Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game 1st Edition CORE SET - Engage in Epic Space Battles! Strategy Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 14+, 2 Players, 30-45 Minute Playtime, Made by Atomic Mass Games

I am writing a series of reviews of the X-Wing Miniatures expansions. My criteria for reviewing each expansion is how well it can be used in a standard 100-point game, as well as the usefulness of the included upgrade cards. I do not consider the mission (if one is included). My ratings are based on the fighter's usefulness in semi-competitive play. If you just want the model and don't care so much about its usefulness in competition, I will offer a blanket review that all of these miniatures are outstanding for the price. They come pre-painted, and are usually very-well detailed. On to the play review: This is the game that starts it all. There is another, more recent core set, based on the ships and characters from "The Force Awakens." This one is just fine to get started playing X-wing miniatures. Everything you need is included in this box. So you can conceivably tell yourself that if you don't like it, then you're only out $40, and if you do like it, that's all you need to spend to have a good time. The box is an incredible value, and can suffice as its own expansion pack if you want to supplement your X-wing or Tie Fighter squadrons. There are pilots, upgrade cards, and droids available in the single X-wing and Tie Fighter packs that do not come in the base set, and vice versa, however. The box comes with: Maneuver templates, range ruler, attack dice, defense dice, Determination and Marksmanship elite pilot talent cards, Proton Torpedo upgrade card, two astromech upgrade cards for your X-wing (R2-D2 and R2-F2), asteroid tokens, four X-wing pilots, six Tie Fighter Pilots, one X-wing miniature, two Tie Fighter miniatures, all the necessary cardboard tokens needed to play, a basic and full rulebook, a book with three mission scenarios for the three included ships, and a deck of damage cards (note: the damage deck in the newer Force Awaken core set is different, and is the one currently used by the competitive community. The one in this set is just fine, however, and will not stop you from enjoying a good game of X-wing. It's just not the one used in tournaments and such.) Base set boxes like this can often be far more expensive. For the price and for the quality of the gameplay, this is one of the best miniature gaming sets out there. Gameplay is easy to pick up with the basic rulebook, but where the game really becomes fun is when you add asteroids and upgrades. There is only so much you can do with the included miniatures, however, and you can't come close to reaching the 100 points that are used in a standard game. In some ways, it is actually harder to play a game with just one X-Wing and two Tie Fighters on a 3'x3' play area (standard size) than with full 100-point squads. You may want to consider playing on just a 2'x2' area if you're just playing with the core set. That will be up to your gaming group. Or, once you discover how much fun the game is, gradually add some expansion packs to round out your squad. I am posting reviews of each one of the expansions. The included missions in this set add a bit of depth, but we have found them to be a bit unbalanced and badly tested overall, and we hardly use the missions included in this set or the expansions. That's all I will say about missions throughout this product line. Again, everything you need to play the game is included in this box, and it is easy to learn, and fun. A game using just this set can last up to an hour, but that is very rare. However, once you start playing with 100-point squads, you'll find that, if you don't use a timer (one hour is standard, after which points are counted), it can take as long as two hours to achieve absolute victory (no enemies left on the board). One of the more frustrating things about this game is set-up and breakdown. It takes quite a bit of time to get your miniatures, all of your pilot and upgrade cards, and the starfield set up. It takes just as much time to break everything down once the game is done. Count on adding at least half an hour to the time spent actually playing. Be warned: this game is highly addictive, and can be a gateway into spending hundreds of dollars on expansions. Even if you are determined to stick to one faction (Empire, Scum, or Rebels), you will find that there are upgrade cards available only through one particular expansion or another, forcing you to buy it whether you want the actual ship or not. Another frustration is that Fantasy Flight does not adequately playtest their expansions. Some go to the market only for players to discover that they are massively overpowered, or absolutely useless in competition. Fantasy Flight then either changes the rules to nerf the ship (say, for example, the Tie Phantom), or releases an expensive expansion with additional upgrades that are basically a patch (such as for the Tie Defender). These issues do not stop the base set from being a fun introduction to X-Wing Miniatures. It is probably my favorite game.

For anyone who likes board games, miniature games or Sci Fi in general or Star Wars in particular, this is a great, fun, simple game that can be a beer 'n' pretzels affair or deeply tactical if you want it to be The core mechanics of the game are simple and easy to to master, but the expansions and your approach can turn it into a complex and challenging tactical game that stacks up with the best of them. I bought several starter sets as the value is excellent - 3 models each time - and a large group game is loads of fun with all sorts of little ships zipping around. While not necessary, to add that extra dimension I recommend hunting down a star field map or getting a Hubble telescope image printed - much more thematic than just a plain table top, but not essential. The presentation and build of the models and included card stock pieces is first rate. If you have multiple sets or to avoid confusion with other players if you plan on going out into the world with your gaming, I recommend running a coloured marker along the edges of you card stock pieces so you can identify them easily. If you are particularly concerned about maintaining their look, you can also spray lacquer them. The packaging protective and re-usable so if you want, there is no need to get a carry case if you don't have too many models. I splurged and got a carry case with foam cut to suit to cope with the growing collection, but again not essential. The delivery & pricing I received from Amazon was better than just about everywhere else. Grab a couple box sets, and have loads of fun. The B Wing adds some awesome capabilities to the game and really kicks but in play!

I had been looking at this game for a few months and finally broke down and bought it with a B-wing expansion. I loved this game so much I had ordered another bunch of expansions within three days of my first game and had one of every expansion within a month (waves 1-3). Now I'll be the first to admit the core set isn't much fun by itself, however building your squadrons to your tastes is the strongest component of the game. There are literally hundreds of squadron lists on the internet with their own types of play and strategy. Before you get the idea that this is some money grubbing scheme from the manufacturer this is one of the cheapest tabletop game to get into, powerful tournament lists can be had for under a hundred dollars including the core set. This game is rather young and there simply hasn't been time for many expansions to come out, only 12 ships are available at the moment with 6 new ones on the horizon. Everything in the game feels very balanced, a lot of thought and testing has gone into every facet of every ship and upgrade and so far there has been no power creep to speak of. Each ship also has a different feel to it and will lend themselves to drastically different strategies and combinations with the upgrades. The physical models and the art on the cards is incredibly detailed and gorgeous to look at. The fiberboard templates and tokens are durable and will last many games even though there are third party acrylic alternatives. Game-play itself boils down to planning movement, moving/actions, and attacking. You basically have to guess the other players movement options and even though the possible movements are limited there is just enough to make it strategic. Attacking is more or less chance although you have the ability to stack the odds in your favor. There are quite a few rules and it takes a game or two to get a good feel of them, I recommend reading the manual completely and playing a game or two then reading the manual again as some are quite subtle and the actual wording is very important. Young children might have some difficulty and the models themselves are fragile so I wouldn't recommend for anyone below 10 or so. This is not the game for everyone but it should be fairly clear if you would like it or not, the bottom line is if you think you would enjoy this game get it because the makers did a great job making a fun, surprisingly deep, and growing game.

Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game: 2 Players*, Ages 14+, Average Play Time = 20+ Minutes First, I would like to commend Fantasy Flight Games for making such an excellent video tutorial (via the official website). I showed it to my son Vinnie to give him an idea of what the game was like and he watched it without saying a word, as if he were entranced. Afterwards, he said excitedly, "Sure, I'll play that with you!" The video doesn't cover all of the content found in the manual, but sums up the game nicely. Well done! While the video does a great job at giving an overview of gameplay, there's still a bit of a learning curve when it comes to remembering what all of the abilities and actions do. New players may require a few playthrus to get a feel on how some of these abilities and actions work and when to use them. The manual is twenty-eight pages long, though to be fair, there are diagrams to help drive a few mechanics home and not all of it is gameplay related. Luckily, knowing all of the abilities and actions is not required to win...new players can explore as they go, mastering an ability here or learning about an action there. The kids and I actually did exactly that, and the first game was just as fun and engaging as the next. I also appreciate how the ship classes and their specific characteristics were included in this game. I've played X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance (all on the PC)...needless to say, I became familiar with how a lot of the ships in the Star Wars universe acted in combat. While the X-Wing is bulkier and slower to turn than a TIE Fighter, it has shields. Fans of the ships of the Star Wars universe will appreciate the detail and how they play in this game. If I had one gripe, it would be the cost of the core game and the expansions. As of 9/19/12, the game was going for about $39.99 at Target, though I purchased it off of Amazon for about $33. Each expansion was about $15 and I purchased four of them through Amazon as well. As someone who loves larger space battles, I didn't feel that one X-Wing and two TIE Fighter models were enough to warrant a $39.99 price tag for the core game. When you add it all up, you can be spending a little under a $100, which is quite the investment. Though, I admit, as a newcomer to the miniatures genre, this could be the standard. I also would have liked a way to store the expansions in the main box, similar to what Summoner Wars did with their insert. As it stands, my four expansions are in four separate baggies...not a big deal, but the plastic models are a bit fragile. I thought about removing the insert from the main box to fit everything, but the rectangular hole in the box lid would need sealed off in some manner to prevent the pieces from escaping. I would have been happier with a bigger box and thus more room to properly fit everything in one place. Regarding the expansions, they were a lot of fun to play and my favorite thus far has to be the Y-Wing. It sports an ion cannon that can "disable" an enemy ship within a certain radius...that is...it flies straight ahead without the ability to much else. This can allow other ships approaching it to get some easy shots off while the Y-Wing flies away out of harms way. The TIE Advanced can be just as deadly, seeing as how it can sport shields, concussion missiles, and is a fairly nimble craft. It looks like there are more expansions in the works (as of 9/19/20) that includes the A-Wing, TIE Interceptor, Millennium Falcon, and Slave I...needless to say I'm excited. I wouldn't mind a B-Wing, Z-95, TIE Defender, TIE Bomber...the list could go on. Vinnie (11) and Anthony (16) both loved the game and the idea behind the miniatures. They were able to customize their forces how they wanted and enjoyed trying out different combinations. The challenge I had in my games with them was how I thought they might maneuver each turn so that I could play a maneuver that would put me into a favorable position once movement was resolved. At one point it turned into a never-ending loop of, "knowing that he knows that I know that he knows, he might go this way...however...", but still, it was all in good fun. Regardless of the cost, the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game and the four expansions I mentioned were fun to play and offers a lot in terms of replayability. The fact that there is no board allows players to use maneuvers to their fullest, opening up quite a bit of different strategies depending on the situation. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase as I intend to bring it out every chance I get and experiment with different ship /pilot / squad combinations. If you're a fan of those old school video games that I mentioned earlier or just like a good dogfight, then you should seriously look into this game.

Go ahead... let your inner geek out and buy this game! You can just play with this core set and have a blast. OR, you can start buying the expansions and have even MORE fun with all the ships and characters you grew up with. Then, you'll have to go to group therapy and admit you have a problem. Trust me, that's how it works with X-Wing. The game really is a ton of fun and is good for adults and can be modified (don't play with ability cards) to play with kids. My son is 7 and he loves it; we now play with full rules, etc. and he's into it. While it is the perfect scratch to your geeky itch, it can be a good game for those who aren't totally obsessed with Star Wars as well as it is very much like chess without a board... but with proton torpedoes. Strategy, options and thinking moves ahead are great skills that are developed while playing this game. The GOOD: The pre-painted minis look amazing and are good quality, artwork is colorful and detailed, both cards and cardboard pieces are good heavy quality, has materials to play squad vs. squad (or 2-on-1 in the case of just the core set) or you can play one of several scenario based games. Also has a "starter game" to help you learn how to play... sorta. See below. The NOT-SO-GOOD (can't really say "bad"): Just put the rules book next to your bed and read it over a couple of evenings. It's not a game you are going to be ready to play 10 minutes after opening the box; the devil is in the details and you kinda need to know most of the details to keep the game running once you start playing. But, like most things, once you get in the rhythm or you've encountered a problem for the first time, it'll quickly be old hat. Set up takes a while so if your kid is chomping at the bit to play, you just have to hope they haven't moved on to something else once you are all set up and ready to go. Storage can become an issue, but getting something like the Plano Molding 5231 Organizer Plano Molding 5231 Double Cover Stow N Go Organizer, Porsche Red is a perfect and affordable solution. Trust me, this is fun for players of all ages. And, I'll bet I'll see you at the next XA meeting (X-Wing Anonymous); it's cool, your secret is safe with me.

I bought this for my 11-year-old son on Christmas. We had one 2-hour session where we unboxed and prepared to play, then read through the rules and played a "practice" game session, then we were off and running. Now we can run a quick 30-minute battle (with 3 ships) on our table at any time. Occasionally we do one of the missions in the rulebook, too, but it's typically more fun to just play elimination where you destroy "all of the enemy's ships". My son bought (separately) an A-wing and a B-wing with his allowance, and I bought a TIE Interceptor and a few additional TIE fighters to face off against him...so occasionally we set up a 3 vs 5 fight rather than the starter "1 vs 2". But tactics being what they are, these multi-ship fights ramp up in time commitment geometrically. So while a fast 3-ship fight takes just 15 to 30 minutes, you can expect an 8-ship fight (with pilots' unique skills, and customization cards, asteroids to avoid or use as cover) to take a few hours to resolve. I think the ingenious thing about the system is that you can buy each piece individually, and it comes with all the additional cards and markers that you need to incorporate it into your set without worrying about odds and ends. Because each ship has numerous pilot cards with varying point values associated with it, you get some idea of whether or not, for example, Soontir Fel + two Academy Pilots should be equal to facing off against Luke Skywalker + Tycho Celchu. If not, you might be able to even it up by adding talents or weapons. X-Wing Miniatures is currently our favorite tabletop game, with 5-player Ticket to Ride next (if other family members are available), so I think we are going to keep buying additional miniatures whenever we have a few bucks to spare. pew pew pew!

I must admit, for the record, I am a Star Wars fan. I also love miniature games. The problem I have found in so many mini games is that they are either too complex or too simplistic. They miss that elusive mark of 'fun' for me and my boys. In my opinion this game hits the mark, its a 'Goldilocks' style of game, not to simple, not to complex, it is just right. My almost 10 year old son and I have a blast playing together. We can wrap-up most games in under an hour, sometimes close to 30 minutes if we keep the squads small. The X-wing's wing mounted laser cannons are very fragile, but the tie fighters are strong enough. I wouldn't let my 5 year old play with any of them, but he has had the Y-wing for six months and it is still in one piece. There is a very active online community that generates missions, scenarios and is very helpful and cordial when it comes to newbie's questions and confusions. You should be able to find plenty of support material to keep the game fresh for some time to come. The miniatures themselves look great. Their proportions look spot-on, except for the tie fighter, to me it seems a tad too large. The paintjobs on the X-wing, Tie and Y-wing look fantastic. So far the game seems reasonably balanced. At first I was concerned that the tie fighter's agility and barrel roll maneuvers would out class the X-wing but as of six games played it seems to be a pretty fair fight once you get some of the special abilities and weapons on the Rebel ships. I am waiting for my second Core Set as I write this and I am dying to purchase the Falcon, the Tie Interceptor and every other ship they produce. It is simply a very fun game.

I have two core sets, and three expansions purchased thus far, and I'm simply loving this game. My kids and I (11 and 12) find ourselves playing several times a week. It is not overtly complicated, and has two sets of rules you can play with. A very simple set to help younglings or new players ease into its combat, then a more advanced set of rules that allow for even more dynamic battles and fun. This game has a lot of potential, and with the Millennium Falcon, Slave 1, A-Wings and Tie Interceptors already coming out this holiday, this thing is going to be a blast. I can't imagine what its going to be like when an Imperial Star Destroyer finally hits the market. Surely those things are in the works. One of the major negatives is the price. Here, at Amazon, it sits at a good price point, elsewhere, its 10 to 15 dollars more expensive. Buying this game on-line is the way to go. I would recommend picking up the core set (probably an additional one too) and pick up at least one each of the expansions. Fantasy Flight games does a wonderful job explaining the rules, packaging their sets, and giving you plenty bang for your buck. These guys are the Porsche of board games. You can't go wrong with this. It is simply addicting.

全て英語表記ですが、某動画サイトにプレイ動画がたくさんアップされているので、だいたいのルールはそれで理解できます。 我が家ではルールを簡略化して、6歳の息子と他の拡張パックもあわせて、ドッグファイトを楽しんでいます。造形もそこそこよいのでコレクションとして飾るのもよいかとおもいます。 ただし、購入の際には、メーカーホームページでの定価や米国での販売価格を調べ、適正な価格で出品されているかよく見極めてからの購入をおすすめします。

ive been playing games such as this one for decades now, and I have to say that Fantasy Flight Games make some of the best. I play Armada and Imperial Assault and decided to give X-wing a try because it has a shorter average game time than the other two (30 min vs. 2-3 hours) which works better with the schedule of myself and friends as adults with things to do. If youve played Armada, there are some similarities but overall it is a different game. This is the core set which at least one player requires, as it has the rules, dice and various movement tools, etc. The game play is well thought out. There is plenty of strategy involved with an element of luck. The game is balanced for each side, fast paced so you wont fall asleep waiting for your turn, and captures the feeling of Star Wars fighter combat as well as I imagine a board game can. Each player chooses empire or rebels and chooses fighters to use and upgrades to those ships, or versions with more skilled pilots, up to a set point value for the side. This box contains several of each to keep playing for a while without getting bored, as well you can get new upgrades with other ship expansions. The elements of gameplay are tracked using tokens which can be a bit daunting at first but once youve been playing an hour or so you have the basics down, and it makes it easy to remember if a ship has taken damage or has special effects applied to it without needing to record anything on a special score sheet etc. The game has been out for a few years now and is one of the more popular non-magic the gathering games in my area, with several game shops having X-wing nights. There are many expansions out now so you can get pretty much any fighter or smaller ship youve ever dreamed of. Larger ships such as star destroyers are still the realm of Armada. The miniatures are well painted and detailed and could be used as nothing more than a display on your shelf if you wanted.

Amazing game! super engaging, fun, challenging, has everything you need to start the game and opens room for expansion ships. Pleny of options to keep this game always new and different. There are multiple pilot cards for each ship as well as upgrades that make it even more flexible. Aside from the Tie fighters being slanted (at an angle) pointing a bit to the side rather than forward on the stand, the models are very pretty and highly detailed! I love it!! can't wait to start expanding collection. Bear in mind that the Force Awaken starter set is also available and the ships in it have different abilities and pilots so do some research as they are equally fun but one might suit your style better than other. Or get them both!

This was my 2nd X-Wing core set. I saw the price drop to around $30 CDN so I thought it would be worth it to pick up since 3 models + a set of dice would cost you over $50 if you bought them separately. The game is awesome, it feels like it can take awhile to learn but moves pretty quickly once you figure out the rules. It even has a great set of quick start rules that strips down the rules to a basic game for either teaching or playing with kids. The models do seem to be very fragile but in the 3 years I've owned my original core set I haven't broken any pieces off. I would recommend putting them back in the plastic clam shell that they come in between plays to help keep them safe. Also the models look AWESOME, Fantasy Flight should do more pre-painted minis!

This starter set is fantastic! 2 Tie Fighters and 1 X wing each with multiple pilots come in the box plus everything else you need to play. Only gripe is not enough dice for some combat situations (you can order more separately or get the star wars dice app). The game is a blast to play and easy to learn! You can order a cool play mat too!