I see a lot of suggestions that your first purchase should always be 2x the relevant starter box... but frankly, I'm just not feeling it and wondering if the advice is very out of date (from before the time that there were other options for your core units).

Looking at the original (Imperials vs Rebels) starter, obviously you only need one of each character, I don't see a lot of talk of using more than 2x Stormtroopers (when Shore Troopers exist), more than 1x bikes, or AT-RT (if at all for the latter two). While I can see the potential for more than 2x Rebel Troopers, isn't it better to just pick up one core and a couple of expansion boxes (which also give you access to more weapon options)?

The same for the new (Republic vs Separatists) starter, again you only need one of each character (though potentially you can use multiple copies of Grevious for his different weapon loadouts), I don't see using more than 2x Phase 1 (when Phase 2 exist), or more than 1x Droidekas (again, if at all). Not so sure about Barcs, and while I can see the potential of a swarm of B1s, again, isn't it better to pick up a few expansion packs, or even just B1 boxes if need be?

So is it's better these days to pick up one of each starter box (giving you enough dice, tokens, rulers, barricades, etc), and then unit expansions or other expansion boxes?

I think the advice depends strongly on what type of army you are seeking to build, and what kind of player you are.

A kitchen table player will be served amazingly by double core set + 1or2 units. Bonus - they will have two armies so a friend can play with them!

A power gamer seeking to play in tournaments is not going to get the same value.

If it doesn't make financial sense to you, don't do it.

If you're strictly collecting only one faction and have no way to trade off the excess, then yes the starter box is less relevant. But if you're in any situation where you can either split the box with a friend/someone else or are planning on picking up both the factions in the box anyways, the starter box is the best possible value. For basically $50, you get a commander, two corps, and a support along with all the tokens/dice/barricades/measuring tools/etc. The money spent on buying all that separately is always much greater.

Also, as the RRG update today just showed, it's not like units will always be out of favor compared to others. Droidekas just got a serious point decrease, Speeder is now a much more flexible keyword, and much more. So I would say the starter sets are still a good place to start, and cheaper than the alternative unless you only want one faction and have no one to trade/split the cost with.

In terms of raw monetary value, the double starter box is still the best deal. If you're playing competitively, some of the starter box units aren't that useful. That all said, double starter boxes give you an amazing base to build armies for two factions. Additionally, most competitive units have stock issues (barring the immediate present). So if you want to play the game more than you want to wait, I still think double starter boxes are the best deal.

Thanks guys. I can definitely see the *theoretical* value in 2x starter boxes... but I guess what I'm asking is, is there actually *practical* value there (assuming I don't need any more dice, tokens, measuring tools, etc)?
I.e. I will never need more than one of either of the commanders (Grevious potentially aside). Is there a practical use (beyond friendly learning games) for more than 2x any of the units (1x in the case of droidekas), or 1x any of the vehicles, once I have picked up Shore Troopers, Phase 2 Clones and B2 Droids?
Do you guys who have been playing the game for a while now regularly get uses out of any extra copies of the stuff from the starters, and if so, which units? I'm not talking about the occasional "take it down from the shelf for a laugh", more "stuff that stays in the gaming bag, because it gets used regularly"? Apart from B1s, and possible Rebel Troopers, I just don't see it, so I'm wondering what I'm missing...

As a primarily CIS player who also plays Empire on occasion, here are my thoughts:

I like Stormtroopers. Shoretroopers are definitely stronger, but Stormtroopers were already cheaper, and most of their heavies just got their cost reduced, whereas Shoretroopers' T-21B and the Mortar just got more expensive. I think we will start to see Stormtroopers a lot more.

The change to compulsory moves means all Speeders are generally better, and Speeder Bikes were already...not the worst Speeders. And they definitely perform better as a pair than as a single unit.

Droidekas have always been decent, they were just kind of expensive. Now that they 20% cheaper, I think people will start to field them much more. I have fielded 2 of them many times. I haven't gotten to use STAPs yet, so it will probably be a while before I field Droidekas again regardless, but they are definitely much more competitive now.

Each B1 box costs 25 dollars, IIRC. A starter set costs 100 and comes with 2. You generally want 4+ B1s, so at least 2 core sets or 1 core set + 2 B1s packs are necessary.

The first option costs 200 dollars, but you can sell 1/3 of the first one (clone figs and cards) and 2/3 of the second (clone figs and cards, dice, rulers, generic cards, etc). That more or less will bring you back to 100 dollars.
The second option costs 150 dollars and you can sell 1/3 of the first one. That more or less will bring you back to 117 dollars.

It doesn't seem much, but if you end up wanting even more B1s (and using 6 of them is quite common), then we're speaking about:

- 3 core sets: 300 - 1/3 - 2/3 - 2/3 = 135 dollars spent (or close).

- 2 core sets + 2 B1 packs: 200 - 1/3 - 2/3 + 50 = 151 dollars spent.

- 1 core set + 4 B1 packs: 100 - 1/3 + 100 = 167 dollars spent.

Well, 135 to 167 is quite the difference - and you get 3 Droideka units and other 2 Grievous you can sell for collectors or just assemble in different ways. 3 Droideka boxes cost between 75 and 100 dollars. THAT money you'll be saving 100% for each new core set you get.

@gribble I'll chip in from a CIS view as well. You get (with two starters) four B1 droids and two Droidekas. All of those are decent choices for any list.

B1 Battle Droids will never be a "bad" option. They are one of the most efficient corps available to any faction, despite their terrible, terrible stats. They handle a lot, and I routinely field 5-6 of them. They can't hit the side of a bantha, but they still have to be killed or else they'll generally muck up your opponent's plans. And there's nothing worse for an opponent than having to spend an entire activation killing 1-2 of those droids just to keep them off an objective; it usually amounts to a lot of wasted shots. B2 droids don't really "replace" my B1's at any point, they're just a different option. They're a little more situational, and I only take them if I feel like I need a corps unit that has more punch (or it's a skirmish game, B2's love skirmish games). I will routinely take B2's if I feel like I need to take some threat away from my other key pieces, otherwise B1's almost always get the job done just fine (and they can Coordinate, which is huge).

As for Droidekas, now that they're 80 points I can see them being included fairly often in my army. They're quite a bit more durable than STAPs at the cost of efficiency (and 7 points), so once again you pick one to suit your needs. The CIS is generally a pretty well balanced faction, with different units providing different tools for each given situation. If I want to field objectives that would benefit from more of an emplacement unit (like Key Positions), I'll take Droidekas. If I'm gunning for Bombing Run, I'll take STAPs. There's no practical downside to having more than one unit of Droideka either, since the best luck I've had is to run them in pairs. Even on objectives like Payload, you'll find Droidekas to be pretty useful.

That's just my opinion though. As it is now, my CIS collection is large enough that most units are "bring it off the shelf occasionally", since I can't field everything all the time and I like mixing things up every game. I love the AAT to bits, but I don't field it in most of my games. The only things I have that sees use literally every game are the B1's.

Thanks guys. As I said, I can totally see the economic benefits, *so long as I can sell off the stuff I don't want* (though, to be honest, that also comes with a hidden cost of my time taken in organising the sale, which may not be worth more than the $$ saved).

But I think you guys have firmly convinced me of the benefits from the perspective of CIS - though they were the one side that I could actually see making sense initially, as you're going to need more B1s and can use another Grevious (unlike the other commanders), plus after the updates I can also see using two units of droidekas.

Would still be keen to hear from players of other factions. Other than Rebels (though that may change post the updates, with the Fleet Trooper and Veteran changes) and *possibly* Imperials post update (basic Stormtroopers seem much more competitive with Shore Troopers now), I really don't see too much benefit in having more than 2-3 of the base corps units (assuming a couple of boxes of the weapon upgrades for each, to pad out to a third unit).

Just get the second core set during Black Friday sale at your FLGS

Where I am, there likely won't be a Black Friday sale at the local store, but it's a great suggestion if you can!