Imperial Veterans Incoming!

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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!

Stay on Target – #009: Imperial Assault Carrier Incoming!

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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!

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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!

imperialbackYesterday, 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.

X-Wing Cooperative Campaign

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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!

Stay on Target – #008: Like a Bossk!

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One mean freighter. (FFG Image)

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!

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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!

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.

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Photo from thingiverse.com

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!

X-Wing Miniatures Scale Escort Frigate

Scale Escort Frigate by Space Rocks

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WHAT!? I no longer play the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game very often, but the discovery of this scale model of my favorite ship, the Rebel Escort Frigate, is still jaw-dropping! Expand to see more photos and a link to the Space Rocks website where this massive beast is currently available for pre-order!
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Stay on Target – #007: Bombs Away!

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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!

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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.

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Stay On Target #005: Battle Damage Mod

StayOnTargetBannerI saw a photo of a TIE Fighter with battle damage on Boardgamegeek.com the other day. I immediately tried to find a good tutorial on how to do it and unfortunately I couldn’t really find what I was looking for, so I decided that I would just give it a shot! After I finished my first TIE I realized that this mod is an extremely easy look to achieve. I even made a little tutorial for those of you how are unsure about how challenging this mod will be. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Stay On Target #004: The Importance of Repainting Your X-Wing Minis

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X-Wing is one of the best games I have ever played, partially because it’s so accessible to new players compared to other tabletop miniatures games. In most other miniature games you have to buy a lot more items, assemble them, and then paint them before your troops are playable or look good on the field. Fantasy Flight has done an excellent job producing beautiful, highly detailed models for their devoted players. And all you have to do is buy the model and play it! While I love this because it is so welcoming to newcomers, I have to admit, seeing all of the models look the same is kind of aesthetically boring. So, for me, it is important to add a little personalization to my ships!

I believe that when you spend the time painting your models you become more emotionally invested in the game. It makes your ships stand out in the crowd. It makes other players comment about how the look of your ships is so much better than the basic ship from the box, and that kind of recognition and validation helps to not only immerse me deeper into the game but also into the hobby aspect of the game. It makes me want to find other kinds of custom modifications to attempt on my ships. Then, all of the time I spend working on my ships makes me want to show them off, and there is no better way to do that than on the battlefield.

In the end though, all of the ships are beautiful the way they come. And I know that some people aren’t very comfortable making permanent changes to things they spend their hard earned money on, especially if they don’t consider themselves to be overly creative or artistic. But making some very basic changes can be very easy for a person with any level of painting/artistic skill. So, like I said, I love how accessible this game is to new comers, but once you’re in, I strongly suggest investing your time into the hobby aspect of the game because you won’t regret it.

Kickstarter Report #7: X-Wing Edition

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With the success of Sergio’s popular Stay on Target, I decided to do a special Kickstarter Report on Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game accessories currently on Kickstarter! Links to the respective Kickstarter campaign pages are available by clicking the titles of each entry or the links at the bottom of entry. Enjoy and stay on target!

Askrias Cube – Game Aid Dice

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The Askrias Cube is a great looking game aid that comes with the dice cubes themselves, the tiles that form the 6 sides and stickers to customize your cubes! From the campaign page:

“Basically, the Askrias Cube is a plastic die frame that has slots on all 6 sides. Then the user will be able to insert tiles onto the different sides – therefore creating their own die for whatever uses they have in mind. What’s better is that – the cube act as a normal die as well, you can roll it, shake it, toss it and the tiles will not fall out. However with a simple tug with your nails, the tile can be changed without much hassle.”

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Stay On Target – #003: Breaking the Meta

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*Disclaimer: The following article is a reflection of my personal opinions about the state of the Metagame. I acknowledge the fact that I am not an expert on this game and make no claims to knowing more than anyone else on the subject. These are merely analyzed observations based on my personal perceptions of the game. Feel free to draw your own conclusions and to make remarks regarding the content in this article, I only ask that you do so respectfully to both myself, and other commenters should there be any. I offer no offense, and I apologize if any is given. Thank you!

I have been watching a lot of Battle Reports lately and I have to note that there are a great deal of Fat Han, RAC (Rear Admiral Chiraneau), and 58 Dash builds being played all around the world and winning consistently. Just take a look at the Regional Results compiled by MajorJuggler here. High damage large-based turret builds have characterized the Metagame. While turrets undermine the anticipation of the Planning and Activation Phases of the game, the worst part is most people aren’t even adding any new ideas to these lists. They are running them with the same pilots and the same upgrades that everyone else is. There is no innovation or creativity in the theory crafting. There is no assessment of the Meta or implementation of a new plan to challenge the current “strongest”. In my opinion, this is making the game stale.  Continue reading

Stay On Target – #002: How to Deal with Sliding Bases

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Down at my local game store, my fellow X-Wing players are constantly complaining about knocking their ships around and sliding bases. If you are a frequent player of this game then you understand that the movement and precision positioning of your ships is of the highest level of importance. You also know that the smallest bump can disrupt your formation as well as allow a ship to move into position without collision or overlapping an obstacle granting an action that they my not have gotten otherwise; which can change the outcome of a fight if it happens during a crucial point in the game. After all, it’s hard to Stay On Target when your ship won’t stay put!
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Stay on Target!!!

I had stated previously that I wanted to try to add another writer to this site, and it’s going to happen! My excellent friend, Sergio, who is a board gamer and very talented X-Wing: Miniatures Game player, will start writing a regular article here (and hopefully more soon).

The name of the article will be ‘Stay on Target’ and will feature all thing X-Wing; news, strategies and anything else he wants to write about!

Look for the very first installment of Stay on Target next week!

-Matt S.

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