Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Wave 4 Announced

By Firestone

Oh well-played, Fantasy Flight... I finally get caught up with the first three waves of the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game over Christmas, and then you go and announce Wave 4. Sneaky devils...

People who were wondering how much more they'd borrow from the Expanded Universe should wonder no more. All four new ships are from the EU:  the Z-95 Headhunter, TIE defender, E-wing, and TIE phantom.

From FF's Web site:

• The Z-95 Headhunter enters the Rebel fleet as an extremely efficient missile platform, better enabling the Alliance to match Imperial forces ship-for-ship.
• The TIE defender is a straight-forward fighter with strong shields, weapons, agility, and a maneuver never before seen on a dial.
• The E-wing pairs the X-wing’s firepower and resilience with the A-wing’s speed and agility.
• TIE phantom pilots rely upon the ship’s unique cloaking device to evade enemy fire and pounce upon their foes with their deadly laser cannons.

Okay, if I'm being honest, those tie fighters look like something cobbled together at a Maker Faire. Maybe that's what Stormtroopers do in their garages on the weekend. "Hey, Steve. Hand me another cold one, and let's glue nine more wings on this thing..." Don't get me wrong: I'm still buying these, of course...

For more details on each of the ships, check out the press release at Fantasy Flight. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game—Wave 3 Announced!

by Firestone Well, the big news over the weekend was Fantasy Flight's announcement of Wave 3 for the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game!

The B-Wing and Tie Bomber were somewhat expected—at least those were the names thrown around whenever I would talk to someone about Wave 3. According to the press release, "Each B-wing can be outfitted with a system upgrade, a cannon, and up to two torpedoes, including the hard-hitting Advanced Proton Torpedoes. These short-range torpedoes can only fire at enemies within Range 1, but with its five shields and ability to barrel roll, the B-wing is built to get up close and personal in even the thickest of combats." Sound like these guys are going to be hard to take out!

"Each TIE bomber is capable of carrying two torpedoes, two missiles, and one bomb. Accordingly, the expansion’s five upgrade cards present you with a wide array of armaments, including the punishing Proton Bombs, which deal one faceup damage card to each ship within Range 1 when they detonate, even bypassing any shields the ship might have." I have a feeling I'm going to hate the bomber. And also love the bomber.

But what about the other two ships?!

Well first is the Lambda-class shuttle. "This starship expansion includes four ship cards, featuring three unique pilots who can each provide powerful benefits to their squad mates. As an example, Captain Kagi can divert enemy target locks from your other ships and force your opponent to fire against his shuttle and its five shields."

The last ship is the first ship from the Expanded Universe: the HWK-290, which first appears in the awesome mid-90s shooter Dark Forces. "[It] comes with four ship cards for a Rebel Operative and three unique pilots, including the renowned Kyle Katarn, who can assign his focus tokens to friendly ships within Range 1–3. Additionally, each HWK-290 can be outfitted with a turret weapon and a crew member, and the expansion provides you with six upgrade options, including the unique Moldy Crow title card, representing Kyle Katarn’s signature starship."

This wave also introduces a new upgrade called the System Upgrade. It allows you to control some of the dice rolls and unpredictability in the game.

All of this is set to release in the third quarter of this year, and I imagine they'll want this out in time for GenCon in mid August. We'll see, but either way, we're completely excited about this news. Which ship looks coolest to you? How do you feel about them delving into the Expanded Universe?

Thanks for reading!