This Christmas, my star wars-loving nephews are coming over, what are some fun to fly, thematic lists that don't include super complicated combos?

I'd probably recommend just going with some quick builds in that case.

Can't go wrong with just the starter set x-wing vs 2x tie fighters.

29 minutes ago, Icelom said:

Can't go wrong with just the starter set x-wing vs 2x tie fighters.

Unless the nephews have played before, the simplicity of this X vs. TIEs is a great intro to the game.

I started my nephews on basics.getting ship vs ship without upgrades to start.then worked on to upgrades and points.

If you have the ships, I recommend just upping the Xwing Tie ratio from the starter set. 2:4, 3:6, or 4:8. That's always how I introduce new players. It's iconic, simple, and one of my favorite ways to play the game. You can even have one of your nephews control 1-2 Xwings each. I had one game where I introduced 5 people to the game. I had three of them each fly and xwing, and me and the two others flew two TIEs each. The battle was so much fun, it's hilarious to watch new players have to coordinate their movements. Tell them they can't tell each other what their dials are set to for even more of a fun challenge. Hope this idea works for you, have fun and Merry Christmas!

56 minutes ago, Sir Orrin said:

If you have the ships, I recommend just upping the Xwing Tie ratio from the starter set. 2:4, 3:6, or 4:8. That's always how I introduce new players. It's iconic, simple, and one of my favorite ways to play the game. You can even have one of your nephews control 1-2 Xwings each. I had one game where I introduced 5 people to the game. I had three of them each fly and xwing, and me and the two others flew two TIEs each. The battle was so much fun, it's hilarious to watch new players have to coordinate their movements. Tell them they can't tell each other what their dials are set to for even more of a fun challenge. Hope this idea works for you, have fun and Merry Christmas!

easy to forget how much fun co-op team games can be. i did this a lot with wings of war,now called wings of glory which was the precursor to x-wing and used WWI fighter planes (also WWII planes in the expansion). we had some larger games of close to 20ppl but the most fun games were either 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4 with each player controlling one ship each.

Make them play the Resistance and take on the Evil Empire.

X-wing vs X-wing works too. I like to do first to 10pts. 1pt scored per damage dealt, -1pt for dying, respawn next turn. Rotate initiative if all players can cope.

But Tie Fighter vs Tie Fighter is not fun - outcome is determined by the dice not by flying.

I'd give each player 2-3 ships each. Just one gets a little boring after a while, but any more is maybe too complicated.

Play some thematic quick builds with them and have fun with it