X-Wing - Kath Scarlet for the Win! - The Metal Bikini.com

The Metal Bikini in conjunction with Miniature Market recently ran an X-Wing minis painting competition.

I took the plunge and entered some models...

I knew the competition would be stiff, so I was chuffed to place 2nd with my take on everyone's favourite buxom bounty hunter, Kath Scarlet:

Courtesy of MM, I'm now the proud owner of a new TIE Fighter (the swarm is now complete) and a rather fetching TMB T-Shirt.

Clint over at TMB will be posting snaps of all the entries in the coming weeks, so keep your eye's peeled for what will no doubt be a whole sail barge full of great X-Wing painted minis and conversions.

Finally, congratulations to the other winners who fully deserved their victories!

1st Place: Robert Sakaluk from Australia, with his awesome YT-1300. You have to check out the ace looking engines.

3rd Place: 'Booster' from Washington, USA, with his superbly executed wrecked Imperial Shuttle. Great job.

Cheers for now :)

X-Wing - Rebel Aces Expansion

Sweet Fanjita.

FFG are like the rich uncle you never had. What with Imperial Aces, Z-95's, TIE Defenders, Phantoms and E-Wings, we now get these bad boys!

Mother, about that money I owe you...

From FFG:

"Rebel Aces features one A-wing and one B-wing miniature, both of which come with alternate paint schemes. You’ll also find four highly skilled unique, new pilots; thirteen upgrade cards; maneuver dials; and all the tokens necessary to launch these star fighters into the thickest action of your space battles against the evil Galactic Empire. It also includes a new mission, which thrusts some of the Rebellion’s finest pilots into a desperate rescue effort that highlights the B-wing’s durability and the A-wing’s agility."

This release brings some interesting new pilots and upgrade cards to the game. Let's start with the pilots...

The humble A-Wing needed a bit of leg up and boy, with this release does it get it. Leading the A-Wing revival, we get a Prototype Pilot, a Green Squadron Pilot and a new PS5 pilot. Not sure who this chap is, maybe he's from the EU? And the fourth pilot for the A-Wing is Jake Farrell. His card text reads: 'Perform / assign a Focus action and get a free Boost or Barrel Roll'. That right there is amazeballs. A-Wings are already super maneuverable, but now you can take that tasty focus action and still have your choice of boost or barrel roll. And it's about this time you start thinking about really having a laugh by assigning Push The Limit... 3 actions per turn anyone? (just don't repeat the same action twice, remember). And if you add in Prototype Veteran, it's like playing with a chemistry set...

Next up, a Blue B-Wing, a PS4 Dagger Squadron Pilot, a new unrevealed PS5 pilot and the rather awesome looking Keyan Farlander. His card text reads: 'When attacking, you may remove 1 Stress token to change all of your eyeballs to hits'. In principle, this is like an offensive only Focus token. Add in the B-Wing's favourite, Advanced Sensors, and you really are flying like a pro. If you want to deliver a super punch, why not equip Farlander with Advanced Proton Torpedoes :). Alongside PTL, Daredevil and Opportunist could also work well on this ship...

Let's now take a look at the revealed upgrade cards: 

Enhanced Sensors brings an interesting 1 point choice to high pilot skill ships: Move first and Shoot first. This scenario negates the risk of losing those important actions through annoying collisions. At the other end of the spectrum, this could work well on the low PS Omicron Pilot Group Shuttle with Anti Pursuit Lasers. This would allow you to cause all kinds of collision damage. Put Darth Vader on board and it becomes a real annoyance for your opponent. The E-Scopes are an Advanced Systems upgrade and so at time of writing, can only be equipped on Shuttles and B-Wings. For the reasons mentioned, I actually think the generally slow moving Shuttle could benefit well from this upgrade. I can't see many B-Wing pilots sacrificing the choice of Advanced Sensors though, can you?

As mentioned earlier, the Prototype Veteran upgrade card provides a massive adrenaline rush to the A-Wing. It also provides an interesting opportunity to add Opportunist(!) to your low PS A-Wing pilots. Suddenly, you've got the Rebel equivalent of a 3 attack / 3 agility TIE Interceptor. Add on Chardaan Refit and Opportunist becomes a much more acceptable 2pt upgrade. Granted, by taking CR you'll sacrifice the use of missiles on your A-Wing, but you'll also be gaining an attacking punch that will endure throughout the game...

The Rebel Aces expansion really sets the cats amongst the pigeons by also including two new crew cards in the shape of Jan Ors and Kyle Katarn. Neither the A-Wing nor the B-Wing have, to this date, been able to take additional crew? But all that looks set to change (for the B-Wing at least), with what appears to be a new co-pilot upgrade card for the B-Wing. Gunner, Cheewie, Saboteur, Weapons Engineer... the prospects are awesome to say the least.

Finally, the expansion includes a new mission which looks to make use of the included Escape Pod token: 

Well, FFG are announcing wave after wave of fantastic looking 2014 X-Wing expansions and every one of them looks like a must have addition to the game. Let's hope they can keep up with the sometimes challenging issue of supply and demand... With this expansion in particular, FFG have recognised the need to give a boost to the A-Wing and have undoubtedly succeeded in once again making the ship an exciting and viable prospect in your Rebel squad builds. 

Hey, FFG, what about showing the TIE Advanced some love? ;)

Cheers.

Super Dungeon Explore - Forgotten King Kick Starter

Back in August, we took our first glimpses at the much anticipated SDE expansion the Forgotten King. Soda Pop have now lifted the lid and announced the details of their Kick Starter.

And what better place to start than the minis...

New Heroes - "Princess Emerald and her companions are questing deep Into the Lordship Ruins to confront the evil that resides there. The Forgotten King includes 5 new Heroes to brave the depths, including the Thundervale Huntress, Fae Alchemist, Tusk Tribe Shaman, and the brave Questing Knight. Each lend a new dynamic to game play and strategy to conquer the Forgotten King and his minions..."

Our intrepid heroes...

Looks like those hooves could provide the Thundervale Huntress with quite a move...

New Monsters – “Explore the Fae Wood, home of the Kodama, sentient forest spirits with a taste for adventuring Heroes. Wisps lure Heroes into ensnaring traps as terrifying, man-eating plants sprout from the loamy forest floor to devour them. Continue into the Lordship Ruins where the once proud bramble knights, now corrupted and twisted into servants of the Dark Consul; stalk the stony ruins for any who would defile their lord’s holdfast. Don’t get too close to the trees; we hear the squirrels are in an ill mood…”

The Consul's minions...

New Bosses – “Brooding from his darkened hallways, the Forgotten King is a cursed lord who has pledged himself to the service of the Dark Consul, darkening his once lush and verdant lands. At his side are two new Mini-Bosses - Trent, a towering guardian of the forest with thick bark and brambles for armour and, Boris - a raging brute with snarling ursine features….”

Trent...

Aside from battling within a new realm of Crystalia, this edition of SDE sees a number of new changes to the way the game is played:

 - Interactive dungeon tiles provide a new dimension to game play

 - New streamlined rules now remove the Adventure Tracker to keep the action on the tabletop

 - Introduction of new unit types such as Pets, Creeps and Traps

 - New Princess Coins allow our Heroes to stay in the game longer

 - Increased chance of spawning mini-bosses creates deadlier fights

 - Game has been designed for easier expansion for future game play modes such as PvP Arena and campaign play

Whilst fully compatible with previous SDE expansions and supplements, the Forgotten King is a new starting point in the SDE series, providing players with a new and improved version of the game. For example, alongside Classic Mode, TFK introduces ‘Arcade Mode’ - A fully realized cooperative play game for up to 5 players, pitting your party of adventurers against a fully automated dungeon. Soda Pop have also considered their existing players by providing a complete set of updated rules (the first game certainly required it’s fair share of FAQ’s!), along with a set of six, long over due, new game tiles…

And in a further attempt to blow our tiny little minds, Soda Pop have also announced the release of a new dark elf Mini Boss, Kaelly the Nether Strider...

"Smoke, shadow, and dark energy twist and lurk from the scarred lands known as the Nether Rifts. From the depths of this stygian abyss the Nether Elves appear. Renowned amongst her dark kin, Kaelly is an assassin without peer. Embrace the darkness with this unique mini-boss and should any oppose you—strike from the shadows!"

If you've never had the opportunity to play Super Dungeon Explore, now's the time to get involved. Because beneath all that cute chibi styling, there's one hell of a great game bursting to get out...

Until next time :)

X-Wing - Mega Tournament!

At the end of last year, Gambit Games UK held their second X-Wing Tournament. In a change to a straight up knockout format, the players would also be competing to gain vital mission objective points, all themed around classic scenes and battles from across the Original Trilogy movies.

The day would culminate in a huge multi-player battle fought within the cavernous reactor core of the Death Star II. Who would be crowned Ace Rebel and Imperial Pilot and would the course of Star Wars history be re-written within the epic battles being played?

So, with the scene set, let's crack on with what would be my first mission...

MISSION 1:

© Inquisitor James 2013

For this tournament, I would be representing the Rebel Alliance and flying my Twin Falcon list. This squadron would prove to be a tough nut for opposing players to crack and importantly, provide me with the fire power needed to execute those all important critical hits.

In this game, my Imperial opponent would be fielding a force consisting of a Lambda Shuttle, two TIE Bombers and a single TIE Fighter. My mission was clear: protect the 'Tantive IV' at all costs by knocking seven bells out the enemy and should the Blockade Runner lose all her shields, ensure the Escape Pod's safe passage off the board. Bring it on.

Princess Leia and the crew of the 'Tantive IV' attempt to out run their Imperial pursuers...

...Who close like a wolf pack and launch volley after volley into the Blockade Runner's flank,
It's shields dropping at an alarming rate.

But roaring in underneath the shadow of Leia's ship,
Han and Chewie steadily and with lethal certainty, crit the living hell
out of the Imperial forces... 

And only just in time, as the 'Tantive's' last shield fails and the Escape Pod ejects.
Luckily, nothing stands in it's way, as it glides away to safety
carrying the vital plans to the Death Star with it.

One game down and things were looking good. It was a close run thing but I'd got off to a winning start and along with successfully completing the mission objective, I'd managed to chalk up some vital critical hits. These additional points could make all the difference when it came to determining player's scores at the end of the tournament. With the plans safely in Rebel hands, it was time to move onto the small matter of taking down the Death Star...

MISSION 2:

© Inquisitor James 2013

This mission appeared simple: A full throttle run up the middle of the trench followed by a successful hit on the fabled exhaust port. As neither Han or Cheewie were carrying torps or missiles, this meant the lads would require a total of five successful hits. With Han's re-roll / focused / Gunner combo, this should prove a formality... The real concern was whether their ship's armour would hold out long enough to allow them to get to the target in time. With nearly 12ft of board to traverse and a bunch of angry Imperial TIE Fighters hot on their tail, this could prove to be mission impossible...

'That's no moon, that's 12ft of 6mm ply'

The Imperial Hunting Party.

Han and Cheewie line up to start their run... But just how far would they get?

The mission started out as expected, with Han and Cheewie powering their ships full throttle down the length of the trench. The benefit of their 360o fire arc proving critical in their ability to provide an answer to the avalanche of fire the TIE's were hammering into their rear.

As the lads reached the half way point, things started to look sketchy. I'd opted to position Cheewie slightly back from Han so that he could soak up the majority of incoming fire, buying as much time as possible for Han to make the killer shot on the exhaust port. And whilst the theory was sound, the reality didn't stack up. Cheewie finally ploughed into the Death Star trench wall in a climactic, sacrificial explosion. That nagging thought I had at the beginning of the game was coming back to haunt me...

In my pre-game planning, I'd  considered double bluffing my opponent by opting to execute an 'all stop' 1 maneuver on turns one and two, in the hope that the TIE's would over shoot and Han & Cheewie could maximise their range 1 fire power by turning the tables and shooting the (defenseless) TIE's up the pipe. The alternative tactic was to complete a (potentially risky) Koiogran turn to face down the TIEs head on from the get go. In the end, I maintained my faith in the YT-1300's armour...

With Cheewie gone, it was up to Han to reach the exhaust port on his on. But as hit after hit continued to rain in from the pursuing TIEs, it became clear that he wasn't going to make it. With less than two turns to go to reach the target, Han finally ran out of luck and emulated Cheewie's demise with an even more climactic explosion of his own :(

Whilst demonstrating a heroic and valiant effort, the lads had ultimately failed in their mission objective. Their only consolation was a healthy number of hit points gained from knocking out some of those pesky pursuing TIEs...

In this shot, we can see how another Rebel player tackled the Trench Run dilemma;
Opting to climb out of the trench from the start and
taking on his Imperial pursuers in more tried and tested fashion...

Bruised from their encounter in the trench, Han and Cheewie picked themselves up and readied themselves for the next mission. If the Death Star had proved to be a bitter defeat, Hoth would prove to be their most decisive victory...


MISSION 3:

© Inquisitor James 2013

Right, this time there would be no indecision or hesitation. My victory conditions were simple; Either destroy the enemy fighters or take down that AT-AT. My Imperial opponent would be flying Sabre Squadron led by the infamous Baron Soontir Fel. A quick look at the stats showed the four TIE Interceptors had a combined hull value of 12 with an equal amount of base green defense dice (not to mention rapid fast maneuver dials). In comparison, the AT-AT had 5 shields, 3 hull and a lowly agility value of 1. The choice of target priority was simple. The AT-AT was going to get a kicking...

On a direct course to destroy Echo Base, Soontir Fel leads Sabre Squadron
in a fly past of the menacing AT-AT Walker...

Meanwhile, the boys of Echo Base ready the Ion Cannon
in the hope that they can buy enough time for the remaining Rebels to evacuate...

Ignoring the squadron of TIE Interceptors, Han & Cheewie race forward,
pouring relentless fire into the steadily advancing AT-AT...
It's return fire no match for their shields and hull armour.

They then bank around and swoop in to execute the final blow...

And the AT-AT explodes, toppling like a fallen leviathan.

During the battle, Echo Base's Ion Cannon chips in with
a number of vital hit points on the marauding Sabre Squadron... 

And with the battle lost and Han and Cheewie closing in fast,
Sabre Squadron hot tail it off the board...

After defeat at the Death Star, It felt good to come back with a strong victory. Han and Cheewie had stuck to their objective and completed it with ease. The AT-AT proving no match for their combined fire power. Granted, if my Imperial opponent had concentrated Sabre Squadron on taking out my ships rather than Echo Base, it could have been a different story...

After each game, players were required to complete a 'Game Tracker' and hand it in to the Tournament Judges.

Buoyed by their victory, Han, Cheewie and the remaining Rebels escape the ice world of Hoth and power into the expanse of deep space. But, for the lads, trouble is never far away and the Imperial Forces are soon on their tail again. Unable to make the jump to light speed, Han decides to lose the pursuing TIEs by flying into the swirling mass of a nearby asteroid field. Surely, even the Imperial forces wouldn't be crazy enough to follow them in... Would they? 

MISSION 4: 

© Inquisitor James 2013

This was a fairly straightforward mission; Destroy the enemy ships and try not to collide with too many asteroids in the process. With smaller, nimbler ships, dodging the randomly moving asteroids would be a less tricky prospect. But with the much larger YT-1300's this would require a bit more in the pilot skill department. I felt confident I could rely on Han and Cheewie's combined armour to weather the enemy's incoming fire, but I certainly didn't want to make the enemy's job any easier by letting the asteroids do their work for them...

The asteroid field awaits...

As the Imperial forces carefully pick their way through.

mmm...

The battle was a close one. Whilst Han and Cheewie attempted to maintain a lock on the enemy and dodge the ever-moving asteroids, the Imperial Forces led by Boba Fett and Colonel Jendon, attempted to weave around and take them on their blindside. But the lads 360o arc of fire continued to be the bane of the enemy and Fett and Jendon grew frustrated as the Rebels matched them shot for shot. In this war of attrition, the Imperial Forces became sloppy and it wasn't long before the asteroids made their mark. In one particularly unlucky round of combat, the Imperial player took multiple hits from the swirling asteroids... Han and Cheewie mopped up the rest. With another win under their belts and a healthy number of bonus crit points, the lads navigated their way back out of the asteroid field and set a course to rendevous with the massing Rebel fleet. Soon, they would be faced with the greatest battle of their lives and presented with an opportunity to revenge their earlier defeat at the Death Star...

MISSION 5:

© Inquisitor James 2013

This was it. The big one. In a desperate struggle between the forces of good and evil, the players representing the Empire and the Rebel Alliance had been fighting it out all day in their individual battles. But for this mission, the players would join forces under the banner of their respective factions and fight one final battle to determine the fate of the galaxy...

Having nominated an overall commander for each of the opposing forces, the players split their fleets in two and readied their ships for the final run into the Death Star II's reactor core. The Rebel force's agreed tactic was simple but effective; The bulk of the fleet's fighters and fast attack craft would enter at one end of the tunnel system, hoping to draw away the threat of the deadly TIE Interceptors and TIE Fighters. Whilst the big ships (including Han & Cheewie) would be grouped to enter the Death Star at the opposite end, their objective to act as a rolling blockade to protect the lone X-Wing positioned in front of them. Piloted by the legendary Wedge Antilles, the X-Wing would be bought the time to race down the tunnel to the central chamber and destroy the reactor core. But would the Rebel plan succeed or would it fail at the hands of the dark forces of the Empire...?

In the south tunnel, the Rebel Forces led by Skywalker, Katarn and Ibtisam,
ready themselves to duel with the pursuing TIEs...

While over in the north tunnel, Han, Cheewie and their Smuggler chum
prepare to defend Wedge from Boba and the massed Imperial ships...

The reactor core awaits in the distance...

After a series of K-Turns and a fierce exchange of RB1 fire between the Rebel and Imperial fighters,
Luke Skywalker breaks the pack and makes a run towards the Reactor core to support Wedge...

And Wedge has a clear run to join Luke, as Han and the boys hold off the Imperial forces
and easily destroy any enemy ship that attempts to break the blockade...

As the opposing forces gradually ripped each other apart, it became clear that the Rebel plan was working. Freed from the melee in the tunnels, Wedge and Luke powered towards the reactor core and opened up with everything they'd got. Missiles, torpedoes and laser fire hammered into the reactor core stripping the shields in short order. As the last shield sparked out of existence, there was an eerie moment of calm..... And then, an explosion of cataclysmic proportions. Friend and foe alike, disengaged with urgency and raced back down the tunnels in an attempt to escape the onrushing wave of fire, opportunist shots being taken as they went...

In the cold of space, a star died. And with it, an Empire.

A cheer went up from the Rebel players. Victory was theirs and their names would go down forever in the annals of (Gambit Games UK) history.

With the tournament complete, there was the final matter of honoring the best Rebel and best Imperial player of the day. The player's points were tallied up and the results were announced...

Best Imperial Player: Andrew G

Best Rebel Player: Dan T 

Boba's Trophy Cabinet! I'd won the best Rebel Pilot award! 

Congratulations to Andrew for his well deserved award and congratulations to all the other players who competed like true gentlemen throughout the tournament.

Final thanks goes to the tournament organisers, Pete and Gary who not only worked hard to put on a great tournament but importantly, ensured that every single player left the day having experienced some of the most memorable and thrilling games of X-Wing they would ever play.

Pete 'Jedi Master' James

Until next time...