Starting at the start, with Star Trek the original 1960’s series (TOS), lets look at what Attack Wing offers from two perspectives.
The first perspective is in comparison to the games other periods and the second is in comparison to X Wing.
If X Wing Bare Bones is an attempt to reduce Upgrade clutter to enhance the game by prioritising it’s core principals, then limiting Attack Wing (AW), to a single period is possibly even more Bare Bones than that.
The Original Series sports 5 small factions and a Mirror universe version of the Federation and they are all unique, just as the writers intended.
The ever threatening Tholians, lurking potentially in any period.
A Squad size of 60-100 points is assumed.
Please keep in mind that this is reflective of my collection, not every possible option available.
The Federation.
Federation player has the iconic Constitution class cruiser (although the Hathaway could be proxied as it comes roughly from this period and is the correct size).
As two of the dearest and most powerful ships in TOS, scenarios often start with the Federation player outnumbered, but that is how it should be. A maxed out Enterprise features a Kirk with PS9 (highest), 2 Elite talents out of a choice of 3, 4 Crew from 6 options, and a Weapon slot. The single Weapon slot is fine as the Enterprise only has a single option (Photon Torps) and these can be re-used, unlike in X Wing.
In a nutshell, the Enterprise is the Federation fleet, potentially coming in at 57 pts with the maximum available options, which is impressive as the base ship is only 22pts. If you want to field everything available, simply add another ship, with Pike in command, 2 more Crew and more Torps for another 38 or so points.
A player facing the Federation will know they have a versatile and resourceful enemy, but will not know which options were chosen and on which ship until they confront them. The Constitution class also has a 180 degree arc, the only one in TOS. It is also conspicuous as having no K-Turn, but the only reverse move.
From an X Wing or even Attack Wing perspective, this may seem ridiculously slim, but look at the upgrades and you will see a ship capable of out fighting/thinking/manoeuvring multiple enemies, just as the series showed. So of course, this makes these enemies important for variety and interest.
If the Animated Series expansion is added, several upgrades become available such a Legacy of the name and Phaser Barrage as well as a nice paint job Enterprise.
The Klingons.
TOS Klingons have a decidedly “evil pseudo-Chinese empire” feel to them, which I guess was a sign of the times. Communist fears after Korea mixed with the exoticness and mystery of Chinese culture allowed the writers to impart an equal dose of paranoia, loathing and interest in their characters.
The classic D7, the second physical model made I think and used at short notice as a fill in Romulan ship (spawning a them against us lend-lease evil coalition), is bigger than the Fed ship, but not as strong overall (3143 vs 3132 for named ships) and is only 16 points for the generic. The Klingons can field up to 3 fully armed and crewed ships, vs 2 for the Federation in an 80 pt fleet. The battles look lop sided, as they should, as the Klingon player uses muscle, where the Federation player must use guile.
The Klingon does however have a few tricks available. The Gr-oth has a Tech slot for it’s one Stasis Field option (the Generic does not), 1 Weapon and 1 Crew. The Klingons have the opposite dynamic to the Federation favouring Weapon choices (3) over Crew (1) and only 1 Elite talent, so they can be predictable, but pack a variety of punches.
Dial wise, the D7’s are slightly better at turning than the Federation, with a 3/K-Turn, but lack reverse.
If the Animated Series expansion is added, several upgrades become available such as Worthy Opponent and Magnetic Pulse, rounding out the offer (mixing Animated and Live cards is a matter of taste) and one ship has a cloaking option.
The Gorn.
Thanks to a later card only expansion, the Gorn in my collection are actually stronger in options than any other faction in TOS. Two named and a generic ship, one the equal strongest in this game at 22pts, 5 Captains, 4 Crew, 3 Weapons, a wildcard and a massive 5 Tech, bely the oddly crude looking reptilian Gorn.
Each ship has a Weapon, Crew and Tech slot, so no weak ships here. The generic ship and Captain can be quite dangerous and is also the best value ship in TOS at 3133 for 14pts.
The Raider’s Dial is slightly weaker than most, with nothing notable and a few less green and white moves than most. This and a lack of top flight Captains are their only real weaknesses.
The Gorn played a minor, but insidious part in TOS lore, so options and unpredictability fit in perfectly with them.
The Romulans.
Rather than a Russian styled enemy as the other main protagonist, the writers went for a more militaristic, Roman Empire styled foe in the Romulans (see what they did there, and there will be Reman’s to?). Less exotic looking, but more enigmatic, the combative but code of conduct governed Romulans are an enemy equally cunning and honourable.
Sporting the most ship options (2 types!), thanks the the Klingon D-7 cross-over, the Romulans have the game’s major ace up their sleeve, Cloaking. Cloaking adds two special Actions to their bar, but strips them of the Battle Stations and Scan Actions, making them, in one stroke, quite different to play than any other faction in TOS.
The main difference in their two ships is the Tech slot, only available on the heavy hitting D7’s vs the extra Crew on the lighter and more agile Bird of Prey and of course they have two dials on offer, the solid D7 (identical to the Klingon) and the Bird of Prey, which is better at turning wide than the Fed ship, but not as good in close.
The Romulans like (need) to get close, so the cat and mouse game of manoeuvre and cloaking/de-cloaking sums up their play, or does it? It all feels a bit like a game of Submarines.
If the Animated Series expansion is added, several new upgrades become available.
The Tholians.
The bizarre Tholians that I can only imagine pushed the special effects people to the very edge of madness in the 60’s, have the slowest, but the most manoeuvrable ships in TOS with two white K-Turns. Turning is vital for them with their web ability, speed not so important.
Not particularly tough on the surface, the Tholians make up for that with a brutal, game controlling web effect and numbers. At 14 points, they can be fielded in a small swarm (I have 4), filling the table with dangerous web barriers that can cripple or control a ship without even directly engaging it, but they can also attack normally, forcing their enemy to close before it is too late.
They have the only 6d weapon option in TOS, the Tricobalt Warhead, allowing them to strike hard at R3 or in closer with Plasma Torps.
Their only real weakness is a lack of strong Captains. They only have Loskene at PS4 and two generics, at PS1.
I cannot say if they are the easiest or hardest faction to play in TOS, but they are great in a scenario game.
Orion Pirates.
No Orions. Shame Wiz KIds.
Mirror Universe.
Kirk vs Kirk? Why not. The Mirror Universe Enterprise adds some options to the TOS game as a whole and the USS Enterprise as well. We permit the Phaser Barrage option on the Enterprise and sometimes the USS Elite talents on the ISS.
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The TOS era of Attack Wing is an interesting microcosm of the AW world with the strongest historical precedent of any Sci Fi represented. True to it’s inspiration, as limited as that is, this small group, if timeline can still offer an interesting exercise in ship to ship combat, with clear and defined factional differences. The devil is in the detail. A reverse manoeuvre here, white K-Turn there or an upgrade ability pulled out of nowhere are the decision points that will win a game.
There is no doubt that any other period in the AW franchise, with the exception of the Kelvin Timeline, offers more choices. The strength of TOS is the clear delineation between the factions available. It is simple, uncluttered and precise. Pure AW.
This is an ideal period to play a hidden or pick as you upgrade game style, especially with Elite Talents.
TOS also helps us see the clear differences between X Wing and AW. Even with the limited resources available in TOS, the differing nature of the two games is apparent. AW is Ship and Captain driven, with individual upgrades playing an overall less important role, with the total combination being more important than the individual. A base ship’s cost can easily be dwarfed by it’s upgrade costs and it has a less urgent feel.
XW is very much upgrade driven, even in Bare Bones format, but rarely does an upgrade suite match the ship cost. You get more of a dog fight or bomber vs fighter feel from X Wing, while AW manages to simulate the bigger ships well. An AW ship feels more like a carrier for crew abilities, than a fragile ordnance carrier.
With so few moving parts, the TOS era can still offer an evening’s entertainment true to the AW/XW ethos because everything needed is here, but it is probably best cracked open more occasionally though, between games a little deeper in options to avoid getting stale.
Oh, and play the scenarios. They really make the game.
Can this era make it as an individual?
Build Depth 3/5 Good faction choice with lots of provenance, but limited builds (3.5 with the Animated and Mirror expansions).
Interest value 4/5 Because this is where it all started.