Lots of words and opinions shared on these pages about my (our) gaming preferences, so after everything has settled, what are we left with?

1e X Wing Bare Bones (favourite)

80-120 point squads (or more), with a push towards thematic squads.

Original Movie and Extended Universe ships only and only those with basic Action bars only (Focus, Lock, Roll, Boost) which gives us 9 Imperial, 12 Rebel and 13 Scum options.

Scum can be used as allies/mercs for the other two factions or each other.

No Title, Modification or Elite Talent upgrades and no Huge ships which leaves us with;

The ship and inherent Pilot ability, Ordnance (some made faction specific), System, Droid/S-Droid and Illicit as factional or “advanced” ship, points of advantage and Named Titles. Some upgrades that fall into the “made only as a game fix” category are also dropped, like Extra Munitions, Bomb load-out, all Refits, Targeting and Flight Assist Mech.

Any that are inconsistent with the above are dropped.

The result is a game that takes us back to the early days of X Wing and has a genuine dog-fight feel.

Best for; Squadron fights with 3+ ships using team tactics and themed squads.

1e X Wing Classic

100-200 point squads.

The above with all ships from this time period, including Rogue One (U Wing, Striker, Huge ships etc) with named Titles, but only for the correct pilots. No TFA period ships.

Best for; Squadron Fights or Hero ships and scenarios.

1e X Wing “Full Noise”

60 point squads, fixed, not flexible.

All options allowed including TFA ships as long as they do not cross pollute the timeline.

This creates a less robust squad dynamic, fixing to some degree the super build syndrome of full X Wing. It is nice to get out all of the old alpha combo’s and give every card a little love, but the point limit stops players from getting too precious about this builds.

You can still have a 5 ship mini swarm, a super brute or ace with a decent wingman, but the games are quick with luck playing a greater role.

Best for; Head to head face-offs of ideal squads and nostalgia.

2e X Wing Official

6-10 Threat level squads made from the official FFG Quick Build lists.

200+ squads made form FFG point lists. All factions from The original and later movies and Expanded Universe, but nothing from the Prequels. Epic play is possible, especially for TFA fleets.

Best for; Jousts, pickup or scenario games.

2e X Wing Unofficial

30-50 Pt Squads

My own quick build squads using 1/5th point values, which tends to make similar ship builds to the QB’s but with more variety and thanks to 2e upgrade balance, works cleanly enough.

Best for; Pick up games.

Timeline Specific Attack Wing

50-200 Points, often determined by Time period.

TOS, TOM, Enterprise, TNG (Battle), DS9/Voyager (Skirmish) fleets.

All options within the time period, faction pure or with limited cross-over.

Best for; Scenario or joust games.

Basic, Timeline Specific Attack Wing (favourite)

The same as above, but with generic ships only (reasoning in the previous post). This reduces upgrade and ship, ability drag by about 30-50%.

Best for; Fleet actions.

Lots to go on with.