I know a lot of times it'll depend on specific circumstances but in general, for those that have no doubt played a lot more games than i have..is it generally better to prioritise the large ship or the escorts?

I'm thinking something along the lines of han shoots first or some of the bounty hunter lists out there.

It really depends on your list and your opponents list.

If you were up against Han Shoots First and you have an alpha strike list, you'd be a fool not to go for Han first. Yet if you have a bunch TIE Bombers without missiles, you really should take out the X-Wings first. Afterall, the X-Wings do the same number of dice of damage, they just do it less reliably.

As unhelpful as it is to say, the trick to the game is figuring out which is the better strategy at the time, as opposed to having a universal strategy. Circumstance can change so much in this game.

Thought that may be the answer....cheers.

Hoping to get a pile more games in the near future so will get a better understanding of the game by then,.

Sable is just beating me to it left and right today...

Unless I've got a "sure thing" alpha strike I will almost always prioritize the xwings vs Han shoots first. Vs. shuttles it really depends on the load out. Bounty Hunters should be priority targets but if flown well they will tear you up anyway so beware.

Another good way to look at it is "if I was flying, what is the last ship I would want to have" and take away that option. There is a lot of focus on alpha striking but if that doesn't go perfect the end game is just as, if not more, important (unless you play with a time limit).

You can also usually bank on whatever ship took a defensive upgrade as being pretty important to the game plan. In this game, if its not interceptors, and it's taking a defensive upgrade instead of an offensive one, it could be a clue (much more so if you know your opponents style).

As a general rule, I prioritize targets by damage output and how many turns it will take to blow it up. Falcons and X-wings both have three attack, but the X-wing will die in 1 or 2 rounds.

If you focus down the Falcon first you will have 1 or 2 extra rounds of both the Falcon and X-wing shooting at you.

I think this is consistent with SableGryphon's advice, because if you have 4 proton torpedoes then both the X-wing and Falcon could potentially die in one turn. However, I don't think you're a fool if you don't start on the Falcon. The odds are better to destroy the X-wing. It is better to face 1 Falcon instead of 1 damaged falcon and 1 X-wing, although I suppose you might get some blinded pilot, or other nasty crits on the falcon that might reduce its offensive capabilities.