News on Rebel Aces for X Wing

News for September 2014

Jump to Subspace A Preview of the Rebel Aces Expansion Pack for X-Wing (TM)

X-Wing | Published 15 September 2014

Hunched over inside an escape pod, a Rebel operative holds a high-ranking Moff at gunpoint. “I know it’s cramped in here; quit complaining. I don’t have much faith in this thing’s life support, so stop using up all the oxygen.” The Rebel operative tries the comms again. “Come in Dagger Squadron, do you read me? Dagger Squadron?”
    –from the “Jump to Subspace” mission
The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack for X-Wing™ is scheduled to arrive at retailers late next week!
In our previous previews, we have focused on what its new A-wing and B-wing pilots and upgrades bring to X-Wing.
We’ve seen how the expansion has increased the A-wing’s versatility, granting Rebel commanders the choice to use their A-wings as lightning-quick missile platforms or treat them with Chardaan Refits in order to make them more efficient, ship-to-ship dogfighters.

A 360-degree view of the Rebel Aces A-wing.

We’ve also see how the expansion’s ace B-wing pilots may encourage commanders to fly their B-wings out of formation and explore all-new uses of this powerful starfighter.

A 360-degree view of the Rebel Aces B-wing.

Today, we’ll turn our attention away from the different options that the Rebel Aces Expansion Pack makes possible and look at the challenges that confront its ace pilots in the expansion’s new mission, Jump to Subspace.
Mission Briefing
Jump to Subspace offers you a golden opportunity to test all the new options available to your A-wings and B-wings.
In this new mission, the Rebel Alliance must move quickly to rescue an operative that has captured a high-ranking Imperial Moff. However, it won’t be an easy task. They’re both cramped inside a damaged escape pod that has gone adrift inside an asteroid belt, and its thrusters are failing.
As you head into the mission’s setup, the Rebellion’s situation gets even worse. Its starships arrive on the scene, deployed at opposite edges of the asteroid belt, and find that Imperial forces have also arrived and are ready for battle. Accordingly, your Rebel pilots must coordinate their efforts carefully to withstand the Imperial assault even as they work to jump-start the escape pod’s thrusters and guide it safely away from the asteroid field.

If the Rebels can successfully shepherd the escape pod off the Rebel edge of the map, they win. It won’t be easy, though, because even while the Rebels begin the scenario with more available squad points than the Imperials, the Imperial player can call reinforcements to continue pressing the attack. As a result, the Rebellion’s aces find themselves battling against the clock and a limitless swarm of Imperial TIEs, and the mission gains a sense of tremendous urgency.
Finally, the mission demands that you learn how to fly your A-wing and B-wing. Its unique rules require the Rebel player to field both an A-wing and a B-wing, at least one of which must be unique, so you’ll be guaranteed plenty of chances to make great use of the A-wing’s tremendous speed and to have your B-wing launch brutal volleys of laser fire at Imperial forces.
Fly with the Rebellion’s Finest!
Only ace pilots were granted the right to fly prototypes for the Rebel fleet, but their efforts benefitted everyone dedicated to the cause of galactic freedom.
Soon, you’ll be among those benefitting from their efforts when you fly the A-wing and B-wing from Rebel Aces. You can learn how best to pilot them and put them through their paces in the new mission, Jump to Subspace. Then you can outfit them for Standard Play with the expansion’s new upgrades and continue to fight for the fate of the galaxy.
You’ll soon have your chance to fly with the best, so it’s time to start mastering these challenging starfighters… The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack arrives at retailers late next week!

X-Wing is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE Fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted miniatures, X-Wing recreates Star Wars’ exciting space battles. Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and complete your mission!

© & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

 

Dropzone Commander UCM Painted

Nick took some pics of his most recent foray into painting up some recently purchased Dropzone Commander United Colonies of Mankind (UCM) units. Nick used a tiger stripe pattern that uses some greens and browns.

 

So we have two Galdius Heavy tanks and both versions of the Wolverine scout vehicle on display. Nick is also working on some Scourge units as well and he just got his two player starter set so expect some more UCM and Scourge pics soon.

Dropzone Commander Reviews and Updates

Well a while back we talked about following this game and how great their starter set was. Hawk Wargames has recently unveiled a ton of releases for their new faction The Resistance and they have released their new expansion book: Dropzone Commander Reconquest Phase 1. These releases should have been enough to overwhelm the average gamer but on top of all of it they also dropped another big surprise and announced the pre-order of plastic starter kits for the four core factions. These kits have been reduced in price and are a great new chapter for everyone that was sitting on the fence about which faction to pick. So lets take a look at some of the new products and what is going on with Dropzone Commander.....

First up is The Resistance:

This faction is the newest addition to the Dropzone Commander line and it does not disappoint. Think about John Connor from the Terminator movies leading his human troops and you kind of get a feel for the army. You get hovercraft, pick up trucks, motorcycle infantry, helicopter gunships, drilling vehicles and tons of other unique units. The Resistance splits itself into two army types, Allies or Feral and depending on which approach you choose it allows access to different units and commanders. I do not intend to do a full faction review but I will talk about some of the new units so lets start with the infantry since they lead the way.

The Resistance infantry are similar to UCM infantry and even share some of the same models. The highlight unit for this group is the motorcycle infantry called "Freeriders". This guys are cool and as you would assume fast. I like the idea and the feel of these units. They also have more infantry options than any other faction right now.

In terms of land vehicles, they have a lot of options as well. Everything from pick up trucks with guns and rockets to heavy tanks and school buses. The cool unit here is definitely the Breach Drill which can allow for some sneaky  infiltration options.

I have always loved the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II also known as the Warthog , this has become an iconic close air support aircraft and it has personally saved me in combat. The Resistance get access to its futuristic cousin the J-19 Hellhog which just looks great. It has the look of something that will chew up armor and infantry units and it looks like a close air support option. The addition of helicopters is a different approach and I welcome it.

The Resistance would not be complete without the dropship options that make this game work. They have somewhat a traditional option in the form of the Lifthawk but there are rules that govern its use. There are also some new options via hovercraft. Yup, all of you Marines that used to be on LCACs can get excited and pick up some Resistance hovercraft to sprint your troops to their objectives.

Overall the Resistance is full of new units that offer some very unique play styles to the game. The faction is a welcomed addition and I think Hawk always does a good job of balancing out their new stuff with the old. Hopefully more factions will come out with the same thought and care that was put into this faction. To get a hold of the rules for the Resistance you need to pick up a copy of their next product we will take a look at.

Reconquest Phase 1

At 152 pages this book is a great buy and the artwork is wonderful to look at. This book is full of the background shaping the UCM and its goal to take back the cradle worlds and eventually Earth. The book has the rules for the Resistance faction and it also has the rules for all the units that are not in the core rulebook that have been added to the game since its release. In addition to all of this it has new commander options for every race that can add some new flavor to your games and increase the options for your army. The price is the same as the core book so once again a great buy.

Last but not least the four original factions will all get a plastic starter set that has dropped in price and is extremely reasonable to purchase. I found some sets as low as $25-$45 online for pre order or you can simply get it direct from Hawk. These sets really allow new players to jump in and grab a faction that they were not sure about. One of the great things about DZC is that their starters are fully playable within the force organization and the skirmish style of play allows you to get going right away. So if you were on the fence before now is a great time to jump into Dropzone Commander and get started on your army.

X COM Boardgame by FFG

Loved this computer game when I was a kid and I still play it occasionally, I know there has been life put back into it with the release of new video games over the past two years. This new board game will be an awesome addition to a fan favorite title.

News for August 2014

You Are Humanity's Last Hope The Alien Invasion Begins with XCOM: The Board Game

XCOM: The Board Game | Published 05 August 2014

Paris has fallen. New York is a pile of rubble spilling into the Atlantic. Alien attacks against Nanjing and Changzhou prompt widespread panic throughout the streets of Shanghai. Defense satellites detect UFOs in orbit over Mexico, Russia, and Brazil. Military responses have proven ineffectual. Fear and anxiety lead to widespread riots. Human civilization stands upon the brink of collapse…

You are humanity’s last hope.

In XCOM: The Board Game, you and up to three friends assume the roles of the leaders of the elite, international organization known as XCOM. It is your job to defend humanity, quell the rising panic, and turn back the alien invasion.

Where the world’s militaries have failed to stand against the alien invaders, you must succeed. To do so, you must make strategic use of the resources available to you. You must launch Interceptors to shoot down alien UFOs, assign soldiers to key missions, research alien technology, and use that technology to defend your base, all while you try to keep the world from collapsing just long enough that you can coordinate one final mission to repel the invaders for good.

Innovative Digital Enhancement

The most notable aspect of XCOM: The Board Game is the way that it incorporates a free and innovative digital app into the core of its gameplay, then uses the app to promote a unique play experience unlike anything you and your friends have previously encountered in a board game. This digital companion will be available both as a downloadable app and as an online tool.

The app’s primary function is to coordinate the escalating alien invasion, randomly selecting from one of five different invasion plans. Each invasion plan represents a general outline that the alien commanders will use to coordinate the arrival of new UFOs, plan strikes against your base, and respond to your successes or failures as it seeks to conquer Earth. The app manages all of these tasks and heighten’s the game’s tension as it forces you to respond in real-time. Then, after you move quickly to coordinate your response, you engage the enemy in the untimed resolution phase and feed the results to the app. Based upon these results, the app launches the invasion's next strikes.

Two UFOs appear over North and South America

Additionally, the app teaches you the rules, controls the information that your satellites provide you, and tracks the progress of your resistance efforts, even as it allows you to enjoy the game at any of three levels of difficulty: Easy, Normal, or Hard.

A crisis card

The use of this app does more than simply streamline your play experience and track your turns in real-time. It also permits a uniquely dynamic turn structure. While the variety of game phases remains the same from round to round, the order in which you and your friends must play through them may change, as may the number of a given phase.

As a result, while you’ll want to know where UFOs appear before you deploy your Interceptors, the alien invaders may be able to disrupt your satellite intel and force you to deploy your Interceptors on patrol with limited or no knowledge of the UFOs current whereabouts. Similarly, you may be forced to think about the costs of resolving the world’s crises before you know how many troops you’ll need to commit to your base defense.

The effect of the app, then, is to immerse you deep into the dramatic tension at the core of XCOM: The Board Game, and it ensures that the game presents a challenging and cooperative (or solo) experience like no other. Just like the XCOM department heads that you represent, you’ll need to keep cool heads in order to prevail.

Inside XCOM Strategic Command

XCOM’s resistance efforts are spearheaded by its four leaders, each of which is represented by one of the game’s player roles: Commander, Chief Scientist, Central Officer, and Squad Leader.

Commander

The Commander is responsible to manage XCOM’s budget and must be foresightful enough to know when best to access the organization’s emergency funding and how best to allocate it. Additionally, the Commander makes the tough decisions about where to assign XCOM’s limited number of Interceptors to global defense. Wherever you commit your Interceptors, you have a chance of destroying UFOs and slowing the spread of panic. Wherever you don’t commit your Interceptors, fear and anxiety are bound to run rampant.

The Commander is responsible for assigning Interceptors to global defense

Chief Scientist

If you and XCOM are to have any chance of successfully repelling the alien invaders, you’ll need better technology. The Chief Scientist’s responsibilities include studying advanced technology, learning how to harness it, manufacturing better weapons and armor, and equipping the rest of the organization with the tools they need to survive. Of course, only a limited number of scientists possess the necessary training and intellect to quickly dissect, analyze, and replicate alien technology. Part of your job as Chief Scientist, then, is not only to decide how best to direct the organization’s research efforts but also to prioritize between them, allocating more scientists to the projects you decide will best benefit the war effort.

Central Officer

The Central Officer serves as the communications relay between XCOM and the outside world. This means you manage the organization’s satellite network, and it is your job to ensure that the organization remains alert to potential threats, communicates and coordinates its efforts effectively between branches, and scrambles as many alien transmissions as possible. Succeed, and you’ll reduce the number of UFOs in orbit. Fail, and you’ll suffer communications blackouts that will force you to act blindly in the midst of a war, the likes of which Earth has never known. Additionally, the Central Officer communicates all of the information provided by the game’s digital app to the players. The clock is always running, so it’s vital that you share all relevant information quickly and clearly.

Squad Leader

In the end, XCOM needs boots on the ground to confront the alien invaders, and it’s the Squad Leader’s job to ensure that the right troops are tackling the right missions. As the invasion escalates, you must assemble strike teams to meet the aliens in battle. Simultaneously, you must assign soldiers to defend the XCOM base, and you’ll need to strike an effective balance. If your base falls, so do you. So does the earth. Still, you need to succeed at missions to win. Each mission you complete brings you closer to uncovering a means of launching one final, fatal blow against the alien invaders.

The Squad Leader is responsible for assigning troops to missions

All four player roles are vital to XCOM’s success, and you and your friends must divide them among yourselves in every game. Your soldiers won’t succeed without the upgrades your scientists can research, nor will you be able to launch successful Interceptor strikes against UFOs unless you acquire good intel from your satellite network.

Can You Find a Way to Defeat the Unknown Foe?

With its free companion app and distinctive player roles, XCOM: The Board Game evokes all the fear, desperation, and heroism that lie at the heart of the popular and acclaimed XCOM computer games. All the while, it immerses you in a wholly unique play experience. For more about the game, including its push-your-luck dice system, you can visit the game’s description page. Also, keep your satellites in place for future transmissions, including a series of previews, in which we’ll explore the game and its components in greater detail, and if you're headed to Gen Con Indy 2014, be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit hall where we'll be running demos all weekend long!

XCOM: The Board Game is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the fourth quarter of 2014. Until then, destroy UFOs. Research alien technology. Defend your base. Uncover the alien invasion plan. Should you fail, humanity is doomed.

XCOM: The Board Game is a cooperative board game of global defense for one to four players. As unknown alien invaders press their attack against the earth, you and up to three friends serve as the department heads of XCOM, an elite, international military organization. You must destroy UFOs, research alien technology, complete critical missions, and find some way to prevent the collapse of human civilization. You are humanity's last hope.

Star Wars X-Wing Wave 6

News for August 2014

Scum and Villainy Announcing the Introduction of the Third X-WING (TM) Faction

X-Wing | Published 16 August 2014

“This bounty hunter is my kind of scum, fearless and inventive.”
    –Jabba the Hutt
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce that in the sixth wave of starship expansions for X-Wing™ the galaxy’s Scum and Villainy will join the game's fast-paced space battles as its third faction!
The ranks of the Scum and Villainy faction are filled with many of the Star Wars galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunters, pirates, and Black Sun agents. You’ll find such infamous figures as Boba Fett, IG-88, Greedo, and Prince Xizor. These Scum live outside the law, do their best to remain at the periphery of the ongoing Galactic Civil War, and allow no one – no one – to threaten their profits.
Whenever Rebel or Imperial forces dare to interfere with their illicit dealings, Scum head to battle, and they do so in some of the best starfighters that money can buy, such as Slave I, IG-2000, and the MandalMotors StarViper-class attack platform. These expensive and technologically advanced starships are further supported by a number of mainstays that have proven their efficiency over the course of numerous battles.

Four separate expansion packs introduce the galaxy’s Scum to X-Wing:

• Most Wanted Expansion Pack
• StarViper Expansion Pack
• M3-A Interceptor Expansion Pack
• IG-2000 Expansion Pack

These four Wave VI expansions establish the Scum and Villainy faction as a collection of individuals bound by common interests, but ultimately less interested in teamwork and collective victories than personal gain. Accordingly, the faction’s unique pilot abilities encourage different types of squadrons than those commonly employed by Rebel and Imperial players.
Moreover, while credits can buy ships, credits can also improve them, and many Scum upgrade their ships with expensive and illicit technologies, several of which are represented by a new type of upgrade, the illicit upgrade, . As far as the galaxy’s Scum are concerned, if the Empire bothered to make such technology illegal, it must be potent.
Most Wanted Expansion Pack
How does a new faction enter X-Wing with enough firepower to take the fight to Rebel and Imperial forces? It starts with the Most Wanted Expansion Pack and its slate of thugs, hired guns, pirates, and spice runners, as well as a new version of the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

Most Wanted is a collection of ship cards, upgrades, tokens, and dials that allow you to repurpose some of your existing starships for use within the Scum faction. You’ll find support for the Firespray-31, HWK-290, Y-wing, and Z-95 Headhunter. Additionally, you’ll find three starfighter miniatures that have been given alternative paint schemes and re-outfitted for use by the Scum faction: two Z-95 Headhunters and one Y-wing.

• One Y-wing miniature with an alternative, Scum-themed paint scheme
• Two Z-95 Headhunter miniatures with Black Sun paint schemes
• Four Scum faction Firespray-31 ship cards
• Four Scum faction HWK-290 ship cards
• Six Scum faction Y-wing ship cards
• Six Scum faction Z-95 Headhunter ship cards
• Nineteen upgrade cards
• Maneuver dials and tokens for your Scum Firespray-31, HWK-290, Y-wing, and Z-95 Headhunters

So that you can pilot your ships, Most Wanted introduces twenty ship cards, the most for any X-Wing release to-date. It also allows you to upgrade your starships by outfitting them with any of its nineteen upgrade cards, including a host of new Salvaged Astromech upgrades , modification and Title upgrades for your Y-wings, new secondary weapons (one of which is illicit), and a trio of Scum only crew members that includes the infamous Rodian bounty hunter, Greedo.
With all of its ships, pilots, upgrades, dials, and tokens, the Most Wanted Expansion Pack comes with everything that you need to send your Scum into battle and derive a profit from your illegal investments!
StarViper Expansion Pack
Designed by MandalMotors in direct collaboration with Prince Xizor, the StarViper-class attack platform was one of the most formidable fighters in the galaxy.

The StarViper Expansion Pack features one pre-painted StarViper miniature, sculpted at 1/270 scale and brought to life in X-Wing as a potent, well-balanced ship that can quickly destroy opposing ships even while evading enemy fire.
Dual laser cannons provide the StarViper a primary attack value of three, which is partnered with an agility value of three, shields of one, and a sturdy hull value of four. To these already impressive statistics, the StarViper adds a uniquely loaded maneuver dial and an action bar that features both the barrel roll and boost actions, allowing you to dart about the battlefield with ease.
Naturally, you’ll be able to field Prince Xizor in the Virago, the prototype StarViper that he helped design. Outfitted with even more advanced technology than standard StarVipers, the Virago Title allows you to make use of the various system and illicit upgrades, like the Accuracy Corrector and Inertial Dampeners, that appear among the expansion pack’s nine upgrade cards.
M3-A Interceptor Expansion Pack
The lightest starfighter designed by MandalMotors, the M3-A “Scyk” interceptor featured a weapon mount capable of handling nearly any weapon and a price tag low enough that the Hutt Cartel and Car’das smugglers were enticed to purchase it in large quantities and make it a mainstay of their fleets.

The M3-A Interceptor Expansion Pack includes one M3-A interceptor miniature, which comes pre-painted and sculpted at the game’s standard 1/270 scale.
A light and nimble vessel, the M3-A interceptor starts with two attack, three agility, two hull, and one shield. However, the expansion pack’s five upgrades include the “Heavy Scyk” Interceptor Title and no fewer than three cannons, meaning that you’ll find plenty of options for adapting your Scyk to fit the role you want it to play within your fleet.
Additionally, the M3-A Interceptor Expansion Pack introduces two unique and two non-unique ship cards, a maneuver dial, and all requisite tokens.
IG-2000 Expansion Pack
A heavily modified Aggressor assault fighter, IG-2000 was the signature vessel of one of the galaxy’s deadliest bounty hunters, the Assassin Droid IG-88.

Because IG-88 had no need for life support systems and no reason to fear the gravitational effects of maneuvers that would kill organic pilots, the majority of the space within the IG-2000 was devoted to engines and weapon systems, making the starfighter every bit as fearsome as its ruthless pilot.
In X-Wing, the IG-2000 is a powerful, large-base starfighter with three attack, three agility, four shields, and four hull. It can boost, it can evade, it can target lock, it can equip two cannons simultaneously, and it can whip through space at high speeds while performing the demanding Segnor’s Loop maneuver.
The IG-2000 Expansion Pack features one carefully detailed and pre-painted IG-2000 miniature at 1/270 scale, along with four ship cards, twelve upgrade cards, a maneuver dial, and all the tokens you need to hunt down your prey and obliterate it.
Notably, the IG-2000 Expansion Pack is the first X-Wing expansion that doesn’t feature any non-unique ship cards. Instead, each of its four ship cards represents one of the four identical IG-88 models that share a single mind. They all share the same pilot skill value of “6,” and the non-unique IG-2000 Title upgrade allows you to link their abilities. The more IG-88s you bring into battle, the more lethal they become.
Strike from the Shadows
“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”
    –Obi-Wan Kenobi
Throughout the classic Star Wars trilogy, we catch several glimpses of the galaxy’s Scum and Villainy. We see them in Mos Eisley, gathered aboard the command deck of the Executor, and amassed at Jabba’s palace on Tatooine. They may do their best to remain outside the conflicts of the Galactic Civil War, but they form an integral part of the Star Wars universe, exerting profound influence over the lives of millions, including many of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest heroes.
Likewise, the galaxy’s Scum and Villainy will soon form an integral part of your X-Wing experiences, exerting a profound effect upon the game’s evolving metagame. How will TIE swarms fare against squads led by IG-88 and the Virago? How will X-wing and B-wing pilots used to the TIE’s limited firepower cope with Scum squads that equip the nimble Scyk with potent laser cannons? What will happen when the Black Sun outbids the Empire for the services of Boba Fett, the galaxy’s deadliest bounty hunter?
You’ll soon have the opportunity to explore these situations in your games of X-Wing. The Most Wanted, StarViper, M3-A Interceptor, and IG-2000 Expansion Packs are all scheduled to arrive at retailers in the fourth quarter of 2014. In the meantime, keep your eyes open for previews of these new Wave VI expansions and other X-Wing news!

X-Wing is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE Fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted miniatures, X-Wing recreates Star Wars’ exciting space battles. Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and complete your mission!

© & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.