Hey everybody. I decided to start a blog. Here are links to the introduction and the content articles. I have no idea if this will continue or how frequently I'll manage to update, but here it is. Thanks for reading.

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/09/introductory-article-what-this-blog-is.html

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/09/article-1-information-flow-and.html

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/09/article-2-how-to-joust-less-badly.html

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/10/article-3-x-wing-basics-1-threat-maps.html

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/10/article-4-x-wing-basics-2-vector-maps.html

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/11/article-4-critical-turns-and-other.html?m=1

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/12/article-6-x-wing-basics-3-coordinating.html

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/02/article-7-i-think-free-jamming-beams.html?m=1

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/04/article-9-x-wing-basics-4-planning-ahead.html

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/03/article-8-mass-and-squad-uniformity.html

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/05/article-10-fat-turret-rises-and-token.html?m=1

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/05/article-11-starfighter-mafia-goes-to.html

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/08/article-12-dispersed-jousting.html

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/08/article-13-ships-i-like-1-tiefo.html?m=1

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/10/back-in-saddle.html?m=1

https://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2019/10/article-14-ships-i-like-2-tie-defender.html?m=1

Stop trying to teach me how to actually be good Bio and just feed me lists that I can blindly fly expecting to win with no prior practice.

4 minutes ago, Kdubb said:

Stop trying to teach me how to actually be good Bio and just feed me lists that I can blindly fly expecting to win with not prior practice.

I don't know how to make those lists.

You opened with a Col John Boyd reference. I’m in.

YES

Hi Bio

The articles were a good read. Thanks for sharing.

1 hour ago, Chumbalaya said:

Hi Bio

Hi Chumby

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! Lots of good advice and examples of the "mindset" that any player should try to have during a game of x-wing. That balance between aggressive but patient can be very difficult to get right.

The "he commits first loses" mindset is very much my mantra for maneuvering, but I definitely fall well short when that concept is applied to squad building/strategy - I will often set myself up with builds that only have a single path to victory, or lose sight of my victory conditions until too late. The strategic side of things has always been a weak spot for me so this framing is really useful for me. Great stuff, I'm very much looking forward to more!

Very well-written article! I'm very much looking forward to more of these.

One of the worst feelings is sitting down at a table and knowing that one's squad is outmatched in the strategy it "wants" to use and not knowing what to do, so it's really important for anyone to be able to break down strategies to win into their components, because it allows one to formulate new strategies on the fly that will work against a specific matchup. I think this article can really teach people how to do that in a very understandable way I haven't seen anywhere yet.

Good reads, just bookmarked your blog. Hopefully there is more to come, looking forward to it!

50 minutes ago, Boom Owl said:

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! Lots of good advice and examples of the "mindset" that any player should try to have during a game of x-wing. That balance between aggressive but patient can be very difficult to get right. Especially when I don't even know what a good decision looks like half the time.

Yeah, it's a complicated calculus to determine what combination of ship matchup, positioning, and rock geometry favors a certain kind of choice. It's complicated enough that there isn't simple rules, in mostly trying to identify things that you should be thinking about when making decisions.

13 minutes ago, Kieransi said:

Very well-written article! I'm very much looking forward to more of these.

One of the worst feelings is sitting down at a table and knowing that one's squad is outmatched in the strategy it "wants" to use and not knowing what to do, so it's really important for anyone to be able to break down strategies to win into their components, because it allows one to formulate new strategies on the fly that will work against a specific matchup. I think this article can really teach people how to do that in a very understandable way I haven't seen anywhere yet.

I know exactly what you mean. It's a horrible feeling.

14 minutes ago, flooze said:

Good reads, just bookmarked your blog. Hopefully there is more to come, looking forward to it!

Thanks! I'm hoping just by making the blog and publishing it it will get me off my proverbial butt and get me to complete the other ideas I've had in my head for some time.

9 hours ago, Transmogrifier said:

The "he commits first loses" mindset is very much my mantra for maneuvering, but I definitely fall well short when that concept is applied to squad building/strategy - I will often set myself up with builds that only have a single path to victory, or lose sight of my victory conditions until too late. The strategic side of things has always been a weak spot for me so this framing is really useful for me. Great stuff, I'm very much looking forward to more!

Part of it is not fixating too much on one strength in squad building, but part of it is taking the time to test matchups in a systematic and intentional way. I think when you sit down with yourself or another player of similar (or better) skill, and work through scenarios in a matchup, you get an idea of where you have advantages. Tactics can take you a long way.

Thanks Bio. If you continue with such well thought out and useful posts, PhilGC might have to watch his back at the next Goldies.

Your insights are much appreciated.

Great read. I hope there’s more to come. Because without hope... my x wing future seems bleak.

As a noob to the game (got into it literally the day before 2.0 was announced) I really appreciate the higher quality of strategy and thinking behind being a better pilot. I find myself too often not having any strategy in mind, in theory, staying ‘flexible’. But when in a pinch... I fall apart, not knowing what to do. Thankfully I’m still learning a lot, even just learning the basics of the game. And the group I’ve accidentally formed are just as new as me. So lots of mistakes happen. Articles like yours will definitely help me, and maybe I’ll even share em with the guys ?

I’ll likely come back to this to refresh myself every now and then. Looking forward to the next post.

13 hours ago, Codes said:

Great read. I hope there’s more to come. Because without hope... my x wing future seems bleak.

As a noob to the game (got into it literally the day before 2.0 was announced) I really appreciate the higher quality of strategy and thinking behind being a better pilot. I find myself too often not having any strategy in mind, in theory, staying ‘flexible’. But when in a pinch... I fall apart, not knowing what to do. Thankfully I’m still learning a lot, even just learning the basics of the game. And the group I’ve accidentally formed are just as new as me. So lots of mistakes happen. Articles like yours will definitely help me, and maybe I’ll even share em with the guys ?

I’ll likely come back to this to refresh myself every now and then. Looking forward to the next post.

Thanks, I hope it proves useful.

Nicely done! Your specific note about Advanced Sensors and Supernatural Reflexes echoed what I've been saying about the TIE Defender for some time now. The ability to redirect a K-turn provides superior repositioning ability over any ship in the game. The Defender provides you with SO many tactical options that it actually forces your opponent to completely change their own strategy to cope with your flexibility, which plays directly into the ono-on-one warfare the Defender excels at. That said, it's also still a powerful jousting ship , so again, it flexes its tactical flexibility prowess, able to go from outmaneuvering ace to head-on attacker. A double Defender list is also, in some ways, akin to the Vader list in your article. You can make certain one of your 100 pt ships survives and kill more than half the enemy, so this is the primary strategy, but both ships can stay active in the battle with one Defender (Ryad, likely) staying more elusive, striking from improbable positions and taking opportunistic shots when you have more information on a target (a stressed target won't have a reposition maneuver available so roll in behind them for a kill shot).

Again, very nice write up - very similar to my thinking. I look forward to more!

Very informative articles! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on these in future!

3 hours ago, Bad Idea Comics said:

Nicely done! Your specific note about Advanced Sensors and Supernatural Reflexes echoed what I've been saying about the TIE Defender for some time now. The ability to redirect a K-turn provides superior repositioning ability over any ship in the game. The Defender provides you with SO many tactical options that it actually forces your opponent to completely change their own strategy to cope with your flexibility, which plays directly into the ono-on-one warfare the Defender excels at. That said, it's also still a powerful jousting ship , so again, it flexes its tactical flexibility prowess, able to go from outmaneuvering ace to head-on attacker. A double Defender list is also, in some ways, akin to the Vader list in your article. You can make certain one of your 100 pt ships survives and kill more than half the enemy, so this is the primary strategy, but both ships can stay active in the battle with one Defender (Ryad, likely) staying more elusive, striking from improbable positions and taking opportunistic shots when you have more information on a target (a stressed target won't have a reposition maneuver available so roll in behind them for a kill shot).

Again, very nice write up - very similar to my thinking. I look forward to more!

Right, my examples were intended for general application, not applicable only to the exact squads discussed. You're right about advanced sensors. It probably merits a price increase.

6 minutes ago, Biophysical said:

Right, my examples were intended for general application, not applicable only to the exact squads discussed. You're right about advanced sensors. It probably merits a price increase.

I feel Advanced Sensors is priced correctly. The Defender is so expensive it makes it very fair and Advanced Sensors on a lesser ship is still effective, just not to the extent as on a Defender. That said, many Defender builds I've seen on the forum here are using FCS, which is great for a direct engagement approach, but makes the Defender a tad more predictable, though the addition of boost still makes it a squirrely bird to nail down. I have plans for Advanced Sensors on Redline as well, which I feel can provide much of what makes the Defender so effective combined with constant dice modding ability (free locks with every action).

10 minutes ago, Bad Idea Comics said:

I feel Advanced Sensors is priced correctly. The Defender is so expensive it makes it very fair and Advanced Sensors on a lesser ship is still effective, just not to the extent as on a Defender. That said, many Defender builds I've seen on the forum here are using FCS, which is great for a direct engagement approach, but makes the Defender a tad more predictable, though the addition of boost still makes it a squirrely bird to nail down. I have plans for Advanced Sensors on Redline as well, which I feel can provide much of what makes the Defender so effective combined with constant dice modding ability (free locks with every action).

Hah, my current on paper "double defender" list is actually Rexler and Redline.

Very nice read with some very useful advice.

A minor recommendation: change the typeface. Serif fonts look very nice on printed, but for reading in a screen a sans serif typeface is easier to read.

Anyway, definitely bookmarking your blog.

20 hours ago, DerRitter said:

Very nice read with some very useful advice.

A minor recommendation: change the typeface. Serif fonts look very nice on printed, but for reading in a screen a sans serif typeface is easier to read.

Anyway, definitely bookmarking your blog.

Thanks, good suggestion, the changes have been made.

Article 2 is up!

http://starfightermafia.blogspot.com/2018/09/article-2-how-to-joust-less-badly.html?m=1