Star Wars: X-Wing 2.0 In Action
We got to play a game of the new and improved X-Wing with Designer Frank Brooks. Come see all the changes in action!
I was nervous as I sat down to play Star Wars: X-Wing 2.0 with the games Lead Designer and Developer Frank Brooks. I had trekked across the snow that day in Minnesota – we don’t get snow banks like that in Texas. I had my bags on me and I took it slow, but as I got to the dry, flat concrete curb I took a mis-step and rolled my ankle. I was probably 100 feet from the Door at Fantasy Flight Games HQ as the throbbing pain shot up my leg.
I limped to the door and said “Hi, I just rolled my ankle – where should I setup?” The receptionist was helpful and I (fortunately) had some pain reliever on me. I think between the adrenaline of the injury and knowing that I was going to get to take a crack at X-Wing 2.0 I wasn’t feeling it too much. That all changed when the camera started rolling.
After I got my rig setup, Frank Brooks and Max Brooke showed up with the familiar-yet-different cards and minis. We started getting the game ready to play. I took a look at the cards for the first time and admired the changes. They looked sleeker than before. The Upgrades were full-sized. The tokens looked better, too. It was a LOT to take in. As I was trying to learn the new abilities of the pilots, their upgrades and their new dials, I started to get a little worried. I’ve never been a great pilot – I know a few maneuvers and haven’t flown off the board with a ship in a long time – but this was all new, all at once. I had to learn everything all over again and FAST. And I was going to play against the guy who had basically been neck-deep in X-Wing for the past five years. Oh and the pain in my ankle wasn’t helping either. (It’s still sore but the swelling is finally gone and the color is turning back to normal, thanks for asking.)
So ya – I was nervous as I sat down to play Star Wars: X-Wing 2.0 with the games Lead Designer and Developer Frank Brooks.
The day before I had a chance to sit down and talk about a lot of the changes. So I wasn’t going in completely blind. I was flying a semi-familiar X, X, Y squadron with Luke, Wedge and Dutch. I asked for something simple that showcased some of the new changes to the T-65 and Turrets. I ALMOST asked to fly my favorite pilot/ship Dash in the Outrider (which they had btw) but I opted for something that was going to be similar to the core set experience.
Wedge is still great – if you can take those shots with him!
Frank was flying a classic TIE list with 4 TIEs and Vader. I was glad he was flying the swarm list and not me – I was already ‘feeling the rust’ and I was for sure going to crash and burn today (or so I thought). As we got going I started to ease back into the game. It took a few turns but by the end of the game I was feeling less nervous and more excited about X-Wing than I had in a long time. It felt familiar-yet-new. Piloting and positioning mattered; you couldn’t just trick out a ship with a gimmick and auto-win. Even turrets required more than just flying in a circle and rolling dice because the other player could arc dodge them. Plus ‘The Force’ added some new ways to play as well – my first game of X-Wing 2.0 felt really, really good.
Cards, Tokens, & Other Changes
We showcased a lot of the new interactions and how the new style templates work. There are so many little things that are just good “Quality of Life” improvements to the game that it’s hard not to notice. Could you still use your old set of templates? Absolutely – but you’d be missing out.
The cards are just plain better, too. Standard Upgrades “slot-in” to the right of the card. And while I didn’t get to see the list building in action, Frank said the App would have all the available upgrade slots for ships included along with points, too. When you have special upgrades like the S-foils, those slot in to the left of the card.
Once you get all your ships together, you’ll end up with a layout that looks similar to this:
The tokens are also easier to work with as well. There was a bit more book-keeping but I think with some more play time it could be pretty easy. The extra charge tokens do help and it’s exciting to be able to get two shots off with Proton Torpedoes in one game for example.
Back To Basics, Sort of…
I would like to say that Frank was a great opponent and teacher. We spent a lot of time during the game just talking about the changes IN the game as well as my options and (often terrible) choices. One of the things I had asked about the day before was the concept that they had “re-focused on the skill of piloting the ships” and now I was getting to experience that first hand. I really started to pick-up on that. Maybe it was the lists or maybe it was just Frank breaking down the turn/gameplay but I went in with some X-Wing 1.0 baggage and left feeling lighter and more energized about X-Wing 2.0. That’s a good thing!
When the game launches later this year I think I’m going to dive in again. Yes, I’ll have to get some new upgrade/conversion packs and a new core set – but its going to be worth it. I’ll get to re-learn the game along side everyone else with one major difference: We won’t have to wait months between waves for ships and rules. All your current ships have been re-worked and will be in the new edition. Some of the pilots may be different, but your plastic is still good to go. I’m looking forward to starting X-Wing 2.0 with a ship pool that will be large and varied – and I’m looking forward to whatever else FFG has planed after the re-launch. It’s a good time for a new edition!
X-Wing Second Edition $39.95
Enter the next era of interstellar combat in the Star Wars galaxy! Out of the X-Wing Second Edition Core Set, you can start to assemble your own squadron of iconic starfighters from across the Star Wars saga and engage in fast-paced, high-stakes space combat with iconic pilots such as Luke Skywalker and Iden Versio. With refined gameplay that focuses on the physical act of flying starships, X-Wing Second Edition lets you create your own Star Wars space battles right on your tabletop. Intuitive mechanics create the tense atmosphere of a firefight while beautifully pre-painted miniatures draw you deeper into the action. Man your ships and enter the fray!
The X-Wing Second Edition Core Set contains two TIE/ln fighter miniatures and one T-65 X-wing miniature, along with all of the maneuver templates, dials, cards, dice, and rules that you need to play the game.
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X-Wing 2.0 coming soon – and it’s going to rock the Galaxy!
