I've been thinking recently about how X-wing and its community has affected me since I started playing. It has challenged me and rewarded me mentally, socially and creatively. From trying to solve the puzzle that every game can be, to designing my own templates, tokens, mats, etc. and giving me a social network that prior to the game was limited to whoever my wife was friends with. At the heart of it for me---beyond the game---the experience we share is about making positive connections that help elevate and make life a bit better through playing with plastic toy spaceships.

So I guess my question is this: How has X-wing benefited you in a meaningful way?

Did you get a better job through the connections you've made? Did you end up finding a matching organ donor? Did you end up buying the car of your dreams from a fellow player? What is your story?

Well, I've met a bunch of fantastic players and friendly, all round great people from all around Europe.

Most of them speak better English than I do, bit that's probably because I'm Northern.

It opened me up to tabletop gaming, which is a huge part of my life even when I can’t get any X-Wing games in.

The friends I've made there forced me out of my slump and to get a job

Of course, that now means I can't play xwing 😑

Growing up and during my entire 20's I was a PC gamer only type to guy. I used to call board games "bored" games. Then a few years ago while on a quest to get out of the house more and meet friends my wife suggested a Star Wars related hobby. I found the X-wing display at Barnes and Noble one day and jumped in head first. I found the nearest LGS near me and luckily they had a strong X-wing community. Ive met many great people since I started and my LGS has also grown and recently moved into a much larger and nicer location that's only a few min more away.

To me X-wing is more than just a game. Its friends and social interactions that I would not normally have been exposed too.

X-Wing has motivated me to get off my computer, out of the basement and into the big world!... which means through an underground metro system and into the basement of a gaming ship to play X-Wing. Wait... not sure that's much of an improvement 😲

Just kidding though, met lots of great people and I have been at it for years now. Really the only thing that complains is my wallet.

Ignore this one, accidentally hit post too soon.

This may come off like a humblebrag, but there’s nothing for it.

I try and position myself to be the helper in these situations now. I had a rough go of it as a teen. I’m sure many of us have had similar experiences with bullying and the like for being nerdy and unathletic, I just thank god that I grew up before social media could make it that much worse.

I had an even tougher go in my late teens and twenties. Wasn’t prepared for college, screwed around too much, got wrapped up in hobbies and a circle of friends that perpetuated a high school mindset and eventually got kicked out of school and in a really toxic relationship, one that I didn’t realize how bad it was until it ended.

Then a little over a decade ago, I started getting my act together. Met an amazing woman (who somehow agreed to marry me), and with her support I was able to correct my personal issues and screwed up priorities. It was a long road, but I finished my undergrad, went on to law school and did very well, and am now a happily married trademark attorney who doesn’t have much spare time but when I do is privileged enough to push plastic spaceships around and go pew pew.

I see glimmers of my old self in a lot of younger kids I encounter from time to time playing X-Wing. A little bit of social awkwardness, maybe a glimpse of that look . You know the one, where you have only a little bit of money left before payday and really shouldn’t buy that ship right now, but it’s in stock, and it’s great, and it’s perfect for that squad you want to run.

So I crack a joke with the awkward kid, make them feel more at ease, always show good manners like handshakes, “good luck,” and “good game.”

That kid who’s about to drop his food money on a ship? I will try and surreptitiously ask if he wants to try one out before buying. If it’s one of the ships I have (which is likely) I will let him use it to try out and borrow or (if it’s not one of my main factions) just have. No payment, but not charity either (“eh, make it up to me whenever”).

Just all in all I try to be sympathetic to a life I remember all too well, and try to position myself as a non-obtrusive reminder that things are rarely as insurmountable as they seem.

My wife and I had a Star Wars themed wedding, and I used X-Wing ships in the boutonnières. Otherwise I have met some really cool people at the FLGS through the game. Being a family man most of my time is spent working or with the family, so its a social outlet for me to get out of the house and hang out with other individuals having fun and talking about similar hobbies.

I was a Magic player first, and loved board games and collected and owned them before X-Wing was a hobby.

As far as having an impact on me, honestly it hasn't really been the same thing to me that it is for a lot of other people.

That being said, I do feel like the average X-Wing player is representative of the best of the best of the hobby games communities. A lot of folks I've interacted with are good people who make ideal ambassadors of the gaming community. I'd be pretty confident sending an X-Wing player to talk with the normies about gaming.

It's been a great way for me to develop closer friendships, but that's been the case with tabletop gaming of all stripes for me for many, many years at this point. Decades, even. X-Wing is only the most recent, and isn't even the longest-lasting!

I'm running out of "likes" today...

______

Xwing entered my life as a gift from a family member on a whim at Christmas around wave 4 of 1e.

X-Wing was my first tabletop game, and the only reason I'd ever had to step foot into a "game store".

It came at a time of transition in my life when I needed new friends more desperately than I realized.

Haven't looked back.

Thanks for the good times, ffg and all of you good pilots! I look forward to many new stories to come...

Woo hoo for the anonymity of the internet! X-Wing showed up in my life right after death of my mom. My wife took me for a distraction trip to a game store I'd been wanting to check out. The clerk caught me eyeballing the racks of minis and he was happy to fill us in on the game and the local group. A few weeks later I had a just release 2.0 core set and some Rebel expansions as an anniversary present and the encouragement to just get away for a few hours every week. Since then X-Wing night has become a highlight of my week and the opportunity to hang out with a great group of people.

Been a Star Wars fan since that first viewing in 1977,

Initially just started collecting the ships as they were the best models in the size I liked. Collected every one from version 1 but never played. when Version 2 was released I thought I'd start playing.

My first small shop tourney (8 players) was great, they were very welcoming to "this new guy". from there I entered a hyperspace comp, slightly intimidated by the pro players and team shirts that were there. But everyone was so helpful and encouraging to the first timer. I won three out of six games that day, doing stupid moves that surprised players, from that I had guys patting me on the back for beating their mates.

This community is awesome to be part of

First, I like that there’s a positive thread in the forums. Great idea!

For me? X-wing was my intro to tabletop gaming. It indirectly then is responsible for a few other games I play, but more importantly it gave me the hobby of painting. I paint to release stress, particularly when I can’t deal with the problem directly and I’m not able to get an actual game in. I haven’t yet attempted to repaint a ship, maybe I will do so.

It’s opened me to an amazing community of people. I’ve met some great folks. I’ve been able to help start a group that meets at my LGS.

It’s more than a game; it’s a community.

That's no game... it's a SPACE STATION. (or a lifestyle, or whatever)

I'd been a TTRPG and board game player, but never really "wargamed" other than dabbling in a couple editions of D&D Miniatures (which didn't grab me, despite my love for D&D). X-wing is a great outlet for my love for Star Wars, ships, making sound effects, pretending to fly a SW ship, as well as painting/modding figures.

Most of all, it lowered my shields against meeting and playing with strangers. I'm still a comfort gamer; people I TTRPG and BG with I know and know well, but X-wing has lessened my crunchy candy shell and I feel better about gaming with strangers and making new friends.

I' ve already been a fan of FFGs boardgames for a long time (Descent, Mansions of Madness..).

After noticing first announcements of "a Star Wars miniatures game" from them I checked several YT Videos and finally get hooked by Will Wheatons introduction on his channel.

So I started with two core sets and every already available expansion at this time (wave 3 I guess) and introduced the game to some friends. They basically liked it but weren't willing to give it more table time.

Luckily I found a very active TT and role playing gaming club in my city where several people were on the brink of giving the game achance. For me as an absolute beginner it was the perfect opportunity.

Soon after we held our first tourneys and started also a league.

We still meet once a week and even though we lost some people in the last couple of years there are always new padawans to share our love into this game with.

So thank you, all the nice people I was able to meet and even to befriend with through this amazing game.