So, I went to minature market to increase my pre-orders for Tie-I's and A-Wings, and noticed something: the images for the pre-orders over there are a full spread of the stuff in the box, including a couple cards fully face-up. So, here's my attempt at reading them.

A-WIng - http://miniaturemarket-static.sitesquad.netdna-cdn.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/f/ffgswx08.jpg
Stats: 2/3/2/2

Concussion Missiles, Cluster Missiles in the box
New elite pilot talent: Deadeye: 1 point,
New elite pilot talent: Push Through
New Missiles: Mi~~~~~ Missiles

Pilots:
8 skill, 26/28 points, looks like elite talent and missile upgrade slots, possibly Tycho Celchu
Other skills: unique 6, generic 3 and 1

TIE Interceptor - http://miniaturemarket-static.sitesquad.netdna-cdn.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/f/ffgswx09.jpg
Stats: 3/3/3/0

Elusiveness in the box
New elite pilot talent: Daredvil. 3 points, Action: execute a turn maneuver of some sort, then shows a wall of text with the boost icon

Pilots:
generic 1 skill, 18 points
Other skills: unique 5, 7 and 9, generic 3 and 4

Slave One - http://miniaturemarket-static.sitesquad.netdna-cdn.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/f/ffgswx07.jpg
Stats: 3/2/6/4 (on the visible cardboard cut-outs anyway, one of which being the 8 skill Boba, but all the cards look like they are the same)

New crewmember: Gunner, 8/9 points
1 other new crewmember
looks like 2 different ship upgrades
two card pictures with a new icon (looks like a bomb, and the clearer picture on a card looks like a bomb)
two other card pictures with another unrecognized symbol, one shows what looks like a wookiee in front of a red viewport… so confused
2 elite pilot talents
2 missiles
I don't personally recognize any of the pictures from the tops of the cards, and in this picture they are way too squished together to make anything out word-wise

Pilots:
8 skill, already confirmed as Boba Fett, looks like 34 points… seems low though. Focus, Boost, and what looks like a new action (an arrow looping backwards over itself… possibly backflip?)
Other skills: unique 7, generic 3/4, and something 6, can't tell if the first character is a dot

Tokens:
a mandalorian/bounty hunter symbol the same size as an ion token
2 ion tokens
what is very clearly a bomb token (image matches the card I mentioned above, virtually confirming bombs, hopefully dropped via a rear arc)
what looks like a mine, and possibly relates to the other unknown symbol

Other Cards:
2 new briefing cards like what comes in a Y-Wing fighter
-one of them is completely illegible but has 3 steps on it
-one has only 2 steps but looks suspiciously like the first word is Bomb…

now that I've posted the stuff I've seen (and the pictures, hoping that someone can enhance them and glean more info than I was able to), I'll throw down my impressions

The rebellion now has a TIE fighter with 2 shields… really, the most interesting thing in this set to me is the Deadeye talent, which ahs two long lines of text and some bold words in the first line, but was otherwise incomprehensible to me

The Interceptor is the empire's new god ship… 3 atk / 3 defense is amazing, even if it is with 0 shields and only 3 hull. It's all the firepower of an X-wing and the defense of a TIE fighter. I forgot to mention, the 1 PS generic has evade, focus, barrel roll, and boost… crazy maneuverability on just the basic 18-pointer. I would field 5 of these things without thinking about it

Slave 1, obviously, is going to be a big deal. Hopefully someone can confirm what I think I saw, but the bombs would revolutionize the way maneuvering has to be done, no matter how they are triggered. 34 points for a 6 hull/4 shield tank for the empire is alsp great news, considering it also has 3 atk and 2 agi, NTM all the upgrades and stuff that can be thrown on it. I imagine the 3/4 PS pilot will be quite a bit less than 34 points, and it looks like it doesn't lose any of the stats, so that is a great deal for the Imps of the world.

I think Slave 1 will be better for the Imps than the Falcon will for the rebellion. I also think the Interceptor is going to be an amazing asset to imperial players, far moreso than the A-wing is to the rebellion. Granted the maneuver dials are not revealed in those pictures, but I can imagine the TIE-I and the A-Wing being super maneuverable. Honestly, that might be the one thing that saves the A-wing for me, is the fact that it should be able to match or beat a TIE-F in turning and twisting. It loses the barrel roll, but gains boost, which is arguably better, IMHO.

Old news, dude. Those are just the picutes that were posted by FFG themselves when they announced Wave 2. What can be deciphered from the pixels in those pictures has been deciphered and commented on previously. Also, the Interceptor and Slave 1 will most likely be 19 and and 39 points respectively if they are consistant with how the rest of the current ships and the Millennium Falcon are priced.

Eruletho said:

The availability of a reasonably inexpensive fighter for the Rebels is going to make a huge difference in the game. Right now, the only way to get a Rebel ship for under 20 points is to strip everything that makes a Y-wing useful. That means the largest (effective) Rebel list is 4 ships, and I'm firmly convinced that one of the reasons Rebels struggle a little at 100 points is that it's not quite enough to outfit 4 ships, but it's way too much for 3.

The availability of the A-wing at 16+ points means that Rebels can now reasonably bring 5 "real" ships to the table, able to meet the (current) typical Imperial list on much more equal terms. Obviously I don't know any more about the ship than anyone else, but there's no reason to be down on it at all: Rebels badly need a ship that's both effective and inexpensive, and the possibility of mounting missiles is going to give the A-wing a lot of different looks.

The A-wing is exactly what the Rebel faction needs: a way to include more fighters. It won't hit as hard as an X-wing, but if that's the tradeoff for building up the size of my Rebel lists, it's one worth considering seriously.

For those of us who are huge Star Wars fans but more importantly fans of the old X-wing PC game, don't you think it is funny how the order of ships and game mechanics mirror the story line of Star Wars universe? The A-wing came about because the X-wings were out numbered by the tie fighters and then essentially outgunned. The rebels needed a fighter that could out manuver the ties while having close to the same fire power of an X-wing. Where an X-wing is the most versatile ship in the galaxy the A-wing is the superior dog fighter because of its maneuverability and speed. Looking at the cards that came with my falcon you should be able to trick out that A-wing for the same points as a Rookie X-wing. However the Intercepter with its three attack dice will keep the game balanced. I expect to see less 8 tie swarms after February and more 6 squad groups that don't have Vader but a core of above average pilots. This will lead to (if I've done the math right) a 50-50 split in wins between the two factions.

What I would like to see happen is fantasy flight starts putting out more pilots and upgrade cards before releasing the last two ships from the Galactic Empire erea. I have enough of the core ships, a sick amount actually, and frankly I do not need more. However choices and options for build would be great!

I'd also like to see more missions. Something Flying Frog does well with their Zombie games is that they add missions to keep the game interesting. As much as I like 100pt dog fights it is getting old quick and I'd love a few new missions that balance the game out. Rebels shouldn't win in a straight up dog fight. EVER. They win by accomplishing mission goals. Stealing supplies, blowing up ship yards ect.

Just my thoughts.

Picasso said:

"I expect to see less 8 tie swarms after February and more 6 squad groups that don't have Vader but a core of above average pilots.

(snip)

Rebels shouldn't win in a straight up dog fight. EVER. They win by accomplishing mission goals. Stealing supplies, blowing up ship yards ect."

***

If the base Interceptor is priced at 19 points, I think the sweet spot will stay at 6. I also think there will be some really tempting 5-ship lists (and smaller, of course, with the Firespray in the mix as well).

I would definitely like to see scenarios hit tournament play next year--hopefully balanced and therefore really thoroughly playtested scenarios, which may be what's holding up that process even now.

Picasso said:

It isn't really that surprising when you realize that the original release was the ships available at the battle of Yavin (minus the falcon) and wave two includes ships added at the battle of Endor. These really are the only major engagements in the movies.

However it is my understanding that the TIE bomber came out for the Empire before the TIE Interceptor. It did in the movies anyway. TIE Bomber shows up in Empire, where the TIE Interceptor shows up in Jedi.

Picasso said:

Completely and totally agree!

I think the thing that hurts the Rebels most of all right now is predictability- Rebel players are going to use either 3 super tooled out ships with all-star pilots or 4 ships that are basically bare bones. Either way, the Vader +1-3 named pilots + remaining points in Academys is viable, so why bring anything else?

Post Wave 2 though, when Rebel players have the previous option along with a largely A-Wing force and a hybrid of the two, things become a bit more even in the meta and the TIE swarm isn't an auto-include anymore.

Like you, I'm an old X-Wing/ TIE Fighter/ X-Wing Alliance for PC guy. I loved having an A-Wing at my disposal for dogfight heavy missions, especially escort the frigate/ 'vette/ whatever type missions.

Picasso said:

Dig this too!

There's enough variety in the counters and whatnots that come in the starter kit that some interesting missions could be made using existing stuff, though like you, I would pay for some new pilots and upgrades too.

I just think it is surprising how close it is to an old Star Wars PC game. Don't get me wrong, I love that game to this day.

Soontir Fel is one of the TIE Interceptors as well. And it looks like a generic 181st pilot too.

For the Tie-Int, Soontir Fel at 27, Avenger squad pilot at 20.

A-Wing, Arvel Crynyd at 23, Green Squad pilot at 19.

Just guessing. :-)

So, I've seen mention that the basic A-Wing pilot will be 17 points? If that's the case, will a 5 A-Wings really be feasible? Seems like the power of the A-Wing will be with missiles loaded. If the basic pilot is 17 points, that means you could stock a max of 3 missiles across the squad. Does it look like that might be enough? Or is 4 A-Wings likely to be the realistic cap?

Boost will be fantastic once you get in close. Target-lock early and then just spend the rest of your actions dancing around the enemy. But, while a missile attack will likely thrash some TIEs, what then? It becomes a pretty slow fight after that.

Inksplat said:

I was hoping for A-wings at 16, but it's perfectly possible they were bumped up a point specifically to prevent an alpha strike with 5 missiles…

Slave 1 Spoilers from an Australian winner over on BGG: http://boardgamegeek.com/article/10741060#10741060

A-Wing Spoilers: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/896058/runner-up-in-kessel-run-event-in-western-australia

I would just like to say… ohgodthebombs. I am so sad that only the Slave 1 can currently use them.

Edit: Nevermind. That's not a turret icon.

I am curious if the merc co-pilot works with Heavy laser cannons since the HLC states immediately change, but does not dis allow further alterations…

Surtur said:

It seems like the use of the word immediately is pretty purposeful. It implies that it only happens once, and happens before everything else. So anything that changes dice afterwards is fair game. Pretty sure it would say "you cannot alter these dice in any further way" if that was the intent. At least that is what would make sense.

Inksplat said:

Or "pray I do not alter the dice further."

Inksplat said:

I brought home a shiny new TIE Interceptor on Saturday after the (early) Kessel Run event at my LGS. These pilots are SWEET! I'll give my favorite two pilot abilities for now (since I don't have the cards in front of me).

Soontir Fel: When you receive a stress token you may assign one focus token to your ship.

Turr Phennir: After your attack you may immediately perform a free boost or barrel roll action.

Can't wait to play with these guys! It opens a lot of possibilities. I think TIE Interceptors will be seeing a lot of table time when they are fully released.

OK let's get the rest of them posted tonight Mr. Parakitor. (with pics.)

Thanks!!

I can promise pics tonight, but only if you tell me how. I've never posted pictures on a forum before. Do I first upload them to an external site like Flickr and then use a link provided by that site to imbed them? I presume I cannot directly upload them to the forum.

That should work, but these forums suck for that purpose. Also if you hover over the icons as you are posting, the titles for them are in spanish. I think I have done it here before. There is a little colored square 3 from the right that is for "Imagen" and gives you a place to put a URL in the pop up window. I would just pick an online image hosting site (google it) and trial and error. That's what I have tried before. Sorry for the lack of technical advice.

maybe someone else can give better help.

Parakitor said:

If you want, you could email them to me and I could upload them to my photobucket, if you don't have one?

Email is scott.writing at gmail, just in case you want to go that route.

Now we just need another forumer to win an A-Wing…

Surtur said:

Why? I posted a link to the BGG thread with the A-Wing up above.

http://boardgamegeek.com/article/10744490#10744490