Well, I have looked at this game for some time, and although I felt the pricing was a little steep, after looking everything over that actually came with a ship, I decided that the game would be worth the price. Below I listed what I picked up to start out with. Any suggestions on future purchases would be most helpful.

1 Core Set

2 A-wing

1 X-wing*

1 Y-wing*

1 YT-1300*

2 TIE Fighters*

3 TIE Interceptors

1 TIE Advanced*

1 Firespray*

The models I marked with an asterisk I don't actually have on hand yet, since I just ordered them, so I don't know what cards they actually come with. I did read that the individual TIE Fighter and X-wing included different cards than their Core set counterparts, so I figured it would be a good idea to actually pick up the individual blisters. I do feel that what I have is a solid start, but other than this, I am not really sure where to go. I was thinking about another Core Set, along with 1 more X-wing and 1 more TIE Fighter to round things out, but is this a good idea? Am I being over zealous?

Solid start. 1 more core for the dice, ships and to cut the second range ruler for 1 and 1-2 is handy. Eventually 1 more A-wing, Firespray or Tie advanced. But what you have is definitely adequate IMHO.

Lord_of_Itza said:

I got in with:

-2 core sets

-1 X-Wing

-1 TIE Fighter

-1 Y-Wing

-1 TIE Advanced

I already want to add 1 X-Wing, 1 TIE Fighter, 1 YT-1300, 1 FIrespray 31, 3 A-Wings, and 3 TIE Interceptors and I have not really gtten a chance to fully play. However, it appears that Interceptors are sold out everywhere as the only online retailers I can find selling them are charinging $25+ for them. Anyhow, if you get another core and X-Wing, then switch out your additional TIE fighter for an A-Wing, you will be right were I want to be. You probably won't need that 7th TIE unless you plan on running an all low skill TIE swarm or games bigger than 100 pts. Of course this doesn't consider scenario play or anything similar you and your play group decides to cook up.

The thing I keep telling myself is that if I meet my goal, there isn't much reason to expand past that. I mean, I will always want a bigger fleet, but it would be hard to justify.

Anyway. I think you got a solid start. I wish I had the wave 2 stuff. Thinking about making a purchase on some of it soon.

If you're planning on getting into any organized play, then I would try your hand at building some 100pt lists that look appealing to you. You could use the squad builder here to get a look at what all the cards do from the ships you haven't physically gotten yet;

http://x-wing.voidstate.com/build

Overall, if your goal is to have variety in your units and have the ability to make virtually every 100pt list so you can keep it fresh for yourself, build up to, in total; 6-8 TIE Fighters, 5 TIE Interceptors, 4 TIE Advanced, 2 Firespray, 4 A/X-Wings, 3 Y-Wings, 2 YT-1300's

It won't make EVERY 100pt list, but you'll always be able to switch around to make some stuff you want "for fun" or for competition.

I would definitely recommend, as I'm sure others will too, that you purchase a second Core Set to save a bit of money of getting 2 TIE Fighters and an X-Wing. As well, you'll have 6 of each die, which is more than enough if you're collecting just for yourself. You'll also get an extra set of templates to have in case you lose/damage any of your current ones.

If you do get a second Core, make sure you keep the two damage decks totally separate from each other so as not to accidentally mix them together. If you were playing at a tournament, and your opponent called for a deck audit, you wouldn't want to take a DQ because it wasn't the correct card distribution.

Another starting tip for you, regarding storage, is that if you're not already putting something together to hold the models, keep the plastic shell that the ships come in. For the Core Set, it's a black plastic piece which houses the 3 ships, and the plastic cover. For everything else, it's like a plastic cube. The plastic has a great recess already in it to allow the models to be secure for transportation from FFG's manufacturing source to your hot little hands, so you might as well continue to use it for your own storage.

Sounds like you're on your way to a good well-rounded experience. I would invest in more TIE fighters though, since the Empire likes to fight in quantity and TIE fighters are the bread and butter of that side.

I wouldn't go overboard with TIE Advanceds or Y-Wings unless you feel like experimenting with those kinds of lists. I've had more fun with the Interceptors from Wave 2 when it comes to different-ship expansions.

One large ship apiece is a nice way to get a feel for them and there are some legitimate builds to come out of them, as well as getting access to the ace pilots. Invest in more if you want to try multiple large ships or if you're in desperate need of more expansion cards.

Thanks for all of the tips folks. I was actually able to add another X-wing to my order, so that will bring my total to 3. I also have a nice fat credit sitting at one of my local game shops and it should just about cover the entire cost of a second Core set.

After this, I think I will look to add another YT-1300 and Firespray, as I was unaware that it was even feasible to run more than one in a squadron.

Huzzah X-wing!

Lord_of_Itza said:

It's so feasible it hurts. All of the unique Pilots; Han, Lando, Chewie, Boba, Kath, and Krassis are able to be fielded on the table at once.

How? Because even though the box says "Millennium Falcon" and "Slave I", what it really means is "YT-1300" and "Firespray". The "Millennium Falcon" and "Slave I" uniqueness comes from the title card included, which allows you to nominate one of those craft as the Falcon or Slave, while the rest are generic ships of that type.

You could field up to 3 of the generic Pilots on each side if you wanted to.

This also helps you out at a tournament if you wanted to run 3+ copies of Stealth Device/Engine Upgrade/Shield Upgrade cards. Now you can buy multiple large ships, get the cards, and still have utility from the model itself if you were so inclined.

cleardave said:

Its unfortunate that I really don't see myself playing more than 1 YT-1300 or Firespray 31, because I could really get some use out of those extra modification cards. Just makes it harder to justify the purchase. If I had a desire to run multiples, my wallet would be crying.

Well, at the moment, my collection now stands at

1 Core set

Rebel

2 A-wing

2 X-wing

1 Y-wing

1 YT-1300

Imperial

1 Firespray

1 TIE Advanced

2 TIE Fighter

5 TIE Interceptor (I was very lucky to get these, but apparently Amazon is still periodically posting them. They tend to be gone in minutes though.)

So, the real question for me at this point is what to do next? The lot above obviously didn't come too cheap, and my wife will murder me if I spend too much more, so I have to be more careful with my next purchases. I do have a nice credit at my local game shop that will allow me to pick up another Core Set, a Firespray or a YT-1300. I was planning on grabbing another core set, but I love Stealth Device and a list with 2 Firesprays would be awesome. I also definitely want at least 2 more A-wings, but my local store does not have those, so they will have to wait. So, ladies and gentleman another Core Set or a Firespray?