Thread:Wazat/@comment-27613051-20161214021819/@comment-454133-20161214081755

Hi Nate! Welcome to the wiki. I'm delighted to help, and thank you for your compliments. There are lots of other excellent people here who I'll bet would love to jump in offer their advice too (many of them are better at the game than I am), but let me get the ball rolling.

Also, I apologize in advance for the novel-length reply. I'm... I'm notorious for these. ;)

Which ships you'll enjoy most comes down to play style, and possibly which ships or pilots excite you from a lore or visual standpoint. In terms of play style, for example, turreted ships like the Millennium Falcon and Decimator tend to be easier to use and have a distinct way of playing, but ships that rely on their arcs like X-Wings and TIEs are better practice for the really advanced strategies (and the majority of ships, as turrets are a limited breed). Some ships are slow, others are absurdly fast, some are great at turning, others... haha not so much (I'm looking at youuu, Lamba Shuttle and Hound's Tooth!).

If you can pick up a smattering of ships for very cheap, you can get a good feel for which ones you like most. Lots of the new ships have seasoned players very excited because they're so distinct from what came before, but we're quite fond of the classic ships as well (I just won a store game last week with a fleet of two T-65 X-Wings and a HWK and loved playing it). And those classic ships are cheaper and often more available, both new and used, because they've been out for so long. For new, I'd recommend watching Miniature Market and Cool Stuff Inc for their sales, and see if anyone on Facebook, E-Bay, etc is selling a ship you like for cheap (other people here may have better recommendations). Just make sure they're in good condition, particularly the maneuver dial, base and model (and that the cards aren't missing, etc). I've picked up some used ships from people who mostly play Warhammer and had to choose one tabletop game or the other; I gave them a fair price (35% MSRP) and we both came out happy. So keep your eye out for the occasional good deal, but keep a level head, e.g. with sketchy ebay profiles run by mustache-twirling salesmen. ;)

Very important: don't go overboard early on -- a game like this makes it very easy to buy too much. This comes from personal experience too -- for example, I grabbed 3 e-wings and I basically never use 'em. Mistakes were made.  ;)  Though I'm fairly happy with my purchases overall, I still try to pace purchaces out.  It's helped me to appreciate my ships more by buying them one or two at a time (and it's saved my wallet).  I recommend you buy just a few ships as you're getting started, see what styles you like best, and use that to guide your future purchases.

So to dabble and learn what you like (and learn how to use various ships), my ship starter recommendations are: a turreted ship, an interceptor, an ordnance ship, a large ship, a support ship, and one or two scrub ships. Probably one, max two, per category for now (and consider spacing your purchases over the coming months, instead of buying all at once unless you're sure). Also it's possible for one ship to cover multiple categories.

(Note that this is by no means an exhaustive list, and other people will have their own recommendations)

Turreted ships offer a distinct play style and you should have at least some way to play with one and feel it out. Consider getting  a Millenium Falcon, Decimator, Y-Wing, or HWK. Note I'm saying or here, not and... don't let me talk you into a wallet-wrecking splurge. ;)  K-Wings are a lot of fun too, and they don't appear to be out of stock anymore (I didn't used to recommend them to new players because they were only available at scalped prices).

I'd also recommend getting some sort of agile interceptor, like an A-Wing, TIE Interceptor, TIE Advanced, TIE/fo Fighter, maybe a Protectorate Starfighter, StarViper or Kihraxz for scum, etc. Knowing full well the irony of apophasis, I refuse to mention the TIE Defender because I hate it. ;)  But seriously, maybe wait on the TIE Defender since it can be a lot of not fun to fight against it while learning the game, and getting used to it can make learning other ships a bit harder (you get too used to those white k-turns).  Also I hate TIE Defenders; it's just that personal.  Hahaha I'm kidding!

(I'm not kidding)

Another interesting play style is ordnance ships, which carry one or more missiles, torpedoes, and/or bombs. Good options include the TIE Bomber, B-Wing, Firespray-31, K-Wing, Decimator, Millenium Falcon, TIE Punisher, Z-95, and the X-Wing or T-70 X-Wing that comes in your core set.

You may also enjoy dabbling in a large ship like the Millenium Falcon, Decimator, Jumpmaster, YV-666, or Firespray. Large boats often have crew or other helpful slots, lots of health, large sizes for blocking, etc. They also require you to think about your maneuvers differently because they are inherently faster than small ships with the same maneuver speed thanks to the larger base, and they are wider and more likely to bump enemy ships, ally ships, and obstacles.

Support ships like the HWK, Jumpmaster, Scyk ,  Lambda Shuttle, YV-6666, and TIE Bomber (e.g. with the TIE Shuttle title) often provide useful abilities like their pilot abilities, distant fire support, helpful crew, ability to block enemy movements or inhibit their shots, etc. Even TIE Fighters and other common ships can play support roles. Good supports tend to be reasonably cheap in squad points, moderately durable, and able to help the fleet in more ways than directly damaging enemy ships.

Finally, you'll want at least one or two scrub ships (no offense intended to said scrubs, it's just the term I use). What I call a scrub is a cheap, low pilot skill ship that can fill up points in a fleet, or be used to strategically bump ships, flank, eventually fly in swarms, deliver ordnance very cheaply, etc. The TIE Fighters in the Core starting set work great for this, as do Z-95s and Scyks. I'm snarky with the name Scrub, but these ships play a bigger role that you might initially expect. Use them well and they're very helpful. Also worth noting, some ships I'd label scrubs become arc-dodging aces with a more expensive pilot.

I suppose one more category for later is special firing arcs. You might consider a Special Forces TIE, ARC-170, Firespray, maybe a Lancer or YV-666. But again, don't go overboard right now (many of these are more pricey options, and more advanced play styles). It may be best to dabble with other ships first, unless one of these particularly excites you. I also recommend doing this dabbling before you think about buying the huge ships (like the Imperial Raider), as they're quite the financial investment (unless you get them dirt-cheap used), and quite a bit more complicated to use. And higher squad point games are inherently slower, which isn't the best introduction to the game. (though some people might vehemently disagree with my opinion in this matter)

You'll notice there's a lot of overlap (ships repeated in multiple categories), as some ships can change roles or cover multiple roles based on how you equip them. These should be great first buys. And some ships are more rounded than others (for example, the T-65 or T-70 X-Wing are pretty solid ships). Likewise if you'd like to dabble in the Scum faction, I'd recommend starting with the Most Wanted Expansion. It will let you double-use some empire and rebel ships you might be purchasing: Firespray, Z-95, Y-Wing, and HWK. This lets you play Scum fleets and maybe buy an independent scum ship or two without having to dive more expensively into the faction to get enough ships for a variety of fleets. The ship's dials are the same, and if you're fine with proxied pilots (see below), you shouldn't need to spend money on extra rebel expansions of the scum ships it gives you (y-wing and z-95).

So just as an example, if you wanted all three factions, a good start might be some combination of: Most Wanted, maybe a Rebel Z-95/Y-Wing/HWK and/or Imperial Firespray, TIE Interceptor and/or TIE Bomber, Millennium Falcon, and eventually Rebel Aces, TIE Advanced, and/or a StarViper. I should mention though that even though scum is fun, if you're cash-strapped it would be easier to stick to the rebel and empire factions at first. Another way to do it is for different friends to focus on buying different factions, though that depends on you and your buddies favoring separate factions and being willing to share when you want to fly something else.

If you're especially interested in ship pairs like A-Wing + B-Wing, or Millennium Falcon + T-70 X-Wing, there are some combo expansions like Rebel Aces that might be less than or close to the price of buying individually. If you're into model painting, you can also paint them yourself to give them a personal touch, though I can tell you, painting can be a lot of work and a lot of initial expense, especially if you're not passionate about it. ;)

Once you know which ships you like, you might decide you want to buy a 2nd or 3rd copy of some so you can fly them together in a fleet, or against each other. Another T-65 X-Wing or more TIE Fighters, the other Core Set (First Order with the TIE/fo and T-70 X-Wing), the T-70 expansion, etc might appeal to you. You'll know this best after playing with your starter ships for a while.

Also, if you're not going to be playing in tournaments, don't worry too much about buying expansions for their upgrade cards. Even most game stores don't care if you have all the cards, as long as it's not a tournament for money. You can just proxy them, meaning you don't own the card and instead print something out with its text on it. I like to use the X-Wing Squadron Builder, which lets you design a fleet and print it out with all the rules text (including newest errata that's changed what the card says). I have all the ships (and extra copies of many of them), but I still use a builder and print my fleets for convenience. It's fine to proxy pilots too. Models and their maneuver dials are harder to proxy, of course, as are some mine tokens (e.g. cluster mines). Ship bases with special arcs can't be substituted with another ship's base, either. But particularly early on, focusing on buying expansions for their ships and not worrying about owning all the upgrades will save you a lot of cash, and likely allow you to enjoy the game more.

In terms of how to get better at the game, practice is your greatest ally. The more you play, the more you'll get a feel for where the maneuver templates will take you, how much you can gamble with the dice odds or maneuvers, what ships and upgrades work best together, and especially... what your opponent is thinking.

I also recommend that any time you're getting comfortable, push your limits. Gamble with maneuvers, push yourself to take crazy risks, etc. You learn the maneuvers best when you are pushing yourself just a little bit outside what you're sure you can pull off safely. You're rarely allowed to measure in X-Wing before actual performance; this game is a theater of the mind. The better you develop your instincts through experience, the more effective you'll be. Learning how to block foes by making them bump, or filling space with ships to limit their options, is also something you'll learn to do better as you get a feel for your ships and your opponents' ships.

And then there's the highest level play, getting into your opponent's head and knowing what he'll do before he knows it. ;)  This too is a matter of practice, thinking ahead, pushing your limits and taking risks.  That includes risky choices during the game, and perhaps risky fleet designs.  You're playing casual, so it's easier to play around and make constructive mistakes.

Once you do have the opportunity to play at a game store, you'll meet people who are objectively better than you are. This is awesome. The people who are ridiculously good at this game teach me the most, and it's a good day when I lose but learn something amazing that I'd never thought of. Using the Jumpmaster's barrel roll to block enemies and deny their action and shot, while the rest of the fleet cleans up foes on the other side of the map? I learned that from a pro who walked all over me, and he was a good sport and fun to talk to.

Which I suppose is one of my favorite aspects of X-Wing: Great community, and even losing is fun. I think that if you can lose a game to a superior opponent and have a great time doing it, it's a good night. ^_^

I hope that helps! And other people here will definitely have different recommendations -- I hope they'll share them.