473 - X-Wing Game 5: On Mercury's Wings

Hullo, All.

Out of the blue, work's been crazy-go-nuts-hectic but I managed to get TWO games of X-Wing in on Friday night: a 6'x3' Epic game (which will be the subject of my next post) and before that a 50-pt 'pre-game' - just to try something different. We called it 'Mercury's Wings'.

The idea was simple: I had two basic (Green Squadron) A-Wings, each with proton rockets and nothing else trying to fly past four Academy TIEs on a 3'x3' board. One of my A-Wings was secretly marked as the messenger (carrying secret plans), the other was an identical decoy. All I had to do was escape off the opposite edge; all the TIEs had to do was stop me.

Ignoring the [silently] screaming K-turns, the A-Wing shoots past the piquets.

The TIEs boldly made a choice and moved to overpower and destroy just one of the A-Wings, but once the Rebel pilot made it through their opening salvo, there was nothing else really that they could do, and both A-Wings, shooting down the flanks, made it through.

Both Green Squadron pilots streak through to get back to Rebel lines.

This was a super-super quick game, and although it didn't really work, we both think the idea has legs. Ideas DS and I had to improve the mission include the following:

• more TIEs
• flying lengthwise down a 6' table, thereby giving the TIEs time to turn and chase, or to stagger their lines of interception more...
• slower Rebel ships
• starting the TIEs behind the Rebels, as if the chase had just started (runs the risk of just becoming a sprint race)
• more obstacles.

ANYWAY, what was really of interest was the game that this one led into...

...but more of that in my next post!
Cheers,

- Drax.

PS: Dai, I've not forgotten the post which I noted you may well find interesting - it's just been delayed awhile. Watch this space!