X-Wing Miniatures Game - Expansion Set 1

Fantasy Flight released the first wave of expansions for X-Wing simultaneously with the starter set. While two of the models are also in the starter set, all of the cards are new, so that means that there are lots of new pilots and upgrades!

The Big Gun in Wave 1 is the big man himself, the

Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader flying in his TIE Advanced X1.

The other new ship in this wave is the Y-Wing.

Yes, we get Dutch, but no Porkins. Somebody start an internet petition...

 

The expansion versions of the X-Wing and the TIE Fighter include 

new upgrades and pilots. Wedge is the big name here.

 The TIE pack includes 6 new pilots, with 3 unique ones...

 There is a lot of stuff included, and many hours of gaming ahead to figure out good combos of ships, pilots, and upgrades. And we are supposed to have Wave 2 by Christmas. Here's a few action shots to whet your appetite for more Star Wars...

 So get out there and get gaming!

X-Wing Is Here

The Star Wars X-WING Miniature Game from Fantasy Flight Games is at stores now (including Target). It is a fighter on fighter game quite similar to the popular Wings of Glory (formerly called Wings of War and formerly sold by Fantasy Flight...)

As you can see, the game comes with three ships, one X-Wing and two TIE fighters. The miniatures are fantastic. I was looking forward to this game, so I prepared a play mat as it comes with no board (you can play it right on the tabletop.) The box is small - 10x10x2 inches.

I found this great piece of Death Star art online and stitched a whole mess together in Photoshop. These Death Star Greebles are by Jedilaw. The graphics can be found here.


Back to the game... Let's see what is in the small box. Open it up and there are the thick cardstock tokens.

 
 Beneath that is the new FFG catalog.

Next is an ad for the single ship expansions and a quick play rules sheet. (Skip this if you have ever played a game more complicated that Risk.)

 

 Then the full rules. A .pdf of these and video tutorials are available at FFG here. The videos make it really easy to learn the basics.

Finally there are the special dice and the Damage, Pilot, and Upgrade cards. FFG has taken some flak for only including 3 of each kind of die when there are times when you need to roll 4. Strangely, FFG is offering a separate dice pack and a $5 app for dice rolling for their Star Wars games.

 Then there are the ships, the beautiful ships. With this starter you get 2 TIEs and 1 X-Wing. Luke Skywalker is one of the pilots, but since Darth Vader pilots a TIE Advanced, he is not one of the pilots in this game. Vader is one of the pilot cards in the TIE Advanced expansion pack.

The four sheets of tokens include asteroids and a shuttle to use in scenarios along with tokens for Target Lock, Critical Hits, Shields, etc. The Maneuver Dials have been punched out of the sheets below. Also on the sheets are Maneuver templates. These are cardboard sticks that measure the different movement choices the ships have.

Here are the Maneuver Dials. Each player chooses a move for each of their ships and then reveal it when it is their turn. FFG thoughtfully provided an extra set of the plastic pieces that holds the dial parts together.

Here is all the stuff in the box.

Oh, yeah... Did I say the model ships are pretty??? The ships are 1/270th scale and all the ships made for the game will be accurate to this scale.

For components quality and what you get in the box, I am satisfied. The models are very nice and compare well in cost and quality to Wings of Glory.

I would like more of the clear pegs to have more variety of elevations on the table, but that is a minor quibble. Someone will make them if FFG doensn't.

Next I will do an overview of the expansion packs...

Tannhäuser - RIP...

.

.

I have been madly crafting awesome stuff to screen in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con and missed this news - just saw it on Miah's site...

 FFG has announced that Tannhäuser is going on hiatus following the announced releases of the Union hero Edison, the Reich hero Frankenstahl, and the 2nd novel, "Operation: Night Eagle."

This is not a shock as I don't see the game on tables everywhere being played, but I am please they are going ahead with these last items. There really is a huge amount of stuff to play with for the game and I will enjoy it (as with Heroscape) for years to come.

Here are the final items to be released:

..

..

Tannhäuser Tuesday - Matriarchy Troops Released!

.

.

Fantasy Flight Games has released the Matriarchy Troop Pack!

From the Press Release:

"Punish the enemies of the Matriarchy in a hail of bullets and a storm of fire with the Matriarchy Troop Pack for Tannhäuser. This expansion gives you access to the Boepripacy Soldat and the Zazigag Soldat, and these new troopers open a whole wealth of strategies for the Matriarchy. With a large boost in available firepower, the forces of the motherland grow even stronger."

"Only the most faithful soldiers of the Matriarchy are promoted to Boepripacy Soldati. Tasked with the vital mission of carrying extra ammunition into battle, these troopers use their Supplier ability to give their allies Extra Ammunition tokens. This allows the recipient of the token to make an additional attack. Furthermore, this trooper wields the deadly PPSH-42 Double Drum Carbine, a gun that throws out an overwhelming amount of shots.

"Well known for their bravery in battle, the Zazigag Soldat uses the Gnev Bogov Ognemet to bathe enemies in deadly flames. While this flamethrower has a short range, it is capable of burning multiple targets. Since these troopers are often exposed to the flames of their own weapons, they wear flameproof armor that keeps them safe. This allows the Zazigag Soldati to spread their flames and defend the motherland without remorse.

Increase your firepower with the Matriarchy Troop Pack, an expansion for Tannhäuser. These troopers allow you to field a Matriarchy force without Voïvodes for the first time, and now you’ll be able to employ new strategies to secure victory. Pick up your troopers at your local retailer or order them from our webstore."

In other news, newer players, especially Von Heizinger fans, should enjoy the re-release of Yula, a terrific addition to the Reich forces.

I Feel Uchronic!

.

.

Tannhäuser Tuesday - The Shogunate Begins!

 .

.

Fantasy Flight was selling the first two packs of units for the Shogunate faction at Gen Con 2011, so I had to buy them and here they are...

As you may or may not know, the Shogunate faction introduces a new style of play called Allied Forces. This allows you to combine the Reich and Shogunate figures into a single force. The Matriarchy and the Union are also uneasy allies.

I am hoping that once the full Shogunate faction is released, this rule will be rescinded. I like the idea of 4 unique factions and the idea that when you bring your force to the table, you are not sure just who they would be facing.

First up is the leader of the Shogunate force, Iroh Minamoto. He is the Shogun's enforcer - known as "the Diamyo." His best attack is with his Special Object - a katana called Dual Soul, or Dyuaru Kontan. When using this weapon he add an extra die to the attack roll and each Natural 10 counts for two successes.

The second pack is the Shogunate Troops - the 3rd Division Ashigaru and the Shin Agent.

Also included is a new crate token - the Land Mine:

There is also a new pack for Hermann Von Heizinger:

.

.

.