For the past couple of years I've resisted buying the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game. I have a decent sized collection of Star Wars Miniatures: Starship Battles (SWM: SB) consisting of both starships and fighters.
However, I came across an expansion pack that sparked my interest in the game. I'll discuss what motivated me to alter my thinking in the next Product Review post.
For now, I'll give you my impressions of the core game, which consists of 1 x Rebel X-Wing and 2 x Imperial TIE Fighters. The game also consists of specialized dice, colorful data cards, figure stands, and playing aids; along with a quick start and standard rule booklet. The 28-page rules can be downloaded as a PDF, courtesy of Fantasy Flight Games (FFG).
The miniatures themselves are finely-detailed and pre-painted, made of hard plastic. I was hoping the figures would be the same size as Wizards of the Coast's (WotC) discontinued line of SWM: SB, but they're noticeably larger.
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| Left: A TIE Fighter from FFG's Star Wars X-Wing Right: The same TIE Fighter from WotC's Star Wars Miniatures |
Not too much larger though. It may even be possible to integrate the WotC figures with the FFG ones, provided some enterprising wargamer has created the appropriate playing aids.
The quality of FFG's figures is an improvement over the WotC's ones. The hard plastic ensures the miniatures are straight. They may be more brittle, than the softer WotC ones, but they don't obviously droop either.
Star Wars X-Wing retails for $39.99, but can be found cheaper in on-line stores like the Miniature Market. I purchased my set from Apocalypse Gaming Center in the McChord Field Base Exchange. The store offers a 10% off, military discount for active duty members and retirees. But you don't skip out on paying WA State sales tax.
Yeah, I could have saved even more money going buying from the Miniature Market, especially since it offers free shipping on orders over $99. But I like supporting game stores in my local area too. And since expansion packs, usually containing one figure, run from anywhere from $9.99 to $61.49, not to mention all the plethora of Litko Game Accessories, it's easy to rack up an order well beyond the $99 Threshold.
Yup. I'm speaking from experience.
I'm happy with my purchase because I intend to incorporate some (most?/all?) of the game mechanics into my slow-brewing Star Wars Legacy Era campaign.
The reviews on Amazon.com are overwhelmingly positive: 131 x 5-star and 35 x 4-star ratings. There are however, an even dozen of less-than-stellar reviews (7 x 3-stars, 3 x 2-stars and 2 x 1-star reviews).
While my first impressions of Star Wars X-Wing is good, I think the "meh" raters may have a point. Unless you are a Star Wars fan, as I am, then the game may indeed be a less-than-exciting session of: Move ships, roll dice, repeat.
Let the Force (along with your personal finances and available storage space) guide you in deciding whether or not to buy Star Wars X-Wing.
2 comments:
We picked up the X-wing game for the lad a few years ago and never looked back. It is a great game we can play as a family. I think some of the naysayers about the game lean more to the competitive side. I am looking forward to the getting the Scum and villany expansion, it is going to add even more flavor to the game.
I'm glad X-Wing has proved to be a great family game for you Col. I think you're right about the competitive-leaning critics of the game. They're probably not as interested in immersing themselves into Star Wars lore like us fan-based players are. I'll keep an eye out for the Scum & Villainy Expansions too!
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