So something here has always perplexed me on the forums. What is with people posting lists and asking for others thoughts on it. From a tournament point of view why would you potentially want your competition to find out what you're running? Also why would you want others opinions to affect what you run? You never see high level players do this. I don't think we will ever see Paul heaver or any of the national Champs come here and ask random forumites for list building advice.

That is disappointing. I was hoping that the thing that you could never understand was why people create threads where the title gives no meaningful indication of the actual content.

I have thought of this as well, but for new players, or those new to tournaments, it's nice to get the opinions of seasoned players. Having another person's perspective of possible flaws is helpful. With there being so many possibilities and combinations, it's hard to think of everything. Also, I find it unlikely that many people read and study the forums to see what others will bring.

I have thought of this as well, but for new players, or those new to tournaments, it's nice to get the opinions of seasoned players. Having another person's perspective of possible flaws is helpful. With there being so many possibilities and combinations, it's hard to think of everything. Also, I find it unlikely that many people read and study the forums to see what others will bring.

I will concede that the study other lists on the forums might be a weak point. In our groups meta we have a Facebook group for the state and people post there lists a lot before store championships and tournaments. It then becomes easier to build around those lists especially when it looks like a lot of people will be bringing tlt y's or 10 of them are bring brobots.

That is disappointing. I was hoping that the thing that you could never understand was why people create threads where the title gives no meaningful indication of the actual content.

That, and forum click bait. It's not like you're generating ad revenue from vague topics...

That is disappointing. I was hoping that the thing that you could never understand was why people create threads where the title gives no meaningful indication of the actual content.

Pow. Especially considering that he's bagging on the squad list forum, which is 90% low post count noobs that title their threads, "scum list" or whatever else trash title.

So something here has always perplexed me on the forums. What is with people posting lists and asking for others thoughts on it. From a tournament point of view why would you potentially want your competition to find out what you're running? Also why would you want others opinions to affect what you run? You never see high level players do this. I don't think we will ever see Paul heaver or any of the national Champs come here and ask random forumites for list building advice.

Not everyone reads the forums.

Sometimes you genuinely need advice.

Throwing your list out there will allow others to critique it.

A lot of people on here have bad ideas that aren't worth listening to, but some ideas are good and you should listen to those.

With a game like X-Wing, sure your list makes a difference, but how you fly it is a huge determiner of how well you do. Because of that, even if someone knows what you're bringing to a tournament and brings an exact counter, if you have practiced and flown enough then you can still win those matches.

Besides, sharing information is part of the spirit of the game! Aaron Bonar (KineticOperator), widely regarded as one of the most excellent and innovative listbuilders in the game, has said in an interview that he never withholds information on what he is building, and I agree with him. Fly casual, talk about your lists, and listen to other peopels' advice. I always have an idea of what I think my list will do, but the different views and opinions of the others I ask to see my list only make it better - they see things I don't, they offer advice I've never thought of. You don't see Paul coming here to ask for advice because he is perhaps the only person who doesn't need to, but I know that he still discusses things locally with other members of his gaming community.

“By three methods we learn about X-wing squad list: First, by forum posting, which is noblest, but prone to easy counters; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
― Confucius

So something here has always perplexed me on the forums. What is with people posting lists and asking for others thoughts on it. From a tournament point of view why would you potentially want your competition to find out what you're running? Also why would you want others opinions to affect what you run? You never see high level players do this. I don't think we will ever see Paul heaver or any of the national Champs come here and ask random forumites for list building advice.

Red, there's a couple of good reasons to ask for opinions.

1) A new player. Forget tournament play for a moment. With the large amount of upgrades, ordnance and pilots available, putting together a squad can be a daunting task for a new or young player.

2) Limited number of opponents. Some areas may have a relatively small number of players. Asking for an opinion on a build, considering the forum's reach, makes sense. You're getting "new eyes" to look at a build that may be different from what you normally run.

3) Along with #2 you may want a fresh look on a build that's been beating you consistently to see if some of the veterans can spot a weakness.

4) Vassal may not be an option as a shadow opponent to try out builds.

5) Not everyone is interested in tournament play. To them it's just a fun game but they still like to win, so asking for an opinion on a build seems reasonable. See #2 above.

6) Finally, not everyone has the knack or the ability to squad list like Heaver et al.

I hope this answered your question.

Not understanding can be.... perplexing.

New players aside, the reasons why I'd have no qualms about posting tournament squads here:

- My local community is a pretty small bunch so unless I somehow multiply my time available for Vassal play like tenfold, my two options are go with a fully untested squad or test it against my tournament opposition

- My local community doesn't spend much time on these forums (I only know one person that posts here for certain)

1. People post their squad list for critique.Maybe someone on the forum has a tweak to your own build that you havent thought of or can point out a weakness you hadn't noticed. Its just advice though, you can take it or leave it.

2.As far as people knowing what your're running, unless you have tons of local friends on this forum you told your username to, i wouldnt worry about this. Most people dont even post their real name, some dont even post where they live,and very few have pics of themselves so what are you using to identify them at tourneys? Even if you posted on the forum you were attending a tournament i was going to , without any physical description how would i even identify you?

3.Even if i knew you and your squad list i wouldn't build mine just to beat your single list at a tournament .

4 Very few people are on the level of Paul Heaver.

People in my area know that I run PS 10 Boba and PS 11 Vader at 97 points and I regularly brag that I can just see where everyone goes and drop a proton bomb and boost, but no one in my area is willing to bid below that with matching PS just to get a leg up on one person.

What everyone else has said.

I've posted wanting advice from experts. The sheer number of combinations is dizzying for a new player. Knowing what tends to work or avoiding something that is really inefficient is good. Along with playing, it's a way to learn about the game.

I don't think we will ever see Paul heaver or any of the national Champs come here and ask random forumites for list building advice.

Paul Heaver seems to have the talent and the experience to know what is a good combo or the time to play with it and figure it out. For those who are short on any of the above, it makes perfect sense. As in many things, collaboration can produce a better product. Asking the experience of someone more experienced than yourself (or merely with a different perspective) is not generally considered "weird" but a good way to gain insight.

I am not so competitive a player that I feel the need to keep my latest tourney list a secret nor do I generally expect to find my next opponent's list on this website. I merely view such discussions as an exchange of ideas or an opportunity to get questions answered by a peer group of fellow XWM enthusiasts.

Honestly, other than taking some "inspiration" from such discussions, they rarely have much influence on what I fly- I tend to play what I want to play because I enjoy it, because I am familiar with it and because I think I can do reasonably well with it (or find it an interesting challenge) not because it is the "Hot New Thing" in competitive lists and certainly not because it is the list Paul Heaver (praise His name) took to Worlds.

So something here has always perplexed me on the forums. What is with people posting lists and asking for others thoughts on it. From a tournament point of view why would you potentially want your competition to find out what you're running? Also why would you want others opinions to affect what you run? You never see high level players do this. I don't think we will ever see Paul heaver or any of the national Champs come here and ask random forumites for list building advice.

Mostly cause i dont care if a guy 2000 km away from me gonna know my list? Its international forum you know...

And i may get interesting feedback and suggestions? Or when im wondering about swapping something i ask others for opinion?

I use reverse psychology and tell them to run a spice runner swarm...

-Too many options now.

-As above, far from all play competetively.

-Asking on opinions on a list BEFORE buying lots of cards can be useful esp. with really expensive combos.

-Players relatively new to the game unsure if they got the rules and combo right. Would be really embarassing and not fun if you as rel. new player in your first round get explained no, PTL in your combo does not work, you would have needed EI in your list.

Edit:

-Pparents playing with their chikdren, asking how certain combos play, if they are too asymmetrical or boring, instead of destroying the game for your children by doing a bad matchup.