Who doesn’t know those words by heart? Some of the most memorable words ever for my generation and some before that. And that music, my word, so memorable! Etched into my mind like the name of a super villain into the moon. So yeah, X-Wing! Thought I was going somewhere with this? Not really, as that would be boring and not everybody likes my trips down memory lane. Anyway, it has been ages since there was a decent Star Wars miniatures game and even longer since one involved the smaller spacecraft of the setting. Who doesn’t remember the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games of the DOS era? Ha, not a whole lot of you I’m sure. You kids probably only claim to know DOS to score hipster points. Bah. Anyway, it’s been ages and ages since we had something decent involving these aircraft but Fantasy Flight Games, holder of many franchises, has finally released a game worthy!
Okay, off the bat, I’m terrible at the crunch of the games. I’m mostly in it for the fluff, I suck at the crunch, so to explain the rules of the game in a way that’s better than I ever will, here are the official demonstration clips from their site and here is the official .PDF copy of the rulebook. I’ll wait here while you watch the movies and have a cookie with some milk.
Done? Excellent. Now the big question is, with this secret movement stuff and whatnot, is it any good?
Yes, yes it is! X-Wing is a fast-paced game that takes hardly any reading to really pick up and play, giving you a fun gaming experience regardless of skills and whatnot. As you may have gleamed from the tutorials, movement is planned in advance and once you put that dial down, it stays there. No changes or whatever after that or you will lose your hand you cheating punk. You move your ships, assign an action if you want to and then shoot with those that can or want to. Rinse and repeat until one side is wiped out or the scenario objectives are fulfilled. Quick to learn, surprising every turn really as you need to guess and estimate where you end up and what your opponent might be doing. We got quite the knack of this and we decided to kick things up a notch by going so far as to trek to the local comic store in hope of getting some more ships. Sadly none of the more outlandish ones were available, so we had to do with another X-Wing and two extra Tie Fighters, which allowed us to play games of around 60 points, which may sound like not a lot, but bigger games quickly devolve into something of a mess if no proper care and attention is given to keep an eye on things.
Two on four games may sound a bit unfair, but the ships each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The X-Wing is a durable fighter with shields and more fire power, while the Ties are faster and better at dodging incoming fire. Depending on the pilots used, the ships can also be upgraded with items such as Proton torpedoes, Astro-mech droids and special abilities such as swarm tactics that allow for multiple attacks at the same time. With the few pieces given you can do quite a lot and by simply adding in one or two extra ships there is a nice layer of variety thrown in on top of the tools already at your disposal.
For the ease of things, here are the big pros and cons of the game:
Pros.
It can be played straight from the box. All you need is in the box. Pick up and play within minutes really. You punch the templates out of their sheets, prep the ships and give the quick-start rules a quick read. We literally played the game in less than ten minutes and after two games using the quick-start rules we kicked things up a notch by playing using the full rules.
Speaking of the full rules, unlike other FFG games, these are easy to read up on and understand for a change! Just a slight step up from the quick-start rules really, adding in only a few extra rules that add a massive level of game play to the overall experience.
Overall, the boxed set gives you good value for the price asked. Three ships, a pack of dice, sturdy cardboard templates needed for movement and the rules. If wanting to play big squadron games, go for one or two extra starters! The set also comes with a pile of pilot options for each fighter included, both sides! Luke Skywalker, Biggs Cannonfodder, but also Expanded Universe pilots such as Mauler and Nighthowler.
Speaking of named pilots, their contribution to the game in terms of upsetting the balance of power is minimal really. The ship still has the same amount of hull points, shields and attack / defence dice, but with a special ability thrown on top. Sometimes this is an extra defence die, but in most cases its dice manipulation or a buff to other ships, which is a pleasant way of not forcing players to stock up on named characters, just because they are the best.
Cons.
The pre-paints are of varying quality. Damn it America, if you are going to outsource your stuff to the much-hated red China, at least pay your Chinese slaves better or as you so enjoy boasting about, do a better job yourselves!
Minor niggle, in direct conflict with the pro above, there not enough dice in the box for some situations! If the game came with just one more red and green die, excellence. But as is, you are forced to buy a blister of extra dice (always handy) or keep track of your rolls with a piece of paper or the good old brain.
However, the biggest problem I have with this game though is that it is a Fantasy Flight product, meaning they are quite lax on keeping stores supplied and making availability of their wares, especially outside of the US of A, an outright pain in the arse. Granted, this is more a case of priorities and whatnot, but it is quite murder inducing to have to wait for weeks or months to get your hands on an item or game when elsewhere it’s already old news.
State of the game.
At the time of writing the first expansion wave has already been released, containing extra dice, stand-alone blisters of the X-Wing and Tie Fighter with unique heroes not seen in the boxed set, the venerable Y-Wing and the Tie Advanced, as piloted by Darth Vader. A second wave, sadly delayed until early next year, contains the A-wing, Tie Interceptor, the YT-1300 also known as the Millennium Falcon and the Firespray-31, or as we know it, the Slave 1! The future is bright, as there are still a few ships missing, such as the Tie Bomber and B-Wing, so who knows what else we might see as the game evolves?
So, if you’re a fan of the setting, get it. If you are a casual fan or a non-fan, but like a fun, fast-paced game about dog fighting each other in outer space? Give it a go already!
