I was lucky enough to be home recently to attend a local X-Wing event at the Collective Gaming store a few minutes away.  It was only a small event with 16 players, but with regionals fast approaching, all tournaments seem to fill up quick with a variety of squads fielded.

I ran a squad I'd been flying for a few days before hand. I was trying to get some much-needed practice in with the great gaming wingman Todd (@raesburn). The list consisted of Boba and Asajj - here is the short version:

Boba Fett - Expertise, Latts Razzi, Engine Upgrade, Burnout Slam
Asajj Ventress - Adaptability, Dengar, Glitterstim, Countermeasures, Shadow Caster, Feedback Array

Keir was running a decked out Rey backed up with Poe Dameron using the BB-8 and Push the Limit combination to ensure he'd be pulling green manoeuvres all day.

I deployed in the right-hand corner and Keir did the same.  During the first few turns, he began to peel away from the predicted area of combat with Poe, while Rey went into the action head-first.  The initial exchanges did go well for her, but before Poe could back her up, she was out of shield of tokens.  Boba's Expertise here was incredible, and I think there were only 1-2 rolls during the whole game which came up with a single blank dice.  The Firespray was eventually clipped down to half points by Rey.

Rey was finally destroyed, so then it came down to chasing Poe, who was trying to avoid the large ships from getting him into a kill box.  Asajj eventually got a range 1-2 shot while Poe came away with a stress token, and also moved in front of a debris field making his next move highly predictable.  The big ships closed in and destroyed the T-70.

Win: 100-25

This was the first time I'd ever played against a 'Rebel Regen' list, odd though it may seem.  Ben was running a pretty standard build: Miranda was tooled-up with Ion Bombs and Conner Nets.

I pushed up aggressively in order to get some early engagements with Corran Horn.  I was rewarded and dragged Corran onto an asteroid, and next turn he sped away stressed in order to get away from Boba's rear arc. Unfortunately, he couldn't make the distance, and Expertise once again shined.

Miranda slapped down an Ion Bomb, clipping Asajj; however, it was more of a nuisance than a major disruption and gave her time to slip away to re-join the fight on her terms.  It simply was not to be: with two large untouched ships bearing down on her, stripping her of shields faster than she could regenerate them, her time was coming to an end.

She got a target lock onto Asajj at one stage in order to unleash a payload of Homing Missiles, but I was quick to pop Counter Measures to remove that lock. Boba Fett re-engaged, zooming past in order to prevent being hit by a Conner Net, and Miranda used it as an opportunity to use a target lock action and launch the missile.  Ben opted to drop a red die in order to regain a shield, and much to both of our surprise, no damage was taken.

The K-wing was eventually destroyed and I had netted my second victory of the day against a formidable opponent.

​Win: 100-0  

Brad was running a very intriguing list, one which surprised everyone at just how well it performed throughout the day.  Serissu was leading the team with Swarm Tactics and a Mangler Cannon, backed up by a pair of Cartel Spacers also running the same cannon upgrade.  Finally, a Y-wing with Seismic Torpedoes and a Twin Laser Turret rounded out the squad.  For me, staying away from obstacles was the first step to shutting down those torpedoes or ensuring one of his ships was also in the firing line.  Secondly, if I could drop Serissu early, it would mean less pilot skill 8 Spacers to deal with.

Brad gave me initiative and off we went.  His forces deployed in the centre of his area, whilst I anchored a corner with Asajj and Boba moving toward a central position to harass his squad from both sides. This forced him to select one of the ships to focus on.  The first engagement was rather uneventful, with Boba taking a few shields.

However, in the second turn Serissu found herself on the pointy end of both Boba and Asajj, and was promptly turned into space dust. Meanwhile, Boba took a massive amount of punishment for the kill, and I needed to get him away from the TLT.  His Cartel Spacers K-turned to re-engage, with one just bumping the other and sparing me from one shot for the turn.  Both of my ships focused on the Spacer, who was able to shoot that turn, and I managed to destroy it before it had a chance to fire.

Boba slammed away to create some distance from the Y-wing as it turned in to hunt him down, but Brad unintentionally hit an asteroid just as he was lining up a shot with a Seismic Torpedo. Boba and Asajj finally caught up with the remaining Cartel Spicer before turning their attentions to the Y-wing and sealing the game.

Win: 100-25

The final game of the day was against Ben Doyle, the 2016 National Champion.  He was running a Palp Aces variant with Mareek Steele and Carnor Jax.

We set up with both of my large ships hugging a corner and aiming for the shuttle and Steele, while Jax sneaked through the center. I pushed my ships up close in a super aggressive display, however, in the second turn I failed to anticipate what the shuttle would (or would not) do.  I K-turned Asajj, expecting something in her front arc, but nothing materialised.  With all 3 ships' firing arcs bearing down on the Lancer, I popped both Counter Measures and Glitterstim.  Rather than waste shots, Ben sunk damage into nearby Boba Fett.

He limped away next turn, as I desperately tried to recover Asajj and put her into a better position while shaking off stress. I'd basically given the game away and was very disappointed in such a poor performance on my part.  Boba was out next turn, and it was down to a game of cat and mouse in which the two red cats were going to win no matter what.

Great game play from Ben, and best of luck to him at the upcoming regionals.

Loss 0-100  

I ended up coming in second place, walking away with some acrylic tokens and new cards.  Overall, I was really pleased with the squad I'd come up with. Most people were surprised at the Burnout Slam on Boba but it worked well in order to get him out of sticky situations or allow him to get into the fight a turn sooner in some cases.  I'll certainly run it again and keep developing it.

It was a great day of X-Wing gaming, and nice to meet more of the community who had traveled to play games at my local store.  I give great thanks to store owner Ben for hosting the event, even though the X-Wing community doesn't generate much business for his particular store.

Be sure to subscribe on the right for regular updates, and thank you so much for reading.

Elite pilot talent upgrades (EPT's) can often change the course of the battle in any given X-Wing matchup.  When combined with the inherent pilot talents of those leading your squad, they can really make some interesting synergies by simply allowing more actions, delivering devastating damage or helping their host ship remain untouchable.  Today's article will touch on the top 5 EPT's of X-Wing, and what makes them so efficient.

Whenever I create a new squad, chances are I always have a combination of the above EPT's.  What are your 'go-to' elite pilot talents when creating your favourite X-Wing squads?

Thanks for reading, and please subscribe on the right to stay up to date.

- James

Ordnance was largely irrelevant during the early days of X-Wing. The damage output, compared with point expense often did not equate with economic use of squad points. Fast forward to a time when Wave X is about to hit (in full), and the likes of Guidance Chips, Long Range Scanners and Extra Munitions make the point investments a little more sensible.  Today, I’m taking a look at how to use torpedoes - the ones to completely avoid, and those which are solid investments.

When you think of the iconic scene in ‘A New Hope’ where Luke Skywalker blasts the Death Star with a set of Proton Torpedoes, you can’t help but immediately feel they provide some bang.  Sadly, in terms of having an advantage in the game of X-Wing, that isn’t the case in terms of point cost.

The requirements for launching a torpedo are simple: acquire a target lock and then spend it. The elite pilot talent 'Deadeye' changes this of course.  Although it's a great idea to have a focus token on hand as well to ensure maximum damage, you'll see it's not the end of the world.  Having guidance chips can help make the results more in your favour, and a fire control system can ensure you're not wasting an action to gain the target lock to setup a shot the following turn.  When loading up the torpedo racks, consider the option below.

When I first started writing this article, its purpose was to provide a guide on the current torpedo options in X-wing.  Although I've done this, it also seems to have revealed either how good Plasma Torpedoes are, or how terrible the other options are.

What are your favourite torpedo options, and what pilots are you selecting to upgrade them with?

Thanks for reading, and be sure to subscribe on the right.

- James

Firstly, happy 2017 folks!  I sincerely hope the dice and gaming gods smile in your favour, unless of course you're playing me!

Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) recently added Star Wars Destiny to its already impressive line-up of games from the franchise.  This time, it's a collectible which utilises dice-and-card mechanics, something I have never seen before.
 
I was not even slightly tempted by Star Wars Destiny when it was first announced. It was not until I told my sons -- who currently play another CCG called... you know... Pokémon -- that I thought there could be a transition into Destiny. I am also well aware of their love for the Star Wars realm, so the gap quickly narrowed in my mind's eye.

After watching the FFG tutorial video, my kids seemed to have a solid understanding of the setup and rules involved. The next day, I set off to purchase both starter decks at the FLGS, returned home, and sat down with my son that night for a game. 
 
The game consists of two players taking two characters from the genre, tooling up their respective decks with upgrades (weapons, armour, etc.), rolling off to see who goes first, picking a location for the battle, and then killing off one another’s characters through old-fashioned blaster fire, melee damage, force abilities and grenades.
 
I’ve played some card games in the past -- some Magic, Warhammer Invasion, etc. -- and my "black strike" against CCG's is that they seem to inevitably come to an end at some point.  Granted, Magic is probably a poor example because it’s been running for a long time now, but Star Wars Destiny could very well be different.  With a rich background paired with the Disney plan of one SW film release every year, the future for all SW games (X-Wing, Armada, Imperial Assault, and now Star Wars Destiny) is looking profitable for FFG, to say the least.
 
Whilst the game is solid, and I’ve no doubt I will be playing it more in the future for my children’s sake, it lacks depth and little miniatures that I can zoom around a table making ‘pew pew’ noises.  Perhaps part of FFG’s master plan is to introduce Star Wars Destiny to the youth as a stepping stone into their heavier line of miniatures based tactical games. In saying that, however, I would think the majority of people playing now are adults (at least, in a biological sense. PEW PEW!!).
 
No doubt it will be successful and my kids will be hassling me for boosters, but at this stage, I’m not excited about Star Wars Destiny as much as other titles on FFG's roster.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading you comments.

- James