Hi folks.
We had an opportunity thanks to Brady’s diligent work and creativity to play test a tournament scenario for an up coming con. Here is Brady’s run down on what happened below. 

I will say just this; as a guy and a 10 yr and a 12 yr walking in off the street with no read on the rules and one Wings of Glory game under my belt I and my kids had a blast (all puns intended). The Lads said “Dad that was fun, if it was shorter like an Xbox Match it would be better..”..sigh….FACE PALM.

So if I do buy into the system, shorter matches are in order. They did like the specific details of each crafts Special Abilities, which I found excellent as well, since they add some color and fun to what would otherwise be a WOG clone (enuff with the puns already), so it was the little details they got a kick out of and in the car on the way home they were devising ways to improve the game…..Maybe we will get them onto the Dark Side of gaming yet…(ok that was the last pun).

From Brady:

Today for our “Lock S-foils…” game, we had Kevin and his two boys, Chris (an X-wing veteran of many games), Frank (a Check Your Six fan), Francisco (event co-host), and myself on hand for recreating the the Assault on the Death Star using the new Stars Wars: X-Wing game.

The table was basically a 6.5’x3′ field divided into two 3’x3′ halves with a 6″ wide and 4.5″ deep Trench running down the middle. On both boards and in the Trench were an assortment of 15 turbolaser towers.

The Rebel force consisted of 6 X-wings and 4 Y-wings. The Imperials began the game with 9 TIE fighters (with a mix of Academy and seasoned pilots) and Darth Vader in his own TIE Advanced fighter.

Kevin and his sons(Davis & Rylan) took Luke Skywalker, Garven Dreis, Horton Salam, and couple other X and Y pilots. Frank and Francisco had Biggs Darklighter, Wedge Antilles, Dutch Vander, and couple other X and Y pilots. I had six TIEs while Chris took the Dark Lord and the remaining three TIEs.

Francisco and Frank made a flat-out race for the Trench, ducking and weaving all the way but otherwise trying to ignore the TIEs coming at them. Sharp & Sons fought a running battle all the way to the Trench, knocking down TIE fighters left and right, but running a little behind schedule.

All the while, Rebels avoided flying into the Towers—which couldn’t hit them on the surface because they flew below the level of the guns.

Around Turn 6, Rebel ships and TIEs started to fly into the Trench. The turbolasers in the Trench took some pot-shots, but the Rebel fighters were otherwise, too nimble.

Then some TIES got in and threatened to disrupt the Rebel attack. Luke, however, got into the Trench late but made good by knocking down a TIE. All the while, Imperial reinforcements were entering the game, trying to upset the Rebels.

On Turn 7, the first attack on the Exhaust Port was a dismal failure.

[INSERT] A group of Rebel Fighters enter the Trench and form up in tight formation for a desperate torpedo run while the rest of the forces keep the enemy at bay.

[INSERT] Racing for the Objective

[INSERT] “I can’t shake them comes the cry from the Trench.

“Staaay onnnn targetttt!!!!!”

On Turn 8, a wave of three Rebel craft—an X and two Y-wings, managed to fire their proton torpedoes. One of the Y-wings managed to clear all the Death Star defenses and the torpedoes made it all the way to the core of the station, destroying it in a lethal chain reaction.

So, a big Rebel win on Turn 8!

Everyone seemed to have a good time. Everyone agreed it was a pretty game and a few people peeked in to check it out and take photos. Frank and Chris expressed interest in trying it again on Thursday. Kevin also expressed interest in trying it again, hopefully before Millennium.

Eight turns for a complex scenario playtest wasn’t bad, but I thought it could go faster. Experience with the game definitely helps. Francisco took copious notes and we’re in earnest to get things streamlined before game day.