Hi everyone,

I am totally new to the game. I have exactly one match under my belt. I am thinking of getting my first ships but I would like to ask for some advice.

As I said i have nothing for the game now. I don't want to buy any of the starter sets because I want to play S&V. My opponent has a lot of stuff so just now I don't need any marker, token, damage cards or any of the general stuff for myself. I can use his for now. Of course later i will buy them

Now i just want to focus on the ships.

What do you suggest to start with? Purchases for lets say 100 bucks. Around. I don't want to play competitively, just fun play with friends for now. I dont have any preferences right now. And i would like to try different playstyles if it is possible from the ships i can buy for now.

I can borrow some ships and cards if necessary (HWK-290,Most Wanted Expansion Pack, Slave I, StarViper, Y-Wing, Z-95) but i would like to play with my own if possible.

So what sould be my first few purchases in this fabulous hobby?

Thanks for the advice,

Alliterato

Definitely Most Wanted, and basically everything else you listed...

Most Wanted is the biggest one, then probably give it a month or so and get Mist Hunter and Punishing One.

I don't know US prices, but definitely Most Wanted. Perhaps two copies, since that'll give you 4 Z-95s and 2 Y-Wings, which can make a pretty nifty squadron in their own right. You can then add any of the other ships to taste. My go-to Scum list is 3 Z-95s, a Y-Wing and Prince Xisor in his StarViper, for example.

Most Wanted is the most bang for your buck, as said above. After that, I'd say grab yourself a big ship. YV-666, Firespray, or JumpMaster. All three come with a lot of cards to really expand your options, and should help you learn the differences between flying small and large ships.

If you'd rather add small ships, it sort of depends on what playstyle you like. Since you're playing casually, the Scyk (zippy little interceptor), Kihraxz (Scum's X-wing), or StarViper (arc dodger) are all fun in different ways, and also come with more nice upgrades to fill out your collection.

Like they said, Most Wanted is a pretty good starting point, especially if you can borrow models. It's ~$40 retail, or much cheaper if you don't mind buying from Miniature Market, Cool Stuff Inc. or Amazon. Both the wave 8 Scum ships also look like they're going to be great, so I'd wait a month or so and pick up one each of those, unless of course something speaks to you, in which case, just get what looks fun.

EDIT: Oh, and the YV-666 is going to be even better with crew from the Jumpmaster, so that's a good option...heck, if you're not going to tournaments, pretty much anything is good enough for casual play.

I agree that at least 1 Most Wanted is good. I know you will want a good basis of small based ships. Most Wanted comes with a Y-wing and 2 Z's, but only has the cards and dials for the other ships (HWK and Slave 1). If you want your own minis, you will eventually want those. Kihraxz Fighter is a good one to have a couple of as they are not too expensive, but put out good firepower.

Besides that, there are a number of other directions you can go. There are a number of large based ships. Slave 1, Houndstooth, IG-88, Mist Hunter, and the Punishing One. I would think if you wanted one of those and a few smaller ships, that is a good way to go.

I would recommend 1 Most Wanted, 1 big ship, and 1 Kihraxz Fighter. Then, you can add as you want. Maybe you will want your own smaller based ships so you don't have to borrow. Maybe you will want a bigger ship. Maybe you will want either the Mist Hunter or Star Viper. I think going that route lets you try out a lot, use your friend's stuff, and still expand the way you want to.

My ranked opinion on the S&V expansions, from most valuable to least valuable:

1) Most Wanted (gives you three ships, though you'll have trouble building them out to be more than 50 points combined with what's in the pack)

2) IG-2000 (gives you a full array of Illicit upgrades, plus IG-88B in particular is one of the best pilots for the faction; you could seriously double-up this expansion and be in pretty good shape)

3) HWK-290 (gives you an actual HWK model to go with the pilots in your Most Wanted pack, plus Blaster Turret and Ion Turret upgrade options for your Y-Wing)

4) Slave-1 (gives you the Firespray model, plus some great upgrades like Veteran Instincts)

5) Kihraxz Fighter (good filler ship, gives you Crackshot and Glitterstims)

6) StarViper (gives you Autothrusters for your IG-88s, plus the two Virago pilots are fun)

7) Hound's Tooth (a beatstick, but tricky to fly when learning the game due to the lack of K-turn)

8) Y-Wing Expansion Pack (gives you another Y-Wing model to go with the extra dial, plus another Ion Cannon Turret)

9) K-Wing Expanion Pack (gives you two copies of the Twin Laser Turret for your Y-Wings and HWK, plus the Conner Net and Extra Munitions upgrades for Emon Azzameen)

10) Scyk (currently considered among the worst ships in the game, with no currently great upgardes in the pack; yes, I would seriously recommend buying a K-Wing expansion pack for the cards over a Scyk at present time)

Once Wave 8 hits, I'd probably slot the Punishing One at either #2 or #3 (the crew options are fantastic for the HWK and Hound's Tooth), and the Mist Hunter at either #5 or #6.

Most Wanted is the place to start. Then you'll want to pick up a Firespray and a HWK so you can use those cards. From there, buy what interests you. I personally LOVE Starvipers and it comes with great upgrade cards.

Even though you are borrowing components from a friend, you'll enjoy having your own set. A Core set is a good investment for many reasons. When I first got into the game, I learned a lot by practicing setting up games and flying my lists. There are even phone apps that will fly a list for you so you can practice "against a computer opponent".

My first S&V purchase was 2x Most Wanted. Gives you a nice little group of fighters and upgrades, then you can focus on the bounty hunter ships.