Hi there,

So I've spent the last year constantly walking past the models in various UK stores and have just given in to temptation and convinced my girlfriend that this would be a fun game to get involved with. We can get a hold of the base game easily but it seems that the other wave one ships/cards aren't readily available.

Are there any exclusive cards/characters in the Wave One ships (X-Wing, Y-Wing, Tie FIghter, Tie Advanced) that aren't available elsewhere? I know the starter has two X-Wings and a Tie Fighter but I was wondering if the boosters for those ships had any exclusive cards because I know that the Tie Advanced has Darth Vader.

We're collectors with a TCG history so if we have to pay a bit above board for them if they're competitive then we will, but it realistically looks like the best thing to do is buy multiple copies of the starter set and ignore the Y-wing and Tie Advanced.

Mostly interested because of the FFG store championships that were announced as none of the DBGs really seem that interesting to us.

FFG packed the best pilots for the X-Wing and the TIE Fighter with the single expansions, those you will only get with specific add ons, similar to Vader. Upgrade-wise, I think there are some which you can get only there (some droids I think), but there I'm not sure about the specifics.

In general, with the options of wave two and three, I think there is no problem to ignore wave one until it is available again at reasonable prices.

Start with 2 core sets for a good ship boost and 2 sets of gaming needs like templates and dice, and yes the side booster ships offer pilots not inside the core set. They are currently out of stock but if you're jumping in now you won't have to wait as long for the reprint as most have . It's a solid game and if you even like star wars a little you should love this game.

I'd suggest 1 of everything at the least when you get the chance.

Aye, im rather new too, I got a core set, a slave 1, and a B wing, folllwed by the hawk and a tie bomber, then searched on ebay, found a cracking deal with a core set, b wing, tie bomber, a wing and interceptor . You can have massive amount of fun with that little set up.

If you can't track down wave 1 yet you are fine, grab two or three core sets and maybe buy one TIE expansion if you can find a reasonable price online. You can be 100% competitive without the X-wing, Y-wing, or TIE advanced expansion.

Awesome, thanks for your help. Is a reprint definitely happening? If so I'll hold off on paying extortionate prices and just pick up the second wave releases.

Yeah should be here any time now

You can run a fully viable game without Wave 1. Here's what you are missing with Wave 1, but know that none of these are critical ships.

X-Wing: You get one of these in the core set. The Expansion has a couple great pilots. A solid, dependable ship with a high damage capacity. If you really want to run an X-Wing squad, if you can get your hands on one or even (situation permitting) proxy the cards, you should be fine.

Y-Wing: A fun, sturdy ship with a decent move dial and a turret option. A bit outdated, since the proton torpedoes in the game are underpowered compared to the missile selections, but they are a fun option especially with the turrets. I wouldn't worry about not having this one until the reprints arrive.

TIE Fighter: You get the two in the core set of course. The expansion gives you some great new pilots, but little else. If you can get your hands on a single expansion, you should have all the needed pilots. Necessary if you plan to run TIE swarms, but as with the X-Wings, if your situation permits you can always proxy the pilots.

TIE Advanced: A fun, sturdy TIE but too expensive. You don't see these flown a lot because they often aren't worth the point cost. The exception is Darth Vader who has an awesome ability. Fun to have, but certainly not necessary and really these have been eclipsed by Wave 2 and 3 releases.

For now, I would suggest focusing on the Wave 2 and 3 ships. B-Wings are great ships. A-Wings are fun little craft as are TIE Interceptors but bad dice can quickly end them. The Falcon and the Slave I are really interesting and viable ships. TIE Bombers are great imperial options and even pretty decent in a dog fight. The HWK is an excellent support ship, but unless you're playing above 100 points you won't need more than one of them early on. The shuttle is much derided but I think is a fantastic vessel.

Is a reprint definitely happening?

FFG has stated a couple times that as long as the line is being produced they'll reprint all the waves they've released so far, as needed.

So there's only two times you couldn't find a given wave in stock.

1) It's sold out and they're making more.

2) The game has been discontuned.

Two core sets, as stated above, is a good start. This gives you a strong centerpiece for either a Rebel Alliance or Empire force(or both, if you're my kind of crazy!), plus enough dice, which is kind of important(and each core set is basically cheaper than the three ships separately). You can easily build onto this with still in stock later waves and assure yourself that you're only missing out on two or three really good pilot cards and a few upgrades. You can always pick up an X and Tie expansion at a later date to grab the pilots you need from them.

The Y-wing and Tie Adv. are really nice, but not really a requisite for any kind of play. Admittedly, Vader is really nice for some little narrative gameplay moments and makes for some neat on-table storytelling(I can't be the only one who quotes Vader from the films and makes the rebreather sounds whenever I do an action with him)...

It is also worth noting that wave 1 is still in stock on amazon at the time of this posting, so that can be a new hope.

Just bought a Y-Wing at my local B&N today. It was the only Wave 1 ship they had though. But that could be good news for those waiting for Wave 1 reprints.

Yeah, Barnes and Noble still has Wave 1s to find. Before Amazon found the mystical crate they had forgotten about, I was able to find several Wave 1s. One B&N even had seven, SEVEN, TIE Fighters in stock. I should have bought them all. Either way, if you've got a B&N near you and you are seeking Wave 1 ships, it might be worth stopping by. However, if you can wait, support you local game store.