X Wing and Attack Wing use the same core system, but with subtle thematic differences. These differences are more than enough to differentiate the two games, so lets have a quick look at them*.
XW 1e and 2e will be basically treated equally for this comparison.
Ships
A ship in Attack wing, regardless of actual size (except for a few genuine giants), are all represented with about the same table presence. The little Delta flyer and the intimidating Reman War Bird have the same foot print (i.e. base) and movement mechanics. The actual differences between the two are many (stats, dial etc), but otherwise you do not need to do a major mind shift to play either. This allows the game some consistency, especially in manoeuvre application and effect, but some inconsistencies regarding scaled capabilities and perceptions.
True, a small ship in Star Trek can have a big influence, but a range of 1-6 attack and 1-3 defence does not have the spread to cover the above two ships realistically. The little bank of phasers on the Flyer would be matched dozens of times over by the War Bird as even the Enterprise E needed allies to take it on, but for the game and the theme’s sake, the spread is heavily compressed.
Captains are separate to ships in AW so theoretically any combination is possible. Even if you stick to timeline and faction limits, this is a more flexible aspect of AW. Titles for AW ships are almost mandatory, adding shields, special abilities and more upgrades for a consistent 2 point bump.
AW feels fine with a single ship, while XW feels better with a squad.
X Wing is far more literal in scale. The Ghost dwarf’s a tie fighter, the Raider is considerably bigger than the Ghost and full sized capital ships are left to the sister game Armada (where the X Wing ships are correspondingly, but abstractly smaller). Weapons are kept at the same effect scale, so bigger ships have more. This allows the player to settle their eye with a “what ya see is what ya got” dynamic, but has created effectively 4 basing scales (3 in 1e). This effects manoeuvres, upgrades etc. Big ships feel and act very differently, even clumsily in 1e. FFG have had to control upgrade options depending on size, which makes sense, but adds natural complications.
Pilots in XW are locked in to certain ships, a design element I feel they got wrong, but seems set in stone after the second edition roll out. Some X Wing ships have Title options, which is part of the “legend” of many ships. These range from must have’s, to meh, but are generally less of a free ride than AW ones.
Manoeuvring
The two games share the same movement system, but there are some major differences in application.
Attack Wing is pretty conservative, offering no Boost, Barrel Roll, Talon turn or Segnor’s loop options and few pilot modifiers. Manoeuvre in AW is pretty straight forward as would be expected of a capital ship game, even predictably boring in some factions. Smaller ships tend to be slower, much like actual warships where big ships generally cruise faster even up to a genuine speed 6. Smaller ships do turn well, but nothing like the most nimble XW fighters. A table size is recommended for points games in AW, but I rarely take notice of this, playing on huge mats, increasing the feeling of vastness.
X Wing manoeuvring is a very different beast. Speeds are generally up on average, but top out at 5. The Boost and SLAM actions do add a speed 6 element, but only to a few and only by using up their action. Ships can be more agile, many have post move options unheard of in AW and many pilot skills are movement based. Movement, especially tight turning and outmanoeuvring in XW is a larger part of the dog fight dynamic, especially in the later 1e and 2e games where post move action chains often win or lose a game.
X Wing is as a rule played either on a 3x3’ tournament or 3x6’ Epic mat. I usually ignore this and use anything from 3x3 to 6x4’ mats.
Upgrades
AW upgrades are generally more common, but less varied. When looking at upgrade options as a whole, there are fewer classes (Crew, Weapon, Tech and the Captain only Elite Talents), but almost all ships will have 3 or more to chose from. As a prime example, Archer’s Enterprise (The Captain assigned can be part of the upgrade path) can have 6 if T’Pol is included (A Tie fighter, with otherwise identical stats may have 2 max).
In AW these are generally Crew, or if the faction leans that way, Tech centric, with weapons often being a “Photon Torpedo” equivalent or not, but there are exceptions. A major difference in AW is named ships. They are often blessed with special capabilities, more shields and more upgrades. The feel of AW is more about a big ship that soaks damage or shuts down enemy upgrades and most upgrades are a part of that. It is interesting to me how un-important upgrades feel in AW , compared to XW at least.
In XW upgrades are crucial. They are one of the strongest elements of XW is also the root of many of it’s problems. Upgrade choice makes or breaks a competitive squad build, with some upgrade cards being bought en-masse with little else in the ship pack employed (which would be unlikely in AW). Upgrade releases, followed soon after by a nerf or other tactical counters are really the story of XW 1e, but hopefully less so in 2e.
Not only is the choice greater, but layers of upgrade synergy are also more powerful. The right pilot and upgrade combination can sometimes be too powerful for the game to control, a dynamic that is less common in AW, especially faction pure. Even with the heavily reduced choice in Bare Bones, upgrade choice can still be the core of squad building.
Actions
AW has a pretty even handed feel with actions. Whether your ship has then or not is rarely the question, making their actual use more important. There are 4 core actions (Lock, Evade, Battle Stations and Scan) with a couple that may be swapped out (Cloak, Echo often for BS and Scan), but that is it. No dynamic post move manoeuvres or sneaky tricks, just 4 vanilla ones or the “alternate” if a ship can cloak. Rarely ships have fewer than 4 and often only if they are small or lower tech.
XW actions and their economy are the cause of much debate. The basic principals of the game have been heavily eroded over the years with layer upon layer of post movement re-positioning defining the later game. Realistically, if you lacked action synergy, you had better have something else up your sleeve like resilience or fire power. Ships in XW also have more variety of Action choice. Some ships only have a Lock and Focus, some have 4, but these can be very different to others, even going as far as defining factions. Barrel Rolls are common with Imperials, but less so with Rebels. Bigger ships usually lack manoeuvre options, but not always and Evade, standard on AW most ships is only available to some.
Most XW actions are movement or combat based, with some support options. The fragile but elusive fighter feel is highlighted here with Barrel Rolls, Talon Turns and Segnor’s Loops all the thing. Attacking with a Lock and Focus or defending with Evade and Focus are also important, but positioning to deliver the killer blow, or avoid it, really rules the game.
Which is better? The AW feel is appropriate as is the XW one, and neither game would feel right if swapped over, so they both serve their purpose.
Combat
AW is a less combat orientated game. Odd thing to say? What I mean is, AW is a less overtly aggressive game, which fits the theme of the universe it is part of and probably explains why scenario play fits it better. Many tactics in AW are clever captain’s gambits or crew disabling tricks. It is rare that even a combative faction like the Borg would lack some kind of upgrade disabling option. Ships with no Evade or high Agility are extremely rare also, making them less agile overall, but with the Evade option available almost always. This makes defence an action choice, not built in.
The ships are almost universally lower in agility than attack strength (def 3 is very rare), making the player feel like the hit is more likely, but the effect may be countered in some way. Just like in the shows, ships tend to fly around each other, passing out damage and other effects them coming around to do it all again, waiting for their enemies shields to be depleted, so they can beam over and cause havoc.
XW combat has a more destructive, alpha strike feel. Missiles, Torpedoes, Bombs, Cannons, all cause major damage or other effects, but your target may be too elusive to hit. Some bigger XW ships lack evasion, but smaller ships especially have 2+ standard. The big gamble is often when to use ordnance, as the sudden death nature of these heavy hitters can be game defining. Ordnance is often one use also, making manoeuvre and timing critical.
Factions
Attack Wing has clearly been designed with faction and timeline accuracy in mind. The Enterprise A and E are from different periods, so they are vastly different in capabilities, but are the equivalent of each other in their correct time. AW is unfortunately played pretty loosely competitively, with any captain and ship mated with any upgrade. This is a shame as the weaker ships are usually only weak by unfair comparison and mixing factions and timeline without any limits ruins story fidelity and tends to relegate a lot of ships and captains to the junk heap. Recommended; stick to timeline first, then faction optionally (lots of precedents here) and you will enjoy your collection more. In hind-sight I would have bought the Enterprise (NX) and Voyager collections only, but that is with the benefit of hind sight.
AW feels best played with a scenario. Can’t say why, maybe a hold over from the shows, but a scenario seems to be assumed and plenty are provided.
X Wing is strictly faction limited and with the exception of later 1e, is timeline specific within those factions, though competition play is loose here also. I dislike the logic of Republic fighting Resistance for example, but do as you feel suits.
Most X Wing play is a head to head duel, but I feel that is a shame. There are lots of great scenarios, many can be borrowed from AW or the source, but often, 100pt fights are assumed.
*
The two games are similar but different. Different enough for you to justify both? I do, but must admit, I bought AW to avoid buying the “bigger” XW game, knowing less went further in AW and then got XW anyway. I also have WW1 and 2 planes, sailing ships and others, so too late for me, but there is still time….you can still save yourself……run……now.
*We will not be looking at physical differences, only play and feel divergence.