A-Wings and B-Wings and TIEs Oh My

A-Wings are fun to fly

After our rousing game of Retro Raygun last week, Jon and I kept to our space theme and headed to a galaxy far, far away for a game of X-Wing. I hadn't played in a long time, and was very rusty on the rules. But in the end, we muddled through for a fun game.

Jon (who always seems to end up playing the bad guys!) took a pair of TIE Interceptors and one TIE Fighter, while I countered with a pair of A-Wings and a B-Wing. We just put some meteors on the table and started at opposite sides and went at it.

And, of course, the Rebels won. :)


We didn't play with any additional special attributes or anything. But we discovered the A-Wings are quite maneuverable, if a bit light on weaponry, while the B-Wing drives like a tank but if anything gets in its way it's toast. And the general commentary was the Empire clearly is not concerned with pilot safety. How about some shields here, your eminence?!

I'd like to get this one out more often. I've tried it with my kids with mixed results, but they are getting older now and may be able to handle it better. I did end up buying one of the starter sets for my nephew/brother-in-law for Christmas, so maybe I can get a game or two in there.



B-Wings = tanks

Gotcha!

This could get interesting....

Where'd all the TIEs go?

What If.... Han Didn't Even Make It to Episode VII?

We all have one of those moments. The one where despite the odds, the little fellas on the table top do the inexplicable, based on the whims of the dice.

In our circle, the classic example is the time my friend Ben's elite Hessian grenadiers ran screaming in terror from my rag tag American militia. (OK, Ben, roll anything BUT a 99 or 100...) Or the time my Scots Highlanders fled at the sight of some French in the Peninsula before even firing a shot.

Saturday, it was Jon's turn. He lost the Millennium Falcon. (Insert face palm here.)

Following our WW2 coastal game, he taught me how to play Star Wars X-Wing. I'd been wanting to try it out for a while, and I have to say, it's a blast! In the first game, he gave me an X-Wing and a B-Wing up against two TIEs and an TIE interceptor. Call it beginner's luck, but I blasted all three in no time.

So we decided to set up a "historical" scenario. He put Chewbacca in the pilot's seat of the Falcon, with Han and Luke at the guns as they tried to spirit Princess Leia away from the Death Star a la Episode IV. I took the TIEs, and let's just say the rebel base on Yavin's moon is secure since the Empire was unable to use the tracking device placed aboard the Falcon. And Vader never meets his son or daughter. Jabba never gets paid. Kylo Ren never gets born. You get the idea.

"I'm taking an awfully big risk with this, Vader."

He lost the Falcon!!! My dice rolls were uncommonly good in this one, and with only one defense die, he took hits almost every turn. Poor Chewie just couldn't get them out of the way!

So at 2-0, we set up game three, and his X-Wing and B-Wing took care of my TIEs in an asteroid field without much difficulty, saving some pride.

Overall, loved the game. It has a very elegant plot and move system, and the attack and defense mechanism is simple once you figure out what the symbols mean. We didn't go for any upgrades or anything, but I will. Since I will be getting this game. My kids and I are hooked on the Rebels series, so we'll for sure want the Ghost and Inquisitor's TIE fighter.

And did I mention the minis are gorgeous? Verrrry impressive detail with exceptional paint jobs. Good stuff!

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of February game day coming soon...