Showcase: Star Wars - X Wing

Hello people, the possibly long awaited second installment of the series. 

I'm already diverging a touch as I don't play SW-XW so thus is a relatively second account based on a couple of games that I've sat in on and a few chats about how it differs from STAW, which I do play.

A few weeks ago I went without a game down at the club one Tuesday night and sat on the end of the table as Mr C and Shado tried out an Epic game with the Tantive IV making an appearance.

First off the mechanics of the game are the Flightpath system that features in STAW with the same Action system and stat setup. So far so good and my expectation was that it would be more maneuver with a touch less firepower. Again so far so good.

I've previously commented that I felt STAW has more variation across its five factions and a host of independents but a more abused meta. I recently discovered that SW-XW has even less of an issue as a lot of pilots and upgrades are strictly ship specific. I've come to the conclusion at this makes the SW-XW meta far more stable which would seem to mean that further waves of releases can be developed far more as envisaged rather than being abused to cover the balanced weaknesses. More and more I find myself readign through the latest release fluff.

It is still "just" two factions going at each other and there seems to be far less scenario play, especially at events. I have however noticed a steady schedule of more focused releases and was impressed, when I sat in, by the sheer variety of ships, there seem to be far less obvious choices.

EDIT: Sourcing links I notice the announcement of a third, Scum and Villany faction.

Showcase: Star Wars - X-Wing: (Fantasy Flight)

Fast and visceral, X-Wing puts you in the middle of fierce Star Wars firefights. Use each craft’s unique maneuver dial to secretly plot its movement action for each turn. After each player has locked in his movement decisions, the dials are revealed and ships are moved starting with the lowest skilled pilots. Pepper the enemy with blaster fire as you rush into the dogfight, or move into combat range slowly, attaining deadly target locks before you launch a devastating attack. No matter your plan of attack, you’ll be in total control throughout the tense action.

The Good;

-  FlightPath™ and the wider SW-XW mechanic is a strong, simple one qualifying for the "minutes to learn, a lifetime to master" stamp of approval.
- The IP is very well managed with the character of Star Wars and all your favourite characters and scenes, from the books as well as the films, well represented focusing on the original trilogy.
- The Meta is equally as well managed and far less abusable. Release waves are well balanced introducing new tactics and strategies.
- Epic Play expands the game and brings the big ships into the game in a managable way strengthening the strategic side of the game and fleetbuilding.

The Bad;
- It's still just two sides and surely that has a limited scope, even Scum and Villany can only add so much. Thankfully there are no Gungans just yet :)
- There's somethign of a lack of organised play outside of fan run stuff  with most games and tournaments seemingly straight shoot-ups amongst the asteroid field.
- It's a good touch more expensive than STAW once you start getting into the bigger ships with a Tantive IV RRPing at £75.

My Ugly;
This is the game I rejected to play STAW instead feeling that STAW was more "rounded" as a game. In hindsight I stand by that but now feel that SW-XW is the more balanced game and has developed into a much more complete game.
Sounds like I'm trying to talk myself into it.......would want some scenario play though :)

Showcase: Star Trek Attack Wing

Hello people,

It's been a bit "emotional" recently, involving a brief bit of unplanned surgery (in an uncomfortable place), but that's all dealt with now and I have a few recovery days at home which means a bit of bonus TOYS-time.

So far this has involved a fair bit of Red Dead Redemption - Undead Nightmare, which makes a lot more sense now having played the license in order. Being a bit between project I've also had a bit of a sort-out of the pile and a clean-up of the painting station. My Moria troll has turned up but a shortage of green stuff means that he isn't in one piece yet.

What I have been doing recently is playing a fair bit of STAW, Star Wars Attack Wing, which has been becoming one of my games of choice, and inspired what might become a semi regular Showcase set of posts. We'll see.

Showcase: Star Trek Attack Wing (Wizkids)

Star Trek: Attack Wing is a tactical space combat HeroClix miniatures game, featuring collectible pre-painted ships from the Star Trek Universe. Utilizing the FlightPath™ maneuver system, command your fleet in space combat & customize your ship with a Captain, crew, weapons and tech upgrades.

Players engage in exploration and combat, traversing sprawling Star Trek space maps made available via an in-store Organized Play program. As commander, players have the ability to customize, upgrade, and assign famous crewmembers to their fleets, which feature ships from the series' prominent empires and forces as well as special stats and abilities, and unique maneuvers on separate Combat Dials.


The Good;

-  FlightPath™ and the wider STAW mechanic is a strong, simple one qualifying for the "minutes to learn, a lifetime to master" stamp of approval.
- The IP is very well managed with the character of Star Wars and the respective factions coming through well. Klingons have flying guns, Feds are very adaptable, Romulans are stealth orientated.
- Wizkids are providing plenty of support with Organised Play events packed full of participation goodies as well as winner prizes.
- The release waves are fairly even and keeps the meta fresh with constantly evolving forces and tactics.
- Price point is pretty good. £100 will set you up very well and you can do it for less than that. At just over a £10 per ship it's decent value and something you can manage well.


The Bad;
- The meta tends to lean towards power combos and lists more than other games and tends to dominate the OP scene. The ease with which you can mix factions can inspire a fair bit of Nerd-Rage.
- The OP prize structure is nice but some of the stuff is a bit too good and creates something of an armss race via E-Bay which doesn't sit well with many.
- The release schedule and OP packs have been subject to regular delay and lack of availability with some territories favoured over others. Once again E-Bay types have taken advantage

My Ugly;
This is a game that I initially steered away from unconvinced by the game itself and not being the biggest Trek-head, much more a Star-gamer. However, playing a few games of both STAW and X-Wing changed my mind. As much as I might have preferred it the other way round I feel that STAW is by far the more rounded game, offering more variation of strategy and tactics across a number of levels.

Most of all it's a good fun game that has converted an anti-Trek sceptic in to regular OP play and owner of the "Kirk" films box set. I still don't like Next-Gen, no game's that good ;), but that's fun because I at least get to try and space Ol Slaphead and the Bearded Gitbag!

Happy days!