New to X-Wing

[takenogundam1]

Hey all. I am dabbling in picking up X-Wing, but I know next to nothing about the game. Not even sure what faction I would want to play....
I guess I'm looking for a little insight into the various factions play style, ships ect. A quick primer if you will.
I'm a veteran miniature gamer, and currently play Star Trek Attack Wing.
thanks!

[Benjamin]

http://www.battlegroundgames.com/forum/index.php?topic=7764.0

The first post was designed with new players in mind. Bunch of resources. Brian is a nice guy, he'll be able to answer questions.

[commanderfrost]

Hey there!

First off, welcome to the game. As Ben said, the community thread has a ton of information and resources linked into it. It is a pretty good starting point for just getting a general feel of the game. In regards to how the factions play, there are a few basic rules of thumb with exceptions to those rules on both sides.

Rebels: Sturdy and Adaptable. The Rebel ships typically come with shields and several "upgrade" slots. Rebels tend toward squadrons of ships with synergistic and support abilities. - A very popular list for the rebels right now involves Han Solo piloting the Falcon with a ton of upgrades and one or two other very small support ships.

Empire: Strength in Numbers. The Empire's ships are lower in cost than their Rebel counterparts, allowing them to field a larger force in general. - A swarm of 8 Tie Fighters is a fearsome sight for any pilot!

As I mentioned there are exceptions to the rules above. The Z-95 Headhunter is a very low costed ship that gives the Rebels some swarm ability. The Empire has access to several ships with higher shield values such as the Firespray (Slave I) and the Defender. 

If you have any other questions, please let us know!
-Brian

[takenogundam1]

I do have a few questions if you could be so kind:

1. What is the normal point total for a friendly game? How many ships normally is this?
2. As an Imperial player, what ships/cards should I be looking for? I currently have the following:
TIE Defender
TIE Phantom
Lambda Shuttle
Imperial Aces
everything in he starter but the ships.
3. I play Star Trek Attack Wing a lot. In that game people build various types of ways. Faction pure is what I do. You pick a faction and can only use ships and upgrades from that faction. The other is ship pure, where you may mix ships from differen ships factions in your fleet, but you can only use uogrades on a ship that share its faction. Lastly, there is unrestrictes. This allows you to build and mix everything. Very popular in tournements.
How does X-Wing work when building? Is it like this or is X-Wing different?

[commanderfrost]

No problem! I'm happy to field questions

1. What is the normal point total for a friendly game? How many ships normally is this?

A - 100 points is the tournament standard, and what most friendly games are played at. In regards to how many ships this is the answer is more complicated. The Empire will almost always field more individual units than the Rebels. In terms of what we normally see, it is all over the map. Three to Five ships would be considered "Normal", but there are successful two ship builds (Typically involving the Millennium Falcon)  and larger squadrons as well (Tie Fighter Swarms)

2. As an Imperial player, what ships/cards should I be looking for?

A- You have a great assortment of ships there to start with! It is a shame that you do not have the Tie Fighters from the Starter, they are a fantastic starting point for the Empire, and you should consider picking some up.

The Defender and Phantom are amazing, as are the Interceptors from Imperial Aces. The Lambda Shuttle can be a challenge to get working for you, but if you "crack the code" for playing it you will be very happy.

So for a future purchase list, I would highly recommend the following (in no particular order):

- Tie Interceptor Expansion Pack - This comes with the Soontir Fel pilot, who is probably the best Interceptor all around. 

- Tie Fighter Expansion Pack - While I feel like a pack of 4 tie Fighters is great no matter what, the expansion pack comes with the unique pilot "Howlrunner" that makes nearby ships even better.

- Slave I Expansion Pack - The Firespray is a great "Big Ship".

All of that being said, you can field some fun lists with what you have! You should play a few games with your ships, and based on what you enjoyed playing, we can guide you a bit better.

3. How does X-Wing work when building? Is it like this or is X-Wing different?

A- X Wing is strictly faction based in it's build. You cannot use Imperial ships with Rebel ships, and there are specific cards that are "Rebel Only" or "Imperial Only".  In addition to this, you can only have one of each unique named character in your list.

For example: You can have as many Rookie Pilots in your squadron as you like, but you can only ever have one Luke Skywalker. In addition to this, there is a Luke Skywalker crew card - you cannot have the Luke Crew and the Luke Pilot in the same squadron.


- Fly Casual!

[takenogundam1]

I also assume you cant mix the new faction in with Imperials?

How are Interceptors? Interceptors and Defenders are my favorite TIEs. Its why I got the Aces. I traded for all the stuff I have, but I plan on making an actual purchase in Plainville .

I also enjoy combos. Are there any no brainer combos I should look for?


I noticed Thursday night are your X-Wing nights. If I showed up sometime, would I be able to talk to someone about a learning game?

[commanderfrost]

I also assume you cant mix the new faction in with Imperials?

You cannot mix Scum and Villainy (S&V) with Imperials, however there is a "Most Wanted" Expansion pack that will come with Scum and Villainy that will include S&V Dials and Pilots for Slave I and HWK-290. Additionally "Most Wanted" will come with two S&V Z-95 Headhunters and a S&V Y-Wing.

So while you cannot mix the factions, this new faction will take pieces of the other two to build its foundation on release.

How are Interceptors? Interceptors are incredibly fast but fragile ships. Think "Glass Cannon". They are (In my opinion) at their best when paired with the Elite Pilot Skill card "Push the Limit" which allows them to take an additional action.

I would not consider the Interceptor an easy ship to fly, but it isn't incredibly hard to fly either. You are going to make some mistakes with them at first, but once you get the hang of dodging fire arcs you are going to fall in love with them.

Phantoms use the same basic thought process as Interceptors when they are played - dodge arcs, push out tons of damage.

How are Defenders?

Defenders are still being sorted out by the community. The ship has a white K-turn that makes it incredibly good at jousting across the map. I really like the named pilots for this ship. Rexler Brath and a Heavy Laser Cannon can hit a homerun for you every once in a while, and is incredibly fun.

I also enjoy combos. Are there any no brainer combos I should look for?

I mentioned Push the Limit and Interceptors above. Howlrunner and a squadron of Tie fighters is maybe the most popular combo that the Empire fields.

I noticed Thursday night are your X-Wing nights. If I showed up sometime, would I be able to talk to someone about a learning game?

Absolutely! Tournament nights are the first and third Thursday of every month, all other Thursdays are free play. The free play nights are the absolute best nights to get a demo in, but we might be able to squeak one in on a tourney night. 

Thursday nights have dice rolling at 7 pm.

[takenogundam1]

Thats a shame. I wanted a Starviper. Maybe itll be time to start a second faction when it comes out. I heard the Most Wanted set comes with Black Sun ships....that would be interesting....

itll be a week or so before I get all my trade stuff in. Once I do Ill stop by. I usually wont be able to get there until 8 so ill miss the tourneys, whcih im not ready for yet anyway. Thanks for all the answers!