Hi Guys,

I'm thinking of getting this game and really wanting to play. There is a game shop not far from my house and I would like to think I could get involved in the competitive aspect of the game. So, a team of 100 points or so. My questions come from the perspective of someone who played a quick demo and had a blast. That and the rave reviews I keep hearing about the game. I don't have a lot of money, so what is the best things to buy? I'm still not sure if I should go Rebel or Imperial.

Rebel

If I wanted to go this way, what's the most affordable way to get a good squadron together? I believe I would need at least one starter box, as I would need the rules, etc. Would it be worth it to get two, though? It would only be another xwing and I could get one single. What about the new ships? Should I get one of those? A wing? Falcon

Empire

I can see getting two starter sets is worth it as I would get 4 tie fighters total. The new Tie Interceptor looks really nice. What about the Tie Advanced? Slave 1? What's a good way to get started and hopefully not buy too much for a while?

Thanks!

When the Wave 2 stuff (A-Wing, TIE Interceptor, Falcon, Slave I) was still kind of on the distant horizon, the stock answer I think you'd get from most anyone around here would have been:

• 2 x Core sets
• 1x Each of the expansions
• Additional expansions to taste and preference.

Now though, I don't know.

I have a couple of friends looking to get into X-Wing within the next couple of months, and I find myself, after really looking at the rules for the new stuff, going with that stock above answer less and less.

I think once Wave 2 is released (in 4-8 weeks most likely), people should buy what they want to field. I mean, yeah, you have to buy a Core to get the rulers and whatnots you need to play the game (the rulebook by the way is available for download under the "Support" tab for X-Wing here on the FFG site), but as far as additional ships past the 1 X-Wing and 2 TIEs that come with the Core, I think it just really depends on what models you want to put on the table. All the ships in this game are viable and balanced for the points, and there are many, many valid builds that can be generated from the models. Some are easier to use than others to be sure, but having a less than optimzed list in this game isn't as significant as it is in some other miniatures games.

If you're going for straight up cheapest way to get to 100 points, dig this Rebel purchase list-

1 Core Set

1 Falcon

The MSRP would be $40 (Core) + $30 (Falcon). You can kit up the Falcon and the X-Wing that comes in the Core set to be a 2-ship, 100 point list. Is it particularly competitive? I don't know, I kinda doubt it, but you could do it. For the same price (in money, that is) you could also do-

1 Core Set

1 X-Wing Expansion

1 X-Wing/ Y-Wing Expansion.

That'd be more flexible, though probably still pretty challenging for a new player. MSRP would be $40 + $15 +$15, or basically the same price as the Core and a Falcon. Just depends on what you want to field.

That said, it is really handy to have 2 Core sets. The extra templates are nice for teaching friends how to play, and the 3 attack/ 3 defend dice really kind of aren't enough to play an average game (for me, the sweet spot would have been 4 of each in the Core set). If you think you're going to get into X-Wing Miniatures much at all, I'd advocate for buying 2 Core sets still- I think the Expansion purchases are where folks need to stop heeding the old advice and consider Wave 2 preferences in their responses.

Good luck and have fun! This really is an awesome game!

I'd say look at how many named pilots there are per ship model (excluding the big ships of course), then buy that number. so for example you would be getting 4 Xwings, 2 Ywings, 2 Awings, or about 6 regular TIEs, 3 TIE/in and 2 TIEadv

if you want to go the most affordable route, you will need to do some homework, and really work out exactly what you want to play, and get those stuff only.

Ok, depends on your price range. 2 core sets are a must, but if u are strapped for cash, get one. From there you will need to focus on which faction you want to play.

Rebels:

1 core set

1 xwing expansion

1 ywing or core set

I personally like them, especially for new players, they give a little more room to make mistakes, though of you play a good player it won't matter. The core set will give you 1 xwing with Biggs or Luke as the pilot. It also gives you r2-d2 as you mech. The xwing will give you another xwing with wedge and Garven. Wedge is a must for most builds.

You need a 3 ship build at least. Core set is the cheapest way to work on both factions, I have 3 core sets. 2x1y builds can be good, but I prefer 3-4 xwings till wave 2 is released. I say get the 3rd xwing and fly a upgraded 3x build. Once the falcon is out, buy it, I won one at a KRT and have been undefeated since.

I personally fly wedge, Garven(he will give wedge a focus token) with 2 rookies. I have had very good success as have others.

Imps

2 core set

1 core set / tie fighter expansion

I don't normally fly imps, I did this weekend with a 8 tie swarm, worked well. Imps are hard to run with less then 5 ships, let alone 5 ties. I say get 3 cores for 6 ship swarm.

If all else fails, I'm sure someone will let you use a ship or pilot/upgrade card during battles. For a budget, rebels are the way to go, they require less ships and have good power.

I am a new player as well and both players I have introduced to the game was enjoyed it as well. I currently own only one core set but here is what I was planning to purchase total:

2 core sets

1 x-wing expansion

1 tie fighter expansion

1 tie advanced

2 y-wing expansions

1 Falcon

1 Slave-1

2 a-wing

3 tie interceptors

I won't be able to get it all at once but that is my plans for at least my collection and for my gaming group. I orignially was planning on 2 of the x-wing, tie fighter and advanced expansions but cut it back just to be able to use all the pilots at the same time if needed.

I personally do not want to focus just on one faction since both are fun to play. I know it won't be cheap but I know I will enjoy it for many years to come.

2 core sets is a definite must.

I think one of each expansion, if for nothing else…the pilot cards. And the option of playing a different squad if you want.

Most tournaments require you to have the core set…and all the components with it (just not the box).

I really appreciate the advice! I can see how I might want to switch between Rebel and Imperial. I could also sucker other friends in. It does look like 2 base sets is good.

Is there anywhere that sums up what the different ships are good for? What is the Y Wing's strengths? What's the difference between the Tie Interceptor and Tie Advanced? What pilots come in each?

If I get an expansion, can I use those pilots for the base box X wing?

Team Covenant on youtube did some really good unboxing videos on at least the coming wave that went over everything that came with them.

http://www.youtube.com/user/covenanttcg

Core set, Core set, Core Set

Completely ignoring all the other stuff, it is a great deal for two TIEs and an X-Wing.

On top of that you really want two core sets worth of dice.

Even if you want to go really TIE or X-wing Heavy you never really need to buy more than one expansion pack for them. It is the only way to get some of the unique pilots. For example if you want Wedge (and you want Wedge) you will need to get the expansion pack. You get a card and a ship marker for each unique pilot. So if you buy one expansion set and you have enough ships from buying Core sets, you can still field all your unique pilots.

On the back of all the TIE and X-wing unique pilots are the non-unique pilots so you don't have to worry about that.

In fact if you have friends that play (an they bought more than one expansion) you could probably buy their extra unique pilot cards off them, since it is impossible to use more than one in a single game.

After that I would buy a TIE Advanced and/or a Y-wing. There are definatly good lists that don't use these ships, and there are good lists that use more than one. But for the most part I have had my best luck with just one Y-wing or TIE Advanced.

As for the expansions I have the YT-1300 and it is awesome. It doesn't come with tons of cards that I would like to use with other ships. But For the absolue cheepest killer 100 point list I would Buy a YT-1300 and two core sets (for the two X-wings) You could go one cheaper and buy a YT-1300 a Core set and a X-wing, but I think you will want the two core sets just for all the dice, and tiles.

I really can't say about the other wave 2 ships. I think you could probably skip them for your first round of purchasses. I am not sold on the A-wing or the Firespray (I will be buying them but you asked for cheap). If you plan on focussing on Imperial I would probably recomend a coupld TIE Interceptors. One TIE Interceptor just draws down too much hate.

Thanks for the videos!

heychadwick said:

heychadwick said:

The easiest place to get ship and pilot stats questions answered is here- http://home.comcast.net/~jason.fuller/rebels.html

You can switch the focus to Imperials by clicking the Empire button at the top.

As for what they're good for/ how they can be best utilized/ what upgrades work well/ what don't type questions, I'll be answering a lot of those questions in my blog over the next couple weeks. I'd not planned on revealing it this early (Monday is the date I've set for it to be ready to "go live"), and things aren't 100% ready yet, but if you want to bookmark it for later, this is the address- http://dockingbayninety-four.blogspot.com/

As for what Pilots come with each, the Y-Wing and TIE Advanced both come with all the pilots that can take the ship. The X-Wing and TIE Fighter have some unique pilots in the Core and some in the Expansions. As I recall, Luke and Biggs are in the core, Wedge and Garven Dreis are in the Expansion. I apologize I don't remember which TIE pilots come in which.

I still say, if money is a factor and if after reviewing the Wave 2 ship info you're more interested in fielding Wave 2 stuff, there's no need to buy a bunch of Wave 1 stuff. Ideally, I think if you get into this game you're going to have a little (or maybe a lot, who knows?) of both Waves, but there's no reason to buy models you don't like or don't want to use in this game- all the ships are viable for their points. Some are easier to use than others to be sure, but I still strongly suggest buying a single Core set and whatever ships you think you'll use after that (and if those ships include another X-Wing and 2 more TIEs, then yes, by all means, buy a second Core set). The 2x Core is only a good deal if you were planning on buying at least 1 X-Wing and 2 TIEs to go with your first Core. If you weren't, you should just buy the ship you're interested in and a set of dice or the dice app if you have a smartphone.

Lols, dunno why that double-quoted.

@Cid_MCDP: I've got those bookmarked. Much appreciated! I had seen there was an army builder, and that will help. Wonder if Battle Scribe or Army Builder will come up with some eventually? I'll look for the blog post, too.

So…..I watched all the videos about Wave 2. It all looked cool and exciting. I see how they only sell certain cards in certain packs, so even if you aren't sure if you want Slave 1, you will want to get the cards in it! Very clever…..

I ran an errand at a nearby strip mall. I stopped off at a local comic shop that sells some games. I stopped in to see what they had. They only had 2 expansions left and everything else was sold out! He did say that he could sell me the demo copy his store used. I asked to see it. It looked good. He mentioned 30% dicount…..SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a starter set. We shall see what else I can get when I find spare cash hidden around…..

Thanks guys!

heychadwick said:

Cool man! Sounds like you got a great deal!

I haven't heard if AB or anyone is going to officially start supporting X-Wing, but you can print from that HTML list builder too.

Main advice I can give you is play the game. Read the rules and just play the game. If you can get a handle on manuvering your ships without running into stuff and how Pilot Ranking works, you're going to be in great shape.

I have been playing X-Wing since before it was available in regular stores, acquiring two starter sets at a games convetion here in New Zealand. id highly recommend 2x core sets, nomatter which faction u prefer. remember you will still need someone to play against

so if i was starting from zero ships id buy these:

2x Core Sets (2x X-Wings and 4x Tie-Fighters)

1x Y-Wing Expansion Pack (one Y-Wing was a staple in many Wave1 100pt sqauds)

1x X--Wing Expansion Pack (you need the extra pilots)

1x Tie Advanced (you need Vader)

2x Tie-Fighter Expansion Pack (you need more pilots and at least 4 in total to make urself a competitove imperial build)

1-2x Tie-Interceptor (there is still some debate as to how many to use in a 100pt build, get one to start and see how you like it)

id hold off on the falcon and Slave2 for now. players are still figuring out how good they are and there is much debate as to how they will be used in competitive tournamnet play (if at all). If money was tight id even say forget the tie-advanced and 2nd tie intercepter for now as you can build some pretty good imperial squads with just a single intercepter and 4 regular tie-fighters.

It appears that the 7-8 ship imperial builds may fall out of favour (this is speculation but wave2 has shaken things up quite a bit)

Imperial builds will become more stream-lined with lesser ships being possible due to the added forepower of the new tie-intercepters.

all pilots get some nifty upgardes in wave2 as well with stuff like push the limit and expose getting some attention right off the bat. Sadly, you might have to eventuallt bight the bullet and buy the Salve1 and falcon just to get the upgrades they come with but just hold off on them for now and seee what people do with these upgrades before jumping on the "This card is awesome you have to have at least two on them!" bandwagon.

Here is a thread I made that lists all of the cards by pack:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=254&efcid=6&efidt=769927

And here is the AFewManeuvers thread that gives a pictorial version as well:

http://www.afewmaneuvers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=799

These threads should give you an idea of what you're getting, so you can kind of pick and choose from there what you want to field. Good luck, and have fun!

heychadwick said:

same here with the work filter…but don't knock it…or maybe the network nazis will figure out their error!

The battlescribe data link is https://dl.dropbox.com/u/108106866/Battlescribe%20Data/index.xml

just put that into your battlescribe and the X-wing stuff will all be there

Eruletho said:

Sweet! Thanks a lot!

So….I sold a bunch of old Games Workshop Blood Bowl stuff and am shipping it today. I've got enough to buy another starter set and probably 6 blisters. To go with a fair and willing list, I have come up with this list:

2 Xwings

Ywing

Tie Fighter

2 Tie Advanced

One thing I've been thinking about is getting 2 Y wings instead, but what to drop? One of the reasons why I might want more Ywings is to use the ion cannons to knock out the new big ships. Just a thought, though.

Advice?

If you want to go wih 2 Ywings, drop a TIE Advanced from your shopping list. There is a subculture of TIE Advanced enthusiasts who enjoy running 2 or more, but for the most part, you'll only be using at most 1 after we get Wave 2.

I'd agree with Hothie- if you're going to ditch something, ditch the Advanced.

I think the problem with the Advanced is there are only two named pilots, and one of them is much better to use than the other.

The Wave 1 ships that undeniably see the most use are the X-Wing for the Rebels and the TIE Fighter for the Imperials. I feel like this is due in no small part to all those named pilots available to each. Pilot special abilities are way more important/ influential/ whatever to a player than any upgrade currently available and as those ships have so many special abilities via so many pilots, they get used way more.

The Y-Wing, while also only having two named pilots, at least do have useful abilities and neither is just massively better than the other. Steele in an Advanced though just isn't quite right. I don't know if he's too expensive or Vader's too cheap or maybe with Wave 2 upgrades (that were suppoed to come out just 2-3 months after Wave 1 originally) he gets super nasty, but I've tried to use Steele, specifically in several games, to try and figure out the hidden "Oh my God!" trick with him, but it just isn't there. At least not with the Wave 1 stuff. Yeah, there's some potential with his special ability plus missiles, plus Marksmanship, but compare that to virtually any other pilot's ability in the game and it's just too contextual and relies on too many variables to really justify using him all the time instead of Vader.

Maybe here is a better question:

If I have these ships below, what's the best thing to add to the mix? Bear in mind that I am thinking smaller ship only, but of any wave.

4 Xwings

1 Ywing

5 Tie Fighters

1 Tie Advanced

More than likely, the Interceptor.

Yeah, with what you have, save your money for wave 2. Get maybe 2 of each Awing and Interceptor, and you'll have lots of possibilities for squad building tht will keep you playing new squads for a while.