Three years and one month ago I reviewed the X-Wing Miniatures Game from Fantasy Flight Games. I was quite taken with it but what made me love the game was the gradual – albeit slow – release of very groovy expansion packs.
It didn’t take me long to acquire a full squadron of fighters, the Millennium Falcon, the Rebel Transport and the Tantive IV. So, you know, just a couple of things.
The new movie (and the chucking out of the entire expanded universe) means updated rules and, of course, new models. This time, however, it’s the Resistance and the First Order rather than the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Rest assured the old stuff is compatible with what is essentially second edition X-Wing Miniatures Game.
Now I’m going to say something fairly unpopular: I don’t like the new X-Wing design. Whilst the logical part of my brain accepts that in 30 years the design would have moved on, the emotional part is too attached to the original.
It’s the T-70 now rather than the T-65 and basically looks like the Z-95 Headhunter and the concept X-Wing got freaky. Which I could more or less live with that if the wings didn’t split down the middle. It’s a gimmick and it’s absurd. Now, before I get flamed/blasted into oblivion I know I’m complaining about the design of a fictional snubfighter of which the original is just as absurd but there are some lines I don’t feel can be crossed.
The standard of the models has been upped since the original X-Wing Miniatures Game core box. The pre-paint was distinctly okay and the laser cannons on the T-65 X-Wing was troublingly flimsy. I have 4 of them and every time I lift them from the case a little bit of poo comes out.
The T-70 (or lesser) X-Wing is definitely made from sterner stuff and the casting is better quality too, with no noticeable warping on the lasers either. The paint job is better but it’s helped along by by less detail in some areas but more in others. Either way it looks a more polished piece than the T-65 that came in the original core box.
The TIE/FO Fighters are resplendent in their new, sinister, black paint job, just in case it wasn’t clear they were bad guys. Although when you get down to it all J J Abrams and co have done is reverse the colours of the original. They did make the cockpits red which is all very groovy but, other than giving TIE pilots the option of developing their photos between engagements there’s nothing new.
At least not on the surface. The rules haven’t changed much. They’re been tidied up considerably and the layout is so much better than the first rulebook – which was shit – so it’s readable. Which is nice.
A big tick in the Woot column for the new X-Wing Miniatures Game is the reference guide. It’s actually thicker than the roles but summarises rules and includes all the various different special rules and maneuvers too. This is an absolute God-send, saving a good hour off every game as players fumble about with their cards, reading the rule then carefully returning them to the table with all the appropriate counters and cards that were placed on them.
As silly as it sounds, that’s one of the things to be most excited about with this new core set because it’ll make the flow of play so much smoother. It’ll also stop you from forgetting that all important action you can take to pull your boys out of the fire or turn the tables at the pivotal moment. I’ve lost count of the number of times a Koigan turn has won me the day.
The cardboard has had a tidy up as well with the addition of damage counters to scatter liberally across the board as shit gets serious. Whilst useful it’s yet another counter in an already counter heavy game.
What is slightly odd – although I know the reason why – is TIE/FOs come with a shield. Now I know a lot of Imperial players (dogs to a man) complained that TIEs were too flimsy but the issue was more that they were too expensive, even for the shit ones. Adding a shield makes them way too durable. Throw in the fact that the T-70 X-Wing now has 3 shields instead of 2 all they’ve achieved is making the game take longer to play because the durability is a wash.
One must assume that the TIE/FO in The Force Awakens has shields which rather forces Fantasy Flight’s hands for rule writing for the X-Wing Miniatures Game. The joys of a licensed product. Either way, it makes the TIE/FO quite nasty when fronting off against the T-65 and other Galactic Civil War era fighters. Based on the rumblings coming from Fantasy Flight, other ships will be coming out at a faster pace than the movies which means a few glimpses of starship related grooviness before they’re seen on the big screen.
Beyond the rules tidy-up and a reference guide that makes me want to kiss Jay Little on the mouth, there’s a few additions that are worth mentioning – namely upgrade cards and critical damage.
The critical damage cards are far more pilot focussed which hampers, rather than cripples, the ship taking the damage. It’s a very nice touch and makes the game far more cinematic and prevents critical damage from unbalancing the game.
The upgrade cards have a couple of star players in the form of Astromechs. They’re mad and obviously intended to garner favour with fans for the upcoming movie but screw it, they’re well worth taking. BB-8 (the new droid beach ball) gives you a free barrel roll with every green maneuver. Which is amazing and only costs 2 points!
If you’re new to the X-Wing Miniatures Game this is a great place to start. The rule clarifications, the awesome reference book and the upgrades make it a far stronger offering than the original. The models are a preference thing. I prefer the rules and the design of the Galactic Civil War era stuff but there’s nothing wrong with The Force Awakens models. Far from it as the quality of the models is superior. Not leagues better but still better.
If, however, you’re already got a bunch of X-Wing stuff and feel like your collection is complete…buy it anywhere. Bringing together all the rules from the various expansions is worth the money, let alone the new models and new damage cards.
The X-Wing Miniatures Game: The Force Awakens is available from Firestorm Games priced £26.99.
