I am playing in my first Organized Play event for X-Wing this weekend. I have played in many many tournaments in more games than I care to remember. So I have a general sense of how to play quickly and politely. But, I want to shorten my learning curve as much as possible. Are there any X-Wing specific tips or tricks you can offer? Maybe things a new player to any minis game should know but usually don't?

I'll have my list printed out. Okay two or three, since I don't know if I'll be able to borrow an R2 or not.

I know not to touch other players pieces without asking and to talk out what I am attempting to give them an opportunity to use some combo or ability I may not see on the map.

I have played a few D&D AW events, so I know a little about managing the measurement sticks. Watching the Team Covenant videos of the semifinals and finals from last year were helpful in that regards as well.

If I am just getting thumped, what is a polite number of rounds to stick around before dropping? I know it happens, but I don't want to drop too early to mess with standings and such.

I hope these questions make sense. I did a quick scan of the other subjects. There wasn't a topic like this, or did I miss it?

I TO a lot in NYC and I have to say that I would strongly discourage you from dropping especially if you are going to create a situation with a bye. In general I don't think anyone should attend a tournament with any plans to drop at some point. It's difficult but it's a learning experience to go through the whole thing.

I TO a lot in NYC and I have to say that I would strongly discourage you from dropping especially if you are going to create a situation with a bye. In general I don't think anyone should attend a tournament with any plans to drop at some point. It's difficult but it's a learning experience to go through the whole thing.

I totally agree. I would never plan on dropping. But, in some games there is an expectation that there will be a drop to enter other side events. Not my style. If it doesn't happen in this game, all the better.

The reason dropping causes problems is that it will tank your opponents Strength of Schedule, one of the tie-breakers.

Strength of Schedule only matters if two players have exactly the same record and MOV score, which is very rare. I would however, discourage you from dropping since you're giving up a great opportunity to practice and perform better in future tournaments. The best practice for performing well in tournaments is playing a bunch of games back to back against other players trying their hardest to beat you. The nature of Swiss pairing also means that you get paired against players that are performing the same as you as the day goes on. So while you may perform poorly in your first few matches, by round 3 you should be playing against someone who is having a similar day as you. This means you should have a fairly decent chance of winning against them. Even if you're having a crappy day, you can still end it on a high note

Theoretically, you can drop at any time you like... but remember, tournaments are typically when you are going to learn the most. You have already paid your money, why not log in all the reps you can?

You have already given up the possibility of "winning" or placing in the top 4 or whatever.

So, you now have the opportunity to mix up your strategy. Try something "crazy" and see how it differs from the strategy you thought would work walking in (but obviously didn't.)

Some of my best insights into flying a list didn't come until I was losing my third match in a tournament. (And was able to apply those lessons in the next tournament,)

Never give up! Never Surrender!

It ended up being a four round tournament so I stuck it out. Four losses, but I got points in all four matches and ended up second to last. I only flew into a few asteroids, and only misdialed my movement once and it didn't matter much that I went green and not the reverse to come to firing position.

Overall I really enjoyed the event and the players were all very open to a new player.

If you are considering an Organized Play event, I highly recommend you go.

Having only played in a few official tournaments, I would offer these pieces of advice that I have picked up so far.

Come with exactly what you need, bring extra tokens, just the upgrade cards and ships you plan on playing with and anything else you need per tourney rules.

Be ready to have little space to put your things, and also pack it into as small a container which will fit. (I use my vault-tec lunchbox, now I carry my tokens in a Land of the Lost lunch box.)

Mark all of your astroids or debris fields, range and movement templates. I used painters tape.

Just spend sometime planning ahead, really read over the FAQ and the tournament rules here and you should be good to go! Hope that helps