Help me with my X-Wing-based RPG/Privateer-type thing!

Hi folks,

On a whim, I told my 12 year old, "You are a TIE pilot."

"I don't know what your story is, but you are fleeing the scene after the second Death Star was destroyed. You've got your flightsuit, a blaster, and your TIE fighter, and about 20 hours of flight power remaining. You have managed to point yourself at a small, unmarked spaceport, and have drifted to it, conserving just enough fuel for you to dock."

I'll note that I don't care much about cannon. I just want to give my kid something to play that I'd have LOVED to play as a kid.

When he got to the spaceport, he was met by a wary, but friendly Besalisk named Phil, who he learned to be the owner/operator of this little spaceport. He was informed that if he helped clear bandits from the asteroid cluster Phil had staked a claim on for mining, he'd be helped with supplies, maybe some money, and possibly some ship upgrades. So we played a mission where he had to use a Rookie TIE pilot with no upgrades, to shoot down a slightly superior bandit Z-95, thus securing (for now), the asteroids.

The plan is to let him play an open world, mission based RPG, using X-Wing Miniatures rules as a pilot, or Imperial Assault - or even possibly Savage Worlds rules, as his character. We could pick it up and play a new mission - with a purpose - any time we had a little time. Escort missions and such, until he can get a bigger ship, then maybe some trade runs, piracy, whatever, as his character gets better gear and more skills.

I'm at a loss for the progression, though. How should he level up? How should ships and upgrades be valued?

If you guys have any ideas. I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

Have him gain XP, which can eventually be converted to points to purchase upgrade cards, pilot skill, or new ships.

Say he starts as an Academy TIE Pilot. Every 500 XP he gains 1 X-wing point (or maybe if you use Imperial Assault, every 100 victory points gained equals 1 x-wing point).. He could spend it immediately to upgrade to an Obsidian Pilot, or save it to later become a Black Squadron, or buy an Interceptor, or whatever. He could build a stable of starships and upgrade cards, and pick and choose for missions after establishing his own base/stronghold somewhere.

(Oh, and your post is black-on-black; kinda hard to read).

Sounds cool. You could check out Heroes of the Aturi Cluster, a co-operative campaign version of X-wing. It's written from a Rebel player perspective, but you could probably borrow a lot of the advancement rules.