FFG just recently announced another new expansion for X-Wing, and this time it brings Imperial players more pilots and upgrades for their TIE Bombers, and Defenders! The expansion is called Imperial Veterans – and is structured the same as Imperial Aces was. It includes 2 new models, with variant paint schemes (Gamma Squadron for the Bomber, and a mean looking red paint scheme for the defender) as well as a host of new pilots and upgrades to modify and make these ships more versatile. For example, with the new TIE/x7 Title for the Defender, it removes ordnance in order to make the ship gain a free evade when moving at speed 3-5. Changing the Defender into a dodgy fighter craft instead of the larger turret/bomb carrying ship it is now. There isn’t too much else released at this point, but this expansion looks like it should breath a bit of new life into the older ships and make them a bit more competitive in the current meta. Check out FFG’s announcement here!
Author: Shon
Battle Bin – Subscription Box for Gamers!
Today while doing some last minute christmas shopping, I came across a subscription box for gamers! The box is called Battle Bin, and for those of you that have heard of LootCrate or NerdBlock – this is essentially the same thing but centered around tabletop, card, and board games! Each month they have a theme, and the box contains an assortment of games and accessories built around that theme. The subscription is $30 per month, or they have some prepay deals such as a year for $300. This is a perfect gift idea for a gamer that you’re just not sure what to get them. Based on the last two boxes, and the reviews online it seems like they are delivering some good stuff for the price (November’s box touted a $75 value) and it is still purchasable on their website with a list of what was included. December’s box is centered around Star Realms, and includes an exclusive play mat that can only be found through Battle Bin, and you can still get yours if you subscribe by December 21st! Check them out here!
The Bridge – #004 – All About Objectives!
One of the unique things about Star Wars: Armada is the use of Objectives. Objectives add a very welcome strategic layer to the game as opposed to X-Wing. Each player must build their fleet, and also pick objectives. These come in the form of 3 different categories, and before the game each player picks 1 of 4 available objectives from each category. Continue reading
Stay on Target – #009: Imperial Assault Carrier Incoming!
For those of you that play the Epic format for X-Wing, this is probably old news for you, but the Empire is slated to get their next huge ship soon! This time it comes in the form of the Imperial Assault Carrier, which is (as usual) an amazing looking ship! The Assault Carrier can deploy additional ships, and comes with a plethora of new upgrade cards (26 total, 21 that are only usable on huge ships). Continue reading
ModCube Store now Online!
Anyone that follows accessories for tabletop games most likely saw the ModCube Kickstarter awhile back. Well, they have now launched an online store for people to order their items directly since they are now in production! They are really neat little additions to any game, and basically replace your tokens for games such as X-Wing and Armada. They are 6 sided dice with removable faces to make them usable for multiple different games if you buy the token sets. These are ideal for those of us that don’t necessarily want to pack around a large selection of tokens for use in our games. If you haven’t seen them, they are definitely worth checking out, and if you haven’t bought any yet, now is a perfect time to grab a set as they are having a December 4th sale for World Dice Day! You can check them out here!
New X-Wing Maneuver Dials!
Yesterday, FFG announced a new addition to their line of X-Wing accessories – new maneuver dials! These dials are themed for each faction in the game, and are customizable to the ships in your fleet. They use the dial you already have, and all you do is put it in the new plastic case along with the new ID Tokens to identify the type of ship they are being used for. The new packs come with 3 dials per pack, and include the ID Tokens for all ships released up to Wave 7. The newer waves will each include the ID tokens, so you will be able to use these as new ships continue to come out for the game. Following suit with the new bases they have developed, these provide players another way to customize their game. They are also going to be tournament legal for sanctioned FFG events. FFG Announcement.
The Bridge – #003 – Armada Squadron Painting
Welcome to the third installment of my new Armada article series! This edition is going to focus on my recent painting experience with all my Imperial Squadrons. I ended up purchasing two of the booster packs, so I had 48 fighters to paint. Now, I am not the best or most experienced miniatures painter out there, but I think for my skill level, and time put into them they turned out nicely. I am sure there are people out there with much better tutorials for those of you looking for a bit more detail, but this is a short write up of how I did mine! Enjoy!
Continue reading
X-Wing Cooperative Campaign
So, I am a bit late to the game in discovering this wonderful little gem, as it was originally put out in August but it is definitely on my list of things to try out with X-Wing. It is called the Heroes of the Aturi Cluster, and its basically a large 15 mission cooperative campaign designed by Josh Derksen at Dockingbay416. The campaign is built around a group of up to 6 players playing as the Rebellion, with each player controlling a single ship and the group playing as a cohesive squadron. The Empire ships are controlled by an impressive AI system that a GM or just a player can use to determine the actions of the enemy ships throughout the game. The campaign is available for free from the Dockingbay416 website here. The download includes everything you need to play the campaign, including an 80 page book, scoresheets, mission and AI pilot decks, along with new terrain used in the missions. All you need to do to get started is download the PDF and components, and then print it and cut out the pieces. The other nice thing about it is that it scales depending on the number of players you have, and can even be played solo if you like. A lot of work went into this, and it shows because it is a very high quality product – especially for something they are giving to the community for free.
This will definitely breath a bit of new life into the game for me and my play group, as it will give us something new and exciting to play as opposed to just blowing each other up repeatedly. If you have played it, let me know how it was in the comments below! Happy campaigning!
Custom Star Wars: Armada Ships!
In my daily perusing of the internet I stumbled upon a really cool little website that has custom made ship cards and inserts for your existing Armada bases. There are also links on most pages to a Shapeways store where you can buy a custom 3D printed model of the ships! You are able to print all kinds of additional capital ships and squadrons to expand your Armada games from early Republic Designs (such as the Acclamator II), to later Imperial and Rebellion ships. The designer also creates custom title and commander cards, adding unique abilities to the ships that add to the depth of these new additions. You are able to print off all of the cards, titles, commanders and base inserts for free, and the only things you need to buy are the 3D printed models if you wish. These are definitely worth checking out for anyone that is looking to add a bit more diversity to their Star Wars: Armada games!
Check it out here! DA’s Armada Shipyards.
The Bridge – #002 – Star Wars Armada Wave 2 Incoming!
For anyone that follows Star Wars Armada, it’s probably not new information that Wave 2 is upon us! With the Massing at Sullust pre-release event this weekend, there will be new ships in the wild shortly. With the release of Wave 2, we see our standard fleet size increased to 400 points, along with the release of the first large based ships for the game. With the information thats currently available, the game is sure to change up and be a lot more varied in match ups.
Homemade DIY Lightbox for Miniature Photography (On the Cheap!)
So, something I have always wanted to do but never seemed to get around to it was to build a light box to take photos of miniatures that would be in focus and show off the detail. I recently was working on an article on Star Wars Armada squadron painting, and decided it would be a perfect time to build something to take some good pictures of the finished product. I was able to do all of this with a quick trip to to the hobby store and about $10!
The Bridge – #001: Star Wars Armada Storage Solutions
Welcome to the first installment of The Bridge! This will be a new article series here on Flaming Dice Reviews that covers everything Star Wars Armada has to offer. If you have anything in particular you want to know about this game, or want to read about, let me know!
With the release of Wave 2 imminent, and everyone itching to play with that gorgeous Imperial Class Star Destroyer, storage has been something I have been working on this last week. While there are already commercially available options from BattleFoam for everything in the starter pack and Wave 1 (and I’m sure soon to be Wave 2), a lot of people have just not jumped into using BattleFoam or the other options available. Continue reading
Stay on Target – #008: Like a Bossk!
So, continuing my dive into everything Wave 7 has to offer, I have been playing around with the new YV-666 Houndstooth and the Kihraxz Fighter. The new models are again beautifully designed, and work to get the Scum faction up to speed with the Rebels and Empire. The YV-666 also brings one of the more notorious bounty hunters into the game with the elite pilot, Bossk. Continue reading
Bling out your squads with these new X-Wing Accessories!
Yesterday FFG announced a new line of colored bases for X-Wing Miniatures. The new bases come in 5 new colors (also a clear option), and are made of translucent plastic matching the original bases. Probably the most exciting part of this announcement is that they will be tournament legal – which is welcome news to competitive players who have until now been unable to customize their bases. The new bases come in packs of 4 small bases, and 1 large base along with all the needed pegs. There is no price listed, and release is slated for Q4 of 2015. These new bases are sure to offer a new way to customize squadrons, and add a bit of flair to your ships.
Read the announcement by clicking here!
Battletech Kickstarter for new PC Game Announced
So this doesn’t fall squarely in the realm of Board Game news, however it does mark the return of a giant franchise to the PC strategy game arena. A lot of people are probably familiar with Battletech as it has been around for ages, and a staple in the wargaming community. While the tabletop version has been going strong for the last few years again, the PC arena has had some huge setbacks with licensing agreements and a few companies that couldn’t deliver (I’m looking at you Mechwarrior: Tactics…). Continue reading
3-D Printed X-Wing Storage Solution!
So, in my perusing of Facebook today, I stumbled upon this neat little site that offers free plans for ship boxes that you can download and then print out on your 3-D printer.
While I lack the funds for such a device, I know that if I had one or even access to one I would be giving these things a shot. They look very clean, and simple to make, and seem like they would fit well inside a lot of the Plano cases everyone likes to use to haul and store their minis. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a new and clean way to store your X-Wing ships!
Check them out by clicking here!
Stay on Target – #007: Bombs Away!
So with the release of Wave 7, we got some really cool new toys to play with! I’m talking about the new K-Wing for you dirty Rebels, and the TIE Punisher for all those aspiring Imperial Admirals out there. Both of them come with the ability to carry a TON of ordnance into battle with the new Extra Munitions upgrade. Continue reading
Stay on Target – #006: Force Friday!
So, as many of you know, this last Friday September 4th, was what marketers and geeks alike referred to as Force Friday. This day was the day Disney (our “beloved” Star Wars overlords), decided to launch a ton of new The Force Awakens merchandise in preparation for Episode VII. With this huge release of collectibles, they also released a new X-Wing Miniatures Core Set featuring new models of ships from the film.