Guns and Swords and Uniforms (Futurewolfie’s Top 6 Combat Mechanisms)

3. X-Wing Miniatures

Ah, the thrill of being a fighter pilot in space. Nothing but a few thin sheets of metal and plastic separating you from cold, dead space.

X-Wing does a masterful job of implementing a rather free-form maneuvering system into a squadron-based tactical game. What’s really nifty is how even with this open-ended game system rife with dice rolls, you are still incredibly rewarded by flying your ships with skill and keeping them organized and in formation.

Players have put a ton of hours into breaking down the movement system and figuring out the best way to fly your ships together to ensure victory. And while dice can be fickle, good flying makes a huge difference in the outcome of the game.

Layer on top of that your unique pilot abilities and upgrade cards, as well as uniquely handling ships, you’ve got a few dozen ways to build a squadron that can enhance your defenses or supercharge your attacks, and work with your dice to turn bad rolls into good ones. An okay pilot can fly their ship, fire their blasters, and hope they hit something when they roll their dice. A great pilot can do all that, but will also do everything in their power to take those dice and make them hit.

The result is an exciting, tension-filled, fast paced game that puts you right in the squad leader’s cockpit. I know that the system is derivative of other games, but it’s quite well done here and in a sci-fi universe that deserves a great combat game. It’s also the version of this system that I personally play the most.