Category Archives: XWing Models and Squadrons

One of the downsides of the X-Wing Miniatures game is because the basic game is quite small, you’ll soon want to make use of the various expansions – i.e. additional ships.  Given the starter set comes with 3 ships and the rules/templates/counters etc. there really isn’t room in there for your growing squadrons.  That ultimately leads to needing to find an alternative solution, and there are a number of them out there. Continue reading →

OK, so this heading is deliberately provocative. In a game called X-Wing, you’d have thought the titular spacecraft would be the most balanced in the game. Not the most powerful, but can handle itself quite well. However, with the now wide array of ships available, this venerable mainstay of the Rebel squadrons looks very tired and just doesn’t perform well at all. The question is, why? Continue reading →

So, after a MAMMOTH X-Wing gaming weekend with Gallanteer (no less than 6 individual games and a taster game of Armada), I’ve finally got round to taking a picture of my Imperial Fleet in all its twin ion engined glory……

The Imperial Navy

After a few games now, I can safely say that I’m definitely starting to have some favourite ships and formations…..

The first, has to be the awesome Tie Interceptor.  These little guys pack plenty of punch with 3 attacks standard, and are very agile with 3 defence – give them boost or an evade action, and they’re pretty hard to hit.  Of course with no shields once the Rebel Scum do get a bearing on you you’re going to take a beating, but the 3 hull points last reasonably well.  For the points they cost I always take a couple.  When the overall game size allows, Baron Fel (probably the best pilot in the game) with the “Push the Limit” upgrade is a fearsome opponent.  From the “Imperial Aces” expansion, you can’t go far wrong with the two named Imperial Guard pilots, resplendent in their unique paint job (everyone knows that red ‘uns go faster!!) – at range 2-3 Kir Kanos allows you to spend an evade token to ADD 1 hit result to your roll (ie. basically turn a possible evade into a guaranteed hit!).  That little beauty has wiped the smile of Gallanteer’s face on more than one occasion!!!!

Then there’s the Decimator.  The jury was out for me with this large ship – pretty expensive and just looked like it would be a fire magnet (I mostly bought it because I liked the model!).   However, over the weekend I’ve grown to love it.  Played right, it is one supremely survivable (4 shields and 12 hull despite a zero basic defence) and surprisingly agile beast with a serious amount of firepower.  Gallanteer  and I played the standard mission that comes with the Decimator over the weekend, and it was great fun.  Why I hear you ask? Good question because I’m about to tell you.  Rear Admiral Chiraneau (good luck pronouncing that) attacking at range 1-2 allows you to change a focus dice result to a critical hit.  Couple that with a target lock action and 4 attacks at range 1, you get to re-roll misses after your first roll and then if you get a focus result you can turn it straight into a critical hit!!!  it was very rare I had less than 3 hits each attack.  As if that wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake is to take “Ruthlessnessness” which when you hit a target, another ship within range 1 of the target suffers 1 damage automatically.  Of course that can end up being one of your own ships, but not usually.  its rare to be fighting against only a single enemy ship that doesn’t have backup nearby, but if you do, just keep your other ships at a distance.

And finally for now, lets pay homage to the humble Tie Fighter “Swarm”.  Starting at a mere 12 points each, you can take dozens of Academy Pilots in even a 100 point game (ok, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but 8 with a bit of upgrading is still pretty sweet!).  These guys are pretty weedy with no shields and only 2 attacks, but they still have 3 defence.  I tend to always give them an evade action, unless I need the odd barrel roll.  What they lack in firepower, they make up for in numbers, and as long as you bring enough to bear, they can do some serious damage (you’ve seen ants swarming right?).  Plus, it’s great to wipe the smile off your opponent’s face when you fresh-from-high-school green-round-the-gills pilot gets 2 hits that he fails to evade!

A word of warning.  Swarms can be very effective and great fun to play, but you have to practice your formation flying.  I mean seriously.  It’s very easy to get split up and then you’re dead meat once the swarm is fragmented and individuals can be picked off.  it’s worth practicing (a lot) with how combinations of bank and turn manoeuvres end-up – it still manages to surprise me on the final positioning, and you don’t want to be bumping all the time.  That removes your actions and those evade actions are vital to keep you alive long enough to cause any return damage.  Academy Pilots always shoot last, so it’s no good getting into a great position only to be wiped out before you fire a shot!

Anyway, enough rambling.  Next blog will be the write up of the Seeds of Hope Campaign Battle III that we fought over the weekend.  The working title is “Tactically Tackling the Tenacious but Tentative Tantive”, but not sure that amount of hyperbole is even legal so it might well change!  Bye for now…….