There is little doubt that X Wing 2nd edition is on the whole a better systemic skeleton than the belaboured 1st ed.
Starting from scratch with a fully developed pathway laid out, has allowed the designers to re-prioritise and set new boundaries. No more insidious power escalation, priority shifting or balance issues.
Well…so far.
I am committed to the game as a whole and to 1e in it’s various deliberately limited forms, which go some way to reducing the issues outlined above.
That does not mean I have no interest in 2e, in fact far from it.
My (big) toe dip into this edition is very much one of circumstance and factional preference. I like the new movies, which match the feel and look of the new edition and the new ships as a combined whole. In a nutshell, 2e just feels more “Disney”.
I also have an abundance of these new ships from my early purchase of 5 cheap TFA starter kits, that happened to line up with the cheaper conversion kits nearly perfectly. This pretty much set me on my way.
Now that that was so effortlessly settled, lets take stock of what it all means.
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The Resistance only offers 8 ship types, two of which are unique if you stick to canon (9 if you fudge the CR-90, seen in the final movie). In 1e this would be the makings of a nice small collection from your favourite faction, maybe even a varied and powerful enough one to win tournaments, but as the sum total of what is available, all of the ships need to do some serious heavy lifting, both thematically and systemically.
In 2e the Resistance has a deeper, but more controlled build path with fewer super builds and little chance of really stuffing one up (making piloting and story fidelity kings again), so the faction offers one of the most stable and satisfying platforms to work with, beginner or not.
The XT-70 (15) is a very solid start. With 16 pilot options (including generics that can be fielded in different ways), this one ship can decently replace the XT-65 and XT-70 from the first edition and go some way to replacing the ARC-170, B and E Wings also.
The basic dial was good in 1e and that has stayed roughly the same, offering a Talon Roll. It also has the S-Foil configuration as standard, added to the new Overdrive Thrusters, there are manoeuvre options that make the ship truly versatile, if more complicated to fly.
The Hard Point allows the T-70 multiple personalities as an ordnance platform or gunship or Interceptor and the new Underslung Blaster Cannon effectively makes it a semi-turreted ship. Tech, Droid, Title, Mod, Config and EPT’s with the many pilots available allow for almost endless combinations.
So, more Ordnance and flight choices with a bunch of pilots. The X Wing has come a long way since the basic XT-65 of the 1e core set.
As a perfect foil to the X Wing, the RZ-2 A Wing (10) is the lighter, faster, funkier little scout or flanker ship that any faction needs (or at least wants to have). Better again than the original and sporting front/back firing lasers, the RZ also has the dual EPT option baked in. Again, this little ship with 12 Pilots and a Tech slot (no Mod, but that’s bare bones A Wings) has options galore.
With S-Loop, Boost and Green 5 max speed, it is not only one of the fastest ships available, but nimble as well.
Already with just two ships, the Resistance faction in 2e has effectively replaced the roles of the 1e X’s, A, E, Y, B Wings and ARC 170 and all with 2 more pilot options.
The Fireball (1) adds a Scum like ship, Illicit upgrade and all. With 2 Mod, Illicit, EPT, Title, SLAM and Droid slots, the unique Fireball is a genuine wild card a bit like a Vaksai Kihraxz crossed with a Kamikaze Z-95.
The MG-100 Bomber (3) is an odd fish. It is vastly better then the 1e version with a decent crew compliment. Playing the role of the “Memphis Belle”-like Flying Fortress, it is way more than a K, Y Wing or ARC-170, adding another dimension entirely. Love it or hate it, this one is a scenario maker.
The Transport/Pod (2/2) and GR-75 (1) are a comprehensive support offerings compared to a complete lack of faction specific support ships from 1e. Each is a true support platform, with Force, Coordinate and Jam, in tiny, medium and Huge packages.
The Scavenged Millennium Falcon (1) adds a medium support and second “wildcard” ship, bringing the Resistance to 2 Illicit capable ships and that legendary “something” that the Falcon always brings.
Optional; CR-90 Corvette (1) is not officially supported by FFG in the Resistance faction, but the reality of one is in the final movie, which will likely force a fix of some kind. The easiest fix though is to simply play the Rebel one with generic or Resistance crew.
Total 1 (2) Huge, 4 Large, 28 small ships, 33 (34) in total.
A really well rounded offer, especially considering the deeper upgrade path and inherent capabilities of each ship. With Illicit and Turret upgrades heavily reduced in 2e, the balance of what is on offer and what is usable sits well.
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The First Order is similarly well balanced and robust.
Like the Resistance, the depth of ships is shallow at this point, but the breadth of role coverage is, as of the Xi Shuttle expansion, now fully rounded.
The basic Tie/fo (12) is tougher and more versatile than the Tie/ln, with Mods, EPT’s and Tech to choose from. This little, unassuming ship has multiple personalities, an abundance of pilots and is still cheap as chips.
The Tie/sf (4) gives the First Order an ordnance platform that is also a genuine fighter, not a slow moving target like the Bomber or Punisher. In 2e it gained one speed, tying in with Po’s comment in the first movie.
The Raider (1) is the “Big Bad” the faction needs, which the Upsilon can also fill, but with two options the First order has tactical choices or can double up the fear. Like the MG-100’s this one is a scenario maker.
The Upsilon (1) is almost as big as the Raider (wing span to length), giving the First Order two intimidators. One is a weapons platform with bells on, the second is a crewed support platform with teeth. Loaded with Tech and personalities, the Upsilon is a points hog, but interesting to fly.
The Gozanti class Cruiser (1) is another huge ship that adds support and muscle, even if it is less brutish than the two above. An excellent scenario driver and fleet strengthener, it will get a lot of use.
The Tie Silencer (2), with Ren at the helm or not, is a fast and dangerous heavy fighter, like the Tie Defender, but more versatile and even scarier looking. This is the Tie Advanced of the First order and it shows. Strong fast and lethal, this one is a good ride for Kylo.
The Tie/ba Interceptor (4), like most FO ships, is also an improvement on the Imperial one. This is the close quarters knife fighter, giving the FO different paths to the same end point and an equally different feel to the A Wing. Where the A Wing is great at high speed fly-throughs, the Interceptor wants to stay in close, like an angry hornet.
The final piece in the First Order puzzle is the Xi Shuttle (2). This has added some scenario interest, a supply of Illicit upgrades and a support option. How useful it is generally is up for debate, but what is not contested is it’s role in the FO fleet. Basically it adds what was missing.
Total, 2 Huge, 1 Large, 2 medium and 22 small ships, 27 in total.
Optionally, other generic Imperial era ships could could be pressed into service as long as there are no thematic conflicts (Crew, Title etc), such as the Decimator or Lambda.
One thing that dawned on me when looking at these factions, and something that sits really well, is that unlike 1e where each faction tended to have equivalents in their opponent’s fleets, these two fleets are very different.
There are no direct equivalents in the First Order to any Resistance ship, which effectively doubles the variety available and makes them play differently.
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The above can comprehensively support Epic and Huge ship games and any form of smaller format play.
I have a reasonable coverage of the other factions through the conversion sets, but for the moment they will take a back seat as they are (1) incomplete in coverage and (2) do not fit into my settled vision of the old game > old movies (and extended universe) and new game > new movies dynamic.
Adding in Scum expands variety massively and with little that jangles the nerves thematically, but without, there is still plenty to work with, after all how long is life with sooo many games to play.