It is a dark time for the rebellion...

I remember starting to get sucked into the buzz around the time when the X-Wing Miniatures Game was being introduced. The early play tests appeared to demonstrate some nice game mechanics and I started to visualize building my own fleets. I am a child of the Star Wars era, the real Star Wars where there are no Three Stooges jokes, no digital muppets, and where Han shoots first. For someone who had their imagination forever shaped by A New Hope, what could be cooler than playing out table-top dogfights between the Empire and the Rebellion? But, at some point before the game's release I decided I had my interest fully invested in Blood Bowl and, at the time, Lord of the Rings LCG, so I let the X-Wing launch pass me by and avoided getting sucked in. Plus, I didn't have anyone else in my gaming circle that had really shown any interest in the game. Those space dogfights would have to remain in a galaxy far, far away. Until now, that is. This past week I acquiesced and purchased a X-Wing Core Set.

I don't think it's worthwhile here to give a full unboxing account. The game has been out for a year and there are plenty of unboxing reports and reviews around the web. But, it's new to me and I'm having a good time with it so far. The pre-painted miniatures are a very acceptable table-top quality, and before my first game I thought a proper game board was the appropriate thing to build to complement the miniatures. The simple board that I built was a made from a black 4' x 3' Elmer's tri-fold display board. I don't expect this board to have a tremendous amount of longevity, but at under $5 I thought it was a very cost-effective way to try out some ideas for customizing a play surface. The star field and nebula are the result of dipping an old toothbrush in paint and splattering the paint on the display board by flicking my thumb through the bristles. I don't think I spent but about 10 or 15 minutes painting the board and I was pretty pleased with the end result. I will probably use the same approach again when I build a more durable board.

After playing though my first game there seems to be potential here. I can certainly see how the strategic and tactical options will open up with the additional of a few more ships. Plus, I really don't see how I can possibly resist adding the Millennium Falcon and Slave 1 to my hangar. In the end, the worst thing that could happen by buying into this game a little is that I'll end up with some really cool Star Wars minis so I have no idea why I was holding out.