So, I only started playing in December, and I've been loving it. Got the core set, picked up a few expansions, and a few more core sets, and look forward to Wave 4 (if I can ever catch up on wave 2-3).

I've gotten a small group of guys together who love it too, but I primarily play with my wife. She's almost as much of a Star Wars nerd as I am, so it works out pretty well. She is also a pretty good strategist, (Catan is one of her favorite games) but with the exception of two games (one I flew both of my ships off the map, the other I had no idea how to use the Slave I) I've won all our games.

Except for the last two.

Last night we played this:

Her squad
Han Solo

+ Millennium Falcon

+ Determination
Luke Skywalker

+ Determination
Arvel Crynyd

My squad

Boba Fett

+ Slave I (why not?)

+ Heavy Laser Cannons

+ Gunner

+ Expert Handeling

+ Engine upgrade

Howlrunner

+ Determination

Academy Pilot x2

It was a really close game. Came down to Fett and Solo both with 1 hull, range 3, Solo shot first, landed the last hit. Fett had a target lock, and a focus. I felt really good about this game because I didn't do really stupid stuff, and the dice didn't hate me every roll.

Then, tonight we played again.

Her squad (same)

Han Solo

+ Millennium Falcon

+ Determination

Luke Skywalker

+ Determination

Arvel Crynyd

My squad

Kath Scarlet

+ Heavy Laser Cannons

+ Gunner

+ Expert Handeling

+ Seismic Charge

Howlrunner

Backstabber

Academy Pilot

Terrible. First shot of the game, Backstabber was dead. (2 regular hits and a direct crit - vs - 1 evade) As he was my main difference from the other build, I kinda ran out of ideas. Things basically went downhill from there; ran into Arvel with Howlrunner, got way too spread out, ran into Luke and didn't do a K-turn, finally ending with me leaving after Kath vs Solo, HLC missing ALL of them, then gunner getting 1 hit.

My questions for you guys are:

1. What did I do wrong? Bad squad? Just bad luck? I have no problem losing if I don't just play terribly, and the dice stay mediocre. But when I do (what I think is) a good job, then terrible rolls... kinda bums me out.

2. What are some decent builds (for both Empire and Alliance) with what I have? Most builds I've been seeing require cards/ships that I currently lack. My fleet is in my signature.

Help me, X-Wing forum friends... you're my only hope.

I can't allow the Rebel Scum who I am married to win... or rather I can't let my shame tarnish the name of the Galactic Empire.

**EDIT**

It has come to my attention that this post sounds like I am looking for ways to win, because I lost and I am mad. (after re-reading with that idea in mind... I can see why it looks like that. Jokes/Sarcasm/Dry Humor doesn't always translate to text well.)

This post was made for two reasons.

1. I was wondering what I was doing wrong. Since the games were pretty similar, I wasn't sure if I made a major fatal mistake between the two that I was unaware of.

2. I was seeing if there were any decent squads that WE could build given the ships that I have.

As I state later in this thread, I was really happy that she did beat me the first game. It was an awesome game, really evenly matched, and we had a blast.

My problem with the second game was not that I lost to her, but that I felt that I lost to me.

what you currently own doesn't leave for much variation as far as alternate builds go.

i would chalk that loss up on "bad luck" for yourself and "good luck" for your opponent.

btw: by luck I mean dice and those odd "out by millimeters or fractions of an inch" for shooting and maneuvering.

but as you pointed out you're not used to flying Slave-1. could be less on luck and more on poorer maneuvering choices in that case.

Over on BoardGameGeek in the file section for X-Wing is a list of 100pt squads. It's a great starting point.

...but as you pointed out you're not used to flying Slave-1. could be less on luck and more on poorer maneuvering choices in that case.

Funny thing, is that I didn't run the Slave I into anything the entire time... It was my Ties that got mixed up. And I've had them the longest.

After my first game with the Firespray, I made a point to practice a bit with the thing.

With the Rebels, I'd suggest:

Fleet 1
Han Solo

+ Gunner

+ Marksmanship

+ Chewbacca

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

Fleet 2

Luke Skywalker

+ R2-D2

+ Draw Their Fire

Biggs Darklighter

Rookie Pilot

Rookie Pilot

With the Empire, you have substantially more options.

Fleet 1

Howlrunner

+ Stealth Device

+ Push the Limit

Backstabber

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Fleet 2

Kath Scarlet

+ Gunner

+ Expert Handling

Howlrunner

+ Determination

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Well you have enough ties for a swarm. Howlrunner plus a smattering of academies. I forget what expansion swarm tactics comes in, but you can use it to get in some early shots. My last swarm put chewie's falcon down in two rounds. Thanks to howl and my swarm tactics I shot first enough.

If your wife keeps the falcon you should be able to hit very consistently.

You can make several good squads with the xwings, I like four academies with a torp each. You can upgrade to fkavor though.

Past that, remember yo focus, it is usually better than evade. Han shooting first will let you use it defensively on the tie he shoots and offensively on the ones he doesn't. Also Howlrunner's needs a stealth device and a friend with draw their fire.

Looks like crap luck to me. I know them feels. I tend to lose Howlrunner to a HLC first shot every time I take her, so I know how fickle luck can be
I don't think you did anything particularly wrong though, so don't worry too much about it.

Fleet 2

Kath Scarlet

+ Gunner

+ Expert Handling

Howlrunner

+ Determination

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Woah... maybe I don't understand the Gunner card at all then...

(runs to grab card.)

Gunner

After you perform an attack that does not hit, immediately perform a primary weapon attack.

You cannot perform another attack this round.

>.<

For whatever reason... it was my understanding that you had to shoot with a secondary weapon first, then the gunner would come into play.

Just for clarification, this means that the ship with Gunner equipped cannot fire again this round, not any ship, correct? This card basically means you get to roll a primary attack, providing that the previous attack (either primary or secondary) doesn't land a hit?

-1 for failed rule reading for me.

Past that, remember yo focus , it is usually better than evade. Han shooting first will let you use it defensively on the tie he shoots and offensively on the ones he doesn't. Also Howlrunner's needs a stealth device and a friend with draw their fire.

This is where the Force apparently hates me. I almost always use a focus, and she almost always uses an evade... But I consistently roll blanks/evades instead of eyeballs. Herp derp.

Luck is nothing if not fickle.

Fleet 2

Kath Scarlet

+ Gunner

+ Expert Handling

Howlrunner

+ Determination

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Woah... maybe I don't understand the Gunner card at all then...

(runs to grab card.)

Gunner

After you perform an attack that does not hit, immediately perform a primary weapon attack.

You cannot perform another attack this round.

>.<

For whatever reason... it was my understanding that you had to shoot with a secondary weapon first, then the gunner would come into play.

Just for clarification, this means that the ship with Gunner equipped cannot fire again this round, not any ship, correct? This card basically means you get to roll a primary attack, providing that the previous attack (either primary or secondary) doesn't land a hit?

-1 for failed rule reading for me.

Gunner 101

If your attack deals 0 damage (that is, all of your Hits and Crits got canceled by Evasion dice / tokens), you may roll a 2nd attack.

You cannot attack (With this ship) a 3rd time this turn (to prevent a Falcon with 2x Gunners from just attacking indefinitely, or from getting 4 attacks from Gunner + Cluster Missiles).

You can still attack with your other ships as normal. As far as upgrades are concerned, "You" always refers to the pilot with the upgrade.

Further elucidation:

The first Rebel fleet I suggested uses this to great effect. Han Solo's ability gives you free re-rolls on BOTH attacks. Marksmanship will let you alter your eyeballs to hits in BOTH attacks. (Remember that you only get 1 attack if you deal damage with the first one.)

The second Rebel fleet is a 4 ship variant of one of the oldest combo-fleets in the game. Luke + R2-D2 is one of the most survivable ship-builds in the entire game. Draw Their Fire + R2-D2 means that the crit you intercept will hit your shields, which will then regenerate next turn, preventing the damage almost entirely. Make sure that Biggs only takes SOME of the attacks each turn, and you'll have great success.

In the Kath Scarlet fleet, the Expert Handling is there to let her do MONSTROUS large-base Barrel Rolls. The whole "You may remove a target lock" thing is just a little something extra on top.

In BOTH Empire Fleets, Howlrunner is a HUGE asset. She gives out the better half of a Target Lock to everyone in range, for free. As such, the majority of her damage is performed through other ships, so she should keep her Actions on the defensive side. If she's going to be running 3 agility dice, Evade will dodge more damage. If she's running 5 or more, Focus will dodge more damage. At 4 it's technically tied, but Evade has greater outliers in the average, so I prefer to Focus at 4.

I'll be honest. The results of dice roles are the one thing you can never plan for in this, and really any other minis game. Sounds like that's what happened to you. Hell, it has happened to all of us on this board. Experiment around with more set ups too. Sometimes variance has its own special result.

It's not wise to upset a Wife.

But sir, no one worries about upsetting a husband?

That's 'cause husbands don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wives are known to do that.

I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, Hoosteen. Let the Wife win.

It's not wise to upset a Wife.But sir, no one worries about upsetting a husband?That's 'cause husbands don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wives are known to do that.I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, Hoosteen. Let the Wife win.

I cannot like this enough.

In BOTH Empire Fleets, Howlrunner is a HUGE asset. She gives out the better half of a Target Lock to everyone in range, for free. As such, the majority of her damage is performed through other ships, so she should keep her Actions on the defensive side. If she's going to be running 3 agility dice, Evade will dodge more damage. If she's running 5 or more, Focus will dodge more damage. At 4 it's technically tied, but Evade has greater outliers in the average, so I prefer to Focus at 4.

Weird... The thought never really occurred to me to use her as strictly a support ship... Keeping here more on the defense, instead of throwing her in with the rest of the rabble.

Also, thank you for clarifying the Gunner card!

Yeah, Howlrunner is very much a support ship. Your primary goal is to keep her alive and in 'accuracy buff' range of as many TIEs as possible. Evade is the action of choice (or focus retained for defence) - if she gets to shoot, great, but don't worry if she doesn't....

Keep her behind the line of academy pilots - so she's at range 3 when they're at 2, or she's at 2 when they're at 1.

If you have a Slave 1 expansion, you have access to two Stealth Devices, which is a godsent card for elite TIE pilots.

I had a try with a bounty hunter squad and can definitely support Gunner. It's quite the awesome card compared to heavy laser cannons - not least because it works (a) at Range 1 and (b) out of your rear weapons arc. Also, it's a nasty pairing with Kath. Heavy Lasers rarely if ever inflict criticals - which is a shame for Kath - but theoretically gunner can put multiple stress-inducing attacks down on a target per turn. Pair with Marksmanship for extra shenanigans - marksmanship affects both attacks (unlike a focus token, which you can only spend once), and results in an extra critical, making it more likely to trigger Kath's special rule.

My best advice to all war gamers (including and especially myself) is to learn to enjoy bad dice. Sometimes the odds kicking your ass can be really funny, and explaining what those idiotic dice rolls represent (Luke and Wedge clearly went on a bender the night before THIS battle, etc) can also be quite fun.

I hate it when my genius (or so I like to think) tactics are messed up by "against the odds" dice. But it's all part of the game. Learn to love it.

Yep. I remember the time my opponent one-shotted my Tur Phennir TIE Interceptor through an asteroid in an Rookie Pilot X-wing at range-3. I rolled five blank dice and he rolled all hits.

I told him he needed to promote that guy as soon as they get back to base.

Then I promptly handed his butt to him on a black-and-blue-gray platter.

ok man. there are just 2 things I don't like about your squad.

1. heavy laser cannon plus gunner.

--I feel that you hit a lot with the HLC, so gunner never comes into play, and is a waste of points.

2. you have howlrunner, but 1 academy, and backstabber.

---fett uses HLC, so he gets no re-rolls. backstabber often wants to be out of formation, so doesn't get to use howl.

If you dropped HLC, and backstabber down to an academy. I think you could add in one more tie.

and the best part is fett could use howls ability, and then use it again on the gunners shot if he needs it.

so just kind of thinking about your squads synergy is what I am talking about. Have fun.

if your running the empire, you need more ships I feel, cuz as you saw, half your fleet could get one shotted out of the game on the early moves. there is always space to get in another academy pilot.

You did say that you win most of the time right? You want your wife to play, right? Then just be glad that she won a couple. I cannot get my wife to play games like this at all. I reapeat as above, let the wookie/wife win. Now, I have a pretty successful Firespray setup with gunner, expert handling, and a bomb. Use that barrel roll and high PS to get in there and tear them up. A block of 3 or 4 Academy ties backed up by howl is very potent. Run them in a T formation with howl in the back with stealth. I also like bringing Backstabber, holding him back, then flying him down the edge and bringing him in. Honestly is mostly for psychological effect, but you cannot ignore him either. A mini swarm with howl is really rough on anything. Watch out for an assault missle though.

I did a similar set up with my GF and I lost as well. I got spanked, losing all my ships and only doing light damage to her shields. My biggest problem was using my upgrades...I was always getting into positions where I couldn't use the HLC (because I moved too quickly) or being forced out of formations by asteroids, etc.

The dice lords also frowned upon be that day, but I had failed to plan for my upgrades/abilities.

I would try HLC+Merc Co-Pilot, then try to hang back and use the HLC as often as possible. Also, choose a target and stick with it. I would focus on the falcon unless you get a great opportunity to blast one of her homies.

I guess I should add my voice to the side saying 'Her winning twice is not a problem, it's awesome' category. After all, it's frustrating to always lose, but that applies to her as well. She earned her victories. Send her onto the forums, since I have some advice for her about how to crush you further.

Still, you two should be having fun. We need more female players and that's hard if we view losing to them as a flaw instead of how the game is played. I'm not saying you are doing that intentionally or consciously. The problem is the phrasing you used makes it seem that way, and that can propogate those views in others, even if you don't really hold them yourself.

Be happy she won, vow to fight harder next time, and if you get defeated (or crushed) you should laud her for her victory. That's something that makes a competitive game like this a good thing in a long term relationship.

Still, you two should be having fun. We need more female players and that's hard if we view losing to them as a flaw instead of how the game is played. I'm not saying you are doing that intentionally or consciously. The problem is the phrasing you used makes it seem that way, and that can propogate those views in others, even if you don't really hold them yourself.

Be happy she won, vow to fight harder next time, and if you get defeated (or crushed) you should laud her for her victory. That's something that makes a competitive game like this a good thing in a long term relationship.

I think I should probably clarify a few things. Thanks for mentioning this.

I was pretty thrilled with the first game I mentioned. It was a REALLY great game ("I-Obviously-Don't-Have-Any-Idea-How-To-Use-The-Gunner-Card" not withstanding).

Part of the reason I had so much fun was BECAUSE she beat me. Being able to fly with her is a lot of fun.

The problem I have is ME. When I fail cause of my own stupid, I can't help but be irritated at myself.

I made the original post asking for help keeping myself from failing so hard, not so that I could beat my wife.

I also made the original post so that she could get some tips too...

My secret hope is that she will become as obsessed with this game as I am, and want a bazillion rebel ships, and make her own account and shtuff. I got really excited when she came up to me today, saying, "Oh there were some funny things in that post... and I have a few new ideas to beat you now."

I think I should probably clarify a few things. Thanks for mentioning this.

I was pretty thrilled with the first game I mentioned. It was a REALLY great game ("I-Obviously-Don't-Have-Any-Idea-How-To-Use-The-Gunner-Card" not withstanding).

Part of the reason I had so much fun was BECAUSE she beat me. Being able to fly with her is a lot of fun.

The problem I have is ME. When I fail cause of my own stupid, I can't help but be irritated at myself.

I made the original post asking for help keeping myself from failing so hard, not so that I could beat my wife.

I also made the original post so that she could get some tips too...

My secret hope is that she will become as obsessed with this game as I am, and want a bazillion rebel ships, and make her own account and shtuff. I got really excited when she came up to me today, saying, "Oh there were some funny things in that post... and I have a few new ideas to beat you now."

Thanks for responding guys.

I'm glad to hear it. Honestly, my concern wasn't for you but for others reading it. It sounds like you are both having a great time and that's wonderful. Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh in my response. Sometimes it's hard to get nuance across the printed word.

I look forward to hearing more about the great civil war between you two. We'll try to help give you both ideas for how to make your games better.

Something i would suggest in the "let your wife win" category is that the best way to let an opponent win without both of you feeling like you let them win is to use a squad that is new to you and that may not be the most effective. If you've been dominating her game after game using the tactics you know will win, she (any opponent) is gonna get sick of it. So don't purposely throw a game, but try builds that may not be the best but could still be fun to fly. Try a bomber loaded up with odnance, or a swarm of A-wings. Try to learn to use the Hwk effectively. Fels Wrath anyone? You will probably lose some of those games but it will give you more overall experience, it will add variety to your game, and it will give your wife the joy of victory more often. And we all want our wives to be happy