The cards below are cards that can be played in factions that don't have expansions that include the card, meaning players in that faction will have to buy another faction's expansion to gain access to that card for physical play.

FFG told us before 2.0 came out that players would not have to buy expansions outside their faction to obtain upgrade cards like what happened in 1.0, or rebuy ships they already owned from 1.0 to get new upgrade cards. They have kept their promise with the latter, and despite some hiccups with the initial conversion kits missing cards for their factions (Maul, BT-1, 0-0-0, Barrage Rockets, Moldy Crow title), that was eventually fixed with the card packs.

With the recent geyser of 2.0 expansions, we're seeing a huge influx of cards that are dual-faction or faction neutral that cannot be obtained in expansions for every faction that can play the card.

Luckily, we are currently in a period where owning physical cards is not that important. And I'm sure we're all expecting FFG to announce a second round of card packs with these upgrades in them. However, an unreleased card pack does not fix anything, and we are still in a situation where there is a growing list of upgrade cards that cannot be obtained without buying out-of-faction.

For those that don't play all 7 factions, does the idea of having to buy expansions outside of your faction to get upgrades you want to use bother you? If it doesn't, is that only because you're not playing physical in-person X-Wing so you don't need the physical cards right now anyway? If you needed these cards for tournament or league play and the card pack hasn't come out yet, and you had to buy outside your faction or not be able to play with new potentially critical upgrades, would that bother you?

I am willing to wait a bit to get those cards. I mostly play casual tournaments or with friends, so proxying is allowed, but it always makes me uncomfortable and I like having cardboard, if even just one copy for the entire swarm.

However, the main issue for me is the lack of knowledge on when its coming and how. If there was a set period where a H&A style pack comes out (say... once every 6 months) I would be just peachy, but the main angst to me is less 'I need to buy out of faction to get it right away' and more 'I don't know when to expect being able to get it.' The first is technically an attempt to coerce me into 'chasing' the card but it isn't too unkind, I logically get there needs to be at least a little pressure. The later is far more irritating.

I'm 100% fine with it.

It is only relevant for competitive play, everyone else can proxy without any problem whatsoever.

It is completely impossible to make every card immediately available for every faction. I hope we can all agree on that, so we are just arguing about the length of the delay.

Of course the shorter the better, and of course I would love to get more card packs.

But buying something for $20-50 I might use less often for something I really need to compete at an event where the plane ticket is $400, the hotel is another $200, and the food, transport etc will add another $200 seems entirely ok.

Looks like enough content for another Hotshots and Aces style pack.

7 minutes ago, GreenDragoon said:

But buying something for $20-50 I might use less often for something I really need to compete at an event where the plane ticket is $400, the hotel is another $200, and the food, transport etc will add another $200 seems entirely ok.

Yeah. This aspect I feel definitely is a huge part of the cultural gap between more casual and more competitive players, in that the 'buy in' for traveling around to tournaments, even in your local region, is so big already that a few ships isn't anything and its almost silly to think about the 'cost' of the plastic associated with cards. It also helps that type of player is far more likely to faction hop anyway. For me popping 20 to get a ship I am excited for is a bit of a luxury already and so I want that to always feel good, rather than feeling like I am getting plastic I have no intention of using and 'wasting' that 20.

I think this is part of why so many casual players just went head over heels for H&A and why it sold out so fast, where to the more vocal and active crowd online who are already super deeply invested into the game it didn't seem that special.

Considering FFG fixed this before with card packs, I feel confident that this can be remedied the same way. While the speed with which such card packs are made available might need to be increased to better facilitate that promise, I do not feel that you have to be out of faction to get those cards.

Mixed feelings. I bought two HMP expansions (despite having zero interest in Seps) just to get the Synced Laser Cannons so, obviously, I'd buy out of faction to get cards. Done it.

Was I happy about it? Not tons, and I'd vastly prefer to be comfortable in knowing there are packs coming where I could get them. I've bought several individual cards on the aftermarket but I expect it'll be quite some time before this new stuff gets there. I have a personal preference for only looking at lists where I have the physical components on hand.

37 minutes ago, dezzmont said:

Yeah. This aspect I feel definitely is a huge part of the cultural gap between more casual and more competitive players, in that the 'buy in' for traveling around to tournaments, even in your local region, is so big already that a few ships isn't anything and its almost silly to think about the 'cost' of the plastic associated with cards. It also helps that type of player is far more likely to faction hop anyway. For me popping 20 to get a ship I am excited for is a bit of a luxury already and so I want that to always feel good, rather than feeling like I am getting plastic I have no intention of using and 'wasting' that 20.

Why not proxy until it is available by card pack or one of your factions?

E: sorry, missed that you already answere that in the very first post that technically ninja' d me

37 minutes ago, dezzmont said:

I think this is part of why so many casual players just went head over heels for H&A and why it sold out so fast, where to the more vocal and active crowd online who are already super deeply invested into the game it didn't seem that special.

I don't think so because H&A introduced a lot of entirely new pilots, too. (E: so everyone wanted it. I agree that your part might have contributed heavily!)

I want to preface my comment by saying that I collect all 7 factions so by that very nature, having to buy out of faction doesn't concern me, but I am the exception to the rule.

We've had a lot of content drop over the past 3 months. As many have said we've had a year condensed down into a few months, for better or for worse.

It seems to me at least that FFG are trying to at least provide these cards in ample numbers where it makes sense. For example the TIE Brute having two copies of Ion Limiter Override is very useful, sure it's not going to outfit a Swarm but with just two Brutes (which is what I purchased in the end) I have enough for a mini swarm and I would predict FFG would put 3 to 4 copies in the inevitble card pack.

The unconfirmed but rumoured squadron packs are also a place we'll likely pick up a lot of these cards. The Skystrike Acamdey, assuming it is imperial, may also have the Ion Limited Override and perhaps the Precision Ion Engines.

I've also noticed that most of the expansions that have come out lately all have copies of Deadeye shot to the point I don't need any more only after a few expansions and I think this is something we'll see going forward as more recent upgrades become 'standard includes' where it makes sense.

Most players have ion cannons, heavy laser cannons, so we'll probably see synced cannons appear in any ships that can equip them going forward.

That being said, we are at a point where we need that card pack or an expansion that gives us access to a lot of these cards and Dezzmont is right. Not having a clear 'there will be a card pack here' indication from FFG is frustrating but I don't know how we solve that without going down the road of confirmed release dates which in the past has only lead to frustration when situations result in delays.

It's also hard to say "We'll do it every X number of waves" because there can be a big difference in number of upgrades released. I can honestly say that in the Fully Loaded card pack most of the cards ended up just being copies of cards I originally had from the core set with very few 'new' cards.

I think it's almost impossible to say when we'll get it, but it feels like we are due for it soon and given the timescale (we got the original back in January, even though it feels like a decade ago) I think we'll probably have it by March's wave of content, hopefully announced in the next few weeks along with the Razor Crest and more.

4 minutes ago, GreenDragoon said:

Why not proxy until it is available by card pack or one of your factions?

To quote Dezz...

27 minutes ago, dezzmont said:

I am willing to wait a bit to get those cards. I mostly play casual tournaments or with friends, so proxying is allowed, but it always makes me uncomfortable and I like having cardboard, if even just one copy for the entire swarm.

and I can understand that. I too feel the exact same. I don't know to how far Dezz takes it but I can understand the desire to want a copy to feel like you're not 'cheating' the developers. I know its easy to just say 'well suck it up' but it is something we should acknowledge.

As I mentioned above, we're coming up to being 1 year removed from the original card packs. The original sets came in 3 boxes. I'd say to FFG, ditch it. Have just one pack, every year. Doesn't need to be exactly 12 months because I feel that might be a bit too soon, you're not really allowing for design time. I'd say 18 - 24 months is...reasonable but the closer you get to 2 years starts to push it, once you cross it I feel you're waiting way too long.

Oh I absolutely positively will. I just don't enjoy it. I like supporting the game, sure, but if FFG ever went full Evil with its monetization (which, to be clear, I don't think it is), boardgames are still very tactile experiences. Its nice to have objects in front of you that you manipulate and use, as silly as that sounds, which is part of why I have been playing very little X-wing online (It helps that my sense of space online is worse than even in real life, it feels like I have never touched a dial before).

I will 100% be proxying Starbird till I get HoH (I have been Resistance Curious for a while now anyway), and once I do I can run duo A-wings with a card each, or a trio of A-wings 'sharing' the card, and that feels still ok to me. But long term I just like having all the cards. The fact I can wait and still use the stuff is tollerable, but the more I poxy the more uncomfortable I feel. Its just a part of collectable games culture. That discomfort is more likely to make me not want to use the option than to want to buy it, and if it happens too much probably less interested in X-wing overall. I am not really at risk of quitting over it, its just something that negatively colors the experience, even though I am super aware no one around me thinks I am being 'cheap.' Doesn't help that the social structure we all live in makes it very uncomfortable to out yourself as poor enough that buying a 20 dollar spaceship for a single card, 10 dollars on the tournament, 5 dollars for gas, and 10 bucks for a meal makes this your 'big spending' night that you need to actively budget and save for.

But, again, its a super minor issue. The problem is more the 'waiting room' effect where I am not even sure if I am on the list or what timescale to expect to be served. I think we all agree that waiting is ok, and proxying to some extent is ok, its just that everyone has different tolerances and ideally its more about making sure everyone is able to make the sacrifices they are willing to make to get access to X-wing the way they want to play it, without FFG having to bend over backwards: Some people are comfy proxying forever, some are willing to use 1 card for 5 ships. Some are able to drop the cash right away, some gotta wait for a roundup, question is when the roundup is coming and how telegraphed should it be.

25 minutes ago, GreenDragoon said:

I don't think so because H&A introduced a lot of entirely new pilots, too. (E: so everyone wanted it. I agree that your part might have contributed heavily!)

Yeah I know the new pilots were exciting, but for perspective I know a lot of people who thought Magpulse and Snapshot were 'new' as well. Some people aren't dialed in enough (heh) to even know that there exists things to be proxied!

That said I am glad literally everyone liked H&A. It being up there with Aces High in the 'things that everyone agrees are just plain good' tier is very nice. My local scene exploded in size after that box hit, and a lot of the play was less K2S-0 or Fifth brother and more Snapshot and Magpulses.

H&A was perfect and I hope FFG chooses to make some more money off us that way. Bundling the new tech with some new pilots in old ships is a slam dunk. Yeah, waiting for it sucks, but we’re all waiting for life to get back to normal right now anyway.

I do worry a bit about card availability if FFG doesn’t decide to do the H&A thing again. But otherwise I’m not worried. 2.0 is balanced better than 1.0 was; the need to chase power creep and fixes just isn’t there.

...Mostly. I’m probably not getting Heralds of Hope because I frankly don’t want to pay to have two more T-70s sit unused in my box. I would love to buy the rest of the content, though. This is probably a situation where I’m not going to end up perfectly happy, yet life will go on.

I am sure squadron packs will fill this void

Why not borrow the card from a friend? Here for casual play I prpxy and when Ive gone to events if I or someone else is missing a card or ship he asks for someone to lend it. Heck, my first tournament I owned nothing and borrowed even the dice I used

I feel I will be using my printer a lot.

Im fine paying up for ships or aces packs, not cards alone

Completely fine.

3 hours ago, Tvboy said:

For those that don't play all 7 factions, does the idea of having to buy expansions outside of your faction to get upgrades you want to use bother you? If it doesn't, is that only because you're not playing physical in-person X-Wing so you don't need the physical cards right now anyway? If you needed these cards for tournament or league play and the card pack hasn't come out yet, and you had to buy outside your faction or not be able to play with new potentially critical upgrades, would that bother you?

It totally doesn't bother me, because I never play the game with cards. Moreover:

2 hours ago, Ebak said:

I want to preface my comment by saying that I collect all 7 factions so by that very nature, having to buy out of faction doesn't concern me, but I am the exception to the rule.

But not the only one.

I'm into this game because it is SW, so every ship, in my 3 favorite factions or not, it just SW candy on a stick to me.

Nevertheless, I would be willing to buy ships out of faction if needed for what I think is the best reason of all:

If I want this game to exist I need to support the company that manufactures it.

Right now, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, I can choose which businesses survive this mess by spending my dollars on their products and services.

1 hour ago, Silver_leader said:

I am sure squadron packs will fill this void

Basically this. Borrow, proxy, or be patient. FFG has been doing a pretty marvelous job of making sure access levels over time; nevertheless, most new upgrades are going to arrive into the game attached to a faction-specific ship release.

I won't buy a ship I won't use for a card, or cards, that I will. I can proxy forever if I only take it to casual nights. If I need it for a tourney, I'll know someone who can do me a loan on the day. I do really like to have all the proper things but at the same time, there's worthwhile expenses, and then there isn't.

Tbf, I change my lists so often I'll not often need a card on more than a couple of occasions.

I have still not bought any of the card packs even, though I've begged a couple pilots off someone else who was never gonna use them.

I think the Autoblasters I use actually belong to a mate, but he has a few, so....

It's fine, it's all fine. It's a community thing innit. I'm sure I give back to it sometimes....

5 hours ago, GreenDragoon said:

It is completely impossible to make every card immediately available for every faction. I hope we can all agree on that, so we are just arguing about the length of the delay.

I disagree. There is absolutely no reason why FFG couldn't plan to release a card pack at the same time as expansions, that include the cards that are out of faction. None what so ever. Not gonna ever happen, but it would be possible, and I think would be very lucrative as well.

I do not have to buy out of faction because I can live without having all the toys and I do not play tournaments. While I do have some susceptibility to obsessive collecting issues. I do not have to have any of this stuff and I am also playing two of the factions most of that stuff is in.

None of that stuff is "afterburners" and they have released card packs giving access to this sort of stuff without needing to get the expansions.

I understand the grousing and think they should be a bit more forthcoming on when we might expect another card pack but I do not think they are out of line with what is happening here. Most of that stuff is in more than one faction's expansion and except for the pilot cards the model and upgrades in Jango are usable by Scum. It is perfectly acceptable to field that new Firespray as a second Scum ship.

I recall them also saying upgrades would sometimes be exclusive to an expansion before being made available in a card pack.

They never said you would have everything all at once, they said stuff would eventually be available without having to buy out of faction.

If a new card comes in a ship pack and there is no ship released at the same time from another faction that can take it, they wait until they can release it for that faction in an appropriate ship. this is what they said and what they have done.

They have not broken there promise yet... again no where did they ever say that cards would be released all at once for all factions.

"but why isn't there a new product card pack with like 4 upgrades in it for every single new wave?"

39 minutes ago, svelok said:

"but why isn't there a new product card pack with like 4 upgrades in it for every single new wave?"

Ya, the "logic" is astounding...

I am patient, some of these cards are not even due for another month about. I think there was a period where releases came out before and when a card pack finally came out with Autoblasters and the such.

We are in a period where our next and only release is in a month's period, I am imagining they are gonna be announcing some Squadron Packs/card packs/New wave with some or all these new cards.

While there will be a period some factions won't have a card the period shouldn't be too long and its not like Organized play is back in full motion.

Always had to, tbh. So it changes basically nothing for me.

I think that the topic title is a bit misrepresentative. If you changed it to,

How do you feel about having to wait to buy/get upgrade cards in your faction?

That would be different. You don’t have to buy anything now, you may have to wait until new ships are released with these upgrades. FFG didn’t lie, I think that’s unfair, you have taken it to mean that all upgrades you want will be immediately released on the ships you play, which is not doable for a company. Ask any imperial player who wants usable generic gunners, that’s a long wait game right there.