5 Reasons Why the X-Wing Miniatures Game is Awesome + Giveaway

If you consider yourself a Star Wars fan who enjoys immersing himself in the massive Expanded Universe (Legends or otherwise) on top of the 6 films, but have yet to dabble in the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game, there no longer is an excuse.

Have you ever wanted to relive iconic battles from the movies, or even needed to settle a debate and determine who would emerge victorious in a head-to-head dogfight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader? Well, the X-Wing Miniatures Game is the best way to settle that score once and for all.

The game, which involves using tiny replicas of ships from Star Wars, puts you directly into the pilot hot seat, as you control a squad of starships to outmaneuver and outgun your opponent, in a battle to the last ship standing.

Now, there are several Star Wars games that use miniatures as a foundation, but the X-Wing Miniatures Game is the preferred way to get into the swing of things, because it is easy to learn, and battles can be completed quickly, so the time spent in the game is relatively short.

With a renewed interest in the galaxy far, far away, here are just some additional reasons to make the jump into hyperspace. And if your interest is piqued, scroll down to read our recommendations on what sets to pick up.

 

#1: Pilot the Millennium Falcon and all other iconic starships from Star Wars

In X-Wing Miniatures Games (X-Wing), you could pilot the Millennium Falcon or command a TIE Fighter Squadron in a dogfight or in mission scenarios. From A-wings to Z-95s Headhunters, this game features a vast variety of starships that have appeared in all the new and old Star Wars movies, Star Wars Rebels and even ships from the Expanded Universe.

The game has also attracted plenty of collectors as each 1/270 scale miniature comes fully detailed and painted.

My personal favorite would be the Millennium Falcon, where even the details such as the laser burns and battle scars can be seen on the miniature. As a Millennium Falcon collector, I would dare say this miniature is one of the most detailed pieces around.

Now would be the best time to pick up the game as the new and updated X-Wing Starter Set has just been released. This starter set features the new T-70 X-Wing and the new First Order TIE Fighters!

Not only that, but we’re giving away one set to a lucky geek too! Scroll to the bottom for the lowdown.

 

#2: X-Wing Miniatures is simple and easy to play

If you plan on getting your feet wet, you would need about SGD$50 to $200 to start the game with 4 or 5 ships. Before you start fretting about the amount, know that this is comparatively lower when compared to the initial investment on other miniature games, as those games require an army of miniatures. Protip: Find someone looking to get out of the hobby for the best deal.

Learning to playing X-Wing Miniatures is easy and it takes only about 20 minutes for a demo game, which will teach you all the basic rules. I won’t bore you with the rules, as YouTube channel Fantasy Flight has dedicated resources to ensure that learning the game is easy. Check out their video via this YouTube Tutorial.

The most common mode of play would be a dogfight where 2 players command 100 points worth of starships, along with upgrades from the one of the 3 factions, (Rebels, Imperials or Scum and Villainy). To win the game, a player has to destroy all of the opponent’s ships.

Think of these 100 points as credits that you have and can spend to gather your fleet. Usually, 100 points can net you 4 starships with standard pilots, with several upgrades thrown in. Or, you can choose to have 3 elite pilots with abilities and plenty of upgrades, but be content with just 3 starships. The beauty of this game is that it is very fast paced, and each game can be completed in under 60 minutes.

Of course, if you are a player who enjoys role playing and having a rich storyline to begin with, X-Wing Miniatures has a campaign mode where players can opt to undertake a specific mission, like re-enacting the trench run on the first Death Star, or escorting Rebel transports escaping from the planet Hoth.

Advanced players can even get creative, and design and play out their own campaign creations as well!

 

#3: The game has great depth

X-Wing Miniatures is a game which is easy to pick up, but very challenging to master. With a vast variety of ships and upgrades, and the option to mix starships from the upcoming, The Force Awakens, to the classic and prequel trilogy, there is an abundance of ships for pilots to fly. The beauty here is that 2 players can use the exact same squad of ships, but since there would be so many different ways to deploy and fly each fleet, victory is rarely assured.

Going a bit deeper into the strategy and tactics of the game. X-Wing Miniatures features a few types of ships that serve widely different functions. The ships can be categorised by their types, and the game consists of five, namely assault, flankers, jousters, turrets and support. Their roles are as follows.

1. Assault type ships are usually all rounded in their functions. They maintain a decent balance between firepower and hit points, and can be regarded as the jack of all trades. Examples of assault ships would be the X-Wing. TIE Advanced or the Slave 1.
2. Flankers are ships that have fast speeds and high agility. Their role is to dodge firing arcs, and harass the main enemy force. Example of flankers would be the TIE Interceptors and A-Wings.
3. Jousters are usually low in costs, but they have weak fire power, However, their strength in numbers can be very deadly. Just imagine a swarm of 7 Ties repeated firing at something. The popular jouster ships would be the TIE Fighters and Z-95 Headhunters.
4. Turret ships are not limited to the 90 degree forward arcs as seen in the movies, Instead, these ships can fire at any target within range. They are very good at area control, and at providing support fire. Some example of turret ships would be the iconic Millennium Falcon, Y-Wings and the Outrider.
5. Support type ships usually support the main fleet with very special abilities. Colonel Jendon’s Imperial Shuttle can target lock an enemy ship anywhere on the map, and pass it on to another friendly ship. The HWK 290, Kyle Katarn’s ship, has the ability to pass on a focus token to another friendly ship. Otherwise, unique crew, like Emperor Palpatine himself, can modify any of your dice rolls results once a round.

 

#4: You will never fly alone

Having been around for how many years, the game offer plenty of versions and variety, but the benefit of this is that it is a very popular tabletop game that comes with its own pool of players ready and willing to be your wingman.

You could do a shout out on the local X-Wing Facebook group to arrange a game, or head down to a local tabletop game store’s X-Wing Night, where you could meet friendly players play with new players with different play styles. In Singapore, you could easily find games at Gamersaurus Rex on Monday Nights, and Battle Bunker on Friday nights.

Also, you could link up with the different X-Wing communities around your area with the FaceBook pages for Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Australia.

Playing a game with a real person in front of you sure beats facing a monitor screen and yelling in a microphone, or mashing buttons to communicate. Of course, seeing them in real life also provides a unique experience, of having you relish every moment as they squirm while you decimate their starships, or when you execute a fancy flying maneuver to gain a tactical advantage. (Yep. I totally went over to the Dark Side there).

 

#5: You can fly casual in the X-Wing Miniatures competitive scene

One of the interesting part of X-Wing Miniatures is that there is already an active Competitive Scene here. In local tournaments, one can win rare promo items which can be worth quite a bit among collectors. I recall winning a pack of promo dice once, which are worth US$150 on eBay. These promo items are usually medals, alternate art cards, acrylic tokens and sometimes even special dice and acrylic templates. The official promo items are provided by the official game designer, Fantasy Flight Games, ensuring it has a certain value.

However, the best part about participating in a tournament is that you get to learn a lot from playing with different players. With the code of conduct of “Fly Casual” during tournaments, your opponent would be happy to guide you through the rules of the game too.

There is no need to worry about skill level, as X-Wing Miniatures also contains a luck factor, which is dependent on the roll of the dice. This even allows new players to defeat veterans with a few lucky critical rolls. Age does not matter either, as I have seen a young player get into one of the top 3 positions in a tournament before.

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Cheat Sheet on What to Buy

As there are many sets of X-Wing Miniatures out there, here’s Geek Culture’s cheat sheet on what to buy, based on the budget you might have. Do note these are recommended retail prices and you might be able to find a better deal at the local game shops.

Up to US$50
For US$39.90 you can get yourself the new The Force Awakens Core Set, which can be used to familiarize yourself with the game. The core set includes ships from both the New Resistance and The New Order.

Below US$100
For US$85, you can get a Regular X-Wing Core Set ($39.90), a Millennium Falcon Expansion (US$29.90) and the X-Wing Expansion (US$14.99).

With this set, you could form a classic 100 points set-up, comprising Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon, escorted by 2 X-Wings.

Up to US$150
With USD$115, you could get a Regular X-Wing Core Set (US$39.90), 2 TIE Fighter Expansions (US$29.98) + 1 x Slave 1 Expansion (US$29.98) and a TIE Phantom Expansion ($14.99).

With this set, you actually build 2 different Imperial squads by swapping the Slave 1 and TIE Phantom around. There’s either the Slave 1 with 4 TIE Fighters, or a TIE Phantom with 4 TIE Fighters.

If you fly a Slave 1 and 4 TIE Fighters, your TIE Fighters could fly in front of the Slave 1 to deal maximum damage at close range, while the Slave 1 provides an accurate long range artillery with its 4 attack dice heavy laser cannon.

If you prefer fancy flying, you could take this list for a spin while the mini TIE Fighter swarm go in to deal as much damage as possible. The TIE Phantom can flank and deal major damage to the enemy forces.

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GEEK CULTURE GIVEAWAY!

[UPDATE 19 October 2015: Winner Announcement! Congratulations to Marcus Leong! You won a Star Wars: The Force Awakens X-Wing Miniatures Game Core Set!]

Geek Culture is giving away the newly released Star Wars: The Force Awakens X-Wing Miniatures Game Core Set, which is everything you would need to start the game. This set retails for S$59.90 in Singapore, and US$39.90 on Amazon.

To have a chance to win the new Core set, simply do the following:

1. LIKE Geek Culture’s Facebook page here:
2. Leave a COMMENT below and tell us why you would like to play the X-Wing Miniatures Game.
3. Lastly, SHARE THIS POST and TAG a friend (or more) you would like to play the X-Wing Miniatures Game with:

The contest is open to all who are currently residing in Singapore, and closes on 18 October 2015 @23:59hrs. The lucky geek will be announced here and on our Facebook page by 19 October 2015. Good luck! And May the Force Be With You.