The tie fighter expansion gets you howlrunner and it never hurts to have multiple ties for a mini swarm.

Tie interceptors are a good buy get one expansion and imp aces you are set.

Bombers are good but the missiles and torps they use are not so at first you can skip the bomber and punisher.

If people you play against don't mind card proxies then the tie advanced is a great choice these days.

Tie phantom is tricky to use since the change to their movement it's more of an advanced players ship.

Tie defenders are like phantoms you can either master them or they'll be your doom, but they are my favourite so buy some defenders!!!

Shuttle is good but hard to fly, Firespray is decent but not a must have.

The decimator the only imp turret ship is a good choice for your first large ship.

Welcome to the game and forums.

Are you planning to focus on just one faction or 2-3? It sounds like you're planning to fly rebels from your concerns about the empire. Keep in mind the a standard game is 100 points per side, and it's pretty balanced at that size. Some squads will be naturally be stronger than others, that's a result of squad building rather than one faction being better.

You only really need a Decimator and a Phantom when you're starting out. Alternatively, an E-Wing and an Outrider if you're planning on playing Rebels. Also, pic related.

Can you tell us a little more?

For casual play, are you looking to be able to have enough so that you can field two opposing squads (allowing a friend without ships to play with you)? Or do you plan on playing with others who have ships and only need to provide for yourself?

Is there a certain playstyle you prefer, such as dancing around and avoiding the enemies arcs, charging forward and blasting them to smithereens, etc...?

Do you have a preference for original trilogy ships vs the expanded universe ships?

Welcome to the game and forums.

Thanks. I've been around the Star Wars RP area and the LotR card game a while, but this my first venture into the miniatures section!

Can you tell us a little more?

For casual play, are you looking to be able to have enough so that you can field two opposing squads (allowing a friend without ships to play with you)? Or do you plan on playing with others who have ships and only need to provide for yourself?

Is there a certain playstyle you prefer, such as dancing around and avoiding the enemies arcs, charging forward and blasting them to smithereens, etc...?

Do you have a preference for original trilogy ships vs the expanded universe ships?

It will be a friend and me playing with my pool of ships. I want 2 opposing squads - probably rebels and imperials. I don't really know enough about the game to know about playstyles yet I'm afraid.

Expanded universe is fine, I'm quite into star wars through media and games.

With Rebels I persnoally like to play 2 X-Wings and 2 B-Wings with Advanced Sensors.
But you can pretty much play everything, but I would recommend you to not thin out your list too much, while there are still people who rock with lists of 2 ships

it sounds like you're looking to fill out a few ships for each faction to pick from for casual play

In which case either the Imperial Aces or the Rebel Aces are an affordable way of picking up some new ships and upgrade cards.

If you were after a large base ship for either side, Falcon or YT2400 for rebels and Firespray or Decimator for imps would be good choices.

Personally I'd advise you start out with fighters and learn how to fly small ships first then move on to large.

Can you tell us a little more?

For casual play, are you looking to be able to have enough so that you can field two opposing squads (allowing a friend without ships to play with you)? Or do you plan on playing with others who have ships and only need to provide for yourself?

Is there a certain playstyle you prefer, such as dancing around and avoiding the enemies arcs, charging forward and blasting them to smithereens, etc...?

Do you have a preference for original trilogy ships vs the expanded universe ships?

It will be a friend and me playing with my pool of ships. I want 2 opposing squads - probably rebels and imperials. I don't really know enough about the game to know about playstyles yet I'm afraid.

Expanded universe is fine, I'm quite into star wars through media and games.

First off, since you're playing casually, there are really no wrong ways to go. My recommendations are on allowing each side to field a 100 pt squad, and then how to add more flavor. I also tried to give a mix of ships so that you can try different play styles.

Rebel:

I'd start with the B-Wing Exp and the Millennium Falcon Exp. After that, I'd go with the Rebel Aces Exp and Y-Wing Exp. For extra fun, the HWK isn't a very powerful ship, but it is highly customizable and can be interesting to run with.

Imperial:

I'd start with the TIE Fighter Exp and Firespray Exp. I'd then go for the TIE Interceptor Exp and the Imperial Aces Exp. For fun, the Imperial Shuttle comes with some interesting cards and can be a solid but tricky ship to fly.

A quick side note, when it comes to Imperial large ships, the Decimator is the most powerful, but it is basically an Imperial version of the Millenium Falcon and won't give you a ton of variety if you already have the falcon. That is why I recommend getting the Firespray first.

Another thing to consider is buying another core set. This will give you 3 more ships for a relatively cheap amount. It will also give you more bits and pieces (e.g. dice) which makes it easier to field two players. Now that there are two different core sets on the market, you could get the one you don't have, to ensure a variety in the cards and ships you get.

First thing I would do is buy the other core set. It's the best bang for your buck when considering the amount of ships and the litany of extras it comes with for the price. You'd have a full set of dice, a second damage deck which you'll need for 1v1's, and a spare set of templates for when your originals begin deteriorating down the road.

The new X's and Tie's fly very differently than the old ones, so it's not like you're buying the same exact ships again.

After that, the Aces packs and the corresponding singles(Interceptor, B, A) are a must and will add many different options to your fleet going forward. Then, for the next big step, your favorite large base ship from each faction would go a long way in diversifying your games. At that point, you'll have an excellent feel for the game and be able to add to your favorite faction as you wish, or venture into the world of Scum.

First thing I would do is buy the other core set. It's the best bang for your buck when considering the amount of ships and the litany of extras it comes with for the price. You'd have a full set of dice, a second damage deck which you'll need for 1v1's, and a spare set of templates for when your originals begin deteriorating down the road.

The new X's and Tie's fly very differently than the old ones, so it's not like you're buying the same exact ships again.

I agree with most of what you've said, except that if you're playing casually with just one player's collection, the rules are quite clear that it's fine to use a single damage deck. In tournaments, each player is expected to bring his or her own damage deck, but the game works just fine if you both draw from the same damage deck.

First thing I would do is buy the other core set. It's the best bang for your buck when considering the amount of ships and the litany of extras it comes with for the price. You'd have a full set of dice, a second damage deck which you'll need for 1v1's, and a spare set of templates for when your originals begin deteriorating down the road.

The new X's and Tie's fly very differently than the old ones, so it's not like you're buying the same exact ships again.

I agree with most of what you've said, except that if you're playing casually with just one player's collection, the rules are quite clear that it's fine to use a single damage deck. In tournaments, each player is expected to bring his or her own damage deck, but the game works just fine if you both draw from the same damage deck.

Sure, you can. But the integrity of the game plays out better if each player has their own. Still, it's just an added bonus to what would already be a great second purchase.

Definitely recommend getting the other Core, especially because having more than 3 dice will be nice for multiple players.

Aces packs, both Rebel and Imperial, are good deals.

Beyond that, get what looks fun and interesting to you. Don't worry too much about what's "competitive" or not, especially if you're not playing that way. It's a game, enjoy flying your favorite ships!

Definitely recommend getting the other Core, especially because having more than 3 dice will be nice for multiple players.

Aces packs, both Rebel and Imperial, are good deals.

Beyond that, get what looks fun and interesting to you. Don't worry too much about what's "competitive" or not, especially if you're not playing that way. It's a game, enjoy flying your favorite ships!

Yeah that's what I kind of planned. I think my concern is that I will inadvertently make one side consistently better than the other even with balanced squad points.

Can anyone tell me if the damage decks are the same in the original core set and TFA core set?

it sounds like you're looking to fill out a few ships for each faction to pick from for casual play

In which case either the Imperial Aces or the Rebel Aces are an affordable way of picking up some new ships and upgrade cards.

If you were after a large base ship for either side, Falcon or YT2400 for rebels and Firespray or Decimator for imps would be good choices.

This is exactly what I would recommend.

Can anyone tell me if the damage decks are the same in the original core set and TFA core set?

The damage decks are different. TFA is updated and more balanced (if brutal) in that there are fewer lose-the-game-on-contact crits but also less inconsequential ones.

As noted above, you technically only need one deck for 2 players casually. Or, better yet, shuffle them together!