As the title says, I'm new. In fact I only bought the 2nd edition Core Set on Wednesday October 9th, two days ago (now). I'm already thinking of how I want to expand my list. Tenitively I'm thinking of running Luke Skywalker since I have the stuff for that planned ship build right now, and Chewie (The Mighty) piloting the Millennium Falcon. I'm also thinking of building up a 200 point Galactic Empire squadron as an opposing force for casual games with friends/family. Beyond the Core Set, that list will need 2 more Tie LN Fighters and a Tie Interceptor for my planned build. My planned 200 point Rebel list is

Ship Card: Luke Skywalker (Red Five)
Upgrades: Proton Torpedoes, R2D2, Munitions Failsafe, Instinctive Aim, Servomoter S-Foils

Chewbacca (The Mighty) ship card
Crew: Lando Calrissian, Zeb Orrelios
Title: Millennium Falcon
Upgrades: Proton Rockets, Munitions Failsafe, Shield Upgrade
Gunner: Han Solo

I'll probably be buying more ships to expand things and provide other options too later as well. Particularly I'm considering buying a 2nd Core Set since my Galactic Empire list will need 2 more tie fighters and it would also get me another T65 X-Wing. But this leads me to my question. Would it be better to buy the 2nd edition expansion packs to get the ships and cards I need for my planned lists, or buy the 1st edition versions and pick up the Conversion Kit box for my chosen faction?

The conversion kit really should only be bought by new players who are looking to buy a lot of ship models from ebay, r/ffgtrade, or another way like a local getting rid of extra ships. It has way too much stuff in it that you will not use. In your case, a good way to go would be to get a second 2.0 core set and YT-1300 expansion, then an Interceptor expansion when it comes out.

From what my (admittedly limited) research has shown, the upgrade cards I need for both my planned lists aren't available in just the core set, Interceptor set, and millennium Falcon set. But the conversion kit does provide it all (plus stuff for other desired ships). I've also noticed that 1st edition ships are cheaper even if bought brand new. Thus why I was wondering if buying 1st edition stuff then picking up the conversion kit might be a worth while idea. Really, with how overboard I'm likely gonna go, I expect I'll probably end up with an entire Rebel Alliance fleet, including capital ships. And maybe a decent amount of Galactic Empire stuff too.

6 minutes ago, Faerie1979 said:

Would it be better to buy the 2nd edition expansion packs to get the ships and cards I need for my planned lists, or buy the 1st edition versions and pick up the Conversion Kit box for my chosen faction?

This depends on how cheap you can get the first edition ships, and how much you want to buy. Usually, buying the conversion kit + 1ed ships is cheaper if you are buying a good number of ships (probably over $100 per faction). This is worthwhile if you want to invest heavily in the game, but I wouldn't bother if you just want to build two lists for casual play.

If you decide to buy 1ed ships and a conversion kit, your best bet is to look on facebook (especially in local groups) for people selling their collections, and also check local and online stores for clearance sales.

3 minutes ago, Faerie1979 said:

Particularly I'm considering buying a 2nd Core Set since my Galactic Empire list will need 2 more tie fighters and it would also get me another T65 X-Wing

This isn't a bad idea, but if you aren't buying the conversion kits then you should will want the pilots in the standalone t-65 and tie fighter expansions.

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Luke + Falcon is a solid list, but you'll find that Han Solo is a much stronger pilot. Try something like this:

Rebel Heroes (193pts)
Han Solo: Lando Calrissian, Leia Organa, Shield Upgrade, Engine Upgrade, Millenium Falcon
Luke Skywalker: Proton Torpedoes, R2-D2, Afterburners, Servomotor S-Foils

Purchases required: Core Set , Millenium Falcon Expansion

If you're willing to proxy cards, R2D2 crew on Han is also fantastic. Everyone everywhere proxies cards, unless they are in a proper tournament (and then you can always borrow from friends). You might also like to buy a tandalone t-65 expansion and run Han with less upgrades alongside two x-wings .

As for the empire, 4 tie fighters will make a very weak 200pt list. If you add Darth Vader, though, you will have a very fun and strong list that requires minimal purchases:

Vader and Friends (200pts)
Darth Vader: Sense, Afterburners, Fire Control System (80)
Howlrunner: Crack Shot (41)
Scourge Skutu: Crack Shot (33)
Academy Pilot (23)
Academy Pilot (23)

Purchases required: Core Set , TIE Fighter Expansion, Tie Fighter Expansion, Tie Advanced Expansion

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In summary, if you just want to make two lists for casual play, I'd buy two tie fighters, a tie advanced, a falcon, and maybe a t-65 x-wing.

5 minutes ago, Faerie1979 said:

Really, with how overboard I'm likely gonna go

If you want to buy lots of stuff, conversion kits will be cheaper in the long run, but it's a big up-front investment, so try the game out, play with friends, etc until you're sure

8 minutes ago, Faerie1979 said:

the upgrade cards I need for both my planned lists aren't available in just the core set, Interceptor set, and millennium Falcon set

I mentioned this already, but missing upgrade cards doesn't matter unless you're playing in a tournament. Just print out a picture of the card, no one will mind

My initial (tentative) 200 point Imperial list is

Tie LN Fighter: Iden Versio (Inferno Leader)
Upgrades: Elusive, Hull Upgrade

Tie Interceptor: Alpha Squadron Pilot
Upgrades: Targeting Computer, Shield Upgrade

Tie LN Fighter: Academy Pilot
Upgrades: Shield Upgrade

Tie LN Fighter: Black Squadron Ace
Upgrades: Snap Shot, Shield Upgrade

Tie LN Fighter: Night Beast
Upgrades: Afterburners

Mind you, this list is mainly for casual play when I have to supply a force for the other person. Such as with friends and family. At the local gaming store I plan to run Rebel Alliance. Also mind you, my lists right now are mostly theory crafted using the Squad Builder app. I don't have any Munitions Failsafe upgrade cards yet, but that theorycrafts to work well with proton torpedoes. And I'd initially planned to use Sense for the Force upgrade, but playing a few matches with that build just wasn't working out very well. But Intuitive Aim looks to work well. Especially if I can cancel a torpedo attack and refund the energy if's completely botched (such as rolling no hits). Alternatively, I may opt to run Brilliant Evasion. With Skywalker's recovering a spent force point every time an enemy decides to target him, that could prove rather powerful.

32 minutes ago, gadwag said:

I mentioned this already, but missing upgrade cards doesn't matter unless you're playing in a tournament. Just print out a picture of the card, no one will mind

It kind of matters to me. I've always been the sort to only run something in a miniature war game, card game, and so forth if I legitimately have it. In Warhammer 40k I'm extremely scrupulous about always making sure the figures fully model every piece of equipment I'm assigning, for example. When I added extra armor to my Rhino troop transport, I used various scraps glued in strategic places to physically show the extra armor. If a vet sarg is listed to have Terminator Honors (I think), there will be a medal somewhere on the model to represent that. If the unit has frag grenades, someone in the unit will have a grenade on their model. You get the idea. Sure going into that much detail outside of sanctioned events may not be required. But by only running things I legitimately have, I *can* run in a sanctioned event if I desire. Not that I'm likely to do so, but having the option is nice.

1 hour ago, Faerie1979 said:

It kind of matters to me. I've always been the sort to only run something in a miniature war game, card game, and so forth if I legitimately have it.

That's ok too, I just wanted to let you know that the community is cool with proxying cards, and folks are happy to lend cards for an event if necessary.

1 hour ago, Faerie1979 said:

My initial (tentative) 200 point Imperial list is

I'm afraid that list is going to get hammered pretty hard by Luke and a Falcon, even in casual play. Vader, Howlrunner and 3 other TIES is will be a much fairer fight. Also, if I was your friend in a casual game, I'd really want to have Darth Vader in my squad for fun value. Feel free to play with the upgrades, but I strongly recommend buying two tie fighters and vader to build the rest of your casual imperial list. It's the same price as buying an interceptor and another core, you just miss out on the extra X-Wing. If you did decide to buy another core later that still wouldn't be a terrible idea, as 6 tie fighters is the standard amount for a "tie swarm". Of course, if you go the conversion kit route, this discussion doesn't really matter.

1 hour ago, Faerie1979 said:

Targeting Computer...Snap Shot....Brilliant Evasion

You also won't be able to get hold of these upgrades unless you wait for the card packs that come out early 2020 (or you could buy ships from other factions, but frankly none of these cards are particularly strong). If you want to see what expansions contain what cards while you build squads, I recommend YASB or, if you want an app, LaunchBay Next. Both of these show you the expansions that an upgrade card belongs to, and you can put in your collection to see what cards you have available to use. The lists I built above wouldn't require you to purchase any extra expansions.

If you live in Australia I'd be happy to mail you a bunch of upgrade cards that I have spare (part of my collection got stolen, and replacing it means I have extra copies of a lot of stuff).

Yeah.... Vader plus 4 ties is a way more fun casual build than the list you’ve whipped together.

Trust us, your friends won’t like that imperial list. Especially against rebel aces.

My advice to a new player would be to spell your thread titles correctly.

It would also be to not sweat having all the upgrade cards if you are just supplying both lists to play at home.

I do not care for proxies without limit even at casual night but I will still cut the new guy seeking to get some games in a bit of slack.

Conversion kits are for those who have a first edition collection. It would be a fast and convenient way to get a pile of second edition cards but without models a whole bunch of it is going to languish.

17 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

My advice to a new player would be to spell your thread titles correctly.

Harsh.

17 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

It would also be to not sweat having all the upgrade cards if you are just supplying both lists to play at home.

In full agreement here though. Printing off lists from YASB is faster and easier to clean up. It's great for home use, and welcoming stores. Locally we're all for people using paper so we can get games going faster.

20 minutes ago, Frimmel said:

Conversion kits are for those who have a first edition collection. It would be a fast and convenient way to get a pile of second edition cards but without models a whole bunch of it is going to languish.

Also very much agree. I suppose you could play with just the base for some ships... Some of the old 1.0 ships are pretty hard to track down. You'll never get full value from the conversion kit.

I’m going to suggest something that goes against what most people in this thread (even you, @Faerie1979 ) have been suggesting:

Buy a rebel and imperial conversion kit first .

Why? Because the conversion kit comes with everything you need to fly (almost) every ship in both of those factions, save for a couple plastic large-base stands and the ship models. Yes, I 100% agree that flying a ship without the model is just not the same experience, but it will allow you to try things out and see what ships you enjoy flying before you invest more money in them. Then, when you find ships you like, you can buy 1st edition models used (or new) for cheap.

Honestly, based on what you’ve been saying about your typical level of investment in miniatures game, I would still suggest going the conversion kit + 1st edition ships route. It’s going to be much cheaper in the long run (Tip: when buying used 1st edition stuff, at least in the US, don’t pay much more than ~$5 for small based ships and ~$10 for large based ships. If someone is charging you more than that then pass and search for a better deal. It shouldn’t be too hard to find those prices). At $5 per ship + $50 for the conversion kit you only have to buy 10 ships before you’re getting a better deal than buying new 2nd edition ships (and trust me, it won’t take you long before you’ll want more than 10+ ships on your collection).

Another advantage of buying used + conversion kits is that if worse comes to worse and you decide X-Wing isn’t the game for you, you should be able to turn around and sell your collection on eBay and recoup most if not all of your investment.

Welcome to X-wing, and happy flying!

*EDIT: exceptions: buy B-Wings and the Ghost ( and maybe X-Wings) new. The improved models make them totally worth it.

As an example of my typical miniature war game investment... Mage Knight was the first one I got into, and matches around here would typically be 200 to 300 points. So fairly small games. I typically ran black powder rebels, and favored using steam golems since those are sturdy, hit hard, and generally good figures. Even the 'rookie' tier of them can be dangerous. I generally ran a static group consisting of 3 to 6 figures, usually the same figures. I ended up spending god knows how much money on the game. But I needed large tackle boxes for each and every faction in the game. I'd also bought the red dragon figure, not that it ever got used since it was kind of useless at the lowest point value and games never had high enough point values for it to be effective. I also ended up buying the Black Powder Rebel chariot when that came out, and the Steam Tank (also for black powder rebels). The chariot and 2 to 3 (depending on point allowance) steam golems became my standard list, while the tank never got used cause it was simply too expensive. It got to the point where I'd have to chose a faction before I even headed out for the Mage Knight Friday sessions because I couldn't transport my entire collection at once.

When Disk Wars came out, it was HUGE around here... for about 3 months. I have an extensive collection due to buying hundreds of dollars of core sets and expansions. And that was a pretty cheap game, maybe $20 for a "core" set and $10 for the expansions/boosters. Hero Clicks? Oh yeah, I have every play map from every version of the game. I also have multiple large tackle boxes filled with figures for that game. ****, I still pick up new stuff for it and I'm pretty much the only one around here still playing Hero Clicks.

My 40k army is Space Marines. It currently it consists of 4 tactical squads, 1 devastator squad, 1 scout squad (sniper focused), 1 land speeder (someone 'accidentally' broke the 2nd one), 1 rhino troop transport, a Librarian, a Chapter Commander, and a full Command Squad. All told I've easily spent three or four hundred dollars on it. And the only reason I haven't spent more is the local scene was killed years ago by the former owner of the local gaming store. It's starting to recover now, but X-Wing is the game played more often then not. You'll occasionally see someone come in with their 40k army, then leave several hours later because nobody else showed up. Actually, I haven't seen anyone bringing in their 40k army in a while.

So yeah, I fully expect I'm likely to go a tad overboard. ****, the main reason I broke down and bought the core set to start with is because I keep eying the minis and thinking "**** those look cool." Watching a few matches when I had the chance and asking some questions showed that I'd likely enjoy the game. And it turns out, I do. And even as I plan initial low(ish) investment starting lists, I'm eying most of the Rebel Alliance (and galactic empire) stuff and thinking to myself "I want, I want yesterday..." So yeah, I'm likely to end up with a fleet or two. And maybe getting Armada as well so I can use more capital ships on occasion, not sure what the local scene for Armada is like. I mostly have seen X-Wing matches being played.

5 hours ago, ScummyRebel said:

Yeah.... Vader plus 4 ties is a way more fun casual build than the list you’ve whipped together.

Trust us, your friends won’t like that imperial list. Especially against rebel aces.

Admittedly, I haven't played too many matches yet. And I haven't read through the rules for larger ships at all yet. Also obviously I haven't had a chance to play with/against the full lists I'm looking towards making first. I just plain don't have the ships or cards needed to run the full lists yet. That said, what's wrong with the Imp list I've put together? From the admittedly few matches I've played (all of 6 so far) it seems like it would be able to hold it's own. The YT-1300 doesn't look any more maneuverable then the T-65 X-Wing, actually it looks like it might be slightly less maneuverable. And that 1 Agility suggests to me that it'll get hammered pretty hard by swarms. I'll admit that other then the tie interceptor the pilots are all cards and base plates I already have from the Core set. There's probably better ones, but can someone explain why the initial list I put together as a low investment cost 200 point Imp force is "bad"? At a glance, Vader doesn't seem like he'd be that much better then the list I'm initially thinking of.

9 minutes ago, Faerie1979 said:

That said, what's wrong with the Imp list I've put together? From the admittedly few matches I've played (all of 6 so far) it seems like it would be able to hold it's own. The YT-1300 doesn't look any more maneuverable then the T-65 X-Wing, actually it looks like it might be slightly less maneuverable. And that 1 Agility suggests to me that it'll get hammered pretty hard by swarms. I'll admit that other then the tie interceptor the pilots are all cards and base plates I already have from the Core set. There's probably better ones, but can someone explain why the initial list I put together as a low investment cost 200 point Imp force is "bad"? At a glance, Vader doesn't seem like he'd be that much better then the list I'm initially thinking of.

Frankly, you have too many points tied up in ships that are going to die. You may be placing more value on green dice than you realize. As well as under estimating the Falcon survivability. There’s a lot of hit points to chew through on that.

In your match up proposed, I expect one Imperial ship to die every 1-2 turns, assuming the rebel player has done his part and lines up the shots with dice mods. When Luke gets a proton torp off, it’s all but guaranteed that they’re dead, especially if they only have a single token (even if it takes both ships attacks to do it). Additionally, except for Iden most are low enough initiative that if killed by either ship they have no chance to fire that round. And with Han gunner, two shots at a high enough initiative could kill any one ship on the empire team before they get a shot off.

The Falcon, like any large base ship, moves crazy far from a boost. A wise rebel player can use that boost to jump out of arcs so all those ties aren’t shooting at once.

Vader is so good and so much more survivable in this match up because he moves last of all. This means he can take advantage of complete board knowledge and get out of firing arcs entirely. Not relying on green dice is way better than having lots of green dice.

From the few matches I've played so far, tie fighters have been incredibly hard to pin down. That, and any given attack has been providing 1 to 2 hits at most, which frequently gets negated. One shotting a tie fighter has happened once, barely. And they seem to typically survive 3 to 5 rounds of intense combat easily. Especially with good positioning. Granted, these matches were with another person who's also learning the game. As such, our tactics may well not be particularly good. Giving most of them a shield upgrade was to help mitigate the risks of being one shotted. Mind you, I'll be the first to admit I have no idea how well the Falcon will actually work out. I mostly picked it for my initial Rebel Alliance list because, well, it's the Millennium Falcon. Of course I want it. For a more casual list I'll probably run 2 or 3 X-Wings with generic pilots. I'm mostly happy with my Luke Skywalker build at the moment (still haven't tested it with Munitions Failsafe yet), but at 82 points for one ship I'm wondering if it might be more costly then the build is worth. ****, one reason I'm eying Munitions Failsafe is the sheer number of times I've rolled all blanks during attacks, and that it might offset that by letting me recoup the energy if the shot would entirely wiff.

I could well be wrong about how well the Falcon will hold up. Or, with my typical luck, I could be entirely right about it ending up being sub-par.

Heh, actually... in our last match (an Escalation battle) I was winning when I majorly goofed twice in a row. I accidentally flew my initial X-Wing off the table. Then when Luke came in as reinforcements, I misjudged distances and he immediately flew off the table too while preforming a Bank 3 turn.

I'm just going to weigh in with a couple of unconsidered things, here.

Firstly, Conversion Kits are great value if you have a bunch of ships left over from 1E . Buying the old 1E stock on sale from retailers and a conversion kit isn't actually a bargain. It'll work out the same, or even more expensive, than if you were to just buy the 2E expansion packs instead. Sure, you don't get as many ship choices, but all your choices will be Hyperspace legal for if/when you play an OP kit event or similar.

Secondly, talk to folks in your local stores/groups. It's pretty common for players who have been in the game for a long while to have bought multiple conversion kits to cover their collection, but have more cards/cardboard than they need. They may be willing to trade, sell, or gift some of what you need to you. I've done that several times. I actually had enough unused leftovers after conversion that I made up decks of pairs of upgrade cards to give to new players. They get free cards to kick-start their collection and gameplay, and I don't have to store or (worse) dump excess upgrade cards; win-win.

Lastly, before you go spending a ton of money on things, make your lists based on the models you have, print out the lists, and just play . I have multiples of literally everything in the game, but if I'm playing at home, I often don't even bother putting out cards when playing with friends. It's extra hassle, and in your case, it's a possibly just going to cost you money you'll regret. I get that you don't mind investing in games, but at least take a bit of time to look at it properly and invest wisely . If you're willing to throw money at the game with total abandon, you don't need our advice on purchases, but if you listen to the advice from the above replies, you'll have considerably more fun.

PS:

Quickbuild cards. They're your friend. Especially when starting out. There's a full print-and-play doc of them on the FFG website.

Just a heads up - I was at my local Barnes & Noble tonight and they’ve finally clearanced the 1.0 ships 75%. They had Falcons, the aces pack with two interceptors, and a few other random ships.

If you really think you’re going to dive in fully with conversion kits, also consider eBay to pick up large collections players are selling who have moved on or individual pieces of conversion kits if you’re only converting a few ships. There’s a lot of piecemeal parts of kits on there.

Hmm, after thinking about everyone's advice, I've decided on getting the 2nd edition Millennium Falcon and a Tie Advanced packs for now, then look into getting 1st edition ships in bulk on Ebay or the like while picking up the conversion kit(s) later on. After looking over the list of pilots (and ships) I realized I'll eventually want to get enough of any given ship to run every pilot with their own ship, for the most part. Don't need 4 YT-1300's since Han and Chewie should realistically be the crew of the Millennium Falcon rather then piloting two separate ships. But I can see Lando having one of his own, as well as an Outer Rim Smuggler. Okay, yeah, that might be overkill. But what if I want to play a bigger game then 200 points? Or what if I end up getting involved in an Epic match with 4 or more players in the same match?

Okay, it's also just because I can be a tad obsessive in my completion tendencies.

That said, if I can't find a good deal on the 1st edition ships, I may well just buy 2nd edition packs. Might still pick up the conversion kit though. According to YASB there's a lot of upgrade cards that are only available through the conversion kits right now. I'm also thinking of expanding the amount of imperial stuff I get. But that will probably be all 2nd edition expansion packs.

21 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

Admittedly, I haven't played too many matches yet. And I haven't read through the rules for larger ships at all yet. Also obviously I haven't had a chance to play with/against the full lists I'm looking towards making first. I just plain don't have the ships or cards needed to run the full lists yet. That said, what's wrong with the Imp list I've put together? From the admittedly few matches I've played (all of 6 so far) it seems like it would be able to hold it's own. The YT-1300 doesn't look any more maneuverable then the T-65 X-Wing, actually it looks like it might be slightly less maneuverable. And that 1 Agility suggests to me that it'll get hammered pretty hard by swarms. I'll admit that other then the tie interceptor the pilots are all cards and base plates I already have from the Core set. There's probably better ones, but can someone explain why the initial list I put together as a low investment cost 200 point Imp force is "bad"? At a glance, Vader doesn't seem like he'd be that much better then the list I'm initially thinking of.

With all due to respect to @ScummyRebel , I think he just barely missed the mark with his analysis. The list you proposed isn’t sub-par because you’re investing points in ships that die too easily, it’s because you’re investing points in ships that aren’t particularly good at killing stuff.

TIE fighters only have an attack value of 2. That’s not very high. Yes, now and then you’ll slip a point of damage through, but if you’re only damaging you’re opponent “now and then” then you’re probably losing the war of attrition. Where 2-attack ships like TIE fighters really shine is when you can field them en masse . Shooting with 7-8 TIE fighters is more than twice as good as shooting with 3-4 TIE fighters.

Also, here’s another piece of advice I get the feeling you could benefit from. One of the biggest keys (not the only key, but it’s a crucial one) to victory is dice-mods. You should make it your goal to always be attacking with a target lock or a focus token (or equivalent modifiers, such as the force or Han’s rerolls), and ideally you want both. For any given attack die, if you don’t have modifiers you have a 50% chance of getting a hit. If you have a focus or a reroll then it jumps to 75%. If you have BOTH then it goes up to 93.75% - almost a guaranteed hit.

So with that in mind, let’s look at a couple of the upgrades you mentioned in your rebel list:

Munitions failsafe? It can be nice if you’re making unmodified attacks and whiff a roll, but ideally you shouldn’t be making unmodified attacks. There’s a reason why you never see munitions failsafe on top tables at tournaments (actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a tournament): good players make sure they have mods for their dice, and as such, they almost never have a whiffed attack roll, at least, not on a valuable torpedo attack.

Instinctive Aim: this one is definitely better than munitions failsafe, but I feel like it’s a trap card. It makes it much easier to fire your torpedoes, but in so doing it encourages you to make attacks without mods. With Luke, you’re much better off taking a target lock and then using your lock+force to modify the dice. Case and point:

Luke with 2 force and no lock. If you spend 1 force for instinctive aim to launch a proton torpedo, and have one force to modify, you can expect an average of 2.684 hits, with only a 19% chance of getting hits on all 4 dice.

Luke with 2 force and a target lock making a proton torpedo attack gives you an average of 3.678 hits, and a 71% chance of 4 hits.

Even Luke with 2 force making a regular 3-die primary attack yields an average of 2.234 hits- only .4 hits less than spending one of those force for an instinctive aim attack. Usually your torpedoes are too valuable to blow on adding less than half a hit to your attack.

Anyway, I’ve rambled enough, you get the idea. Look for ways to double-mod your dice. Pair Luke’s force tokens with target locks. Fly Howlrunner alongside as many focused TIE fighters as you can fit in a list. And so on.

EDIT: here’s the link for figuring out your odds for hitting or dodging attacks: http://xwing.gateofstorms.net/2/multi/

play around with different combinations of modded and unmodded attacks and defense rolls and get a feel for how helpful certain mods are. For example, how many defense dice do you have to be rolling before a focus token is statistically more valuable than an evade token?

SeaKing Advice

Went back to the drawing board for the Imp list, and I'm tentatively thinking this may work out a bit better. Maybe. I'd need to pick up 3 more Tie LN Fighters for the list, obviously. But I already have the ship cards and base plates needed for the list. Just need the actual models Okay, yeah it would still be relying on "swarm" tactics to win. But isn't that kind of expected if you're running a tie fighter squadron?

Academy Pilot (23)

Academy Pilot (23)

Darth Vader (67)
Heightened Perception (3)
Fire-Control System (2)
Cluster Missiles (5)

Obsidian Squadron Pilot (24)

Obsidian Squadron Pilot (24)

Black Squadron Ace (26)
Total: 197

View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0

Also, I have no forking clue why the thread is titled "seaking advice". I do actually know how to spell "seeking", and use spellcheck (but not auto corrupt). I did verify everything was spelled properly before hitting post originally. Does this forum have Auto-correct enabled or something? Cause that I've found to change words that are spelled correctly into misspelled abominations and/or entirely different words.

That is looking better, and as a long-time Imperial player, if you are looking for a decent , affordable starter Imperial list, Vader + 4 TIE/ln's is what I would have recommended to you as well. I would do something like this:

Darth Vader (67)
Afterburners (6)

“Howlrunner” (40)

Iden Versio (40)

Academy Pilot (23)

Academy Pilot (23)
Total: 199

Takes a Core Set, a TIE/ln Expansion, TIE/x1 Expansion, and then either another Core or TIE/ln for the 4th TIE/ln. I would recommend another Core for another set of dice, damage cards, templates, etc. for the second player so you don't have to share.

Howlrunner and the TIE/ln's fly in formation and she boosts all the TIE/ln's offensive output. She is always a high value target, and Iden Versio boosts her survivability by nullifying one shot against Howlrunner. Vader does Vader things and is your closer. Afterburners allows him to do some creative flying. There is also not a lot of triggers or cards to remember, so its a bit easier to pick up an play, and people know Vader, new players who play the Imperial side will love putting him on the table.

Okaaay, I might be honest enough with myself to realize I'm probably gonna go a bit overboard. But the friend I had over on Friday stopped by shortly after my last post wanting to play a couple more games. And he spent close to 300 yesterday (this would be Friday the 11th) buying his own copy of the core set, and two of every Galactic Empire expansion pack currently released for 2nd edition. Sure, I'll be getting just as much or more (probably more) stuff for Rebel Alliance, but spending that much all at once seems like a bit much. O.o

He loaned me his T65 X-Wing so I could put together a 200 point list for the matches, and then he put together one using a Tie Advanced (piloted by Vader), Tie Reaper, and a Tie sk Striker. Not sure who the pilots for those were off hand. I don't think it was working out for him very well though. Even so, he was getting rather annoying with the proximity mines he was using. In the two matches we played, he managed to deploy the proximity mines directly into one of my ships every single time . And would then roll a hit and a crit for the damage. And then would zip off using a free Boost, moving full speed, and activating Afterburners.

EDIT: Fixed the day, I can't read clocks when tired apparently.

If you have the Core stuff, I might suggest looking to see what types of collections you can buy used. The cheapest way to get a decent sized collection is buying used and then getting the Conversion kits.

Since you are new, you probably haven't heard of Heroes of the Aturi Cluster, but I'll give you the skinny. It's one of the best ways to play X-wing and it's co-operative. I've gotten many people into the game, but always see at least a third quit when it gets too competitive. This version of the game appeals to those players. You play with between 2-6 players and play the same pilot through a series of linked missions and story lines. It isn't official and is fan made, but FFG did offer to buy it from the creator, who declined. There is an AI system for the ships that works better than you think it would. I would highly recommend you look this up. There is only the 1st Ed rules up on their website, but there is a Facebook group that is in the final stages of play testing the 2nd Ed rules. I'm not sure where to get those, except the Facebook group (Heroes of the Aturi Cluster).

14 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

From the few matches I've played so far, tie fighters have been incredibly hard to pin down.

I'm glad you noticed that! I started back in 2012 when there were only 4 ships and fell in love with the Tie Fighter. The conventional wisdom of the internet is that you must fly your ships with Howlrunner and you must fly them in a formation all the time. I have always disagreed with this as I felt it takes away the main strength of the Tie Fighter: It's maneuverability. People call these Tie Formations "Swarms". but they don't actually swarm anything. I've found I enjoy NOT taking Howlrunner (who dies too fast) and actually swarm my opponents with Tie Fighters. Blocking the enemy is a valid strategy.

@Faerie1979 it sounds like you've made a decision on what you want to purchase (conversion kits and 2nd hand/on sale 1ed ships). Enjoy the game!

7 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

Academy Pilot (23)

Academy Pilot (23)

Darth Vader (67)
Heightened Perception (3)
Fire-Control System (2)
Cluster Missiles (5)

Obsidian Squadron Pilot (24)

Obsidian Squadron Pilot (24)

Black Squadron Ace (26)
Total: 197

That looks like a much more solid Imperial list. You might enjoy trying some of the named TIE pilots instead of heightened perception and cluster missiles on Vader, but I'll leave you to experiment and have fun!

15 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

From the few matches I've played so far, tie fighters have been incredibly hard to pin down.

I also found this in my early games. As others have mentioned, modifying your dice and focusing fire are key strategies in X-Wing. As you get better, you'll find you don't need to reposition as often, so you can spend more actions modifying dice. TIE fighters are also much easier to kill if they don't have green tokens. You can remove tokens by shooting them with multiple ships (so they spend the token on earlier attacks) or using abilities like hotshot gunner. You can also deny them from taking an action and getting a token in the first place by placing your ships in their way, so that they bump into your ship and get no action.

5 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

In the two matches we played, he managed to deploy the proximity mines directly into one of my ships every single time .

Usually people won't drop a mine unless it's guaranteed or highly likely to hit a ship. Be careful not to fly behind a ship with bombs! If the bomber flies past you into a bomb dropping decision, make sure you have other ships ready to punish it for flying there.

Enjoy the game!

10 hours ago, Faerie1979 said:

Okaaay, I might be honest enough with myself to realize I'm probably gonna go a bit overboard. But the friend I had over on Friday stopped by shortly after my last post wanting to play a couple more games. And he spent close to 300 yesterday (this would be Saturday the 11th) buying his own copy of the core set, and two of every Galactic Empire expansion pack currently released for 2nd edition. Sure, I'll be getting just as much or more (probably more) stuff for Rebel Alliance, but spending that much all at once seems like a bit much. O.o

That sounds about like the typical X-Wing New Player Experience