Star Wars Tabletop: Rising Popularity from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Tabletop gamers are always looking for their next game.  A game to show up on the scene and take the miniature gaming world by storm with new miniatures, exciting rules, and options for expansion.  The good folks at Fantasy Flight Games seem to have struck a chord and thus The Force is strong with Star Wars: X-Wing and the even more recent, Imperial Assault.

X-Wing History

Released in 2012 in a small starter set, Star Wars: X-Wing has now exploded into a large scale game that has become quite popular in many parts of the country. With expansions that include new ships and pilots, and tournaments that are held all over the country, it made quite the splash when it entered the scene. It garnered such recognition that in 2012, it was nominated for, and won, the Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame Award. One year later, Star Wars: X-Wing would go onto win the Golden Geek Award for Best 2-Player Board Game, and the UK Games Expo Award for Best Miniatures Range. Suffice to say, this game has won over the general public with it’s quick and exciting gameplay, as well as its line of highly detailed, pre-painted miniatures representing both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. In this fashion it appeals to gamers and collectors of all ages, and with 27 different expansion packs, each with a new ship or pilot, the game keeps on changing and growing.

X-Wing Gameplay

The game can be played with 2, 3, or 4 players, each controlling their own squadron of ships, cruisers and/or fighters. The ships in any given player’s fleet can be upgraded using special cards and a points system, by adding the upgrade cost to the ship cost. These upgrades alter the stats of a ship to make it faster, more maneuverable or give it special abilities or weapons. The games lasts a series of rounds until one player has eliminated all others or a certain mission objective has been completed. Each round contains 4 main phases that the players go though: Planning Phase, Activation Phase, Combat Phase and End Phase. The phases proceed smoothly and intuitively, much like the game as a whole. From our own experience with the game, it is fun and very competitive, as well as true to it’s source material. The Rebel player always feels the pressure of the Empire and is, more often than not, out numbered due to the points gap between ships. It’s that special edge that makes you feel like you are in the Star Wars universe, helping the Rebels fight for Galactic freedom, or furthering the goals of the Empire.

X-Wing Starter Box

The starter box in stores now contains all you need to start a game between two people. Inside the $35 box set are 2 TIE Fighters, 1 X-Wing, a bevy of ship upgrade cards, damage markers, movement rulers, dice, terrain markers, range indicators and, most importantly, a rule book. Everything in the box, besides the ships and dice, is made out of a robust cardboard that doesn’t seem like it will warp or tear easily. The miniatures themselves are made of a durable plastic and are finely detailed. Everything is well made and ready for a game, though my X-Wing did have an S-Foil slightly bent out of shape, but it’s not noticeable unless you really stare at it. The starter box is quite the bargain for what’s inside and serves as the perfect point to begin your own collection of Rebel or Imperial forces. This reviewer highly recommends this game both from a collector’s point-of-view and a tabletop gamer’s point-of-view.

Imperial Assault: The New Addition

We have not yet experienced the latest addition to Fantasy Flight Games’ line of George Lucas influenced tabletop combat but the reviews by others are positive and the interest from the community is certainly not lacking.  We look forward to getting our gaming mitts on this game soon to test the waters.

For now, we suggest you go out, collect and start playing Star Wars tabletop games! May the Force be with you!