X-Wing Solo Play
In a surprise move, FFG released an open alpha version of X-Wing Solo Play rules. This was not something on anyone’s radar but comes at a perfect time as we are likely still a ways off from story tournaments returning. How many people are dying to play X-wing but don’t have a partner? We explored some online options before but those aren’t for everyone. You can always play both sides but that has limitations.
The rulebook outlines the basic rules for how to control the Solo ships (ie the NPC). The core mechanic is simple enough. Pick a Tally (target ship) based on some provided rules. Roll 1 red and 1 green dice and compare the results to a chart. There are several charts based on where your Tally ship is relative to the Solo ship. Then execute the maneuver. The die roll also tells you what kind of stance the ship is in, which will determine the action it takes.
It still leaves some decisions to you, the human player, but the rules are thorough enough to avoid most personal bias. While playing you’ll be less inclined to cheat for your benefit and instead cheat when the rules as written make the Solo ship do something comparatively stupid. The decision trees are simple enough you won’t need the instructions after a few rounds. You’ll only end up needing the maneuver charts printed out for the long term. The X-Wing community is already starting to develop tools to aid play, though this one, by the creators’ admission, has some errors. But I expect more to come. I hope to see a single page reference sheet like this from FFG in the final version of the rules.
Compared to the old community created solo/cooperative X-wing experience, Heroes of the Aturi Cluster, these rules are a bit more contextual and also more generic. HOTAC had maneuver charts for each ship, which gave them far more granularity. But that also made it more complex. You couldn’t just add any ship you wanted unless you had the chart for it. The maneuvers and actions were also far more random. Though, this was mostly a result of being a 1.0 system. Solo play takes full advantage of 2.0 and uses the printed arcs to great effect. It’s much easier to define logical actions when you can give the AI some sense of relative position.
This version of the game will never compare to the standard tournament format. For starters, you can’t out-think your opponent. It will always be like playing against a newbie who will make random maneuvers instead of the best choice. Well-formulated scenarios will be key. The Solo game comes with an introduction scenario to use to try it out. Instead of sparing off against an opponent lined up across the board from you, the Solo ships come in slowly over a number of rounds using the Hyperspace markers. This spreads the forces out which works twofold. You have some time to deal with each added ship. And it gives you time to learn the rules as you don’t have to move all the ships right from the start.
Overall, it appears to be a good start to a Solo/Cooperative experience. I look forward to seeing how this develops after the feedback and what kind of scenarios are added.
