Hey all,

I've been playing IA and Armada for a while now and I've been looking at X-wing with some interest.

What is it like as a game? What does it feel like to play when compared to Armada (which I love).

Armada is not cheap for what you get in the boxes, is X-wing similar to that or do people feel that it is good value for money?

What would I require to get started playing casually with a friend who probably wouldn't be buying much so that we can get a decent game?

Thanks in advance

Armada is a little more expensive upfront, but then it about evens out.

You'll need a Core set. If you will be doing all of the buying, you might one to buy one of each. Then, pick out a few ships that you like. The Millenium Falcon and the Firespray will fill out your rebel and imperial lists nicely.

So, paying full price (which many online sources do not charge) you're looking at:

Core Set: $39.95

TFA Core: $39.95

Millennium Falcon: $29.95

Firespray (Slave1): $29.95

You could also very easily play with just the two core sets, as X-wings vs TIE fighters is always fun! This game can easily grow at the pace your wallet allows.

Also: buy Scum. Scum is cool!

Also: buy Scum. Scum is cool!

Most Wanted is a nice purchase after the one's I've listed. It provides Scum versions of the Y-wing, Z-wing, HWK, and Firespray.

I always thought it was a shame that the miniatures that come with Most Wanted were all originally Rebel ships. Would have been nice had it been split between the two factions.

You could also very easily play with just the two core sets, as X-wings vs TIE fighters is always fun! This game can easily grow at the pace your wallet allows.

Stone is absolutely correct. The 2 core sets got my wife and I into this game quite nicely!

Yeah S&V would be a good addition to what has been said.

I'd avoid the Firespray as a large Imperial ship, to be honest; the Decimator is much more playable out of the box and has some good upgrade cards too. The only real reason to get the Firespray is FOR the cards inside or if you're thinking about going Scum & Villainy. The Imp Firespray is... pretty bad.

I'm not faulting FFG's X-Wing business model in this post; in fact, if I had more disposable income I'd be happy to buy into it, and every single ship along with it!

But how FFG manages to raise the costs of a lot of things is that the good upgrades and the good ships are in very different boxes. This is the worst for Imperial players, but all the factions have the 'problem' - problem for the players, money for FFG.

For example, one of the best pilots in the game played right is Soontir Fel - he's a menace. But in order to MAKE him a menace, you need to purchase the TIE/Interceptor blister, the Imperial Aces box, Firespray, AND the S&V ship Starviper - TIE/In has the Soontir card, Imp Aces has two upgrade cards he NEEDS, and the Firespray and Starviper each come with one card. The 'hot card' for the Imperials competitively right now is Emperor Palpatine - and he only comes in a Huge ship box that admittedly also has cards to fix the TIE/Advanced. But doesn't include the Darth Vader TIE/Ad card so you still need to buy the TIE/Ad blister to get him. The only ship that's almost self-contained is the TIE/Phantom, and even that doesn't include Intelligence Agent or Veteran Instincts - two mandatory upgrades for Whisper IMHO.

Rebels, not so much. The K-Wing is a solid ship and comes with the Twin Laser Turret. The Millennium Falcon is a solid ship and comes with almost every upgrade it needs. The Y-Wing is an exception, as it does require the Most Wanted pack for an upgrade card - but MW INCLUDES another Y-Wing, and even if you need to use two different pilots from your Rebel Y-Wing pack, you can still field two very nasty ships that put a lot of damage down range. Rebel Aces comes with pretty much everything you need for an A-Wing or B-Wing, including pilots, though adding another A-Wing pack is recommended - you get lots of the cards that improve A-Wings after all,and they're great en masse.

I'd avoid the Firespray as a large Imperial ship, to be honest; the Decimator is much more playable out of the box and has some good upgrade cards too. The only real reason to get the Firespray is FOR the cards inside or if you're thinking about going Scum & Villainy. The Imp Firespray is... pretty bad.

For the casual player, I have to disagree with you. The OP did not ask how to build tournament lists as quickly as possible. The OP states a casual interest. When I first got my friends into the game, X-wings vs. TIE Fighters and Han Solo vs. Boba Fett was a great introduction. They were fun lists and felt like playing the movies.

Further more, yes, The Firespray is a great purchase because it does lead into a Most Wanted purchase down the road.

Hi! Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents as well!! As a relatively new player (Since mid-December!) Both core sets is a really solid idea! They come with different cards and the extra dice is really nice! My first purchase were that, then the falcon and firespray!

I've since graduated to....well...a lot more haha, but it can't be said enough! Buy what you like!

Everything is playable (and fun! Especially for casual games!) So I'd recommend picking up a ship that looks really cool to you also!

Also the decimator is awesome and still one of my fav ships (it's super fun to play) despite playing mostly Scum!

Anyways have fun, fly casual, and don't be suprised if your fleet doubles/triples in the next month!

My usual advice is 'both core sets, both Aces packs, a Falcon, then whatever you want.

But really, got to a local club and borrow some ships to find out what you enjoy flying, then buy those.'