X-Wing was one of those games I never really intended to get into. Firstly it's a pre-painted miniatures game, which automatically makes me think of poor sculpts and poor paint jobs, secondly, it’s ANOTHER miniatures game, I already play more than I can handle as it is. However, one thing changed my mind, Jay Little.
I loved the design work Jay did on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition and again I was blown away by the simplicity of the system he developed for Blood Bowl Team Manager, so when I realised he was behind X-Wing I knew I just had to give it a try! Of course, Board Game Guru’s super saver deal meant I ended up buying everything instead of just the core set…!
X-Wing is a tactical miniatures game based in the Star Wars universe during the Rebellion Era. One player takes on the role of the glorious Empire, while the other takes on the role of the tenacious Rebel Alliance. Games can be played as dogfights to the death or players can choose to play scenarios with set objectives and special rules.
I’ll say this first so that we get it out of the way, the more you spend on X-Wing the more fun you’ll have. It’s certainly not a cheap game to get into but it is a fun one. For me this fills a nice niche between Board Game and Miniatures Game. The rules are straightforward enough that you can get non-gamers up and flying their ships with very little explanation, while the ships and upgrade cards offer enough granular choice for veteran wargamers to get their teeth into.
While the base set doesn't offer much in the way of variety it doesn't take much more to get your collection to a point where competitive games are fun. I think most players would agree that 2 core sets is the best way to go, doubling up on ships, dice and tokens and after that you can start to pick and choose which ships are your favourites or fit your style of play.
Wave 1 introduced the Tie Advanced and Y-Wing adding tougher ships to both sides with variable load outs. The Y-Wing also introduced the Ion Cannon which can seriously mess with your opponents strategy.
Wave 2 introduced the large ships Slave 1 and the Millennium Falcon, both of which are iconic but can prove to be magnets for your opponent's weaponry. It also added the A-Wing and Tie Interceptor, both fast and agile ships that are my personal favourites!
Wave 3 introduced the missile boats, the B-Wing and Tie Bomber, bringing with them a selection of missiles, torpedoes and bombs. They also added support ships in the form of the Lambda Class Shuttle and the HWK290, both of which are designed to help the rest of the fleet rather than get involved in the action themselves.
Coming soon, even larger ships promise to introduce new cinematic scenarios that recreate famous battles from the films.
Although billed as a two player game, we often play with multiple players aside with the ships divided up between them. For me this is a casual game that’s fast and fun, it’s not about accurate measuring, line of sight and strict adherence to the rules. If you want to recreate battles from the Star Wars universe there really isn't a better game for that. It’s a nice hybrid boardgame/minitures game that is easy to teach and fast to play but it’s not cheap to get into and when you do get into it you will want to buy more and more ships!