With FFG clearly wanting to create separation between "home" players and professional events, will we see cash prizes coming shortly? I could be reading it incorrectly, but that seems to be the end goal of all of these changes and decisions.

I can see an XWing pro tour in the future.

I don't know, and don't really mind.

Prize support - be it in the form of cash, or alt art/acrylic stuff, or 'all expenses' to attend other events are all cool.

I'm never going to win any, so it's not really something that concerns me.

My one fear - that I really hope they DON'T do - is stuff like WizKids did with Attack Wing; prize support with unique pilots or ships that you can only get by placing at specific events. It didn't help that most of them were just flat out 'better' than an equivalent non-prize ship, and also came with a spread of unique upgrades. Down that road leads a place where players who win one event go into the next at a discernible advantage due to options they have that others don't, which leads to them being more likely to win the next, and so on.

As long as unique actually-rule-different things remain in purchasable expansions or as participation prizes (I quite liked the C-3PO card - "we realise asking you to buy a Tantive if that's literally all you want out of it is a bit cheeky")

My one fear - that I really hope they DON'T do - is stuff like WizKids did with Attack Wing; prize support with unique pilots or ships that you can only get by placing at specific events. It didn't help that most of them were just flat out 'better' than an equivalent non-prize ship, and also came with a spread of unique upgrades. Down that road leads a place where players who win one event go into the next at a discernible advantage due to options they have that others don't, which leads to them being more likely to win the next, and so on.

That sounds awful. Anything game related should be cosmetic only.

No. Though bigger, more "material" prizes do seem to be coming, much like the trip to Celebration.

I'm hoping they continue to make cut throat 100 pt matches, but then branch out into some other form of event. Something like missions or an overall story to the event. Make different versions of organized play, but make sure those that want to be cut throat players have their venue and the rest of us can just have a good time.

In all honesty, I would like to see a few more things released aimed at the kitchen table player instead of the tourney table player. The group I regularly play X-Wing with all play just for the shiggles... we do play to win, but we focus more on having fun.

2v2 is the future.

The new OP staff came from magic. Magic has two entirely different areas of focus. There's multiple types of games, at both the professional and casual level. Who wouldn't want to see multiple types of pro level events for XWing. I could see an auction level type event, where all the pilots are available and players "bid" how much they'd be willing to add it to their list. Fel probably goes higher. Fels wrath cheaper, etc. Branch out, create different games. One person who is an excellent deckbuilder in magic may suck drafting, and vice versa. In addition, many, many people enjoy magic without ever playing in regionals or PTQS. With the popularity of Xwing growing more and more, maybe it's players should begin to separate themselves into pro and casual groups as well. If there are the two different levels of players with separate expectations when playing, things like IDgate piss a lot less people off.

I don't know, and don't really mind.

Prize support - be it in the form of cash, or alt art/acrylic stuff, or 'all expenses' to attend other events are all cool.

I'm never going to win any, so it's not really something that concerns me.

My one fear - that I really hope they DON'T do - is stuff like WizKids did with Attack Wing; prize support with unique pilots or ships that you can only get by placing at specific events. It didn't help that most of them were just flat out 'better' than an equivalent non-prize ship, and also came with a spread of unique upgrades. Down that road leads a place where players who win one event go into the next at a discernible advantage due to options they have that others don't, which leads to them being more likely to win the next, and so on.

As long as unique actually-rule-different things remain in purchasable expansions or as participation prizes (I quite liked the C-3PO card - "we realise asking you to buy a Tantive if that's literally all you want out of it is a bit cheeky")

I'm not trying to start an AW versus XW debate, and as I said I find most of your post to be accurate. Just trying to set the record straight on necessity to own prize ships to be competitive. I understand why many will still find this practice not to their liking.

hey Starbane if you want to sell any of your STAW stuff cheap let me know (PM me) as i am just getting into the game. as an aside i like the blind bid builds that Attack wing does as getting a new ship is way cooler than getting a few tokens, alt art card etc. But yeah i do agree for x-wing a simple repaint of an existing ship would be neat. AND useful. more so than a coin or plastic stuff that most of us long time players have all ready.