Dearest Fantasy Flight X-Wing team,

Every player in this community recognizes the awesomeness that is the autothrusters modification upgrade card. Even if some of our turret builds HATE autothrusters and any opponent who uses them, every player is forced to recognize that autothrusters is a darn good modification if you want to stay alive and keep shooting ... it's also one of the upgrades that stopped X-wing from becoming "TLT Attack Wing" and the designers deserves credit for that.

However, I'm begging you to find it in your hearts to include two copies of autothrusters in another expansion besides the StarViper expansion.

I'm asking for that because the StarViper expansion is difficult to find due to the fact that every X-Wing player with a pulse is buying it ... and most players who buy the StarViper buy multiple copies just for autothrusters. To make matters worse, the increased demand has the unintentional result of causing many retailers to overprice the StarViper so that it's more expensive than the official MSRP.

I'm sure the boost in sales is a good thing for Fantasy Flight and it's good for the retailers who can make extra profit based on the high demand. Those extra sales are also a good thing for the continued health of X-wing since it shows Fantasy Flight's management team that players love this game and are continuing to spend money on expansions.

Unfortunately, it isn't so great for the bank accounts of many players (including me).

While the inflated "street price" of the StarViper is a serious issue, I don't want FF's X-wing team to think this request is entirely about money. The other side of this issue is that many players (myself included) don't like the StarViper and currently have no intention of building a squadron based on one or more StarVipers. That means the X-wing community has a bunch of unused StarVipers collecting dust that -- as far as many players are concerned -- exist only to sell the autothrusters modification. Combine that with the inflated retail prices on the StarViper and you have an expansion that somehow defies logic by being both EXTREMELY in demand while also being one of the least popular expansions among players.

My point is that autothrusters is a GREAT card that players should be able to obtain in more than one way. Autothrusters is an easy way for FF to add value to any other X-wing expansion pack and increase sales of whatever expansion gets autothrusters ... as long as autothrusters doesn't start showing up in every expansion pack.

Please, give the players another way to purchase autothrusters.

Sincerely,

A poor X-wing player who loves autothrusters and hates the StarViper.

I feel ya man...unfortunately 1) a company out to make money isn't concerned with the state of your bank account and 2) doesn't control how high your local game store jacks up their models. Will they ever include Autothrusters in another expansion? Quite possibly, until then look to ebay for card singles.

Or, just nerf TLT a bit.

One word.

Xizorswarm.

It'll change your life.*

* - Actual changing of life not guaranteed. Your swarm may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments. Side effects may include headaches, nausea and swearing at TLTs as Xizor's ability doesn't kick in. Please consult your squad builder before running Xizorswarm. This message paid for by Prince And The N'Dru Power Generation.

Buy online, they don't increase price based on popularity of a ship.

Or just buy the card only, will cost you like 4-5$ for 1 autothruster.

Upgrade cards tend to take a few product waves before they start really being shared around between expansions. Wave VII wouldn't have had it simply because Autothrusters debuted the wave prior, and Wave VIII wouldn't have made sense since the TIE Advanced Prototype was the only eligible ship and including ATs would have been competing with Guidance Chip, the mod of that expansion (same for the T-70 X-Wing when that expansion was announced and added to Wave VIII).

I would expect at least one ship to have at least one copy of ATs in Wave IX now that we've had the appropriate distance from the inception of ATs, but given the product/wave/release methodology of FFG in X-Wing we would not have seen the card anywhere besides the StarViper so far anyway. We still haven't seen Intimidation or Ruthlessness outside of the Decimator expansion, for example.

I'm not a huge fan of the secondary market, but if you really do need a copy or two of ATs for an upcoming tournament there are places to find just the card online, never mind asking local players if they have extra copies.

This is your punishment for the sin of not liking the StarViper.

I've little doubt they'll include it in the next appropriate expansion given its popularly though. I fully expect to see it in Wave 9 or Wave 9.5. PTL didn't take long to be rereleased and effing Hull Upgrade got a reprint.

I did a lol at the thought of X-Wing ships having a 'street value'.

Soon we will have dodgy dudes slingin' Vipes on every street corner.

a: You don't actually need Autothrusters, you just want it.

b: Plenty of players in the X-Wing community enjoy flying their StarVipers

c: Play Guri with Advanced Sensors, Inertial Dampeners and Wired, then tell me StarVipers are not fun.

Buy a Starviper. They're fun to fly on occasion, and two autothrusters is all you'll ever really need. ...unless you have a serious Interceptor fetish.

a: You don't actually need Autothrusters, you just want it.

b: Plenty of players in the X-Wing community enjoy flying their StarVipers

c: Play Guri with Advanced Sensors, Inertial Dampeners and Wired, then tell me StarVipers are not fun.

AS Wired Guri is my jam. Brutally, beautifully efficient killing machine right there. IDs and ATs are the chunks of berry inside.

StarVipers suck; don't give in. The TIE Advanced Prototype should have been a natural to include AT. Pity it does not appear to include one.

Patience is often rewarded.

Buy a Starviper. They're fun to fly on occasion, and two autothrusters is all you'll ever really need. ...unless you have a serious Interceptor fetish.

wait.. there are people who don't have an intercepter-fetish..?! O.o

StarVipers suck; don't give in. The TIE Advanced Prototype should have been a natural to include AT. Pity it does not appear to include one.

Because it has delicious ordnance fix instead.

StarVipers suck; don't give in. The TIE Advanced Prototype should have been a natural to include AT. Pity it does not appear to include one.

You too will pay in Autothrusters for your crimes, or in currency. I call it the £13.99 "I Don't Like StarVipers" tax.

FFG will prob just add it as an alternate art prize in one of this years tournaments.

Or, just nerf TLT a bit.

TLT is fine, and Autothrusters were a desirable correction even before TLT was introduced.

FFG will prob just add it as an alternate art prize in one of this years tournaments.

It definitely took them a while, but including C-3P0 as the Store Champ participation card is amazing. Something so wildly popular that was only available in a $90 Epic expansion just being handed out? I just can't get mad about it, it seems incredibly generous.

I would love an ATs alt art card with some delicious squint art to slap next to my alt PtL to really round out the ALL FEL ALL THE TIME setup

FFG will prob just add it as an alternate art prize in one of this years tournaments.

Have we ever gotten alternate art modifications before? Usually alternate art cards are like, crew cards, right? Gunner, Recon Specialist....C-3P0, etc?

Interceptors are overrated. They have soft red dice and spend too much time running away.

However, I'm begging you to find it in your hearts to include two copies of autothrusters in another expansion besides the StarViper expansion..

I'd love it if following this post, FFG added a copy to, say the Wave 9 Scum & Villany "Dunelizard" Expansion Pack...

I'm sure FFG will get another set for autothrusters out there, we probably just have to wait another wave. For a company, they have actually been pretty generous about making sure there are secondary sources for good cards. Take Advanced sensors in wave 3, one card per shuttle. Most BW players were complaining about needing to buy 2-4 shuttles to run that card. Then in wave 4 the EWing was released with one, more or less fixing the issue. FFG could have easily just said 'hey, if you want Adv Sensors, you gotta buy multiple Lambdas', but they didn't. Same sort of thing with Predator, although not as crucial (one per defender, then the Kighihlakdx got it). Oh, and the same thing with PTL, only one per AWing in wave 2, but then Imperial Aces got two copies for the two squints (and we got a promo version not that long ago). Same sorta thing with Gunner (one per Firespray in Wave 2, then the TY2400 got it in Wave 5, and another promo version recently).

Take heart. Yes its a bummer that autothrusters doesn't look like it made it into wave 8 (due to the chips), but I'm sure FFG is taking it into account.

FFG will prob just add it as an alternate art prize in one of this years tournaments.

Have we ever gotten alternate art modifications before? Usually alternate art cards are like, crew cards, right? Gunner, Recon Specialist....C-3P0, etc?

Guri with Auto, Sensor Jammer, and EPT of choice (Pred for me, though some like Lone Wolf) makes her tanky and a pain to deal with if left alone. and she's a good pilot! Takes a few games to get how to fly her though.