From what I have read in the rules that were posted on the site, the core set only comes with 3 ships. One X-Wing and 2 Tie Fighters. Based on the reports I have read from Gen Con and the demo video, it seems most games being played with an average of 4 ships a side. Does that mean that you will be required to buy multiple copies of the same expansion in order to build a decent fleet. For instance if I want to play a 4 X-Wing fleet am I going to be required to by 3 of the X-Wing expansions plus whatever Imperial expansions to complete the other side.

If that's the case this game when from being very reasonably priced to pretty expensive. Also I think that gives the player alot of redundant cards. I'm assuming multiples of the same ship upgrades will be useful, but there is not really a good reason to have multiple copies of the same pilots is there. I haven't read the full manual to know if you can play with 2 Vaders or 2 Wedges in one fleet, but from a thematic standpoint doesn't make since.

I'm super excited about this game but I am on a tight budget with a kid on the way. Now I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to afford this game.

If you have a specific squadron you want, like say 4 x-wings, they you are right, it would cost you, one starter set (unless you have a friend who can share) and 3 buster packs.

But I would recomend buying two starter sets and two booster, it cost a bit more, but you also have a fleet of 4 TIE fighters. Add a TiIE advanced and you have a supper good Imperial squadron too.

It may seem a little much compared to board games, but X-wing is actually pretty cheap for a miniture game.

Any miniuture game that costs less than $15 for a solid important part of a force has been collectable, so yeah the pack may have been only $10 for a bunch of figures, but you don't get to choose them.

I would 100% rather pay $15 for one ship then $10 for four ships, but not get to pick what they are.

Yep, One Starter and three boosters is the cheapest way to do it. But I would recomend at least two starters and two boosters. The Starter is the best way to buy ships cheaply. And if you are concerend about price, Turn arround and sell you TIEs to a friend. Having a friend with an enemy squadron in a miniture game is never a bad thing.

Or you could go in with a friend and together buy four starters, and split the ships.

But even if don't go with thge Starters, X-wing is a pretty cheap game when compared to other miniture games. Pretty much any game cheaper will be collectable, so you can buy ships cheaper, but you don't get to buy the ones you want. So you end up buying tons and tons of packs to get what you want or going on Ebay and buying them dirrectly anyway.

I fully agree that X-Wing is very cheap for a miniatures game but that's not all. Perhaps the word "expansion" is a bit misleading because it implies the starter set is "core." To use a loose analogy, a Y-Wing is an "expansion" in the same sense that a booster pack of Magic cards is an "expansion." You don't technically need a Y-Wing or another X-Wing to play the game but if you want the full experience of picking a choosing options then you'll need to lay down some more cash. If you want to play with four X-Wings, you're looking at spending between 56 and 85 USD. If that's too expensive for you, then that's all there is to it. No one can argue about what is too expensive for a particular person. But that is not expensive in the world of table top gaming. Core books for RPGs go for between 40 and 60 USD. Board games have a broader range but few table top enthusiasts would actually blanche at spending 60 to 90USD. (Just look through the FFG shop here online.) And of course miniatures games are incredibly expensive both in terms of cash for the models themselves and cash for the supplies to assemble and paint them.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I appreciate it. I didn't think to buy two core sets. That does make the most since.

A key to playing on the cheap is planning what you want to accomplish. If you just want to play Alliance, two starter sets doesn't make sense. If you want to be able to play other side of host tournament-sized games, it makes the most sense (especially considering that you'll need extra dice!). For myself, I pre-ordered two starter sets and a bunch of "expansions." Altogether, I'll have 3 X-Wings, 3 Y-Wings, 1 TIE Advanced, and 6 TIE fighters. That should give me the range to try a ton of options on either side. Now that was a relatively large investment just as a matter of spending on "luxury goods" but that's a lot more than what any player would need to participate in a tournament like a Gen Con.

There's one other thing to consider: "Know your enemy." Except in this case, that's your gaming buddy! Most of us are going to buy our own Starter; so, if your main plan is to play at your house or FLGS, then mark your ships & share them for a friendly game. if you cooperate, you can field four TIE fighters while buying only the Starter!

I was under the impression that the pilots/upgrade cards in the single ship expansion were different from the ones in the core set. Can anyone confirm this? Therefore, if you want more variety buying 2 cores instead of expansions may not be the best way to go.

There are some duplicate generic pilots in the core set and expansions per the GenCon reports.

Duplicates work out nicely for people who are initially splitting starter sets but later decide to buy a ship from the "other side."

Doogan said:

Another thing to consider is whether or not you have another friend or local player that is planning on going imperial (assuming you're going rebelscum with your x-wing example). I'm hoping to rope in a friend to play the game and buy the starter… if he does, we'll likely end up trading a fighter for a fighter to bolster each others forces. Also, the "standard' size tourny game (which frequently determines alot of local play in the dozen games I've played where both exist) is 100 points in which you can only fit 4 noob xwing pilots with proton torpedoes. If you want some special characters like luke that cost more, you'll likely be fielding 3. Just something to keep in mind.

There are indeed some pilots that you cannot get out of the starter alone. I bought 1 of everything at GenCon, but haven't had time to get a game in until tomorrow night.

Splitting two starters isn't a bad idea, as there is stuff each player would want such as range finders and manuver arcs. Past that, if you're going Rebel, it's probably better to stick to xpacs, IMO. Rebels are likely going to be cheaper to keep up with,a s they are typically outmanned in fights, but have overall higher quality ships.

Are there non-unique cards that you could want to have more than one of exclusively in the TIE Fighter and X-Wing expansions? In other words, do I want more than one each of them?

The "Expert Handling" and "Swarm Tactics" Elite Talent cards, though both of them are in the TIE Advanced pack as well. The X-Wing is also the only pack with the "R5 Astromech".

Might be worthwhile to compile a list of what cards come with what sets if any of you lucky Gen Con attendees are so generously inclined.

Sanguinary Priest said:

Sanguinary Priest said:

My gaming group is small. I only have 2 other people I can constantly rely on. One is my wife and the other is a buddy from work. I have to pick games that can be played with 2 player without losing much of the game play. This game would work great since it is mainly a two player game but I feel could possibly be played with more by either splitting the squad or in the case of just the base game each player controlling one mini. Most of the games will likely be played between my wife and I. So If I want to really get the full experience out of the game, it will be on me to purchase everything.

I will probably end up purchasing one core set when the game is available and if at least my wife and I find it enjoyable as I think we will, I will add to the collection by probably adding a second core set with at least 3 expansions. That will most likely cover what I would get for Christmas. I was hoping to be able to add more LORT LCG packs to my collection but may not be able to afford it quite yet. Oh well in the end its not a big deal if I get a new game introduced to the group.

Doogan, how is your LGS scene? You may want to talk to area retailers about hosting some demos and maybe organize a low key event.

Manchu said:

Already done: here

That lists all the components in the core set and the 4 expansions. Including links to each of the individual cards.

Excellent! Thanks for the link!

Not sure about the scene in my town. Most people I see at the games stores are either there for magic or yugi oh. The one game night they have I have not been too because it is the same night as my groups night. However after talking with one of the employees it sounds like Talisman is the game of choice that night. I don't hear much about any LCGs unfortunately. I'm slowly working on some friends however. I don't mind providing the cards for the decks so any time I can get someone to play is always fun. Only problem is usually only one game gets played and most of the time am telling the other person what to do as I try to teach them the game and about deck synergy.

Doogan said:

My town has no scene. The only Comic/Gaming Store that was within an hour of here closed over 10 years ago. That's where I bought all my Star Wars CCG cards. Every time I went in, I asked if he knew of any players in the area and he said he would let me know. The only card games they had enough interest in to host there were MtG. He never did get anyone interested in it and he stopped carrying SWCCG about two years before the Decipher/Lucasfilm license ended. After that point, I had to bum a ride to the mall to find SWCCG cards. And those were only sold at Waldenbooks. And they were always behind on the current expansions.

To this day, I don't know why I blew so much summer job/chore money on them without having anyone to play with. The year I got my driver's license and first car was the very same year that the game was canceled. I have about $800 worth of cards. Most of them have never been played, and the few decks I built have been played less than 20 times total. I don't think of it as a total waste, though. I like to look at them on occasion. I did an inventory last year and found that I have a complete set of both Dagobah (mixed between White and Black border) and Cloud City. I only lack 7 cards for a complete Hoth (but those seven are expensive individually). So, it's kind of cool to at least have two complete expansions.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, I probably will have trouble finding people to play with. But the game looks cool.

Howdy folks, first post on the board here!

This game does something that most CMG's doesn't, it combines great pre-painted minis, with a really decent set of rules. I most cases you get great minis and lousy rules, or good rules and lousy mini's. Sometimes you get lousy minis and lousy rules (then you have truly wasted your money).

As a guy who isn't very artistically inclined, I like mini games that have pre-painted playing pieces. Saves time, and if you are considering cost, well done pre-paints is a cost multiplier. I like the idea of buying a couple of basic sets to get started, very cost effective and it's always helpful to have extra play aids.

This is my first FFG game and I'm really looking into it. I usually stick to historicals, but lately have been delving heavily into scifi, specifically Trek, BSG, and now this. I hope cost doesn't put people off, give it a try.

Also, demo game are the way to get people interested and to find and expand your group. Doesn't have to be at a LGS, try other venues, perhaps a library meeting room, or a book store?