Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game

2012

Immerse yourself in epic space battles with Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game! Pilot Rebel X-wings and Imperial TIE fighters, plan your maneuvers, and emerge victorious!

45
minutes

2 - 2
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game is a fast-paced, engaging tabletop game, which brings to life thrilling space combats from the Star Wars universe. Perfectly designed for a two-player experience, it can also be expanded to multiplayer scenarios, offering limitless strategic possibilities for a truly immersive gaming experience.

Theme & Setting: The game is set in the iconic Star Wars universe, where players find themselves in the midst of intergalactic battles, taking on the roles of commanders of Rebel or Imperial squadrons. The goal is to outmaneuver the opposing forces by tactically positioning your starships, represented by highly detailed miniatures, on the battlefield.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ is a dynamic, strategic board game that allows players to recreate iconic battles from the Star Wars universe. The game includes an array of components, each of which plays a crucial role in the gameplay.

1. Miniature Spaceships:

Each game set includes three detailed miniature spaceships, each representing a different starfighter from the Star Wars universe. The TIE fighter is used by the Imperial player, while the Rebel player uses X-Wings. These miniature models are key to the game as they represent the player’s fleet in the space battlefield and are moved in accordance to the player’s strategy.

2. Maneuver Dials:

Each ship model comes with a Maneuver Dial. The dials are used to secretly select a ship’s movement for each round. These movements are then simultaneously revealed and executed in a specific order. This forms the crux of the game’s strategy and combat system.

3. Dice:

The game includes eight custom dice – three red attack dice and three green defense dice. The dice are used to resolve combat between ships, with the attack dice determining the success of an attack and the defense dice representing a ship’s ability to evade damage.

4. Measurement Ruler:

A measurement ruler is included to measure distance for movement and combat. It’s marked with different ranges to help determine whether a target is within firing range and to calculate the distance a ship can move.

5. Ship Tokens and Bases:

Each ship comes with a corresponding ship token and base. The base holds the ship and the token, which indicates the ship’s direction and firing arc. The token also provides vital information about the ship’s stats such as attack power, defense ability, hull integrity, and shield strength.

6. Upgrade Cards:

Upgrade cards are used to enhance your starfighters. They represent various types of equipment and abilities, from improved weapons to skilled co-pilots. These cards allow players to customize their fleets and strategies.

7. Damage Cards:

When a ship takes damage, a damage card is drawn and placed face down next to the ship’s card. If the card is a critical hit, it is placed face up and its negative effect is applied to the ship. These cards add a layer of unpredictability and risk to the game.

8. Obstacle Tokens:

Obstacle tokens represent asteroids and debris fields. These are placed on the game area and can affect ship movement and combat, adding another strategic element to the game.

9. Maneuver Templates:

Maneuver Templates are used in conjunction with the Maneuver Dials to move the ships. Each template corresponds to a specific maneuver on the dial and shows the exact path a ship will travel when performing that maneuver.

10. Shield Tokens:

Shield tokens are used to keep track of a ship’s remaining shields. Each time a ship takes damage, a shield token is removed until the shields are depleted.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

The Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game 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. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Assign Player Roles

First, determine who will play the Rebel Alliance and who will play the Galactic Empire. Each player will control their respective fleet of starships. The number of ships each player controls can vary depending on the agreed upon squad points (usually 100 points).

Step 2: Set Up the Game Board

Clear a 3 foot by 3 foot play area; this will be your battlefield. You can use a table or any flat surface. You don’t need a specific game board, the game uses range rulers and maneuver templates to move the ships around.

Step 3: Place the Obstacles

Each player chooses three unique obstacle tokens (asteroids or debris fields). Players then take turns to place these obstacles on the play area. Obstacles cannot be placed at Range 1 of each other or Range 1 of the edge of the play area.

Step 4: Determine Initiative

The player with the lowest total squad point cost decides who has initiative. If there’s a tie, flip a coin. The player with initiative places their lowest pilot skill ship on the board first during the Setup phase and makes the first move during the Activation phase.

Step 5: Place the Ships

Starting with the player with initiative, players take turns placing one of their ships on the battlefield within Range 1 of their edge of the play area. Continue until all ships have been placed.

Step 6: Prepare the Damage Deck and Dice

Shuffle the damage deck and place it facedown within reach of both players. Each player also gets a set of three attack (red) and three defense (green) dice.

Step 7: Gather Your Resources

Each player gathers the ship cards, upgrade cards, and tokens for their selected ships. The ship cards and upgrade cards represent the specific ships and equipment in each player’s fleet. The tokens are used to track various game effects and the status of your ships.

Step 8: Determine the First Player

The player with initiative becomes the first player. They will make the first move during the Activation phase where ships move and the Engagement phase where ships attack.

Step 9: Begin the Game

With the setup complete, you’re now ready to start the game. Remember, the goal of the game is to destroy all of your opponent’s ships or have more total squad points remaining when time runs out.

Game flow Round and round we go

The ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ is a fast-paced game of tactical space combat in the Star Wars universe. Players control starfighters from either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire, engaging in dogfights with opponent ships. The game is typically played over a series of rounds, each with four distinct phases.

1. Planning Phase

The first phase of each round is the Planning Phase. During this phase, each player determines their ships’ actions for the round by secretly choosing a maneuver on their dial. The maneuver dial is unique to each type of ship and represents the different actions it can perform. Once all players have chosen their maneuvers, they place the dials face-down next to their respective ships.

2. Activation Phase

Next is the Activation Phase. In this phase, players reveal their dials in ascending order of ‘pilot skill’ (a characteristic of each ship, with higher numbers going later). Each ship then carries out the chosen maneuver. After moving, the ship can perform one action – these could include focusing for better attack or defense, evading to avoid enemy fire, or locking onto enemy ships for more accurate attacks.

3. Combat Phase

The third phase is the Combat Phase. In this phase, ships engage in attacks against enemy ships. The order of attack is in descending order of pilot skill (the opposite of the Activation Phase). Each ship can attack once, with the potential to deal damage, or even destroy, enemy ships. The defender also has a chance to evade the attack based on their own abilities and the attacker’s roll of the dice.

4. End Phase

The final phase is the End Phase. In this phase, players perform cleanup actions such as removing unused tokens from the board and resolving any end-of-round effects. The round is then considered complete, and a new round begins with the Planning Phase.

Planning Phase: Players choose maneuvers for their ships.
Activation Phase: Ships move and perform actions.
Combat Phase: Ships engage in combat.
End Phase: Cleanup actions are performed.

These rounds continue until one player has destroyed all of the other player’s ships, at which point they are declared the winner. This exciting game combines strategic planning, risk assessment, and a bit of luck to create a dynamic and immersive Star Wars experience.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game, each player’s turn is divided into four phases: the Planning Phase, the Activation Phase, the Combat Phase, and the End Phase. Each phase is critical and involves a multitude of strategic choices that can significantly impact the gameplay.

During the Planning Phase, each player selects maneuvers for their ships. This is done in secret, with each player choosing a maneuver dial for each of their ships and setting it to the desired maneuver.

Choosing a maneuver requires strategic consideration of the game’s current status and the player’s future plans. Maneuvers can range from straightforward moves to complex turns and spins, each with different effects on the ship’s position and stress level.

In the Activation Phase, each ship carries out its chosen maneuver. The order of activation depends on the pilot skill; ships with lower pilot skill activate first.

The ship’s miniatures are moved on the game board according to the chosen maneuvers. This may result in changes in the ship’s orientation, and potentially its firing position.
After moving, each ship may perform one action. Actions can include focusing for better attacks or defense, evading to avoid enemy fire, or acquiring a target lock for more accurate firing. The choice of action is crucial for the ensuing Combat Phase.

The Combat Phase follows the Activation Phase. Here, ships engage each other in combat, with higher pilot skill ships firing first.

Players roll dice to determine attack and defense outcomes. Various factors such as range, ship abilities, and prior actions (like focusing or evading) can influence these outcomes.
Damage is then assigned based on the results of the dice roll. Ships can be damaged or even destroyed in this phase. Strategic choices made in prior phases can greatly affect the outcome of the Combat Phase.

Finally, the End Phase serves as a wrap-up for the turn. In this phase:

All unspent focus tokens are removed from the game board.
Players check for any end-of-round effects from ship abilities or upgrade cards.

Understanding the implications of every action and strategic choice is key to mastering the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game. Each phase offers opportunities for strategic planning and tactical maneuvers, making each player’s turn a thrilling part of the game.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ ends when certain conditions are met. These conditions, also known as victory conditions, determine the winner of the game. In addition to these, there are a few actions that players must take before final scoring.

Victory Conditions:

The victory conditions for ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ are as follows:

Elimination of Opponent: The main victory condition is the elimination of all of your opponent’s ships. When a player has destroyed all of their opponent’s ships, they are declared the winner.
Accumulation of Points: In tournament play, games are timed. If neither player has been able to destroy all their opponent’s ships when time is called, the player with the most points from destroyed enemy ships is declared the winner.
Mission Completion: Certain game scenarios may have specific victory conditions based on the mission. For example, a mission might require a player to escort a ship to a certain point on the board or to capture a specific objective.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must perform the following actions:

Check the status of all ships on the board. Both players must agree on the number of ships remaining and their current hit points.
Calculate the points for destroyed ships. In ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’, each ship is worth a certain number of points. When a ship is destroyed, the player who destroyed it earns those points. The points each ship is worth can be found on its respective card.
If the game is timed and the time limit is reached, each player must calculate their total points from destroyed enemy ships. The player with the highest total is declared the winner.
In the case of a scenario with specific objectives, players determine whether or not the objectives were met and score accordingly.

In summary, ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ ends when all of a player’s ships are destroyed, when time runs out in a timed game, or when the objectives of a specific scenario are met. Before final scoring, players must assess the status of all ships, calculate points for destroyed ships, and, in case of a timed game or a scenario, determine the winner based on the highest total points or completed objectives.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

The scoring system in the ‘Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game’ is based on the destruction of enemy ships and the survival of your own ships. Here are the detailed rules:

Points Awarded for Destroying Enemy Ships

When an enemy ship is destroyed, the player is awarded a number of points equal to the squadron cost of that ship. The squadron cost is determined by the type of ship and any upgrade cards it has equipped.
If a ship is only partially destroyed, points are awarded based on the damage dealt. This only applies to large ships that have multiple sections, like the CR90 Corvette or the Raider-class Corvette.

Points for Surviving Ships

At the end of the game, players also receive points for their own surviving ships. The points awarded are equal to the squadron cost of the surviving ship, including any equipped upgrade cards.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, the game uses the following tie-breaking rules:

The player with the fewest total ships (destroyed and surviving) wins the game.
If there is still a tie, the player who destroyed an enemy ship first wins.
If no ships were destroyed, the game is a draw.

Please note that these rules apply to the standard game format. Variations of the game may have different scoring and tie-breaking rules.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game is a game of tactical space combat. While the game rules are generally straightforward, there are some rare or special rules and exceptions that are worth noting for a smoother gameplay experience. Here are some key points:

Simultaneous Attack Rule: In the event that a ship is destroyed, it is not immediately removed from the game. It is removed only after all ships with the same pilot skill have had a chance to perform an attack.

For example, if a ship with pilot skill 5 is attacked and destroyed by another ship with pilot skill 5, it still gets to perform its attack before being removed from the game.

Obstacles: These are elements that can affect the movement and attacks of ships. Obstacles can block attacks, cause ships to lose actions, or even deal damage.

When a ship’s maneuver template or base overlaps an obstacle, the ship executes its maneuver as normal but cannot perform an action during its Perform Action step.
Furthermore, when a ship is attacking, it cannot target an enemy ship that is beyond an obstacle.

Unique Cards: Some upgrade and pilot cards have a unique name, indicated by a bullet point before the name. Each player can only have one of each unique card in his or her squad.

Large Ships: Large ships (those on a large base) have some rules differences compared to small ships. They have a different firing arc, they can cause collisions when they overlap small ships, and they perform maneuvers slightly differently.

When a large ship performs a maneuver that causes it to overlap a small ship, the small ship is moved out of the way and suffers a collision as if it had overlapped the large ship.
When executing a maneuver, a large ship is only considered to have moved through an obstacle if the final position of its base overlaps that obstacle.

Stress and Ion Tokens: A ship can only have one stress token at a time, but it can accumulate multiple ion tokens. When a ship has as many ion tokens as its hull value, it is considered ionized and its maneuvering options are severely limited until it removes the ion tokens.

Secondary Weapons: These weapons, usually indicated by the ‘Attack (target lock):’ header on an upgrade card, ignore the range combat bonuses that primary weapons receive.

For example, an attacking ship does not roll an additional attack die when attacking at Range 1 with a secondary weapon, and a defending ship does not roll an additional defense die when defending against a secondary weapon attack at Range 3.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies:

Planning: Always plan your moves in advance. Anticipating your opponent’s moves and responding accordingly is vital in this game. Try to predict where your opponent’s ships will be and plan your moves accordingly.
Use of Obstacles: Use asteroids and debris as a means of defence, positioning your ships in such a way that your opponent has to navigate through them, which could potentially cause them damage or stress.
Focus on Squad Building: Spend time building a balanced squad. Having a variety of ship types can give you more flexibility during the game.

Beginner Tips:

Start with the quick-start rules before diving into the full rulebook. It will help you to get a sense of the game dynamics.
Take time to understand the movement mechanics. The ability to predict your opponent’s movement and position your ships accordingly is a crucial aspect of the game.
Don’t underestimate the importance of action selection. Choosing the right action at the right time can greatly impact the outcome of the game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Neglecting the Defense: Many beginners focus too much on attacking and neglect their defense. Remember, the key to winning is not just about dealing damage but also about avoiding it.
Ignoring the Pilot’s Abilities: Every pilot has a unique ability. Ignoring these abilities can be a big mistake. Make sure you know what your pilot’s abilities are and use them to your advantage.
Forgetting about Stress Tokens: If a ship accumulates stress tokens, it can’t perform certain actions. Make sure you manage your stress levels effectively.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Learn the Ships: Different ships have different strengths and weaknesses. Knowing these can help you strategize better.
Utilize Actions Wisely: Actions like Evade, Focus, and Target Lock can greatly influence the game. Use them wisely.
Practice: The best way to improve at Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game is by playing it regularly. With each game, you’ll become more familiar with the rules and develop better strategies.