Greetings all.

I've just been rereading through the rule book and came across the bits dealing with the placement of Command Dials and Command Tokens. Specifically the tokens are supposed to get put on the ship's base and the dials are supposed to get put on the ship's card (after it's spent or discarded).

Thing is, I've never actually done it this way (slaps hand) but rather in reverse. I've only ever put the tokens on the ship card and placed the dial on the ship's base (after the activation was complete).

This has had practical applications. It's easier to tell which ships have already activated at a glance. Also, though I've never tried it, I can imagine that getting the tokens to stay on the base could be......troublesome. On the reverse, getting the dial to stay isn't a problem as the ship isn't moving when the dial is on the base.

Anyways, this isn't in the rules sub forum because this isn't a rules post. We already know what the rules say (even I​ had a fairly good idea all along). What I want to know is how do you play? Do you strictly follow the rules on this one or have your own conventions?

For those who've played in tournaments, is this strictly enforced? What about casually? Would it bother you if you faced someone who did it more along the lines of what I've outlined?

Additional: What about speed dials? I saw a video on this forum where the ships each had their speed dial right behind them?

Wait, amendment already.....sigh.

Apparently the tokens go next to the ship. Hmm, don't know if that's much better......

I always place various tokens and the Command dials on the cards, while the Speed dials are placed adjacent to their corresponding ship model. I do this since I would like to have all different effects on the same place (commands, upgrades, ship cards, etc.), but at the same time I like to be able to quickly glance at the battlefield and get a rough estimation of where my ships can end up. In my local scene, virtually every player have a different way of placing tokens in every combination possible. I don't mind what so ever, and I've never heard anyone complain about it either.

I've been at 4 or 5 tournaments, and the same thing have applied there. Everyone does how they feel suits them best, and no one have complained or asked specific placements to be enforced. Frankly, I personally don't see why anyone would complain, as long as it's clear to both players what's going on.

You forgot the most important questions;

does it matter?

Should people use whichever way they find prefferable?

the answers are no, and yes.

personally everything goes next to the ship card on the side of the board. I use numbers to delineate ships, but i hate the clutter as it takes me out of the "space fight" mindset.

I've found in tournaments it doesn't matter where you put them as long as there is no question as to what ship it belongs to.

In my local area, we generally follow the format laid out in the rules. There are a few exceptions--people who like to put their dials next to the ship or what have you--but there's generally no issue.

The one thing I have ever pushed back on is the token placement. Your opponent needs to be able to see at a glance what tokens are on what ship, and if whatever method you're using to track those doesn't allow me to see them quickly and easily, I will ask that you put them on the base.

I don't have too much issue with the tokens staying on the base, but it's not that hard to pick them up and put them back on the occasions when they do fall off.

I typically put the tokens on the ship card.

I put the command stack next to the ship base unless the map gets cluttered. If that happens, I move it to the ship card.

I put the speed dial on top of the command stack when I do commands and take it off when I activate the ship. Makes it easier for me to track what has gone and what hasn't.

1. If you opponent thinks a rule matters, then it does.

2. If the rule doesn't matter, feel free to break it.

3. Make sure rules arguments are proportionate to how much it matters to the game.

I pretty much just follow the rules. Including placing the command disk next to the ship while it's being activated and then putting it on the ship card when it's done... I do it because I think it matters... tokens in ship cards are hard to keep track of, and sometimes when they get spent they get forgotten about and then it starts to get messy.... but speed dials are supposed to go where???

Everything is on or next to the ship card on my side of the table. One of the problems I have with X-Wing is the tokens that can get scattered about the play area. It's cluttered and annoying, especially when you get a cluster of ships together with various tokens on them. As long as you aren't trying to hide anything, having it on the ship card is perfectly acceptable, IMHO. If others prefer it laid out differently, that's fine as long as all the important information is easily discernible. That said, if someone at a tournament asked that the strict reading of the rules be followed, well, it's a tournament. Ya gotta do wut ya gotta do.

Spare tokens ready to be used are near my ship card, tokens I have in play are on the ship base or next to it. There's no way I would be able to tell what tokens your ships have from across the table if they were on your ship cards.

Command stack and speed dial are right next to or on top of of my ship card.

I pretty much just follow the rules. Including placing the command disk next to the ship while it's being activated and then putting it on the ship card when it's done... I do it because I think it matters... tokens in ship cards are hard to keep track of, and sometimes when they get spent they get forgotten about and then it starts to get messy.... but speed dials are supposed to go where???

In your Cheap-as-Chips Armada Ship Command Tray from Imperial Phoenix Hobby Works!

... at least, thats where you do keep yours

Why are there no grooves for tokens on my ship base?

Lack of Creativity, Gink

Yes, using ship trays helps... A LOT!

I also want to say that I think it's important that when you are learning a new game to thoroughly go over the rules and to learn to play as the rules suggest, rather than forming bad habits, and then later trying to justify those bad habits and berating game designers, play testers, and rule makers who put hundreds of hours of thought into every single word in the rulebook for being "stupid", or for not doing it "your particular way".

I find placing command tokens on ships to add unnecessary extra work to the already tedious task of moving ships, especially when multiple ships have to be extracted or tilted to fit the maneuver tool. There's also that one player who has tokens all over the friggin map and can't figure out who they belong too!! Plus, as others stated, it takes away from the visual glory of the game !!!!

well, to be fair -

Page 7 of rules:

If the maneuver tool cannot be placed on the play area
because it would overlap a ship or squadron, the player
should hold the maneuver tool above the play area and
estimate the final position of the moving ship.

Sky. I am more thinking there must be a way to punch token grooves in the ship base cardboard.

Ive always found it odd that they chose the command tokens to go on the sips.. they are far less important to me at a glance than defence tokens. If this were a video game and I could see all the ships command tokens, but had to click to see the defence tokens.. that would annoy me. I check them way more often than command tokens.

Why not just keep everything in one place. And the place I look most often for that kind of info right now is my opponents cards anyway.

On the one hand I get the tokens and so on on the ship so you can look at a ship and know what's what. On the other hand I dislike the clutter and having to move stuff around the board in order to move stuff around the board. I tend to prefer everything on the ship card though. As you get the clutter removal and can look at one place to know what's what. Also accommodations must be made for the table size. Rules are rules but nothing about this to get twisted up over as long as everyone is clear on what they're doing and what you're doing.

On the one hand I get the tokens and so on on the ship so you can look at a ship and know what's what. On the other hand I dislike the clutter and having to move stuff around the board in order to move stuff around the board. I tend to prefer everything on the ship card though. As you get the clutter removal and can look at one place to know what's what. Also accommodations must be made for the table size. Rules are rules but nothing about this to get twisted up over as long as everyone is clear on what they're doing and what you're doing.

Then there is the ISD which is so big it can actually obstruct your vision of whats underneath on the base. . .

I typically have my cards out, and the ship cards in plain view. If I'm going to take a dial, I put the dial face up on my ship card. If I'm taking a token, I have the token on the ship card as well. I also announce every single move I make, so my opponent has clear visibility into what I'm doing at all times.

This habit comes from playing competitive TCGs, but I've found that it carries well into all games.