shot at each other till the last two rounds.

It's a much different game. It's a complete whole new strategy. It's not dog fighting, but battleships duking it out.

Wish I had the time and money. Someday

2) well really you should get both but maybe the new core? Poe is a great pilot and turning up a lot lately in a lot of lists

Then again though the original has great xwing pilots, but the new xwing is better. The old core comes with R2d2 and a lot are using him on poe

3) well at my lgs a small ship is 20-25 dollars the large 35-50, and Huge 90-100 Canadian.

Really you can get a decent tournament squad for probably 100-200 bucks.

That's if you have to buy a ship that you don't want for an upgrade card.

Do you know anyone else that plays?

If so, use some of their ships. See what you like and go from there.

Use proxy cards for friendly games. Just print them off the printer and glue them onto some worthless magic cards.

I enjoy playing all factions. I seem to fly more imperial builds, but I do enjoy flying rebels and scum. I think the Imperial are just more fun, but a lot less forgiving that is for sure.

I guess I'd say get a Falcon because it's great especially for new players.

Get a non TFA xwing and tie fighter expansion Wedge is still good imo, and Howlrunner is pretty well a must if you ever want to fly a tie swarm.

Keep your eyes out on eBay and check local online sales or eBay for other options to get maybe single upgrade cards and ships. I see people looking to buy/sell/trade stuff a lot.

I'm looking to trade a scyke because I bought 3 when wave 6 came out and I never fielded 3. Maybe I'll find someone with an extra kihraxz fighter or kwing that'll want to trade