It's not the sole reason not to do...no no no. It's just that anything that EXTRA that manipulates the way the current points are done is an added level of difficulty IN DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION that makes it more difficult moving forward. If you're not already a wargamer when you enter this game it has a large learning curve with all the options already; I am seldom in favor of not doing something just because it will make it "easier for beginners". That's not a problem for me either.

For a game with little to no real errata, no bannings, and still some room to grow within the current context, it would just be a shame to have to veto new ideas in the near future based on releasing something like this too early.

I love the idea overall but think it either needs to fit within the already established rules of the game (titles/crew/upgrades) to be released at this time (or any time soon. ~ another year) or wait until options are running thin to introduce a new way to manipulate the current, generally balanced rules. And do it because it improves some lacking part of the game or increases options... not just for fluff or because it would be fun/cool.

The reason people are paralyzed is the low point limit. 100 points gives a very small army. That has nothing to do with complication. Hell, it speaks for the balance of the game because there are no stand out choices.

Functionally a squadron card would actually give a starting point for builds, a theme beyond just Rebel or Imperial.

Well indeed if they release it too early, say before Wave 4 there is a chance that the squadrons would not yet implement eveey ship type. That would not be ideal.

The complexity is a non-issue to me. If non-wargamers play this game then yes there is a steeper learning curve. But then on a competitive level they generally get destroyed anyway by players that are expert wargamers dor a pretty long time.

When i learned Warmachine for instance i lost every game for months against more experienced players even with competitive lists (also Warmachine is generally accepted as a very well-balanced game). And by then i had played different tabletops already. So with X-Wing people learning the game would not have to play with squadrons because they would be optional. And then when they are ready to do so it would indeed add another level to their gaming experience.

The reason people are paralyzed is the low point limit. 100 points gives a very small army. That has nothing to do with complication. Hell, it speaks for the balance of the game because there are no stand out choices.

Functionally a squadron card would actually give a starting point for builds, a theme beyond just Rebel or Imperial.

This is what I'm thinking of based on the original post.

So a squadron card would be similar to the reference cards we have for bombs, in that they would detail the specifics?

For example:

Obsidian Squadron

Cost ??

Squadron may contain only Howlrunner, Nightbeast, Winged Gundark, and Obsidian Squadron pilots. These pilots all gain (insert bonus) for the duration of play.

So in this way I can't do an 8 TIE swarm because I can't use Academy pilots. So I'm sacrificing the total number of attacks I can make each round in favor of some thematic benefit?