So, I’m exclusively an Armada guy, but I guess you could say I’m sort of... increasingly “TIE-curious.”

I was especially intrigued by the damage-yourself-for-profit mechanics I was reading about with Kaz’s Fireball. Inspired design!

If one were looking to get into X-wing, what are some good early purchases? I would be especially interested in GCW and First Order/Resistance-era fighters. Should I buy only 2.0? How much does one need to spend to build say, a couple decent Rebel wings and a couple decent Imperial wings? Do I want a Core Set? Is it advisable to get bigger ships like the Falcon, or should I stick to Y-Wings and other snub fighters first? Is Slave 1 an Imperial ship? Also, though I’ve been fortunate enough to rarely encounter supply problems for Armada in my area, I know that they typically are a major barrier to entry in Armada. Is this also the case for X-Wing? Are there lots of staples that are difficult or impossible to find?

My playgroup would probably be most interested in using regulation tournament-legal fleets, despite the fact that we’re mostly kitchen table guys... I guess you could say we take our casual flying very seriously.

Also, what is “Hyperspace” format?

Thanks in advance for the help!

To start to answer some of your questions:

• If you wanna play GCW or sequel factions, buying second hand 1.0 collections and the corresponding conversion kits is usually a good option as it is price efficient and give you lots of possibilities.
• For now, to get all the components you need to play X-wing, you must buy a core set. But if you wanna play empire of rebels, it is trully worth it, just for the ships.
• Medium and Large ships are fun to play even though not all of them are competitive. The rebel falcon is a good one to get to try those kind of ships.
• In 2.0, the Slave 1 is not an imperial ship anymore, scum only.
• supply problems really depend on your location. From me in France, is it ok.

43 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

If one were looking to get into X-wing, what are some good early purchases?

2X Core set and season to taste with OT classic ships like Falcon, TIE Advanced, Y-wing and so on.

46 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

I would be especially interested in GCW and First Order/Resistance-era fighters. Should I buy only 2.0?

You can only buy 2nd Edition for the prequel era content. Sequel era content is a bit more case by case. You are probably better off with 2nd Edition there as well as much of their content is 2nd Edition only like your aforementioned Fireball.

48 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

How much does one need to spend to build say, a couple decent Rebel wings and a couple decent Imperial wings? Do I want a Core Set? Is it advisable to get bigger ships like the Falcon, or should I stick to Y-Wings and other snub fighters first?

Yes you want a core set. You can get around it but if you're going to play Rebels on Imps then the core set is a good deal. I'll just pretend like you're pretending you're not going to play this game without getting a Falcon. Falcon is flyable. Simply a list preference or spending preference. I'd say:

2x Core set 39.95

TIE Advanced 19.95

X-wing or Y-wing or B-wing 19.95.

Expect in the $100 to $120 range to start from scratch in 2nd Edition only.

51 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Is Slave 1 an Imperial ship?

No, in X-wing unlike Armada the bounty hunter ships are their own Scum & Villainy faction.

52 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Also, though I’ve been fortunate enough to rarely encounter supply problems for Armada in my area, I know that they typically are a major barrier to entry in Armada. Is this also the case for X-Wing? Are there lots of staples that are difficult or impossible to find?

It all depends on location. I have not found either more difficult to acquire than the pain of watching my FLGs go round and round with the distributor about sending the stuff out.

54 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

My playgroup would probably be most interested in using regulation tournament-legal fleets, despite the fact that we’re mostly kitchen table guys... I guess you could say we take our casual flying very seriously.

Also, what is “Hyperspace” format?

"Hyperspace" is a "limited" format. In "Extended" all ships and upgrades can be fielded. In "Hyperspace" there is a smaller list of available ships and upgrades to choose from. It looks like Hyperspace will be a curated format with things rotating in and out

See the official squad-builder here: https://squadbuilder.fantasyflightgames.com/

I figured I'd take your questions in reverse order, since there are others who are better at answering some of the early ones than I am. I do want to qualify them, though - X-Wing operates in two distinct formats, Hyperspace and Extended, and my answers will focus on the Hyperspace format.

10 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Also, what is “Hyperspace” format?

Hyperspace format is a competitive, rotating format with a limited pool of ships and upgrades from which to build lists (4-5 ships per faction). Every six months, FFG does a points rebalance using their Squad Builder app, and sometimes will shift ships in or out of Hyperspace. Right now, and for the first time in its history, it entirely consists of ships from X-Wing 2.0 releases, so it's actually viable to start on the ground floor with it. There's a lot of opinions on both sides, but at its core, it's a) now curated more effectively, b) fairly well-balanced, with most if not all of the ships currently available in the mode serving as viable choices to squad-build with. There are a few ships and pilots seeing a little more play, but I don't think we can say that there are any clear 'top' ships that dominate the field overall. All factions have a number of playable options, shown through their positions at various competitive events since the format changed in January.

Are there lots of staples that are difficult or impossible to find?

Given that Hyperspace is pretty much exclusive to X-Wing 2.0 releases now, you shouldn't have that much difficulty finding ships to use. You may encounter difficulties with certain ships that you really want to use but are not yet available in 2.0. For example, the majority of the Resistance faction is available right now. FFG have not reprinted the Force Awakens-era Millennium Falcon or the Resistance Bomber, but all of the other Resistance ships are available. Looking at Rebel ships, most of the major ones are available. Currently, the T-65 X-Wing, Y-Wing, B-Wing, A-Wing, Millennium Falcon, and Ghost (from Rebels) are available in 2.0.

Also, though I’ve been fortunate enough to rarely encounter supply problems for Armada in my area, I know that they typically are a major barrier to entry in Armada. Is this also the case for X-Wing?

You shouldn't have a significant problem with supply to get going. Buying a few of the above ships will give you most of what you need to build competitive squads. You do still need a Core Set, although most of its components can now be purchased separately. The only thing you'd be missing is a damage deck (and possibly maneuver templates - see below), as most of the other components - maneuver templates, obstacles, and dice - are available as separate purchases, or were planned to be. I don't recall seeing the plastic maneuver templates available in my area, although they were expected to release some time ago, so they may not have been ordered by my LGS.

Is Slave 1 an Imperial ship?

Used to be (1.0), but when X-Wing switched to 2.0, it became exclusively Scum (the third "hangover" big faction from 1.0).

Is it advisable to get bigger ships like the Falcon, or should I stick to Y-Wings and other snub fighters first?

Depends on what you want to fly. The bigger ships are not necessary, but you might want to get them for the sake of having them. Sticking to smaller ships at first might be a better plan, however, since the maneuvers will be different than Armada maneuvers. You're flying on a smaller scale, and you don't have to plan out where you're going to be two or three turns down the road in the same way as you do with the Armada capital ships. X-Wing maneuvers are a lot more proactive/reactive, and work in much tighter spaces.

Do I want a Core Set?

Currently, yes, as there are a few pilots and upgrades (particularly for Rebel) that are only available in that set, and not all of its components are available outside of the Core Set yet.

Should I buy only 2.0? How much does one need to spend to build say, a couple decent Rebel wings and a couple decent Imperial wings?

Again, depending on whether you want to fly Hyperspace-legal lists or not, you only NEED to buy 2nd edition to make viable squads in that format. Buy-in to either Rebels or Imperials is going to take between $120 - $140. This is where others are better at answering than me. I'm a 1.0 veteran, so I bought Conversion Kits to use all of my 1.0 stuff, rather than just jumping in to 2.0, and my purchases have been new releases, for the most part.

If one were looking to get into X-wing, what are some good early purchases? I would be especially interested in GCW and First Order/Resistance-era fighters.

The general answer that most people give for this one is "fly what you like", and choose your purchases based on that. If you want to make a decent squad for each of Rebels and Imperials, I'd suggest a Core Set, and a copy each of the X-Wing and Y-Wing expansions for Rebels (or two of either), with a copy of the TIE Advanced x1 and two copies of the TIE/In expansion for the Imperials. Resistance and FO are both much smaller factions in 2.0, and you will likely need to buy multiple copies of two or more expansions for each faction in order to field decent squads.

When the faction damage decks are released you'll be able to get the key things in the core set - maneuver templates, dice, damage deck, obstacles from other retail product. If you want to play Rebels versus Imps though it is good value to get the core set.

$7.95 for Dice.

$19.95 for maneuver templates. These though are an upgrade on the Core set.

$4.95 for damage deck when released.

$14.95 for "Never Tell Me the Odds" obstacle pack. (That will give you wider variety than just the core set though.)

You kind of need more than one set of dice. Two players can share a damage deck but you're really better off with two. Two players can share templates but that's better with two sets too. There are a couple of Force powers and pilots that are core set only.

Cool, thanks guys... so, some follow-up questions...

I was literally just in the game store checking out where I might want to start. They seem to have a pretty wide selection. The things that caught my eye first were the OT Falcon, TIE Advanced x1, and Reb/Imp Core set (all 2.0). Is that anywhere near enough material on each side to make a decent fleet? Like, I guess what I’m asking is more like: What’s the points cap? What’s a “useable” Vader or TIE/ln run you, points-wise? I’m sure that some fighters run more easily without upgrades, and others really want tons of them; would this be a fun mix of like, Vader’s Battle of Yavin ‘Black Squadron’ v. Luke’s X-Wing and Chewie & Han on the Falcon? Or is that like, hopeless without another $100 on backup fighters and upgrade cards?

Cheap, hyperspace legal beginner lists for GCW/Sequels (ignoring cost of core set):

• Rebels: B-Wing, Falcon (plus core set X-Wing): $60
• Empire: Tie Advanced /x1, plus (plus core set TIEs), plus, uh.... I punt? ($20 + X??)
• Vader/Duchess/Rac seems ok (/x1, Striker, Decimator) and Vader + 6 Academies seems ok (/x1, 4 TIE /lns)? I guess?
• Scum: Firespray, two Fangs ($70)
• Resistance: T70, Fireball, two RZ2 A-Wings ($80) I guess? seems ok sure
• First Order: Silencer, two TIE /sfs, TIE /fo ($80) I guess? seems ok sure

17 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Cool, thanks guys... so, some follow-up questions...

I was literally just in the game store checking out where I might want to start. They seem to have a pretty wide selection. The things that caught my eye first were the OT Falcon, TIE Advanced x1, and Reb/Imp Core set (all 2.0). Is that anywhere near enough material on each side to make a decent fleet? Like, I guess what I’m asking is more like: What’s the points cap? What’s a “useable” Vader or TIE/ln run you, points-wise? I’m sure that some fighters run more easily without upgrades, and others really want tons of them; would this be a fun mix of like, Vader’s Battle of Yavin ‘Black Squadron’ v. Luke’s X-Wing and Chewie & Han on the Falcon? Or is that like, hopeless without another $100 on backup fighters and upgrade cards?

You can create a fair matchup that should provide a good taste of the game (though below the standard game points cap) with Core set, Falcon, and TIE Advanced.

You can not be particularly competitive in the FLGS Sunday tourney with just that.

Standard game in both formats is 200 points.

Just now, Frimmel said:

You can create a fair matchup that should provide a good taste of the game (though below the standard game points cap) with Core set, Falcon, and TIE Advanced.

You can not be particularly competitive in the FLGS Sunday tourney with just that.

Standard game in both formats is 200 points.

Great, that’s what I was wondering. Can I expand those two fleets into something useable at 200 points, if I added a fighter or three to each side? ‘Cause I mean, that would be the trifecta of thematic, balanced, and expandable, which I wasn’t counting on being able to do very easily.

Also, what’s this about damage decks? The Core Set doesn’t give you all the necessary cards?

27 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Cool, thanks guys... so, some follow-up questions...

I was literally just in the game store checking out where I might want to start. They seem to have a pretty wide selection. The things that caught my eye first were the OT Falcon, TIE Advanced x1, and Reb/Imp Core set (all 2.0). Is that anywhere near enough material on each side to make a decent fleet? Like, I guess what I’m asking is more like: What’s the points cap? What’s a “useable” Vader or TIE/ln run you, points-wise? I’m sure that some fighters run more easily without upgrades, and others really want tons of them; would this be a fun mix of like, Vader’s Battle of Yavin ‘Black Squadron’ v. Luke’s X-Wing and Chewie & Han on the Falcon? Or is that like, hopeless without another $100 on backup fighters and upgrade cards?

You could make a decent list with each of the Rebels and Imperials with those purchases. However, the Rebel list would be a two-ship list, and, as @Frimmel just mentioned, your list points would fall well below the 200-pt limit. I don't know what comes in those packs, since I dropped Rebels as one of my factions with the switch, but just offhand, If you flew Han Solo with Lando and Chewie, and Luke with R2-D2 (this is Hyperspace-legal by the way) and an upgrade or two on Luke, you'd get this:

Modified YT-1300 Light Freighter - •Han Solo - 99
•Han Solo - Scoundrel for Hire (80)
Selfless (3)
•Lando Calrissian (2)
•Chewbacca (4)
Engine Upgrade (7)
• Millennium Falcon (3)

T-65 X-wing - •Luke Skywalker - 84
•Luke Skywalker - Red Five (62)
Proton Torpedoes (13)
•R2-D2 (8)
Instinctive Aim (1)
Servomotor S-foils (Open) (0)

Total: 183/200

2 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Great, that’s what I was wondering. Can I expand those two fleets into something useable at 200 points, if I added a fighter or three to each side? ‘Cause I mean, that would be the trifecta of thematic, balanced, and expandable, which I wasn’t counting on being able to do very easily.

Also, what’s this about damage decks? The Core Set doesn’t give you all the necessary cards?

The Core Set does give you all the necessary cards - it comes with one damage deck, which can be shared between players. However, the optimal choice is for both players to have their own damage deck, which is what Frimmel was saying above.

When I bought my Core Set, I also received a pre-order bonus damage deck. My own store still has one of those decks left, and they've re-ticketed it to include with a Core Set as an add-on. Your own store may have something similar.

20 minutes ago, feltipern1 said:

The Core Set does give you all the necessary cards - it comes with one damage deck, which can be shared between players. However, the optimal choice is for both players to have their own damage deck, which is what Frimmel was saying above.

When I bought my Core Set, I also received a pre-order bonus damage deck. My own store still has one of those decks left, and they've re-ticketed it to include with a Core Set as an add-on. Your own store may have something similar.

That is what I was saying. They are supposedly releasing damage decks with card backs that match the backs of each faction's pilot cards. I linked to one of those above.

To get started and play and provide stuff for both players and see if you like the game one damage deck is enough.

1 hour ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Cool, thanks guys... so, some follow-up questions...

I was literally just in the game store checking out where I might want to start. They seem to have a pretty wide selection. The things that caught my eye first were the OT Falcon, TIE Advanced x1, and Reb/Imp Core set (all 2.0). Is that anywhere near enough material on each side to make a decent fleet? Like, I guess what I’m asking is more like: What’s the points cap? What’s a “useable” Vader or TIE/ln run you, points-wise? I’m sure that some fighters run more easily without upgrades, and others really want tons of them; would this be a fun mix of like, Vader’s Battle of Yavin ‘Black Squadron’ v. Luke’s X-Wing and Chewie & Han on the Falcon? Or is that like, hopeless without another $100 on backup fighters and upgrade cards?

I wouldn’t say another $100.

if you are looking for a Yavin recreation at 200 points including the Falcon, you could do: 2x core sets + Falcon + Tie advanced x1 - total msrp of $140 for two teams ready to play.

Fly Vader plus the 4x ties against Luke and Han, or Lando plus two t65 pilots, or whatever. Would be pretty balanced because both would be 200 points squad legal.

It is worth noting eventually you’ll want the single blisters of the t65 and tie fighter because they have unique pilots only in them not the core.

If you and your group like the game, feel free to expand out: the bwing is a solid rebel addition, and everything from the empire is pretty cool.

I would plan on sticking to 2.0 only releases unless you find a steal of a deal on a 1.0 lot being sold off.

3 hours ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Cool, thanks guys... so, some follow-up questions...

I was literally just in the game store checking out where I might want to start. They seem to have a pretty wide selection. The things that caught my eye first were the OT Falcon, TIE Advanced x1, and Reb/Imp Core set (all 2.0). Is that anywhere near enough material on each side to make a decent fleet? Like, I guess what I’m asking is more like: What’s the points cap? What’s a “useable” Vader or TIE/ln run you, points-wise? I’m sure that some fighters run more easily without upgrades, and others really want tons of them; would this be a fun mix of like, Vader’s Battle of Yavin ‘Black Squadron’ v. Luke’s X-Wing and Chewie & Han on the Falcon? Or is that like, hopeless without another $100 on backup fighters and upgrade cards?

Take a look at the MetaWing section of List Fortress to see what lists people are playing right now: https://meta.listfortress.com/ships? Click a ship you like and see what squadrons people are playing and what pilots/upgrades they are choosing. Or, go the Archetypes section. A lot of good stuff in List Fortress.

Also, take a look at Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0 (YASB 2.0) for building lists at https://raithos.github.io/ . There are other apps/sites, but YASB is my (and seemingly most others') favorite. It defaults to Extended (instead of Hyperspace) and 200 points (the standard points for a list), but you can choose other settings.

Finally, the X-wing 2.0 Fandom page is a pretty good spot to see what upgrades, pilots, etc come in each expansion. https://xwing-miniatures-second-edition.fandom.com/wiki/X-Wing_Miniatures:_Second_Edition_Wiki . Useful resource to see what all you are getting when choosing a ship.

After looking at different lists/ships/upgrades on List Fortress, go to YASB and start tinkering.