Star Wars Miniatures Starships-thoughts?

[DM_Jeff]

Any first impressions of the WotC Star Wars starship miniatures starter set and/or booster packs? They've been out about a month and I haven't heard any real buzz (maybe I'm in t he wrong place). How's gameplay? Do the minis look good? Any pros or cons? I'm getting the starter and a few boosters for Christmas, just wanted a preview!

-DM Jeff

 

[Dagger75]

WOTC's website hasn't even updated any info on them. I like to know which stuff is availible before I buy any packs.

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

Hmm.. let's see. The minis themselves are pretty decent and the rules are easily learned. The game play is fast and loose, until you add in command abilities. There are four phases, initiative, move, fire and damage. Both players roll init, then the lower roll moves all of his ships. After that, the winner moves his ships. Then the winner declares and resolves fire. Then the lower roll does the same. Damage is resolved simultaneously and then the next round starts.

The average play time for a normal 300 point fight has been an hour or two for us, longer when more fighters are involved.

That's a quick run down of it, but I'd be more than happy to answer questions about gameplay, minis, etc. Though I will say, I'm no expert as of yet.

 

[Morgan Keyes]

WOTC's website hasn't even updated any info on them. I like to know which stuff is availible before I buy any packs.

If you check the page they give the basic rules, about 12 ships, and at the bottom is a link to a gallery showing all the ships in the first set.

For the Light Side:

-Mon Calimari Star Defender Viscount
-Mon Calimari Cruiser Home One
-Mon Calimari MC80
-Rebel Assault Frigate
-Republic Assault Ship
-Venator-class Star Destroyer
-Millennium Falcon
-Outrider
-Rebel Cruiser (two; Rebellion and red diplomatic-type)
-Rebel Transport
-Tantavie IV (Blocake Runner)
-Wild Karrde
-ARC-170 Starfighter
-V-Wing Starfighter
-Naboo Starfighter
-Jedi Starfighter
-Jedi Interceptor (Anakin's and Obi-Wan's)
-SoroSuub Patrol Fighter
-Utapaun P-38 Starfighter
-X-Wing (Regular, Ace, Rogue Squadron, Luke's)
-Y-Wing (Regular and Ace)
-A-Wing (Regular and Ace)
-B-wing


Dark Side:

-Super Star Destoyer Executor
-Banking Clan Frigate
-Commerce Guild Destroyer
-Imperial Interdictor Cruiser
-Imperial Star Destroyer
-Invisible Hand
-Trade Federation Battleship
-Trade Federation Droid Control Ship
-Imperial Shuttle
-Palpatine's Shuttle
-Sith Infiltrator
-Slave I (Jango and Boba Fett -types)
-Virago
-Asajj Ventress's Starfighter
-CloakShape Fighter
-Darth Vader's TIE Advanced XL
-Droid Tri-Fighter
-General Grievious's Starfighter
-Geonosian Starfighter (Regular and Ace)
-Scarab Droid Fighter
-Techno Union Starfighter
-TIE Fighter (Regular and Ace)
-TIE Bomber
-TIE Interceptor (Regular and Ace)
-Vulture Droid Starfighter (Regular and Advanced)

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Quality of the figures is pretty good, but overall I found it to be a so-so game. And can't really use them for RP'ing purposes as the ships aren't all in scale with one another outside of their Class.

As for what's available, I've heard the molds for the two big ships in the starter were broken, so there's a short supply on starters, but other than the X-mas rush there shouldn't be a shortage on boosters.

 

[wingsandsword]

The problem with using them for the RPG is that and the assortment of ships they have to start is virtually all combat ships, almost no cargo/freighters (except a Rebel transport, and a pair of rares). The ubiquitous light freighter that is the typical PC transport in Star Wars exists only as rares: Millennium Falcon and Outrider, there are no generic stock light freighter minis. The only other freighter is the medium freighter Wild Karrde, also a rare. Don't go expecting to re-enact your favorite missions from X-Wing right out of the box, that's for sure.

I've bought a few packs, mostly for RPG use. The fact that all ships aren't to scale is annoying, but since the Executor is a fixed ship in the starter, that would make most capitol ships the size of your fingernail, and starfighters would fit on the head of a pin if made to scale. At least less exaggerated scale would be useful: The Executor and Viscount (Class 1) from the starter use "Gargantuan" bases (to use the D&D minis scales), capitol ships (Class 2) use "Huge", and transports (Class 3) use "Large" and Starfighters use "Medium". Thus, a tiny shuttle looks huge next to a starship that's miles long.

Oh, and why the heck use the Viscount? Finding an obscure starship from New Jedi Order, where it was mentioned in passing a few times, to make fixed in the starter are the Light Side flagship? Within the Star Wars setting, Viscount and Executor were separated by about 20 years, but the starter presumes lots of battles of them slugging it out. Were they so obsessed with making both sides have total equivalency that they just had to come up with an equal for the Executor instead of Dark Side having an powerful capitol ships and cheap starfighters, but Light Side having better starfighters but weaker capitol ships?

The rules they came up with for a standalone game are decent, and actually had a good idea or two (I liked how they handled taking damage).

 

[WargamerX]

Why didn't someone think of this sooner?

Space ship miniatures (wargames) is the near perfect use for the pre-made figures that we've have seen the last few years.

Unlike the figure miniatures, it makes sense to have ones and twos of a type in starship miniatures (especially if you announce that 1 fighter aircraft = 1 flight of fighters/bombers). In only the largest of fights are you going to have more than two capital ships of a type - so those random packs work in the gamer's favor, for once.
Compare that with figures. I'm sorry, but I'm one of those guys who wants to hear the table GROAN, when the Black Orc Horde comes a callin'. In my world, the booster packs are a jyp, until they start selling 50 figure "mook" booster packs. Ah...too late anyway, I got the lead guys from ebay.

Starships are premounted - always a problem with other space miniature games. The rules seem fast paced and simple enough to pick up in a single turn.

As for RPG's...well, it is a wargame. The use to a RPG is the quick (and reasonably rational) resolution of a space battle - something that I have never felt was done well in ANY RPG.

My only question is if anyone has posted conversion rules for any of those other starship miniatures from other wargames of yore (Star Fleet Battles, Babylon 5, Battlefleet Gothis, Star Frontiers: Knight Hawks, anyone?).

Oh, one last item - thanks for the heads up on the Starter packs. I'd ordered one and was wondering where it is. Has anyone posted the complete rules online? The Wizards site for Star Wars Ships is sparse for playing information (no complete rules) and generally pretty weak for a product released for the holiday season...

 

[DM_Jeff]

Wow, thanks for all the info and insight. As of now I'm really looking forward to the set. My game group plays regular Star Wars minis at every loose game day or holiday event we attend, and if this game also plays in about an hour or so it'll be a great addition.

By reading the online rules, there are some interesting first impressions of note. A capital ship can only attack a starfighter with their point-defense weapons, and only when the starfighter is adjacent. I'll assume there's some benefit the starfighters receive to want to get that close! As for damage, I suppose there's a chance a single hit from a certain weapon type will simply take out a starfighter with a single attack? Anyway, looking forward, thanks again!

-DM Jeff

 

[WargamerX]

Wings, I'm ussually the first to complain about scale issues with miniatures, but starships are generally an exception.

I firmly believe that any miniature games that mixes one-man fighters with capital ships (ala Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica) needs to throw scale out. The only game that I know that tried to maintain a single scale (Star Blazers Fleet Battles) had reduced the fighters to mere pinhead sizes and had mounted three per inch hex stand as a squadron, not individuals. Not very aesthetically pleasing to the royal eye...I'll take busted scales, but well done ships any day.

 

[WargamerX]

From what I've played so far (2 booster packs) starfighters get one(1)uno hit then, pooff, see you next movie as a ghost...

Also, there are some weird - but simple rules hinted at WRT starfighters passing by a capital ship. Also, nothing on ranges, but if there aren't any (possible) then point defense may be a free (or extra) shot that capital ships get against starfighters (freeing big guns for other capital ships?).

But like you, I'm waiting on the Starter set...