This was my first 'solo' game in so far as the ships were mine, the list was mine, and the decisions, were also mine.

Only played twice previously, using friends ships and taking advice on what to do.

We played without the objectives, just destroy as much as possible.

I played as Imperials and took the following:

Gladiator 2, Adv Proton Torps, Engine Techs, Intel Officer, Ord Experts, Demolisher

ISD 2, ECM, Gunnery Team, Intel Officer, Leading Shots, X17 turbolasers, Admiral Motti. Relentless

VSD 1, External Racks, Ord Experts, X17 turbolasers

5 squadrons of tie fighters

My son, playing the rebels took this fleet:

MC80, Gunnery Team, Leading SHots, Spinal Armament, X17 Turbolasers, General Dodonna, Mon Karren

CR90 Corvette A, Turbolaser reoute, Raymus ANtilles, Tantive IV

Nebulon B frigate, Yavaris

MC30 torpedo frigate, Assault Prot Torps, Ord. Experts

3 squadrons of x wings, one of which was Luke Skywalker.

I deployed very much to the left side of the deployment zone, GSD, ISD, VSD.

My son deployed slightly more spread out.

My plan was to turn the battle from being fought across the table to along it. I felt this would hinder any potential outflanking by my sons more numerous ships.

GSD was Speed 3, ISD 2, VSD 1.

T1 allowed me to start the turning plan, while the rebel torpedo frigate was angling to flank round the GSD, with the rest of his ships turning in to face me. The Nebulon B was a little out of position to be effective early on, being on his left

T2 I continued the turning plan, and got the GSD in a position to have two arcs of fire of the torpedo frigate. The MC80 was facing off against the ISD and VSD.

The Corvette was being a nuisance, and the Nebulon was getting closer.

It was at T3 that I made a schoolboy error.

My son had initiative and activated the MC80 first, and did a fair bit of damage to the VSD. While he was rolling dice I had intended to activate the GSD first, to get a couple of good close range shots and then move away with the benefit of engine techs. However brainfart took over and I activated the VSD. While this did a lot of damage to the MC80, it did mean the torp frigate got full broadside, plus front arc and wiped out the GSD. Bugger!

I could then only activate the ISD which also went for the MC80. Rolled pretty well, and had to decide do I drop a blue accuracy and re-roll a red hoping for the double hit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and went for it. The one in eight chance came up, a double hit which got the last two hull points from the MC80.

T4 saw the end of the tie fighters.

The rest of the game was pretty much trading pot shots with no one being able to get a devastating blow. However the VSD was being slowly whittled away, and when we played last turn the VSD was down to 2 hull points with only the x-wings to go. First shot, missed. Second shot, missed. Luke shot, got a hit and critical. However I used an orange defence token to eliminate the hit, meaning only the crit got through.

The VSD survived on one hit point! Thank you Admiral Motti.

While it ended up an Imperial Victory, this was by less than 30 points (I'd lost the GSD and Tie fighters, my son had lost the MC80). Had the game gone on, the VSD would have been destroyed for sure.